Tour de Taco Bus

Some of the most diverse neighborhoods in Seattle are in Rainier Valley and with that brings access to some amazing food. Drive down MLK or Rainier Ave and you will find little gems serving up everything from lamb shwarma to pho ga. And of course, there are the tacos. If you’ve ventured past Dearborn in the last year, you’ll have noticed a fine collection of family run taco buses popping up at every abandoned parking lot, gas station and grocery store.

With this new influx of taco stops we’ve had a hard time choosing where to go for our taco take out. To resolve this problem we decided to employ the taste buds of some of our book club gal pals in a “Taco Bus Taste Off!” We gathered the gals on our back patio to put our top three buses to the test. We nibbled on carne asada tacos, discussed In Defense of Food by Michael Polland (our book for the month) and washed it all down with Jarritos and Tequila. Not a bad way to spend an evening.

The Challengers

El Asadero – They have a number of locations but we went to the one on Rainier in Mt. Baker, just north of the Safeway on the west side of the street.

Los Patrillos – Located at the 76 Gas Station on the corner of Graham & Rainier.

Rainier Beach Taco Bus – Located in the Saars Marketplace parking lot on Henderson between Rainier & Seward Park Ave

The Tasting Fare

Carne Asada Tacos

Chicken Tortas

Tasting Rating

The gals rated their favs based on overall flavor, spiciness, presentation and, of course, personal preference.

Who Rated Best?

El Asadero

Yes, they have the most locations and are probably the most well known, but they lost in both the Torta and the Taco test. Most of us thought their tacos were not all that flavorful, a little spicy but very greasy. We also all rated the tortas as our least favorite as well. But if you love this place – do not despair, our friend, Rassamee, rated their tacos as #1.

Los Patrillos – Best Torta

They won hands down for the best Torta. The chicken is tender and flavorful and the tortas are dressed with shredded lettuce, a little mayo and tons of avocado. Their tacos also came in second among the gals. I love these tacos but they are very spicy, which might not work for everyone.

Rainier Beach Taco Bus – Best Tacos

These guys were the carne asada taco test winner. The meat is tender and not overcooked and the tacos are toped with fresh onions and cilantro. Best for taste and presentation.  Their specialty is actually something called Alambre, which is a mixture of steak, ham, peppers, onions and cheese, served with corn tortillas. It is one of my favorite taco bus treats and they also make it as a torta as well! To Die For!

Either one you choose, you are in for a great meal. The prices are fairly comparable from bus to bus, 4 Tacos for $5 and about $4-6 dollars for a torta depending on what type of meat you choose. So venture out to your local neighborhood Taco Truck and give them a try. It’s a great way to support a local business and get an incredible inexpensive meal!

The Diva Goes Abroad

As many of you know, my partner Chavi and I packed up our Rick Steve’s luggage and hit the friendly skies for Europe this past spring. Anyone who has traveled with the Diva knows that limiting myself to only one bag is a feat for moi. But, I was successful, and considering the number of trains we had to take for this trip – I was thankful to have only one carry-on!

We had a whirlwind 3 week trip starting in Paris, ending in Rome and packing in a few days in Avignon, Nice, Florence and Tuscany in the middle. The abbreviated highlights are pretty much this: the Louvre, foie gras, Lacroix, wine, the Cote d’Azur, wine, the Big Church, pasta, Pecorino, wine, the Colosseum, pasta, more churches, wine, the Forum, pasta, yet another church, more pasta and more wine. Not that the entire trip was about wine, pasta and churches but when in Rome…

While in France we spent a good amount of time wine tasting and had a chance to meet a couple of wine makers that are following the biodynamic trend, which is growing rapidly in Europe. We also had a chance to talk to Guy Bremond who runs the Cave Du Verger tasting room in the Chateauneuf-de-Papes region. He mentioned that for the past twenty years many producers have changed their techniques to match the American style. Essentially, wines were made to be big bold and hit your palette right away with little thought to aging, discovering hints of the terroir or many other subtle luxuries of a wine made in the traditional fashion. Nowadays, more wine makers are reversing that trend and biodynamic production seems to match well with the more traditional old world style of winemaking. While hanging with Guy, we tasted some amazing traditional Chateauneufs that blew us away – much more so then the “new world style wines” they expect Americans’ to appreciate.

In Italy we did spend much of our time exploring some amazing churches in and around Tuscany & Rome. But – as always, it all comes back food & wine! One day we drove through the Tuscan hills to Montalcino, where we walked around the rocky sandy vineyard of a small family owned biodynamic winery called Le Fornace. We spent some time chatting with the daughter who told us the winery had been in her family forever.  They only produce Brunello di Montalcino and a Rosso di Brunello, which are the wines of this region. They also make a fabulous Grappa from their wine and some wonderful olive oil. On the way back we went through Pienza, home of Italy’s famous Pecorino cheese, so of course, we stocked up! After spending an afternoon on our veranda in Cortona with the rolling Tuscan countryside in front of us, a glass of Brunello in one hand and some lovely fresh sheep Pecorino in the other, I can understand why Frances Mayes decided to set herself down here and never leave!

Remember, the best recommendation is a personal one!

Here are few of the best recommendations from our trip but we have many more we’d love to share with you. You know how to find us!

Food:

Cuisine Provencale – Friends of ours who own a fabulous cooking school in Arles.

Piedoie – Amazing tiny restaurant in Avignon. The chef, Thierry Piedoie, came out to serve us part of the meal and to discuss his wine & food pairings. This was the one time I truly wished I had kept up on my French!

Wine:

Cave Du Verger – Restaurant and tasting room with a remarkable collection of both large & small Chateauneuf-de-Papes producers.

La Fornace – If you love Brunello, you will love this wine. I highly encourage you to try their Grappa if you can get it.

Accomodations:

Arco del Lauro – Fabulous intimate B&B tucked away in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. We LOVED this place. Not only were the rooms spacious, clean, comfortable and affordable but you can enjoy Lorenza’s home made limoncello at the end of a perfect day in Rome.

The Diva and Friends Celebrate Tracy's Birthday

You know it is summer when Tracy blows out the candles on her birthday cake. This year was no exception. Tracy's birthday is in late June and as luck would have it we had some fabulous weather. After what seemed like endless months of chilly weather we finally had a really hot afternoon. The evening was spent baking on our patio sipping mojitos and grilling some fantastic food on the BBQ. There was a point there in the blinding sun next to the grill that I thought I was going to melt away. Luckily for me someone quickly opened up a French Rose.

We started the evening serving grilled pizzas made from dough found at Lola's South City Bakery. Lola's is a newly opened bakery in Hillman City. They are just a hole in the whole but serve some really fantastic organically made breads. The dough has a little cornmeal added to it which gives it a slight crunch.

Chavi and I made a trip to the Mutual Fish Company for the main dish. Everything that is sold at the Mutual Fish Company is fresh, sustainably harvested and served to you by some of best fish mongers in the city. I know many people think that the Pike Place Market has the best fish but it really is nothing compared to the variety at the Mutual Fish Company. We found some beautiful Ono that we covered in a homemade soysauce/mirin marinade. For snacks we found some whole Smelts that we grilled and quickly tossed in olive oil and lemon juice. The smelts were delicious but did take some time to avoid the bones.

Inspired by Aaron's birthday cake Tracy specifically asked for the Tres Leches cake from the El Salvadorian Bakery in White Center. Ordering the cake was very interesting. The bakery primarily serves the community in the White Center area. But the cake and all of their treats are to good to not be shared amongst friends. And amongst friends we enjoyed many treats, tosted Tracy and let the summer season begin.

Walking the red carpet with her gal!

It is that time of year again! The Pacific Northwest

Ballet kicked off their new season on September

15 with the First Look 2007: Season Preview

Performance & Party. Now that's a mouth full!

The perfomance included pieces from the

upcoming season like Caught, a high flying

performance including strobe lights, and a peak

at Roméo et Juliette, a contemporary full length

ballet that premiered in 1996. The performances were fantastic, but that was just the beginning!

The theme of the premiere party was "From Monty Carlo with Love...". That 007 theme has lasted the whole year long! We were treated to cigars and port while playing blackjack and craps followed by dancing on the stage. What's not to love? Those dancers know how to get down. A fabulous beginning to an exciting season. Maybe we will run into you at a performance!

…Throwing a party? What else?!?

It's summer again and that means

St. Clouds garden party! They pulled out all the stops this year including our very own menu. How much more fabulous could it get? We dined on everything from shrimp to fries, kahlua brownies to fresh, spicy salsa. Then of course, there were the shoes... fantastic in fashion as always!

We swapped stories with clients just

beginning to look and those who bought years ago. Everyone has a story when it comes to real estate! Thanks to everyone who made the effort to join us even if the weather wasn't what we had hoped it would be. Enjoy the rest of your summer and we will see you at the Spring party- watch for an exciting new location. Cheers!