Arosa Cafe - Hans' Waffles

Across the street from Swedish Hospital in Seattle, Arosa cafe specializes in hand held waffles coated in a thin sugary topping. Actually.... that's pretty much all they do. That and coffee. It's also they need to do. The cafe was originally started many years ago (some say decades) by Hans, a german (belgian?) expatriot who spent that time perfecting his waffle batter recipe. The business has since changed hands to a lovely young woman but the batter is still being mixed by the same man so the magic hasn't changed a bit. The waffles are about the size of your hand, and are crunchy, warm and just a little bit sweet. I went back two days in a row for breakfast while on a recent business trip to the area.

Ziba's Pitas - Authentic Bosnian Food

Ziba's Pitas is one of BBT's favorite places to visit in Portland's downtown cart area.  The cart location in general is best visited on bike to avoid the snarls of downtown traffic and if you do bike or bring your own container many places will give you a discount on your order.  Ziba's is especially pleasant with three tables (many carts have none) and BY FAR the cutest employee in the neighborhood (if the carts had a beauty pageant she would easily be the queen and the runner up).

On my first visit here I was expecting something quite different but it turns out

Bosnian pitas are not at all the same as the Greek pitas I know and love.  The Bosnian pita looks something like a braided danish stuffed with vegetables, meat, and/or cheese.  The result is a hot and delicious combination of crunchy pastry and soft filling.  I was a little disappointed today however because my zucchini and cheese pita was a little too salty.  Not a deal breaker but after the goddamn salty prime rib I had last night it was a little too much for me.  Fellow Editor in Taco, Erin (prime rib free and loving it), felt the same way.

The pita plate included fresh cucumbers with yogurt and some kind of roasted pepper sauce, as magnificent in color as it is in flavor.  

We'll definitely be back to Ziba's sometime soon but I hope it's a little less salty in the future.  The last time we came everything was perfect.