MIA in Seward Park

My small group of faithful readers... if any of you are left... will have noticed that this blog was MIA for most of October, and only recently have I backfilled what I could of the month to describe some great meals and adventures.

My excuse: Moving.

Mid-month we moved from our rental house on Beacon Hill to our new home in Seward Park, which meant every spare moment was spent packing, cleaning, carting, moving, unpacking, cleaning, etc. Many of our meals were grabbed on the go, or kept simple and easy to prepare quickly. And my obsessive-compulsive food photographing fell by the wayside as we found everything out of place, or without a place, including my camera.

But now we're settled in, mostly. The kitchen is unpacked. The cookbooks are all put away in the library/yoga studio, and Tivo & Comcast are speaking again, giving me my Top Chef fix.

Although moving was time consuming and left little time for cooking, it did kick-start our relationships with a whole new set of eateries in our new 'hood. Somehow, I forgot my camera all the times we've visited these spots, but you'll be hearing more about them from me soon, including:

Pizzuto's - a classic family Italian place complete with red & white checkered table cloths, Dean Martin music, and spumoni ice cream. We've been twice, and by our second visit the waitress already knew us and our drink orders. Friendly, quick, and comfortable - and kid friendly (which came up when we sent my sister-in-law, her husband, and their son the other night).

Flying Squirrel Pizza - great thin crust pizza featuring local, seasonal ingredients like Salumi meats and figs. The staff always seems genuinely happy to help, and the pizza is really, really good.

Saffron - we can't decide if this is nuevo Mexican food with Italian technique, Mexican/Italian fusion, or just a Mexican/Italian mix - but it's good, and again, the staff are really friendly. This is the fanciest place in Seward Park we've seen, and the wine selection is large. Open Thursday-Sunday for Dinner, and Saturday/Sunday for brunch.

Plaza Garcia - a family Mexican restaurant with all our favorites, just a couple blocks walk from our place (it's at Othello & Rainier Ave S). No booze now, but the liquor license is expected in the coming weeks.

Caffe Vita - friendly service, tasty pastries, and good coffee drinks.

PCC - not a restaurant, but their deli and selection of locally produced foods is going to keep us going back.

There are some other spots in the Seward Park/Brighton area I'm looking forward to, as well, including the Taco Bus across from the Othello Light Rail station; A Chau Cafe Deli a block or two from our house, and a Vietnamese sandwich place near the light rail, too.