Toulouse Petit

E and I watch the Food Network religiously. We love to crawl into bed early so that we can ooh and aah over all the delicious food that is paraded across our TV screen. I'll be honest, there is often drool involved.

We don't just watch the Food Network for the culinary eye candy though. We pick up all sorts of tips about cooking techniques, and we sometimes get restaurant recommendations. Since we're lucky enough to live in a town with a lot of great places to eat, Seattle is regularly featured on the network. We recently watched an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" called "Bang for the Buck" which included a feature on Toulouse Petit. In the celebrity chef's opinion, Toulouse Petit had the best brunch. E and I went the very next weekend, of course, and boy, was he right.

Toulouse Petit is located in the Queen Anne neighborhood, on a corner just down the street from the now defunct Uptown Theatre. The place is always packed so you can probably locate the restaurant simply by looking for the mass of humanity that is waiting outside its doors. The interior is funky with highly textured walls, really cool light fixtures, and a bar top that has inlays of decorative crosses. During the week, they have a breakfast "Happy Hour" where everything on their breakfast menu is only $7.50 until 11 AM. In the spirit of the Big Easy, they also encourage you to enjoy your meal with adult beverages, of which there are many to choose. Select one, go back, and pick another.

I ordered their cajun corned beef hash and immediately fell head over heels in love with it. It has the perfect combination of potatoes, andouille sausage, and diced peppers that are exquisitely sweet and tangy at the same time. As with most hashes, it also comes with a couple of eggs in the flavor of your choice. I always have them put the eggs on a separate plate though as I prefer my food neatly and firmly segregated. I feel that I am the best judge of exactly what ratio of egg to hash constitutes the perfect bite of food.

E and I also shared an order of beignets. Caution: do NOT ask for a large order unless you are dining with a small village of ravenous people. A small is perfect for a table of four if you are also ordering breakfast. E's parents, who have been to New Orleans several times, have assured us that the beignets are authentic so try them, they're good. Hell, try everything in the joint. We haven't gone wrong yet!