Shots then Communion

Big Ern had a big milestone today. He went and got his first round of immunizations. While it's sad he had to cry and get jabbed in the legs a bunch of times, I do get a sense of relief knowing that he's getting some protection from some nasty bugs. Also we were waiting for this before we took him on any planes so now he's good to go. He got some official measurements at the doctor's office which I'm always excited about. He weighed 16.9 lbs which was 99th percentile for kids his age. 25in long which is 100 percentile and had a 99 percentile head circumference.

To celebrate Lydia cooking me a giant cute baby we went to her favorite restaurant apparently in the whole city: Communion.

For a little appetizer I got us a plate of 

"Unc's wings

Marinated in our house Sez' blend, fried to perfection. RIP Uncle Mad Dog: the undisputed king of all deep fried foods."

I went with the 

"Gumbo Z'herbes

Stewed greens in a gumbo base, served with Dungeness crab, prawns, hotlinks, and braised brisket served with Chinese donuts."

Lydia got

"Hella filthy rice

A true Southern dish done the "CD" way. Filled with Lao sausage, bell pepper, onion, celery & spices, dirty rice is richly savory. Add catfish filet + $13"

Meanwhile Zoe was watching our human pin cushion. Those little bandaids on his thighs are so sad.

When the bread pudding came out I quickly recovered from my sadness.

Kirkland painted a pride flag in the street near the lake and it was quickly defaced.

Communion Round Two

We rarely go to the same upscale restaurant twice these days, as we're fairly new to town still and have a lot of restaurants out there to explore. So it's really high praise from us that we returned to Communion a month after our first visit.

Eater Seattle:

"Chef Kristi Brown — who made her name running the catering operation That Brown Girl Cooks — calls the food at her Central District restaurant “Seattle Soul.” At Communion, fusions like the Hood Sushi Bowl featuring fried catfish and seaweed salad come from Brown’s memories of shopping at Asian markets in the neighboring Chinatown-International District. But the dishes that shine brightest are her more traditional Southern ones, like a pork neck bone stew, with smoky meat simmered in umami-packed broth with lima beans. It’s hard to get a seat at this Eater Award-winner in the renovated Liberty Bank Building. Make reservations weeks ahead, or show up right when the restaurant opens on a weekday to vie for a spot."

I did a little more research, though, and uncovered the real reason behind Lydia's love of this place. "Her creations combine her food experiences from a childhood in Kansas City, Missouri, to her teenage years in Seattle's Central District." Lydia was being called to this place by her Missouri blood!

While waiting for our food I read some local event newspapers. The blurb on Seattle Rep.'s Lydia and the Troll was hilariously similar to the story of the real Lydia and her internal Troll stowaway. We are definitely going to need to see this show.

A fun thing about Communion is that the menu is always changing. We were just here a few weeks ago and the menu was unrecognizable.

Slow burn hummus and injera

Slow burn - hummus, earthy, spiced and creamy black eyed pea hummus served with local injera

Sauteed mussels

Sauteed Totten Inlet (Puget Sound) mussels & a spicy Laotian sausage & sauteed, creamy coconut sauce, shallots, and garlic.

It's strange we had to travel so far away to have the best Missouri food but I'm happy with my choices.

Vegetarian hella filthy rice

dirty rice Seattle style and vegan

Add-on: deep fried cornmeal crusted catfish

Lydia finally got the banana pudding that she was denied on our last visit.

Food From Down South

A big gap in the Seattle culinary scene is the lack of southern food. Luckily Communion, one of the few options in this regard, is great.

The restaurant is located in the Central District, "and was once the center of Seattle's black community and a major hub of African-American businesses."

I was really feeling this place so I even ordered something fancy off of the cocktail menu.

"Cherie Amour

a smokey play on a Hemingway daiquiri this cocktail features mezcal and a house-made grapefruit shrub w/ maraschino liquor, a Mexican pomegranate and a herbsaint rinse "

"Bayou Teche (Limited Quantity)

Deep fried breaded eggplant, a luxurious Dungeness crab gravy, topped with buttered poached prawns, sauteed Swiss chard. Inspiration: Chef Paul Prudhomme! This is a true Cajun dish"

"Classic buttery cornbread served in a mini cast iron."

"Bread Pudding

Warm spiced bread pudding with a house caramel sauce topped with Chantilly"

We had our eye on some banana pudding being carried around in big mason jars but they were sold out by the time we got to dessert. Sad but that just means we'll have to come back!

Nothing helps with digestion like some mini golf.