Travels with Blondie: Poutine Off a Truck in Seattle

Immediately, like literally 12 hours, after I returned from the East End, I had to hop onto a plane for the Emerald City. Having never been and it being the second shortest trip ever, I had to rely on friends to give me a short list of places to hit up. And when one of them said "Poutine, off a truck," it was a win.

I was there on a press trip--our first night involved a dinner at the top of the Space Needle. I couldn't orient myself for anything, so other than "Oh, look downtown." I had no idea where anything was. And yes, they did give us the Lunar Orbiter aka the best use of dry ice in a dessert.

Of the meals I went to on my own, yes, that poutine from the Skillet truck was fantastic. Evidently, Seattle has *quite* the food truck scene, enough so that I think another trip is warranted next year. Skillet also has counter and a diner, both of which I would like to visit on their own. Another stop on the whirlwind was Dahlia Bakery. I went with another member of the trip and we bought the place out. Everything was above average, but both of us were thoroughly impressed with their apple dumpling. Flaky butter crust containing a perfectly baked half of an apple stuffed with fig jam. It's like fall and Thanksgiving and childhood and sweet memories of apple orchards and warm pie all in one.

When it comes to heading out for the night, I didn't have much time to explore the city. I had heard Capitol Hill is the place to go for the young folk, and for the few hours I was there, it certainly was. One of the PR people sent two of us to The Pine Box, the site of a former funeral home and then nightclub. Now, it's a beer bar/pub, it felt like Ginger Man, but in a massive, airy space. The beer selection was fantastic for anyone wishing to try local brews--the bartender had to run through the entire list for me because I only knew three or four. And the best part was it wasn't sceney, just laid back, good times. I highly recommend.

Skillet
skilletstreetfood.com

Dahlia Bakery
2001 Fourth Avenue
Seattle
(206) 682-4142
tomdouglas.com

The Pine Box
1600 Melrose Avenue
Seattle
(206) 588-0375
www.pineboxbar.com