Fiona Apple @ Benaroya Hall, Wann

Thanks to an online coupon, I got word  a while back that Fiona Apple would be performing an acoustic show at Benaryoa Hall in October.  Both Country Girl and I are big fans of her voice, though hadn't heard anything by her in probably the last 5+ years.  After giving her latest CD a spin, we decided she still sounds great and to check it out.  Good choice. 

Benaroya is where the Seattle Symphony performs and, as you may imagine, has wonderful acoustics.  Fiona sounded amazing and her supporting band did as well.  Her mannerisms on stage and talks between songs lived up to her reputation as very...interesting!  All in all, great show. 

Afterwards, we headed to Wann, a Japanese small plate restaurant (izakaya) near downtown, to take advantage of their late happy hour.  We've been to Wann a number of times and it never fails to deliver loads of tasty treats and booze at very competitive prices.  Banner night all the way around.

Bumbershoot 2013

Bumbershoot rocks all Labor Day weekend long in the Emerald City.  I've attended earlier editions a couple of times and had great times.  While there were only three bands playing there that I wanted to see this year, they luckily all played on the same day.  Country Girl, because she's awesome, was down from the jump even though she wasn't familiar with two of the groups.  Though we only ended up seeing two of the bands, had to deal with a nonsensical in/out policy and an even more nonsensical beer garden entrance policy (wrist bands, you say?  Oh no, you'll need to stand in line and show your ID every time you'd like to enter), we both had a blast.

Both Mates of States and The Breeders brought the heat and put on great sets.  The weather was stellar and we even got to eat at one our fav Japanese places for dinner between bands.  An added bonus was seeing Beats Antique put on quite the spectacle on our way out.

Ruby Trout

Stopped by our local fishmonger with hopes of getting a whole fish to grill a couple of weeks back, only to be told there were no whole varieties available that day.  As a consolation with left with some ruby trout and it ended up a great choice.  A little salt and pepper, some olive oil and it was ready to go.  Grilled up great in a few minutes and paired lovely with cous cous and brussels sprouts.

Maui

Omg, so much fun!  Can't wait to go back. 

Yes, that is in fact a goat on a leash!

Beach Wedding Achievement? Unlocked!

Lost Pelican, Sarajevo Lounge - Belltown

A few weeks back, Country Girl and I hit two new firsts for us in Belltown.  We had an online coupon to the Lost Pelican and sauntered over to nearby Sarajevo Lounge afterwards.

The Lost Pelican is a newish, small plate southern themed restaurant.  Not sure how long it's been open but the growing pains were abundant during our visit.  They were woefully understaffed and service took quite a while.  Our server was friendly enough when she was around but the wait for service as well our order was slow, slow, slow.  Once the food arrived, it was mostly pretty good.  We had the friend green tomatoes, some sort of pasta dish and duck breast.  The duck was excellent as was the pasta.  The tomatoes were ok though not crispy enough for my liking.

After our meal, we crossed the street to check out Sarajevo Lounge for a pint.  We were fortunate enough to stop by on a day they had live music.  The band was lots of fun and played with loads of energy. Killing it song after song playing lots of  favorites (presumably) from the old country.  Unfortunately, the old country beers didn't deliver as well as the band.  One was decent, the other not so much.  Despite this, Sarajevo Lounge was a lot of fun and we'll likely go back again to cheer on the band.

Country Son Rocking Out

Country Son has played percussion in his school band the past couple of years.  He's recently taking more a liking to it and diligently practices daily.  The clip is from his spring concert where he's killing it on the snare.