Mmmm...ketchup!

Last weekend we headed over to Ballard to have dinner and see some art.

Our friend Phil had a show of his paintings going up at the Aster Coffee Lounge, and it being his first show could not pass it up. Phil does these great hybrid paintings - part photograph, part acrylic - portraits of family and friends. We brought Helena over to convince Phil to create one with her image (kidding). You can see Phil's work at his website.

Before soaking up the pop art goodness at the coffee place, though, (which has great cream cheese brownies) we decided to stop in at a Ballard institution for dinner -- Hattie's Hat. Hattie's is one of my favorite bars in all of Seattle. Yes -- it's a bar. Jan and I brought Helena to a bar. But it isn't just a bar. It's a great little restaurant, too. In back is this magical little dark room with an enormous fish tank in the center. The booths that hug the walls bathe in the glow of the fish tank. And they have a kids menu!

Jan and I ordered the fish and chips, a steak, and a couple cokes. We weren't expecting much, actually. We had had a decent brunch there several years back, and I used to get the best BLTs before a night of drinking, but we never remembered it being anything special. The waitress brought out one of the best steaks I've ever had in my life and same goes for the fish and chips. Hattie's must have hired an actual good chef, because - man, oh man - was it good.

But the best part was Helena's discovery of the joys of ketchup. Jan and I have given her french fries before (in moderation) but I don't think we've ever let her try the second most popular condiment before. Halfway through the meal, Helena started getting what is known as "fussy". One taste of the red stuff on a fry, though, and she quieted right down. It was magical. The rest of the night she took one fry, dipped it in ketchup, and licked the ketchup off. Yum!

P.S.: Jan did all the coloring on the above picture. I think it's pretty good. We're hanging it on the fridge. Good job, Jan!