! Hashcapades

I am a Hopist. That is to say, I am a complete convert to the positive spirit and cozy charm of Hi Spot Cafe. This realization struck me twice. The first time was during this post’s epic hashcapade with one of my super tweeps, Jackie. The second time was when I conceived of Hopist as an anagram from Hi Spot! By the way, my new word is pronounced with a long “o” lest you think I’m talking about hip hop or hops…

Anyway, this hashcapade had “fabulous” written all over it because Hi Spot came highly recommended and the weather was perfect – a brisk, sunny fall morning. And if that weren’t enough for a bona fide Hopist, I snagged a parking spot in front! Because I was in town attending the SuperComputing 2011 Conference, I can say the odds of both occurrences in Seattle were exactly one in a bazillion, give or take!

While I waited for Jackie to arrive, the irresistible atmosphere begged for a few photos to properly capture the ambiance of this hashcapade. The upstairs nook had a bright and comfortable feel to it, a sense of community. Creative artwork was displayed along one of the walls downstairs, creating a sense of vibrant energy. Both are undoubtedly apt descriptions of Hi Spot’s proprietor for the last 17 years, Mike Walker, whom Jackie and I met briefly.

The lovely and hip (with cool glasses) Treisa attended to our every need as Jackie and I chatted up a storm like old friends as tweeps often do! You see, we met through Twitter and have mutual interests in good food, travel, blogging, edgy art, photography and high-tech. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: social media is real and we had a really good time!

And so to the corned beef hash – house-cured corned beef, shredded potatoes mixed with cayenne pepper and paprika, onion and celery. Jackie was the first to remark that celery is a rare component in hash, but it worked remarkably well! I rather liked the piquant, smoky shredded potatoes combined with the bright notes of celery anchored by the perfect corned beef. Altogether, a very delicious corned beef hash creation for this Hopist.

Thanks again, to Mike and Treisa, and especially to my new BFF, Jackie, for an epic hashcapade at Hi Spot!

Happy Hashcapades,

Clark