Pike Place Market - Seattle, Washington

1501 Pike Place, Seattle WA 98101
Parking: Pay parking and shuttles are very accessible.
http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/

Last Visited: June 2009

Located at 1st and Pike in downtown Seattle, just walking to Pike Place Market is scenic since you're right by the waterfront. The vision of this public street market, which was founded in 1907, stemmed from the desire to give consumers a true farm to table experience. While during those times, the market was intended to address the skyrocketing prices of onions due to the price-gouging practices of middlemen, today, it also addresses the desire to reduce the supply chain process and get farm fresh food to our tables, not to mention the other crafts and goodies being sold.

There are some pretty expensive parking areas nearby. If you're planning on just dropping in, then the metered parking is accessible. If you're willing to walk, then park about a mile away and spend your savings on more delicious treats, plus you get the extra benefit of working off the calories). We ended up walking around the downtown and extended areas while gnoshing all along the way to sustain our energy levels.

Beecher's Handmade Cheese
Best: Mac and Cheese
1600 Pike Place, Seattle, WA 98101 (north end)
(206) 956-1964
Hours: 9am-6pm daily
http://www.beecherscheese.com/

- Mac and Cheese - You can order a small or large sized Mac and Cheese. If I had known how wonderful this was, I would have ordered a large one. You get penne pasta cooked with a creamy blend of cheeses that create a melt in your mouth biteful of goodness. They even scoop a little of the browned top of the mac and cheese with each cup. Heaven on earth! Small $5.23

There are other items on the menu, but you must get the mac and cheese if you're anywhere in the vicinity.

Piroshky-Piroshky
Best: Piroshy
1908 Pike Place (north end)
(206) 441-6068

I had read about Piroshky-Piroshky as one of the places to stop by at Pike Place. While I had had piroshky at home, it was kind of dense and it made me not want to order it ever again, but with the rave reviews at this place, I figured I would give it another try. And I am so glad that I did!

- Spinach, Egg, and Cheese Piroshky - You can see that the filling is plentiful and the bread is light and fluffy. The blend of filling - from the quantities to the flavors - is wonderful. The amount shown in the picture is only half of one. The best part was that it was served warm. Absolutely delicious! $4.84

If you've never had one, this is definitely the place to get one to make you fall in love with piroshkies. If you had a bad one like I did, this will convert you for sure. There are plenty of choices if these ingredients aren't your favorite. There are several meat piroshkies - beef and cheese; chicken, rice and mushroom; smoked salmon pate to name just a few. There are quite a number of vegetarian piroshkies and dessert piroshkies (who could say no to chocolate cream hazelnut roll?) too. You are bound to find something that you'll love.

Pike Place Chowder
1530 Post Alley (Triangle Building & Post Alley Market)
(206) 267-2537

Pike Place Chowder is almost always featured in Pike Place food tours. They are best known for their clam chowder - voted Nation's Best - and for their dungeness crab roll.

I had a taste of the clam chowder walking in the door, and it was good, but I wanted to try one of their specialty chowders. There are four traditional chowders offered - clam, smoked salmon, southwestern chicken and corn, and manhattan clam chowder. Each is served with sourdough bread. There are also four specialty chowders - seafood bisque, seared scallop, vegan chowder, and market chowder.

- Seafood Bisque - One of their specialty chowders, Pacific cod, wild Northwest salmon, calamari, and Oregon bay shrimp are blended in a creamy tomato-basil broth. This was a super rich. Good, but not something you can eat often. Cup 12 oz $5.95, Bowl 6oz $6.95, Big Bowl 32oz $11.95

- Dungeness Crab Roll - Dungeness crab is mixed with mayo, diced celery, lemon juice, and spices. The mix is served over chopped lettuce in a warm baguette. By the time I got my crab roll, the baguette was back to room temperature. The crab is chilled and although it was fresh tasting, since I'm so accustomed to warm lobster rolls, I was expecting the crab to be warm too. Since it was cold, I think some of the flavor was lost and they should consider taking the chill off a little more to really maximize the flavor. Just okay in my opinion. $11.95

If you can't decide what to get, there are several combos available - Combo 1 is chowder with a side salad and soft drink. Combo 2 is an 8 oz cop of chowder, half a crab sandwich roll, and a soft drink. Combo 3 is an 8 oz cup of chowder, choice of half a curried chicken roll or shrimp roll, and a soft drink.

No matter where I go, I always compare seafood rolls to my favorite lobster roll at Old Port Lobster Shack. When it comes to the roll, Old Port wins again.

Rose's Chocolate Treasures
1906 Post Aly, Seattle, WA 98101-1015
(206) 441-2936

I walked into Rose's and they sell more than chocolate. It's like walking into a tea shop or a place that sells lots of unique trinkets. The glass case features a ton of chocolates. I tried a matcha green tea chocolate. It was so beautifully decorated and a little shiny and green on top. Very nice, but also expect to pay for the niceness too.

Of course, the original Starbucks Coffee is located here, so if you're a coffee lover, that will definitely be a stop. If you have access to a kitchen, then you'll love some of the produce available. Just look at these lobsters! And you can get gorgeous flowers at a great price at the market too.

Also visit MarketSpice for another interesting shopping experience. If you love to cook, you should enjoy it quite a lot. Other places to check out - Dozen Doughnuts, Pike Place Fish for their smoked fish, Frank's Quality Market, and Etta's Seafood. You definitely won't go hungry at Pike Place.

Also check out a list of Pike Place shops and restaurants that I didn't get to try, but that I hope to get to next time.