Ivar's Seafood Bar - Downtown Seattle

You would think, being in Seattle we would opt for something a little more exciting for lunch but nope, we were getting hungry and the closest place nearby was Ivar's.

This is probably one of their busier locations since it is right on the water front and the volume of people going by is quite high.

There was an actual sit down restaurant called Ivar's Acres of Clams, but we chose to just do things quick and get our food concession style.

It was a bit of a zoo, I took a picture and unfortunately it had calmed down a bit so you don't get much of a sense of the madness that is people trying to line up.

There was seating nearby which consisted of a gazebo type deal with table inside. There was also seating that stretched out along the outside of the restaurant.

Normally I would have loved to get some sunshine while I ate my food but there was something special about this place...the Seagulls.

I thought these signs were meant to be funny...but others seemed to abide by them, let's just say the Seagulls in the area were not going hungry.

I would love a sign that said Peter's Welcome, so that when I am in need I will be fed.

As you can see, the gulls just line up along the fence waiting for kids (or adults) to throw them fries and other goodies.

I won't go into a rant about kids starving in other parts of the world, but I mean common...seagulls...really?

It was amusing to watch though and I took a couple videos.

Alright, time to get to the actual food..it seems I got a little side tracked. I have a weird obsession with oysters and I love eating them raw...I figured I would also like them fried, so I ordered some Fried Oysters...... I do not like oysters fried, maybe it was the type of oysters but I was not a big fan of these, the fries were great, but the oysters I will pass on next time.

Making a wise decision my girlfriend ordered Fish and Chips (sometimes you just gotta go with what's good). These were good, I admit I sulked a bit, watching her enjoy her fish while I slowly ate my oysters.

We ended up buying some Ivar's Chowder from a grocery store, I tried it when we got home and I must say it was pretty good.

Ivar's seems to be a favorite of those in Seattle and I would encourage you to try it, at least once..we ended up having it a couple of times on our trip FYI the fried clam strips are excellent.

Beecher's Handmade Cheese - Pikes Place, Seattle

A trip to Seattle isn't complete without a walk about at Pikes Place Market. I think the last time I was here it was 6 years ago and I was on a band trip..oh how time flies. I wanted to do some eating around here and I found my self drawn to a shop called Beecher's.

Initially I thought there was a big line-up waiting to get food, which tested what little patience I have, but I soon realised that it was actually just people watching cheese being made. So inside the store they self various products, as well as they actually make cheese.

I didn't get a chance to look at all of the different things they sold there, but I saw some frozen macaroni dinners you could buy, and I'm sure they sold cheese curds there as well. Quite the neat little store along here. I went and ordered a large "world's best mac and cheese" for about 8 or 9 dollars. A little much for mac and cheese if you ask me.

I brought out the cup of it outside so that everyone in my party could try some. I liked that they used different pasta and it was altogether some pretty solid mac and cheese... world's best? not too sure about that, but it was good. The pictures of the actual mac and cheese didn't turn out too great but I think most people know what it looks like..it's the taste that matters.

I wouldn't call this a must try thing at Pikes Place, but I would definitely check out the shop and maybe get a small if you're feeling peckish.