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3 Squares

By Unknown Writer #5

Mar 07, 2001 -- Brunch at Pike Place Market

The Alibi Room has been serving up tasty, creative lunches and dinners for years. It has provided drinks, music, views and a place to relax to the diverse Market community. And it serves up a mean brunch.

The Alibi Room brunch menu is simple, with smoked salmon on a bagel, eggs Florentine, a turkey sandwich, etc., all prepared with the creativity for which this restaurant has become known. We had the rosemary biscuits and gravy, the Florentine, and a side of their roasted potatoes. When you think of biscuits and gravy, you may think of heavy, meat-laden stuff that will clog your stomach and arteries. But theirs is light, meatless, and delicious. The spuds are wonderfully oven-roasted, seasoned nicely, and drizzled with a great herb-garlic dressing. We asked if they could substitute smoked salmon for spinach on the Florentine, which they did happily, and the result was bliss! The hollandaise sauce was uniquely spiced, and not a drop was left unconsumed.

The Alibi Room, 85 Pike St. #410 (under the clock, turn left, go down to bottom of stairs), 623-3180.
Open weekdays 11:30 a.m. - 2 a.m., Saturday & Sunday 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.; brunch served 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekends.

Dinner in Maple Leaf

To know Judy Fu's Snappy Dragon is to know Judy Fu. Judy's influence on Chinese cooking in the North End goes back to the 1980s, when she graced the kitchen of Orient Express (long gone). She then moved on to Panda's (now split and known as Pandasia and Black Pearl). Finally, she opened her own restaurant in Maple Leaf. Her creative mark can still be seen today on the menus of her former employers.

Judy Fu is famous for her noodles, and Snappy Dragon has them in many forms, from soups to chow mein to jiao-zi to pot stickers. It is worth grabbing a seat at the Jiao-zi Bar and porking out on just these tasty little dumplings. Then there is the smoked tea duck, which is one of my favorites in town. Kung Pao and Szechuan dishes are simple, delicious, and a Judy Fu signature. There are usually seasonal specials, as well as unlisted items you will learn of over time. One to ask for is salt and pepper squid. Boy, howdy! Snappy Dragon offers take-out and delivery as well as sit-down dining, but either order ahead, make reservations, or arrive with patience, as there is almost always a line to get in.

Snappy Dragon, 8917 Roosevelt Way NE, 528-5575.
Open Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.; Sunday 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Seafood on Capitol Hill

Have you been looking for really fresh seafood to bring home and cook up for yourself? Are you one of those people who would like to find a way to support Northwest fishers by purchasing their harvest as directly as possible? Then you need to head over to the newly reopened full-service fish counter at Central Co-op's Madison Market.

John Foss was hired by Central Co-op in mid-February to resurrect the market's seafood department. John is known to many in Seattle who work with sustainable food and fisheries issues. He brings to the Co-op his vast knowledge of North Pacific fisheries, and his cases are filled with seafood which fishers ship directly to him daily. In the few short weeks he's been in charge, I have actually met a couple of the shellfish farmers there making deliveries or offering up a sampling of their oysters on the half-shell.

Central Co-op's Madison Market still does not seem completely sure about this whole seafood business, so if you love your local fish, you need to get up there now and give their seafood counter a try. Let the Co-op know that you value access to fresh, local seafood. In the end, we will all be the winners, and we will be well fed!

Central Co-op's Madison Market, 1600 E Madison, 329-1545.

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