Seattle continued: Carbzilla and car rides

Our last day in Seattle was probably the best one (even though it was only a half day). 

7:00 – Our alarm went off and my dream that I was in Tokyo came to an abrupt halt (I rarely remember dreams, but this morning I was dead sure I was in Japan still when my alarm went off).

7:15 – Started peddling on the hotel elliptical (and wonder why the hell level 2 feels like level 10).

7:45 – Switched from cardio to abs.

8:00 – Finished last circuit of crunches, bicycles, push-ups, plank holds, and planked leg extensions.

8:12 – Cut myself shaving in the quickest shower ever and then threw my wet hair in a hideous librarian bun (note: my hair was still wet when I went to bed over 15 hours later).

8:30 – Repacked suitcases (and wondered how and why there are suddenly 4 more pieces of luggage).

8:45 – Started the who is carrying what with which arms suitcase puzzle.

8:46 – Realized there was no solution to the aforementioned puzzle.

8:47 – Sent Kyle to the hotel lobby to get a luggage cart.

8:50 – Shrugged off odd looks from hotel employees when they checked our random assortment of baggage (we didn’t feel like it was super safe to leave our car parked in public stuffed to the brim with our goodies so visible!).

9:00 – Starbucks, duh.  As if that even need to be said. 

9:30 – Trekked all over Fremont (a funky area just across the bridge from Seattle’s main downtown).

10:30 – Said goodbye to the bridge troll and went to meet up with a friend for coffee number two.

11:00 – Aforementioned friend called and cancelled so we explored UW’s campus for an hour before our lunch date.

12:00 – Met at Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe.

12:01 – Took in the fantastic hippie ambiance. 

12:07 – Changed my mind for the 5th time about my lunch order.  Too many good choices!!!!

12:10 – Tiff arrived!  So excited to meet the Carbzilla in person 🙂

12:11 – Realized that great minds really do think alike (matching blue foodies!).

12:15 – Ordered our grub.  What did I get?  Well, as much as it pained me to pass on the “Dirty Hippie” special and the “Hippie Bowl,” I had to go with my gut. 

And that was the Ginger Sesame (raw) bowl with a tangy, sweet ginger-sesame sauce, seasonal vegetables, shredded carrots and shoyu pumpkin seeds on top of both raw shredded zucchini and raw kelp noodles. 

12:30 – My meal arrived (let the drooling begin). 

Have you ever tried raw kelp noodles?  This was my first time and I think I’m in love.  No.  I know I’m in love.  Even better than the noodles was the sauce. 

12:35 – Brainstorm ways to replicate this asap (aka calculate how many more days until I have my own kitchen).  FYI, the combo of tahini and ginger in a salad dressing is my new favorite thing. 

12:45 – Realize I’ve barely had time to dig into my meal because I can’t stop chatting it up with Tiff (love her)!  Meanwhile, Kyle’s plate was licked completely clean.

He got the Pesto Melt with a housemade cilantro and walnut pesto spread generously on a flaky tender foccacia roll, topped with vegenaise, vegan mozzarella, marinated onions, tomatoes, and sprouts. 

On the side he got the soup of the day, an Egyptian red lentil.  It’s so funny how much he likes soups despite the hot weather!  He absolutely loved this one and since lentil is one of his favorites he’s asked me to try and make this for him sometime.  I’ll do my best…

1:15 – Browsed the dessert section.

1:20 – Bought a black bean brownie for the road and promised Tiff a full review later. 

1:30 – Said goodbye to my delightful lunch date and headed back to the hotel in Seattle.

1:45 – (Again) endured sideways glances from the hotel staff as we got our 5 semi-normal (and 7 really bizarre pieces) of luggage from storage. 

1:50 – Hit the road…off to Eugene, OR. 

 

3:00 – Busted into my stash.  Chaco Canyon’s black bean brownie, heyoooo.

So, Tiff, as I promised, here’s my review of the black bean brownie.

Pros:  The idea that black beans were in the brownie scared Kyle into only wanting a very small bite.  More for me…score!  Aside from that, it was actually really good (and I was bracing myself for the worst, as you can probably tell by my semi-stunned review).  Not only was the brownie delicious, but it was incredibly moist, too.  I hate using that word – moist – it grosses me out.  But the truth is, that’s exactly what it was.  The texture was gooey, which isn’t how I generally like brownies, but it was a nice contrast to the last vegan dessert I had that was the complete opposite, dry dry dry.  The flavor was overwhelmingly banana-y.  Aside from chocolate, it was the only flavor I could detect whatsoever, and it was also the first thing both Kyle and I noticed.  I’m not hating on the nanners though, it made the brownie sweet. 

Cons:  The flavor was actually a bit too sweet (!?!).  I know what you’re thinking.  How could a dessert possibly be too sweet for me, the girl who easily downs medjool dates by the pound without batting an eyelash.  I think the problem stemmed from the fact that we were in the middle of nowhere on the I-5, so I was stuck in a car, without any way of releasing the burst of energy that resulted from the (natural) sugar.  Other than that, Chaco Canyon has a black bean believer in me, and I would happily taste test the rest of their treats, even if especially if they had garbanzo beans in them!

4:55 – Slowed my roll to a steady 5 mph thanks to the Portland traffic.

5:00 – Began cursing.

5:15 – Passed Milwaukie, OR and started wondering how to justify a stop at Bob’s Red Mill and/or Dave’s Killer Bread to Kyle.

5:30 – Opted for Tiff’s present instead of a few loaves of bread.

Yum!  These vegan cookies were so good, but small enough that I didn’t ruin my dinner appetite at all.  They were the perfect treat to tide me over until we arrived in Eugene.  Skydottir’s cookies really are epic!  Plus they look like a small operation, so I’m happy to give them a shout out.

 

Thanks so much Tiff, for the lovely lunch date, the thoughtful treats, and the Yelp! print-out of all the vegan dining joints in Eugene, OR.  I had a truly fabulous time. 

6:30 – Arrived in Eugene and checked into one of the seediest hotels on the planet.

7:00 – Went searching for dinner…in the most shut-down town ever.  Seriously Eugene, step it up!  I know it’s summer, so I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming that when school is in session things are way more happening…but I’m still not heading back any time soon.  I hardly even feel like my dinner was blogworthy, but at least it was vegan, so I’ll get the rest of the post up soon.

To be continued…