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Marilyn Anderson & Dennis Lanning’s Romance ON THE ROAD The Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, Washington SEATTLE IS FOR LOVERS, UMBRELLA OPTIONAL
Our room was over Elliot Bay—with an AMAZING view—of Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula. We were entertained daily by a variety of seagoing activities, including the Canadian ferries, local tour and fishing boats, and parasailers swooping by our window. Befitting the upscale Noble House chain, our room had a mixture of elegant and interesting touches, including extremely soft and fluffy linens, large screen LED TV and a free standing, claw-foot tub in the bathroom. Opening the optional sliding door gave us a crisp starry view out the bedroom window, while we were soaking in a bub-bub-bubbly tub. Isn’t that romantic? The large and cozy room also had a fireplace The hotel’s décor is rustic chic. The lobby, bar, and restaurant feel and look like the outside is inside. Rocks and trees predominate─with parts of real trees and branches reaching up to the ceiling. A private dining room features a stand of beautiful aspen trees. Furniture is rough hewn hardwoods in a variety of styles. For dinner we didn’t have far to go. The Edgewater has an ultra-romantic restaurant, the award-winning Six Seven, so named because it’s on Pier 67. We’ve rarely eaten in a hotel dining room that was quite this special. We sat at an indoor table overlooking the water. As it was warm, we opened the sliding door and watched a sun-setting spectacle while bathing in those final ochre rays of a heavenly day. After sundown, a soft breeze graced us as we sipped local wines and enjoyed a most delectable and perfectly prepared meal. Nancy, the hotel manager, stopped by our table to say hello. Our waiter, Kent, surprised us with an amuse bouché served in a demi-tasse cup, consisting of a cold heirloom tomato soup with fresh prawn salad at the bottom. Rich and pure, it could have passed for dessert. “Mmmmm” is all Marilyn could say when our appetizer of diver scallops with chanterelles, herbs, and pork cheek arrived. “Dee-lish” was her commentary after tasting this tantalizing tumble of textures and tastes. Six Seven cuisineFor our main courses, Dennis had the Bandit Boat Red Grouper with homemade chorizo, grilled tomatoes, and kalamata olives in a ratatouille sauce. Marilyn had a deliciously tender and maximum juicy Allen Brother’s Seared Tenderloin of Beef, in a cabernet reduction with morels, roasted cipolini, and fava When we first told people we were staying at the Edgewater, they seemed surprised. It turns out that, years ago, it wasn’t such a beautiful place. But after extensive renovations and tutelage of the Noble House Hotels and Resorts team, there’s no doubt that it’s now one of the loveliest places you can stay in Seattle. In addition to offering deluxe accommodations and a world-class restaurant, the Edgewater has a unique location. It’s the only hotel on the waterfront and within walking distance of the city’s main attractions, including Pike’s Market, the Olympic Sculpture Park and Seattle’s extensive bike and hike path. If you don’t feel like walking, the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service. We spent considerable time sightseeing in Seattle. It’s that kind of place; and fortunately for us, the sun was shining every day. But if we hadn’t been so lucky, the Edgewater would be just the spot for us to happily stay inside by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate, snuggling and watching the rain. Next time, we might even leave our umbrella at home! The Edgewater Hotel 2411 Alaskan Way, Pier 67 Seattle, WA 98121 800.624.0670 |
Tag: Maralyn Anderson
C & O You Need to Go On the Beach in Venice, California
C & O You Need to Go
On the Beach in Venice, California
C&O Trattoria
Do you like listening to Frank Sinatra? Dean Martin? Louis Prima & Keely Smith? Do you like good wine? Great pasta? And low prices? Then you’ll love C & O! But we warn you, go on a weeknight because on weekends the crowds line up along the sidewalk!
The nice thing about C & O is that it’s casual but delicious; romantic but fun, and simple but sweet. With those wonderful romantic songs from Ol’ Blue Eyes & Company playing in the background! Oh, and the portions are humongous. Luckily, they offer half portions for the salads and pastas. The surprise is that even the half portions are big enough for two!
There’s a choice of wine and beer on the menu, although a lot of folks opt for the “honor wine bar.” Scattered along the walls are jugs of Chianti, where you can fill your glasses as often as you like. How to keep track? A crayon on your paper tablecloth! The waiter draws a little bald man – and you add hairs every time you have a glass! Beware! In a very short time, that little caricature can go from Gandhi to Don King!
Even before your food arrives, the waiter brings out the delightful and delicious killer garlic
rolls. They’re small bites of heaven. It’s hard to resist filling up on them, but you must…because that’s only the beginning of a huge repast!
On our recent visit, we split a half order of the chopped salad. It was fresh and delicious, with lettuce, tomato, corn, broccoli, garbanzo beans and mozzarella cheese, which we got on the side (a huge portion of it—could have taken it home to make a pizza).
We also asked for the balsamic dressing on the side. It was wonderful; we just like pouring it ourselves.
After our salad, we had a bowl of vegetable-filled white bean soup. Mmmm mmm good—and this was nothing like Campbell’s. Real home-made Italian soup. There were all kinds of delicious-sounding pastas on the menu, but when we heard our waiter announce the specials, we couldn’t resist. We ordered the caramelized short ribs and substituted their mashed potatoes for the special orzo pasta with vegetables that came with their other special.
The entrée arrived, and our taste buds did somersaults! It was enough for two, and they were 
gracious enough to bring us two plates. We finished off every morsel, licking our lips, and with smiles on our faces.
We had absolutely no room left for dessert, but of course we had it anyway! C’mon, who can say “no” to chocolate cake drizzled with chocolate sauce and accompanied by dollops of fresh whipped cream?
Luckily, C & O is right near the beach, so afterwards, take a romantic stroll to walk off the dinner—and steal a kiss from your love!
C & O actually stands for “Cheese & Olive” – but we think it should stand for Cooing and Oohing! C & O—make sure you G-O!
C & O Trattoria
31 Washington Boulevard
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 823-9491
www.cotrattoria.com
Written by Marilyn Anderson
“Play. Sleep. Love.”
Marilyn Anderson’s
ROMANCE ON THE ROAD
“Play. Sleep. Love.”
Sounds great, doesn’t it? And perfect with regard to our column “Romance on the Road,” which focuses on fabulous places for couples to share magical getaways. But hold your horses! Or in this case – hold your Zoobies! That’s right. I recently discovered the perfect thing for the couple who is on the road with young children. It’s a Zoobie, which is actually three things in one: a cuddly plush animal, a soft comfy pillow, and a cozy warm blankey. This newly-patented, award-winning product is perfect as a child’s traveling companion. It keeps kids entertained when they’re awake and comfortable when they’re asleep.
Zoobies are squeezable, squishable, and adorable. So when you bring your little bundle of joy along on your trip, make sure you also bring a Zoobie Pet. You can choose from the Zoo Collection with animals such as Taj the Tiger, Bobo the Baboon, Ping the Panda, and Hado the Hippo; or from the Safari Collection with characters like Jafaru the Giraffe, Kojo the Croc, Ellema the Elephant, Zulu the Zebra, and many more. Hey, I even have Gogo the Gorilla peeking out from behind a pillow on my couch. No, I don’t have any children, but I like to have something cute, cuddly and squishable around me, too. If anyone asks, I just say it’s for my inner child!
To find a store near you that carries Zoobie Pets, visit their website: www.zoobie.com.
