A Pause for a Visit to Seattle...

Seattle, WA
June 29 - July 4
I drove to Chicago on Sunday, June 28th, spent the night and climbed on an airplane at Midway Airport on the Monday the 29th.  Four hours, and a bit later, I walked off the plane in Seattle.  Now I just had to wait some for Deborah to arrive.  I arranged for the rental car, found something to eat and met Deborah when she came off the plane.  And off we went to the city.  We were staying with friends at their home near Lake Washington.  Except for all the trees, it is a beautiful view of the lake.

We were in Seattle to spend some time with our son Sean who is working as a chef for the Brave Horse Tavern in Seattle.  Brave Horse Tavern is one of several restaurants in the Seattle area owned and operated by Tom Douglas Restaurants.  The food was great and the location was just north of downtown, about 4 blocks south of Lake Union.  In the middle of Amazon country.  Amazon occupies much of the office space surrounding the Brave Horse Tavern.  Good food and a great location for dinner on a summer evening.

 This is Sean and his fiance Karli.

During our stay we managed to visit the Pike Place Market, (Unfortunately we took no pictures of the Market, but have borrowed a couple from Photo.net)

photo by Kirby Cole 8/26/2007

took a food tour of the market area, (including sampling food at multiple locations during the tour)

photo by Andrew Riegel 5/11/2003

rode a Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island,  (and back)

Deborah - my wife

 toured the Seattle Center, home of the Space Needle and site of the 1962 World's Fair,

and the Dale Chihuly Exhibit/Garden/Gallery,  

where the glass structures and exhibits were just remarkable.

We also spent some time at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard, a community north of Seattle.  This is the main lock, 80' wide by 760' long, used primarily for ship traffic transiting the ship canal from Lake Union or Lake Washington out to or in from Elliot Bay and Puget Sound.

And this is the auxiliary lock, primarily used by recreational boats to transit to or from Elliot Bay/Puget Sound via the Ship Canal to Lake Union or Lake Washington

A bit of a snug fit in the auxiliary lock...1 sailboat, 3 cruisers and 5 small boats in one lock thru.  And the Chittenden Locks also contain a Salmon Ladder, to aid the salmon to go from the Puget Sound to their breeding grounds up past Lake Washington.

These particular salmon are Steel Head, working mightily to make it above the locks and into the ship canal.

But enough about Seattle...how about that Pork Tenderloin Trail?  What has been going on with the search for the ultimate Pork Tenderloin sandwich?

Our first selection is from the Bluebird Cafe in North Liberty, Iowa, near Iowa City.  I went to lunch with my sister Anne and her husband Al on Thursday, July 9th.

 It was a significantly sized tenderloin on a Kaiser Bun with a side of cole slaw.  It was a generous portion of meat.  Unfortunately, the tenderloin was a little too well done.  It was a bit of task to chew and a quite dry.  However, the flavor was good.  The cole slaw was tasty also.  I would not consider going back for another tenderloin sandwich as it wasn't high enough on the rating scale to qualify.  The other food in the restaurant is quite good.

The next selection is from the Mid-Town Marina in East Dubuque, IL.  This marina is owned by a friend of mine, Arnie McDowell, with whom I spent three years of my life blowing stuff up in the Army.  He was originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has owned the Mid-Town Marina for about 28 years.  I had gone up to Dubuque (East Dubuque) to visit Arnie and his wife Sandy on Wednesday, July 15th.   Arnie & I played a little golf and then headed back to the marina for a bite to eat. 

In the scheme of things on the Pork Tenderloin Trail, this Pork Tenderloin Sandwich was close to the top of the list.  It was thick and tender, juicy and flavorful.  It was an absolute pleasure to eat.  This one is pushing for top honors on the Pork Tenderloin Trail.  Morg's Diner in Waterloo or Mid-Town Marina...Tough choice for the the best.

And next week, we will talk about another splendid option.  Unfortunately, that story is going to have to wait for the next episode of the Summer Along the Mississippi River blog.  Right now, it is a dead heat between Mid-Town Marina and Morg's Diner.  One of the selections for the next episode is also in the running. 

Enough words and pictures for this time.  Leave me a comment, tell me what you think of the blog.  Come visit me at the Mississippi River Visitor Center.  Take a tour of the Locks and Dam #15.  I'll even guide you through the tour.


Until next episode....