Urban Family Public House is a brand new itty bitty little brewery on Ballard Ave. across the street from our favorite backpacking-planning bar, The Noble Fir (they have an alcove of nearly every guidebook and map ever printed!). But I digress, the Urban Family Pub has an adorable little commercial brewing set up snuggled into the back of their hole-in-the-wall brewpub. They currently make two beers: Le Vagabond (a mild, light, hoppy, saison) and Rain Walker Porter (a nice, solid porter!). Their modest food menu follows a creative trend that seems to have started with Skillet and is now sweeping the city; bacon-jam burger, poutine, and frites. While the Urban Family Pub's bacon-jam is great on a burger, I felt it was way too sweet on poutine.
Bitterroot's "Cowboy Killer" (ribs, brikets, chicken, pulled pork, coleslaw, grits, cornbread, and a roll) ...photo from the stranger
For brunch on New Year's Day we met up with some friends at Bitterroot, also on Ballard Ave. Named after Montana's Bitterrroot river, this darling little restaurant promises Northwest BBQ and All-American foods and beverages.
hushpuppies!
I got the best hushpuppies I've ever had outside of Arkansas and Mac 'n Cheese with roasted red peppers and bacon lardons (mac 'n cheese comes with your choice of any two additions; braised greens, pulled pork, hotlink, english peas, smoked jalepenos, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, or bacon lardons). This was definitely one of the best Mac 'n Cheeses I have ever had! And it was so filling I ended up taking my left overs home and splitting them with Alex for dinner that night!
Alex got a plate of pulled pork, cornbread with honey-butter, and cheddar grits. The grits! Oh the grits were incredible! Fluffy, light-yellow, cornmeal clouds of joy! The pork and cornbread were absolutely stellar as well.
Then there was American Coffee. I ordered Irish Coffee, and our server said they only carry American Whiskey, thus rendering "Irish" Coffee impossible... so I asked if "American" Coffee was possible, to which he said, "absolutely" and went back to the bar to make my drink. I was expecting a simple shot of bourbon in a cup of coffee, but what I received instead is my new favorite cocktail! I asked what was in it, and here's what I remember: Coffee, Bourbon, Creme de Cacao, Simple Syrup, Cinnamon, and Nutmed shavings on top.
...And here is where my friend, Sienna, interrupted me writing this blog post with text messages saying we should go to The Wandering Goose for lunch, so now I have a third restaurant to add! The Wandering Goose on Capitol Hill's 15th Ave. is the creation of few recent transplants from New Orleans. The menu is thick with southern flavor including biscuit sandwiches, grits, fried chicken, brisket with veggies and a poached egg, and fried oysters with bacon, tomato, lettuce, and pepper jam. Both Sienna and I got the Biscuit of the Day, which was a wild boar sloppy joe adorned with a sunny-side-up duck egg and fried jalepenos. It was incredible! And even better, it filled me up without making me feel overly full, and I staid full straight through dinner!
The Saw Mill Biscuit: Fried Chicken, Sage Gravy, Aged Cheddar
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