how to cook a wolf.

No this is not a recipe for a roasted wolf with a side of sweet potato mash... instead, this is me sharing my recent, birthday adventure: a trip to Ethan Stowell's How to Cook a Wolf.

My main squeeze and I are huge fans of Ethan Stowell - especially since one of our favorites is a few blocks away - Tavolata. That little restaurant has played a huge part in our relationship - our first romantic dinner together and then again for Valentine's Day. Their happy hour is fabulous too; we highly suggest the bruschetta with smoked fish, aioli and pickled onions, as well as their handmade gnocchi ala romana.

As such, I was beyond excited to dine at How to Cook a Wolf, Stowell's other famous spot in upper Queen Anne. The restaurant is nestled in a corner, a little more north of the other boutiques and cute date spots and has a gorgeous, rustic feel to it with an open kitchen and bare wood aesthetics.

Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted by a gracious hostess and an excellent server attended to us. Being well-versed with the menu, he immediately pointed us to his all-time favorites which we gladly ordered (photos below).

To note, Stowell's dishes at How to Cook a Wolf are on the smaller portion side, and meant for sharing.  Two plates per person are recommended for a satiable meal. More than willingly, we were enthused to hear that and ordered four dishes total - allowing us to try all of the favorites.

soft cooked egg

Dungeness crab, chili aioli, pimento potato chips.

beef carpaccio

preserved pecorino, taggiasca olives, fava beans

campanelle

sugar snap peas, morels, black pepper, pecorino romano

scallops

spelt cous cous, sultanas, pinenuts, balsamic

Our favorites included the soft boiled eggs and scallops. The soft boiled eggs were absolutely decadent - the Dungeness crab and aioli added a touch of heat and acidity to the soft creamy yolk of the egg. In regards to the scallops - they were cooked perfectly, medium rare, with a beautiful sear on the top and bottom. Tender and juicy, they melted in our mouths. 

The beef carpaccio was also beautiful - great colors, flavors and very light. The campanelle had a fresh sauce of fresh basil, garlic and butter, as well as the flavor from the morels. Handmade pasta added to the dish also gave it a nice touch.

Overall, another beautiful and romantic dinner. I absolutely loved our little foodie adventure and am definitely adding this place to my must-eat list. 

how to cook a wolf

2208 Queen Anne Ave N.

Seattle, WA 98109

To make reservations, visit their website for more information. 

the wandering goose.

Where to go for a bite to eat after church? That's what the boy and I struggled with this past Sunday after Palms Sunday Mass - we had no idea what we were in the mood for.. we were just hungry, and the belly needed to be fed. We decided to venture to Skillet Diner, but somehow there was water pipe construction happening at the same time resulting in an early closure of the restaurant. About 25 mins into our wait, we were notified that they were unable to seat us - the whole neighborhood's water was going to be shut off.

Eeeek! Hungry.. grumpy... and indecisive of where to go next, I remembered a good friend's recommendation to try the wandering goose.

On the corner of 15th and Harrison in North Capitol Hill, tucked between Ethan Stowell's Rione XIII and the 22 bar without any clear, outside sign except for the faint scribble of "wandering goose" on the front door window and a neon-light outline of a white goose - sits the wandering goose. The thirty seater is home to Southern inspired breakfast and lunch featuring fresh, homemade buttermilk biscuits, cookies, layer cakes, hush puppies, grits and more. The vintage, rustic feel to the cafe is a perfect place for a quiet Sunday morning catch-up sesh to share weekend adventure stories. Even the tables have their own stories to tell -- each table has a beautiful wooden top and etched with a little quote. Ours said "Bug fell in love with goose. Goose fell in love with bug. And they fell in love..." so cute. 

The cafe's ordering process is similar to one of our favorites, Oddfellows - where you order, pay up front and pick a spot in the cafe where you'd like to be served sweet goodness. Upon entering the cafe, I was immediately drawn to the front counter filled with delectable sweets and treats - five-layer coconut cream cake, raspberry thumbprint cookies, chocolate ginger molasses, pear coffee cake, bourbon pecan pie and more...

The boy and I settled on a fresh buttermilk biscuit with raspberry preserve jam to start as we gave into our sweet tooth.

light, buttery flakiness dressed with a sweet fruity goo - a simple melt-in-you-mouth in every bite. 

And for our blunch (breakfast + lunch, I'm a bigger fan of lunch than breakfast.. hence not using brunch) I settled for an Aunt Annie's which I washed down with a hot cup of rooibos tea, while he chose a fresh cup of coffee to accompany his Sweet Blonde.

Aunt Annie's: fried chicken. bread & pickles. house mustard. Heather's homemade honey. buttermilk biscuit
Sweet Blonde: sweet potato biscuit. country ham. egg over-easy. Steen's butter. 

Devoured within seconds, these biscuit sandwiches were absolutely divine. The boy and I are definitely looking forward to eating here again soon... or maybe just to stop by for some sweet treats. I've got my eye on that coconut cream cake.

What yummy eats did you visit this weekend?