Today’s Matchbook Monday comes from a Seattle restaurant that is one of my favorites.  It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been there, the last time was with a bunch of my tech friends who were in town for a conference.  Going through the matchbooks made me realize that I’m ready for a return trip.

Assaggio’s is simple Italian food, presented with exceptional customer service.  Dinner there is reminiscent of the food I ate in Italy:  simple, fabulously flavorful, and full of the best from the local garden (in this case, the Pike Place Market).  Owner Mauro Golmarvi will greet you at the door, offer a hug to familiar guests, and will then mingle among the tables throughout your meal to make sure you are enjoying it.  (Hint:  you will be!)

The restaurant is decorated with elaborate wall murals featuring the work of Michelangelo.   Take a look at the walls and see if you can spot the Creation of Adam, the Creation of Earth, the Ladies of Justice, and the Creation of Moon and Water (among others).  I’m not sure if it’s like dining in an Italian bistro or an art museum.

Since it’s been many months since I’ve been there, I can’t give a current review.  But I can share with you some of my favorites from the menu:  Insalata di Francesca (field greens, apples, pears, gorgonzola, nuts with a vinaigrette), Sautéed spinach (delicious with onions, lemon, pine nuts, and Dijon mustard), Osso Buco (classic veal shank with vegetables), and the Wild Boar Pasta. 

Assaggio is located at 2010 4th Avenue (downtown) in Seattle.  It’s open daily for lunch Monday – Friday, 11 am – 2 pm, and for dinner Monday – Saturday, 5 – 10 pm.  Reservations are recommended.

Photo credit:  personal collection

If you live in Seattle, as I do, there’s only one answer to that question – they come from Boeing.  As the saying around here goes, “If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going!”

While some of the Boeing plants have relocated elsewhere, the plant at Paine Field (about 30 miles north of Seattle) is still home to The Future of Flight & Boeing Tour,

This tour of the Boeing factory lets you see the flight line where the 747, 767, 777, and 787 are made.  This tour takes you through one of the largest buildings in the world (by volume), as you learn how much room it takes to build a jumbo jet.

There’s lot to see on the tour so don’t forget to look up (futuristic aircraft are flying), down (a painted runway on the floor), and around (the nose of an airplane getting ready to take off).  And that’s just in the lobby!

Here are some other exhibits that you’ll see:

• Airplane Design: Learn how and why airplanes fly, and look at the components that go into making a plane like the fuselage, wings, engines, etc.  Stop off at one of the computer stations and try your hand at designing a plane.  Then see if it will fly.  Don’t worry, you’ll get lots of chances to make modifications as you visit the rest of the exhibits.
• Materials: Compare the fuselage from an old 707 to the new 787,and see how modern materials have changed the way plans are built.
• Passenger Experience: You know how cramped and uncomfortable those seats are, but it hasn’t always been that way.  Take a look at the more spacious interiors as well as take a look at what’s being done to make flying more comfortable.
• Flight Simulator: This is not your at-home computer game simulator, this is big-time.  There’s an additional charge, but it’s worth it, to ride the multi-passenger XJ5 Flight Simulator.  Since I missed the opportunity to fly on the Concord, this is as close as I’m going to get to supersonic speeds.
• Flight Systems: All the important stuff that you never see, like avionics, navigational systems and hydraulics.
• Flight Deck: From dials and switches of years gone by to the computerized flight deck of today, these are the tools that are used by men and women who fly the plane.  In a post-911 world, this is the only chance most people will have to see the flight deck.
• Manufacturing: Yeah, sure, Boeing isn’t the only one who makes planes, and this does seem like one big long commercial.  But hey, it’s their plant and it’s got some pretty cool 3-D animation.
• Engines: These big noisy things are responsible for getting the plane off the ground, and you can learn why.
• The Future:  Although air travel seems common place today, it’s important to remember that it all started with a dream and the Wright Brothers.  And lots of other people and other dreams since then.  No matter how silly a dream might seem, when you look around you’ll realize that it may be the shape of the future.
• Future of Flight Store: If you made a plane as you’ve passed through the exhibits, you can pick up a personalized color print of your design along with a list of your specifications.  And, of course, like any gift store, there’s all sort of books, toys, and memorabilia to spend your money on.

Boeing has some very strict safety and security regulations in place regarding the tour.  There are no exceptions, so familiarize yourself with them so you aren’t disappointed.

Continue reading for tour restrictions and additional information

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Today’s Matchbook Monday is from one of my standby restaurants here in Seattle, Tulio Ristorante. 

Located adjacent to the Vintage Park Hotel (a great place to stay, by the way), you can enter Tulio’s through the hotel or through its own entrance.  It’s like eating in a wine cellar or trattoria in Tuscany – cozy, full of wonderful aromas, and with wonderful waitstaff to help you make the best meal choice.

If you’re not certain if you want to have dinner here, just step inside and take a deep breath.  That’s the aroma of delicious Italian food.

Share the salumi plate ($10) and the sweet potato gnocchi appetizer ($9) with a glass of wine and great companion, and you have a light meal before heading off to the theater.  Add the warm chocolate pudding cake ($8) for dessert – it’s divine!

Tulio’s is located at 1100 5th Avenue in Seattle.  It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Bar service is available until midnight, and until 1 am on Friday and Saturday.  A bistro menu is also available.

Photo credit:  personal collection

Today’s Matchbook Monday is from a top notch hotel, spa, and restaurant not far from where I live.

Salish Lodge & Spa is about 30 miles east of Seattle on the Snoqualmie River.  The lodge is in a rustic setting, overlooking the 268-foot Snoqualmie Falls, but it is also elegant and steeped in northwest history.  The lodge is just as romantic as its setting, and is a popular spot for proposals, anniversary celebrations, and other special events.

The lodge has gone through a variety of reincarnations since it was first opened in 1919.  Originally it was just a small in known as Snoqualmie Falls Lodge, catering to visitors to the falls.  Today the only remaining part of the original structure is the lobby fireplace.

You can take a look at the falls, the top of which is about 100 yards from the parking lot.  There’s a great viewing area that is perfect for a photo op.  Or, you can walk down the trail to the bottom of the falls and get a look from a different perspective.  (Hiking the falls was a popular day trip when I was a teenager, so the spot is a sentimental favorite for me.)

And, if you need a nap or just want to burrow in for the evening, there are wood-burning fireplaces in your room.  Very naturally cozy.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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Palisade is a Seattle restaurant located at Elliott Bay Marina (2601 West Marina Place). 

Although this matchbook was picked up on a trip to the restaurant years ago, when I came across it, it prompted me to visit again.

The interior has saltwater ponds, full of fish, and a bridge to walk over to get to the dining section of the restaurant.  The waterfront view is great, but probably more spectacular before dark as the twinkling lights of the city are a bit obscured.  The bar, which is stays open two hours past dinner service, had a simple combo playing, making a pleasant background for dinner conversation.

I had the lobster macaroni and cheese, my dining companion had the stuffed tiger prawns.  A full review to follow later!

Dining hours are Monday – Thursday, 5-9 pm, till 10 pm on Friday, Saturday 4:30-9 pm.  Sunday Brunch, 10 am – 2 pm. 

Photo credit:  personal collection

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You can find it at the Adventure Travel Expo in Seattle this weekend, September 13-14th.

I’ve been to the Expo in previous years, and am excited that’s it’s come to my hometown of Seattle.  There lots of great stuff – trade show with great information booths, educational sessions, panels, and presentations.

I’m very pleased to be speaking on a panel myself with a great group of other travel blogging women.  The panel is Wandering Women…Planning Your Next Great Adventure! 

Panel Moderator is Beth Whitman from Wanderlust and Lipstick, and the panel includes  Pam Mandel from Nerd’s Eye View, Chris Mackay from Crooked Trails, and ME!  We’ll be talking about how to craft an adventure experience that just right for you.  The session is on Sunday, September 14th, 11 am – noon, in the Adventure Travel Theater.

The Expo will be held at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, 800 Convention Place, in downtown Seattle.  The show runs Saturday (10”30 am – 5:30 pm) and Sunday (10 am – 4 pm).  The shows opens at 9 am on Saturday for members of the travel trade (credentials required).

Tickets are $12/day, and children under 12 are FREE.  All children must be accompanied by an adult.  Admission includes the expo floor and all conference sessions.

Flyaway Cafe readers can get FREE tickets to the Expo by signing up for Expo tickets using this link and entering promotion code SPK. 

Please leave a comment if you’ll be there – and make sure to come up and introduce yourself!

Hope to see you there!

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I love the other travel bloggers here at b5media, and we now have three more GREAT travel blogs:

Travel Product Guide, written by Sports Channel Editor Kori Ellis and Travel & Culture Channel Editor Mary Jo Manzanares, will focus on all the products you’ll need for travel.  Whether it’s high tech or no tech, you’ll get lots of ideas of products to make travel more comfortable, simpler, and fun!

The Phoenix Traveler, written by Jackie Dishner, joins our other Traveler destinations blogs and focuses on the city of Phoenix and the surrounding area.  There’s lots going on in the desert year round, so stop by to get some ideas to on how to add some fun into your trip.

Travel Photo Daily, written by The DC Traveler blogger Jon Rochetti, will take you around the world in photos.  This blog is sure to appeal to all those armchair travelers out there, as well as those for whom these great photos will serve as a reminder of wonderful memories.

Take a few minutes and explore these, and all the other great travel blogs, here at b5media’s Travel & Culture Channel.

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Today’s Matchbook Monday comes from a restaurant located in my home town of Seattle, Ray’s Boathouse (6049 Seaview Avenue NW), in Shilsole Marina.

Ray’s is actually two restaurants in one, with a main dining room that is a bit more formal and traditional, and Ray’s Cafe, perfect for a more casual, and more affordable, bite to eat.  The Cafe has a great outdoor deck, perfect for summer dining and drinking, and offers up a beautiful view.

The menu at both spots features seafood, much of it local fare.  The main dining room is popular with locals for special occasions and celebration dinners, while the Cafe is popular for any reason (or no reason) at all.

Ray’s Boathouse in open Sunday - Thursday 5 - 9 pm, and Friday & Saturday until 9:30 pm.

Ray’s Cafe is open Sunday - Thursday 11:30 am - 9:30 pm, and Friday & Saturday until 10 pm.

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There are just some restaurants that make you feel good.

FareStart in Seattle (1902 2nd Avenue) is one of them.

Not just a restaurant, but also a comprehensive training approach that, for over 12 years, has helped homeless and disadvantaged men, women, and their families, create new opportunities for their future. 

The training program combines 16-weeks of hands-on food service training with classroom instruction, individual case management, and job placement to allow graduates of the program to successfully reenter the community and create a new life.  After graduation, an additional 18 months of follow up services is provided, helping graduates get and keep jobs, and make a living wage.

FareStart is open for lunch Monday through Friday, 11 am to 2 pm, and is frequently referred to as one of the best lunch values in town.  The restaurant is known for its casual atmosphere, reasonable prices and great food. 

Every Thursday night is Guest Chef Night.  This event features top chefs from the Seattle area working with FareStart students to produce a gourmet meal.  The three-course, priced-fixed, meal is open to the public, and it books up fast.  Dinner seatings are between 5:30 pm and 7:45 pm.  Cost:  $19.95.  Wine and beverages are also available for an additional charge.  The Guest Chef Night also features a graduation ceremony and student speakers.

The recent Guest Chef Night that I attended featured Bruce Ross from the private Columbia Tower Club. Chef Ross came to each of the tables, talking to the guests, explaining the menu and food choices, and promoting the FareStart program.  He does the Guest Chef night every year, and raves about it.

The menu was (in non-foodie terms):
 Appetizer ““ seared tuna
 Entrée ““ beef tenderloin and grilled vegetables
 Dessert ““ panna cotta with blueberry compote (yummy!)

Dinner for two, including wine, and all taxes, was around $55.  It is such a great program, that I’m sure my table was not the only one leaving a generous tip.

It’s a great evening when you can indulge your passion for good food and friends, while still giving something back to your community.

If you have a similar program to FareStart in your area, please let me know. 

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UPDATE:  FEBRUARY 3, 2007

FareStart has moved into a bigger and better location at 7th & Virginia. 

It’s still the same great program, and now it can serve even more students!

It’s about 5:30 am, Saturday morning, as I sit and write this here in Seattle, Washington.

Thanks to a handy little Google search, I know that:

• It is 2:30 pm in Paris;
• It is also 2:30 pm in Malta;
• It is 1:30 pm in Iceland;
• And it is 3:30 am in Tahiti.

What do those locations have in common?  They are all places that I’d love to visit in 2007.  While I probably won’t make it to all of them, I’m hoping to cross at least a couple off the list.

You can find out what time it is by searching in Google using these parameters:  time in ______ (fill in the location).   For example:  time in paris.

What time is it where you’d like to be right now?