I drove home from work last night with trepidation.
And was greeted to the sight of the Christmas lights twinkling on my building's front door.
The power has been restored.
A big thank you to all that offered your heat, homes, company and support over four very cold and depressing days and nights.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Still No Power
As of 8:45 this morning, I still had no power. For those of you counting, that makes four (!) very cold nights. According to Seattle Power and Light, about 16,000 households in the city are sans power. They've fixed the central power supplies, and now, are in the process of restoring the lateral lines that bring power to residences. They hope to have power restored either tonight or tomorrow night. Sigh...
When I got into my car Sunday morning to drive to Green Lake for running club, I couldn't help but notice the loud beeping in my car, indicating that the temp was in the mid-30s. I don't think it was much warmer last night, when I whined to Carrie about the lack of power, while cocooned in my room surrounded by candles that I hoped would produce heat.
I think I've reached breaking point with this whole power thing...
The worst part: most of my neighborhood is supplied, meaning that I can look at the twinkly Christmas lights on the buildings across the street, mere footsteps away. I hate all of you and your fucking christmas lights.
When I got into my car Sunday morning to drive to Green Lake for running club, I couldn't help but notice the loud beeping in my car, indicating that the temp was in the mid-30s. I don't think it was much warmer last night, when I whined to Carrie about the lack of power, while cocooned in my room surrounded by candles that I hoped would produce heat.
I think I've reached breaking point with this whole power thing...
The worst part: most of my neighborhood is supplied, meaning that I can look at the twinkly Christmas lights on the buildings across the street, mere footsteps away. I hate all of you and your fucking christmas lights.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Someone Lied
When deciding whether to accept the job and move to Seattle last February, I had many conversations with the recruiter and my manager about, well, everything. Including the weather, which I was told ,Aeuis great. Mild weather, and while it rains, it,Aeos really more of a mist and the once a year if it snows, its flurries and gone within a few hours.,Ae? Considering the few months of winter thus far, somebody lied to me, big time.
I have yet to witness what the Seattle natives call "mist"; it rains just like in the Bay Area, big buckets of rain. The Seattle snow flurry that looked so charming became a nightmarish few days of snow, ice and bitter cold in the 20s and the low 30s. The Bay Area girl in me had a hard time ,Aei I,Aeom not a cold weather person, I don,Aeot know how to drive in the snow (in fact, snow driving scares me), and the heat in my apartment kind of sort but not quite works. Campus was shut down for two days, although I didn,Aeot know about the shut down the first day, but did wonder why the gym was empty and only discovered when I sat in an empty conference room for 20 minutes and finally read the e-mail announcement. The roads were icy and slick. Luckily, Lolita is fundamentally a German car, so did quite well on the icy roads. Regardless, it was a crazy few days. By Thursday, life - the weather - settled back to normal.
And then this week happened. My week has been bizarre, for many reasons ,Aei lost cars, showers that didn,Aeot take, odd meetings, two sleepless nights in a row, issues with the holidays, important items (such as wallets and cell phones) left at home, and a power outage Wednesday morning that caused me to oversleep by two hours (figures, that was the night I took a sleeping pill). By Thursday afternoon, I felt like things had sort of returned to normal. But alas, a giant rain and wind storm and flooded streets turned my commute into 1 -Ohm hours of hell (Lolita does well in floods, too). I got back to Seattle in time to meet Asra for the end of happy hour at Sun Liquor, and when I finally made it back home at 10:30, the power was out. I slept to the sound of fierce winds and it turns out that the storm was one of the most powerful on record.
Two days later, I still have no power. Luckily, not all of Capitol Hill is affected; the areas with restaurants/cafes still work, and thankfully, the gym still has power, so at least I,Aeom able to take a hot shower (I couldn,Aeot help but notice that many others had the same idea this morning).
Joe Bar has now become my second home. I,Aeove made new friends, bonding with other refugees using the caf/(c) for sustenance and warmth and the Internet connection. As someone noted, it could be worse. At least I live in an urban area and can walk to the grocery store or caf/(c) or whatever, unlike those that live in the middle of nowhere, or what I refer to as ,Aeuthe eastside,Ae? (snicker). I don,Aeot think that we,Aeore being neglected ,Aei according to their website, Seattle Power and Light is doing the best that they can:
,AeuEmergency shelters open as City Light crews restore power to more than 10,000 customers on Saturday. Currently, the Utility has approximately 39,974 customers without power, down from a high of 175,000 on Friday morning when approximately 50% of our customers were without service. A total of 65 feeders in our above-ground system went off line. Currently, 37 feeders have been restored, or partially restored. Feeders are the lines that bring electricity from substations to neighborhoods. Feeders can carry 2,000 to 4,000 customers each.
City Light crews are working continuously on rotational shifts throughout the weekend, day and night (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. However, after the weekend, a small number of miscellaneous outages will remain, or trickle in, due to the severity of the wind damage. Unfortunately, some customers may be without power for 48-72 hours, and others could experience extended outages of up to four (4) days. They should plan accordingly. The utility estimates those continued outages will be scattered throughout the city in isolated areas.,Ae?
Almost everyone I talk to tells me that this winter weather is highly unusual. It never rains buckets and buckets. Wind storms are rarely occurring instances. Blackouts don,Aeot ever happen in the city. The weather is really wonderful and mild. Right. I,Aeoll keep that in mind when I go back to my cold and dark apartment tonight.
I have yet to witness what the Seattle natives call "mist"; it rains just like in the Bay Area, big buckets of rain. The Seattle snow flurry that looked so charming became a nightmarish few days of snow, ice and bitter cold in the 20s and the low 30s. The Bay Area girl in me had a hard time ,Aei I,Aeom not a cold weather person, I don,Aeot know how to drive in the snow (in fact, snow driving scares me), and the heat in my apartment kind of sort but not quite works. Campus was shut down for two days, although I didn,Aeot know about the shut down the first day, but did wonder why the gym was empty and only discovered when I sat in an empty conference room for 20 minutes and finally read the e-mail announcement. The roads were icy and slick. Luckily, Lolita is fundamentally a German car, so did quite well on the icy roads. Regardless, it was a crazy few days. By Thursday, life - the weather - settled back to normal.
And then this week happened. My week has been bizarre, for many reasons ,Aei lost cars, showers that didn,Aeot take, odd meetings, two sleepless nights in a row, issues with the holidays, important items (such as wallets and cell phones) left at home, and a power outage Wednesday morning that caused me to oversleep by two hours (figures, that was the night I took a sleeping pill). By Thursday afternoon, I felt like things had sort of returned to normal. But alas, a giant rain and wind storm and flooded streets turned my commute into 1 -Ohm hours of hell (Lolita does well in floods, too). I got back to Seattle in time to meet Asra for the end of happy hour at Sun Liquor, and when I finally made it back home at 10:30, the power was out. I slept to the sound of fierce winds and it turns out that the storm was one of the most powerful on record.
Two days later, I still have no power. Luckily, not all of Capitol Hill is affected; the areas with restaurants/cafes still work, and thankfully, the gym still has power, so at least I,Aeom able to take a hot shower (I couldn,Aeot help but notice that many others had the same idea this morning).
Joe Bar has now become my second home. I,Aeove made new friends, bonding with other refugees using the caf/(c) for sustenance and warmth and the Internet connection. As someone noted, it could be worse. At least I live in an urban area and can walk to the grocery store or caf/(c) or whatever, unlike those that live in the middle of nowhere, or what I refer to as ,Aeuthe eastside,Ae? (snicker). I don,Aeot think that we,Aeore being neglected ,Aei according to their website, Seattle Power and Light is doing the best that they can:
,AeuEmergency shelters open as City Light crews restore power to more than 10,000 customers on Saturday. Currently, the Utility has approximately 39,974 customers without power, down from a high of 175,000 on Friday morning when approximately 50% of our customers were without service. A total of 65 feeders in our above-ground system went off line. Currently, 37 feeders have been restored, or partially restored. Feeders are the lines that bring electricity from substations to neighborhoods. Feeders can carry 2,000 to 4,000 customers each.
City Light crews are working continuously on rotational shifts throughout the weekend, day and night (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. However, after the weekend, a small number of miscellaneous outages will remain, or trickle in, due to the severity of the wind damage. Unfortunately, some customers may be without power for 48-72 hours, and others could experience extended outages of up to four (4) days. They should plan accordingly. The utility estimates those continued outages will be scattered throughout the city in isolated areas.,Ae?
Almost everyone I talk to tells me that this winter weather is highly unusual. It never rains buckets and buckets. Wind storms are rarely occurring instances. Blackouts don,Aeot ever happen in the city. The weather is really wonderful and mild. Right. I,Aeoll keep that in mind when I go back to my cold and dark apartment tonight.
Gary Danko
Tony and I chose Gary Danko in San Francisco for our annual holiday dinner. As a chef, I suppose you know that you,Aeove made it when people don,Aeot snicker at the vanity name. And, at every step, the Gary Danko brand is presented, emblazoned on match boxes at the door, the sticker on the toilet paper roll in the bathroom, the pen used to sign our receipts, the old-fashioned purse holder attached to the table.
Gary Danko ranks as one of the most amazing meals I,Aeove ever had. It,Aeos definitely at the same level as the French Laundry and Michael Minna, it,Aeos that fabulous. In combination, all of the elements that count ,Aei the food, the atmosphere, the service ,Aei were simply exceptional.
The menu is fairly unique. The chef pulled together a five-course prix fixe meal, or if that wasn,Aeot interesting (it wasn,Aeot to us), we could mix and match our own meal, choosing dishes from ,Aeuappetizers,Ae?, ,Aeuseafood,Ae?, ,Aeupoultry and meat,Ae?, ,Aeucheese,Ae? and ,Aeudessert,Ae? and selecting a three, four or five course meal, each course a set price. We went with the four course, a decidedly rich and complex meal.
Chef,Aeos favor: venison stock with a grilled orange segment and clove biscotti. I,Aeom not sure that I liked the citrus, but the venison stock was deep, smokey and delicious, complimented well by the smokey spice of the clove biscotti. I can only imagine how much time someone spent making the stock.
First course: Tony selected oysters and caviar, I, seared scallops. While both dishes may sound somewhat simple, each were served with complex sauce and were rich and delicious. This is the only dish that we didn,Aeot fully share, instead handing each other a bite. Partly because neither of us had said, ,Aeuhey, let,Aeos swap plates halfway through,Ae? and partly because I am selfish and scallops are one of my all-time favorites.
Second course: Our server told us that they had white truffles available. Remembering how much we loved white truffles (I can still taste the white truffle angel hair pasta at Quince), we splurged. White truffles were thinly shaved on seafood risotto (creamy white goodness studded with chunks of lobster) and foie gras seared with a sweet apple sauce. The tangy garlicky earthiness of the white truffles went perfectly with each dish.
Third course: I chose duck, coated in spices and seared. It was accompanied by duck hash, a sort of pancake and a few vegetables. Tony chose the yellow tail tuna, which wasn,Aeot bad, but fairly ordinary considering that everything else was so spectacular. It came with a roll containing some sort of pickled vegetable and monkfish liver, a decision that definitely elevated what was a somewhat unexceptional dish.
Fourth course: Cheese. All cheese. I should have written down our cheese choices. A cart with at least 30 different types of cheese was wheeled to our table, every piece was explained to us, we made decisions and four very generous servings arrived on my plate. On reflection, I think I chose a Sally Jackson, a goat gouda, a cowgirl creamery and something else, but I can,Aeot quite be certain. I was sad that I couldn,Aeot finish the cheese ,Aei but at a certain point, I was done.
Of the drink to accompany, we began with kir royals (had to wait at the bar for a few minutes) and enjoyed a bottle of champagne. It,Aeos a standard with us.
One last note. The restaurant was elegant, dark wood and mirrors. And the bathroom was just cool. A little fountain under the sink, paintings, flowers, and the som held the door open for me. That is service.
Gary Danko ranks as one of the most amazing meals I,Aeove ever had. It,Aeos definitely at the same level as the French Laundry and Michael Minna, it,Aeos that fabulous. In combination, all of the elements that count ,Aei the food, the atmosphere, the service ,Aei were simply exceptional.
The menu is fairly unique. The chef pulled together a five-course prix fixe meal, or if that wasn,Aeot interesting (it wasn,Aeot to us), we could mix and match our own meal, choosing dishes from ,Aeuappetizers,Ae?, ,Aeuseafood,Ae?, ,Aeupoultry and meat,Ae?, ,Aeucheese,Ae? and ,Aeudessert,Ae? and selecting a three, four or five course meal, each course a set price. We went with the four course, a decidedly rich and complex meal.
Chef,Aeos favor: venison stock with a grilled orange segment and clove biscotti. I,Aeom not sure that I liked the citrus, but the venison stock was deep, smokey and delicious, complimented well by the smokey spice of the clove biscotti. I can only imagine how much time someone spent making the stock.
First course: Tony selected oysters and caviar, I, seared scallops. While both dishes may sound somewhat simple, each were served with complex sauce and were rich and delicious. This is the only dish that we didn,Aeot fully share, instead handing each other a bite. Partly because neither of us had said, ,Aeuhey, let,Aeos swap plates halfway through,Ae? and partly because I am selfish and scallops are one of my all-time favorites.
Second course: Our server told us that they had white truffles available. Remembering how much we loved white truffles (I can still taste the white truffle angel hair pasta at Quince), we splurged. White truffles were thinly shaved on seafood risotto (creamy white goodness studded with chunks of lobster) and foie gras seared with a sweet apple sauce. The tangy garlicky earthiness of the white truffles went perfectly with each dish.
Third course: I chose duck, coated in spices and seared. It was accompanied by duck hash, a sort of pancake and a few vegetables. Tony chose the yellow tail tuna, which wasn,Aeot bad, but fairly ordinary considering that everything else was so spectacular. It came with a roll containing some sort of pickled vegetable and monkfish liver, a decision that definitely elevated what was a somewhat unexceptional dish.
Fourth course: Cheese. All cheese. I should have written down our cheese choices. A cart with at least 30 different types of cheese was wheeled to our table, every piece was explained to us, we made decisions and four very generous servings arrived on my plate. On reflection, I think I chose a Sally Jackson, a goat gouda, a cowgirl creamery and something else, but I can,Aeot quite be certain. I was sad that I couldn,Aeot finish the cheese ,Aei but at a certain point, I was done.
Of the drink to accompany, we began with kir royals (had to wait at the bar for a few minutes) and enjoyed a bottle of champagne. It,Aeos a standard with us.
One last note. The restaurant was elegant, dark wood and mirrors. And the bathroom was just cool. A little fountain under the sink, paintings, flowers, and the som held the door open for me. That is service.
Big Game 2006
In what can only be described as an ugly win, Cal very ungracefully beat Stanfurd in the hundred and something annual Big Game. We didn,Aeot really care how they won, we just cared that the axe remained in Berkelely, where it belongs. Plus, by the time we hit the game, we had been fueled by Kanaka,Aeos golden bears and jello shots and beer and food. Our Big Game Traditions are solid ,Aei pre-game party with the standard Cal drinks and food, catching up on life and happenings, the game, the post game, the amazing Cal band, always made better by the general suckiness of the Stanfurd band, who by the way, couldn,Aeot perform because they were suspended by their own school for vandalizing their OWN band house. Think about that.
We had the party catered this year, a good move considering that some of us traveled from out of the area and life is busy. Plus, we,Aeore now really adults, and cost is no longer an issue. Rick and Ann,Aeos provided us with excellent food: a platter of bagels, mini-biscuits with bacon, lettuce and tomato, a Spanish frittata platter, a ham and cheddar frittata platter and balsamic garlic grilled portabella mushrooms on skewers. We decided that in two years, we,Aeoll punt on the bagels and do another biscuit platter ,Aei they were pop in your mouth tasty. I also brought blondies, for the traditional dessert. Cynthia volunteered her Grandparents house for the party (located near Clark Kerr Campus, easy stumbling distance to the game), the start of what will hopefully be a new tradition.
I,Aeove written about Big Game at least 2 years for this blog (I,Aeod link back, but alas, the old images are trapped on a server now collecting dust in London). I suspect that the entries are fairly identical: the game, friends, food and drink. Big Game is really one of my favorite traditions. Michelle, Kanaka, Suzette and I have been attending the games together since 1994 or 1995. Beyond the food and the drink, it,Aeos the one time of year that we, plus the others that have become core to our Big Game group, gather, discuss our lives and what we,Aeore doing and where we,Aeore going. In fact, Big Game serves as a perfect reflection of how are lives do change, reflected in our group: husbands Justin and Drew (both of whom proudly wear blue and gold); old Cal friends Cynthia and Emil who became an integral part of the group in the years after graduation; and new friends that cheer for Cal like Carrie and Tricia and James (who is actually a Cal alum, but we didn,Aeot know each other until he and Tricia began dating). It,Aeos a good tradition to have.
We had the party catered this year, a good move considering that some of us traveled from out of the area and life is busy. Plus, we,Aeore now really adults, and cost is no longer an issue. Rick and Ann,Aeos provided us with excellent food: a platter of bagels, mini-biscuits with bacon, lettuce and tomato, a Spanish frittata platter, a ham and cheddar frittata platter and balsamic garlic grilled portabella mushrooms on skewers. We decided that in two years, we,Aeoll punt on the bagels and do another biscuit platter ,Aei they were pop in your mouth tasty. I also brought blondies, for the traditional dessert. Cynthia volunteered her Grandparents house for the party (located near Clark Kerr Campus, easy stumbling distance to the game), the start of what will hopefully be a new tradition.
I,Aeove written about Big Game at least 2 years for this blog (I,Aeod link back, but alas, the old images are trapped on a server now collecting dust in London). I suspect that the entries are fairly identical: the game, friends, food and drink. Big Game is really one of my favorite traditions. Michelle, Kanaka, Suzette and I have been attending the games together since 1994 or 1995. Beyond the food and the drink, it,Aeos the one time of year that we, plus the others that have become core to our Big Game group, gather, discuss our lives and what we,Aeore doing and where we,Aeore going. In fact, Big Game serves as a perfect reflection of how are lives do change, reflected in our group: husbands Justin and Drew (both of whom proudly wear blue and gold); old Cal friends Cynthia and Emil who became an integral part of the group in the years after graduation; and new friends that cheer for Cal like Carrie and Tricia and James (who is actually a Cal alum, but we didn,Aeot know each other until he and Tricia began dating). It,Aeos a good tradition to have.
A Surprise!
I expected Carrie to do a drive by pick-up when I flew down to the bay area for Big Game weekend. I stumbled across Nilay instead, just on the other side of the security area. ,AeuWhat are you doing here?,Ae? I said, in my half awake state (It was 11:00, I,Aeod been up since 5:30 and I,Aeod had enough time to try Vino, the new wine bar at Seatac before the flight, which by the way, was decent). After chiding me for not being happier to see him, he explained, "we have a surprise for you."
After a slight snafu with directions and restaurants, Carrie and Emil greeted us at Cesar in Berkeley. ,AeuHappy (late) Birthday Schelley!,Ae? A bottle of Moet and desserts (pots a creme, bread pudding and goat cheese drizzled with honey, my favorite) decorated with a festive candle and a Happy Birthday song. We caught up on life, details, made fun of each other.
Surprise!
After a slight snafu with directions and restaurants, Carrie and Emil greeted us at Cesar in Berkeley. ,AeuHappy (late) Birthday Schelley!,Ae? A bottle of Moet and desserts (pots a creme, bread pudding and goat cheese drizzled with honey, my favorite) decorated with a festive candle and a Happy Birthday song. We caught up on life, details, made fun of each other.
Surprise!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
it's snow!
It's been a rainy November in Seattle. And today, very cold. Actually, let me restress how cold it is. While I'm in doors, my heat is only working about half power, so it's fairly cold in my apartment.
But it did get very quiet in the early evening, and when I looked out the window, I noticed that the rain had frozen into snow. I took some pictures and spent some time sitting on my patio. For the first time, I'm actually living in a city with snow. Picture of the Park Rose Terrace patio below.
View image
But it did get very quiet in the early evening, and when I looked out the window, I noticed that the rain had frozen into snow. I took some pictures and spent some time sitting on my patio. For the first time, I'm actually living in a city with snow. Picture of the Park Rose Terrace patio below.
View image
Friday, November 24, 2006
gobble, gobble, gobble
"So every year, I run a 4-mile race on Thanksgiving day. Why don't you run with me?" my brother asked. "No, I'm not really a runner" I replied. "Oh, well it ends at a bar with free Guinness for the runners", valuable information that pushed me to start running (luckily, I already clock 4-5 miles on the elliptical 4 times a week, so the transition to running was easier than if I'd started cold turkey. No pun intended).
So, after taking a Jet Blue "shut eye" from Seattle to Boston, I ran my first race ever, the 10th annual 4-mile "Gobble, Gobble, Gobble", beating my 60 minute goal by 8 minutes, with a final time of 52 minutes (Aimee, the Northwood elementary school fun runs do not count). I was actually surprised at my time - there was some walking spent in between the running. Sadly, by the time I got into the bar - it turns out that runners are a very thirsty bunch considering the length of the line to get in - the Burren had switched to something decidedly non-Guinness. But the important point is that I'm now running and I finished my first race!
Ed, my brother, spent hours planning the Thanksgiving meal. He bought an 11.6 pound turkey (scientist answer, cook's answer would be 12 pounds), brined the good looking bird for 6 hours in 2.5 gallons of liquid and then air dried for 18 hours. The turkey was fabulous - juicy, flavorful, crackling yummy skin, everything that I dreamed a turkey could be and even better. Ed also made giblet gravy (took about 4 hours over two days), mushroom stuffing (using Clear Flour bread), mashed sweet potatoes, sauteed brussel sprouts (I helped with this), cranberry sauce, a green salad and wheat bread. Plus, a layered dip with guacamole, black beans and goat cheese and crudites and veggie dip. For dessert, I brought a pumpkin sage cheesecake (surprisingly, TSA didn't even bat an eye when the triple foil layered springform pan ran through securtiy screening) and Ed bought a Clear Flour chocolate whiskey cake.
I can't really say which was my favorite dish. The turkey was, well amazing. The buttery stuffing had huge chunks of mushrooms and crispy bread. The sweet potatoes were a perfect flavor combination, and not too sweet. The brussel sprouts were crunchy and garlicky and lemony. Wow.
Being Olhava's, wine was a fundamental part of the meal. We began with a Rose champagne (Spanish cava sparkling pinot noir). With dinner, we enjoyed a Montinore Estate 2005 Pinot Noir (it was ok, Ed said that it didn't have much presence) and a 2004 Mendocino Zinfandel (much better, very full bodied). And with dessert, a 1994 Porto Niepoort Colheita, very delicious, particularly with the chocolate cake. We were also joined by Ed and Phoebe's friends Jarrod and Annalisa and Gretchen. And, in a completely unrelated side note, I got to spend some time with Greg the day after and Amy the day after that!
The entire meal was fabulous and wonderful. It was Ed's first Thanksgiving dinner ever, which is a huge testament to his cooking skills. And being with family has been very nice - Eddie, Phoebe and the 2 1/2 year old very fun (and energetic) Alex. Hopefully, the tradition can continue going forward. Gobble, gobble, gobble.
PS - Jet Blue is now my favorite U.S. domestic carrier. 150K miles on United be damned - JetBlue's planes are clean and the flight attendants fun and nice and actually like their jobs (plus the young male ones are cute!). They even passed out a Bliss package. Whoa...
PPS - My brother is a chemist by trade, meaning that he is incredibly precise when he cooks. Not surprisingly, he was sitting next to me while I blogged about Thanksgiving.
So, after taking a Jet Blue "shut eye" from Seattle to Boston, I ran my first race ever, the 10th annual 4-mile "Gobble, Gobble, Gobble", beating my 60 minute goal by 8 minutes, with a final time of 52 minutes (Aimee, the Northwood elementary school fun runs do not count). I was actually surprised at my time - there was some walking spent in between the running. Sadly, by the time I got into the bar - it turns out that runners are a very thirsty bunch considering the length of the line to get in - the Burren had switched to something decidedly non-Guinness. But the important point is that I'm now running and I finished my first race!
Ed, my brother, spent hours planning the Thanksgiving meal. He bought an 11.6 pound turkey (scientist answer, cook's answer would be 12 pounds), brined the good looking bird for 6 hours in 2.5 gallons of liquid and then air dried for 18 hours. The turkey was fabulous - juicy, flavorful, crackling yummy skin, everything that I dreamed a turkey could be and even better. Ed also made giblet gravy (took about 4 hours over two days), mushroom stuffing (using Clear Flour bread), mashed sweet potatoes, sauteed brussel sprouts (I helped with this), cranberry sauce, a green salad and wheat bread. Plus, a layered dip with guacamole, black beans and goat cheese and crudites and veggie dip. For dessert, I brought a pumpkin sage cheesecake (surprisingly, TSA didn't even bat an eye when the triple foil layered springform pan ran through securtiy screening) and Ed bought a Clear Flour chocolate whiskey cake.
I can't really say which was my favorite dish. The turkey was, well amazing. The buttery stuffing had huge chunks of mushrooms and crispy bread. The sweet potatoes were a perfect flavor combination, and not too sweet. The brussel sprouts were crunchy and garlicky and lemony. Wow.
Being Olhava's, wine was a fundamental part of the meal. We began with a Rose champagne (Spanish cava sparkling pinot noir). With dinner, we enjoyed a Montinore Estate 2005 Pinot Noir (it was ok, Ed said that it didn't have much presence) and a 2004 Mendocino Zinfandel (much better, very full bodied). And with dessert, a 1994 Porto Niepoort Colheita, very delicious, particularly with the chocolate cake. We were also joined by Ed and Phoebe's friends Jarrod and Annalisa and Gretchen. And, in a completely unrelated side note, I got to spend some time with Greg the day after and Amy the day after that!
The entire meal was fabulous and wonderful. It was Ed's first Thanksgiving dinner ever, which is a huge testament to his cooking skills. And being with family has been very nice - Eddie, Phoebe and the 2 1/2 year old very fun (and energetic) Alex. Hopefully, the tradition can continue going forward. Gobble, gobble, gobble.
PS - Jet Blue is now my favorite U.S. domestic carrier. 150K miles on United be damned - JetBlue's planes are clean and the flight attendants fun and nice and actually like their jobs (plus the young male ones are cute!). They even passed out a Bliss package. Whoa...
PPS - My brother is a chemist by trade, meaning that he is incredibly precise when he cooks. Not surprisingly, he was sitting next to me while I blogged about Thanksgiving.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
cake + champagne & some food
Thus the title of a little invitation to a few good friends in Seattle. I threw a party to celebrate my 34th birthday, because after all, a birthday requires a celebration. And I felt the best celebration for me, this year, involved champagne and cake (from Coco, of course) and some food, to tamper the effects of the champane.
Using Cooks pizza dough recipe as a base - which required a certain amount of thought around timing since I was dealing with yeast - I made several varieties of pizza. Truffled mushroom, potato and garlic, margarita, sausage, caramelized onion and red peppers, and mushroom and caramelized onion, I think. It was fun - throwing ingredients together and tasting the results. I had a slice of each, my favorite was the truffled mushroom. Plus, there were some appetizers of the cheese and olive variety and Lee's dainty little sandwiches with avocado mousse and tuna spread. (Cheese was the always excellent Arina Goat Gouda; sadly, the Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk was spoiled and did not have that pleasant cheese smell, but something unpleasant best not explained).
Dessert. I was so enchanted by the Loveless Cake at Coco la ti da, I ordered one for my birthday. Sue made a fabulous cake, three layers of chocolate cake, with a layer of strawberry buttercream and another of vanilla buttercream, encased in pink fondant (with specks of gold!), and decorated with three marizapan strawberries. (pictures posted someday. maybe). The cake was beautiful, elegant and delicious.
Champagne flowed freely. We began with Freixent Brut, then moved to a Domaine St. Michelle from Columbia Valley to a Cristallino Rose Brut to a Rive Della Prosecco to a Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose (my favorite, I discovered in one of my SF adventures and have a funny story that goes along). I was going to open a bottle of Sofia (also available in dainty pink cans with straws!), until Jill wisely pointed out that we'd had a lot to drink and best to go with less expensive alcohol. Thus, some port.
In a side note, Lee goes down in history as the first of my friends to spill drink on my couch. Luckily, quick blotting action and clear colors meant zero damage to the couch. I always thought that Carrie would be the first, with a bright pink cosmo, but alas, the award goes to Lee. Congrats!
Thank you Jill and Jamie, Asra and Hani, (the newly engaged) Gavin and Elaine, Lee Dicks and Alan for a fabulous birthday party! I can't think of a better way to start 34.
Using Cooks pizza dough recipe as a base - which required a certain amount of thought around timing since I was dealing with yeast - I made several varieties of pizza. Truffled mushroom, potato and garlic, margarita, sausage, caramelized onion and red peppers, and mushroom and caramelized onion, I think. It was fun - throwing ingredients together and tasting the results. I had a slice of each, my favorite was the truffled mushroom. Plus, there were some appetizers of the cheese and olive variety and Lee's dainty little sandwiches with avocado mousse and tuna spread. (Cheese was the always excellent Arina Goat Gouda; sadly, the Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk was spoiled and did not have that pleasant cheese smell, but something unpleasant best not explained).
Dessert. I was so enchanted by the Loveless Cake at Coco la ti da, I ordered one for my birthday. Sue made a fabulous cake, three layers of chocolate cake, with a layer of strawberry buttercream and another of vanilla buttercream, encased in pink fondant (with specks of gold!), and decorated with three marizapan strawberries. (pictures posted someday. maybe). The cake was beautiful, elegant and delicious.
Champagne flowed freely. We began with Freixent Brut, then moved to a Domaine St. Michelle from Columbia Valley to a Cristallino Rose Brut to a Rive Della Prosecco to a Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose (my favorite, I discovered in one of my SF adventures and have a funny story that goes along). I was going to open a bottle of Sofia (also available in dainty pink cans with straws!), until Jill wisely pointed out that we'd had a lot to drink and best to go with less expensive alcohol. Thus, some port.
In a side note, Lee goes down in history as the first of my friends to spill drink on my couch. Luckily, quick blotting action and clear colors meant zero damage to the couch. I always thought that Carrie would be the first, with a bright pink cosmo, but alas, the award goes to Lee. Congrats!
Thank you Jill and Jamie, Asra and Hani, (the newly engaged) Gavin and Elaine, Lee Dicks and Alan for a fabulous birthday party! I can't think of a better way to start 34.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Coco La Ti Da
Coco La Ti Da opened! Fabulous! Amore!
Sue McCowan, owner and head chef, created a wonderful little space of tables and an even more hip and casual side room with moveable mirrored tables and couches (not so moveable). Her designers did an amazing job with the space and murals (especially considering that they are a tad bit gothic, but can not be removed, as the Loveless Building, which houses Coco, as well as Joe Bar, Massage Sanctuary, other shops and a slew of apartments, is a historic landmark, and thus, the murals must stay). Fabulous background music, great atmosphere, and one of those places that works dressed down and dressed up, for a date or with a group or by yourself.
Asra and I - both super excited - went the day after opening. The menu is arranged beautifully, with multiple small dishes that allow combinations and sharing (there are usually two or three entree specials). We began with cheese - jasper farms cows milk, a goat cheese and semi-firm cow cheese. Next, we enjoyed savory lollipops, which as implied by the name, were savory bites on sticks. A slice of baked apple, a warm fig stuffed with goat cheese and a warm date stuffed with cheese and wrapped with pancetta. We also split a plate of curried lamb skewers. And finally, for dessert, we shared four dessert lollipops, slices of cake on sticks. "The Loveless", chocoate cake layered with strawberry buttercream (my favorite, and more on this in another blog), "The Exit", chocolate, caramel, sea salt and dried pears, "Sweet Relief", lemon cake and meringue and "Tomboy", spice cake with cream cheese frosting. I also had a glass of Sangiovese (ok) and a glass of pinot (much better). The mixed drink menu looked absolutely scrumptious.
For San Francisco friends, this place is similar to my beloved Citizen Cake, but different enough that it doesn't really draw comparisons. Coco La Ti Da is certainly a sexy little dessert lounge, and I have a feeling, will become an expensive little habit in my life, along with Sun Liquor and Cafe Venus.
Sue McCowan, owner and head chef, created a wonderful little space of tables and an even more hip and casual side room with moveable mirrored tables and couches (not so moveable). Her designers did an amazing job with the space and murals (especially considering that they are a tad bit gothic, but can not be removed, as the Loveless Building, which houses Coco, as well as Joe Bar, Massage Sanctuary, other shops and a slew of apartments, is a historic landmark, and thus, the murals must stay). Fabulous background music, great atmosphere, and one of those places that works dressed down and dressed up, for a date or with a group or by yourself.
Asra and I - both super excited - went the day after opening. The menu is arranged beautifully, with multiple small dishes that allow combinations and sharing (there are usually two or three entree specials). We began with cheese - jasper farms cows milk, a goat cheese and semi-firm cow cheese. Next, we enjoyed savory lollipops, which as implied by the name, were savory bites on sticks. A slice of baked apple, a warm fig stuffed with goat cheese and a warm date stuffed with cheese and wrapped with pancetta. We also split a plate of curried lamb skewers. And finally, for dessert, we shared four dessert lollipops, slices of cake on sticks. "The Loveless", chocoate cake layered with strawberry buttercream (my favorite, and more on this in another blog), "The Exit", chocolate, caramel, sea salt and dried pears, "Sweet Relief", lemon cake and meringue and "Tomboy", spice cake with cream cheese frosting. I also had a glass of Sangiovese (ok) and a glass of pinot (much better). The mixed drink menu looked absolutely scrumptious.
For San Francisco friends, this place is similar to my beloved Citizen Cake, but different enough that it doesn't really draw comparisons. Coco La Ti Da is certainly a sexy little dessert lounge, and I have a feeling, will become an expensive little habit in my life, along with Sun Liquor and Cafe Venus.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
What to Drink With What You Eat
What to Drink With What to Eat is a just published book that's well, all about what to drink with what you eat.
The authors, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, received a James Beard award for a previous book (either Becoming a Chef or Culinary Artistry), which they joked may be a bit hard to top with any book. It's an excellent skimming read - I received a free copy when I attended a special dinner at Dahlia Lounge and got a chance to chat with the authors. Without going into a lot of details (because you can either read the book or the reviews on Amazon), the authors do a fabulous job of listing a variety of liquids and foods and what pairs best. It's not just wine, but covers everything from fruit juice to sake to spirits to water to champagne. I'm happy to see that the "chocolate" category has a significant list of items, including my all-time favorite chocolate pairings porter and cabernet.
The real content for this blog however, is about the Dahlia Lounge dinner, a scrumptious eight-course meal carefully paired with wine in honor of the book and the authors. I can honestly say that this meal is one of my all-time favorites, close in quality and arts to memories of the French Laundry, Michael Minna, Quince and Fifth Floor. Tom Douglas gave a small speech about the moment in France years ago when he realized the perfect pairing of cheese and wine. He also spent a few minutes explaining the forthcoming meal, which while eight courses, would be small plates (despite the small plates, I was stuffed at the end, the portions were sized perfectly). He also hung out for a while, talking around the room (not to me, because, well, I get a little flustered around amazing chefs); a few of the women at our table convinced him to bring us a pizza from Serious Pie (his very excellent new pizza place, similar to my beloved Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco), which was a lovely addition to the meal. The authors also said a few words. And then the food and drink began.
First course: A small piece of slow roasted pear, with a few scattered hazelnuts, slivers of bacon and chicory salad. This was great - the salt and sweet were nicely combined, and the salad was lightly dressed with a lemon based dressing. I enjoyed the Steinberge Riesling Qba 20045 from Germany; it had some fruity flavors that perfectly matched the pear.
Second course: A piece of caramelized fennel with a sort of green olive tapanade and then what was called "fennel frond verjusenette", basically pureed fennel. I especially love fennel, and it was perfectly caramelized which was so delicious. I did remark to Jackie (my neighbor at the Park Rose Terrace) that this was my favorite course. Little did I know what else was coming. Two wines were poured for this course and carried to the next: a 2005 Mark Ryan Chardonnay and a 2005 Chinook Sauvignon Blanc. I did not care for the chardonnay, I'm just not a chardonnay person, although I should note that I did manage to drink it, as it makes me sad to waste wine. The sauvignon blanc was fabulous, and I loved it with both the fennel and the next course.
Third course: This became my favorite dish so far: a small portion of thick cauliflower-lemon soup adorned with a spoonful of curry infused oil, topped with a perfectly seared scallop and crispy garlic. The scallop was amazing and the flavors worked very well together. I wanted seconds.
Fourth Course: A piece of Dahlia's smoked salmon with a sesame seeds and hot mustard. Good and a nice way to move into the heavier meat courses.
Fifth Course: Duck was served with a 1999 Castillo Labastida Rioja Reserva. Actually, it wasn't just duck: it was a generous helping of five spice duck with a scallion pancake and a kung pao cashew mixture. The duck was cooked with "five spices", which gave it a great depth of asian flavors and made the skin extra tasty.This was absolutely delicious, although I wasn't so fond of the rioja pairing with the duck - for some reasons, the flavors just did not marry well. However, the Rioja went very well with the next dish...
Sixth Course: A wood roasted lamb chop with a gratin of kale and potato and a "roasted pepper-anchovy chow chow", sort of a relish. This dish was delicious; the anchovies weren't too overpowering and held up nicely against the lamb. And the rioja, well, the rioja was deep and tasy and perfect with the lamb.
Seventh Course: As I'm typing this up, I've begun to realize just how decadent this meal was. A tiny apple dumpling was paired with a piece of soft cheese from Jasper Hill Farms (which I think is located in this area, since I've seen the same cheese on other menus). The cheese was soft like a brie, although the flavors were not as pungent. I enjoyed the 2003 Townshend Late Harvest Viognier. I also never realized that Viognier was a sweet dessert wine wine - I had always assumed it was a blend of white wines and paired with chicken and fish. Or maybe I'm just confused.
Eighth Course: It makes me sad to write this, but the final course simply fell flat. I would have been content with a piece of Tom Douglas' signature coconut cream pie, although it may have been too rich, and perhaps too plain to stand up to the rest of the meal The dessert was good, don't get me wrong, but it just did not stand up to the quality and genius of the previus courses. A vanilla-citrus ganache, cocoa nib spice cake and mulled wine sorbet, which seemed to be a mishmash of leftovers rather than one signature dessert that would have sparkled all on its own. However, the wine, a 2005 Brachetto d'Acqui Prieto from Italy was simply out of this world. It was sparkly, like a champagne (and was served in a flute), but creamy and deep rich color at the same time. I had a second glass and want to pick up a few bottles.
And that was a Monday night at the Dahlia Lounge.
The authors, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, received a James Beard award for a previous book (either Becoming a Chef or Culinary Artistry), which they joked may be a bit hard to top with any book. It's an excellent skimming read - I received a free copy when I attended a special dinner at Dahlia Lounge and got a chance to chat with the authors. Without going into a lot of details (because you can either read the book or the reviews on Amazon), the authors do a fabulous job of listing a variety of liquids and foods and what pairs best. It's not just wine, but covers everything from fruit juice to sake to spirits to water to champagne. I'm happy to see that the "chocolate" category has a significant list of items, including my all-time favorite chocolate pairings porter and cabernet.
The real content for this blog however, is about the Dahlia Lounge dinner, a scrumptious eight-course meal carefully paired with wine in honor of the book and the authors. I can honestly say that this meal is one of my all-time favorites, close in quality and arts to memories of the French Laundry, Michael Minna, Quince and Fifth Floor. Tom Douglas gave a small speech about the moment in France years ago when he realized the perfect pairing of cheese and wine. He also spent a few minutes explaining the forthcoming meal, which while eight courses, would be small plates (despite the small plates, I was stuffed at the end, the portions were sized perfectly). He also hung out for a while, talking around the room (not to me, because, well, I get a little flustered around amazing chefs); a few of the women at our table convinced him to bring us a pizza from Serious Pie (his very excellent new pizza place, similar to my beloved Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco), which was a lovely addition to the meal. The authors also said a few words. And then the food and drink began.
First course: A small piece of slow roasted pear, with a few scattered hazelnuts, slivers of bacon and chicory salad. This was great - the salt and sweet were nicely combined, and the salad was lightly dressed with a lemon based dressing. I enjoyed the Steinberge Riesling Qba 20045 from Germany; it had some fruity flavors that perfectly matched the pear.
Second course: A piece of caramelized fennel with a sort of green olive tapanade and then what was called "fennel frond verjusenette", basically pureed fennel. I especially love fennel, and it was perfectly caramelized which was so delicious. I did remark to Jackie (my neighbor at the Park Rose Terrace) that this was my favorite course. Little did I know what else was coming. Two wines were poured for this course and carried to the next: a 2005 Mark Ryan Chardonnay and a 2005 Chinook Sauvignon Blanc. I did not care for the chardonnay, I'm just not a chardonnay person, although I should note that I did manage to drink it, as it makes me sad to waste wine. The sauvignon blanc was fabulous, and I loved it with both the fennel and the next course.
Third course: This became my favorite dish so far: a small portion of thick cauliflower-lemon soup adorned with a spoonful of curry infused oil, topped with a perfectly seared scallop and crispy garlic. The scallop was amazing and the flavors worked very well together. I wanted seconds.
Fourth Course: A piece of Dahlia's smoked salmon with a sesame seeds and hot mustard. Good and a nice way to move into the heavier meat courses.
Fifth Course: Duck was served with a 1999 Castillo Labastida Rioja Reserva. Actually, it wasn't just duck: it was a generous helping of five spice duck with a scallion pancake and a kung pao cashew mixture. The duck was cooked with "five spices", which gave it a great depth of asian flavors and made the skin extra tasty.This was absolutely delicious, although I wasn't so fond of the rioja pairing with the duck - for some reasons, the flavors just did not marry well. However, the Rioja went very well with the next dish...
Sixth Course: A wood roasted lamb chop with a gratin of kale and potato and a "roasted pepper-anchovy chow chow", sort of a relish. This dish was delicious; the anchovies weren't too overpowering and held up nicely against the lamb. And the rioja, well, the rioja was deep and tasy and perfect with the lamb.
Seventh Course: As I'm typing this up, I've begun to realize just how decadent this meal was. A tiny apple dumpling was paired with a piece of soft cheese from Jasper Hill Farms (which I think is located in this area, since I've seen the same cheese on other menus). The cheese was soft like a brie, although the flavors were not as pungent. I enjoyed the 2003 Townshend Late Harvest Viognier. I also never realized that Viognier was a sweet dessert wine wine - I had always assumed it was a blend of white wines and paired with chicken and fish. Or maybe I'm just confused.
Eighth Course: It makes me sad to write this, but the final course simply fell flat. I would have been content with a piece of Tom Douglas' signature coconut cream pie, although it may have been too rich, and perhaps too plain to stand up to the rest of the meal The dessert was good, don't get me wrong, but it just did not stand up to the quality and genius of the previus courses. A vanilla-citrus ganache, cocoa nib spice cake and mulled wine sorbet, which seemed to be a mishmash of leftovers rather than one signature dessert that would have sparkled all on its own. However, the wine, a 2005 Brachetto d'Acqui Prieto from Italy was simply out of this world. It was sparkly, like a champagne (and was served in a flute), but creamy and deep rich color at the same time. I had a second glass and want to pick up a few bottles.
And that was a Monday night at the Dahlia Lounge.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
the Meaning of a Birthday
A friend of many years sent me an e-mail, wishing me happy birthday, on the day of. A "happy birthday and hope you have a great day" followed by a couple of happenings in her life. Her final line, "Anyways, I know our birthdays aren't as meaningful anymore..." I instantly felt like I had been punched in the stomach - the excitement of having a day that was, in that birthday sort of way, my own day, completely deflated. Thirty minutes later, a co-worker sang me a happy birthday song at the staff meeting. Birthday wishes floated around. Coincidentally, someone brought Top Pot donuts, and I found two with pink frosting and sprinkles (which I took to be a sign and ate). A few others, when I related the story, gave me a funny look and said, "No. Birthdays are very important. That wasn't a nice thing to say."
I agree. Birthdays are meaningful. A birthday always, instantly, justifies some sort of celebration. My birthday is really the only celebration I have that can be publicly all about me, a distinct difference from the private smaller ones of "oh, I got a new job" or "I finally finished that project" or "hey, it's Sunday dinner!" And, as I told Carrie "It's only me - I have to celebrate when I can".
I think that birthdays are meaningful in another way: it's a milestone, of sorts. It signals that you've survived happy and sad and difficul and exciting and the flatlining moments of life for another year. And, it is always a time for reflection, how life has changed (or not) and how I have changed (or not) since the last milestone. Two years ago, things were going badly, and I remember crying in my office on Caroline's shoulder in mid-October, an event prompted in part by pre-birthday reflections (I still listen to the excellent mix CD she made me to reflect that mood). A year ago, for number 33, I was in London, celebrating with lunch amongst the tragic upper crust at Harvey Nichols, a massage, the world's best martini at the St. James Hotel (so good, I had two) and amazing Fahlkredine dinner, surrounded by Nilay, Gabe and Carrie. I was desperately unhappy in my job and knew that I needed to make a change soon, before I lost my mind. And, I was chasing after someone who completely failed to notice.
A year later, I've moved to a new city, made new friends, deepened friendships with many of the old ones and am now in a job that makes me so much happier (and I'm not just saying that, Jeff). This past year has not always been easy - but I can honestly say that I've learned a lot about myself and what I want and set some goals for where I should be. Balance, peace, things that are personally fulfilling are more important than ever. I have stopped chasing.
Because it's my birthday, I will celebrate. I've planned a quiet little gathering, involving cake, champagne and some food. Because, it is a birthday and it means something to me and to my friends. (Apologies to friends that can't be here. Let me know and I'll drink a champagne toast in your honor).
So what about the comment? Likely, my friend would be shocked if she knew how much those words stung. It could have been a meaningless comment, something to fill the space of a four paragraph e-mail message. It may also have been driven from a much different perspective, of the dramatic differences in our lives and the paths we have taken over the past ten years. The differences and the comment don't invalidate the relationship we have, in fact, I like hearing stories of her life, and I suspect that she likes hearing my stories. The right thing to do is to go forward.
Just as an aside, my birthday falls on Muerta de las Dios, the Day of the Dead, a holiday to honor our deceased ancestors in the Mexican/Latina tradition. I'm still not sure what to make of it, although it is kind of cool that candy, in the shape of skulls and skeletons and other ghoulish stuff, is distributed. The date is November 2, for all of you not familiar with the holidays of our friends who live south of us.
And, to talk about food and alcohol, the themes of this blog. Tony sent me a very excellent "tapas" package from Dean and Deluca, with clay tapas dishes (the kind that a bar in Madrid used to cook me gambas), marcona almonds, black and green olives, chorizo, piquillo peppers and tuna in olive oil. Mom and Dad sent a set of beautifully decorated martini glasses, from a company named "Lolita" (!) and sporting the "Cosmopolitan" theme. The cosmo recipe is hand-painted on the bottom, in case I ever forget. And yes, the glasses have already been baptized.
Birthdays do have meaning, after all.
I agree. Birthdays are meaningful. A birthday always, instantly, justifies some sort of celebration. My birthday is really the only celebration I have that can be publicly all about me, a distinct difference from the private smaller ones of "oh, I got a new job" or "I finally finished that project" or "hey, it's Sunday dinner!" And, as I told Carrie "It's only me - I have to celebrate when I can".
I think that birthdays are meaningful in another way: it's a milestone, of sorts. It signals that you've survived happy and sad and difficul and exciting and the flatlining moments of life for another year. And, it is always a time for reflection, how life has changed (or not) and how I have changed (or not) since the last milestone. Two years ago, things were going badly, and I remember crying in my office on Caroline's shoulder in mid-October, an event prompted in part by pre-birthday reflections (I still listen to the excellent mix CD she made me to reflect that mood). A year ago, for number 33, I was in London, celebrating with lunch amongst the tragic upper crust at Harvey Nichols, a massage, the world's best martini at the St. James Hotel (so good, I had two) and amazing Fahlkredine dinner, surrounded by Nilay, Gabe and Carrie. I was desperately unhappy in my job and knew that I needed to make a change soon, before I lost my mind. And, I was chasing after someone who completely failed to notice.
A year later, I've moved to a new city, made new friends, deepened friendships with many of the old ones and am now in a job that makes me so much happier (and I'm not just saying that, Jeff). This past year has not always been easy - but I can honestly say that I've learned a lot about myself and what I want and set some goals for where I should be. Balance, peace, things that are personally fulfilling are more important than ever. I have stopped chasing.
Because it's my birthday, I will celebrate. I've planned a quiet little gathering, involving cake, champagne and some food. Because, it is a birthday and it means something to me and to my friends. (Apologies to friends that can't be here. Let me know and I'll drink a champagne toast in your honor).
So what about the comment? Likely, my friend would be shocked if she knew how much those words stung. It could have been a meaningless comment, something to fill the space of a four paragraph e-mail message. It may also have been driven from a much different perspective, of the dramatic differences in our lives and the paths we have taken over the past ten years. The differences and the comment don't invalidate the relationship we have, in fact, I like hearing stories of her life, and I suspect that she likes hearing my stories. The right thing to do is to go forward.
Just as an aside, my birthday falls on Muerta de las Dios, the Day of the Dead, a holiday to honor our deceased ancestors in the Mexican/Latina tradition. I'm still not sure what to make of it, although it is kind of cool that candy, in the shape of skulls and skeletons and other ghoulish stuff, is distributed. The date is November 2, for all of you not familiar with the holidays of our friends who live south of us.
And, to talk about food and alcohol, the themes of this blog. Tony sent me a very excellent "tapas" package from Dean and Deluca, with clay tapas dishes (the kind that a bar in Madrid used to cook me gambas), marcona almonds, black and green olives, chorizo, piquillo peppers and tuna in olive oil. Mom and Dad sent a set of beautifully decorated martini glasses, from a company named "Lolita" (!) and sporting the "Cosmopolitan" theme. The cosmo recipe is hand-painted on the bottom, in case I ever forget. And yes, the glasses have already been baptized.
Birthdays do have meaning, after all.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Starbucks in the Office!
Last Thursday, I was treated to the pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee while walking up the stairs to my office. And I realized, while I was in Chicago, the Starbuck,Aeos machines had been installed in my building. Happy, happy day!
With the click of four buttons and about a minute, beans are ground, brewed and the resulting liquid poured into a cup. The machine also makes fairly decent cocoa and of course, produces hot water. The coffee is a huge improvement over the liquuid produced by the previously supplied industrial coffee pots (which I made the mistake of drinking exactly twice).
When my office door is open, between the melodic waterfall sounds of flushing toilets in the men,Aeos restroom, I hear the gentle clicks of the Starbuck,Aeos coffee machines and the caffeinated chatter of happy colleagues.
With the click of four buttons and about a minute, beans are ground, brewed and the resulting liquid poured into a cup. The machine also makes fairly decent cocoa and of course, produces hot water. The coffee is a huge improvement over the liquuid produced by the previously supplied industrial coffee pots (which I made the mistake of drinking exactly twice).
When my office door is open, between the melodic waterfall sounds of flushing toilets in the men,Aeos restroom, I hear the gentle clicks of the Starbuck,Aeos coffee machines and the caffeinated chatter of happy colleagues.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Chicago, Chicago...
My second business trip to Chicago in six months was for a conference. In terms of conference food, not much needs to be said beyond the fact that it was ,Aeubleah,Ae?. Not the worst conference food ever, but not the best; my group maintains an official company blog, so they have been treated to all of my snarky comments about the conference, speakers, content, etc. As an aside, it was kind of interesting to see a former competitor in action and to run into a former client (who was just as schizoid with them as he was with us). And, the conference was somewhat interesting, so the trip was at least worth it from a lessons learned perspective.
On a personal level, Chicago was very nice as well. I was able to see my Great-Uncle Chester and Great-Aunt Helen, always a treat. They,Aeove been married for 67 years, an absolutely mind boggling amount of time. Chester and I went to dinner and Helen gave me some shoes. I hope that I,Aeom able to get to Chicago and see them again, before...
I managed to catch the Hotel Amalfi happy hour (which is one of my favorite hotels EVER, excellent breakfast pastries and coffee); they provided a decent selection of wine and beer and great Italian cold cuts ,Aei prosciutto, other hams, cheeses, some grilled veggies. Also, in one of those ,Aeuwow,Ae? moments, someone from a group invited me to join (I had been sitting by myself, eating, enjoying my glass of syrah, thinking about what to write in my work blog posts) and I ended up spending some time with the youngish and fun lawyers, all of whom came from other areas and had New Orleans in common. Some had survived Hurricane Katrina, a sobering event that they referred to with a tone of having dealt with and now moving on.
Later, I met up with Dave, a former colleague, now a suave and handsome grad student happily enjoying the challenges of business school. We went to Shaw,Aeos, a prototypical Chicago restaurant with leather booths, wood paneling and a giant menu of old world favorites. We split a dozen oysters, our favorite by far were the Raspberry Point (crassostrea virginica) from Prince Edward Island, which were on the smaller end, light, crisp and tangy, our second favorites the Blashke Island (crassostrea gigas) from Alaska, also on the smaller end. I have no idea what the words in parenthesis indicate, since Dave took the menu and e-mailed the names to me; I,Aeom assuming that they are the ,Aeuscientific,Ae? classifications, but could also be a joke on Dave,Aeos part (let's see how gullible Schelley is!). The crab cakes were very delicious, with huge chunks of crab. A bottle of Australian sauvignon blanc (as usual, can,Aeot remember the name, but it opened up so well and tasted of pears and melon and other summery fruits) went very well with the meal, especially the oysters.
It turns out that Nilay and I crossed paths in Chicago, specifically at the intersection of the B and C terminals of O,AeoHare airport. I was flying out, he was flying in and our worlds collided (we,Aeod actually figured this out the night before, but I have to admit that the sentence sounds a bit dramatic). In a sign of what our lives are like, this is the second time in about a year that I,Aeove met up with a friend at the airport as we were leaving/arriving (the other time was with Greg, which I blogged about and would link to, but it,Aeos on the server that is unplugged in someone,Aeos garage in London). Anyways,AePafter receiving precise directions from the help lady, and then confusing her (again, Nilay, what were you thinking?), we trekked from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, to the K1 gate, to dine at O,AeoHare,Aeos Wolfgang Puck restaurant. At any other place, I would have deemed the restaurant ,Aeuok,Ae?, but for an airport, it wasn,Aeot bad. I had a Caesar salad and salmon, Nilay tortilla soup and chicken, and we split a bottle of cab and sorbet for dessert. Life, indeed.
On a personal level, Chicago was very nice as well. I was able to see my Great-Uncle Chester and Great-Aunt Helen, always a treat. They,Aeove been married for 67 years, an absolutely mind boggling amount of time. Chester and I went to dinner and Helen gave me some shoes. I hope that I,Aeom able to get to Chicago and see them again, before...
I managed to catch the Hotel Amalfi happy hour (which is one of my favorite hotels EVER, excellent breakfast pastries and coffee); they provided a decent selection of wine and beer and great Italian cold cuts ,Aei prosciutto, other hams, cheeses, some grilled veggies. Also, in one of those ,Aeuwow,Ae? moments, someone from a group invited me to join (I had been sitting by myself, eating, enjoying my glass of syrah, thinking about what to write in my work blog posts) and I ended up spending some time with the youngish and fun lawyers, all of whom came from other areas and had New Orleans in common. Some had survived Hurricane Katrina, a sobering event that they referred to with a tone of having dealt with and now moving on.
Later, I met up with Dave, a former colleague, now a suave and handsome grad student happily enjoying the challenges of business school. We went to Shaw,Aeos, a prototypical Chicago restaurant with leather booths, wood paneling and a giant menu of old world favorites. We split a dozen oysters, our favorite by far were the Raspberry Point (crassostrea virginica) from Prince Edward Island, which were on the smaller end, light, crisp and tangy, our second favorites the Blashke Island (crassostrea gigas) from Alaska, also on the smaller end. I have no idea what the words in parenthesis indicate, since Dave took the menu and e-mailed the names to me; I,Aeom assuming that they are the ,Aeuscientific,Ae? classifications, but could also be a joke on Dave,Aeos part (let's see how gullible Schelley is!). The crab cakes were very delicious, with huge chunks of crab. A bottle of Australian sauvignon blanc (as usual, can,Aeot remember the name, but it opened up so well and tasted of pears and melon and other summery fruits) went very well with the meal, especially the oysters.
It turns out that Nilay and I crossed paths in Chicago, specifically at the intersection of the B and C terminals of O,AeoHare airport. I was flying out, he was flying in and our worlds collided (we,Aeod actually figured this out the night before, but I have to admit that the sentence sounds a bit dramatic). In a sign of what our lives are like, this is the second time in about a year that I,Aeove met up with a friend at the airport as we were leaving/arriving (the other time was with Greg, which I blogged about and would link to, but it,Aeos on the server that is unplugged in someone,Aeos garage in London). Anyways,AePafter receiving precise directions from the help lady, and then confusing her (again, Nilay, what were you thinking?), we trekked from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, to the K1 gate, to dine at O,AeoHare,Aeos Wolfgang Puck restaurant. At any other place, I would have deemed the restaurant ,Aeuok,Ae?, but for an airport, it wasn,Aeot bad. I had a Caesar salad and salmon, Nilay tortilla soup and chicken, and we split a bottle of cab and sorbet for dessert. Life, indeed.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
$40 for an Entree
Interesting article in today's NY Times about entrees at mid-tier restaurants reaching $40. The cost of food - particularly those not easy to get (organic farmers can produce only so much of our food supply) - plus increasing rents, labor, and other restaurant costs, factor into the rising costs. Some lament the expense, but I suspect that most accept the prices without much more than a "that's the cost of fine dining".
The first thing to point out is that, well, life is expensive, especially in certain geographic locations, such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Vegas, etc.
But more importantly, and missed by the article, is that cooking is expensive. And time consuming. Hosting a dinner party for a group of friends can easily exceed $100, not to mention the time required to make the meal. (Please do not read this as a complaint - if I didn't enjoy designing a menu, scouring the farmer's market and grocery store for ingredients and constructing the meal, I would never invite anyone over). When, not if, I pay $40 for an entree (and I know that I have paid close, if not that amount in the past), I expect that the same degree of time, effort and expense (if not more, since I don't do some things from scratch, like broth or pasta) went into creating the meal for me in the restaurant that I would have at home.
I recently read an article in the New Yorker, which pointed out that the cost of a restaurant meal has not kept up with inflation, and in fact, dining out now is cheaper than it was 40 years ago (also a time when far fewer people dined out). Factor in employee salaries, hopefully a livable wage, rent, building upkeep, insurance to protect against the crazies looking to sue, etc and it's actually surprising that $40 entrees haven't yet hit the market in greater numbers.
I do wonder - did the NY Times article stem from an editor who just noticed the price of entrees and made his reporter write a story that's not really a story? In my former career, I had at least one call a month with a reporter who would say "I know that this really isn't a story, but my editor think it is and I'm being forced to write". It's highly likely that the $40 entree is not necessarily new, but is now news, and it certainly didn't happen overnight.
Best quote at the end of the story: ,AeuYour $40 plate?,Ae? Mr. Zagat said. ,AeuIt comes with a $20 first course.,Ae?
Well, duh.
The first thing to point out is that, well, life is expensive, especially in certain geographic locations, such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Vegas, etc.
But more importantly, and missed by the article, is that cooking is expensive. And time consuming. Hosting a dinner party for a group of friends can easily exceed $100, not to mention the time required to make the meal. (Please do not read this as a complaint - if I didn't enjoy designing a menu, scouring the farmer's market and grocery store for ingredients and constructing the meal, I would never invite anyone over). When, not if, I pay $40 for an entree (and I know that I have paid close, if not that amount in the past), I expect that the same degree of time, effort and expense (if not more, since I don't do some things from scratch, like broth or pasta) went into creating the meal for me in the restaurant that I would have at home.
I recently read an article in the New Yorker, which pointed out that the cost of a restaurant meal has not kept up with inflation, and in fact, dining out now is cheaper than it was 40 years ago (also a time when far fewer people dined out). Factor in employee salaries, hopefully a livable wage, rent, building upkeep, insurance to protect against the crazies looking to sue, etc and it's actually surprising that $40 entrees haven't yet hit the market in greater numbers.
I do wonder - did the NY Times article stem from an editor who just noticed the price of entrees and made his reporter write a story that's not really a story? In my former career, I had at least one call a month with a reporter who would say "I know that this really isn't a story, but my editor think it is and I'm being forced to write". It's highly likely that the $40 entree is not necessarily new, but is now news, and it certainly didn't happen overnight.
Best quote at the end of the story: ,AeuYour $40 plate?,Ae? Mr. Zagat said. ,AeuIt comes with a $20 first course.,Ae?
Well, duh.
Theater + Dining = Teatro Zinzanni
I've heard about Teatro Zinzanni for years - it's in San Francisco, but was always one of those "someday I may get to it" type of things. I finally got to it, in Seattle, when Char sent out an invite for a Theater of Puget Sound Live Theater week kick-off and fundraiser.
Before talking about the food and experience (because Teatro Zinzanni, or TZ, is an experience), it's worth noting a few of the tidbits that I found out about Seattle and the acting community. Over 100 theater groups exist in the Puget Sound Area, 136 to be exact. Someone noted that Seattle is one of the only cities in which an actor can actually earn a living acting; the cominbation of theaters and strong community support make this situation possible. Although, I do wonder how long this will continue, considering the rapidly rising cost of living (and case in point, my neighbor Curtis, also an actor, works a day job). A few days later, Curtis told me that Seattle is among the top three cities for those in the arts (New York and Chicago are the other two). And I was especially happy to have supported TPS, when he talked about the amount of support the group gives to actors. I had absolutely no idea - but can say I'm extremely proud to be a resident in this city and am going to take advantage as much as possible. (Case in point, last night I attended The Whore of Texas at the tiny and very cool Theater Schmeater, right in my neighborhood).
So, about my night at TZ. It is true dinner theater - the actors mingle with the audience at every possible moment, not only just socializing, but pulling audience members onto the figurative stage (set amongst the tables) to be lettuce or help make a movie or something they dream up. It is unusual, fun and highly entertaining. Richard was particulaly liked at our table - I believe his head may have been fondled more than once. Entertainment, wrapped around a not particularly clever story, is a combination of song, juggling, acrobatics, and humor. I particularly liked the three french guys at the end - their combination acrobatic/dance act was highly entertaining, and their finale had me catching my breath.
About the food. The most important thing to keep in mind is that Seattle's hero chef, Tom Douglas, designs the menu. The next most important thing to know is that a wine course is also available, of which I must say, the som did an excellent job of pairing great wines with each course. The food:
First course: Crostini with olive tapenade, goat cheese mouse, melon and figs.
Second course: Orechiette pasta and broccolini, spiced with red pepper flakes and a very heavy dose of garlic. I wish that I could remember which wine we had (I stared at the menu trying to memorize the name, but alas, it's gone). What I do know is that the wine perfectly complemented the spiciness of the dish...
Third course: Smoked trout, accompanied with cucumber panna cotta and sweet vermouth sauce. This was my favorite course. The slightly tart panna cotta perfectly complemented the smoked trout, and the vermouth sauce added a nice balance of sweet.
Fourth, or Main course: I chose steak, with very excellent garlic mashed potatoes and a few fried onions and fresh, bright green beans coated in butter. The steak was ok; it was a hangar steak, but had been sitting for a bit too long before being served, and just did not live up to the standards of the rest of the meal. The pinot was quite tasty. Now, I wish that I had gone with the salmon.
Dessert: Wow. A generously sized cup of something was placed in front of me. Digging in, I discovered a creamy lime mousse covered with a beautifully browned and thick dollop of meringue. Digging deeper, I found a hazlenut cookie at the bottom. And what may have been mistaken as a cup holding the entire thing together was actually a thick band of white chocolate. Again, wow. It was one of the most perfect composed desserts I've had in a long time, with an excellent balance of sweet and slightly tart.
I'm now wondering - how did the pastry chef manage to brown the meringue without melting the white chocolate? And how did those French guys not manage to kill themselves? The mysteries of TZ...
Before talking about the food and experience (because Teatro Zinzanni, or TZ, is an experience), it's worth noting a few of the tidbits that I found out about Seattle and the acting community. Over 100 theater groups exist in the Puget Sound Area, 136 to be exact. Someone noted that Seattle is one of the only cities in which an actor can actually earn a living acting; the cominbation of theaters and strong community support make this situation possible. Although, I do wonder how long this will continue, considering the rapidly rising cost of living (and case in point, my neighbor Curtis, also an actor, works a day job). A few days later, Curtis told me that Seattle is among the top three cities for those in the arts (New York and Chicago are the other two). And I was especially happy to have supported TPS, when he talked about the amount of support the group gives to actors. I had absolutely no idea - but can say I'm extremely proud to be a resident in this city and am going to take advantage as much as possible. (Case in point, last night I attended The Whore of Texas at the tiny and very cool Theater Schmeater, right in my neighborhood).
So, about my night at TZ. It is true dinner theater - the actors mingle with the audience at every possible moment, not only just socializing, but pulling audience members onto the figurative stage (set amongst the tables) to be lettuce or help make a movie or something they dream up. It is unusual, fun and highly entertaining. Richard was particulaly liked at our table - I believe his head may have been fondled more than once. Entertainment, wrapped around a not particularly clever story, is a combination of song, juggling, acrobatics, and humor. I particularly liked the three french guys at the end - their combination acrobatic/dance act was highly entertaining, and their finale had me catching my breath.
About the food. The most important thing to keep in mind is that Seattle's hero chef, Tom Douglas, designs the menu. The next most important thing to know is that a wine course is also available, of which I must say, the som did an excellent job of pairing great wines with each course. The food:
First course: Crostini with olive tapenade, goat cheese mouse, melon and figs.
Second course: Orechiette pasta and broccolini, spiced with red pepper flakes and a very heavy dose of garlic. I wish that I could remember which wine we had (I stared at the menu trying to memorize the name, but alas, it's gone). What I do know is that the wine perfectly complemented the spiciness of the dish...
Third course: Smoked trout, accompanied with cucumber panna cotta and sweet vermouth sauce. This was my favorite course. The slightly tart panna cotta perfectly complemented the smoked trout, and the vermouth sauce added a nice balance of sweet.
Fourth, or Main course: I chose steak, with very excellent garlic mashed potatoes and a few fried onions and fresh, bright green beans coated in butter. The steak was ok; it was a hangar steak, but had been sitting for a bit too long before being served, and just did not live up to the standards of the rest of the meal. The pinot was quite tasty. Now, I wish that I had gone with the salmon.
Dessert: Wow. A generously sized cup of something was placed in front of me. Digging in, I discovered a creamy lime mousse covered with a beautifully browned and thick dollop of meringue. Digging deeper, I found a hazlenut cookie at the bottom. And what may have been mistaken as a cup holding the entire thing together was actually a thick band of white chocolate. Again, wow. It was one of the most perfect composed desserts I've had in a long time, with an excellent balance of sweet and slightly tart.
I'm now wondering - how did the pastry chef manage to brown the meringue without melting the white chocolate? And how did those French guys not manage to kill themselves? The mysteries of TZ...
Friday, October 13, 2006
A Donut for Your Thoughts
When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things was to go to stay overnight at my Nana and Papa Olhava's house. We'd watch Lawrence Welk or football or an old movie (a few years ago, I snatched Some Like it Hot from the Target special shelf simply because I remember watching it with my grandpa and laughing, laughing, laughing). We would eat dinner on TV trays - so novel compared to the monotony of eating at the kitchen table each night with my parents and brother. And in the morning, we'd have breakfast. I suppose that someone (probably Grandpa) went out a few times for donuts, and at a certain point, I associated donuts with spending the night at their house. Because once, I remember leaving when it was dark to go to their house, being asked what I wanted for breakfast and saying "I'd like donuts". Because Nana's mission in life was to spoil her grandchildren (probably payback for the hell my dad put her through during his teen and pre-marriage years), we went to Albertson's and bought donuts.
As an adult, I've tried to stay away from donuts. It's not just the lack of nutrition. Once in college, Ardis wanted donuts and dragged me to Kingpin, where in horror I watched the donut man cook donuts. The process involved dough, sugary glaze and one of the biggest vats of grease I have ever seen in my life. It made me feel very sick. (Ardis also bought a batch of freshly made donut holes from that batch, and may have forced me to eat one.) The feeling sick continues - a donut is a huge mountain of stuff to absorb, just making me feel nauseous once consumed.
Donuts have always figured into my adult life in some form or another. Suzette once brought a box of donuts to a party, but they didn't get eaten. Within a few days, donut juice weeped along the length of the counter, an interesting little scientific experiment. I first had Krispy Kreme in Floria when visiting Aimee and Adam in Panama City years ago. I made a special trip to the first Bay Area Krispy Kreme in Daly City, to wait with the crowds and buy donuts to share with Rob and Jen. I even lived a few blocks from the Krispy Kreme in Mt View.
But at the end of the day, I mostly managed to resist. I avoided all of the office donuts, fended off the lure of Dunkin' Donuts on multiple trips to Boston. Even within the year and a half that i lived within walking distance of Krispy Kreme in heart attack triangle, I stayed away, venturing only three times, twice for donuts and once for coffee. (Note: "heart attack triangle" refers to the shopping center on Rengstorff in Mountain View, which features a Krispy Kreme, McDonald's and In-N-Out, and which, when viewed from above, form a triangle. Technically, the Costco makes it a parallelogram, or some other geometric shape that I know longer need to know, but no need to be technical).
Until about six months ago that is, when my donut walls crumbled into a slag of sprinkles, sugar flakes and donut crumbs.
Seriously, since moving to Seattle, I have consumed more donuts than in the past five years. At least, maybe even longer. Keep in mind, I have only lived in Seattle about six months. Really, Seattle should not be called the Emerald City, it should be called the Donut City. Donuts appear at least every couple of weeks at the team meeting. I live a few blocks from Top Pot, using it as a familiar landmark to describe where I live. I've even been to Top Pot a few times, dragging visitors - it's a Seattle thing.
I've tried protesting that I don't like donuts. But the reality is that donuts are a bundle of deliciousness and my protests are just feeble attempts to convince myself that I don't like them. A few weeks ago, Will described donuts as "a buffet of textures". I'm not sure I'd go that far, but the reality is that donuts are cake covered with frosting, and if the winds are blowing correctly, sprinkles (a weakness). I like cake. I like frosting. The one crucial difference: the addition of grease via the deep frying process. But that just makes the donut even better.
How can I really say no?
As an adult, I've tried to stay away from donuts. It's not just the lack of nutrition. Once in college, Ardis wanted donuts and dragged me to Kingpin, where in horror I watched the donut man cook donuts. The process involved dough, sugary glaze and one of the biggest vats of grease I have ever seen in my life. It made me feel very sick. (Ardis also bought a batch of freshly made donut holes from that batch, and may have forced me to eat one.) The feeling sick continues - a donut is a huge mountain of stuff to absorb, just making me feel nauseous once consumed.
Donuts have always figured into my adult life in some form or another. Suzette once brought a box of donuts to a party, but they didn't get eaten. Within a few days, donut juice weeped along the length of the counter, an interesting little scientific experiment. I first had Krispy Kreme in Floria when visiting Aimee and Adam in Panama City years ago. I made a special trip to the first Bay Area Krispy Kreme in Daly City, to wait with the crowds and buy donuts to share with Rob and Jen. I even lived a few blocks from the Krispy Kreme in Mt View.
But at the end of the day, I mostly managed to resist. I avoided all of the office donuts, fended off the lure of Dunkin' Donuts on multiple trips to Boston. Even within the year and a half that i lived within walking distance of Krispy Kreme in heart attack triangle, I stayed away, venturing only three times, twice for donuts and once for coffee. (Note: "heart attack triangle" refers to the shopping center on Rengstorff in Mountain View, which features a Krispy Kreme, McDonald's and In-N-Out, and which, when viewed from above, form a triangle. Technically, the Costco makes it a parallelogram, or some other geometric shape that I know longer need to know, but no need to be technical).
Until about six months ago that is, when my donut walls crumbled into a slag of sprinkles, sugar flakes and donut crumbs.
Seriously, since moving to Seattle, I have consumed more donuts than in the past five years. At least, maybe even longer. Keep in mind, I have only lived in Seattle about six months. Really, Seattle should not be called the Emerald City, it should be called the Donut City. Donuts appear at least every couple of weeks at the team meeting. I live a few blocks from Top Pot, using it as a familiar landmark to describe where I live. I've even been to Top Pot a few times, dragging visitors - it's a Seattle thing.
I've tried protesting that I don't like donuts. But the reality is that donuts are a bundle of deliciousness and my protests are just feeble attempts to convince myself that I don't like them. A few weeks ago, Will described donuts as "a buffet of textures". I'm not sure I'd go that far, but the reality is that donuts are cake covered with frosting, and if the winds are blowing correctly, sprinkles (a weakness). I like cake. I like frosting. The one crucial difference: the addition of grease via the deep frying process. But that just makes the donut even better.
How can I really say no?
Monday, October 09, 2006
Ground Cherries
A few stalls at Sunday's farmer's market advertised "ground cherries". Afflicted with a hangover and not enough sleep, I ignored, until someone gave me a sample. And then I made a snap decision: I had now found my new favorite fall fruit.
Covered in a paper-like husk, the ground cherry looks suspiciously like a miniature tomatilla. Or a Japanese paper tea lantern. Depending on your perspective. The fruit is easy to eat - peel off the paper and pop in your mouth. It tastes like a cross between a pineapple, cherry and butter. Hard to explain, but utterly delicious. I also like the fact that there aren't any seeds to deal with, and unless you're really out of it, not too much of a mess to eat.
I threw the handful of the fruit in a salad for my first real Seattle Sunday dinner (i.e., not dinner for visiting-from-out-of-town guests). For the record, fresh greens with edible flowers, (also a farmer's market find), ground cherries, gorgonzola and balsamic vinegrette. A perfect combination. I also made Cooks perfect and unique eggplant parmesan; Jill supplied chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting for dessert. Among the wines, we consumed a very tasty 2002 Grand Amis (Great Friends) Zin from Graffigna Vineyard, Abacela red table wine, asome Chateau Saint Michelle chardonnay and an excellent Columbia Valley gewurtz (I have Ren to thank for the last two, especially the gewurtz, my all-time favorite dessert wine varietal).
Covered in a paper-like husk, the ground cherry looks suspiciously like a miniature tomatilla. Or a Japanese paper tea lantern. Depending on your perspective. The fruit is easy to eat - peel off the paper and pop in your mouth. It tastes like a cross between a pineapple, cherry and butter. Hard to explain, but utterly delicious. I also like the fact that there aren't any seeds to deal with, and unless you're really out of it, not too much of a mess to eat.
I threw the handful of the fruit in a salad for my first real Seattle Sunday dinner (i.e., not dinner for visiting-from-out-of-town guests). For the record, fresh greens with edible flowers, (also a farmer's market find), ground cherries, gorgonzola and balsamic vinegrette. A perfect combination. I also made Cooks perfect and unique eggplant parmesan; Jill supplied chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting for dessert. Among the wines, we consumed a very tasty 2002 Grand Amis (Great Friends) Zin from Graffigna Vineyard, Abacela red table wine, asome Chateau Saint Michelle chardonnay and an excellent Columbia Valley gewurtz (I have Ren to thank for the last two, especially the gewurtz, my all-time favorite dessert wine varietal).
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Fall in in the Air
Fall is in the air.
The leaves are dropping. The days are getting shorter. There is a chill in the air, not quite full-blown winter but close, so close. I haven't turned the heat on yet, but it will happen soon. College football is in full swing. And the fall seasonl beers have arrived in stores.
I've already made one fall purchase, very typical for Seattle: a new raincoat. I last bought a raincoat in 1992, while hanging out with Andi in LA for spring break during our freshman year of college. The raincoat was perfect, considering the need to walk around in the rain to classes. Plus, it was blue and gold. Nearly 15 years later, it was looking a bit ragged and somewhat outdated. When I wore it last May during Tony's visit, i was gently told that it was time to buy a new coat.
Asra and I trekked to REI together. We almost bought the same coats, but then dug around on the sales rack and found cheaper and just as great raincoats, probably last years' model. Several other people were raincoat shopping as well, we all jostled for mirror space and some claimed areas on the racks closest to the mirrors on which to line up their choices. It's just a rain jacket, I thought, but then, Asra and I asked each other repeatedly "what do you think of this one?".
I was warned before moving here that I'd find myself buying things that I never even thought about: a new raincoat, and all-weather shoes. I nodded my head solemnly and thought, "I don't doubt that it won't happen." Already, I've made more trips to REI in six months than in the past 5 years (three, although once was when someone was visiting and wanted to check it out). I know that I'll be on the lookout for all weather shoes, after I make a couple of treks through the rain getting to and from work. And I know that soon, I'll be forced to purchase warmer gym clothes, although I really knew this last February.
The joys of living in a new city: shopping. Fall is indeed in the air.
The leaves are dropping. The days are getting shorter. There is a chill in the air, not quite full-blown winter but close, so close. I haven't turned the heat on yet, but it will happen soon. College football is in full swing. And the fall seasonl beers have arrived in stores.
I've already made one fall purchase, very typical for Seattle: a new raincoat. I last bought a raincoat in 1992, while hanging out with Andi in LA for spring break during our freshman year of college. The raincoat was perfect, considering the need to walk around in the rain to classes. Plus, it was blue and gold. Nearly 15 years later, it was looking a bit ragged and somewhat outdated. When I wore it last May during Tony's visit, i was gently told that it was time to buy a new coat.
Asra and I trekked to REI together. We almost bought the same coats, but then dug around on the sales rack and found cheaper and just as great raincoats, probably last years' model. Several other people were raincoat shopping as well, we all jostled for mirror space and some claimed areas on the racks closest to the mirrors on which to line up their choices. It's just a rain jacket, I thought, but then, Asra and I asked each other repeatedly "what do you think of this one?".
I was warned before moving here that I'd find myself buying things that I never even thought about: a new raincoat, and all-weather shoes. I nodded my head solemnly and thought, "I don't doubt that it won't happen." Already, I've made more trips to REI in six months than in the past 5 years (three, although once was when someone was visiting and wanted to check it out). I know that I'll be on the lookout for all weather shoes, after I make a couple of treks through the rain getting to and from work. And I know that soon, I'll be forced to purchase warmer gym clothes, although I really knew this last February.
The joys of living in a new city: shopping. Fall is indeed in the air.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
well, la ti da
Fork, a kind of pricey and what seemed to be slightly stuffy restaurant a few blocks from home (next to Joe Bar) went out of business a few months ago, or at least that's when I noticed that the restaurant seemed somewhat abandoned. While walking home from Joe Bar last night, Asra noticed a sign on the door: "opening soon! Coca La Ti Da! a new lounge" and obligatory web address.
Turns out that Coca La Ti Da is meant to be a "wonderful sexy dessert lounge", featuring not only desserts (of course), but cocktails and savory bites, with an emphasis on late night. A referenced article made talked about the dessert bar phenom in New York, which made me wonder if it would be similar to Chickalicious? Although, Chickalicious didn't quite have savory, making me think that it's going to be a bit closer to my beloved Citizen Cake. That's a happy thought :)
This is very exciting - Capitol Hill is slowly transitioning from seediness to a sophisticated level of practicality and and coolness, one step at a time, and the new dessert lounge is one sign of those changes. I am eagerly awaiting the opening...
Turns out that Coca La Ti Da is meant to be a "wonderful sexy dessert lounge", featuring not only desserts (of course), but cocktails and savory bites, with an emphasis on late night. A referenced article made talked about the dessert bar phenom in New York, which made me wonder if it would be similar to Chickalicious? Although, Chickalicious didn't quite have savory, making me think that it's going to be a bit closer to my beloved Citizen Cake. That's a happy thought :)
This is very exciting - Capitol Hill is slowly transitioning from seediness to a sophisticated level of practicality and and coolness, one step at a time, and the new dessert lounge is one sign of those changes. I am eagerly awaiting the opening...
Sunday, September 24, 2006
basil + vodka = a new drink
Basil, one of my all-time favorite herbs, has become the drink flavor du jour. Both Citizen Cake and Nopa have basil-themed gimlets on their cocktail menus, and I have a feeling that I'll find a similar theme in Seattle. I suspect that basil has begun to replace ginger, and in two years, I'll notice that lemon thyme will have migrated into use (although it's worth pointing out that De Kas has already figured this out, adding a sprig of lemon thyme to a flute of champagne).
Last night, I tried my best to emulate Cake's basil gimlet, muddling the green with a bit of sugar, adding vodka and lime juice. I used Ketel One, they use Chopin, and while my drink was excellent, I think that a better quality vodka would also improve what is already very tasty. I would have used the Hangar One that Carrie ferried me from California, but decided no when I noticed that it is mandarin-flavored, which probably wouldn't go as well with the basil (but will make an excellent cosmo). About halfway through the drink, I remembered that Gabe gave me a bottle of high-end Polish vodka, so next chance, I'll dig that bad boy out from the back of the freezer and see how the drink turns out.
By the way, I was craving noodles and made pad thai last night, which I accompanied with a glass of pinot grigio. The Cooks Illustrated recipe outshames almost all restaurant pad thai. Not difficult to make and thankfully, not tasting of overly sweet candy, but rather nuanced and clean flavors that we expect in Thai food.
Last night, I tried my best to emulate Cake's basil gimlet, muddling the green with a bit of sugar, adding vodka and lime juice. I used Ketel One, they use Chopin, and while my drink was excellent, I think that a better quality vodka would also improve what is already very tasty. I would have used the Hangar One that Carrie ferried me from California, but decided no when I noticed that it is mandarin-flavored, which probably wouldn't go as well with the basil (but will make an excellent cosmo). About halfway through the drink, I remembered that Gabe gave me a bottle of high-end Polish vodka, so next chance, I'll dig that bad boy out from the back of the freezer and see how the drink turns out.
By the way, I was craving noodles and made pad thai last night, which I accompanied with a glass of pinot grigio. The Cooks Illustrated recipe outshames almost all restaurant pad thai. Not difficult to make and thankfully, not tasting of overly sweet candy, but rather nuanced and clean flavors that we expect in Thai food.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Six Months...
I've been thinking about "home" lately, or more explicity, what is home? Probably, because I can, without a doubt, admit that I am homesick. I miss San Francisco.
I miss the blanket of bone chilling fog that envelops the city. I miss my former neighborhood - not quite the projects, but the diversity and constantly changing Hayes Valley. I miss the urbanness that is the city of San Francisco - the houses and buildings stacked against each other, the contrasting colors, the vibrant people. Deliberately walking past Citizen Cake to gaze at the changing menu and desserts. The comfort of Blue Bottle and Momi Tobi's Cafe. The adventures with friends - new bars, restaurants and the familiarity of Thursday night kickball followed by debauchery at Kezar. Acme soudough. Mexican food. The fashion on Hayes st. And the list continues.
I've only been homesick like this twice in my life. The first, during my freshman year of college - the combination of a nasty roommate and anti-social suitemates lead to a very rough year. The second, when I moved from Berkeley to Sunnyvale. And now, the move from San Francisco to Seattle.
Don't get me wrong. Seattle is a fabulous place - it feels good. I've found great coffee and Lillet at Joe Bar and Venus and Matt's and other dining and grocery shopping and bars. The social life is coming together. Work is no longer an unhappy part of my life.
Which remind me. What is home? At a very basic level, it's a place to store our belongings. Really, it's how we view and construct the world and the people around us. It is our perceptions, what we are wiling to accept about ourselves and how we feel about our surroundings. It is more than just unpacking boxes - it is how we get our energy and view the world. Sometimes, this deeper feeling of home takes time to integrate, like my life in Berkeley. Other times, it never becomes a reality - my time in the South Bay. And when we're lucky, home immediately becomes where we are, my life in San Francisco.
Obviously, Seattle is in that first category for me. I'm making Seattle my home, not just in name, but in the more intimate perspective. It will happen. It has not quite been six months...
I miss the blanket of bone chilling fog that envelops the city. I miss my former neighborhood - not quite the projects, but the diversity and constantly changing Hayes Valley. I miss the urbanness that is the city of San Francisco - the houses and buildings stacked against each other, the contrasting colors, the vibrant people. Deliberately walking past Citizen Cake to gaze at the changing menu and desserts. The comfort of Blue Bottle and Momi Tobi's Cafe. The adventures with friends - new bars, restaurants and the familiarity of Thursday night kickball followed by debauchery at Kezar. Acme soudough. Mexican food. The fashion on Hayes st. And the list continues.
I've only been homesick like this twice in my life. The first, during my freshman year of college - the combination of a nasty roommate and anti-social suitemates lead to a very rough year. The second, when I moved from Berkeley to Sunnyvale. And now, the move from San Francisco to Seattle.
Don't get me wrong. Seattle is a fabulous place - it feels good. I've found great coffee and Lillet at Joe Bar and Venus and Matt's and other dining and grocery shopping and bars. The social life is coming together. Work is no longer an unhappy part of my life.
Which remind me. What is home? At a very basic level, it's a place to store our belongings. Really, it's how we view and construct the world and the people around us. It is our perceptions, what we are wiling to accept about ourselves and how we feel about our surroundings. It is more than just unpacking boxes - it is how we get our energy and view the world. Sometimes, this deeper feeling of home takes time to integrate, like my life in Berkeley. Other times, it never becomes a reality - my time in the South Bay. And when we're lucky, home immediately becomes where we are, my life in San Francisco.
Obviously, Seattle is in that first category for me. I'm making Seattle my home, not just in name, but in the more intimate perspective. It will happen. It has not quite been six months...
Monday, September 11, 2006
More Visitors!
Since Labor Day, I think I've had visitors about every other weekend. It's been great and I hope the trend continues. It's nice to see familiar faces.
Karen and Evan were the latest. Friends of friends, we met several years ago, and since, bonded over food and drink and chit chatting about whatever. They introduced me to the concept of having a Bay to Breakers party from the sidelines (I'll never forget passing out several pounds of bacon to the "serious" runners). Plus, Evan is an incredible griller.
Evan grilled tri-tip, basting it in wine-based bbq sauce (olive oil, garlic, cumin, pepper, wine, ketchup). Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate (Fall is setting in), so he walked me through the process of building a charcoal grill, but used gas for cooking. He also grilled up some veggies that I'd marinated in olive oil and balsamic, and then skewered potatoes for a grilled potato salad with arugula.
As expected, we went through plenty of wine. Following some appetizers and margaritas, we drank one of my favorites: a 2002 Dry Town Zinfandel from Amador County. This wine had originally arrived through my wine club, which I then took to Shane and Quan's house for dinner. Shane fell in love, and on a wine-themed road trip, he and Quan stopped at Dry Town, became friends with the owner and purchased a few bottles, one of which Shane gave me. The bottles were so fresh, they weren't even labelled. I let the bottle age for a few years, and it was perfect when we opened it on a Saturday night to enjoy while grilling.
For dinner, Karen and I chose a 2002 Amphora Falls Pinot from Mendocino, which complemented the tri-tip perfectly. We ended up with a 20005 Crios Malbec, not that great, but doable when it's the third bottle after a great meal. And it went well with the raspberry tart.
Karen and Evan were the latest. Friends of friends, we met several years ago, and since, bonded over food and drink and chit chatting about whatever. They introduced me to the concept of having a Bay to Breakers party from the sidelines (I'll never forget passing out several pounds of bacon to the "serious" runners). Plus, Evan is an incredible griller.
Evan grilled tri-tip, basting it in wine-based bbq sauce (olive oil, garlic, cumin, pepper, wine, ketchup). Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate (Fall is setting in), so he walked me through the process of building a charcoal grill, but used gas for cooking. He also grilled up some veggies that I'd marinated in olive oil and balsamic, and then skewered potatoes for a grilled potato salad with arugula.
As expected, we went through plenty of wine. Following some appetizers and margaritas, we drank one of my favorites: a 2002 Dry Town Zinfandel from Amador County. This wine had originally arrived through my wine club, which I then took to Shane and Quan's house for dinner. Shane fell in love, and on a wine-themed road trip, he and Quan stopped at Dry Town, became friends with the owner and purchased a few bottles, one of which Shane gave me. The bottles were so fresh, they weren't even labelled. I let the bottle age for a few years, and it was perfect when we opened it on a Saturday night to enjoy while grilling.
For dinner, Karen and I chose a 2002 Amphora Falls Pinot from Mendocino, which complemented the tri-tip perfectly. We ended up with a 20005 Crios Malbec, not that great, but doable when it's the third bottle after a great meal. And it went well with the raspberry tart.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Ratatouille!
I found a link on Simply Recipes for a new Pixar film - Ratatouille - not about the actual food, but of a Parisian rat in who loves French/good food. While this premise may sound a bit lame, Brad Bird, the Pixar genius behind The Incredibles (such a great film that I even bought the DVD before seeing it), I have high hopes. Plus, what could be bad about a movie revolving around French food and one's quest to eat well???
Monday, August 28, 2006
you win some, you lose some
While it would be nice to say that everything I cook is perfect, we all know that world of food simply doesn't work out that way. Some things turn out just the way they should, some flop spectacularly. And then sometimes, things fall somewhere in between. Like Sunday night.
Alan, in Seattle for business from Austin (where he works for a company I won't name, but think "exploding batteries") came over for dinner. He mentioned several times that he wanted fish, so I picked up some fresh salmon at the farmer's market from the young and friendly fish guy.
The night started a bit rocky - someone overslept and only got to my house because his phone rang. By the time I grilled the fish (using Cooks' glazed recipe), it was dark. At first pass, the fish was barely even cooked. Strike one. The corn salad (from Cooking for Mr. Latte) was great. And the sliced heirloom tomatoes with fresh basil, fresh mozarella, olive oil and a few sprinkles of truffle sea salt was not only pretty, but delicious.
I made a lemon meringue pie for dessert. For only the second time in several years of cooking from Cooks Illustrated, the recipe just didn't work. The crust was delicious (regular pie crust rolled in crushed graham crackers) and the meringue turned out well. But the filling, oh the poor filling, was a runny mess. Luckily, it was still tasty and edible, meaning that the gaffe was user error rather than a bad recipe: I just didn't cook the cornstarch, sugar and water (the first step in the filling recipe) long enough. After a few pieces were removed, I noticed that the filling had spread to cover the entire bottom of the pie plate. The meringue had broken off from its anchor of crust, floating in the middle of lemon, almost like the floating island dessert (french), only not planned and not nearly as pretty.
I don't think Alan really noticed the gaffes. He ate well, mentioning something about home cooked meals and how he never got them. Alas, you win some, you lose some.
Alan, in Seattle for business from Austin (where he works for a company I won't name, but think "exploding batteries") came over for dinner. He mentioned several times that he wanted fish, so I picked up some fresh salmon at the farmer's market from the young and friendly fish guy.
The night started a bit rocky - someone overslept and only got to my house because his phone rang. By the time I grilled the fish (using Cooks' glazed recipe), it was dark. At first pass, the fish was barely even cooked. Strike one. The corn salad (from Cooking for Mr. Latte) was great. And the sliced heirloom tomatoes with fresh basil, fresh mozarella, olive oil and a few sprinkles of truffle sea salt was not only pretty, but delicious.
I made a lemon meringue pie for dessert. For only the second time in several years of cooking from Cooks Illustrated, the recipe just didn't work. The crust was delicious (regular pie crust rolled in crushed graham crackers) and the meringue turned out well. But the filling, oh the poor filling, was a runny mess. Luckily, it was still tasty and edible, meaning that the gaffe was user error rather than a bad recipe: I just didn't cook the cornstarch, sugar and water (the first step in the filling recipe) long enough. After a few pieces were removed, I noticed that the filling had spread to cover the entire bottom of the pie plate. The meringue had broken off from its anchor of crust, floating in the middle of lemon, almost like the floating island dessert (french), only not planned and not nearly as pretty.
I don't think Alan really noticed the gaffes. He ate well, mentioning something about home cooked meals and how he never got them. Alas, you win some, you lose some.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Conquering Fear of Pie Crust
Ever since I,Aeove known Jill, she,Aeos always talked about her fear of pie crusts, to which I,Aeove regularly responded with ,Aeuit,Aeos so easy!,Ae? In fact, our very first conversation at the IDC onsite/offsite many years ago could have gone along these lines:
Jill: ,AeuWould you like some candy?,Ae?
Schelley: ,AeuOooh, yes. I like the pretty cellophane bag that you've brought the candy in,Ae?.
Jill: ,AeuBetter than these stale cookies they're feeding us.,Ae?
Schelley: ,AeuI could do much better. I have a great chocolate chip cookie recipe; I really enjoy baking.,Ae?
Jill: ,AeuReally? You know, pie crust scares me.,Ae?
Schelley: ,AeuOh, it,Aeos so easy! I can teach you.,Ae?
So I may be slightly exaggerating the flow of that exact conversation, but I know that those very words were said over the span of many, many conversations.
Finally, I made good on my promise, and on Sunday, much to Jill,Aeos delight, we made pies, cherry pies, per Jamie,Aeos request.
The pie making was tons of fun. Making pie isn,Aeot difficult ,Aei but for some reason, pie crust has developed a nasty reputation. I think it,Aeos bad recipes, or people who just freak out at the amount of fat (butter, lard, shortening, etc.) required and try to do short cuts, or overmix, or lose patience, or any other number of excuses.
We did a little experimentation, a la Cooks Illustrated. Jill didn,Aeot have enough flour for two pies, but did have a package of biscuit flour (it was very white, and I suspect refined differently than flour normally used for baking). The dough using regular flour (King Arthur, self-rising or whatever it,Aeos called) was perfect, easy to work with, with the right balance of butter and salt; the dough using the special biscuit flour was puffy, tasted slightly sour, like a biscuit, and difficult to work with, as in structurally, it fell apart at the slightest touch. Each baked differently: the regular pie (or what we referred to as ,Aeujill,Aeos pie,Ae?) was beautifully golden brown; the pie with biscuit flour (,Aeumy pie,Ae?), darkened too much. According to expert pie eater Jamie, my pie tasted as expected: like biscuits wrapped around cherry pie filling. Not bad, but just not optimal.
Jill's pie was perfect. She brought it for dessert to Lee Dicks,Aeo house (which was an amazing dinner all on its own), and paired with Lee Dicks,Aeo pluot ice cream, was fabulous. The cherries were completely intact, juicy and plump in their cooked goodness and the crust was flaky and delicious.
I,Aeom proud to say that Jill is no longer afraid of pie crust. This is the second person I,Aeove made pies with since moving to Seattle (Tony was the first, over Memorial Day weekend). I would like to say that my pie mentoring is done, but I suspect that there will be others.
Jill: ,AeuWould you like some candy?,Ae?
Schelley: ,AeuOooh, yes. I like the pretty cellophane bag that you've brought the candy in,Ae?.
Jill: ,AeuBetter than these stale cookies they're feeding us.,Ae?
Schelley: ,AeuI could do much better. I have a great chocolate chip cookie recipe; I really enjoy baking.,Ae?
Jill: ,AeuReally? You know, pie crust scares me.,Ae?
Schelley: ,AeuOh, it,Aeos so easy! I can teach you.,Ae?
So I may be slightly exaggerating the flow of that exact conversation, but I know that those very words were said over the span of many, many conversations.
Finally, I made good on my promise, and on Sunday, much to Jill,Aeos delight, we made pies, cherry pies, per Jamie,Aeos request.
The pie making was tons of fun. Making pie isn,Aeot difficult ,Aei but for some reason, pie crust has developed a nasty reputation. I think it,Aeos bad recipes, or people who just freak out at the amount of fat (butter, lard, shortening, etc.) required and try to do short cuts, or overmix, or lose patience, or any other number of excuses.
We did a little experimentation, a la Cooks Illustrated. Jill didn,Aeot have enough flour for two pies, but did have a package of biscuit flour (it was very white, and I suspect refined differently than flour normally used for baking). The dough using regular flour (King Arthur, self-rising or whatever it,Aeos called) was perfect, easy to work with, with the right balance of butter and salt; the dough using the special biscuit flour was puffy, tasted slightly sour, like a biscuit, and difficult to work with, as in structurally, it fell apart at the slightest touch. Each baked differently: the regular pie (or what we referred to as ,Aeujill,Aeos pie,Ae?) was beautifully golden brown; the pie with biscuit flour (,Aeumy pie,Ae?), darkened too much. According to expert pie eater Jamie, my pie tasted as expected: like biscuits wrapped around cherry pie filling. Not bad, but just not optimal.
Jill's pie was perfect. She brought it for dessert to Lee Dicks,Aeo house (which was an amazing dinner all on its own), and paired with Lee Dicks,Aeo pluot ice cream, was fabulous. The cherries were completely intact, juicy and plump in their cooked goodness and the crust was flaky and delicious.
I,Aeom proud to say that Jill is no longer afraid of pie crust. This is the second person I,Aeove made pies with since moving to Seattle (Tony was the first, over Memorial Day weekend). I would like to say that my pie mentoring is done, but I suspect that there will be others.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Jai's Visit!
Jai came to Seattle for business. He flew in a day early, which meant that we could do one of the things that we do best together: eat.
Because he lives in London where Mexican food is not great (unlike Indian, which I will always be jealous about), and because I'm a nice person, I made him Mexican for dinner. It was a great meal, although I didn't quite get the heat high enough for even my tastes, let alone his penchant for nose running heat. Salsa and guacamole to start, then enchiladas stuffed with beans, cilantro, cheese and ancho chiles covered in tomatilla sauce (the green one), and of course, the requisite pinto beans and rice.
We also got in lunch at Ooba's (which I think I like better than El Chupacabre) with a few of his colleagues, who I'm not sure had ever feasted on decent Mexican, if any. At least, I've never had to explain the difference between a taco and a burrito. Hopefully, I was able to influence our friends in that little island across the ocean :)
Later that week, dinner at Shamiana, a decent Indian place. Actually, by our standards, Shamiana is great, but by Jai's standards, where the diviest of dive Indian place is amazing, the Kirkland place was ok. I understand: I miss the Bay Area taquerias, where the diviest of dive is amazing.
Because he lives in London where Mexican food is not great (unlike Indian, which I will always be jealous about), and because I'm a nice person, I made him Mexican for dinner. It was a great meal, although I didn't quite get the heat high enough for even my tastes, let alone his penchant for nose running heat. Salsa and guacamole to start, then enchiladas stuffed with beans, cilantro, cheese and ancho chiles covered in tomatilla sauce (the green one), and of course, the requisite pinto beans and rice.
We also got in lunch at Ooba's (which I think I like better than El Chupacabre) with a few of his colleagues, who I'm not sure had ever feasted on decent Mexican, if any. At least, I've never had to explain the difference between a taco and a burrito. Hopefully, I was able to influence our friends in that little island across the ocean :)
Later that week, dinner at Shamiana, a decent Indian place. Actually, by our standards, Shamiana is great, but by Jai's standards, where the diviest of dive Indian place is amazing, the Kirkland place was ok. I understand: I miss the Bay Area taquerias, where the diviest of dive is amazing.
a recipe from growing up
One of my favorites when growing up was my mom's skirt steaks. She would unroll the long, skinny pieces of beef, brush with bbq sauce, lay a few pieces of bacon on top, roll the meat back up, use a metal skewer to hold it all together and cook on the grill. Even as an adult, I stil have a preference for skirt steak. (for example, Ooba's uses the cut of steak in their carne asada burritos, which I love).
Last weekend, while shopping at Madison Market (good market with huge selection of bulk items and big emphasis on organic and health food), I came across skirt steaks in the meat section. It took me about 5 seconds to remember that I had bacon in the fridge and about 10 seconds to grab the skirt steaks and a bottle of Tom Douglas' bbq sauce (I bought the pale ale variety). Thus, dinner was born.
I still really enjoyed - skirt steak is a decent cut of meat. And what's not to like about bacon? But I also noticed a few problems. For example, IMO, red meat is best when on the rare end, but rare is not necessarily good for bacon. I suppose that cooking on a lower temp would work, although problematic on the gas grill that I use. I also suppose that partially cooking the bacon first would be helpful...
Last weekend, while shopping at Madison Market (good market with huge selection of bulk items and big emphasis on organic and health food), I came across skirt steaks in the meat section. It took me about 5 seconds to remember that I had bacon in the fridge and about 10 seconds to grab the skirt steaks and a bottle of Tom Douglas' bbq sauce (I bought the pale ale variety). Thus, dinner was born.
I still really enjoyed - skirt steak is a decent cut of meat. And what's not to like about bacon? But I also noticed a few problems. For example, IMO, red meat is best when on the rare end, but rare is not necessarily good for bacon. I suppose that cooking on a lower temp would work, although problematic on the gas grill that I use. I also suppose that partially cooking the bacon first would be helpful...
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
bbq! just a few notes
I am loving having a bbq again. I bought blade steak at Trader Joe's the other night, which according to Cook's Illustrated, was perfect for shish kebabs. I marinated the cubed steak in a quick asian style marinade, skewered with onions, pineapple, orange and yellow bell peppers, then threw on the grill. A very perfect meal. A few weeks ago, I made Cooks glazed salmon, again excellent.
Although, the gas grill has problems with heat regulation. A few weeks ago, it just didn't heat up enough. Now, it heats up as hot as possible. Which works for some recipes, but not for others.
I guess I need to finally figure out the charcoal grill. And the smoker that's also on our patio. I even bought a new cookbook, Smoke & Spice, specifically for cooking with smoke that my bbq idols Karen and Evan recommended. I don't think I'm going to make it to the Bay Area for Thanksgiving - if the weather and other things cooperate, it would be funs of ton to brine and grill the bird. Takers?
Although, the gas grill has problems with heat regulation. A few weeks ago, it just didn't heat up enough. Now, it heats up as hot as possible. Which works for some recipes, but not for others.
I guess I need to finally figure out the charcoal grill. And the smoker that's also on our patio. I even bought a new cookbook, Smoke & Spice, specifically for cooking with smoke that my bbq idols Karen and Evan recommended. I don't think I'm going to make it to the Bay Area for Thanksgiving - if the weather and other things cooperate, it would be funs of ton to brine and grill the bird. Takers?
Monday, August 07, 2006
Visitors and a Party
Several weeks ago, Nilay talked me into having a housewarming party. "Set the stage for your move to Seattle. Invite everyone you know." A few weeks later, the evite went out:
,AeuThe boxes are unpacked. The kitchen works. And Lolita has now been properly registered with the powers that be of auto license plates in the state of Washington. That means only one thing: it is time to properly celebrate my habitation of a new home. While breaking a bottle of champagne on the, er, door or cutting a giant ribbon in the hallway with an equally giant pair of scissors might officially declare the Park Rose Terrace home, both are just not fitting. On the other hand, a housewarming party seems extremely palatable. And not some cheesey fly-by-night affair with stale chips and Pabst, but a proper event with real appetizers and margaritas and music and other stuff.
Interested? Come on, you know that you don,Aeot have much else to do on a beautiful, "rain free" Seattle evening. And besides which, you encouraged me to move to Seattle (ok, some of you, and you know who you are), so you need to help me officially establish myself as a Seattelite. Seattelian. Seattle person. You get the picture.,Ae?
To ensure a proper celebration, Nilay, Carrie and Emil came up for a long weekend. In addition to the party, we didn't so much as see the sights as play, eat and drink. So, some food/spirit highlights:
-Matt's in the Market. Another fabulous meal. Starters of clams and musells with a bottle of S. Anderson Blanc de Noirs. Salmon and lentils (one of my all-time favorite combinations) with a sauvignon blanc. A rich chocolate dessert, including a lovely Guinness and port.
-Friday night drinks. Drinks at my place after Matt's. I cracked opened a bottle of huervas (spanish liquor, similar to a jaeger but much lighter and drinkable), while the others concocted interesting combinations. I also want to note that all three served as alcohol mules, bringing me California priced vodka and tequila (it was only when I drug Carrie into one of the government alcohol stores did she she finally believe my stories about the high prices and limited selection). A knock from the neighbors at 1:30 in the morning was a bit alarming, until we found out that they wanted to join the party.
-Venus Brunch. I've been to Venus once before for brunch, and loved it just as much a second time. Venus is connected to the bar Mars, so make an excellent bloody mary (as well as other breakfast drinks). Plus, they make great brunch food, including whole fried and seasoned small potatoes and mushroom gravy and biscuits.
-Linda's Brunch. Again, a repeat. The greasy breakfast and pitcher of Mac and Jac helped with the hangover from the night before. Which reminds me, B Complex is a very good hangover fix; pop a pill, drink some water and sleep.
-Housewarming. Highlight of the party - margaritas. Plus a ton of wine and beer and non-alcoholic drinks (I even made mint lemonade for the non-drinkers in the crowd). Food: my bean dip layered with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheddar and olives; a cheese plate; tomato and basil bruschetta; grilled shrimp; blondies; brownies; and someone brought the perfect and fabulous Dahlia Loung coconut cream pie.
Finally, a huge thank you to Carrie, Emil and Nilay for all of their pre- and post-party help. This was definitely the first party that I'd thrown in a long time in which I had anyone to help, and the extra hands were sooo appreciated. Plus, I am so happy that all three came up - we had a ton of fun and I was truly sorry to see everyone leave. I can't wait until we can hang out together again...I have incredible friends.
,AeuThe boxes are unpacked. The kitchen works. And Lolita has now been properly registered with the powers that be of auto license plates in the state of Washington. That means only one thing: it is time to properly celebrate my habitation of a new home. While breaking a bottle of champagne on the, er, door or cutting a giant ribbon in the hallway with an equally giant pair of scissors might officially declare the Park Rose Terrace home, both are just not fitting. On the other hand, a housewarming party seems extremely palatable. And not some cheesey fly-by-night affair with stale chips and Pabst, but a proper event with real appetizers and margaritas and music and other stuff.
Interested? Come on, you know that you don,Aeot have much else to do on a beautiful, "rain free" Seattle evening. And besides which, you encouraged me to move to Seattle (ok, some of you, and you know who you are), so you need to help me officially establish myself as a Seattelite. Seattelian. Seattle person. You get the picture.,Ae?
To ensure a proper celebration, Nilay, Carrie and Emil came up for a long weekend. In addition to the party, we didn't so much as see the sights as play, eat and drink. So, some food/spirit highlights:
-Matt's in the Market. Another fabulous meal. Starters of clams and musells with a bottle of S. Anderson Blanc de Noirs. Salmon and lentils (one of my all-time favorite combinations) with a sauvignon blanc. A rich chocolate dessert, including a lovely Guinness and port.
-Friday night drinks. Drinks at my place after Matt's. I cracked opened a bottle of huervas (spanish liquor, similar to a jaeger but much lighter and drinkable), while the others concocted interesting combinations. I also want to note that all three served as alcohol mules, bringing me California priced vodka and tequila (it was only when I drug Carrie into one of the government alcohol stores did she she finally believe my stories about the high prices and limited selection). A knock from the neighbors at 1:30 in the morning was a bit alarming, until we found out that they wanted to join the party.
-Venus Brunch. I've been to Venus once before for brunch, and loved it just as much a second time. Venus is connected to the bar Mars, so make an excellent bloody mary (as well as other breakfast drinks). Plus, they make great brunch food, including whole fried and seasoned small potatoes and mushroom gravy and biscuits.
-Linda's Brunch. Again, a repeat. The greasy breakfast and pitcher of Mac and Jac helped with the hangover from the night before. Which reminds me, B Complex is a very good hangover fix; pop a pill, drink some water and sleep.
-Housewarming. Highlight of the party - margaritas. Plus a ton of wine and beer and non-alcoholic drinks (I even made mint lemonade for the non-drinkers in the crowd). Food: my bean dip layered with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheddar and olives; a cheese plate; tomato and basil bruschetta; grilled shrimp; blondies; brownies; and someone brought the perfect and fabulous Dahlia Loung coconut cream pie.
Finally, a huge thank you to Carrie, Emil and Nilay for all of their pre- and post-party help. This was definitely the first party that I'd thrown in a long time in which I had anyone to help, and the extra hands were sooo appreciated. Plus, I am so happy that all three came up - we had a ton of fun and I was truly sorry to see everyone leave. I can't wait until we can hang out together again...I have incredible friends.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Be One With the Heat
Weather was a consideration in the decision to move to Seattle. Not about the rain - I actually like rain (an attitude I'm sure will change in, oh say, February). Really, I was concerned with heat. And assured that the summers were beautiful - sunny, mild, perfect. Which was sort of true, until the heat wave hit. Hot, somewhat muggy, I spent several days a sticky mess, eventually giving up and trying to be one with the heat.
The heat wave coincided with a weekend of plans, namely the Taste of Seattle and the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Beer Festival. Located under the shadow of the Space Needle, Taste is a collection of food representing that of the high-end gourmet for the foodies to near carnival fare. Lots of choose from. But the best part was the little alley: for $10, I was served a plate of amazing food, cooked under the guidance of Thomas Douglas, of Dahlia Lounge and Palace Kitchen fame. For those of you not from Seattle, he is one of our best known chefs. And a super cool guy, too. His efforts that day resulted in a large charitable donation.
Jamie, Jill and I feasted and enjoyed. Corn and blueberry salad. Snap pea salad with mint. Hush puppies. Crab cakes. Steak with berry sauce. Pork loin with chimichurri sauce. Garlic bread. And chocolate cherry cupcakes for dessert. The food was simply amazing. We followed the meal up with Dahlia Lounge donuts, fried puffs of goodness smothered in cinnamon sugar; I chose the vanilla mascarpone and berry compote dipping sauces.
Later that day, in keeping with "be one with the heat" mantra, we walked to El Chupacabre. The shade and margaritas certainly helped me feel better. Life got even better with a very good carne asada burrito, one of the better burritos to be had in Seattle. Life got much better at the Phinney Ridge beer festival. Despite the heat (it was held in an old school building, thus, sans modern AC), the festival was great. Small, well-organized and full of people there to taste and enjoy, rather than pick up and get drunk. I absolutely loved the Red Wolf Cherry Wheat from Harmon Brewery in Portland, and the Hale's Kolsch was quite good too.
A few days later, the heat wave has broken, and once again, Seattle is beautiful, sunny, mild. I even woke up this morning feeling cold, the first in several days.
The heat wave coincided with a weekend of plans, namely the Taste of Seattle and the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Beer Festival. Located under the shadow of the Space Needle, Taste is a collection of food representing that of the high-end gourmet for the foodies to near carnival fare. Lots of choose from. But the best part was the little alley: for $10, I was served a plate of amazing food, cooked under the guidance of Thomas Douglas, of Dahlia Lounge and Palace Kitchen fame. For those of you not from Seattle, he is one of our best known chefs. And a super cool guy, too. His efforts that day resulted in a large charitable donation.
Jamie, Jill and I feasted and enjoyed. Corn and blueberry salad. Snap pea salad with mint. Hush puppies. Crab cakes. Steak with berry sauce. Pork loin with chimichurri sauce. Garlic bread. And chocolate cherry cupcakes for dessert. The food was simply amazing. We followed the meal up with Dahlia Lounge donuts, fried puffs of goodness smothered in cinnamon sugar; I chose the vanilla mascarpone and berry compote dipping sauces.
Later that day, in keeping with "be one with the heat" mantra, we walked to El Chupacabre. The shade and margaritas certainly helped me feel better. Life got even better with a very good carne asada burrito, one of the better burritos to be had in Seattle. Life got much better at the Phinney Ridge beer festival. Despite the heat (it was held in an old school building, thus, sans modern AC), the festival was great. Small, well-organized and full of people there to taste and enjoy, rather than pick up and get drunk. I absolutely loved the Red Wolf Cherry Wheat from Harmon Brewery in Portland, and the Hale's Kolsch was quite good too.
A few days later, the heat wave has broken, and once again, Seattle is beautiful, sunny, mild. I even woke up this morning feeling cold, the first in several days.
27 Years and Counting
Supposedly, I came home from my first day of nursery school and announced, "Mom, I met my new best friend, Aimee!" Within a few years, our families had become friends, and since, we've been a part of each other's lives, through the highs and lows of life.
Aimee and her husband and two kids live in Florida. Andy, Aimee's younger brother, now lives in Portland. He trained and worked as a professional chef (a profession of great respect, in my opinion); a career change landed him a job at a cheese distributor. Not your average Kraft American singles distributor, but one with cheese with wonderful sounding names, like parmigano-reggiano, cows milk manchego, mahon, camembert, humboldt fog and countless others. Aimee with kids in tow, plus Aimee and Andy's dad and his family were in Portland at the tail end of a long road trip. A three-hour drive from Seattle to Portland and it was time for a reunion.
I have to boast - Andy is an amazing host. He kept us well lubricated and well fed. I loved "Andy's Southern Iced Tea" and am buying some pomegranate juice to add to margaritas, after watching him add homemade berry syrup to his concoctions. I was especially enchanted with the cheese plate (of which I'll post a picture, as soon as someone - Nilay? Gavin? - helps me figure out this user unfriendly program). Some runny raw cow milk, more runny goat cheese and a few firmer ones to round out the dish. He pulled out a particularly interesting fresh buffalo mozzarella, which to me, tasted of toasted almonds.
He grilled chicken and veggie skewers for dinner; the poultry was marinated in something pungent (ingredients are a mystery) and orzo salad. I supplied a New York cheesecake with strawberry compote for dessert. Plus wine, of course.
Since this blog is about food and wine, and as an extension of the wine, alcohol, it's worth noting that being around a 4-year old has it perks. Not only was Russell a super nice kid, he also proved quite capable of happily fetching me a beer. Adam, you've trained your son well :)
Aimee and her husband and two kids live in Florida. Andy, Aimee's younger brother, now lives in Portland. He trained and worked as a professional chef (a profession of great respect, in my opinion); a career change landed him a job at a cheese distributor. Not your average Kraft American singles distributor, but one with cheese with wonderful sounding names, like parmigano-reggiano, cows milk manchego, mahon, camembert, humboldt fog and countless others. Aimee with kids in tow, plus Aimee and Andy's dad and his family were in Portland at the tail end of a long road trip. A three-hour drive from Seattle to Portland and it was time for a reunion.
I have to boast - Andy is an amazing host. He kept us well lubricated and well fed. I loved "Andy's Southern Iced Tea" and am buying some pomegranate juice to add to margaritas, after watching him add homemade berry syrup to his concoctions. I was especially enchanted with the cheese plate (of which I'll post a picture, as soon as someone - Nilay? Gavin? - helps me figure out this user unfriendly program). Some runny raw cow milk, more runny goat cheese and a few firmer ones to round out the dish. He pulled out a particularly interesting fresh buffalo mozzarella, which to me, tasted of toasted almonds.
He grilled chicken and veggie skewers for dinner; the poultry was marinated in something pungent (ingredients are a mystery) and orzo salad. I supplied a New York cheesecake with strawberry compote for dessert. Plus wine, of course.
Since this blog is about food and wine, and as an extension of the wine, alcohol, it's worth noting that being around a 4-year old has it perks. Not only was Russell a super nice kid, he also proved quite capable of happily fetching me a beer. Adam, you've trained your son well :)
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Kitchen Disasters
I'm never been known for my housekeeping skills, a problem somewhat exacerbated by my ability to cook with abandon, or in other words, make a huge mess. Sometimes the mess is simply that - lots of dirty dishes, a countertop and stovetop that need to be wiped off, perhaps a spill or two. Other times, the mess migrates into a full-blown kitchen disaster.
In my history of cooking, there have been a few notable kitchen disasters. Several years ago, I was outside tending to the bbq and sent Suzette and Rudy into the kitchen to take the baked beans out of the oven. Suddely, I heard a thumping sound, after which Suzette gasped loudly and Rudy said "oh no!" Turns out he lost control of the pan and baked beans ended up on my newly mopped floor. Lesson learnt: clean floors after the party, not before.
Once in the process of making a cake, the mechanism on the hand mixer that made both whisks move broke, leaving only one functioning whisk. In the middle of beating batter of egg yolks or something quite liquidy. A splatter effect resulted, with cake batter all over the kitchen and me. Another time I made a dark chocolate pie with marshmallow topping. The marshmallow somehow consumed my entire kitchen (luckily, I was in a small galley kitchen at the time and I haven't tried homemade marshmallow since).
Last night was pretty much the mother of all disasters. As I pulled a perfect pizza out of the oven, it somehow slipped out of my hands and landed face down on the floor, managing to also connect with a half open drawer. Red sauce, hot cheese and perfectly cooked veggies (included garlic scapes, yum!) had completely taken over part of my kitchen. I suspect that I'll be wiping red sauce off of my cabinets for many months. No lesson to be learned, unfortunately, unless maybe to hold onto my pizza a little better when taking it out of the oven. Carrie got a voice mail from me after: "Perfect pizza. Dropped on my floor. No choice but to still eat. Will margaritas kill any bad germs?"
In my history of cooking, there have been a few notable kitchen disasters. Several years ago, I was outside tending to the bbq and sent Suzette and Rudy into the kitchen to take the baked beans out of the oven. Suddely, I heard a thumping sound, after which Suzette gasped loudly and Rudy said "oh no!" Turns out he lost control of the pan and baked beans ended up on my newly mopped floor. Lesson learnt: clean floors after the party, not before.
Once in the process of making a cake, the mechanism on the hand mixer that made both whisks move broke, leaving only one functioning whisk. In the middle of beating batter of egg yolks or something quite liquidy. A splatter effect resulted, with cake batter all over the kitchen and me. Another time I made a dark chocolate pie with marshmallow topping. The marshmallow somehow consumed my entire kitchen (luckily, I was in a small galley kitchen at the time and I haven't tried homemade marshmallow since).
Last night was pretty much the mother of all disasters. As I pulled a perfect pizza out of the oven, it somehow slipped out of my hands and landed face down on the floor, managing to also connect with a half open drawer. Red sauce, hot cheese and perfectly cooked veggies (included garlic scapes, yum!) had completely taken over part of my kitchen. I suspect that I'll be wiping red sauce off of my cabinets for many months. No lesson to be learned, unfortunately, unless maybe to hold onto my pizza a little better when taking it out of the oven. Carrie got a voice mail from me after: "Perfect pizza. Dropped on my floor. No choice but to still eat. Will margaritas kill any bad germs?"
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Sangiovese & Other Wine News
Thanks to Carrie, I've become a big Sanigovese fan. Usually spicy and warm, and not coincidentally, the varietal goes well with all things Italian, or sort of Italian, such as pizza.
For Sunday dinner (sorry, no one was invited), I decided to make pizza. The dough was a bit difficult (it had been in the freezer, and if memory serves me correctly, had been defrosted once and thrown back in the freezer), but regardless, still produced an edible crust (i.e., better than other attempts with frozen dough, as I'm sure Carrie remembers). A thin layer of red sauce, a covering of basil leaves, topped with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions and capers. It was delicious, and even more so when accompanied with a 2000 Eagle & Rose Estate Sangiovese. Mind you, not as great as the Unti that I feel in love with at Arlequin, but still excellent in its own right.
In other news, my neighbor is a wine seller. Not just as a hobby, but as a career. That's even more impressive than my previous career. Luckily for me, she is also extremely generous with her wine. I won't go into too many details (not wanting to make anyone reading this who happens to also enjoy wine jealous, such as all of my friends), but she has some great stuff. The other night - roses, sauvignon blancs, a stray chardonnay or two and then a migration into cabs and other reds. The mind was a bit fuzzy by the time the reds arrived, so am unsure of exactly which red varietals. And, we all know that my ability to remember names is bad, even when stone sober. The important thing - I enjoyed every single sip. I suspect that I'm now even more of a lush than ever.
For Sunday dinner (sorry, no one was invited), I decided to make pizza. The dough was a bit difficult (it had been in the freezer, and if memory serves me correctly, had been defrosted once and thrown back in the freezer), but regardless, still produced an edible crust (i.e., better than other attempts with frozen dough, as I'm sure Carrie remembers). A thin layer of red sauce, a covering of basil leaves, topped with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions and capers. It was delicious, and even more so when accompanied with a 2000 Eagle & Rose Estate Sangiovese. Mind you, not as great as the Unti that I feel in love with at Arlequin, but still excellent in its own right.
In other news, my neighbor is a wine seller. Not just as a hobby, but as a career. That's even more impressive than my previous career. Luckily for me, she is also extremely generous with her wine. I won't go into too many details (not wanting to make anyone reading this who happens to also enjoy wine jealous, such as all of my friends), but she has some great stuff. The other night - roses, sauvignon blancs, a stray chardonnay or two and then a migration into cabs and other reds. The mind was a bit fuzzy by the time the reds arrived, so am unsure of exactly which red varietals. And, we all know that my ability to remember names is bad, even when stone sober. The important thing - I enjoyed every single sip. I suspect that I'm now even more of a lush than ever.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Not Really Disappeared
Nilay, who has faithfully hosted my site for several years, is in the middle of moving. All of his belongings are in someone's garage in some far away London suburb, including the server which hosts the blog. The server is unplugged.
But, never fear - Gavin has come to my rescue and I'm now up and running on a new server. We simply had to create some Internet magic - and here we are.
More postings coming soon...
PS - My old entries will eventually reappear.
But, never fear - Gavin has come to my rescue and I'm now up and running on a new server. We simply had to create some Internet magic - and here we are.
More postings coming soon...
PS - My old entries will eventually reappear.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Back to San Francisco
Yes, I made it back to San Francisco not only for work, but also for a much needed visit with friends and family. A rundown of culinary adventures and other stuff follows...
Alexis turned Thursday night at Zeitgeist into part 2 of Al,Aeos farewell. The evening was great ,Aei lots of kickballers showed up, most of whom didn,Aeot know I was in town. Food highlight: the tamale lady was in. I ordered two, one pork and one beef, which she scooped out of her ice chest, squirted some red sauce on top and served on a paper towel. Wow. The masa was the perfect consistency ,Aei greasy enough to soak up the beer and firm enough to hold the roasted meat and sauce inside. And speaking of which, the cow and pig were both excellent, cooked, shredded and cooked in more sauce to perfect tenderness.
Emil, Carrie and I met Suzette and Drew at Fiesta del Mar in Mountain View for lunch (Shoreline location, in case any of you are interested). I became a little misty eyed when they brought a large side of guacamole ,Aei fresh, thick and creamy, tasting of ripe avocados, cilantro, onion and garlic. This, in combination with the three different types of salsa and copious amounts of chips, filled me up,AePand then my main course arrived, the camerones charlee, a sight that practically reduced me to tears. I made everyone let me take pictures of their assorted burrito and camarones plates, too. It was perfect, the huge shrimp cooked in the spicy green sauce and accompanied by rice (covered in cheese, of course) and refried beans. Sooo good,AePand I ponder, where are the decent taquerias in the Seattle area? Taco del mar, Guyamos and Baja Fresh just do not work for me.
We went wine tasting at Ridge http://www.ridgewine.com/ and Pichetti. Ridge is one of my favorite wines, although for some reason, those that we tasted didn,Aeot do much to impress me, with the exception of the always excellent Lytton Springs Zin. That may have been the effect of the margaritas at lunch. Or not. The pourer was super friendly, knowledgeable and comped us the tastes, always nice (our situation was probably helped by the drunk and very obnoxious group that came in at the same time). Pichetti was fairly unimpressive, although it was oddly amusing to taste surrounded by squawking peacocks.
Suzette and Drew have a few favorite haunts in Sunnyvale. First stop was soju mixed with yogurt and various fruits. Potent. The restaurant also sported tables and chairs made of logs. We theorized that it may have been a pizza place in a previous life. We followed cocktails up with Korean bbq for dinner. Even though I lived in Sunnyvale for two and a half years, I never realized just how diverse the food selection is ,Aei everything is there, with an emphasis on Indian and Korean. Of course, I didn,Aeot get out much while living in Sunnyvale either.
On Sunday, I met Mom and Dad at the Ferry Building. Mijita for brunch, another excellent taqueria. This time, I branched out and had not only a vegetarian taco, but a mijita, similar to a quesadilla, made with masa, filled with queso cheese and chiles, then fried and served with cooked salsa and guacamole. So great. I also picked up a loaf of Acme sourdough (Acme has a permanent shop at the market), plus an olive roll and sourdough cheese roll. While I,Aeove found great bread in Seattle (especially Macrina), the sourdough pales in comparison to that produced in San Francisco, a factor likely due to the climate.
After walking through SF Pride in the Civic Center (best not to describe what I saw, which in hindsight, not as scarring as what I saw at Pride 2005), I met up with Carrie in Hayes Valley. She wisely liquored me up before taking me to the airport with a Sangiovese tasting at Arlequin Wine Shop http://www.arlequinwine.com. Josh was fabulous, Carrie claims he was flirting with me although I guess I was too deep into my wine (and some of Carrie,Aeos) to notice. We each walked away with a bottle of Unti, our favorite of the tastes. I,Aeom considering joining their wine club; the quality of Arlequin,Aeos selection and the fact that they go for small runs (that I,Aeoll never likely find in Whole Foods or QFC) has always impressed me. While $70 monthly for six bottles may seem like a lot of money and wine, I probably purchase 4-5 bottles in Whole Foods/Trader Joe,Aeos/QFC each month, spending at least, if not more than the monthly fee. And that,Aeos in addition to my 2 bottles every four weeks membership with 1-800 Wine Shop.
I was soooo happy to make it back to my former home ,Aei my eyes were a bit misty as the taxi approached the city, revealing the amazing skyline view. The weather was perfect my entire trip, foggy in the mornings and evenings, breaking up for sunny afternoons. When my flight left early Sunday evening, fog blanketed the entire city. It was as if someone had spread thick whipped cream over San Francisco. It was a beautiful and amazing sight, and for the first time since moving to Seattle, I felt the first real pangs of homesickness. There are many parts of my Bay Area life that I don,Aeot miss, but it hurts not to have those things that I really miss with me every day.
Alexis turned Thursday night at Zeitgeist into part 2 of Al,Aeos farewell. The evening was great ,Aei lots of kickballers showed up, most of whom didn,Aeot know I was in town. Food highlight: the tamale lady was in. I ordered two, one pork and one beef, which she scooped out of her ice chest, squirted some red sauce on top and served on a paper towel. Wow. The masa was the perfect consistency ,Aei greasy enough to soak up the beer and firm enough to hold the roasted meat and sauce inside. And speaking of which, the cow and pig were both excellent, cooked, shredded and cooked in more sauce to perfect tenderness.
Emil, Carrie and I met Suzette and Drew at Fiesta del Mar in Mountain View for lunch (Shoreline location, in case any of you are interested). I became a little misty eyed when they brought a large side of guacamole ,Aei fresh, thick and creamy, tasting of ripe avocados, cilantro, onion and garlic. This, in combination with the three different types of salsa and copious amounts of chips, filled me up,AePand then my main course arrived, the camerones charlee, a sight that practically reduced me to tears. I made everyone let me take pictures of their assorted burrito and camarones plates, too. It was perfect, the huge shrimp cooked in the spicy green sauce and accompanied by rice (covered in cheese, of course) and refried beans. Sooo good,AePand I ponder, where are the decent taquerias in the Seattle area? Taco del mar, Guyamos and Baja Fresh just do not work for me.
We went wine tasting at Ridge http://www.ridgewine.com/ and Pichetti. Ridge is one of my favorite wines, although for some reason, those that we tasted didn,Aeot do much to impress me, with the exception of the always excellent Lytton Springs Zin. That may have been the effect of the margaritas at lunch. Or not. The pourer was super friendly, knowledgeable and comped us the tastes, always nice (our situation was probably helped by the drunk and very obnoxious group that came in at the same time). Pichetti was fairly unimpressive, although it was oddly amusing to taste surrounded by squawking peacocks.
Suzette and Drew have a few favorite haunts in Sunnyvale. First stop was soju mixed with yogurt and various fruits. Potent. The restaurant also sported tables and chairs made of logs. We theorized that it may have been a pizza place in a previous life. We followed cocktails up with Korean bbq for dinner. Even though I lived in Sunnyvale for two and a half years, I never realized just how diverse the food selection is ,Aei everything is there, with an emphasis on Indian and Korean. Of course, I didn,Aeot get out much while living in Sunnyvale either.
On Sunday, I met Mom and Dad at the Ferry Building. Mijita for brunch, another excellent taqueria. This time, I branched out and had not only a vegetarian taco, but a mijita, similar to a quesadilla, made with masa, filled with queso cheese and chiles, then fried and served with cooked salsa and guacamole. So great. I also picked up a loaf of Acme sourdough (Acme has a permanent shop at the market), plus an olive roll and sourdough cheese roll. While I,Aeove found great bread in Seattle (especially Macrina), the sourdough pales in comparison to that produced in San Francisco, a factor likely due to the climate.
After walking through SF Pride in the Civic Center (best not to describe what I saw, which in hindsight, not as scarring as what I saw at Pride 2005), I met up with Carrie in Hayes Valley. She wisely liquored me up before taking me to the airport with a Sangiovese tasting at Arlequin Wine Shop http://www.arlequinwine.com. Josh was fabulous, Carrie claims he was flirting with me although I guess I was too deep into my wine (and some of Carrie,Aeos) to notice. We each walked away with a bottle of Unti, our favorite of the tastes. I,Aeom considering joining their wine club; the quality of Arlequin,Aeos selection and the fact that they go for small runs (that I,Aeoll never likely find in Whole Foods or QFC) has always impressed me. While $70 monthly for six bottles may seem like a lot of money and wine, I probably purchase 4-5 bottles in Whole Foods/Trader Joe,Aeos/QFC each month, spending at least, if not more than the monthly fee. And that,Aeos in addition to my 2 bottles every four weeks membership with 1-800 Wine Shop.
I was soooo happy to make it back to my former home ,Aei my eyes were a bit misty as the taxi approached the city, revealing the amazing skyline view. The weather was perfect my entire trip, foggy in the mornings and evenings, breaking up for sunny afternoons. When my flight left early Sunday evening, fog blanketed the entire city. It was as if someone had spread thick whipped cream over San Francisco. It was a beautiful and amazing sight, and for the first time since moving to Seattle, I felt the first real pangs of homesickness. There are many parts of my Bay Area life that I don,Aeot miss, but it hurts not to have those things that I really miss with me every day.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Conference Food...
I was in San Francisco for the Supernova conference, held at the Palace Hotel. While I don,Aeot have much to say about the conference (I penned some ,Aeuwork" thoughts for an internal work blog), it is worth mentioning that the food was quite delicious for hotel conference food.
Usually, I don,Aeot even think about mentioning hotel conference food on this blog ,Aei wilted salads with bad dressing, dry chicken, bland rice and a sugary slice of pre-packaged cake is about the extent of the offerings. I was completely taken aback when I sat down to a lunch that began with nice, crispy greens and roasted veggies, over which a server poured garlicky creamy dressing. Vegetable lasagna, loaded with more roasted veggies, lots of cheese and a decent red sauce, was the entr/(c)e. And just when I thought it was over, the waitstaff produced ice cream sandwiches, vanilla soft serve sandwiched between two oatmeal-raisin cookies and accompanied by a drizzle of both chocolate and vanilla bean sauce.
While evening appetizers were the usual fare (some fried stuff, sushi), I did enjoy the martini glass entr/(c)e filled with mashed potatoes and topped with chicken fritters (fried bits of chicken), fava beans and some sauce. Excellent, especially as fava beans are at their summer peak of goodness. (Which reminds me, I cooked some up the other night, saut/(c)ing the fresh beans in olive oil, then adding a dressing of yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil and dill. Mmmm.)
Usually, I don,Aeot even think about mentioning hotel conference food on this blog ,Aei wilted salads with bad dressing, dry chicken, bland rice and a sugary slice of pre-packaged cake is about the extent of the offerings. I was completely taken aback when I sat down to a lunch that began with nice, crispy greens and roasted veggies, over which a server poured garlicky creamy dressing. Vegetable lasagna, loaded with more roasted veggies, lots of cheese and a decent red sauce, was the entr/(c)e. And just when I thought it was over, the waitstaff produced ice cream sandwiches, vanilla soft serve sandwiched between two oatmeal-raisin cookies and accompanied by a drizzle of both chocolate and vanilla bean sauce.
While evening appetizers were the usual fare (some fried stuff, sushi), I did enjoy the martini glass entr/(c)e filled with mashed potatoes and topped with chicken fritters (fried bits of chicken), fava beans and some sauce. Excellent, especially as fava beans are at their summer peak of goodness. (Which reminds me, I cooked some up the other night, saut/(c)ing the fresh beans in olive oil, then adding a dressing of yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil and dill. Mmmm.)
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Ooba's - A Promising Taqueria
A casual dinner a few weeks ago with colleagues at Ooba,Aeos, a taqueria in the middle of a Redmond office park. Had I been with a different group of people, I may have cried. Instead, I thought, ,Aeuwow, this is the best Mexican I,Aeove had since arriving in Seattle.
My steak burrito was mucho excellent. The flank steak was marinated in something delicious. And the burrito was the right size with the correct bean-rice-cheese-sour cream-salsa ratio. The only oddness (because you knew it was coming) was the use of white navy beans rather than the traditional pinto, black or refried. The other dishes, in particular the steak tacos, looked delicious as well. Oh, and it,Aeos worth mentioning that the guacamole was quite good.
My steak burrito was mucho excellent. The flank steak was marinated in something delicious. And the burrito was the right size with the correct bean-rice-cheese-sour cream-salsa ratio. The only oddness (because you knew it was coming) was the use of white navy beans rather than the traditional pinto, black or refried. The other dishes, in particular the steak tacos, looked delicious as well. Oh, and it,Aeos worth mentioning that the guacamole was quite good.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Connectivity Problems
Over the past few days, I've added a few back dated entries, with possibly a few more to follow. Sadly, Comcast had troubles setting up my broadband connection, which meant that I'm getting several weeks of free service and because they don't train their technicians properly, they dropped several hundred dollars on service calls.
The upshot - I wasn't able to post as often as I would have liked.
The upshot - I wasn't able to post as often as I would have liked.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Chicago, the Windy City
I was in Chicago last week for business. Jeff, a fellow foodie, suggested that I try deep dish pizza. Considering that I've spent a lot of time in Chicago over the past several years, it's surprising to realize that I've never had deep dish pizza in the windy city. Marty and I came close once, but decided on something else as it was a hot and sticky and humid July day.
I took Jeff's suggestion. Twice.
We ordered in Lou Manelli's for lunch, a spinach and mushroom deep dish pie. And dinner at Une, a vegetarian pie. My only comparison is a deep dish that I'd made about 15 years ago (too much dough, as I recall, or that could be my family's criticism towards an unfamiliar food concept) and several meals at Zachary's in Berkeley/Oakland (always excellent and decadent). Of the two tried, Lou Manelli's was my favorite. Fresh tomatoes, fresh sauce, a bit spicy but not overwhelming and with a healthy dose of cheese (including cheddar, yum). The dough was chewey, dense, much different than Zachary's, which tends to be on the lighter and fluffier end.
Just as an aside, I love hotels that supply bathrobes - I'm not quite sure why, but I've always considered it to be a nice touch. Over the past few years, every time I've stayed at a bathrobe appointed hotel, I've thought, "hmm...this is so much nicer than my ratty bathrobes at home. I really need to buy one", but always balk at paying over $100. The Amalfi Hotel, which is perfect all on its own, actually has the most amazing bathrobes that I've seen in a hotel. So much so that I just bought one for myself (plus, it was less than $100, a nice surprise). Business travel can be good, in so many ways.
I took Jeff's suggestion. Twice.
We ordered in Lou Manelli's for lunch, a spinach and mushroom deep dish pie. And dinner at Une, a vegetarian pie. My only comparison is a deep dish that I'd made about 15 years ago (too much dough, as I recall, or that could be my family's criticism towards an unfamiliar food concept) and several meals at Zachary's in Berkeley/Oakland (always excellent and decadent). Of the two tried, Lou Manelli's was my favorite. Fresh tomatoes, fresh sauce, a bit spicy but not overwhelming and with a healthy dose of cheese (including cheddar, yum). The dough was chewey, dense, much different than Zachary's, which tends to be on the lighter and fluffier end.
Just as an aside, I love hotels that supply bathrobes - I'm not quite sure why, but I've always considered it to be a nice touch. Over the past few years, every time I've stayed at a bathrobe appointed hotel, I've thought, "hmm...this is so much nicer than my ratty bathrobes at home. I really need to buy one", but always balk at paying over $100. The Amalfi Hotel, which is perfect all on its own, actually has the most amazing bathrobes that I've seen in a hotel. So much so that I just bought one for myself (plus, it was less than $100, a nice surprise). Business travel can be good, in so many ways.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Memorial Day Decadence
Tony was my first overnight Seattle visitor, orchestrating a rather decadent weekend. Not only did I feel the need to dry out after he left, but also the need to cleanse my system from gastronomic indulgence.
A quick rundown:
-Salade Nicoise: Completely delicious, with a fresh herb dressing and the requisite tuna, hard boiled eggs, haricot verts (pronounced in whichever way you think is correct), tomatoes and red onions. Note, nicoise olives are missing from the list, just as they were missing from the finished salad.
-Matt's in the Market: Another delicious dining experience in what has been established as one of my favorite Seattle restaurants. Duck pate and mussels as starters, mac and cheese with wild mushrooms for Tony and mahi mahi for me. Matt's earned major points - I didn't really care for the fish and left half uneaten (note, everything else was consumed, including amazing chick peas). Concerned, Matt removed the charge from the bill. A nice gesture, ensuring that I'll happily return.
-Mae's Phinney Ridge: Excellent chicken fried steak. Hearty gravy. Big fluffy biscuits. So similar to San Francisco's Pork Store Cafe. Only without the alcohol.
-Vietnamese style crab: Tony caramelized an onion, tossed segmented and cracked crab with red wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper and sauteed with the onions. Fabulous and delicious and an amazing treat. We drank Peju Provence, a light red wine (almost like fruit punch) with the crab.
-Bumble Berry Pie. Finally - pie makings from Pike Place market. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries were the primary ingredients. The crust wasn't perfect (used an untested recipe from Pie) but it still came together. Bonny Doon's monkey dessert wine went quite well with the berry pie.
-Sofia. Tony brought Sofia, a sparkling wine from Niebaum-Coppola. It came in four pink cans, with tiny straws attached. I enjoyed the kitsch factor, especially working well while we watched old episodes of Sex and the City.
A quick rundown:
-Salade Nicoise: Completely delicious, with a fresh herb dressing and the requisite tuna, hard boiled eggs, haricot verts (pronounced in whichever way you think is correct), tomatoes and red onions. Note, nicoise olives are missing from the list, just as they were missing from the finished salad.
-Matt's in the Market: Another delicious dining experience in what has been established as one of my favorite Seattle restaurants. Duck pate and mussels as starters, mac and cheese with wild mushrooms for Tony and mahi mahi for me. Matt's earned major points - I didn't really care for the fish and left half uneaten (note, everything else was consumed, including amazing chick peas). Concerned, Matt removed the charge from the bill. A nice gesture, ensuring that I'll happily return.
-Mae's Phinney Ridge: Excellent chicken fried steak. Hearty gravy. Big fluffy biscuits. So similar to San Francisco's Pork Store Cafe. Only without the alcohol.
-Vietnamese style crab: Tony caramelized an onion, tossed segmented and cracked crab with red wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper and sauteed with the onions. Fabulous and delicious and an amazing treat. We drank Peju Provence, a light red wine (almost like fruit punch) with the crab.
-Bumble Berry Pie. Finally - pie makings from Pike Place market. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries were the primary ingredients. The crust wasn't perfect (used an untested recipe from Pie) but it still came together. Bonny Doon's monkey dessert wine went quite well with the berry pie.
-Sofia. Tony brought Sofia, a sparkling wine from Niebaum-Coppola. It came in four pink cans, with tiny straws attached. I enjoyed the kitsch factor, especially working well while we watched old episodes of Sex and the City.
Monday, May 15, 2006
NY Cupcakes
Jill turned 30, and to celebrate, Lori brought a few bushels of cupcakes from New York Cupcakes. Ok, maybe not a few bushels, but plenty of cupcakes to properly celebrate another year of Jill.
I would have never guess that the cupcakery is sandwiched between a Baskin Robbins and a McDonald's at the Bellevue Shopping Center. Despite the seemingly odd location, the cupcakes were excellent, far better than those provided a few days earlier at a big company party (although the cupcake sporting the pic of SteveS was hysterical). The cake was moist, the frosting a thick and creamy layer of goodness. Multiple flavors were available - mocha, vanilla bean, chocolate mint, lime margarita, orangesicle, gummy bear. And I'm not making up that last flavor.
Eating the cupcake was not easy. I twisted off the stump, careful to leave enough cake to complement the frosting. Gavin licked off the frosting, savoring just the cake. Others plowed in. And Alan ate his with a fork and a knife. Keeping in mind that I've only worked with the group for about 6 weeks, I did wonder what kinds of interesting personality traits I could draw from how one chose to eat their cupcake. Things to think about...
I would have never guess that the cupcakery is sandwiched between a Baskin Robbins and a McDonald's at the Bellevue Shopping Center. Despite the seemingly odd location, the cupcakes were excellent, far better than those provided a few days earlier at a big company party (although the cupcake sporting the pic of SteveS was hysterical). The cake was moist, the frosting a thick and creamy layer of goodness. Multiple flavors were available - mocha, vanilla bean, chocolate mint, lime margarita, orangesicle, gummy bear. And I'm not making up that last flavor.
Eating the cupcake was not easy. I twisted off the stump, careful to leave enough cake to complement the frosting. Gavin licked off the frosting, savoring just the cake. Others plowed in. And Alan ate his with a fork and a knife. Keeping in mind that I've only worked with the group for about 6 weeks, I did wonder what kinds of interesting personality traits I could draw from how one chose to eat their cupcake. Things to think about...
Tales of Moving
The move to Seattle marked my fifth move in about 7 years, a fact duly noted to the movers, current/former co-workers (especially those around for any number of my previous moves), my "I've moved again" list of family/friends and anyone else that could possibly or not care to know that little factoid. I thought my count was on the high end, although Robby noted that he and his family have had five addresses in two years, Rudy replied with a sarcastic "sheesh, novice" and of course, Aimee, married to a military man, has built her entire adult life (even pre-military) around moving.
Despite best intentions and plans, moving is always painful. While I enjoyed letting others pack my apartment, there were a few unintended consequences. All belongings were packed with the maximum amount of paper - nine packing boxes of varying sizes stuffed with paper were returned to the movers, and that was after I'd kept two large boxes for the next move (and yes, I kept almost all of my packing boxes). While the paper provided protection (including non-breakables such as books and DVDs), the sheer volume of paper was a bit difficult - what to do with the paper while unpacking?
The movers also made a few stupid mistakes, such as packing heavy items on top of lighter items; a few rolls of wrapping paper bit the dust and the pristine Star Wars Lego Collectors Edition set box is no longer so pristine. Because the move happened so quickly, I didn't have much time to sort through stuff, and as I unpacked, Goodwill boxes were filled. (This situation is also helped by the fact that my bedroom closet is smaller and I decided to move my desk into the living room closet, thus limiting clothes/storage space). While unpacking, I didn't really know what I was going to find, an experience that was a combination of frustration and Christmas.
Almost everything I own left my home in San Francisco, reappearing six weeks later at my new home in Seattle. Effectively, this meant that I had no control, and without eyes to watch, my possessions were not always treated with the best of care. Both very nice living room lamps have been damaged beyond repair. The newly refinished top of my Grandma's cedar chest is scratched; although the movers promised that it would remain wrapped in blankets until delivery, I suspect the blankets were removed along the way. A bed castor was broken off (and if you know what a castor is, you are way ahead of me). The formerly pristine feet on chair/couch/ottoman are scuffed. A Riedel glass broke (funny, same thing happened the previous move, but that was because while carrying a bag containing two Reidels out of the house, I tripped and fell. In front of the movers. One of my more spectacular falls in my long history of falling in front of others. New friends and colleagues, keep an eye out - someday, I'm going to step on an errant tator tot and take a little tumble). A cheap champagne glass broke. My cute fish platter from Hawaii split in half.
After two weeks, my apartment is no longer in the "just moved in stage", but rather, "a bit messy "hat always precedes the "finally settled stage". It's nice to be in my own home again, surrounded by my own belongings. I can finally cook again - already, I've made vegetable stir-fry (from the latest issues of Cooks, yum!) and pizza.
Jill got it right OoOhm the last time I moved, she sent a bouquet of flowers with a note saying OoOhmI hope the next time you move itOoOhms to little olOoOhm Seattle.OoOhm And here I am!
Despite best intentions and plans, moving is always painful. While I enjoyed letting others pack my apartment, there were a few unintended consequences. All belongings were packed with the maximum amount of paper - nine packing boxes of varying sizes stuffed with paper were returned to the movers, and that was after I'd kept two large boxes for the next move (and yes, I kept almost all of my packing boxes). While the paper provided protection (including non-breakables such as books and DVDs), the sheer volume of paper was a bit difficult - what to do with the paper while unpacking?
The movers also made a few stupid mistakes, such as packing heavy items on top of lighter items; a few rolls of wrapping paper bit the dust and the pristine Star Wars Lego Collectors Edition set box is no longer so pristine. Because the move happened so quickly, I didn't have much time to sort through stuff, and as I unpacked, Goodwill boxes were filled. (This situation is also helped by the fact that my bedroom closet is smaller and I decided to move my desk into the living room closet, thus limiting clothes/storage space). While unpacking, I didn't really know what I was going to find, an experience that was a combination of frustration and Christmas.
Almost everything I own left my home in San Francisco, reappearing six weeks later at my new home in Seattle. Effectively, this meant that I had no control, and without eyes to watch, my possessions were not always treated with the best of care. Both very nice living room lamps have been damaged beyond repair. The newly refinished top of my Grandma's cedar chest is scratched; although the movers promised that it would remain wrapped in blankets until delivery, I suspect the blankets were removed along the way. A bed castor was broken off (and if you know what a castor is, you are way ahead of me). The formerly pristine feet on chair/couch/ottoman are scuffed. A Riedel glass broke (funny, same thing happened the previous move, but that was because while carrying a bag containing two Reidels out of the house, I tripped and fell. In front of the movers. One of my more spectacular falls in my long history of falling in front of others. New friends and colleagues, keep an eye out - someday, I'm going to step on an errant tator tot and take a little tumble). A cheap champagne glass broke. My cute fish platter from Hawaii split in half.
After two weeks, my apartment is no longer in the "just moved in stage", but rather, "a bit messy "hat always precedes the "finally settled stage". It's nice to be in my own home again, surrounded by my own belongings. I can finally cook again - already, I've made vegetable stir-fry (from the latest issues of Cooks, yum!) and pizza.
Jill got it right OoOhm the last time I moved, she sent a bouquet of flowers with a note saying OoOhmI hope the next time you move itOoOhms to little olOoOhm Seattle.OoOhm And here I am!
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Rachel in India
Rachel recently returned from a week in India - fully experiencing the sights, sounds and culture of the far off land. Her holiday was amazing, and with her permission, I'm cutting and pasting her thoughts about the food.
From Rachel:
It takes forever to get stuff done in India too, even grocery shopping isn't that easy - no supermarkets so it's all done at local markets which were filthy - stinky and full of flies - live chickens and other animals too... saying that I had some great food! Melissa had her maid/nanny cook curry for us one night - it was amazing!! The best curry I have ever eaten - she did butter chicken, a paneer curry, a baby aubergine curry, lady fingers in another kind of curry sauce, raita and homemade chapati's too! All followed with an indian dessert - don't know what it was called but it was very fine noodles in a very sweet creamy sauce - yum! The maid cooked for us most nights - she's learnt to make Japanese style food too for them, so I was very well fed! The food at the hotel was ok - more spicy than the home made stuff. Oh, I also confess... I ate at McDonalds a couple of times (was safer than eating street food)... but even that was good! The Mc Aloo Tikki burger was heaven - A spicy potatoe/spinach burger with a tikka sauce. Far better than the beef burgers you get over here.
From Rachel:
It takes forever to get stuff done in India too, even grocery shopping isn't that easy - no supermarkets so it's all done at local markets which were filthy - stinky and full of flies - live chickens and other animals too... saying that I had some great food! Melissa had her maid/nanny cook curry for us one night - it was amazing!! The best curry I have ever eaten - she did butter chicken, a paneer curry, a baby aubergine curry, lady fingers in another kind of curry sauce, raita and homemade chapati's too! All followed with an indian dessert - don't know what it was called but it was very fine noodles in a very sweet creamy sauce - yum! The maid cooked for us most nights - she's learnt to make Japanese style food too for them, so I was very well fed! The food at the hotel was ok - more spicy than the home made stuff. Oh, I also confess... I ate at McDonalds a couple of times (was safer than eating street food)... but even that was good! The Mc Aloo Tikki burger was heaven - A spicy potatoe/spinach burger with a tikka sauce. Far better than the beef burgers you get over here.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Matt's in the Market
For reasons that aren't necessarily clear to anyone, I was tasked with giving a presentation at a planning conference (remember, I just started the job a few weeks ago). Incredibly stressful, and thanks to some last minute help from Jeff, the presentation went very well (note: consumers are cool!) and to celebrate, I took myself to Matt's in the Market, just down the street in Pike Place Market. Matt's now ranks as one of my favorite all-time Seattle restaurants; it reminds me a bit of Canteen in San Francisco, in size (tiny, tiny, tiny, including counter seating), waitstaff (uber friendly), emphasis on fresh ingredients (as in harvested a few minutes ago from the sea) and the subtle twists that deliver an unexpected layer of complexity and goodness in the final product.
I began with a glass of pinot grigio and the asparagus and macademia crusted goat cheese salad. While the dressing was a too tangy for me (which meant it was really tangy since I usually tone down my own dressings for others), I loved the generous helping of roasted asparagus and goat cheese. I switched to a German white (gruner something), nice and crisp with a pleasant, bubbly finish. This complimented my entree of seared scallops, served with broccolini and mashed potatos, and topped with lime pickle. Yes, that is correct - lime pickle, that very distinctive Indian side. The entire effect was fabulous, the scallops were practically moving when seasoned by the chef (I sat the counter, so watched him make my meal) and the lime pickle added a nice, sour counterbalance to the overall dish.
Not usually one for ice cream, on Monday, Jeff told me about his search for the perfect chocolate sauce to accompany his ice cream, which had the effect of making me crave ice cream (a food item I rarely eat). Luckily for me, dark chocolate gelato was on the menu, and finished my Matt's meal quite nicely.
I began with a glass of pinot grigio and the asparagus and macademia crusted goat cheese salad. While the dressing was a too tangy for me (which meant it was really tangy since I usually tone down my own dressings for others), I loved the generous helping of roasted asparagus and goat cheese. I switched to a German white (gruner something), nice and crisp with a pleasant, bubbly finish. This complimented my entree of seared scallops, served with broccolini and mashed potatos, and topped with lime pickle. Yes, that is correct - lime pickle, that very distinctive Indian side. The entire effect was fabulous, the scallops were practically moving when seasoned by the chef (I sat the counter, so watched him make my meal) and the lime pickle added a nice, sour counterbalance to the overall dish.
Not usually one for ice cream, on Monday, Jeff told me about his search for the perfect chocolate sauce to accompany his ice cream, which had the effect of making me crave ice cream (a food item I rarely eat). Luckily for me, dark chocolate gelato was on the menu, and finished my Matt's meal quite nicely.
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