Lowell's Restaurant Seattle

Lowell’s New All Pacific Northwest Wine List UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

We took this picture at Abeja Winery in Walla Walla while doing some research, then went inside to taste!

We took this picture at Abeja Winery in Walla Walla while doing some research, then went inside to taste!

Today Bill & I continue our tedious task of researching Washington State wines for our upcoming Pacific Northwest Wine List. Today’s tastings, with our friend and one of our suppliers David, will concentrate primarily on the white varietals; chardonnays, sauvignon blancs, voigneirs, white blends, dry Rieslings and possibly a pinot blanc or something David will surprise us with.
There’s only so much time in the day, and after a ten hour stint of paperwork and running up and down our three floors of dining checking on guest’s, to be expected to take on the additional labors of wine tasting is unfair, don’t you think? BUT, in our endless quest for the best local quality and the freshest of the fresh, I guess I’ll cave in and participate. I can’t leave ALL the hard stuff to Bill.
After Kristie and I spent 3 days in Walla Walla visiting tons of wineries recently, tasting our way through endless recommendations from other restaurateurs and friends, my manila folder of wine info has expanded to three separate collections of wine lists, business cards, contacts and bottle notes. Time to get a bigger binder I believe.
Next up, after more tastings with Bill, visits to the Columbia Valley for that regions best, down to Oregon to investigate Pinot Noirs as well as “going to school” on vendors, collectors and people way smarter than myself regarding wine, we should have our new list out by the first or second week of January.
Three tiers of the best Pacific Northwest wines available, from the best “house wines” to interesting unique moderate wines by the glass (or bottles, of course) to the more celebratory wines for special occasions and once in a blue moon drinking (we’re not talking “wine-snob wines,” we’re talking great deals for wines that beat out wines costing five times the price).
So, please contribute any suggestions YOU may have by emailing me via our web site that you are currently on and we’ll take on the laborious task of tasting that one (or two or three…) and maybe we’ll be able to find space on the list for it without busting the walls of refrigerated inventory, space being our biggest constraint!
Cheers to all through the holidays, in 2014, and always as you live the moments that make up the whole!
~Mark

2014 Healthy Breakfast’s, item # 1, Lowell’s Egg Whites and Grilled Vegetables Breakfast Tacos!!!

Get ahead of your 2014 New Year’s Resolution to eat well, stay in shape and lose weight after gorging through the holidays! Check out our “Incredible Breakfast Tacos” hot sister breakfast, “The 6-Pack Abs Egg Whites Breakfast Tacos” with homemade salsas (and local Washington State Fletcher’s fantastic gourmet Hot Sauce also, which we love, is made in WA State and no, we are not affiliated with them other than putting it on our tables along with Tabasco and Tapatio Hot Sauces!)) grilled veggies, our roasted tomatillo salsa, our avocado salsa fresca, grilled soft corn tortillas and a cup of fruit on the side or our crispy hash browns! You’ll feel lighter, run faster and jump higher when you do your extremely efficient high metabolism four minute workout!

Egg whites Breakfast Tacos at Lowell's!

Egg whites Breakfast Tacos at Lowell’s!

FOUR MINUTE WORKOUT!
(Pictures at: http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Quick-4-Minute-Work-Out
• 20 seconds of squat thrusts
• 10 seconds of rest
• 30 seconds of mountain climbers
• 10 seconds of rest
• 20 seconds of high knees
• 10 seconds of rest
• 20 seconds of jumping jacks
• 10 seconds of rest
• 20 seconds of squat thrusts
• 10 seconds of rest
• 20 seconds of mountain climbers
• 10 seconds of rest
• 20 seconds of high knees
• 10 seconds of rest
• 20 seconds of jumping jacks
10 seconds of rest
Be sure to stretch when you are done for a cool down.

Tattoo Parlor below Lowell’s (NSFW, the sensitive Victorian’s or children!)

OK, this beats the other pictures guest’s have sent over the years in the “Bizarre Originality” category, by far. As related to me, one day all of our guest’s sitting on the water view side of our second floor we’re focused on the Tattoo shop on Western Avenue below us. No complaints; all smiles.

So one of our favorite out of state regulars (who will go nameless, Ron) snapped a picture and sent it to us via email. Seems the pre-tattoo protocol down below had become enough of a view in itself to distract our guest’s from the waterfront views, as well as their meals.

I assume those with tattoos are open minded enough when the artful representations exhibited on their bodies are already focal points to not mind a little extra attention, and being an anonymous picture removes the “creepy factor” from this voyeuristic angle of sight, but I will still go down and inform the owner that there is a direct sightline behind the barriers in the windows and that those private spaces are not as private as they may seem.

Say what?

Say what?

Once informed, the topic is now out of our hands to alleviate any remaining obligation on our part to install curtains, seat everyone in the booths overlooking the arcade side produce and fish shops, and prevent extensive wait times for those window tables overlooking the waterfront (and shops). No offense intended…

~Mark

 

Bacon Maple Mini-Cupcakes!

Carrie has taken it upon herself to make the most insanely delicious cupcakes during the holidays, before we all have to get back in shape from our over-consumptive holiday binging!

This started as we put our heads together and came up with the idea to give all the kids a mini-cupcake (with their parents approval, of course, BEFORE we showed the cupcakes to the children) and Carrie was making her awesome hazelnut cupcakes.

Meeting with such critical acclaim this naturally led to next batch; “what do WE want to also eat (that includes the best item the animal world ever gave us, bacon?”) Damn they’re SOOOOO good.

We’ll see how many of which ever we can make, the kids come first of course, but the research and development phase is the best part, we’ll try to include everyone, just ask. Or, send requests and/or recipes.

Next batter up: Red Velvet Mini’s (with bacon?)

~Mark

Bacon, mmmmm

Bacon, mmmmm