Restaurant Review: (Road Trio Edition) Di Fiora

 

My mom and sister visited recently, and we decided to take a short road trip to Seattle. We did the Pike Place Market thing and, after doing some online research, decided to have dinner at Di Fiora. On their website, they describe the restaurant as Elevated Asian Fusion and Botanical Wonders in the heart of Seattle. The restaurant itself is very pretty; there are plants and flowers everywhere, and to me it looks as though it could be a tea house. The menu has dishes that blend Italian and Asian foods in a creative and refined way. 

We started off ordering two appetizers. The Salmon Tartare was made with salmon, avocado, a house-made sauce, and spices, and served with taro chips. It was fresh and delicious. We also ordered the Vietnamese Crunchy Spring Rolls, filled with vegetables and topped with cashews and coconut flakes. These were crispy and tasted great. We each ordered a different entree so we could taste a variety from the menu. 

The Italian Basil Roasted Duck was cooked perfectly with a nice crispy skin in contrast to the tender meat. It was topped with flash-fried crispy basil leaves, which is something I only recently discovered at a local Thai restaurant. Sooo good! It is served with an Italian basil sauce and a side of sweet corn. 

The Di Fiora Carbonara with bacon, mushrooms, and prawns, topped with an egg yolk for some creamy unctuousness. It was savory and sweet but unfortunately was missing the masago caviar it was supposed to be topped with. I think this would have given it some saltiness that the dish needed. 

The Kow Moo Yang consisted of a grilled marinated pork served over rice and topped with a fried egg. The house-made chili sauce gave this dish the perfect combo of sweet and spicy. 

The Crab Fried Rice is one of their signature dishes, and when I was doing research online was told we had to try it. It is topped with a blanket of soft-cooked egg that complements the rice. The crab in the rice is plentiful and sweet. The lime sauce gives the dish a nice acidity to it. I would definitely recommend this when visiting Di Fiora. 

We really enjoyed our visit for the beautiful aesthetic and flavorful food. 

Di Fiora

1320 University St. Suite 1

Seattle, WA 98101

206-325-5508

Restaurant Review- (Road Trip Edition) Grassa

 

My family just got back from a road trip up the Pacific Northwest. We are actually planning to move to Washington, and we were checking out different areas in the state. We stopped in Vancouver which is located right above Portland Oregon on the other side of the Columbia River. While there we visited a couple of food stops and found this really great place that makes yummy, handcrafted pasta dishes, Grassa. Grassa actually has four other locations in Oregon, a casual place where you order at the counter. Don't be fooled though, the food here is fresh and delicious. Aside from several pasta dishes to choose from, they also make a few Italian appetizers and crafted cocktails that I unfortunately did not get the opportunity to try. That's okay though I definitely plan on coming back. 

This was the Burrata, fried bread with lemon jelly, pistachios, local cherries, burrata and basil. This was amazing, a perfect shared plate. The creamy burrata was complimented by the tart cherries and sweet lemon jam. 

I ordered the Pork Belly Mac & Cheese and was so glad I did. The mac and cheese was creamy and cheesy and the addition of the barbecued pork belly, jalapenos and corn bread crumbles took it to another level. 

Chris had the Chicken Parm Cannelloni. The cannelloni were stuffed with chicken and topped with a spicy marinara and a whipped ricotta cheese. 

Penelope ordered the Campanelle which contained blistered cherry tomatoes, black olives, olive oil and herbs and a baked feta topped with some pepperoncini's. 

All our pasta dishes were cooked perfectly al dente and did not lack any flavor. I am so ready to go back and try some of the other things on the menu. Who knows, we may just end up in the Vancouver area. Stay tuned...

Grassa 

780 Waterfront Way 

Vancouver, WA 98660

360-360-4687