Overlooking Tel Aviv

This is the area for tourists, local and foreign, with designer and jewelry stores, art galleries, cafes and restaurants and renovated historic buildings.

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Neve Tzedek is one of Tel Aviv’s first a neighborhoods. It was built in 1887, 22 years before Tel Aviv was founded. It has been renovated in the past years and now has little shops, designer boutiques, and trendy cafes and restaurants.

Old and new

Freedom of speech and trash

Democracy in action

We just came back from a 2-days trip to Whidbey Island, WA. Ah, what a place! So laid back; just what I need/ed.

The first town we visited was Langley. It has beautiful shops, galleries, restaurants, and a public beach… Charming.

It was chilly and cloudy that day so we spent more time on the main street and its shops than at the beach. I lingered for a long time at The Star Store which has so much good looking stuff from clothing to toys, to food, to kitchen ware… In short, lots of pretty things. (Thank you to my family for being so patient while I touch, and check, and try on, and fumble all “the stuff”.)

Then we had lunch at Prima bistro.

Of all the amazing food that we ordered, I will never forget this bucket of 1½ pounds of Penn Cove Mussels “à la marinière”. What can I tell you? I fell in love with it!

I used to think that ordering mussels meant that I had to work a lot in order to get tiny morsels of food that are hiding inside the shell, unlike say, a steak, which is right there under my nose. And that while I was busy eating it, piece by piece, in small bites, with long intervals of time between one mussel to the next, I’d just get hungry all over again… Bottom line, I thought it wasn’t worth the trouble. But oh, I was so wrong.

That dish… It’s the kind of dish that can brighten up your day and bring you back to life. It makes life seem like one, big, happy party. Maybe the wine I drank helped too. But anyway… Butter, wine, shallots, celery, parsley, lots of garlic (Do they add chicken broth to steamed mussels? I’ll have to check), it was so rich and yet so light and refreshing. Fresh. And the fries? Who cares? I forgot about the fries. Just focused on the mussels.

And I shared fresh, local Penn Cove oysters with my Mother-in-Law. They were so plump and buttery and sweet and decadent!

See how fat they are?

These are the fattest oysters I’ve ever had! Yum yum. No need to add anything to them either.

The second day, we drove to the even more laid back Coupeville

It was a much nicer day with a sunny morning. (Most of the days so far the sun came out only in the afternoon. Oh well… Can’t complain, right?)

We headed directly to the beach.

At the end of the wharf in Coupeville, there’s a small coffee shop called Local Grown, where this guy, William, the owner,

pulls the most perfect shot of espresso in his charming coffee shop.

I had to ask him what’s his name because the coffee was so perfect. So were the kids’ chocolate milks with real whipped cream on top.

I didn’t have such a wonderfully made cup of coffee in a long, loooooooooooong time. (How come all the good coffee shops are far away?) It was fresh, bitter and sweet; really kicks you in the butt to wake up and start your day just by smelling it.

I’m pretty sure that whoever came up with the “wake up and smell the coffee” phrase had this sort of cup of Joe in mind (Unlike the prevalent stale, burnt, pale, sour ones you can buy at that store that starts with an S). Anyway… Let’s head back to the beach,

and to gazing at mussels that got stuck to the poles as well as fast swimming little fishies

     

And a little something for the pet lovers amongst you…

Then, it was time for lunch. We had a great time at Front Street Grill. Of course I had to order the local mussels again, and they were good, but Prima’s mussels ruined it for me – theirs was the best out of the two. Now I need to find where I can get some, just as good, in Seattle. If not, then I’ll just have to go back to Whidbey Island more often.

So, how’s your summer so far?

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By the way, we lost a doll + her little bottle, so if you ever go to Coupeville and stumble upon it, let me know asap, OK?

Thanks!

The second day of our trip began with a continental breakfast at the hotel’s lounge. Fresh pastries, bagels, fresh orange and grape juice, good coffee… buffet style. I’m not a big fan of the “all you can eat” deal because it makes me eat more then I need, especially when fresh and made-just-right (not too sweet, not too greasy, not soggy, not stale) pastries are involved. Oh boy, in that case, I can be unstoppable.

After breakfast we headed to the Japanese Gardens.

    

 

It’s gorgeous but it was pretty cold that day, and mostly rainy, so we finished touring it in 1-1/2 hours while the rain took a break. After that we went to the big kiddies playground that’s near by the Gardens (there’s a beautiful rose garden as well only a few steps away), but the rain started 15 minutes after we got there, so we ran back to the car.

It was time for lunch anyway.

The bakery we went to for lunch was only OK. The sandwiches half empty (mostly bread, very skimpy on the fillings; we ordered egg salad, deli meat and cheese), the coffee sour, the service… meh, so-so. But the chocolate macaron was good

and someone was happy about it

Since it was cold and rainy and windy, we went back for a little rest time before dinner.

Happy hour at Oba was indeed happy although, sadly, the legendary fried rice was taken off the menu which has changed only very recently. Hmmf.

But a ginger mint martini made me re-happy. Suburban cowboy drank a grapefruit rickey cocktail (vodka with elderflower liqueur, lime and grapefruit juice); I had that the night before. Yes, we ate there twice!

The Beef tostones were a party in the mouth. The corn tortillas were awesome with a real corn flavor and delicate texture, unlike the plasticy ones you get when you buy them at the grocery store, with lots of condiments on top like cheese, avocado (I think it was guacamole), peppers and red onion.

The mesquite-grilled corn, although not in season, was good, moist and soft. We love corn.

The chicken tortilla soup, a classic Mexican soup, was excellent with crunchy tortilla strips

The crispy coconut prawns were disappointing (skinny and not very flavorful shrimp) and so was the black bean hummus (but this might be a matter of taste. We thought it was too cumin-y).

Also disappointing were the kids food choices. The only thing they were willing to eat was… cheese quesadillas with some sour cream and chicken. See the ones with the greens specs? Junior did not want to touch them and we had to return them to the kitchen and get new green-less ones. I do hope/believe they will grow out of it eventually.

But everyone was happy. iOba has a fun atmosphere and a party-like ambiance. The Latin music they play can be heard from the street and it lures you in, whether you planned to go there or not,

It just made me want to dance. And, 2 little people were spotted dancing outside after dinner

and then, we went back to our hotel. It was time for a bed-time story and “Gay Schluffen” (means Go to Sleep)

To summarize this day, besides visiting the Japanese Gardens, Day #2 felt as if it was mainly about eating.

This is becoming a yearly family tradition. Something fun to do during the holidays, adults or kids, is going to see the Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton Hotel in Seattle where local architects and chefs from the Sheraton team up to design, bake, and build gingerbread houses.

This is the Sheraton Seattle’s 17th annual Gingerbread Village and the theme this year is “A Reel Christmas,” shows scenes from popular Christmas movies.

Who can guess which movies are featured?

The event benefits the Northwest Chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Time: Starting Tuesday, November 24, 2009 through Sunday, January 3, 2010.

Cost: free, with a suggested donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Location: Sheraton Seattle Hotel, 1400 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101

More photos from behind the scene, how they built it, here.

More info in The Seattle Times here.

Recipes for the holidays, here.

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So, which movies did you recognize?