Cleaning out my purse today and found a menu from one of the restaurants we ate at in Washington. I’m pretty sure I didn’t make mention of it so I thought I would now because it is absolutely stop-worthy-if-you-are-in-the-neighborhood.
I also wanted to mention lunch in The Dalles which was along the Columbia River Gorge. I don’t think I mentioned that one either. Of course before eating at any of these places we did spend time sitting in parking lots checking out Yelp. No more let’s just take our chances and check it out anymore. Leave nothing to chance.
After leaving Seattle on a sunny day we headed to the wine country. Actually looking back over my blog I see that it is the forgotten day. Stopped at a winery but wasn’t too impressed by the wines. One winery was enough. It was getting late so we Hotwired our way to a hotel. Nothing to talk about there. But dinner was another story. We yelped and yelped and finally decided on Phuket Thai Cuisine in Kennewick, WA.
“If you are new to this restaurant, please take our spicy level seriously. Our spice level is much spicier than any other Thai restaurant. Thank you . . .” is written on the menu. The owner/cook’s daughter was our waitress. She assured me that she knew all the ingredients and there were no nuts or sesame in anything we ordered. She also mentioned that she was allergic to nuts too. Ah, I felt good. I knew I didn’t have to take a small bite and let it sit in my mouth to wait and see if it’s safe.
We said we’d go for 3 stars hot because we liked hot but she wasn’t so sure we could handle it. Her mom/cook/owner came out and we chatted. She recommended 1 star and she would give us some fresh spice to add if we needed it. I was a bit apprehensive. I couldn’t believe we agreed to 1 star. Is it going to be like Orchid in Garden City where we say very spicy. And it is served hardly spicy. Maybe it is a language thing? very — hardly?
The Ydom Yum soup we ordered was delicious. The Paht Khing (ginger stir-fry prepared with sweet onion, green onions, and mushrooms) was very spicy and also delicious. I’m always looking for a green dish. I can never find one green enough but there it was on the menu — Pa Rham (stir-fried spinach with broccoli and chicken and topped with peanut sauce. It was sooooo good. My favorite. Half the spinach was raw, softened only by the peanut sauce. It was definitely worth the trip to Kennewick. Everything was so fresh, spicy, and tasty. We ate the leftovers for breakfast.
Next we left and drove in the pouring rain in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge (or so I’ve heard.) Took a break in The Dalles, Oregon and stopped at the Baldwin Saloon, another Yelp choice. Good soup, salads, and sandwiches.
So now I can throw away my menus and receipts because I have only to look back on my blog to find this information.
Also, let’s close the book on the squirrel thing. I was a bit nervous when we left for vacation. I was pretty sure the squirrel was gone but I kept thinking that I would walk in the door after 2 weeks and see a hole in the ceiling and squirrels living in my house. Actually the way it would have happened was that Hannah would come home on Friday (a day before our arrival) and discover all this. When I spoke to her friday night, she didn’t mention anything. On Saturday I tiptoed into the laundry room and saw my row of steel wool untouched. No squirrel activity. And that is the end of Stanley!!!!!!!
thesommertimes 