One of my absolute favorite stops in Seattle was Mee Sum Pastry.

This Chinese bakery in Pike Place Market makes these lovely savory buns fresh - plus a wide assortment of other goodies.

Seattle’s central market has long welcomed locals, tourists, and immigrants alike, and the result is this slightly bastardized version of the kind of bao that you’d find in China, in which sweet dough wraps around a savory curry. Much like the market itself, the bun is inspired by a diverse population -- and tastes great (Thrillist).

So, I ordered the BBQ pork hum bow, which was soft, pillowy sweet dough encasing perfectly minced bites of BBQ pork. Just wow. I also got a crab rangoon which is heavy on the crab, less on the cream cheese. Both so simple but so phenomenal. A must stop.

Grade: A

So, I mostly just wanted a chance to show you how cool the Space Needle in Seattle was.

But, I did indeed get a glass of wine as we charged our phones and took into the scenic views. On this day, you could even see Mount Rainier in the distance (did you know it's actually a volcano?!).

The wine was fine (read: pricy).

But, those views man. Those views.

Mamnoon Restaurant is known for being one of the best in Seattle, so I made reservations early.

The restaurant boasts a "Modern union of Middle Eastern Cuisines," so I was excited to try this out since my experience is limited with Middle Eastern cuisine.

Food is an essential part of all family and social interactions in the Middle East where people grow up with intense flavors, colorful, vibrant foods fresh from the marketplace, prepared simply and with a lot of passion. Aromatic herbs fill the streets and a spirit of warmth and generosity exudes welcome at any table. Here at mamnoon, we share these strengths brought with us from Lebanon and Syria to the new world of Seattle – where modern curiosity, compassion, progressive values and tolerance are paving the way for harmonious integration and celebration of cultures and flavors (People).

The space is large, intricate and impressive. Various areas are sectioned out, so the atmosphere still felt cozy. We initially walked by a modern bar area, then through a more open dining space and into a dining area with cozy and nontraditional seating.

For an appetizer, I ordered dolmeh, which had sweet and sour rice, grape leaves, barberries, yogurt and fried shallots. A little sour, but I enjoyed it.

For a cocktail, I went with the "ya amar," which had vodka, cherry liqueur, orange blossom, and moscato d'asti served in a flute. I can't help it that it sounded good - and it was good! A touch sweet, but not overly.

And, finally, my entree was the "shish taouk," which is the one thing our server said NOT to order since everybody orders it -- but if everyone orders it, it's probably because it's good, right?

So, it comes with halal chicken, garlic, charred lemon, marinated vegetables and herbs. While this was tasty, I think I was expecting a bit more. They are all simple ingredients and all done very well. I just think I had something built up more in my mind when folks raved about this place. It was good - and had nice balance - but something a touch more exciting would have been even better.



Grade: B

Every big city has a solid donut shop. For Seattle, this is where Top Pot comes into play.

Begun in February 2002 out of a small brick storefront on north Capitol Hill in Seattle, Top Pot paired a vintage aesthetic with a gourmet spin on the traditional coffee and doughnuts pairing.

SERENDIPITY
Years earlier, two of our co-founders spied a vintage rustic (and rusty) neon sign gleaming above a boarded-up Chinese restaurant called "Topspot". They bought the sign, and then left it idle in a backyard for four years, further rusting and creating a home for raccoons. Then, when the sign was finally driven off to be restored, the center "S" fell off, leaving the words "Top Pot" behind. 

INSPIRATION
The sign became Top Pot’s symbol of blending the old with the new. Our founders sought to create a doughnut shop that moved away from the fluorescent-lit fast food aesthetic. Instead, they created an oasis, where patrons could slow down and savor the nostalgia and taste of a secret 1920s doughnut recipe in a gorgeous vintage environment. 

SUCCESS
Today, Top Pot Doughnuts can proudly claim a rabid fan base and extraordinary growth. Our hand-forged doughnuts can be found in cafes throughout western Washington and Dallas Texas. 

COMMITMENT
We feel so fortunate to have enjoyed such success with a business model that is this much fun. And we remain committed to the simple ideals that brought us this far—quality, inclusiveness, and integrity in every single thing we do.

Top Pot serves up "hand-forged doughnuts and coffee." This shop offers up more than 40 types of donuts - like old fashioned, cake, feather boa, sprinkles, bars, filled and apple fritters.



We stopped in here on a rainy day, in desperate need of coffee and donuts.

Their specialty coffee was "Ovaltine," so I said a quick yes. That was hot, delicious and just a touch sweet.

And for the donuts, I got a raspberry glazed old-fashioned donut, which was super sweet and delicious.

The salted caramel also very good - sweet, thick and sticks to your ribs.

Maybe it was because it was a dreary day, but this really hit the spot. The space inside was cute, the coffee was unique and those donuts were very tasty.

Grade: A

The Crumpet Shop has been making fresh crumpets every day for 40 years.

Welcome to The Crumpet Shop. We've been making crumpets fresh everyday for thirty-six years straight. For the past year our crumpets have been ORGANIC. Wahoo! Everyday we make fresh crumpets on our cozy kitchen and bring them up front to toast and top with delicious sweet, savory, or egg toppings. I love starting my day with an egg, peppers, cheese, tomato, add some Van De Rose ham if you like and that's a great breakfast crumpet. As far as sweet toppings on crumpets, we serve local preserves from Sidhu Farms. We make homemade organic lemon curd and homemade chocolate hazelnut spread which pair up amazingly with our ricotta cheese. My favorite savory crumpets are the pesto, English cheese, tomato and wild smoke salmon cream cheese, with cucumber slices. These two are my staple lunch crumpets. We serve all of our crumpet toppings all day long, so sleep in and come in for breakfast or luncho. Besides crumpets we also make homemade organic scones that have no relation to the dry crumbly scone. The scone served with preserves or homemade lemon curd is crazy! We serve one gluten-free item and that is our organic groats that are unprocessed oat that we cook like oatmeal and serve with steamed milk, honey or brown sugar, and currants. I haven't forgot that you probably associate tea with crumpets so expect our tea selection to suffice your needs. We offer fresh 2015 loose leaf teas, both black and green. We also have an unlimited refill tea- bar that is a favorite for many regulars. Don't worry coffee drinkers we're proud to serve an excellent organic fair trade coffee and espresso provided by Café Appassionato. Café Appassionato has done a great job at providing us with a product that we're proud to serve in a town known for it's high standard of coffee and espresso. We make our own Chai in house as well. It's usually cooking in back so be prepared to come in a smell the aroma of our Chai's spices. So, the hardest part of experiencing The Crumpet Shop is deciding between all of the delicious options. As my mom tells people, "Everything's good. Really!" Or as Prince of Ballard say's "Follow your heart." Both of these are good advice. If your feeling like something sweet try the crumpet with Maple Butter, cream cheese and walnuts or the raspberry preserves with cream cheese (AKA "The Princess"). If your in lunch mode try the pesto, tomato, parmesan or the ham, cheese, tomato. I'm proud to work with my family and our great employees at keeping The Crumpet Shop tradition "Alive and Well." What makes our shop special are the people in our local community as well as people all over the world that have made The Crumpet Shop part of their life whether it was last week or fourty years ago.

Crumpets are "thick, flat, savory cakes wit ha soft, porous texture, made form a yeast mixture cooked on a griddle and eaten toasted and buttered." They are amazing - a little more dense and more moist than a biscuit or English muffin.

This shop sells breakfast versions - topped with eggs, cream cheese, or ham. Then, there are other savory ones that use tomato, ricotta, pesto, salmon and more. Then, there are sweet ones made with honey, preserves, butter, walnuts and more.


So, I ordered one with butter, ricotta, and preserves. It was a little busy and cramped in here, but once I got this delicious little crumpet in my hand, nothing else mattered.It was just absolutely perfect - warm and flavorful. Other muffins or bagels or biscuits can get dry, but this was something new. And, something I haven't stopped thinking. I can't wait to get my hands on another!

Grade: A