It’s that sick and sickening time of year again. . .cold and flu season. And when coughs, sniffles, and sneezing season is rife, nothing beats a big bowl of soup to loosen the phlegm and raise the spirits.

Here are three soups that truly reign supreme in the downtown-Seattle soup universe.

Chicken Pho at Bambuza Vietnamese Cuisine

Matzoh Ball Soup has long been known as a cure-all for seasonal sickness. But I’d like to nominate the Chicken Pho at Bambuza Vietnamese Cuisine as a strong contender. Warm chicken broth, redolent with fresh coriander and green chiles, and swimming with noodles and white-meat chicken chunks is as much fun to “doctor” up (so to speak) with Thai Sriracha sauce, soy sauce, and a few drops of fresh lime juice, as it is to eat (with chopsticks and a deep spoon).

The venerable Seven Elements Soup at Wild Ginger

For years, I’ve been ordering and enjoying a venerable signature dish at Wild Ginger–Seven Elements Soup–but only at lunch (sadly, it’s not available on the dinner menu). Its coconut-curry stock is thick with three kinds of noodles, the most tender white chicken breast chunks, fresh coriander, and dried chiles. To gild the lily (as if it needed it), coconut cream and thin slices of red onion adorn the top.

Spicy King Crab Soup at Japonessa Sushi Cocina

A newcomer in the sphere of outstanding Seattle soups–Spicy King Crab Soup–comes from  Japonessa Sushi Cocina, which is conveniently located just across the street from our condo. The slightly sweet seafood stock boasts a bit of a back-throat burn, but in a good and addictive way. A generous number of king-crab claws are perfectly sliced up the back so the meat is easy to remove and toss with the soup.

So whether you are hail or hearty, these three Seattle soups are worthy of  your slurping pleasure.

Before we get much further along in the New Year, I wanted to post a few photos of the outstanding places and plates we enjoyed during our nine-day California odyssey. They’ll be sure to stick around long after short-term memory fades and the stresses of the workaday world encroach.

During a hilly walk from our Union Square hotel to North Beach, we ran across Coit Tower. Its base and the surrounding buildings were shrouded in fog, which made for a rather moody shot.

Fog continued once we made our way down to Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. If you look real closely, you can see a few girders from the Golden Gate Bridge on the left-hand side of the photo in the distance!

Of course, northern California is as well known for its trademark brand of West Coast cuisine as for its glorious views. Here are two fabulous dishes from Grasing’s Coastal Cuisine, a venerable restaurant in Carmel owned by chef Kurt Grasing. Another plus is its Wine Spectator award-winning wine list.

We go to Grasing’s for Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner whenever we are in that magical town. Here’s the Grilled  Artichoke with Blue Crab and Bay Shrimp that’s been on the menu there as long as I can remember. It’s served with a Lemon-Thyme Aïoli sauce, but really doesn’t need it, it’s so fresh and flavorful on its own.

And another dish from Grasing’s–Farm-Raised Monterey Bay Red Abalone done doré style–pan seared after being dusted in egg wash and flour. Divine, and unique to California, as we rarely see abalone offered on Seattle-area menus!

On Christmas day we decided to take an early-morning beach walk, even though the local weathermen kept warning about the high winds and rain that were threatening to hit.

Things looked okay when we left the hotel, but by the time we walked down Ocean Avenue to the beach, things had turned ugly. It was so windy that sand was blowing up onto the path above the beach where we were walking. And the pelting rain obscured our glasses.

Undaunted, we plowed through to the end of the beach. Once we gazed back toward Pebble Beach Golf Club, we were rewarded with this: a rainbow!

Here is a shot of a fun place we had breakfast while in San Francisco over the holidays. Sears Fine Food is right across the street from our hotel, The Sir Francis Drake (a.k.a., The Drake).

In business since 1938, it’s history is lengthy and interesting. In keeping with its earliest roots, it’s  best known for its breakfast special: 18 Swedish silver-dollar-sized pancakes. Spencer enjoyed his with crispy bacon; the other option was sausage links.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed something I haven’t ordered in years and years. . .a pecan waffle and a scrambled egg.

There seemed to be lots of regulars sharing the counter stools with us. Many customers called our waitress (Carol) by name.

Old-timey music was playing, and the decor was straight out of WWII. The food wasn’t great. . .the coffee was bitter. . .we never need to go back. But all in all, definitely a San Francisco sort of experience.

Back when it was still summer time in Seattle, back when the sun was shining and you could eat outside without freezing to death or getting blown into Puget Sound, we enjoyed a Saturday lunch at Tom Douglas’s latest eatery–Seatown Snack Bar. It’s located just across the street from the venerable Pike & Western Wine Shop at the corner of Virginia and Western overlooking Victor Steinbrueck Park and right next door to Tom’s long-running Etta’s Seafood.

Since our visit, Seatown has been renamed Seatown Seabar & Rotisserie to better mirror its mission–as a place for a drink and a nosh or even full meal, with a handy rotisserie serving take-out mains and sides next door. It’s also had a bit of a menu overhaul; luckily, the dishes we ordered are still on the menu.

Here’s the Seatown Sampler, replete with tastes of all six types of seafood featured in the Smoked Seafood section of the menu. We especially liked the Westport Black Cod with Nectarine Miso–silky, slightly sweet, and a bit salty. Less desirable was the Willapa Bay Oysters with Fennel Relish and Tobiko (mea culpa: I’m not a fan of smoked oysters in general and this one was really smoky).

Spencer ordered the Northwest Free-Range Chicken Dinner from the Entrée Plates section of the menu. It came with Dripping Potatoes and Garlic Rapini and proved to be a sizable chunk o’ chix. And who could ever resist a dish with a name like “dripping potatoes!”

We loved the whimsical murals in the ladies’ room. Made me want to tango with the merrily dancing crabs!

And we would have loved to have ordered a scoop of Concord Grape Sorbet, which sounded cool and refreshing and very Northwest to boot, but we had to get on with our Saturday afternoon errands. Next time!

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. You just can’t beat the little “jewel/joule” box of a restaurant in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle–Joule.

Here are some shots from a dinner we had there this spring. Pictured above is the Chicken Salad–light and lovely pieces of chicken breast mixed with Bibb lettuce, grapefruit segments, and a spicy dressing. This would have made the perfect entrée.

But we’re glad we didn’t stop there, for the Zucchini Basil Pancake with Shrimp and Soy Mustard Sauce was a revelation. . .similar to a Vietnamese Crepe but more dense and eggy.

Whenever we eat at Joule and it’s available, Spencer has the Whole Branzino with Zucchini + Salted Shrimp Fricasse.

While I almost always opt for the Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes, Roasted Lemon, and Chili Broth.

I’ll post an update later on next week of our latest find there. . .

A recent relaxed Saturday-morning brunch at Toulouse Petit, the New Orleans-inspired restaurant in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, made us want to laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll)!

Here’s a photograph of the interior, formerly a non-descript Chinese restaurant that has been transformed into something you’d certainly expect to find in the Big Easy itself. Fleur de Lis wall art, custom metalwork, and hand-blown lighting fixtures surround the dining area. Inlaid wooden tables are mini works of art. It’s said the custom mosaic floor contains more than 85,000 hand-cut tiles.

One of Toulouse Petit’s best, and signature dishes (not to mention one of seven Eggs Benedict dishes offered on the sprawling menu), Louisiana Blue Crab with Fines Herbes Benedict proved a lovely combo of warm English muffins, perfectly poached eggs, a fair amount of crab, and a decadent and not-too-lemon-y Hollandaise sauce sided with not-too-greasy breakfast potatoes.

I wasn’t quite as happy with one of the Egg Dishes–Eggs “Forstiere” (sic) with Oyster Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Fresh Herbs. Described as “a softly scrambled omelet,” the dish was instead a scramble with eggs almost to the overdone point. A side salad (substituted for the breakfast potatoes) contained nary a wilted leaf (one of my pet peeves), a sprinkle of confetti-cut tarragon (one of my favorite herbs), some finely diced scallions, and a refreshing vinaigrette. Hefty points for that!

The lunch menu offers dishes such as a Fried Chicken Po’ Boy, Creole Gulf Shrimp Cakes, and Mussels à la Mariniere with Frites.

Dinner promises a choice among 14 different side dishes (!) including grits and red beans and rice, as well as entrées such as Crawfish Etouffée, Toulouse Jambalaya, and Louisiana Redfish.

Even during our mid-morning Saturday brunch, chef Eric Donnelly (former Oceanaire Seafood Room exec chef) was on the scene, striding in with a huge rolling pin that he probably bought up the street at the new (and fabulous!) Metropolitan Market. We were glad to see him keeping his  eagle eye on the bustling kitchen, and look forward to returning to this “Petit” restaurant with grandiose dreams.

In related news, it was announced earlier this month that the $6 Breakfast Deal, offered from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on weekdays, has been extended indefinitely.

From the press release:

The $6 breakfast happy hour includes almost every item on the Toulouse Petit breakfast menu. The two exceptions are the USDA Prime Rib Eye Steak and Eggs, which sells for $10 during happy hour, and the Louisiana Blue Crab Eggs Benedict, which sells for $9.

In addition to making the breakfast happy hour permanent, Toulouse Petit also recently rolled out an expanded lunch menu, adding more seafood and poultry dishes, more USDA Prime steaks, and additional soups.

From the moment it started coming out of the ground, the proverbial buzz began to build (so to speak) around the 5th and Madison building (appropriately named since it’s located in downtown Seattle at Fifth Avenue and Madison Street). The new condominium complex, located smack-dab in the center of Seattle’s downtown Financial District and across the street from the Rem Koolhaas-designed downtown Seattle Public Library, is a gorgeous glass monolith with an large outdoor plaza with water features and greenery–a favorite play space for the building’s resident dogs.

About the only thing lacking in the glitzy development was an upscale restaurant. Answering the clarion call came the third location of the “Napa-Valley-inspired” Sip. at the wine bar & restaurant, whose two other locations are in Issaquah and Gig Harbor.

On one of the coldest days of winter so far, a Wednesday in early December, we met friends who actually live at Fifth & Madison for a quick drink and tour of their condo before heading down the elevator and out the door to Sip.

Immediately, we were taken with the restaurant’s dramatic design, from the living-room-like feel of the “Great Room” to the expansive wall of wine to the bold and whimsical wine-related artwork on the walls. Warm, earthy hues and plush leathers dominate; a bustling vibe and interesting blend of people–from downtown office workers to downtown-dwelling empty nesters to 20-somethings out for drinks and apps–adds to an atmosphere of relaxed, adult sophistication. An added bonus? Northwest jazz musicians perform live on Thursday evenings.

According to a press release: “Guests will find a cozy yet stylish ambiance with an impressive wine selection and distinctly flavorful food,” says founder Lane Scelzi. “Many wineries in Napa Valley capture that feeling and that’s what we’ve achieved with Sip., all while adding our own distinct Northwest flavor.”

At the heart of Sip. Seattle sits a huge, granite-topped bar that overlooks both the dining area and the patio. I can’t wait to try Sip during the summer, since  the patio–one of the most expansive outdoor dining spaces in all of downtown–features a fireplace, a lush grassy area, and views of Elliott Bay.

Now. . .enough with the bells and whistles–let’s get down to the food. Here’s the Bibb Salad, a towering mound of whole Bibb lettuce, marinated tomatoes, Nueskie’s smoked bacon, Point Reyes blue cheese, and Dungeness Crab. Sauced with Point Reyes blue cheese dressing, it was so plentiful, I could gladly have eaten this as my main course!

My meat-eating hubby highly recommended the Short Ribs, which the well-written menu describes as, “boneless ribs, parmesan “jo-jos,” arugula salad, meyer lemon, gremolata, parmigiano, and red-wine braising jus.” Discussion around the table centered around exactly what “jo-jos” are. I’ve always thought they were simply flour-coated (so they stay nice and crispy), deep-fried potato wedges that originated on the West Coast. I was introduced to them at the old Deluxe Bar-B-Que in the Pike Place Market, although since that space has morphed into a sushi joint, I haven’t seen them in the take-away case in years.

I was in the mood for Black Cod, a.k.a. Sablefish, a fish I reported on in one of my recent Seattle Times Taste columns. This rendition skewed traditionally Asian, with a red-miso marinade, edamame wasabi “mash,” herb daikon slaw, fried shallots, cilantro oil, and sweet-chili butter. And even though it looked like a bit of a mash-up, the elements flowed as harmoniously as a Japanese fountain.

The female half of our dynamic-dining duo ordered the Jidori Chicken Confit. For those of you who don’t know, Jidori is a trademarked name of a very special type of chicken beloved by chefs in the know. According to the Jidori Web site, their birds “are raised cage-free, fed all-natural grain with no meat by-products, and without any hormones or steroids.” There must be something to their claims, since our friend, a long-time foodie and wine lover, pronounced the dish well prepared and the chicken very tasty. The “cured natural heirloom chicken hind quarter” was served with roasted-garlic mashers, brown-butter-basted Brussels-sprouts salad (the leaves painstakingly separated from their cores like frilly miniature lettuce leaves!), and garlic butter.

Sated and happy, we passed on dessert (as we usually do) in favor of finishing the last dregs of our bottle of Washington-state red wine. But I must admit that the Roasted Sugar Pie Pumpkin Cheesecake and the Hot Buttered Rum Brulée were tempting sweet options.

As you’d expect, Sip’s beverage program is impressive. The restaurant features nearly 70 wines by the glass; more than 250 bottles from the Pacific Northwest, California, and around the globe; a wide range of red, white, rosé wine, and champagne flights; nearly 15 domestic and imported beers; and cocktails made with fresh and natural ingredients.

Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, happy hour is offered Monday through Friday 4:30 to 6:30.

Cheers to Sip. Seattle, and welcome to the neighborhood!

We made our first stop on our holiday road trip to Cannon Beach at the Country Cousin Restaurant and Lounge in Centralia, Washington, which is probably better known for its outlet shopping than its culinary choices.

The place is pleasantly quirky. A crowing rooster sound greets everyone who crosses the threshold, which helps customers get in the mood for a real down-home experience. Two days before Christmas, as travelers were on the way to grandmother’s house, no doubt, the place was packed. So instead of the main dining room, we opted for the bar (entirely non-smoking) which was decorated with dark woods, a gas fireplace, and a plethora of Christmas lights.

I ordered the Soup of the Day–Chicken Tortilla–with a side salad. It was the kind of salad adorned with canned beet strips and Pepperidge Farms Goldfish-cracker “croutons.” And guess what? With a drizzle of honey-mustard dressing, it was pretty tasty, as was the soup, an ample bowl chock full of tortilla strips and cheese.

Spencer ordered a Chili-Cheese Omelet with Onions and whole-wheat toast that would have busted any gut but his (thank heavens he’s a good eater).

Had we wanted yak, we could have had it in many iterations, from burgers to hamburger steaks to a patty melt.

Our server, Mona, was the type of motherly, middle-aged woman who calls everybody “honey.” The Country Cousin certainly primed our palates for many more culinary adventures during our trip through Washington and along the Oregon Coast.

One of our “go-to” places, especially this time of year when we need an fun, festive place to meet friends for drinks and a bite, is TASTE Restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum. Danielle Custer, our friend, colleague, fellow Seattle Dame, über-talented chef, wine expert, and general manager of TASTE, runs a tight ship along with executive chef Craig Hetherington, with an emphasis on local, fresh, seasonal food products and wines.

Happy Hour, which runs 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the days the restaurant and museum are open (Tuesday through Sunday), is a real deal, with every item on the bar menu costing just $6. Here’s one of my faves–Griddled Cheese & Roasted Tomato Soup Shot, which normally sells for $9. Certainly puts Campbell’s and Velveeta to shame.

The boys in the group each ordered two Mini Organic Beef Burgers & Fries with Cumin Gouda, Dijon Aïoli, and Spicy Pickled Red Onions. (The sliders usually go for $6 for one, $9 for two, and $12 for three.) Unfortunately, the guys weren’t in a sharin’ kind of mood, so I snagged nary a bite nor a single fry!

Pastry chef Lucy Damkoehler was kind enough to send out her Dolci di Taste, a dessert trio in honor of the current Michelangelo exhibit. It included two light-as-air lemon cannolis, Winter Squash Crostata (a savory-leaning butternut-squash rustic tart), and my favorite–Hazelnut Gelato with a crunchy nut crust.

A bottle (or two!) of Lange Estate 2005 “Three Hills Cuvée” Pinot Noir ($67) from the Willamette Valley, paired perfectly with our savory items.

Whether you are a fan of the “Twilight” series’ Team Edward or Team Jacob, you just gotta love the Olympic Peninsula, the inspiration for author Stephanie Meyers’s mythical creatures. Here’s a shot from our car window that shows the moody skies that typify this special place in the world. I love how the sun looks like it’s shining behind waxed paper. Temperatures matched the gray landscape, as it was appropriately dark, cold, and windy the weekend we visited for the region’s annual Passport Wine Tour.

First stop on our research trip of Olympic Coastal Cuisine (a newly minted term coined by the Olympic Peninsula Culinary Tourism Association) was Fins Coastal Cuisine, an atmospheric second-story, waterfront restaurant in downtown Port Townsend (PT). These are the absolutely bounteous Mediterranean mussels I ordered that came swimming in a lovely Rosé-based broth (!) flavored with fresh rosemary. I ate each and every one.

Walking around the charming boutiques and galleries in downtown PT, we happened upon a new waterfront hotel where we’ll definitely be laying our heads next time we are in the area. Clam Cannery Hotel is built in–you guessed it–a vintage clam cannery, and each of the five rooms is unique and beautiful, with Sub-Zero appliances; sweeping water views; and artisan-crafted doors, cabinetry, and floors.

At dinner overlooking Port Hudson Marina (also in PT), we enjoyed these perfectly fried local oysters served as an appetizer at T’s restaurant. They were light and crispy and just perfect with their beautifully piped aïoli sauce and watercress salad.

A hearty breakfast the next morning at Hudson Point Cafe got us ready to face a day of wine touring in nearby Port Angeles. Here is the Smoked Salmon Omelette with a cup of luscious black beans and whole-wheat toast, paired with pink grapefruit juice.

We enjoyed the six wineries in the area that spread from Port Townsend to Port Angeles. Highlights included Camaraderie Cellars, where Don and Vicki Corson have built a winery that speaks wine in every detail, from the olive-cluster-studded fire pit to the whimsical wine-themed art work to the wood-fire-burning pizza oven embedded with wine bottles. Harbinger Winery and Olympic Cellars Winery, on the main highway through town, also are well worth a stop, as each excels in ambience and well-crafted wines.

Shortly after we returned, The Seattle Times’ editorial page printed a very interesting article entitled, Sucking the Life out of Forks. It documents the problems of notoriety for this small western Washington town as 60,000 tourists in search of “Twilight” moments collide with a permanent population of just 3,200.