Eatin' good in the neighborhood

So last week I wasn't lying- we did go out to celebrate my newfound initials. Edie and I walk a lot, and we keep passing this little place called Eva in an micro-neighborhood called Tangletown. I've been there once before, a few years ago, but I didn't really remember the food and wanted to check it out with Dave.

We went for the 'early bird special', meaning the prices are the same but hardly anyone is eating dinner yet, so we picked our own seating. I've been hearing about their lamb burger which is on their bar menu, and thought that was a good antidote to a cold and rainy Seattle evening. The menu recommended some sort of red wine so I ordered that too. Dave got a manhattan, and the $30 three course dinner. What high rollers we are!

So my lamb burger arrived with juices flowing on a ciabatta roll, surrounded by a green salad. I cut it in half ('cause that's what ladies do), and took a big ol' bite. Let me just say this burger was off. the. chain. Best lamb burger ever, complemented with caramelized onions and blue cheese mayonnaise. And I don't even like mayonnaise. Dave ordered a chicken thigh with sweet potato mash and creamed collard greens. He licked his plate clean, too.

Yesterday Edie and I were kickin' it, and while she napped, I decided to find a recipe for parsnips, which arrived in last week's CSA. It's a root vegetable that looks like a squat albino carrot, and beyond that, I couldn't tell you much about this homely guy. I searched on epicurious.com and found a cream of parsnip soup recipe that boasted to be low fat, easy, and delicious.

'Easy' on epicurious is a relative word. To me, 'easy' means making a box of risotto, chopping up some grilled chicken sausages, and throwing in a handful of broccoli for a one-pot meal. This required slicing and dicing of shallots and onions, reducing white wine, simmering for 45 minutes, and it ultimately involved an immersion blender. But I didn't have anywhere to be, so I could deal. And Edie is now sitting in her Bumbo so she's my little sous chef.

This parsnip soup was, thankfully, really good. Because there was a lot of it. When Dave came home I told him he had to eat it. He made some turkey sandwiches and dipped it in the soup. He was into it. I had a mug full as an appetizer, since I was going out to dinner with some girlfriends.

My friends and I met at a pizza place called Delancey. Apparently it's all the rage, but I guess I'm out of the loop, since I'd never heard of it. It's possible to find good pizza in Seattle, but it doesn't come cheap and you gotta do a little searching. This place is part-owned by a former Brooklynite, and true to form, it's some authentic New York-style pizza. We ordered the Jersey salad followed by a crimini pie and a sausage pie. They each rocked my world. We were discussing meeting up next month for dinner again, and I was like 'Hey, have you ever heard of this place called Eva?". He he. Gotta get my hands on that lamb burger again.