Today’s Matchbook Monday is from Daniel’s Broiler, a Seattle (Washington) area steakhouse.

Daniel’s has three locations:  Leschi, Lake Union and Bellevue and offers a menu full of steak and seafood choices.  Steaks start around $40 and seafood selections around $30.  The Valrhona Chocolate Cake (served warm, with a gooey molten center and vanilla ice cream) is a personal favorite, and is almost worth the drive just for dessert!

This isn’t my favorite of the Seattle area steakhouses (nor is it second or third on my list), but the Leschi location offers a lovely summertime view of Lake Washington (Seattle’s largest lake), and offers a great patio for a tasty drink and some appetizers.  Or dessert!

Do you have a matchbook you’d like to share.  I get lots of mail from readers telling me all about their matchbook collection.  Take a photo of a favorite or two, and email it off to me.  Feel free to include a few notes about the location and a link to your blog or website, if you have one.

Photo credit:  personal collection

Today’s Matchbook Monday is one that I picked up on a visit to Mazatlan just awhile back.  The Playa Mazatlan is one of the few hotels that I’ve been to recently that still allows smoking in the rooms.

Playa Mazatlan is located in the Golden Zone (or Zona Dorada, if you prefer), an area on the beach that caters to tourists with hotels, shopping, dining, and nightlife.  While there is much to do is this area, I much prefer the historic center of town, about 15

The hotel has about a quarter mile of sandy beach, great for lounging, and the grounds are nicely landscaped.  The bougainvillea is lush and brightly colored, and the palm thatched palapas are a nice treat.

One little differentiating amenity of the hotel is that in addition to the chaise lounges around the pool, they have rocking chairs off to one side.  I saw people there in the early morning having a cup of coffee and late night having that one last cocktail.  And these rockers weren’t just for senior citizens, either.  There was a nice assortment of age groups represented.

The Hotel Playa Mazatlan is located at Avenue Playa Gaviotas #202, in the Zona Dorada, in Mazatlan.

Image credit:  personal collection

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Today’s Matchbook Monday comes from best gal pal Anita, and is from a trip to Germany a few years back.

The Gerbermuehle Hotel (click on the English version) in Frankfurt (60594 Frankfurt Main) is a designer hotel, located on the banks of the Main River.  It was a former flour mill, and its evolution from mill to hotel is the story of the love of literary great, Goethe.

Providing a mix of old and new, both quaint and contemporary, the hotel has all the modern features that a traveler could want.  One unique summertime feature is a 500-seat garden, consisting of elaborate tents where guests and companions gather to enjoy a summer Frankfurt day.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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The Muckleshoot Tribe, part of the Coast Salish culture, owns and operates the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Washington.  Like many Native American casinos, the gaming and related industries provide jobs for many tribal members.

This casino operates the expected games, some new twists on old favorites, and has a separate smoke free facility.  It is located at 2402 Auburn Way South, in Auburn, Washington.

Several restaurants are on property, and one of my favorite menu items is the pho offered at the Pho Noodle Bar.  It may be because the high Asian patrons have been demanding good noodle soup, but there are several delicious options on the menu.  In fact, this is some of the best pho that I’ve ever had!

Do you have a matchbook that you’d like to share with readers? 

I know that with all smoking bans that it’s getting harder to find matchbooks, but still, I know there are lots of people who have a drawer full that have they have been collecting for years!

Please share yours for a future Matchbook Monday by emailing me a photo!

Photo credit:  personal collection

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Today’s matchbook of Bateaux Parisiens comes from Jon at Travel Photo Daily.  He said that he just came across it, but that is was at least five or more years old.  It brought back lots of great memories of my trip to Paris last fall, so a very big THANKS for the contribution.

Bateaux Parisiens is a cruise company that conducts sightseeing, lunch, and dinner cruises on the Seine, along with operating a river-boat shuttle called Batobus.

I opted for an evening sightseeing cruise, and for an hour we cruised the Seine while the hostess pointed out a number of attractions.  The commentary was pleasant and informative, and not filled with the typical puns and drivel that you so often get on tours.

Schedules vary, but details and information can easily be found in the city.  At the time I was there the sightseeing cruise operated every half hour until 10 pm, and cost €11.  It was easy to walk up and get a seat.  Reservations required, however, for lunch and dinner cruises.

Thanks for the contribution, Jon. 

Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti

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One of the fun results of writing the series Matchbook Monday is digging through my own matchbooks and discovering fun places that I have been, along with the memories of times well spent.  I’ve heard from many readers that they enjoy that same experience.

But everyone in awhile I come across a matchbook that evokes no memory at all.  And that’s the case with today’s matchbook from the West End Cafe.

I had to do a little searching to find out where the West End Cafe is located.  Turns out that it’s located at the Circle Hotel, an affiliate of George Washington University, at One Washington Circle in Washington DC.

Okay, now that I know where it is, I’m still not having any memory of being there!

My best guess is that I stopped in here with a Flight Attendant from another carrier while back in DC doing some work.  The matchbook is pretty beat up, and given where I found it, I’m guessing it’s from five to six year ago.

If anyone knows anything about this cafe, I’d appreciate hearing about it in the comments.

Photo credit: personal collection

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Today’s Matchbook is from Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, with locations in Chicago (60 East Grand, the corner of Grand & Rush Streets) and Las Vegas (3500 Las Vegas Boulevard South, The Forum Shops at Caesars).

The restaurant is an extension of Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, expanding the menu to include items that can keep it operating year round, even when stone crabs aren’t in season.  Joe’s takes the concept a whole lot further with an extensive selection of seafood flow in daily and signature steaks, combining it with the classics from Miami.

Both locations are open for lunch and dinner, with times varying at each location.  Continuous service is offered for a late lunch/early dinner option, and late dining is offered in the lounge for an additional half hour after the main dining room closes.

Check out the menu and see what appeals.  I haven’t tried the stone crab yet (my timing is always off), but I can recommend the mussels, the vegetable chop salad, and Joe’s Steakhouse Salad, the latter a great lunch choice.  For dessert try the Peanut Butter Pie with Hot Fudge – it’s delicious!

Do you have a matchbook from one of YOUR favorite places?  Or from a little out of the way place that you discovered?  Take a photo of the matchbook and email it to me, along when any comment that you have, and I’ll be happy to feature it on an upcoming Matchbook Monday.

Photo credit: personal collection

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Today’s Matchbook Monday was picked up at a recent event that I attended, and simply says “Pick Abilene.”  It was a giveaway from the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau as part of an event promoting Abilene as a destination for travel

Since you have to know a little something about a destination, before you can decide if you want to go there, I did a little research on what Abilene has to offer.

Abilene calls itself the “Friendly Frontier”, positioning itself as a balance of traditional Old West heritage and contemporary city.  It is in the central part of Texas, about 150 miles west of Fort Worth, and strikes me as a big small town.  Big in the sense that the population is over 100,000, but small in the sense that it is still very much of a community, rather than an impersonal city.  It looks like there’s lot to do in Abilene from visiting animals, enjoying arts and theater, viewing some historical sites, and shopping.

In fact, Abilene has evolved to become the commercial, retail, medical and transportation hub of a goodly sized piece of Texas real estate commonly called “The Big Country” or “The Texas Midwest.”  Housing and services are still considered in the affordable range!  Detailed information about doing business in the city can be obtained from the Abilene Chamber of Commerce.

I’m not sure if I’m driven to visit Abilene yet, but it’s home to some notable folks:

• Boxer Tex Cobb
• Singer Larry Gatlin (and the Gatlin Brothers)
• Actor Fess Parker (I remember his playing Daniel Boone)
• Country Musician Lee Roy Parnell
• Singer & Actress Jessica Simpson

Do you have a matchbook that you’ve been up in your travels?  A favorite hotel, restaurant, or bar?  Or just something kind of quirky that made you stop and smile?  Take a photo, and send it to me for a future Matchbook Monday.

Photo credit: Personal collection

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This matchbook is one that I found in the back of a drawer, but still one that brought back some fond memories.  It’s from a restaurant that no longer exists, Citarella, the Restaurant, although it’s parent company still remains in business as a terrific venue for gourmet shopping and food, including take out.

The restaurant was located at 1240 Sixth Avenue (corner of 49th) near Rockefeller Center in New York City.

My experience there occurred on a layover one Christmas Eve.  Working, and being away from home, on a holiday is never a fun event, but you make the most of it by finding some place special to stop off.  That year, Citarella was the place for my celebration away from home.

As I sit today and try to figure out the specifics, all I can remember was stopping in for a glass of champagne to toast the holiday season, and then heading over to Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue to watch the holiday events.

I’m not certain when the restaurant closed, but as an alternative for today, check out Citarella’s gourmet markets at various locations around NYC.

Photo credit: personal collection

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You had to know that it was just a matter of time before a matchbook for Italy appeared!  But I forgot (or lost) so many of the ones that I picked up.  Fortunately, my friend Anita picked up some, and this one came from a restaurant that both of us enjoyed on our respective visits to Tuscany.

Ristorante il Cantuccio is located at Via delle Cantine 1, in Montepulciano. 

The restaurant is divided by a brick arch fireplace, and offers a typical Tuscan menu.  Order a liter of wine while perusing your choices.  You can’t go wrong with the bruschetta (thick pieces of toasted bread loaded with seasoned tomatoes and arugula) and pasta (try the tagliatelle or the pici).  Be sure to save room for dessert!

Photo credit: personal collection

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