Visit Seattle – Stay Golden Mama

Seattle Restaurant Week: 5 Restaurants Perfect for Mama’s Night Out

It is no secret. I LOVE to eat. If you have read any of my other previous posts, you will know exactly what I am talking about. I also love a great deal. Cue Seattle Restaurant Week!

If you have been living under a rock or in a rural part of the US, you may have not heard about Restaurant Week. During this glorious time, local restaurants offer a discounted pre-fixe 3 course menu for dinner ($35). Some restaurants also offer a 3 course lunch ($18).

You can find the menu for each restaurant here. The best part is looking at all the menus and deciding where to go.

Here in Seattle, we have restaurant week for a total of 4 weeks. 2 weeks in April and 2 weeks in September. Perfect time to grab a girlfriend, husband, wife or parent and get to grubbin’!

#1 – Red Sage and Cedar

My fiancé and I love any excuse to try new restaurants, so we just LIVE for restaurant week. We decided to opt for mid-week lunch this time around. We chose a spot in the heart Pike Place Market called Red Sage and Cedar.

Their menu looked off the heezy with promises of a duck slider, fish and chips and carrot cake. For lunch!! The food did not disappoint. I wanted to eat 10 duck sliders (they had goat cheese on them. ‘Nuff said) and the fish and chips were crispy and light at the same time.

Why you should go: Great ambience, fast service, approachable comfort food with experimental vibes.

Also, check out the IG-worthy scenery here!

#2 – Daniel’s Broiler (Leschi)

Richard took me here for my birthday a few years ago and we had the trifecta of excellence: food, water view, impeccable service.

On their pre-fixe menu, you can get a 3 course meal with a filet mignon for $35. You just cannot beat that! Their food is steakhouse decadence and it is a nice place, so prepare to dress for the occasion.

#3 – Lecosho

Oh mannnn, I love this place. I used to work a block away and this was my go-to Happy Hour and lunch spot. They make their own house-made soups daily and the food is SO delish.

This place is pretty reasonably priced normally, but restaurant week is a fun excuse to go and get an even better value! They have a Sockeye salmon on their menu that looks diivviinnne hunny.

#4 – Poppy

Poppy is nested in the bustling edge of Capitol Hill and it promises adventurous new tasting experiences. Be prepared to make a reservation well ahead of time, it will be a loonngg wait otherwise.

They also have a lot of options for vegetarians, vegans and dietary restrictions.

The menu is mouthwatering – I don’t think I could turn down lemongrass and lime beef! Sign me up for that!

#5 – Tavolata

Light the candles, put on that sexy dress, you are going out tonight mama! This place is both delish and romantic. I dig the ambiance and the rich Italian cuisine that they serve. The pasta is handmade and will make you re-think wearing skinny jeans, but will make you so so happy that you said yes to carbs.

Tavolata’s menu boasts over 22 options that will all make you ditch your keto diet for a day and get your paws on some pasta and burrata!

I hope you all get a chance to experience Restaurant Week in Seattle! These restaurants that I mentioned are perfect for girls night, date night, or just a fun night out solo. Let me know below if there are any other restaurants that I have missed or that deserve an honorable mention.

Until next time, mamas!

Simone

5 Things You Need to Know: Cherry Blossoms At University of Washington

One of my Seattle bucket list items has always been to go see the cherry blossoms at full bloom at the University of Washington. Even though it is my alma mater (Go Dawgs!), I actually had never seen them in full bloom. Spring break always fell around the time of their bloom, so I was usually not on campus during that time.

The stars aligned and I was able to make a quick trip with my coworker-friend to the blossoms. I wanted to do a mini-photo shoot to get a new headshot. Mission accomplished. Turned out good, yeah?

I wanted to leave some things you should know, just in case you ever decide to visit the magnificent fantastic beauty of the cherry blossoms during their full bloom.

The cherry blossoms have a pretty cool history. 34 trees were a gift from Tokyo’s mayor in 1912 to symbolize the friendship between Japan and the U.S.. The majority of the trees were planted at Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum, but then they got moved to the best school in the West – UW.
It will be VERY crowded. Prepare for minimal parking and TONS of tourists lining up to see the blooms. The whole courtyard was swarming, ya know? It is definitely a fun and kid-friendly activity if you want to bring your little ones!
Most likely will be cold AF. Prepare yourself, winter is ~~coming~~ here. Seattle is cold, y’all. Even when the calendar is technically spring, the weather is still winter-esque. Leave the spring sundress and bring a coat and umbrella because it could turn rainy at the drop of a hat.
Come prepared with a fully charged camera or phone. Charge that thing up, bih. Because of the vast amount of people, you may be there for a while trying to get the perfect shot. People kept on jumping in front of my shots. Not cool, man. Not cool. I brought my DSLR and my Iphone for a mini-shoot and I was so happy I charged my camera beforehand. Check out one of my favorite shots below. Shoutout to my photographer!!!
Taken on my iPhone 8 plus!
Look for parking off campus. There are multiple parking lots on the UW campus, but the best bet for parking is on the streets adjacent to the campus. Then you can wander off to get some delicious grub in the U District. There are so many good places to eat there because of the heavy international population on campus. Go try out the Salvadorian pupusas and tell me that they are not the tastiest things ever!

Have you ever visited the cherry blossoms at UW? Did you love it? Comment below!