Foto Phriday - 4/19/13

This is my ninety-fourth Foto Phriday post. So sorry that it has been so long since the last Foto Phriday, but there has been a lot going on lately. The pictures today are from Sammamish River Regional Park, a stroll with the Radio Flyer, and Easter. Full set with all 53 photos can be viewed here.

This little bug started walking a few weeks ago. She's be doing the whole perimeter walking thing for months now, but now she's all over the place!

I've complained for a long time that there are barely any ramen restaurants here in the greater Seattle area. No problem if you prefer phở as that stuff can be found everywhere. Phở places are what teriyaki places were 15 years ago. They're everywhere and they're hit or miss. Mostly miss.

But ramen is a rarity in these parts, which is surprising considering the large Asian communities we have, as well as the plentiful Japanese tourists we get. Enter Kukai Ramen & Izakaya. An 18-restaurant chain in Japan, Kukai's Bellevue location is the first in the United States.

If you've ever visited any of the other ramen restaurants in the Seattle area, the first thing you'll notice about Kukai is that they take their ramen a lot more seriously. That's not to say that the place is fancy, but more of a comment on the attention to detail they put into each and every aspect of your meal. I've been to ramen places here where there is only one guy in the kitchen cooking. At Kukai, I counted seven. I imagine that they each have their special and important roles like being in charge of the various broths, the pork, the noodles, the eggs, etc.

I had the shoyu ramen, while Bethany had the tsukemen (a dipping ramen), which is pictured immediately above. Both dishes were the best I've had in their respective categories. That's not to say that Kukai isn't without its faults. The food is a bit pricey, but there's a reason why. The place doesn't just stick a bouillon cube in some water and heats it up. Their soup and all of its ingredient are prepared early in the day, fresh, and with the utmost care and attention. It's what food should be. Plus, they don't have any competition in the area, so if you don't want to spend $10-14 on a bowl of ramen, then you're not going to have any good ramen in Seattle. Period.

All of my girls loved their noodles, too. Julie shared with me and drank practically all of my shoyu broth. Bethany finished most of her tsukemen, but Coral took care of all of the noodles that were left over. Especially the super salty ones that had dropped into the concentrated tonkotsu broth. I highly recommend this place, but I know there is better out there in the U.S. and Japan. I anxiously await the next famous Japanese ramen shop to open here.

After our ramen adventure, we had our own little family photo shoot at Sammamish River Regional Park in Redmond. Julie had to pick every dandelion she went by.

My girls. When I was training for my first half-marathon, the Sammamish River Trail you see on the left there is one of the places I trained.

My babies.

Throwing Coral up in the air.

Coral sittin' high up on the picnic table by herself.

Me and my sweeties.

Juliana, gettin' ready to jump off the table.

Pussy willows at the park.

With the weather getting warmer, we've been taking walks with the girls in the Radio Flyer. Coral thinks it's very serious business.

Swirly bark on a dead tree.

Checking out an abandoned lot.

Pulling the girls through the neighborhood.

Coral seemed to enjoy her first Easter a few weeks ago. We celebrated at Joyce and Keith's house.

J.J. patiently waited for the Easter Egg hunt.

Coral didn't quite understand the whole Easter Egg hunt thing.

Julie still loves it! Here, she found the giant egg. To see more pictures from Easter, our family walk, and our family photo shoot, view the full set.