Seattle Area Adventure: The Bite of Seattle

Naptime has ruled our life lately.  It seems that Bergen wants to nap for at least 2 hours, and insists on taking those naps in his crib.  Maybe a cat nap could occur here and there in the car or ergo, but he can’t get by on those alone.  He’s not so portable anymore.  We have short windows of time now where we can do things outside of the house.  It can be stressful because we can’t always predict what we’ll get from the little guy.  Every outing, or should I say, adventure,  seems like an experiment, a risk almost.

Yesterday, after B’s “morning” nap from 11:00-1:00, our experimental adventure was The Bite of Seattle.  This will be my seventh year in Seattle, but my first “Bite”.  Other years, either I didn’t know about it or we were busy or out of town.  Slaed, who hasn’t gone since his early Seattle days, was super excited to go as a family.

Our plan was to get lunch at The Bite.  If you were paying attention earlier (above), you’d know that B woke up at 1 pm so we were pretty anxious to get going.  Parking was easy, and free since we decided to go on a Sunday.  The event itself was free with plenty of samples and complementary items.

You can’t just rely on the free stuff though, and with so many great restaurants to choose from, it can be easy to go overboard. I learned quickly that striking balance at The Bite is important.  For our first bite, we were patient, scanning the booths for a bite that was unique, healthy, and the right price.  Oh, and it had to have the potential to be delicious too! It wasn’t long before we came upon the “Delicious Asian Grill”, and their Ham Bao (Barbeque Pork Steamed Buns): One of The Bite’s “Hope Heart Right Bites”, tasty looking, and a deal at 2 for $5.  Good choice.  The steamed bun part was slightly sweet, and the pork inside had great flavor, and was just the right amount.

After working so hard to find the ham bao, we decided to take it easy on ourselves, and ventured over to “The Alley” hosted Seattle Restauranteur Tom Douglas.   For $10 we got 7 bites from 7 different local restaurants.  Sunday’s line-up:

• Fennel Porchetta with corn & blueberry salad: Seatown
• Bruschetta con la muffoletta: Al Boccalino/Luigi’s Little Italy
• Semmelknoedel (Bread dumplings): Belltown Pub
• Southern Fried Chicken Sammie: Local 360
• Pork Dumpling: Din Tai Fung
• Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Bouche: Ten Mercer

While there was an initial line to wait for our ticket, and then plate, it was so worth it because once we got to “the Alley”, each restaurant booth served us our bite one after another.  We also got to meet several chefs including Tom Douglas himself.  Then we found a table with some other friendly bite-goers, and started in.  We all agreed that this was the best thing going.

My favorite was the Fennel Porchetta from Seatown.  The Fried Chicken Sammie from Local 360 came in a close second for me, but ended up being Slaed’s favorite.

Bergen was a huge fan of the blueberries, and also enjoy sampling bits of the porchetta and the bread dumpling.

With full bellies, and Bergen still hanging in there, we spent some time at the international fountain, and then gathered give-aways, and coupons (Slaed’s favorite) from the various sponsors.  We snagged some good treats!  Bergen was a trooper through it all, and we decided to leave while we were all still having a good time since you never know when things will start to go down hill.

What I learned at The Bite with a Baby:

• Bring your carrier.  I know I’d be super-frustrated trying to navigate a stroller through those crowds.  We take turns: Slaed carries B in the bjorn and I carry him in the ergo.
• Be realistic and accepting. We went into the adventure knowing we wouldn’t be staying as long as we would have without Bergen.  We talked before hand about our expectations so that neither of us was disappointed.  We ended up exceeding our expectations, and I was happy that I didn’t “wimp-out” for fear that B would get too tired, too restless, too hungry, etc.
• Something for Everyone.  More often than not, these adventures that are more for adults will include something the kid(s) love.  Bergen was fascinated by the fountain.  Older kids would love the puppet shows, dock dog competitions, and bouncy house (just to name a few).

Info to Know:

• The Bite of Seattle is just one weekend, but there are other events that Festivals Inc. puts on throughout the year.  It looks like the next big one is Oktoberfest NW, which will be held at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.
• If you are inspired to try some of the great local food featured at The Bite.  You can check out the restaurants involved here.
• There are quite a few exciting changes going on at the Seattle Center (where The Bite was held).  Check it out!

What fun events are you attending in your local area?

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