Seattle Eats: November 2017 Part 1

I got bit by the travel bug again, but two problems:

I wanted to try and save some money
I hate traveling by myself so it was probably better to visit a friend

That's why a trip to Seattle to see my friend was perfect! For less than $200, I could book a round-trip ticket between San Francisco and Seattle, AND I could save some money by staying with a friend instead of crashing at a hotel or Airbnb. Plus, I had only been to Seattle one other time, and there were a bunch of restaurants I still wanted to try!

Check out my eats journey through Seattle, part 2 and see if there are any places you'd like to visit next time you're in town ✌🏼

1. General Porpoise Doughnuts

Yes, there is a National Donut Day in June every year, but, for some reason, there is another one that happens on November 5th too! Seeing that sugary holiday pop up on my calendar, I told my friend we had to get at least ONE donut, so we headed to General Porpoise.

This cute shop is well-lit with a bunch of small tables inside for you to enjoy some coffee and their cream-filled donut. When we got there, the seasonal flavors were pumpkin spice and apricot and Rainier cherry (a cherry that is a local Seattle strain). On the regular menu, they had chocolate marshmallow, vanilla bean, and lemon curd.

I ate 1 and a half donuts but could have eaten all 3

You KNOW this girl loves pumpkin spice and lemon curd, so I got one of each, an apricot + cherry flavor, and then a pumpkin spice for my friend's roommate. These donuts were super fluffy, and, thank God, the cream we saw puffing out the top of each one actually filled the entire donut inside. Also, +1 for the cute whale branding on everything from the coffee mugs to the to-go boxes. I'd definitely come back to General Porpoise for more donuts!

2. Beecher's Handmade Cheese

When I asked for Seattle recommendations, I got SO MANY people telling me to go to Beecher's for some mac and cheese. When my friend and I got there on a Sunday around 11am, there weren't too many people yet, but crowds were definitely starting to form! Located at Pike Place, people were coming by for the market, Beecher's, Piroshkis, and the original Starbucks location, so there's plenty to see and eat if you're in the area for the day.

Needed this heat because it was 32 degrees!

Beecher's has 2 mac and cheese flavors available: the original and the mariachi. The mariachi is a spicier flavor that comes with peppers, corn, and probably other stuff I'm forgetting. You can also buy plenty of cheese here, along with freshly made cheese curds produced behind a glass wall in the shop!

For $6, the mac and cheese is good to get once just to say that you went to the famous Beecher's, but I wouldn't shell out that kind of cash again for just a cup of food. However, this mac and cheese felt great because it was nice and hot...and it was snowing and 32 degrees out!

3. Marination Station

Marination Station is just one of the many Marination branches open in Seattle. There's one in West Seattle with apparently amazing waterfront views, but it's pretty far from where my friend lives and it was way too cold for us to sit by the water! Instead, we went downtown to Marination Station, which is just a small shop with about 6-7 stools by the window counter.

Rundown of what we (a group of 3) ordered:

Kimchi Kalua Pork Quesadilla
Kalbi Taco (for 1)
Tofu Taco (for 1)
Spam Slider (for 1)
Kimchi Fried Rice with Miso Ginger Chicken

My overall thoughts were that it was pretty good, but the kimchi could have been better/more sour. The quesadilla was kind of small, so I'm glad that we shared a few things! The kimchi fried rice was huge and definitely could be shared by 2 people at least. I will also say that the meat was well marinated and cooked. I really liked the kalbi in the taco that I got, and the miso ginger chicken had a nice flavor to it!

4. Molly Moon's Ice Cream

I actually went to Molly Moon's the first time I was in Seattle, but I thought it had just been okay. This second time was actually better, but it might have been due to the fact that they had lemon curd as a topping and I LOVE that stuff.

I got a scoop of honey lavender and strawberry in a homemade waffle cone with lemon curd drizzled on top. I also sampled their earl grey, chocolate tahini swirl, and pumpkin clove. The earl grey was a really strong tea flavor and the other two were pretty delicious!

I still think their waffle cones could use some work though: not enough flavor or crunch to it. Ice Cream Bar in San Francisco might just forever hold my heart hostage for the best homemade cone.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Seattle trip where I indulge in baked eggs and even more pumpkin spice!