Hey look, it’s my parents.  They were in town for about a month so things have been a little quiet here on the blog but that doesn’t mean we weren’t up to a bunch of cool things.

In that picture we were eating brunch at Cafe Flora.  I had originally intended us to eat brunch at Luc but I was off by a day….that happens a lot these days.  It’s ok though because brunch was delicious and Mindy had this Pear and Chevre French Toast that was to die for.

Making the rounds with my parents I took them to Salumi which is where I take anyone that likes to have great food….all….the….time.  It’s funny how big a contrast there is between Cafe Flora (vegetarian restaurant) and Salumi (capital of cured meats) but if you’re gonna hang out with me prepare to go on a culinary journey/leave full.

We had a few sandwiches and I dreamed about one day having my own curing room so I could eat my dinner in (between) piece(s of salami).

The week after that we went to brunch at Blueacre where Chef Kevin pulled out all the stops for us.   Oysters, Oysters AAC, Ritzy Ling Cod, Gumbo, and so much more.   My dad loves the clam chowder. I know, it’s something really basic and simple but when it’s pulled off to perfection every time it’s like my dad said, “I could eat this every day and be happy”.

Somewhere in between that it was Mindy’s birthday which is a day after my dad’s.  We had two different parties with one being at 88 keys and the other being at Teatro Zinzanni.

I got to 88 keys after work and the party was still going strong.

A few days after that I started getting ready for Thanksgiving and well, things got off to a rough start.  SnOMG happened and the city was pretty much shut down.  We went on Gobble Quest (click) and then I rocked Thanksgiving dinner (click).  Everything turned out better than expected.

Martita Chin Time!!!

That’s my mom’s dog that they brought with them from Puerto Rico.   The dog speaks two languages.   “Bark!”  ”¡El Bark!”

When it came to Christmas Mindy and I purchased a nice gift for my parents.  We went to brunch at Art Restaurant across the street from the Seattle Art Museum then we met up with the director of the Seattle Art Museum, Derrick Cartwright, and where he explained how they were able to bring the exhibit to Seattle.   After the presentation we went across the street to visit the Picasso exhibit and it was life changing for me.

Christmas came around and instead of cooking a bunch of food at the house I threw a curveball into the normal plans and said, “Hey, lets just go around the International District and see what we can find”.

We went to Jade Garden for dim sum.

We saw Martita Chin hanging out so we snapped a picture.

Then I went over and bought some meat from the window then took it home and made a stir-fry with it.

A few days later I had a dinner party and invited a few friends over.  I live in a tiny home and I invited about 20 people over……everyone came except for 2 people so it was packed…but that’s ok!  I had enough food to go around and it was a chance for my parents to see how crazy I have actually become.

Denise from Wasabi Prime (click) snapped these pictures to which I am very thankful for because I didn’t have a chance to even look at a camera.  I knocked out 22 items that night and my dad helped me with dishes while Mindy and my mom mingled with friends.

New Year’s Eve came and I was working so the family headed over to Blueacre with our friends Brad and Kristie.  I cooked up an Angry 2 1/2 lb. Lobster for them and brought it to the table for them.   Wow, I hate working front of house

On the last night that my parents were here I decided to do a seafood extravaganza.   When I used to travel to Puerto Rico when I was a little kid my grandpa would cover a table with newspaper and my mom would sit and eat blue shell crab for hours.  I’m here to take the torch with a little help from my dungeness friends.

Kusshi Oysters with a cilantro/preserved lemon mignonette.

King Crab Leg, New York Steak, Robuchon Potatoes, Wilted Spinach, Fig-Demi

I pinch.

Well, that’s how it came to a close.  It was awesome having my parents here and I wish they could stay but they have to take care of my grandma’s in Puerto Rico.   It’s probably better that way since I didn’t really have that much time to spend with them being busy as I am these days. It’s only going to get crazier but I’m just happy I had time to a little more time with them than I usually do.

Eric