Delancey to Tandem

Poor Memorial Day.  I always think of it as a rainy holiday, at least in Chicago.  Well, I just Googled it and found this website on Climate Data for Chicago.   Finally, here's some substantial facts to back up my connection of weather and holiday...

Graph courtesy of NOAA on weather.gov

Wait, what?  In the last 137 years only 41 years had over 0.01 inches of rain!  No way!  How is that possible?  I want a recount!  Here's my rationalization, it isn't JUST the day it is the whole weekend.  Maybe, the weekends were rainy and the day was not.  Maybe, the weather forecast called for rain but was dead wrong year after year.  It just doesn't add up.

Now I'm in Seattle and you would think I would just expect it and dance in the rain every day like clockwork.  Nope.  Here too I want nice weather on my three day weekends.  Yet again the forecast was rain every stinking day but Sunday.  Then it only rained a tiny bit.  I can't even tell you which day or for how long.  Weather persons of the world listen up, I know it ain't easy but just once please get it RIGHT!  Ok there I feel better.

Really I have nothing to whine about.  I had a great weekend!  Lots of yard work checked off the list, BBQs on Friday and Monday.  Pizza on Sunday following a needed couple week break (more on that in a later post).  Most crucial to today's topic, C and I went on a date Saturday night (thanks Mom)!

Have you read Orangette?  Yes, I have mentioned her blog before. I made her fantastic Chocolate Malt Cupcakes.  [easily my most popular recipe posted - mental note, bake more often].  Anyway, she's living the dream!  She lives in Seattle and blogs about food, meets her husband, writes a book, they open a pizza place, Delancey.   Hi. That's awesome!

We've been to Delancey before and both of us felt like we had died and gone to pizza heaven.  Just awesome!  btw - this is a tiny, quaint, never really want to leave, kind of want to talk to everyone that works there kind of place.  Plus, the pizza is killer in a town that is completely pizza deprived.  The wait is always over an hour.  

We waltz on in and hurray for all the crazy Seattlites leaving town for the holiday weekend, there is only a 20 minute wait!  I wanted to high five the hostess I really did!  We actually didn't even need to wait if we were willing to, get this, sit at the bar overlooking the chef/owner and his right hand man make pizzas in their brick oven that I covet.  They had the door open and a fantastic breeze was blowing in right where the seats were.  After 12+ years knowing me C read the situation and told the hostess we would wait for a table.  (sigh)

In the meantime we sat at the bar and tried desperately very hard to chat up the chef.  I wanted very badly to ask him if we could bring our pizza to the restaurant and try and make a pizza in his bitchin' oven.  Luckily, our table was ready and I didn't completely embarrass myself with that one.  In case you're wondering, Yes, C was right the breeze at the bar was way too chilly for me and I would not have lasted through the whole meal. 

We wisely skipped the salad options and each ordered a pizza.  I ordered the pizza special which was a stinging nettle pesto with bacon and onion and finished with a drizzle of chile oil.  I... I... I am just completely at a loss for words with this one.  I could eat it every night!  C went old school and got a pepperoni pizza.  Perfection.  

What's with the weird pic of me?  I wanted to take the picture below of the empty plates but my iPhone camera was set to the front camera instead of the back.  This is the exact face I was making so I snapped a picture.  I thought it was hilarious.  Then throughout the night I realized I make that face a lot.  Lovely.

Sadly, the meal was winding down and it was time to leave.  We decided to head closer to home to have a glass of wine.  In downtown Bothell there's a tiny, cute little wine bar/restaurant called Tandem.  [Sensing a theme with us ans restaurants]  We have been there twice.  Haven't tried the food but love their wine list.  They have lots of delicious, local wines by the glass.

What makes the bar is the owner, Lisa.  [I don't just like her for her name]  She's the easiest person to talk to and really knows and loves the wines.  It seems like their business model is working for them since there are always people inside.  The thing is that the dinner prices are up there spendy.  I'm sure for a special occasion or in a couple decades when I have more money I won't even bat an eye at these prices.  What I would love is if they offered bistro like fare.  Lighter fare, lower prices and a more wine bar rather than restaurant atmosphere.   Don't worry we'll be back, just not for dinner.