Nirvana is a taste of matsutake mushrooms steeped in broth, an autumn delicacy

It's prime hunting season in the Pacific Northwest: mushroom hunting, that is. My foraging skills leave much to be desired, so when my eye's on the prize — the prized matsutake mushroom, to be specific — you won't find me combing the Cascades or Mount Rainier's trails in search of the fabulous fungi. Stuck in my urban jungle, I prefer to take the easy route, joining those fabulous fun guys Tatsu Nishino and Shiro Kashiba, who offer matsutake dobin mushi at two of Seattle's finest sushi bars.

Matsutake dobin mushi — pine mushrooms steeped in broth and served in a small ceramic teapotlike vessel — is an edible aromatherapy session and one of life's little luxuries. This seasonal sensation is now available at Nishino (3130 E. Madison St., Seattle; 206-322-5800, currently market-priced at $12.50) and Shiro's Sushi (2401 Second Ave, Seattle; 206-443-9844, $9.50) and is my antidote-of-choice when I'm having One of Those Days.

When gently steeped in a delicately seasoned broth made with dried kelp and bonito flakes, the matsutake — revered by the Japanese not only for its taste but for its reputed powers of fertility — offer an autumnal aroma as unmistakable as it is indescribable. For me, the soup is both calming and addictive.

I noted this a couple of weeks ago while seated at the sushi bar at Nishino, enjoying $40-per-pound No. 1 grade matsutakes presented in a traditional dobin. Removing the lid, I used chopsticks to extract and savor slices of chewy mushroom and ginko nuts, pieces of white fish and the Japanese herb mitsuba.

I then poured and sipped the perfumed broth from a small shallow cup. Here, in a busy restaurant, in a crowded city, in a crazy world, I found my "nature place."

With the recent lack of rainfall, the matsutake season, generally lasting through late autumn, may be curtailed, so here's my suggestion: Make haste, pray for rain and treat yourself to matsutake dobin mushi. Nishino and Shiro's serve dinner nightly, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Burgers and brews at Baldy's

Of course, Zen and the art of matsutake maintenance isn't for everyone, and one diner's mycological comfort food is another's expensive compost, so here's another idea: Burgers anyone? Baldy's Burgers and Brew, a handsome, hangar-sized hangout, recently opened in Lynnwood (18411 Highway 99; 425-775-6675) touting "The Best Burger Period!" That may be a contentious boast, and the month-old restaurant is still working out operational kinks, but I won't deny that they make a swell bacon cheeseburger. Like its beefy brethren, this broad patty is served with a raft of terrific skin-on fries, a worthy (if mayo-heavy) new-potato salad, or house-made slaw.

It's Sandwich City out here, where the fresh ground beef comes on toasted Manwich-size rolls, and options — including variations on the grilled chicken-, vegetarian- or sassed-up-seafood theme — abound. In addition to burgers, they've got your patty melt, your tuna melt, an oyster po' boy and Reuben.

If sandwiches aren't your thing, they're serving fish 'n' chips, several soups and a full complement of salads including "The Spinster" — an enjoyable heap of spinach greens tossed with the works: mushrooms, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, croutons, cheese and a tang-happy honey-mustard vinaigrette.

With prices for the basic burger ($5.95) anchoring the low-end of the menu, nary an item over $10 and a world of cold brews on tap and in the bottle, who can complain? For one: the folks who'd love to come here with their kids (and in this neighborhood they are legion!). Sitting in this vast dining room, with its sports-bar-like "bring-the-whole-gang" ambience, I couldn't help imagining the Lynnwood Little League-set and South Snohomish County's many soccer moms and dads taking advantage of this value-packed menu. Nor could I help thinking that Baldy's missed the boat by making this an "over 21-only" venue.

A call to Baldy's co-owner Cary Adams proved that I'm not the only one convinced the place would better serve its neighborhood by doing away with its adults-only tavern license: The customers have spoken. Adams and his business-partner Ray Lindstrom already have the paperwork in hand and are considering a license change. In the meantime, Baldy's operates a drive-through window, perfect for calling ahead and taking out.

"We're focusing on quality," says Adams. "We have a duplicate kitchen just set up for the drive-through, with a six- to eight-minute wait-time for drive-up customers." For those looking to stay awhile, it's worth noting that the food's good, the price is right, parking's free and plentiful and Baldy's is open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Getting it straight

Mea culpa and pardon my confusion. I misspoke last week when I said that long-time Seattle restaurateur Peter Lamb was affiliated with Belltown Billiards and the Frontier Room: He is not. Lamb is co-owner of Queen City Grill in partnership with Robert Eickhof and Steve Good. Eickhof owns the Frontier Room. Steve Good, along with his wife, Jennifer, owns Belltown Billiards as well as its new neighbor, Club Medusa.

Nancy Leson can be reached at 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com.