Trophy Royale

It was love at first bite when I tasted Trophy’s Triple Chocolate cupcake a couple years ago, and from then on I became a Trophy fan for life. As such, I’ve never been adventurous enough to step out of my comfort zone and order other flavors (aside from my second fav, Red Velvet). Nor have I really ventured outside of Trophy to get gourmet cupcakes for that matter (save for maybe two exceptions as far as I can recall). When I like something, I stick to it.

This past weekend I had the chance to explore some of West Seattle and ended up at Cupcake Royale, another popular cupcakery/cafe, to do some reading. Initially, I felt like a guilty, cupcake hypocrite for being there (it would appear I was betraying my Trophy allegiance!), but then my adventurous side kicked in and told me that I should expand my cupcake horizons. In fact, I’d actually tasted some of the Cupcake Royale lineup before (vanilla with choco frosting and even the famous once-a-year Deathcake Royale), courtesy of my co-workers, and had favorable impressions of them; however, Trophy was still the clear winner in my mind…

Taste of Home

I celebrated a special birthday the other week at Palisade. It was my first time there, but overall the experience was excellent; aside from the gorgeous views of Elliot Bay and the Seattle skyline, the attentive and friendly service, and the warm atmosphere, I almost felt like I was home for a moment or two. First off, the menu is Pacific-inspired – that is, the dishes incorporate ingredients from around the Pacific rim and Northwest. Items on the menu such as Seared Ahi (pictured below), Dungeness Crab Stuffed Mahi Mahi, Applewood Grilled Chinook, and Macadamia Nut Chicken allude to the flavors and foods of the regions. I was reminded of Alan Wong’s restaurant – my favorite place to celebrate when I’m home.

The seared ahi I shared was part of a trio of ahi appetizers (pupus) including Ahi Poke and Spicy Ahi Tostada (second picture) – yum yum! The poke brought back images of potlucks back home – family and friends gathered for a picnic at the beach, tako and ahi poke accompanying the boiled peanuts and other snackies. Of course the food at Palisade was more deluxe, but savoring each bite seemed to evoke the nostalgia of home. Even the physical menu itself had some Hawaiian print patterns on it….