What Would Alix Do

What Would Alix Do has moved!

2010-07-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

You may have wondered why you haven't seen much from me lately... Turns out it's because I've been busy in my new neighborhood, sprucing up the place and getting ready for you to visit me there.

Come find What Would Alix Do at www.alixcompton.com under the WWAD tab, and check out recent posts on The Tin Table, Cantinetta and my adventures at Burning Beast.

Oh, and a favor to ask: In my migration from Blogspot to WordPress I've lost my original email subscription, so please take a minute to re-subscribe to new blog posts, or subscribe for the first time if you haven't yet. (Really? Not yet??)

Thanks, all!

Alix

Mindful eating DOES include Ginger Chocolate Chip Bars

2010-05-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve been lucky, food-wise. I didn’t have any food allergies growing up, and don’t seem to have developed any as an adult. Just the usual stuff about getting older and being more careful about what I eat -- the results of a recent cholesterol test suggest that perhaps I be a bit more restrained on my intake of pork belly and foie gras -- but otherwise I’ve been able to amble quite happily through all kinds of eating. I haven’t had to structure my choices around shouldn’t or can’t; more likely it’s “I tried the tripe pho and it just really wasn’t my thing.”

Interesting, then, that within the last several weeks I’ve been spending time with two people for whom gluten intolerance is a real issue. My first thought was: Horrors! No bread or pasta? (and as a big baker…) No baked goods!? My first reaction was shouldn’t and can’t, when really it just means thinking a little bit more about what you’re eating -- not a bad thing for any of us. That might include seeking out restaurants with good wheat-free options, and as you might expect this is a task that I plan to embrace with great enthusiasm. Already we’ve had a great meal from the gluten-free menu at Tango on lower Capitol Hill. And I was impressed to learn, during dinner at Volterra in Ballard, that they have started making gluten-free pasta and you just need to let them know when making your reservation that you’re interested in said pasta. I also hear tell of a fantastic little spot in Greenwood called Wheatless in Seattle, though I have yet to check it out…

With my gluten antennae firmly in place, last week I moved to a more advanced level of food awareness when I, along with my visiting mother, moved in with my nieces for the week. I knew that the youngest had recently been put on a diet that excluded the broad categories of gluten and dairy, but when I arrived and read through the list of can’ts there were also things like onion and garlic. So I went back through the recipes I had carefully amassed to see what could work with these new restrictions and sure enough, I had to shift my thinking once again. It’s good for me, this business of eating mindfully. Or at least mindfully in a way that doesn’t just include appreciating fresh ingredients and careful preparation, but also the specific components of each meal.

I am pleased to report that this meal of marinated flank steak, roasted asparagus and red potatoes that look suspiciously Yukon Gold-y was a big hit, and was delicious (if I do say so myself) while meeting all dietary requirements. Luckily the hectic schedules of two very busy girls meant that someone else preparing the food was sometimes the better option, so the chicken teriyaki at Himitsu and gluten- and dairy-free pizza from Garlic Jim’s also figured prominently in my week.

Remember my initial reaction and the horror at no longer being able to bake if gluten-restricted? I had been doing some research over the last few weeks, reading about all of the ways to replace wheat flour in various recipes. While I may eventually make my own flour mixture, for the moment I’m using Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour with great results. One square of these Ginger Chocolate Chip Bars is about all my youngest niece can have for the moment, until dairy is less of an issue, but the successful substitution of the non-wheat-y flour means that they are good to go for the gluten intolerant of the world. And quite delicious, if I do say so myself.

Ginger Chocolate Chip Bars

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°. Use cooking spray to coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and line it with 2 crisscrossed pieces of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into 32 bars.

[Thanks to Real Simple for the original, wheat-y version of this recipe]

Columbia City: Lottie’s Lounge & Full Tilt Ice Cream

2010-05-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

There isn’t anything fancy about Lottie’s Lounge, but being there for one recent happy hour did make me a little sad that I don’t live in Columbia City and thus probably won’t be making it my regular hangout. My neighborhood tour guide for the evening told me that Lottie’s had experienced a revamp not too long ago, and they seem to have struck the right balance of casual and accessible, while being warm and inviting. I'm a fan of the exposed brick wall juxtaposed with another that’s a sort of pumpkin orange, and black and white prints that echo the black and white checkerboard floor. The old timey fixtures over the bar and restaurant space and super-friendly bartender and server make it the kind of place that you want to hang out for a while.

Luckily, the price point at Lottie’s makes that entirely doable. And yes, that is a bloody mary you see in the photo, just the right thing to go along with their slightly upscale selection of sandwiches. That evening we sampled the B.A.T. with crispy smoked bacon, arugula, tomato and garlic-shallot-sage butter, and the Roast Beef Dip with melted provolone and grilled onions, served with mushroom au jus for dipping. You know how the wrong bread can really kill a sandwich? The good news is that the opposite is equally true, and it was the mini baguettes from neighbor Columbia City Bakery that really puts these over the top.

I’d heard about Full Tilt Ice Cream, that funky shop with locations in White Center, Columbia City and the U-District, for a little while now. But it wasn’t until I was at a friend’s party where one of the owners of Full Tilt also happened to be in attendance and happened to have brought some fantastic ice cream, that I really thought about making a trip there.

How fortuitous, then, that even after a bloody mary or two and a couple of great sandwiches, my CC tour guide was up for a walk down the street to Full Tilt. The salted caramel ice cream was fantastic -- dare I say maybe even better than Molly Moon’s -- but it’s the super-casual vibe of the place that makes it so fun. I mean, great ice cream and classic video games like Ms. Pac Man? Who wouldn’t love that?

It’s my party, and I’ll charge if I want to?

2010-05-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Alix,

My birthday is just around the corner and I need to come up with a plan. Since it generally falls on or near Memorial Day I tend keep it low key as many people leave town; small groups over to my apartment for drinks, meet friends out at the bar, nothing major.

This year I have come up with something a little more fun. I would like to host a dinner party for about 20 guests.

The party would start with a cocktail reception in my apartment and then move across the hall to a vacant unit for a seated dinner. I would rent the necessary tables and chairs and set up, what I believe to be a great dining room with minimal decor that would allow for maximum impact. Being that I am in the event planning business I have access to discounts on most items, including a great caterer, rentals, and wine and I am positive it would be a great party.

So here is my question: Is it appropriate to ask my invited guests to bring $30 per person to subsidize the costs of this party? I would love to be able to pay for this all on my own, but being 26, going on 27, and in the event industry, my pockets are not that deep!

$30 for your thoughts,

- Penny-less Planner

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Dear Penny-less Planner,

Ooh, that’s a tough one, and I know whereof you speak: That desire to throw a fabulous party, if only you had the cash to make it spectacular.

The only catch is that really, you can’t ask your friends to pay to attend your birthday party. Unless you put a bit of a twist on it, of course…

How about making it a fundraiser instead, where you donate all proceeds from the dinner to a particular cause or charitable organization? In inviting your 20 favorite people, you could explain that you want to spend your birthday with them, have the chance to throw a great party, and benefit a worthy cause all at the same time. Perhaps you could let them know that in lieu of a birthday gift the suggested donation for the evening is $40, but if they felt inclined they might give more. And depending on the selected organization you might even have a thematic décor element present itself. Zebra-print table runner in honor of the Woodland Park Zoo?

If all goes well, you’ve covered your costs and you have at least $200 to donate to a good cause. Maybe you really can have your cake and eat it, too.

Happy early birthday, and good luck!

Modern dance gets personal

2010-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

You know those times when you haven’t traveled far from home, yet you experience something far afield from your everyday? One of those for me is the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe. Although I grew up going to the Spokane version, I guess I just hadn’t been to a fair in quite a long while because it all seemed very foreign. Amazing that just a hop, skip and a jump from my usual urban Seattle life were blue-ribbon canned vegetables, pot bellied pig races, deep fried Snickers bars and towering carnival rides. I love that this kind of thing is easily accessible and exists so close to me, if only for a couple of weeks a year.

I had another one of those experiences lately when I got to be a part of a sliver of a new work by much-acclaimed local contemporary dancer, KT Niehoff. You might recognize her name as co-founder and former director of the newly relocated Velocity Dance Center, or as Artistic Director of now 12-year-old collaborative troupe of dance professionals, Lingo. It’s through Lingo’s newest project, A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light, that I had a recent and very personal look into the world of contemporary dance. Glimmer, as described on her website:

“In 2006, KT began investigating the relationship between audience and artist with the primary goal of creating a more tangible intimacy between the two. This search has led her to seek out more potent environments that ask the performer and the witness to confront each other as unique individuals who bring to the exchange their personal histories and desires. A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light, in all its forms, is an outcropping of this search.”

Cool, huh? Especially once you learn about all of the facets of the project: a culminating performance at ACT Theatre; for those same ACT performances, pre-show (!) cocktails with a cast member; dancers as kinetic sculptures throughout the Seattle Art Museum; and something titled One Performer/One Recipient/Many Locations. It’s that last piece in which I got to participate and let me tell you, really hit the mark on the tangible intimacy described above.

In a nutshell, the Glimmer cast was tasked with creating 30 solos for individuals, to be custom-made based on interactions with each person and performed in public locations throughout the city. The process began with a questionnaire -- things like sweet or savory? what items are currently in your pocket? what is the last thing you lost? what is a Seattle location you love? -- followed by more detailed conversations to really get a sense of the person. My friend was the one who sent in the questionnaire and got to experience this whole process, and I was lucky enough to be invited along to the performance.

And the performance? Wow. It turned out that Glimmer cast member Kelly Sullivan invited us into her home for the experience, yet another step in that intimacy for which the project was striving, I thought. Her dancing was powerful, vulnerable, beautiful and spot-on given my friend’s reaction as the solo finished. I was grateful to have been included in something so unique and magical, and again, amazed that this whole world of dance exists all around me. It just happens to be a community that I’m not very familiar with, that I don’t plug into on a regular basis.

If you didn’t luck into participating in the one-to-one performances, or seeing the dancers at SAM, you still have the chance to experience the project at the culminating performance of A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light at ACT through May 15. Can’t wait to see what this piece of the project will look like…

One of the surprising and wonderful outcomes of Kelly’s performance was that we got to meet her boyfriend, Eli Rosenblatt, a very talented artist in his own right. Eli played the guitar as Kelly danced, and the two of them together were absolutely lovely -- and I thought that even before we were treated to tea and breakfast and great conversation. It turns out that Eli has quite a schedule of performances of his own, and I’m excited to add these to my plans to see Glimmer at ACT. Find out more about Eli and his music on his Monarch Duo website, and hear him this Wednesday night at Nectar in Fremont.

Who knew that such great connections could come out of one interaction? KT Niehoff, I suspect.

Ravish

2010-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

From the moment I stepped off Eastlake Ave and through the door at Ravish I was in a better mood. It probably helped that I was there on a rare gorgeous spring afternoon, but I suspect that the brightly painted green mismatched chairs with their orange and red patterned seats and complementary-hued glassybabies would be cheery on the dreariest of days. The flat gray tables, railing separating the bar from the restaurant and the bar itself contrast nicely with all of this brightness, and the sparkly, jangly chandeliers and fixtures over the bar are happily whimsical. I mean really -- how could you be in bad mood in such a place?

Happy hour at Ravish is a hit for me -- so much so that I returned within a week, in fact. I willingly admit that I’m a creature of habit, and in the realm of cocktails I typically (lately) default to a gin martini or sometimes a Manhattan. The fine folks at Ravish offer a happy hour cocktail of the day, though, which I quite enjoyed on both occasions, especially the Dark & Stormy on my second visit.

I’m lucky to have good friends who are willing to try lots of different things, let me eat off their plates and allow me to embarrass them with frequent photos of said plates. Thus it only took a couple of trips to Ravish to try a fair number of the happy hour food offerings, all quite reasonably priced. One of my favorites of the bunch was a more sophisticated version of pigs in a blanket. It was likely due in large part to my weakness for puff pastry, but I loved ‘em. The salad with grapes, apples and cinnamon’d pecans was lovely, as was the maple ham, apple and French brie panini.

We had the artisan spreads trio on both occasions, probably because it’s such a crowd-pleaser basket of breads and crackers served with three delicious spreads: tapenade, goat cheese and the last a combination of red pepper, sundried tomatoes and pine nuts. Another item that made a second appearance because I insisted on it until my friend caved and then was glad she did were the flank steak satay skewers. Tender, perfectly-cooked cubes of beef paired with a slightly sweet sauce. Fantastic!

After looking at the non-happy hour menu, two items I can’t wait to try: Cajun meatloaf sliders with caramelized onions and spicy ketchup on a brioche bun and pancetta three cheese mac and cheese with rosemary cheddar, parmesan and blue cheese topped with breadcrumbs and a truffle oil drizzle.

I’ve long been a fan of Ravish’s parent company, caterer Ravishing Radish, and how exciting that now we have another avenue via which to sample their excellent food. I also noted that their space is available for private parties, and of course I immediately added Ravish to my list of private event spaces, a select few of which you can find here. Now, what sunny, happy event can I bring to this great little space?

Seattle Restaurant Week: Joule

2010-04-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Joule, a sweet little restaurant situated smack in the center of Wallingford, is one of those restaurants that I’ve wanted to try for a while. Its Korean-French menu sounded especially interesting, and I loved that it was a neighborhood spot run by a couple, Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, who had done great things at the now closed Coupage in Madrona. So when I saw that Joule was on the list of participants in Seattle Restaurant Week I made my reservation that instant and decided I could figure out later who would be joining me. And not at all surprisingly, the reservation went from two, to three, to four once word was out.

Joule is a delightfully inviting space, with a counter-front of wainscoting painted a warm yellow that’s a little sunnier than mustard and the perfect contrast to the chocolate brown ceilings and benches, and dark wood floor. The art definitely hints toward the Asian influences to come in the food, as do the drink offerings. I was a fan of the Parisian Sake, and in fact it seemed to me the ideal way to start the meal as it blended both Asian and French elements: Kurosawa sake, St. Germain and grapefruit.

When I first went to Joule’s website I was struck by the beautiful diversity of color, and as the food arrived the other night I thought exactly the same thing. My mother always told me that people eat with their eyes as well and taught me that variation in color and texture is a critical factor in how the food tastes; Joule clearly implements this lesson on a grand scale. (I will say, though, that our Thanksgiving meal is generally exempted from this rule, with its overabundance of smooth, creamy brown-hued foods, brightened by a dollop of cranberries or the occasional brussels sprout. But only if there is room on the plate after the turkey, and mashed potatoes, and stuffing, of course.)

My first of two favorites from the list of starters was the smoked tofu with honshimegi mushroom confit and soy truffle vinaigrette. Smoky and incredibly flavorful, all beautifully presented in this lovely rectangular dish. The second was the spicy beef soup with leek, daikon and crème fraiche, quite spicy and reminiscent of the flavors of traditional kimchi.

The three options for entrée were all quite different, with steak, cannelloni and black cod. Something for everyone, I say! I especially enjoyed the steak bavette, done in a sweet kalbi marinade and served alongside grilled spring onion kimchi and green garlic chimichurri. Perfectly cooked steak with that nicely zesty addition of chimichurri. The rum current sauce of the spicy caramelized black cod sweetened the already-buttery cod, and the watercress and pickled fennel were a nice contrast in taste and texture.

For dessert it was this gorgeous coconut panna cotta served in a rhubarb soup with lime tuile and this deceptively simple-looking condensed milk pound cake with coffee crème anglaise and chocolate Chantilly. That last is a little bit like a super-dense mousse with intense chocolate flavor, and described by one of my friends at the table as “dreamy.” Really.

Having the chance to eat at a restaurant like Joule is exactly what Seattle Restaurant Week is all about, and I’m so glad to have done it. And I really felt as though this meal was entirely representative of the fantastic food they serve all the time, and I just happened to luck into a really great deal. Can’t wait to return!

Seattle Restaurant Week: Bin on the Lake

2010-04-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

If Mistral Kitchen was less than I suspect it could be for a non-Seattle Restaurant Week experience, then Kirkland’s Bin on the Lake is certainly the opposite. Located in the Woodmark Hotel, I didn’t know much about the restaurant when I picked it off the list for dinner, and as a result didn’t have especially high expectations. But start to finish, they did a great job of making me feel as though they were excited to have us there and prepared to show off what the restaurant could do. It’s not that the interior was especially stunning -- the stunning happens just outside, with the beautiful view of Lake Washington -- or that the food was particularly inventive, but it was a good, solid experience.

From the three course menu, we started with appetizers of Dungeness crab fritters and beef brisket sliders. The fritters were served with butternut squash and a smear of jalapeno honey, and I thought that they were terrifically crisp and crab-flavorful. The sliders weren’t quite as successful for me -- the overly sweet sauce reminded me of childhood visits to the local Longhorn Barbecue -- but I loved the crispy shallots and mini brioche bun.

From there it was on to an entrée of pork tenderloin on a bed to-die-for crispy spätzle and apple cream, with some leafy greens and golden raisins sprinkled throughout.

Although I generally don’t order a chicken breast when out and about, this one came recommended by our server and turned out be an excellent choice. The chicken itself was cooked beautifully, and arrived atop a stack of brussels sprout and bacon hash, and Beecher’s white cheddar grits, all drizzled with a nicely tart mustard vinaigrette.

We finished the meal with a tasty duo of chocolate mousse with Grand Marnier-soaked strawberries, and espresso bread pudding with accompanying dots of lemon caramel. I’ve been thinking about this, and surely one of the reasons I like things like Seattle Restaurant Week and Dine Around Seattle is that I’m “made” to eat dessert. As one of three courses, one wouldn’t want dessert to feel left out by being refused, would one?

Seattle Restaurant Week: Mistral Kitchen

2010-04-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Yay for Seattle Restaurant Week! From April 18-29 (apparently “Seattle Restaurant 10 Days” didn’t have quite the same ring), Sundays through Thursdays, you have the chance to pay $25 for three courses (or $15 for lunch at some) at 100+ restaurants around the area. It’s an excellent excuse to get out and try one of the restaurants you’ve been dying to check out, and I applaud all of those that committed to participating.

The only catch -- and I’ve thought this about Dine Around Seattle and similar dining promotions as well -- is that they create an unnatural construct for restaurants and patrons alike. The former are (mostly) held to a set menu for the length of the promo which may be a challenge to design depending on their usual price point and likely an increased number of patrons, and the latter expect that the meal they have is representative of the restaurant even though all of these other issues are at play. It makes me cringe a little bit thinking of all of these potential new dining patrons flocking to restaurants they might fall in love with under normal circumstances, but that might not show well under these sorts of “promotional” conditions.

With all of this in mind I embarked on my first reservation for Seattle Restaurant Week, Tuesday lunch at Mistral Kitchen. The new venture from star chef William Belickis, the former chef/owner of Belltown’s Mistral, is slightly more accessible than its especially upscale predecessor but I suspect is not the venue for everyone. It’s on the first floor of a fantastic wedge of a building, with long lines of windows on two sides, one of them fronting Westlake Ave. The rough hewn tabletops add warmth to the otherwise industrial vibe of the interior, with its concrete floors, abundance of heavy metals and modern furnishings and fixtures. The main dining room and bar area are adjacent to a much warmer, cushier small dining room, the “chef’s table” area where William Belickis displays his considerable talents as well as a couple of little nooks perfect for small groups of cocktails-sippers.

We started with a nicely peppery salad of arugula, fennel, pecorino, lemon and olive oil. From there we both chose for the main course the roasted pork chop with farro, glazed asparagus and saba. The farro was a touch firm for my taste, but the pork chop was nicely done, likely a challenge when churning out so many portions for hungry and harried lunchtime crowds.

The dessert was this sweet little milk chocolate coriander ice cream sandwich with a dollop of apricot compote. The coriander was entirely undetectable until I had a bite of ice cream sans sandwich and concentrated really really hard, but quite complementary to the meal all the same.

Although I love that Seattle Restaurant Week brought me to Mistral, which I might not have otherwise tried, I can’t help but think that I didn’t have the real Mistral experience. Maybe dinner would be different, or maybe this is designed to whet my appetite for more. I’m not entirely convinced, though, when there are so many other good restaurants to sample. Onward with SRW…

Santé

2010-04-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Get in your car. Step 2: Drive east. Way east. Step 3: Screech to a halt in downtown Spokane in front of Santé, the year-and-a-half old restaurant and charcuterie attached to Auntie’s Bookstore. Auntie’s is Spokane’s fantastic independent bookstore, kindred spirit to Elliott Bay in Seattle and Powell’s in Portland. Perhaps there is a trend of talented restaurateurs running bookstore-attached cafes -- see Tamara Murphy in Elliott Bay’s former lower level space -- and if so, Chef/Owner Jeremy Hansen is an excellent example of this trend on the east side of the state.

From an interior perspective, it’s more upscale than other bookstore cafes I’ve seen. Though there aren’t a huge number of tables, the open ceiling and big windows that look onto West Main Street give the room a terrific spaciousness. The white wainscoting on two walls and dark, shiny floor contrast nicely, as do the substantial, very un-modern chairs and the distinctly modern menu. The space is well-proportioned and comfortable, but clearly much of the action is taking place out of sight.

It’s late on a Thursday night and Hansen is all energy and enthusiasm, excited to talk about his plans for Santé. He and his relatively large team will continue to produce great food out of what is a tiny kitchen for such a varied menu, while expanding into other areas of the building as the restaurant offerings evolve. The newest of these is a recently-finished space in the basement, now ground zero for their house-cured charcuterie and soon to become the same for cheese and bread production. For all of the restaurants that aspire to make everything in-house, Santé gives them a run for their money. Next up is an herb garden on the rooftop, I’ve no doubt.

The first thing that appeared at the table that evening was an amuse-bouche, literally something that “entertains the mouth,” a single bite of some bit of wonderful that arrives unbidden from the chef. This particular version was a thin crisp of toast with apple jelly, goat cheese and a blackberry gracing the top. Just enough to get the palate ready for more.

Next came the crespella, a goat cheese and leek stuffed crêpe with tomato confit and basil gastrique. The tomato arrived intact rather than confited, which was perfectly fine with me, and the gastrique was sweet and basil-y and the perfect accompaniment to the goat cheese and crêpe.

The charcuterie plate was a rather substantial offering of salami, chicken terrine, brie, cornichons, baguette and two house-made mustards, my favorite of which was the marjoram. But for me the star of the plate was the duck prosciutto, immensely flavorful and gorgeously un-lean.

The true cod had a lovely sear on the top and was falling-apart tender and much more flavorful than I might have expected from this particular fish. No doubt it helped that the cod was paired with the creamiest root vegetable risotto, spinach, onion and beurre fondue. I’m guessing that last is a bit like beurre blanc only creamier, which likely gave the risotto the texture I loved so much. The balsamic reduction around the rim of the plate and plum and walnut chutney lent a bit of sweetness, contrasting with the salt of the gaufrette (a thinly waffled potato crisp) placed atop the dish.

We finished with this caramel apple crème brulée, paired with a granny smith apple sorbet. As with everything else we had that evening dessert was beautifully presented, but the chunks of fruit overwhelmed the crème brulée and the accompanying sorbet seemed an unnecessary addition when quite lacking in flavor. In my opinion, the only misstep in an otherwise fantastic meal.

Santé also looks to have a knock-out brunch menu, and I already have my eye on a couple of items: the duck hash (duck confit, foie gras butter, potatoes, onion, white sauce, duck egg, baguette) and the phyllo and house paneer (house-made paneer, date and walnut chutney, tofu, watercress, red wine gastrique). They’re also doing all kinds of interesting events worth checking out, including 15, a 15-course (nope, that’s not a typo) extravaganza complete with participating wineries, all benefitting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Spokane.

Clearly it’s not just Chef Hansen and the talented team in the back of the house who do great work at Santé. Kudos to our server, Eric, who did a fantastic job of pointing us toward menu items we might not have otherwise tried. He was knowledgeable, helpful and fun -- three things I very much appreciate in someone walking me through a meal. With this kind of phenomenal food and service, and engaging community events, it looks like a bright food future for Santé, without a doubt.

Naked City Brewery & Taphouse

2010-04-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

I like a good brewery as much as the next person, as evidenced by plenty of quality time spent at the Jolly Roger Taproom in Ballard and the Hilltop Ale House on Queen Anne and its brethren around the city. So I was looking forward to trying out Naked City Brewery & Taphouse in Greenwood, after hearing good things about the atmosphere and food.

The atmosphere is pretty standard brewery interior. A distinct beer motif (what else would you expect?), though the huge expanse of wall running the length of the space does provide a nice surface for rotating artist exhibitions. Big, long bar with an impressive array of beers, one of which was the best amber I’ve had in ages. Maybe ever.

Though for a restaurant that proclaims “local, organic, sustainable” on its menu and thus must think quite a bit about the food it serves, the two items we had were oddly lackluster. The Aurorable sliders listed all of these yummy-sounded ingredients (Italian bresaola with beer-braised onions, Beecher’s Select smoked flagship cheese and garlic olive oil infusion) but the bread overwhelmed what might have been an interesting interior. And maybe I have unreasonably gooey expectations for my Reuben, but their version was decidedly dressing-sparse and not particularly flavorful. Even though the grass-fed pastrami, swiss cheese, Skagit Valley sauerkraut and thousand island dressing all sounded so promising when read aloud.

For sure, I’d return to Naked City if I found myself in Greenwood in need of a beer, I just wouldn’t have high expectations for knock-out pub grub. For a fantastic amber? Most definitely.

Quick party turnaround

2010-04-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hey Alix,

I am hoping you can help me with something:

We are having somewhat of a last minute “big wig” dinner on our boat for a group of eleven this Thursday! The higher ups from a large corporation are coming in from all over the nation -- including Hawaii -- for this occasion. I am thinking finger food and cocktails along with our tour. We have hired a captain but feel like we don’t need catering staff. Looking for Northwest-y food, artfully displayed.

Help!!!

- Happy Boater

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Dear Happy Boater,

A small event two days from now, and you want the party to have a Northwest flair? Here are a couple of options:

1. If you’re looking for easy, my first suggestion would be to call caterer Madres Kitchen and see if they can get something together this quickly. They are great -- two mothers own it (hence the name) -- and they are terrific to work with. They can likely put together lovely platters that they simply drop off, rather than having to hang around and be "cater-y."

2. Or, if you're up for a little bit of assembly and a little bit of cooking, how about the Whole Foods route? Their prepared food section would have a bunch of good options, including outstanding crab cakes if you have access to an oven. A quick bake and some bottled sauce, and you’re all set. Chicken and vegetable skewers can be done slightly in advance, so that you’re not slaving over the grill and trying to be hostess with the mostess at the same time. Add a couple of salads from that same section, maybe a shrimp something and whatever orzo variety they have on hand.

Elsewhere in the store, pick up packaged lox, cream cheese, capers and sliced tomato, along with thin rye toasts; such a Northwest kind of thing to serve. A cheese plate with a selection of two to three always helps to round out heavy hors d’oeuvres; Mt. Townsend’s Seastack is one of my favorites.

3. As for beverages, how about St. Germaine gin and tonics, made with gin from Spokane’s own Dry Fly Distilling. You might also want some beers on hand, and perhaps at the same Whole Foods you’ll be able to find some local options. Two of my personal favorites are made locally in Georgetown, Georgetown Brewing Company’s Manny’s Pale Ale and Baron Brewing Company’s Baron Pilsner.

4. For dessert, how about a tray of artfully broken up bars from Theo Chocolate or Fran's salted caramels -- both available at Whole Foods, I'm nearly certain. Add a couple of small bowls of different berries (strawberries and blueberries, say) and you're set.

Lark

2010-04-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve spent plenty of time at adjacent sibling Licorous, but somehow I’ve never made it to Lark until recently. Man, was I missing out! Terrific, fabulous and I can’t wait to go back to try more.

The interior feels a bit like an upscale barn, with distressed wood floors and tables that tend toward the dark side. The light, creamy walls contrast with all this dark wood and similarly-hued exposed beams, lightening up the place while keeping it warm and inviting. The color block paintings on the walls, cylindrical light fixtures with thick wood bands at the top and bottom and sheer moveable curtains that hang on tracks from the ceiling complete the space.

Times have changed and now nettles aren’t just something to avoid being scratched by… When foraged from the wilds of wherever they are just as prickly as you would expect, but apparently when cooked the prickly portion falls away and becomes entirely edible and occasionally even delicious. After hearing all of this I excited to see wild nettle soup on Lark’s menu and anxious to try it. Their version has basil fed snails and garlic and was utterly creamy, but I’m told is completely vegan with no cream in sight. Impressive.

It’s impossible to pick a favorite dish of the night, but the Bluebird Grain Farms farro with trumpet mushrooms and garlic confit comes close for me. Served in this tiny skillet, the nicely firm and perfectly seasoned farro has a dash mascarpone folded in at the last minute then garnished with paper thin strips of fried garlic.

The carpaccio of yellowtail with preserved lemons and slivers of green olives was light and citrusy and rivals my favorite escolar crudo at How to Cook a Wolf. The Mishima Ranch steak tartare with raw quail egg was magnificent, and I’m fairly certain that I took more than my fair share of this particular dish. The only aspect I didn’t love was the onion crackers, which were terrific on their own but I thought a bit too substantial to accompany the steak tartare.

Our last savory, the leg of venison, was poached, chilled then roasted to order and served with a choucroute of red cabbage and roasted root vegetables. Cooked to perfection and blissfully un-gamey.

Somehow after all of this, we managed to sample two desserts. The rustic rhubarb crostata was dense without being too sweet, even with the white chocolate sorbetto, with a nice bit of crunch courtesy of the almonds.

The Theo dark chocolate pave was a veritable slab of chocolate, again offset with nuts but this time in toasted pistachio form, and accompanied by a dollop of coconut sorbet and a thin crisp of cookie. I loved the different textures here, perfectly paired even if I wasn’t such a fan of the dark dessert on the dark plate.

Sometimes I visit a new restaurant and think OK, I’ve had everything on the menu I’m interested in trying. But at Lark, I’m anxious to get back and sample everything I missed, before they make a seasonal shift to a new menu. An excellent sign, I think!

Out with Txori, in with Pintxo

2010-04-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Holy bad timing, Batman! Just when I finally make it to Txori after months of passing by its Second Ave location, I read on Seattle Metropolitan’s Nosh Pit blog that it’s departing the scene on April 19.

The good news is that newcomer Pintxo will be moving into the space and maintaining much of the interior and the overall menu direction of Txori. Sounds to me like there is another visit on the horizon, post-April 23…

Txori

2010-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I’m a sucker for open kitchens, which is a good thing given that along with small plates they seem to be the trend of the moment. I like that an open kitchen seems to foster a better connection between the talented chefs who prepare the fabulous food, and we diners who consume it. Less of an us and them approach, I guess.

The one at Txori, the Belltown sibling of Madison Park’s Harvest Vine, charmed me instantly: A narrow open strip of kitchen that runs the length of the skinny entry space, just room enough for seats at the bar and three tall tables against the wall. This particular version of the open kitchen includes the kind of counter top display case you might see more usually at a sushi bar, but this one is stocked with meats and cheeses. The open concept extends into the shelves that run the length of the space, moving from big canisters of grains and spices, to dishes, to liquor, as the space transitions to match those various uses. And of course, a big rolling library ladder moves across the entire area and gives the staff access to all of those tall shelves.

The space opens up a little as you make your way toward the back, but only enough to accommodate four more tall squares and a scant eight shorter squares for dining tables. The interior is all browns and grays: weathered wood floor, big metal light fixtures overhanging the bar, metal stools that reminded both of us -- independently -- of high school chemistry lab, tabletops that blend both in a faux-grainy shiny finish. The accent color here is red, and through the red framed window-pane doors near the back I event spied a petite patio with lights strung across the top of the narrow space and heat lamps to take the edge off a chilly evening.

We started with two cocktails, the Cava de Flores (Elderflower liqueur, rose cava and orange) and the Nido Rojo (Hendricks gin, triple sec, Peychaud’s bitters and Patraxaran, a Spanish liqueur). The Cava de Flores was good but didn’t pack enough of a punch for me; the Nido Rojo was tasty enough to have a second time. A little sweet, but immensely drinkable.

The menu is divided into Pintxos Frios (small plates cold or really, room temperature), Pintxos Calientes (small plates hot) and Raciones (larger plates). The first thing we tried is pictured here and was one of the best, the Cana de Cabra: goat cheese, apple and caramelized onion on a thick slice of bread. From there on to Pa Amb Tomaquet: jamon Serrano, tomato and garlic on toasted bread. Simple and delicious. Next it was the Brandada con Huevo Frito y Setas: salt cod and potato pureed into a mousse, layered onto a slice of bread with oyster mushrooms and topped with a fried egg. Salty and perfectly stacked. Vegetables made an appearance in the Coliflor: roasted cauliflower with confited onions. (Who knew that was even a word?) Yum, and just the right amount of tender. Finally, another potato mousse in the Pato Confitatdo, a duck confit.

Everything that we tried was interesting and delicious, and clearly very thoughtfully constructed. And I love the interior and could easily see myself dropping by to meet friends for a drink and a nibble on the way home from work. It seemed a tiny bit pricey given the size of the plates, but going in with the right expectation I highly encourage a visit to Txori.

[Photo of Txori’s interior courtesy of fromtherightbank]

Ka Won

2010-04-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

If there is one kind of Asian cuisine that’s readily available in the Seattle area, that has been sorely under-explored by me, it’s Korean. Until a recent visit to Ka Won on Highway 99 in Lynnwood, it had been years since I’d had Korean food and so I was thrilled when a friend suggested this outing. Good thing that she’s quite familiar with the place, as I would have had a hard time finding it hidden around the corner in a rather nondescript strip mall.

Many people -- like me, I confess -- associate Korean food with grilled meats and Ka Won does a fantastic job with this style. Many of the tables in the restaurant have the grill built into the surface, helpful when you’re trying to manage this army of small dishes. We ordered the Ka Won Deungshini for two, four large fillets of beef sirloin with mushrooms, garlic and onions, all intended to go on the grill. Thankfully the meal also comes with industrial shears for cutting the meat into more manageable pieces, key to slightly more ladylike consumption of an entire hunk of meat.

What makes Ka Won so good, though, is their impressive array of banchan, or side dishes. Here is a shot taken of the other end of the table, which I’m afraid doesn’t entirely capture all of the plates, bowls and containers involved.

A couple of varieties of kimchee, of course, the variously pickled and spiced items that most of us think of as representatively Korean. Taro root, firm and a little sweet, and tofu in chili oil with green onions dusted over the top. Similar to the Japanese style, a hard-pressed omelet of green onion and a meaty something, maybe with a bit of mayo. A dab of especially creamy potato salad, which was the perfect cool and bland counterpoint to many of the other items on the table.

I’m generally very food adventurous, but months spent in Japan taught me that I wasn’t such a fan of the tiny, salty fishies whose eyes stare up at you, and this preference seems not to have changed since I last tried them 15 years ago. The feast of steak-accompaniments was capped off with the most enormous plate of salad with a delicious rice vinegar dressing, which somehow the two of us managed to devour.

I’ve long known that my favorite style of eating involves multiple small items shared among friends, which is why I love tapas, dim sum and Ethiopian, just to name a few indigenously presented in this manner. Seeing that all sorts of restaurants are on the small plate bandwagon, I couldn’t be happier. Korean barbecue fills this bill for sure, and now that I know where to get some of the best around, I’ll look forward to a return visit up Aurora to Ka Won.

Breakfast joints

2010-04-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Alix,

Help! I’ve worn a path to my same old breakfast spots and need some suggestions for other places to try. No specific area of town in mind…

Thanks in advance!
Molly

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Molly,

Ah, the never-ending search for a good breakfast that doesn’t also come with a line out the door. On occasion the line is worth it, but more often than not I think there are plenty of places that will fill the bill and don’t require a long wait.

By no means a comprehensive list, but some of my favorites:

Oddfellows - It’s not fancy food or a particularly extensive breakfast menu, but they have some interesting options and I like the big, open interior. Also, you get to soak up some of the hipster Capitol Hill vibe along with your latte.

Hangar Cafe - Situated in an old house a little bit off the Georgetown strip, Hangar Café has fantastic sweet and savory crepes. If you’re not up for the trip to Georgetown, sibling Citizen Coffee in Queen Anne has a similar menu with a totally different interior vibe.

Café Soleil - Talk about no lines! I’ve never had to wait for a table at this sunny, corner spot in Madrona, and they serve good, solid American breakfast. Curiously, the menu turns to Ethiopian for dinner, something I definitely need to check out.

Vera’s - If it’s a dive-y, diner-y experience that you that you’re looking for, Vera’s in Ballard is a good bet, as is The Shanty in lower Queen Anne. Country fried steak? Yum.

Le Pichet - If you like the French-y version of breakfast, and I do, Le Pichet downtown on First Ave just east of Pike Place Market is one of my favorites. Whenever I go, no matter weekday or weekend morning, it’s always fun and bustling and somehow cozy all at the same time.

Verve - I just went to this Columbia City wine bar for the first time, and I said it then and will say it again that my breakfast was one of the best I've had in the city. Sunny, happy atmosphere and absolutely delicious, interesting food. Great combo, no?

Volterra - One of the best in the upscale brunch category. If savory herb bread pudding topped with two eggs, asparagus tips and smoked Gouda cream isn’t enough to get you to Ballard, I don’t know what is.

Bakery Nouveau - Although there are several fantastic bakeries in the city, West Seattle’s Bakery Nouveau is worth the drive for a breakfast of the quiche-y and pastry-y variety.

Eat, drink and be merry: Queen Anne

2010-03-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night I had the chance to do a bit of a pub crawl in my own ‘hood, the perfect proximity to home for an end-of-a-long-week outing. Here are a few tidbits about that evening and the neighborhood in general, in the spirit of my occasional series on interesting neighborhoods to check out.

First stop was Flow Lounge, in the former Opal Bistro space at the corner of Queen Anne Ave and Boston. I hadn’t yet checked it out, something to do with my own private rebellion at the fact that there was no menu posted outside and thus nothing that beckoned me inside. Good thing to have been brought there, though, because it’s a neighborhood spot I could see returning to. I wouldn’t call the food exceptional, but the interior is upscale comfortable and the service is fantastic. We were there just under the wire for happy hour, and had the house salad (perfectly good, though unremarkable), garlic fries (utterly lacking in garlic), panko prawns (breaded goodness) and the mini cheeseburger (the one pictured here). It was delicious, without a doubt, and the best nibble I tried at Flow. My only gripe is that this petite slider-sized cheeseburger was $6, which seemed out of sync with the rest of the happy hour menu. I mean, c’mon!

From there, it was a short trip around the corner to How to Cook a Wolf. Although I love the food there and have raved about both menu and interior, on this particular visit we were there just to soak up some of the latter and enjoy a beverage. Glasses of Syrah and Montepulciano, and a Hendricks martini, and we were on our way to the next location.

The evening ended at Betty, sibling to Queen Anne neighbor, Crow, and somewhere I’ve not been for a while. We headed straight to the back bar and had the most delicious Manhattans and a to-die-for spring risotto. Jill, bartender extraordinaire, surprised us with this lovely salted caramel and almond tart, graced with a sour cherry compote and a dollop of mascarpone. Salty, sweet and utterly delicious.

Last but not least, remember the empty space on the corner of Queen Anne Ave and Blaine I wrote about in a recent post? On Friday night we walked past and discovered that it’s going to be a ’Zaw location, the bake-at-home pizza chain that has been springing up around town. Is it just me, or does Seattle feel like it’s pizza crazy all of the sudden? For a roundup of the best check out the March issue of Seattle Metropolitan and their Pizza Smackdown, where they do a good job of breaking down the different styles and coming up with a best-in-show for each.

Verve Wine Bar & Cellar

2010-03-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

You wouldn’t necessarily stumble on Verve, as it’s a bit hidden just off Ferdinand and adjacent to its own parking lot, though in the heart of Columbia City. Maybe I’ve been spending too much time on Capitol Hill, but I experienced a stab of joy when I realized that there was an actual parking lot available to patrons of Verve. And that’s after I parked a half block away in the big public lot that charges one glorious dollar for two hours of parking.

The fabulous Picnic in Phinney first introduced me to the idea of great food served in and amongst an excellent selection of retail wine, and Verve does this concept proud. The interior is simple and bright, featuring lots of blond wood and big, rectangular light fixtures that make great use of fine wire mesh. A low, curving wall of seating separates the dining area from the bar and racks of wine, creating a well-defined space for each.

Brunch is a new endeavor for Verve, and I’ll say right now that the two things we tried were so good we can’t wait to come back for more. First was (Chef) Garrett’s Bacon and Eggs with pork belly, two eggs any style, hashbrowns and salad, and the photo you saw at the top of the post. That’s the pork belly peeking out from under the eggs, an offering that seems to be on menus all over town and in my opinion done quite well at restaurant siblings Spur and Tavern Law. This version was braised and grilled, the right preparation for breakfast as pork belly is incredibly rich and could easily overwhelm the rest of the flavors on the plate. The salad significantly notched up the “brunch” quotient of the meal and was the perfect light counterpoint to the pork and buttery, crisp-on-the-outside hashbrowns.

This gorgeous number is the Polenta Cake and Eggs, though the polenta and Andouille sausage, as well as hashbrowns, are hiding under the two soft-fried eggs. The slightly spicy roasted tomato sauce was perfect for the polenta and sausage, and that sauce along with the cherry tomatoes made for a visually delicious meal. The only question I had was why the three cubes of mozzarella cheese atop the eggs, which didn’t add much to the flavor profile of the dish. With or without, this is one of the best meals I’ve had at brunch, hands downs.

That “more” I mentioned earlier, the items for which we would gladly return? Here are three: Duck 2-Ways Benedict (duck confit, poached duck eggs, Meyer lemon-tarragon hollandaise), Prawns and Grits (mascarpone grits, grilled Alaska spot prawns, roasted shallot gravy, poached egg) and the Brie Croque Monsieur (grilled thinly-sliced ham, organic brie and tart Granny Smith apple dipped in French toast batter, garlic aioli). Also, I hear that the bright interior also translates well into the evening hours, when the menu turns to smaller plates like Grilled Baby Artichokes and Sardinian Flatbread and Olives, and larger plates like Lobster Risotto with Fennel and Muscovy Duck Breast.

This fabulousness at Verve is all good and well, but where was I when Columbia City was busy getting interesting? Sure, I’ve been here before and had great food at Kallaloo, Geraldine’s Counter, Columbia City Bakery and La Medusa. On this last visit to the neighborhood I even managed to tear myself away from food for long enough to swing by Gather Consignment and score a cool new ring. But all of the sudden it seems like everywhere I turn there are all sorts of places I want to check out. Stay tuned, because future trips (and future posts) will likely involve Full Tilt for ice cream that rivals Molly Moon’s, I’m told, Wabi Sabi for sushi and Lottie’s Lounge for their revamped menu with all kinds of good stuff. CC, here I come…

Taberna del Alabardero

2010-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

The interior of Belltown’s Taberna del Alabardero isn’t all that different from its days as Cascadia. Big windows that look out on to First Ave, and a reasonably large section of the reasonably large restaurant devoted to bar space. Though the much-beloved Alpine Martini is no longer on the menu, I was pleased to see that happy hour is still done very well at this location.

Given that Alabardero is all about Spanish tapas, it seemed fitting to start with sangria. And at $14 a pitcher for either the red or white variety, also fittingly well-priced. Light, a little sweet, and way too easy to drink more that my allotted one glass. Also on the happy hour beverage list were an Alabardero Lager, a selection of wine and Tinto de Verano, white wine with a dash of Sprite (aka Spanish white wine spritzer?).

On a couple of visits last week I did a pretty good job of working my way through many of the offerings on the happy hour menu. The Tortilla de Patata is indeed the traditional potato omelet as described, while the Mini Hamburgesa de Cordero (lamb and Mahon cheese slider with french fries) seemed like the kind of slider plate you might see in many places around town these days. The Coca Catalana, the flatbread pictured here, had a great combination of roasted eggplant, onion, red and green peppers and was nicely salty on the first occasion but definitely lacked same on the second.

The Serrano ham and Manchego cheese plate was straightforwardly delicious, though the $8 price seemed a little skewed when compared with other items on the menu. I was a big fan of Cazuela de Gambas al Pil-Pil, the sautéed shrimp in a broth of cayenne, olive oil and garlic, perfect for bread-dipping. The Croquetas de Jamon y Pollo, Iberico ham and chicken croquettes, are a deliciously fried guilty pleasure.

The most interesting dish, and my favorite of the bunch, was the Carpaccio de Vierias. I’ve had carpaccio in many forms, but never of the scallop variety. This is a very thinly sliced scallop placed over a creamy cauliflower puree and topped with scallion-infused oil and flying fish roe. Lovely, and delicately delicious.

The food at Alabardero was very good and the service fantastic, but they totally sealed the deal on my last visit by bringing out an enormous pan and serving samples of their house chicken and chorizo paella to everyone in the bar. This is a great happy hour alternative to other more “Belltown-y” options, and well worth a stop by to check out the sangria, the tapas and maybe even paella -- if you’re lucky.

Anchovies & Olives

2010-03-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Something about the exterior of Capitol Hill’s Anchovies & Olives just hadn’t been doing it for me, and I’m convinced that’s why it took me so long to get to the fourth in Ethan Stowell’s growing restaurant empire. Once inside, though, I was hooked. We got there early last Friday night and snagged seats at the bar. That’s often my preferred location, maybe because then I have easy access to a great resource for info about the place (in this case fantastic bartender Gavin), or maybe because fellow diners always seem to be more chatty at the bar -- and usually don’t mind when I ask them what they’re eating.

At Anchovies & Olives, sitting at the bar gave me a better view of this oversized basket weave they have going on two very large walls, wide horizontal strips contrasting with lighter vertical poles. And this seascape? Somehow it works. I also love the wood-framed squares of wire mesh that march across the ceiling of the entire space, cleverly hiding industrial bits and warming up the room at the same time. More warmth from candlelight and the single line of glowing globes at ceiling height that run the length of the room, making for a cozy interior from which to look out the sidewalk-height windows to the parade of people going by.

Anchovies & Olives bills itself as a seafood restaurant, and without question seafood was the star of the best dished we sampled. We started with the escolar crudo with pickled red onion, grapefruit and jalapeno. Escolar is also one of my very favorites at Stowell’s How to Cook a Wolf, and A&O’s version didn’t disappoint. The escolar was buttery and delicious, with the onion, grapefruit and pepper adding the right complement of bright flavor. Later in the evening I spied the escolar in a horizontal format (and looking more like what I’ve had at HTCAW) but I liked our carefully assembled stack.

Other standouts on Friday’s menu were the sea scallops with farro, artichoke, blood orange and basil. A repeat of citrus, which Stowell’s crew uses to great effect in several dishes. Perfectly cooked scallops, and farro with enough bite to sidestep the mushy texture I’ve seen accompany some other entrees around town.

I didn’t think that the pasta was as successful; the gnocci with Hen of the Woods mushrooms, swiss chard and a prosciutto broth didn’t have enough of a punch. The risotto, though dramatically black courtesy of the squid ink, was too soupy for me. Gavin tells me that’s the style that results from the addition of squid ink, and also notes that A&O used carnoli rather than aborio rice for this particular preparation. Hmm. And I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the soft cooked eggs, but maybe it’s just that I prefer my mackerel in sushi form rather than in smoked salad form atop eggs.

My favorite dish of the evening was the octopus with fried brussels sprouts, mint-cilantro pesto and walnut. The octopus was sliced relatively thinly, keeping each piece from being too terribly chewy. Its texture and cool temperature contrasted perfectly with the salty, crispy brussels leaves making for the perfect pairing.

I’ll be back to Anchovies & Olives without a doubt, likely taking advantage of happy hour with a bottle of Peroni in hand and a dozen oysters at $1 each on the way. Look for me at the bar…

The (momentary) return of Tako Truk

2010-03-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

It was a sad day when I heard that Eastlake's Tako Truk would be closing its doors, such as they were. Tako Truk operated after hours out of 14 Carrot's kitchen and served curbside some really inventive tacos like the Coco Piggy (pork belly and slaw), Beef and Fries (brisket and tiny shoestring fries) and Channaloo (chickpea and potato curry). Courtesy of Seattle Magazine online I just read that they are making another appearance on Saturday as a benefit for Haiti, and more specifically to raise money for the purchase of relief kits from ShelterBox.org.

I first heard about ShelterBox when friends from BUILD LLC and Picnic came together in early February to do much the same at the latter's fabulous food and wine boutique in Phinney, where a portion of proceeds from the weekly wine tasting when straight to fund ShelterBoxes sent to Haiti. If you're not familiar with the organization, check out the website because they provide an amazing set of relief supplies in a single package.

If you didn't make it to Picnic, be sure not to miss out on another opportunity raise money for much-needed support in Haiti.

The details:

Tacos, beer and music
Saturday, March 6
1:00 - 6:00pm (ish... and from previous experience they do mean "ish!")
4700 Ohio Ave S
$20 suggested donation

Good food coming our way

2010-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about food is the anticipation. Sometimes that means the five hours and three risings it takes to make my family’s potato dough orange rolls, or all of the phyllo-buttering and chicken-braising and sauce-making required for the Moroccan Chicken Rolls, both of which routinely elicit oohs and ahs from all who try them. But that’s just it, isn’t it? Although I love seeing how all of the pieces assemble themselves into a tasty end product, the best part is the anticipation of sharing that end product with family and friends.

This won’t surprise you at all, but another one of my favorite things to do is to introduce those same people to restaurants I think are fantastic, or have some interesting element that has to be experienced, or somewhere I haven’t tried yet but want them with me to explore it. So when I see signs of new places opening, or hear tell of new restaurants and bars on the horizon, my ears are always perked. Last weekend I toured around to several of the spaces I had been hearing about, to check on progress:

My first stop was Capitol Hill, specifically Melrose between Pike and Pine. Brasa’s Tamara Murphy is apparently going small plate with her new restaurant, Terraplata. This space is in the same block as new Capitol Hill locations for both Sonic Boom and Velouria, and down the street from Chapel. There are a couple of spaces still being developed in the same building so it could also be the smaller one down the way, but I hope that it’s this cool triangular corner spot.

From there it was a short hop to the new Marjorie on E Union near 14th. It’s just beyond the area where most of the restaurants on this end of Capitol Hill are clustered, but if you’ve made it as far as Spinasse or Poco Wine Room you’re nearly there. This interesting space -- which may well be much further along in the week since I took this photo -- is the new incarnation of Donna Moodie’s former restaurant of the same name in Belltown, though older Seattleites might also remember her from Marco’s Supper Club.

Up to 34th Ave in Madrona and home of the former Cremant, down the block from overcrowded brunch favorite Hi Spot Cafe, and the less crowded and breakfast-fabulous Café Soleil. The owners of Queen Anne’s Portage are opening another restaurant in this space that has been vacant for some time, which I hear will be more Vietnamese-influenced than French-focused Portage.

Over to Madison Park, specifically where Martin Luther King Jr Way runs into Madison. The sign for Luc, on a corner space up the street from Café Flora, has been up for ages. Opening Spring 2010, we’re told, so I suspect that chef and owner Thierry Rautureau has been able to take his time with this new venture just doors away from his flagship restaurant, Rover’s.

Home to Queen Anne, which seems to be a-buzz with new restaurants. The addition of Emmer & Rye was particularly good news, and now I see that Tenoch Mexican Grill will be moving into the spot at the north end of Queen Anne Ave formerly occupied by Vincenzo’s. Tenoch is currently in the International District so I assume that this is an additional location, but don’t know about that one. Let’s just hope that it fares better than the last Mexican restaurant to move into Queen Anne, the ill-fated Gorditos that occupied what is now Betty on the opposite end of the string of businesses and restaurants on the top of the hill.

Nancy Leson is my frequent source for these tidbits of information, probably because she seems to find as interesting as I do all of the relationships between people and who is doing what, where. Because of her long career as a food critic of she has access to all sorts of information and I love to hear what she hears. Though I haven’t seen anything on her blog about what’s moving into this spot on Queen Anne Ave at Blaine. Tiny space, though I see posted an application for a liquor license: the sign of much promise.

What better combination: The anticipation of interesting new restaurants with the anticipation of good times spent investigating these places with friends, new and old. Can’t wait!

Ocho

2010-02-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

The big chalk menu board at Ocho is a little like the bar/restaurant itself: filled to the brim with as much (or as many) as can possibly fit. Occupying the tiniest square of space at the corner of 24th and Market in Ballard, Ocho is the perfect place to bring someone with whom you really want to get up close and personal. The few tables along the wall are snugged right up against one another, and the stools at the bar and at the window counters are hip-to-hip. (And you’re grateful for it, let me tell you, when you’re able to snag one on a busy Saturday night.) It’s not only the logistics of the space, warmed up with lots of wood and beautiful crackled-glass hanging light fixtures, that encourage togetherness but also fact that the food is designed for sharing. My favorite!

Ocho is a fine example of the recent ubiquity of restaurants serving small plates, though they come by it more honestly than those that have simply miniaturized their regular entrée offerings. Ocho presents a wide variety of Spanish tapas, a style of food actually designed to be in small plate form. The menu changes weekly but definitely retains some favorites like the Patatas Bravas, nicely spicy fried potatoes served with an artichoke allioli that’s just the right cool complement; the Chorizo con Huevo with braised chorizo, smoked pimento tomato sauce, baked egg and citrus bread crumbs; and the Tortilla Espanola with egg, potato, onion and again the artichoke allioli. (Allioli for those like me who aren’t familiar, is the Catalonian version of aioli. And why wouldn’t it have its very own Facebook page?)

On a recent Thursday night two of the standouts were the Brocoli with garlic, pine nuts and dark, leafy escarole; and the Pescado Blanco, a breaded cod with smashed potatoes, anchovy butter, leeks and bacon. Both buttery, and both excellent. But this is only a small slice of what awaits you at Ocho, as this most recent menu listed 23-ish items. And at and average of $5 a plate you really feel like you have the chance to try a bunch. Two more on my list should I make it to Ocho while they’re still on the menu: the Albondigas (lamb meatballs, brandy carrot sauce and golden onions) and the Almejas (clams, lentils, roasted cauliflower and white wine saffron).

I always say: Talk to the bartender and you get the best scoop and Michael, the outstanding bartender at Ocho, was no exception. In addition to mixing a mean cocktail -- given my recent affection for St. Germain it’s no surprise that my favorite is the San Miguel with gin, St. Germain, lemon and rhubarb bitters -- he’s a font of knowledge. One was a heads-up about the “opium den” at Thaiku, the Thai restaurant around the corner on Ballard Ave and the newest addition to my list of interesting private spaces around town. (For those of you who like to know this sort of thing, I also just found out, courtesy of foodie friends, that Ballard neighbors Thaiku, La Carta de Oaxaca and Copper Gate have common ownership. And Michael filled in some of that story for me as well. Interesting stuff.) He mentioned that Fremont’s George & Dragon is bringing a second location to Ballard, opening in the former antique store space, across 24th.

One final note on Ocho: Be sure to check out their weekend brunch, a relatively new offering for them. It’s the perfect stop before or after your tour through the Ballard Sunday market, something I’ve done a couple of times since they expanded their hours about a year ago. Michael tells me that one of the three current brunch specials is a duck empanada. Granted, it’s not your typical eggs and bacon brunch fare, but egg and pig isn’t so very far off from egg and duck, right?

Emmer & Rye

2010-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Being the food nut that I am, I keep an electronic list of bars, restaurants and anything generally food related that I might want to check out. (Thanks, Lee, for the tip on Savour in Ballard -- I need to get over thattaway and see what it’s all about.) I add new items of interest at the top of the list, so things that have been on there for a while and yet remain unexplored keep falling further down the page. Sometimes it’s because I’ll refer to the list when I’m looking for somewhere to go with friends and nothing really fits the mood or the crowd, or in the case of my most recent adventure, it was a matter of waiting and waiting and waiting for a grand opening.

The first whisperings of Queen Anne’s new Emmer & Rye came from my friend, Darlin, a long-time fan of chef Seth Caswell from his days at Stumbling Goat in Phinney. She told of great sadness in the land when Seth left SG but then much rejoicing when it became known that he planned to launch a new venture. A long time coming, though, so when we heard news of the soft opening finally scheduled for the end of January we vowed to visit as soon as schedules allowed.

I’m grateful that we had Darlin there to point out some of the items that she thought would be particularly good from her experience at Stumbling Goat because, I kid you not, this was one of those times when nearly everything listed looked to be something I would love. It’s a “seasonally inspired, locally derived” menu, and from the first bite we tasted exactly how good that can be.

I love that (nearly) everything comes with the option of two sizes: taste/appetizer sized for the small dishes, half portion/full portion for the large dishes and mini sized/regular sized for the desserts. It’s the best of both worlds, offering you the hugely popular “small plate” opportunity to try anything and everything, or the option to have an actual, full-sized meal of a single entrée.

We started with several dainty portions from the small dishes list: Cauliflower with foraged mushrooms, wild greens and a walnut vinaigrette that was one of the most flavorful dishes of the evening. Next came the roast sunchokes and fingerling potatoes, pictured here. That creamy business at the bottom is a black truffle aioli which was so incredibly good that we had to hang on to it throughout the meal to see what else it might accompany. The grilled sausage, brussels sprout leaves, crostini and salsa verde were another hit, and just the right size in a three bite taste for each of us.

Dish after dish, everything we sampled from the list of large plates was better than the last: Pictured at right are the beef ribs, carrots and brussels sprouts served with a black truffle-ozette puree. (That last is a variety of potato for those of you, like me, who aren’t familiar.) The goat crepinette with black trumpet mushrooms and a butternut gratin had to be the most unusual dish of the night and it too was fantastic.

The cider-braised pork shoulder with root vegetables and collards had just the right bit of sweet.

It was the grassfed beef Bolognese with pork and organic orrechiette that really stole the show. So much so, in fact, that we ordered a second small portion (here’s where that full portion size would have come in handy…) as well as one to go! It’s hard to capture in a photo, but it was the perfect balance of spicy and salty, with a finish of creamy.

The option to choose between two sizes was particularly useful when it came to dessert, especially when in selecting the tiniest little round of vanilla panna cotta with blackberry coulis. It’s not usually my first choice, but with the mini size I was able to try just one bite and pass it along to the real panna cotta lover in the group. The triple chocolate torte with espresso crème anglaise was exactly the chocolate I wanted, the beautifully smooth torte punctuated with layers of airy wafer. The best for last, gramma’s cheesecake, was an unusually un-sweet round of perfect-textured cheesecake, topped with a wild huckleberry sauce. We didn’t even have to put on an act for Emmer & Rye’s pastry chef who happened to be sitting at the next table; all of the happy exclamations and clinking of forks to fight for the last bites were utterly genuine.

I know that I sound all gushy about Emmer & Rye, but truly, it was one of the best meals on record. No, I amend that: One of the best experiences on record. Our server, Anna, was fantastic, and Chris the bartender presented his cocktails in person. (I recommend x2 his rye-se & shine, with rye, brandy, sweet vermouth, absinthe and bitters.) I loved it so much that I can forgive the country-cute vibe of the interior of this old Victorian, just another strike against the place when it was the much less successful Queen Anne outpost of the Julia’s empire.

Come, try for yourself, and report back. They make it easy, with all of the smaller-sized options, as well as a happy hour from 4-6pm. Oh and brunch, too! If you go, let me know if the a.m. menu is as good as the p.m. menu and I’ll be over there in a flash.

Tilikum Place Café

2010-02-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Tilikum Place Cafe sort of sneaks up on you, surprising you with its location on a recently revitalized block of Cedar on the edge of Belltown, just a stone’s throw from the venerable 5 Point Café. It doesn’t occupy a huge space, though the tall ceilings and floor-level windows that look onto Cedar make it feel relatively spacious. It seems as though in the remodel to restaurant-ready they kept some of the original elements like exposed bricks and beams and big, metal-frame slant windows. The ring of postcards tacked just above the top of the banquette, which I’m told were collected by owner/chef Ba Culbert, give the place a kind of accessible, homey feel that complements the food.

The first of two starters, the salt cod croquettes with salsa verde, was good, but a little overly-breaded for me. The second, pictured here, was 180 degrees different in style and flavor and seemed a little out of place on the menu but was outstanding: Served in a tiny cast-iron skillet, the ground lamb kefta in a Moroccan spiced tomato sauce with feta, kalamata olives and grilled bread.

From there, on to the entrees, the first of which was among the specials for the evening. A perfectly cooked trio of pan-seared scallops served with stewed farro, Israeli couscous, lemon yogurt and trumpet mushrooms.

I generally avoid eating chicken in restaurants because I’m all for sampling something more exotic, something less likely to make an appearance in my own kitchen, but on this occasion I made an exception after spying it one table over. Although a seemingly simple preparation of pan-seared chicken served with a Hubbard squash puree and brussels sprouts, this part of the meal was far and away the best.

Maximilien

2010-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Tucked away in a back corner of Pike Place Market, Maximilien is one of my favorite spots for happy hour. Behind Rachel the Pig, past Market Spice Teas and Don & Joe’s Meats and down a long hallway you’ll see the door that leads into a quirky, slightly askew restaurant and bar. I always opt for the upstairs at Maximilen, where the south-facing windows offer a view of cranes and industry, and the expanse of the west-facing view is all ferries, islands and Olympics. It’s low-ceilinged and warm and somehow seems just the right fit for a dark, rainy night or a brilliantly sunny summer day.

On this particular Friday I started with a happy hour cocktail of the French Martini, a little bit on the sweet side but one that goes down altogether too quickly: vodka, pineapple, cranberry juice and raspberry liqueur. (How is it that I can happily drink Maker’s Mark in Manhattan form on some occasions and this confection in drink form on other occasions?) Other well-priced happy hour beverages include wine by the glass and by the bottle, margarita, Kronenbourg beer and the recently popular absinthe.

New on the happy hour menu, or at least new to me, is the offering of eight small plates for a package price of $20. Brilliant! The thing is, a photo -- or I should amend that to say, my photo -- doesn’t fully convey the true buttery nature of the Mini Croissant au Jambon pictured here, or the extraordinary crust of the Tarte Flambee with brie, herbs and tomatoes.

The Belgium Fries and Goat Cheese & Garlic Mousse served with baguette croutons were also excellent, as were the Fromagere Tartine with roasted onions and swiss cheese and the Fermiere Tartine with pate, mustard and cornichons. The Moules Mariniere, mussels steamed with butter, white wine, shallots, garlic and parsley, are always one of my favorites and didn’t disappoint. (Though I never seem to get enough of the broth. Can I get that in a to-go container?) A nice surprise and one I hadn’t tried before: Salmon Coulibiac, petite balls of salmon, goat cheese and spinach baked in puff pasty placed atop a swath of mustard sauce. Darn the French and their skill with buttery pastry; it’s tough to stop at just one.

How to Cook a Wolf

2010-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

There is something about How to Cook a Wolf. It could be that the minute you step inside you’re feet away from the open kitchen, or it could be the sense of accomplishment you feel when you arrive at just the right moment and don’t have to wait for one of the precious few seats available. For me, it’s that I always feel enveloped by the warm wood, foot-level ring of rock that anchors the room and the wide band of coppery metal that reflects the candlelight and gives the whole space a certain kind of glow.

On the most recent visit we shared a couple of plates, one of which was the Radiatori, perfectly done pasta with a lamb ragu, marjoram and ricotta salata. The other standout was that evening’s bruschetta offering, chicken liver mousse with sultana and saba. Interestingly, that last element wasn’t the fish I’m familiar with from years of sushi eating, but rather a very intensely-flavored grape reduction. The bruschetta was a perfect combination of creamy mousse and crunchy toast, with the right accent of sweet. It was so good, in fact, that we wouldn’t let our server take the plate until all of the saba had been swiped away.

The only difficulty with describing all of the great food we had is that you can’t necessarily expect to show up and be able to order the same things. Not even the next night, as they rotate their menu on a daily basis. Though a couple of other favorites that seem to recur and for which I suggest you be on the lookout: Beef Carpaccio (parmesan, Taggiasca olive, white anchovy), Beet Salad (pistachio, mandarin oranges, fennel) and Escolar Crudo (the most buttery brined preparation of this white fish you will ever have).

The other part of the alchemy of a dining experience that makes How to Cook a Wolf so good, is their service. They remember names and faces, servers always seem to be available without hovering and the bartender mixes a perfect martini all while being chatty if you want and not if you don’t. Even if you think you’ve seen everything Ethan Stowell has to offer by trying his three other restaurants -- Union, Tavolata and Anchovies & Olives -- this little gem is well worth the trip to the top of Queen Anne.

The gifting of wine

2010-01-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

I don’t know if anyone else caught this little tidbit in a recent edition of Daily Candy, but these funky, sticky wine bottle labels certainly put to rest the question of where that fabulous Malbec came from. The Toast-its website describes them as “greeting cards that wrap around wine bottles,” giving you a way to write a pithy little note on the bottle you’re gifting. After a quick scan of the label options it looks as though there are a few cool designs available. Though doesn’t this lovely little greeting card cover up the label the wine came with, the one that, um, tells you what kind of wine it is?

Plum Bistro

2010-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Given that I’m generally such a carnivore, I wouldn’t normally choose a vegetarian restaurant unless brought along by someone who doesn’t include meat as a part of his regular diet. Such it was that I found myself at Plum Bistro on a recent Saturday night, another spot in the especially great restaurant-heavy south end of Capitol Hill. I had been curious about Plum Bistro since it opened last summer, as it shares an entrance with another favorite, Osteria la Spiga, as well as the high ceilings and exposed wood beams of its neighbor.

We started with a couple of cocktails, the nicely warm Lemon Ginger Hot Toddy (Maker’s Mark whiskey, housemade ginger syrup) and the Plum Drop (vodka, muddled red grapes and limes, triple sec, raspberry liqueur, splash of red wine).

I was impressed with the entrees: Cornmeal-Encrusted Seitan Steak with a white mushroom gravy, thyme-roasted new potatoes and sautéed red chard, and particularly with the Quinoa Sliders, a sloppy joe-style millet and quinoa blend with grilled sweet onions, spring greens, tomatoes and lemon basil aioli with roasted potatoes.

I’m pretty sure that I’m not ready for an entirely meatless existence, but a return visit to Plum Bistro will be a good reminder of how fantastic vegetables and grains and all-around fresh, organic ingredients can be.

Spur

2010-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Spur Gastropub in Belltown is the older sibling of another one of my favorites, Capitol Hill’s Tavern Law. They both have inventive food (and a particular fondness for pork belly, I’ve noticed) and especially good cocktail menus. After repeated samplings of both -- all in the name of research, of course -- I find that I gravitate toward the upstairs at Tavern Law if I’m in that neighborhood, but would more often than not pick Spur and its long, rough hewn wood bar tables if given the choice. The drinks at both are top notch, interesting constructions of often traditional liquors and untraditional liqueurs. At Spur last week there were sips of some and second drinks of others: the Empress (Jamaican rum, grapefruit, St. Germain), the Antoinette (Strega, St. Germain, lemon, sparkling wine) and the Broken Spur #2 (Maker’s Mark bourbon, Cointreau, lemon, amaretto).

You would think that after starting with happy hour drinks and bites at Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor in Ravenna we’d have no room left to sample some of the menu items at Spur, but such was not the case. It’s the lure of the small plates: They trick you into thinking you’re just trying a few bites here and there and then somehow you find yourself ordering half the things on the menu. Our half that night included two pastas, the Parmesan Gnocchi with parsnip, chanterelle mushrooms and brussels sprouts, and the Tagliatelle with duck egg, oyster mushrooms and pine nuts. Both well done, particularly the duck egg on the tagliatelle that gave it just the right creamy texture. The Roasted Cauliflower with fennel, taggiasca olives and arugula seemed a little light on the cauliflower and the Pork Belly Sliders with quince, mustard and bourbon a little heavy on the overly sweet bread, but these were the only snags in an otherwise fantastic meal.

The two standouts in the savory category were the Fried Rabbit Terrine, pictured at the top of the post, and the Sockeye Salmon Crostini. The terrine, besides being beautiful, involves an elaborate process of rabbit deconstruction and reconstruction. Perhaps not a story for PETA card-carriers, but for those of us fascinated with food it was interesting to hear what’s involved. Ask Anne; she’s great and she will tell you all about it. The crostini, pictured here with a dish of housemade fried hominy in the background, are these lovely little stacks of salmon, mascarpone, capers and pickled shallot on just the right amount of toast. Crispy, creamy and buttery all at once.

We couldn’t leave without sampling two of the desserts, the Warm Financier and the Chocolate Sponge Cake. Although my friends found the financier to be a touch on the dry side, I thought that the hazelnut-infused cake had an excellent texture and the vanilla custard and apple compote-like addition were perfect.

Agreed that it was hard to top the sponge cake, with its cascade of cake and chocolate and assemblage of freeze dried caramel, ice cream and sea salt that gave Molly Moon’s a run for its money.

I noticed a couple of upcoming winemaker’s dinners, one tonight and one in February with Basel Cellars, makers of the wine my friends were such fans of on a second visit last Friday night. Check out Spur’s blog for more info.

Private event locales

2010-01-21T06:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Alix,

I’m planning to throw a 40th birthday party for my husband and need some inspiration. Do you have any suggestions for interesting Seattle party venues?

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Dear Party Planner,

Ah, the age-old question of location… It all depends, doesn’t it, on what kind of vibe you’re looking for, how big or small the party might be and in what part of town you want to throw this shindig. I’m not suggesting that the list below is a comprehensive one, not by a long shot; there are a gazillion restaurants and bars not to mention dedicated event spaces that are vying for your business. Instead, this is a short list of venues that I think are interesting or well laid out or geographically desirable or all of the above. And I’m thinking somewhere in the 25-40 guest range for the most part, a nice party size.

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big
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Some of the restaurants and bars I like that also happen to have private spaces:

Chez Shea (Pike Place Market)
94 Pike St, Ste 34
(206) 467-9990

Soul Repair (the back room at Quinn’s on Capitol Hill)
1001 E Pike St
(206) 979-SHOP

Chapel (Capitol Hill)
1600 Melrose Ave
(206) 447-4180

BalMar (Ballard)
5449 Ballard Ave NW
(206) 297-0500

Volterra (Ballard)
5411 Ballard Ave NW
(206) 789-5100

Or in the case of one of my favorite little spots, they don’t have a private space because it’s so small but they do rent out the whole place:

Licorous (Capitol Hill)
928 12th Ave
(206) 325-6947

If your guest of honor -- or maybe just the bulk of your guests -- are more beer-oriented, you might consider either one of these:

Elysian (SoDo)
542 1st Ave S, Ste B
(206) 382-4498

Hale’s Ales (Fremont/Ballard)
4301 Leary Way NW
(206) 706-1544

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Bigger
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And if by chance I have it all wrong and you’re interested in throwing a bigger party:

Palace Ballroom (Downtown)
2030 5th Ave
(206) 441-5542

Pravda (Capitol Hill)
1406 10th Ave, Ste 200
(206) 728-1177

Given my recent affection for Georgetown, it’s not too terribly surprising that I would recommend two in that neighborhood, both very different spaces:

Georgetown Ballroom (Georgetown)
5623 Airport Way S
(206) 763-4999

Georgetown Studios (Georgetown)
5890 Airport Way S
(800) 517-1052

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BIGGEST
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Or if we’re talking blowout and you need a space that’s ballroom-sized, The Dome Room at the Arctic Club Hotel is a little something different. With rococo gilt and a stained glass dome ceiling, as well as the Polar Bar in the hotel lobby when you want to slip away for a game of pool, it’s very throwback in all the right ways. Though it was sold to Hilton and added to the Doubletree brand last year; hopefully they maintain all that is good in this unique hotel.

Arctic Club Hotel (Downtown)
700 3rd Ave
(206) 340-0340

Ventana

2010-01-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

OK, I admit it: I hadn’t been overly anxious to try Ventana, lumping it together in my mind with sister restaurant and neighbor in Belltown, Twist. Don’t get me wrong, Twist has an endless happy hour that includes well-priced and perfectly good small plates, but I didn’t think of it as particularly food-focused. So I was pleasantly surprised when a friend and I decided to try Ventana for happy hour one recent evening, and came away impressed.

We started off with some especially inventive cocktails: Dirty Parisian (vodka, spicy cornichon brine and cornichon pickles as garnish), Pom Pom (pomegranate vodka, St. Germain liqueur, prosecco and pomegranate juice) and even tried a sample of the Bloody Mary (bacon vodka, Armin’s famous bloody mary mix and chorizo sea salt topped with crisp bacon and Jerusalem artichoke).

The chorizo sea salt from the bloody mary is part of a line of specialty salts created by the chef, several others of which appear throughout the menu. Two of the standouts from the list of happy hour bites were the Bristol Bay Salmon Crudo with almond crème fraiche, cucumber and fennel, and the Salt Cod Beignets. Now, saying “breaded salt cod” may not sound amazing but the doughy texture paired with roasted butternut squash fondue made for the perfect sort of happy hour snack-y item.

Comparing the dinner menu with the clearly very “constructed” plates that passed us on the way out of the kitchen, I’m looking forward to a return visit. Maybe for the Potato Samosa Raviolo (Thai chili, cilantro, honeydew and coriander broth), or the Roasted Hen of the Woods Mushrooms (griddled toast, basil and fried duck egg) or the Lacquered Duck Breast (cauliflower puree, truffle vinaigrette and shrimp chorizo). Also, manager and our bartender for the evening, Armin, tells me that they are just starting half price wine on Monday nights so add that as another reason to stop by and check out Ventana.

[Glossy photo of Ventana’s interior courtesy of the restaurant]

Toulouse Petit

2010-01-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

I was predisposed to like Toulouse Petit, as it replaced a decidedly sub-par Chinese restaurant in my old neighborhood of lower Queen Anne. Smack on the corner of Queen Anne Ave and Mercer St, perfectly positioned for foot traffic and with prime visibility for car and bus traffic.

My visit to Toulouse Petit was for breakfast, so I didn’t have the chance to experience fully the New Orleans flair that likely comes out later in the day. (Alligator and Abita beer, anyone?) We were there to take advantage of the breakfast happy hour, where every item on the breakfast menu is only $5. It’s available Monday through Friday and only through January, so now is the perfect time to have a good breakfast at a great price, check out the rest of the menu and decide if you want to make a return trip.

As for the food, my Eggs Forstiere with oyster mushrooms, asparagus and fresh herbs was excellent, though friends’ Baked Eggs with piperade and Tasso ham, and Eggs Benedict with Snake River Farms Kurubota ham elicited a so-so response. If the service had been fantastic it might have tipped the balance, but what seemed like a passing interest from the server didn’t help edge our experience into mostly positive territory.

The interior is an ambitious combination of so many elements, a couple of which if used on their own would have been interesting but when mashed all together felt overwhelming. The walls are a sort of speckled combination of cold, copper and mint green, with a mustard toned ceiling and similarly-hued velvet-backed booths. The wood in the room is warm but busy, with beautifully inlaid tables and narrow, light wood paneling on the booth fronts. Tile also makes an appearance in brightly colored shiny mosaics on the raised booth floor. Add heavy steel and amber glass light fixtures, and you have an idea of everything going on inside Toulouse Petit.

Certainly if I make a return trip it will be for the cocktails I’ve heard so much about, and perhaps at a more dim hour of the day when the interior elements aren’t quite so vivid…

[Photo courtesy of pouryourheartintoit]

Sun Liquor

2010-01-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

I don’t know quite how to describe Sun Liquor, but I do know that I was sold on the place the minute the bartender at Quinn’s told me that it was one of his favorites. It’s on the north end of Capitol Hill, in the same block of Summit as Top Pot Doughnuts, tucked away on a quieter part of the hill. Once you step inside it’s a funny mixture of Asian and kitschy, with what felt like a touch of mid-century modern. But somehow it all works together: bamboo-styled chairs and stools, a couple of carved wooden screens, Chinese characters popping up here and there, those chunky red glass candle holders usually found in old Italian restaurants.

Food is clearly not the priority here; it’s all about the top-notch drinks. The couple of nights I’ve been there I’ve sampled the Moscow Mule (vodka, ginger beer, lime juice), the Scarlet Lady (gin, lemon juice, house-made grenadine, champagne) and perfect for a chilly day, the Blueberry Tea (amaretto, Grand Marnier, Earl Grey tea). Let me tell you, at the happy hour price of $2 off standard rate these all go down quite easily. I’d read in some of the Yelp reviews about the hand-squeezed juice, and they weren’t kidding. Absolutely delicious well-made drinks, and enough to knock me off my usual trajectory toward the Bombay Sapphire martini. When in Rome one must have the specialty of the house, no?

The other comment that shows up with some frequency in the Yelp reviews is that although there are tables, you have to go up to the bar to order. I agree that might prove challenging if the place was packed, but for the moderate crowds I’ve experienced it was no biggie, especially because on the second outing we scored seats at the bar. Sun Liquor is clearly a neighborhood spot -- judging by how well the bartenders seemed to know the crowd -- but even if you’re not local you can always aspire to be a regular. It’s worth the effort, I suspect.

One day, two polar opposite dining experiences: Paladar Cubano & John Howie Steak

2009-12-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

The fun began with lunch at Paladar Cubano, the more stationary version of the mobile food trucks that I’m such a fan of. As much as I love Paseo, I had been reading lately on Nancy Leson’s blog and in Seattle Magazine that Paladar Cubano’s Cubano sandwich was the real deal, like tasting a little bit of Cuba here in Seattle. The Cubano didn’t disappoint and describing it as ham, cheese, roast pork, pickles and mustard on crispy Cuban bread doesn’t begin to do this sandwich justice, just suffice it to say: Go. Try. You’ll be back.

At the other end of the spectrum was happy hour at John Howie Steak, in the upscale new “shopping experience” in Bellevue, The Bravern. The restaurant is the newest offering from Seastar’s John Howie, this time focusing on steak rather than seafood. I understand that the personal wine lockers -- perfect for storing your wine, even opened wine between visits -- are designed to be a draw, but the happy hour was enough to keep me coming back.

The swanky bar area with a Chinese red wall, similarly-hued club chairs and a sort of marbleized bar lit from within hinted at the food to come. All from the happy hour menu, we ordered deviled eggs with truffled bacon; habenjero shrimp in the most fantastic spicy sweet broth; delicious little BLT sliders on perfect crustless rounds of white toast; and last but not least, tempura fried bacon with a maple ponzu sauce. I know, I can just hear it now… “You ate at John Howie Steak and sampled not a single bite of the namesake menu item??” Too many other choices caught my eye, but the prime tenderloin bites shall be ordered on my next visit, never fear.

That day I ran the gamut from informal to upscale, but it’s worth noting that sandwiches were a part of both dining experiences. Maybe it’s something about the comfort of a familiar form factor. Or maybe it’s a reflection of our current national financial state of affairs that the humble BLT -- not to mention the potluck staple, the deviled egg -- is appearing on menus outside of diners and dives. It would seem that we’re flocking to what is familiar and accessible, even when schmancied-up with truffled bacon and crustless toast rounds.

Paladar Cubano:

John Howie Steak:

[Photo of the Cubano courtesy of Nancy Leson]

Dinette

2009-12-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

Last week included a stop by Dinette for happy hour, and I’m so glad to have done it. It’s located on one of those funny blocks on Capitol Hill, where either you travel it daily or wouldn’t know it exists at all. I’ve been in the latter camp until recent trips to The Living Room, Knee High Stocking Co. and The Saint introduced me to this micro-neighborhood.

And frankly, I’ve thought of Dinette as a small and sweetly romantic restaurant, not somewhere to meet friends for a drink after work. But after cruising by on multiple occasions and spotting a bar -- which I understand to be a relatively new addition -- I decided that it had real possibility as a meet-up location. A quick check of the website told of happy hour, and I was sold.

The new bar area is tiny, without a doubt, but as far as I’m concerned perfectly sized. The tall ceilings and blue walls hung with tea trays are a nice complement to the substantial four-seat bar with pressed tin facing. Add two seats in each of the street-facing windows, and you have the entirety of the bar area. We tried several of the happy hour small plates: pate with toast, pickles and grain mustard; tapas plate with marinated Manchego cheese, fried almonds and olives; manila clams with white wine, parsley and garlic; and the smoked pork toast with sauerkraut and gruyere. Include a drink or two (I think I’ll try the house sangria next time around) and this made for a perfect small-bite meal for three.

Although we didn’t stay for dinner, I plan to return to sample more of the “rustic European” menu. Here’s what I already have my eye on: toast with creamy gorgonzola, toasted walnuts and balsamic syrup; tagliatelle hand-cut noodles with a French lentil and chanterelle mushroom ragu, white truffle oil and crispy bread crumbs; and the Honey Crisp Apple Crisp with cranberries, oatmeal streusel and vanilla ice cream. Now doesn’t that sound good?!

All in all, Dinette offers very good food and service in the kind of cozy neighborhood restaurant that you wish you had right around the corner. Alas, some of us have to travel to this one, but it’s well worth the trip.

[Photo courtesy of zeebleoop]

Swap-a-Thon: The video

2009-12-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

Remember when I wrote about the November Sit+Sip home accessories swap at the Phinney Neighborhood Center? It turns out that KIROTV.com's Penny LeGate was there and has posted as part of her “Green Scene” series a video about that event, so here is your chance to see it in action.

Interested in participating in the next one? One of the event’s organizers, Sara Eizen, tells me that their next Sit+Sip event will be a collaboration with the Seattle Art Museum in early March. No date announced yet, but check back on their website in mid-January for the details. Or if you want to be totally in the know, sign up there to receive updates via email the second news is available.

Cafe Juanita

2009-12-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

I admit that I’m completely Seattle-centric when it comes to my dining choices, but recently I was lured to Kirkland for dinner at Café Juanita. It’s one of those restaurants I’ve been meaning to try, given that it has been so successful for so long (nearly ten years now) and given chef and owner Holly Smith’s reputation and impressive local pedigree (Dahlia Lounge and Brasa). I just hadn’t made the time to venture out there, so good thing I had a friend who insisted it was worth the venturing.

Café Juanita is big in that low-ceilinged, cozy way. From our corner spot I was surprised to look to my left and see a long line of tables stretching down the wall, but the fireplace and emphasis on candlelight do the job of bringing the space closer. In all of this lovely dim light, the clearly very carefully presented food showed beautifully. I thought that the construction of each plate, both from a visual perspective and from a flavor perspective, was very impressive.

We started with the foie gras huckleberry brik, one of the “apertivi” designed to pair an amuse-bouche-sized bite with a cocktail. From there it was the housemade pork fritto with huckleberries pickled then finished in a tempura batter, served with frisee and topped with a fried hen’s egg (pictured above). On to the pasta, the rabbit agnolotti dal plin with sage butter, and finally the entrée, Oregon saddle of lamb with semolina gnocchi, taggiasca olive tapenade and Grand Marnier.

Hard to believe that after this feast we had room for dessert, but it was tough to resist when presented with butternut squash bread pudding with pepitas toffee, persimmon squash compote with butter gelato; and dark chocolate rosemary ganache with pine nut praline and Limoncello foam. Although we chose just the former (and it was extraordinary), the latter is on my list for the next visit to Café Juanita. And the top notch service, by the way, is a big reason for there to be a next visit. Kudos to a fantastic staff.

Speaking of the eastside, I’m ready and waiting to hear your favorite bars and restaurants. Convince me of a dining destination and I’ll go -- really, I will.

Party it up at Equinox Studios

2009-12-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Georgetown does its “Art Attack” art walk the second Saturday of each month, and the biggest arts venue in the neighborhood is hosting a Very Open House on the December date.

Equinox Studios is one of those great industrial buildings in Georgetown that has been converted into studio space, and houses some fantastic artists and their work. Over 45 of them, in fact. I like it because it offers a huge variety of disciplines: blacksmiths, steel and wood workers, photographers, painters and graphic designers, screen printers, sculptors and metal fabricators.

It’s hard to top having access to all of that creativity in one location. And on this particular occasion there will also be live music, food and beverages so really, no reason to miss it.

The details:

Equinox Studios Very Open House
Saturday, December 12
6:00 - 9:00pm
6555 5th Avenue South, Seattle (one block south of Michigan Street)

[Photo courtesy of the artist, Stacy Rosevear.]

Fresh Flours

2009-12-03T18:14:00.001-08:00

Today I spent some time at Fresh Flours in Ballard, just the newest addition in an already unfairly bakery-heavy Ballard. (Unfair only because I don’t live there, you understand.) Rather than a producer of the strictly French variety like its Ballard neighbors, Besalu and Honore, FF turns out baked goods with a Japanese twist. Witness the green tea and azuki muffin, tall with a crusty top and studded with just the right number of azuki beans. The distinctly non-Japanese rosemary and parmesan scone was equally tasty, and I can’t wait to try the pain au chocolat next to see how it stacks up.

The interior of Fresh Flours is bright and airy, green bench seating and exposed brick along one wall with the back of the space open to the baking operation. It feels like a neighborhood spot, probably underscored on today’s visit as I stood in line behind James Weimann, co-owner of next door’s Bastille who stopped in to introduce himself and say hello. Now, isn’t that neighborly? I was also a fan of the very eclectic art on the walls, and interested to see on Fresh Flours’ website that they provide info on the artists featured at this location and at their first shop in Phinney. Speaking of which… I thought that I had seen the FF name around town and was told today that was indeed the case. Formerly a wholesale operation that sold to other coffee shops around the city, they will now focus entirely on their retail locations in Ballard and Phinney.

Fresh Flours was just one stop in a succession of coffee and pastry purveyors today: Uptown Espresso’s Belltown location, Bang Bang on Western and Honore in Ballard were all on the circuit. Don’t I pick the best places for meetings?

Tavern Law redux + gin favorites

2009-11-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

So, it happened. I promised that if I made a return visit to Tavern Law and actually ventured upstairs this time, I would share my findings.

It’s not the fact that the theoretically exclusive second floor space is speakeasy-themed that makes it so appealing, it’s the funky layout and company that did it for me. As you come up the stairs you wind around to several nook-like spaces on different levels as well as a tiny bar, all of which make for good hideaway spots for conversation. We spent a considerable amount of time at that tiny bar, chatting with bartender Miles and hearing about his very own line of bitters and syrups called “Scrappy Bitters.”

[The mention of which requires a short sidebar… What’s with bitters bitters everywhere all of the sudden? Last week at Cicchetti I asked the bartender that question and he thought it went with the renewed popularity of the classic cocktail and all the ingredients that go along with it. Sure, I’ll buy that. ]

We had some of the same food as on our last visit to Tavern Law, but the drinks really took center stage this time. In addition to our first cocktail of the evening, a Miles concoction based on my reported current state of mind (“optimistic and enthusiastic”), he noted that I was a gin fan and poured a mini tasting for us. My go-to gins are typically Bombay Sapphire, Hendrick’s and Dry Fly when I’m in the mood to support the hometown distillery. I really enjoyed some of what I tried this time around, though. Aviation made another appearance, twice in one night in fact, after sampling earlier in the evening at Spinasse. Also very clean and smooth and a little more my style was the Plymouth. Though quite drinkable, I thought Miller’s was just the tiniest bit too floral for me. The real standout and the biggest surprise was the Ransom and its amber color, apparently aged and made in the Old Tom style.

The evening at Tavern Law ended with a pouring of Campano Antica, which is unlike any vermouth I’ve ever had. A bit on the sweet side but like the Ransom fantastic on its own or when fashioned into a cocktail. Coincidentally, those two were also featured in a drink l I had the next week at Cicchetti. Keep this up and I might just start to fancy myself a liquor aficionado, or at the very least an “appreciative consumer.”

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

2009-11-27T10:52:00.001-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I have an inordinate love for peanut butter, particularly desserts which contain this magical ingredient. On this post-Thanksgiving day, having just overindulged in turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, why not share a recipe? These bars got good reviews on their first public outing, and I promise that you will be well-received when you bring these along with you to your next holiday party.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Makes 48 bars

3 c powdered sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c softened butter
2 c crunchy peanut butter
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c milk

Beat together sugars and butter until blended; the mixture will be crumbly. Mix in peanut butter. With clean hands, press the mixture into an ungreased 9”x13” pan in a smooth layer. Melt the chocolate and milk together in a small pan on the stove, and spread over the peanut butter layer. Freeze until the bars begin to set (approximately 20 minutes), cut into 48 bars, then return to the freezer to continue to set. Bars can be stored in a sealed container in the freezer, and are tasty straight out of the freezer or allowed to warm up slightly.

Thanks, Joanna, for introducing us to this recipe and Mom, for bringing it back from your Australian visit. Ah, the extra special challenge of converting from metric…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Cicchetti

2009-11-24T22:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the heads-up from Andrew and Josiah, and to Tim for bringing me along on his birthday outing… We were first in line when Cicchetti, the newest addition to the Eastlake neighborhood, opened its doors tonight. Forget all of that soft opening stuff; we experienced the first real night of service. When we arrived at 5:00pm the place was, of course, empty. And by the time we left at 6:30pm? Packed.

Cicchetti occupies a former architect’s office across the patio from Serafina, somewhere I (and the rest of foodie Seattle) have had my eye on for a while . Walking in, the space has that wonderful feeling of small and cozy, but when you look around you see a whole lot of seats. Off to the right of the entrance, around the corner of the bar and upstairs in an area that overlooks Lake Union and the Space Needle. The walls downstairs are a fantastic bright green juxtaposed against interior elements like the stunning chandelier just inside the entrance -- brought straight from Venice, we were told.

Like its sibling restaurant, Serafina, Cicchetti doesn’t disappoint in the cocktail department. Two of our favorites from the evening were the Unorthodox (Irish whiskey, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and bitters) and the Martinez (Ransom gin, Campano Antica vermouth and maraschino liqueur). Although we didn’t have time to give the menu a complete once-over, the three things we tried were fantastic: octopus with salsa verde and chickpeas, chanterelle mushroom and fontina pizza and saving the best for last, roasted pork and fennel sausage with red wine braised onions and grapes. I’m a huge fan of Serafina –- particularly at happy hour -– but it seems that now I’ll have to divide my time in the neighborhood between these two fantastic locations.

[Photo courtesy of Tim Callaghan]

Mapplethorpe writ small

2009-11-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

You probably know artist Robert Mapplethorpe for his very large, mostly stylized and often sexually explicit photographs all produced between the late 1970’s and his death in 1989. The show currently at the Henry Art Gallery, Polaroids: Mapplethorpe, in contrast, comes from an earlier period in the artist’s life and is a selection of some 1,500 photographs made with Polaroid materials between 1970 and 1975. Although not the work for which he’s famous, it’s interesting when viewed as an illustration of how he got from here to there, and as part of the journey in Mapplethorpe’s evolution as a photographer.

These pieces are on a much smaller scale than those other works as, indeed, they are Polaroids. There are also a few still lifes among the photographs, as well as the portraits and nudes that are clear precursors to what will become his more famous work. I was lucky enough to see the exhibit with my cousin, who has a professional artist’s perspective on light and composition and sees things differently than I might. I especially liked how she pointed out Mapplethorpe’s juxtaposition of the hard and the soft (an elevator’s metal gate against curves of flesh) and his ability to capture the vulnerability of relationship, in whatever form (two lovers in a series of four snapshots).

Not all of the photographs are exceptional, but as a body of work and when viewed in the context of Robert Mapplethorpe’s larger career, I think that the show is definitely worth a look. The Henry is the last stop on an international tour, so be sure to catch the exhibit before it leaves town on January 31, 2010.

Spinasse

2009-11-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

I admit that I had high expectations for Spinasse, a sweet little Italian (or Piedmontese if we’re being really accurate) restaurant on Capitol Hill. I had been hearing good things from several friends who know food, so the restaurant already had a lot to live up to. I may be spoiling the surprise here, but I’m just going to tell you up front that it didn’t disappoint.

At least half of the few seats inside are at communal tables, which I suspect makes Seattleites just the tiniest bit edgy. At least in theory we really want to chit chat with the people sitting next to us at the communal table, but it just doesn’t seem to come naturally. We snagged two seats at the marble-topped counter, which faces the open kitchen and surrounds the petite bar. (Come to think of it, I must like sitting in close proximity to where the action is, because I’m also a big fan of the counter at Matt’s in the Market and the bar at Palace Kitchen.) Here, too, we chit chatted with our neighbors –- nearly unavoidable at Spinasse, I think, given the small space and what seems to be a propensity for gushing aloud about the food.

I began by ordering my default drink of choice, a gin martini, olives. Although this time around I was forced off-course because Spinasse doesn’t serve Bombay Sapphire, but rather Aviation Gin from a distillery in Portland. Pair that very clean gin with buttery, not-your-average-martini olives, and it was a terrific way to start the meal. Even before the drinks arrived a little surprise appeared, house-cured pepperoncini, anchovy, ricotta and capers on toast rounds. From there, we tried two antipasti: thin slices of slow roasted pork served cold with tuna mainesse (its close American cousin: mayonnaise) and squash flan with olive praline, caramelized onion and toasted anchovy. The pork was delicious without a doubt, but the flan blew it out of the water by being shockingly creamy with the lightest squash-y flavor.

Everyone who talks about Spinasse says that the pasta is not to be missed, as it’s made in house and done extraordinarily well. Seasonal ingredients also figure prominently in the food of Spinasse, which were featured to great effect in the “pot-bellied” ravioli filled with autumn greens and topped with toasted almonds. Never would I have imagined what was inside those ravioli was in any way vegetable, the flavor was so rich. Our final dish of the night was another pasta, the maltagliati with a ragu of hazelnut-finished pork belly. Really, really lovely and delicious.

The food and drink at Spinasse are fantastic, but the staff truly made the evening. Kind and gracious, they even accommodated us when, um, somehow the reservation ended up on the wrong evening. Hats off to those who made for a delight of a dining experience.

[Photo courtesy of rainydayknitter]

Kaname-Izakaya

2009-11-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

The word “izakaya” indicates that you’ve stepped into the world of Japanese pub food, which I suppose means that it’s food easily accessible to the average local palate. (Burgers and fries = American pub food, so you get the picture.) Kaname-Izakaya fills that bill, and is very much at home in its International District setting. Judging by the rather extensive list of offerings they seem mostly to be a Japanese restaurant with a little izakaya menu of small plates thrown in for good measure, which I bet really attracts the post-work crowd.

Some of the things we tried on a recent visit during (an excellently-priced) happy hour: deep fried tofu, spicy-sauced and non-spicy-sauced California rolls, beef and potato croquettes, gyoza. Did I mention that we had two orders of the deep fried tofu? Definitely the standout. What I’ll try the next time I’m there: garlic gobo fries, onigiri (flavored rice balls), kushi katsu (pork and onion skewers). I haven’t seen so many items on a menu described as deep fried in a long time; that’s another aspect of what makes good izakaya food, I suspect.

On the drink side, izakaya typically serve what is described as Japanese vodka: shochu. We had ours with Calpis, this odd milky sort of beverage that’s hugely popular in Japan. Certainly on the sweet side, but interesting enough that I could easily picture drinking more than one (and quite happily, thank you). But if that’s not your bag, the standard Sapporo beer awaits.

There are a couple of other places in Seattle that offer small bites in Japanese form, WANN Izakaya and Kushibar in Belltown among them. Though I admit I like the rough-hewn vibe of Kaname and the International District more than the polished Belltown version when it comes to this kind of food. The close cousin of pub grub is street food, and Boom Noodle on Capitol Hill has a good example in their okonomiyaki, a sort of pancake-y affair.

The best thing about all of these is that small plates give you the chance to try all sorts of different things without exposing your inner piglet...

Swap-a-Thon

2009-11-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

It’s that time again, time for another home accessories swap hosted by the nice folks at Sit+Sip. The event gives green-focused retailers and vendors exposure to the local audience, and up to 100 participants the chance to swap their own things for something new to them. It’s a great way to refresh your space without spending money, and at the same time saving unwanted items from hitting the landfill.

How does it work? Each person pays $10 and comes with three or more items in good condition. Think rugs, framed prints, candle holders, vases. There are a couple of rounds of swapping where everyone gets to peruse the loot and pick out two things they want to take home for FREE, then additional rounds occur until everyone is swapped out. Anything left at the end can either go home with its original owner or will be donated to Children’s Hospital Thrift Stores. Another reason to feel good about participating: 20% of profits made from that $10 per person is donated to Children’s Hospital. Excellent!

The details:

Holiday Home Accessories Swap
Saturday, November 21
Phinney Neighborhood Center - 6532 Phinney Avenue N, Seattle
10:00am - noon

Speaking of sprucing up with great design… I want to thank Colleen Ando and 2e Design for my fabulous new blog header and color scheme. Thanks, Colleen, for my mod new look!

The Living Room

2009-11-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Barely open a week, The Living Room on Capitol Hill is still working out a few things. Little things like naming the cocktail I sampled the night I was there: Cardinal Mendoza, Finot sherry, splash of lemon juice, champagne, garnished with a lemon twist. It’s just the littlest bit sweet, and leaves the best warmth in your throat after it goes down. A whole lot like the bar itself, actually.

Styled to be comfortable and homey, The Living Room achieves just that with couches in different sizes and shapes and mismatched end tables and coffee tables, both on the main floor and in the upstairs loft. The double-height wood paneling feels a little like an upscale version of rec rooms past, and is the perfect complement to those couches and the multiple pairs of funky glass light fixtures. The overall look feels unified with the addition of same-same tall chairs and tables in both spaces, as well as two absolutely beautiful resin bars upstairs and downstairs. Add warm, dark blue walls and dim lighting and it feels like a good friend’s living room (duh) -- just the kind of place you want to stay for a while and work your way through what I expect will be a fantastic cocktail menu.

Tavern Law

2009-11-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

A recent addition to one of my favorite restaurant mini-neighborhoods in the city, Tavern Law on Capitol Hill had been on my list to try but something never quite pulled me in. Maybe it was the fact that I’m a big fan of its sister restaurant in Belltown, Spur, and their especially inventive bartender and felt like I’d be cheating on him. (Oh no, not that!) Or maybe it was that my first read about Tavern Law had referred to a speakeasy vibe and I just didn’t connect with that idea. But my friend had had what he called an “extraordinary” meal there and wanted to see if it could be as good the second time, so off we went.

The disparity in size of the drink menu (large and weighty) and food menu (chalk board and if you’re lucky, a hand-written single sheet) might lead you to believe that the emphasis on Tavern Law is on what comes out of the bar. Not the case at all, though the cocktails aren’t to be missed and I personally recommend two: the Old Cuban (rum, lime, sugar, Angostura bitters, mint, champagne) and the Gun Club (gin, Lillet, maraschino, scotch).

We started dinner with the house-made foie gras terrine, topped with (more) Angostura bitters gelee and served with warm toasts. It was absolutely and completely extraordinary, and no doubt the reason for my friend’s description of his first experience at Tavern Law. From there it was on to more small plates, each better than the last: pan seared butterfish with fargola sarda and carrot sunchoke, Moulard duck breast with cranberries and butternut squash and my favorite of the night, crispy pork belly with a parsnip puree, Granny Smith apples and Brussels sprouts. The only misstep in my book was the fried arancini with romesco and gramolata which was just a tad salty. Luckily, we opted to finish our meal with another order of the blissfully melt-in-your-mouth foie gras so all was forgiven.

I have to ask… What’s with the recent proliferation of self-proclaimed speakeasies in Seattle? I know that Tavern Law is going for a particular theme, but the secret door and telephone up to the speak-easiest part of the joint felt the tiniest bit hokey. (Though I concede that I might feel otherwise once I spend some time up there, so I’ll report back if I have a change of heart.) This past week also included a visit to the Knee High Stocking Company, another speakeasy-styled bar on Capitol Hill, with a nearly unmarked entrance on the ground floor of an unassuming apartment building. And as I left the building and walked up Olive, I saw a sign for Chez Gaudy, advertising itself as “The Original Speakeasy.” There must be something about our current economic state of affairs that is making the consumption of carefully crafted cocktails in hidden-in-plain-view locations sexy again. Interesting timing, no?

[Photo courtesy of rockdoggydog]

Unanticipated dinner guests

2009-11-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Alix,

What to do if you’ve planned a casual dinner for six, the table is set, the dinner is made. But then neighbors drop off their daughter for the Halloween party in progress and end up staying a while and chatting, totally oblivious to the fact that dinner service is imminent… and they’re not on the guest list. How to resolve a situation like this without making anyone feel bad, or ruining the dinner I’ve worked hard to prepare?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kind Hostess:

I’m a fan of giving people a chance to catch on, thinking surely they will see the table set and just waiting to have dinner placed upon it. How long must you wait? As long as what you’ve prepared can bear it, assuming that your other guests are sufficiently supplied with drinks and snacks. If the lasagna is drying out in the oven and still no light bulb has appeared over the heads of your drop-ins, try something like “Ah, there goes the timer! We’re just about to sit down for dinner and would love it if you would join us.” Likely they will refuse, but your gracious invitation -- issued with real sincerity, one hopes -- will leave your excellent neighborly relations intact. And if they accept, squeeze in two more place settings, cut the pieces of lasagna a little smaller, open another bottle of wine and it will be as though the meal was always meant for eight.

Honeybees -- who knew?

2009-10-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

I went to a fantastic event this week downtown at the Palace Ballroom, part of “The Good Life” series from Kim Ricketts and interviewer extraordinaire, Warren Etheredge. The series features authors who have created for themselves this kind of life, and share with the rest of us how to do the same. Tuesday’s special guest was C. Marina Marchese, author of Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper and owner of Connecticut's Red Bee Artisanal Honey. I haven’t had a chance yet to read the book, but a couple of things from the conversation stuck out for me.

One is the concept of flower constancy and how it relates to flavors of honey. Apparently honeybees have a traveling radius of 2-3 miles, so that’s the area in which they seek out various flowers. And within that radius they return to the same flower time after time. It’s this pattern that allows beekeepers to produce honey with a consistent flavor profile. In order maintain that consistency, they track what is blooming at a particular time and stop harvesting the honey that their bees are producing 2-3 weeks after that flower stops blooming. And voila, you have lavender honey or wild raspberry honey or blueberry blossom honey, whatever is in season and within the honeybees’ nectar-gathering radius.

The second has to do with the traveling radius of a honeybee as well, but as it relates to what’s an organic product and what’s not. Because bees leave the hive and collect nectar from flowers within this 2-3 mile radius, it’s tough for a beekeeper to guarantee that nothing the bees come into contact with contains pesticides or other nasties, thus making the organic stamp of approval very difficult to attain. The good news is that if it’s challenging to buy organic honey, it’s really easy to buy honey blessed with our other current favorite stamp of approval: “produced locally.” And even better, eating this honey means that you’re ingesting allergens local to your particular environment, thus you’re less likely to suffer the effects of these same allergens when you breathe them in their flowering form. What a deal!

I’ve been meaning to attend a Kim Ricketts event for a while, and now that I’ve been to this one I’m looking forward to the Cooks and Books visiting chef series, particularly. Who wouldn’t love the pairing of interesting venue, fantastic food and entertaining personality?

[Photo courtesy of Red Bee Artisanal Honey]

On the blogs: Manhattan tree house, paper chandeliers, Blue C Sushi, healthcare reform

2009-10-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

Like many of you, there are several blogs that I return to day after day (or subscribe to, or RSS, or whatever method you choose) to see what’s happening and what interesting things are on the radar. On my blog I’ve listed several of my favorites, but here are a few recent posts that I’ve enjoyed and think that you should check out as well:

The team at BUILD LLC posted photos of their recent Manhattan Tree House Pavilion, designed by BUILD in Seattle and constructed onsite for a Microsoft product launch in NYC. A fantastically modern interpretation of the traditional tree house.

Paper chandeliers? What the heck? It’s wacky ideas like this that make me check back regularly and see what’s new and inspiring on design*sponge.

In “Outpost”, Seattle Metropolitan’s Steve Wiecking gives us a very cleverly-written look into what’s happening in the cultural life of the city. I particularly his weekly Met Picks, a snapshot of all of the cool things coming up that we should check out.

Nancy Leson’s “All You Can Eat” is a must-read for me because in addition to sharing a recipe from time to time she talks about food from all different angles: Her travels around the Seattle area and often further afield; who is opening new restaurants and what makes them and the restaurant interesting (Blue C Sushi downtown -- excellent!); and happenings like this upcoming event at Town Hall about the politics of food.

On Rebekah Denn’s “Eat All About It” she recently talked about the future of restaurant criticism which as you might imagine hit close to home, given that I’m one of those who simply likes food but has no professional credentials. But dining and posting responsibly, I hope…

I don’t know if Margaret and Helen really ARE two grandmothers, but I choose to believe it so that I can really enjoy an introductory paragraph like this one from their recent post about healthcare reform: “Margaret, I know it has been a few years since we last made the trip across the pond, but I was wondering if anyone is still alive in Europe? I watched a little bit of Fox News this weekend and I’m afraid everyone in Europe might have died from lack of access to healthcare. What a shame. They had such delicious food and beautiful art.”

Comfort food

2009-10-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I baked bread, which is not something I do very often. Hors d’oeuvres, soups, meats and of course dessert make much more frequent appearances on my cooking schedule. But something about baking bread hit just the right note for me. It has been a lot of out lately, and spending the afternoon in seemed very appealing. Maybe it was knowing that I would have to dig in and really use the heels of my hands to knead the dough, or maybe it was the line in the recipe that directed me to give the dough a couple of good whacks with the rolling pin. Both good for working out some of life’s stresses, and all part of the alchemy of comfort food.

Some of the joy of this bread is that it’s made from a recipe straightforwardly titled, “Mom’s White Bread.” This is the bread of my later childhood, when my mom did most of the baking of the bread we ate. It’s funny because my childhood and the one experienced by my older sisters seem to have been marked by different phases of domesticity for our mother; they got the seamstress and I got the bread baker. Picture this: In college when others were getting care packages of cookies I was getting care packages of bread. I must be harkening back to comfort food that is parent-related, in fact, because the day before I made pancakes, straight from the Biquick box, of course. This was the specialty of the house whenever my dad was making breakfast. No Mickey Mouse ears or other funny shapes, just darn tasty pancakes.

Comfort food is any of this, all of this. The very act of making it reminds you of good times. The second you taste it you’re hit with memories. The process fills a need (which in my case last weekend was whacking at something with intention). And sometimes it’s comfort food because it’s reliable; you know it’s going to taste good.

The bread I made took forever to rise as much as it did, and consequently it’s a petite loaf and a little more dense than it should be. But it was a beautiful golden brown, made my place smell like Macrina Bakery first thing in the morning and tasted none too shabby to boot.

Often it’s the act of someone preparing something for us that makes for the comfort in comfort food, but when that’s not an option -- when Mom isn’t knocking on my door with a pan of orange rolls fresh from the oven -- I go straight to the old standbys. For me, sometimes it’s food I make: vegetable barley soup, peanut butter pie, Japanese curry. And sometimes it must be acquired elsewhere: sushi from Musashi’s, pork vermicelli noodle bowl from Green Leaf, lamb burger from Matt’s in the Market. Bring on the new, interesting and inventive food most of the time, but there will always be a place for comfort food for me, sustenance of another kind.

Gateau de couscous

2009-10-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

The other night I was at Café Presse on Capitol Hill -- previously recommended as a fun spot on Capitol Hill south -- and had the most interesting dessert. It should be known that we went to Café Presse for the express purpose of having dessert. This wasn’t one of those, “I’ve just had a fantastic meal of steak frites and how about some chocolat chaud to top it off” kinds of decisions. I had been to Café Presse a couple of weeks before and had one of the best sorts of cobbler-y dishes ever, so when tasked with finding somewhere with good non-chocolate options that’s what I chose.

So what was this noteworthy dessert, you ask? Gateau de couscous. I asked our server to repeat himself because surely he couldn’t have meant that tiny grain cropping up in savory dishes all over the place. But he sure did. It turned out to be a slice of something that looked much like fruitcake, no doubt because of the pieces of dried fruit, but lighter in color. It was as though the chef had mashed couscous together until it had a slightly gummy texture, then incorporated the dried fruit. I’ll admit that describing the texture as gummy doesn’t lead you to believe that I liked it, but not only was it interesting, it was decidedly tasty. Or maybe my assessment had something to do with what tasted like a crème anglaise under the slice of cake. What isn’t made better by heavy cream, egg yolks and sugar?

In looking for my own recipe to try most of the links I came across were in French. I decided to take this as a sign of the dessert’s rich cultural heritage, and not just the result of a search in which one of the terms was in French. My translation skills being as rusty as they are I couldn’t actually confirm that those recipes approximated the dessert I’d had at Café Presse, so I might have to concoct something on my own. Though in my search I did hit on this recipe for Olive Oil Couscous Cake with Crème Fraîche and Date Syrup on the Epicurious.com website. The preparation is much different than I experienced -- the couscous is cooked as part of the batter rather than pressed into form -- but I figure that anything with “cake” and “couscous” in the title has to be worth a try.

Dinner as capital E Experience

2009-10-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

You probably know by now that I find food endlessly fascinating, particularly the trends that nudge us happy consumers of the dining out experience in one direction or another. As I read blogs, articles and tweets that come my way, and talk with like-minded friends, I see a couple of interesting things happening. One is flourishing as a result of our revived interest -- especially is this neck of the woods -- in eating food that comes as directly from the producer as possible. The second seems to be a combination of the cult of personality and the mish-mash of different entertainment elements into one Mega Experience.

I’ve raved about Kurtwood Farms in a previous post and I think that it’s an outstanding example of this first genre of food experience. Hosting at his farm on Vashon Island, Kurt Timmermeister does an extraordinary job of connecting city types (some of us who don’t even have an urban garden -- gasp!) with where our food comes from and producing a simply delicious meal while he’s at it. Another in this vein is Outstanding in the Field, which I’ve not done but would like to the next time it comes to the Seattle area. The OitF folks pick a location, usually a farm so it really is farm-to-table, and partner with a local chef. Last summer they did two dinners in Carnation, at Full Circle Farm and Oxbow Farm, as well as an event onsite to benefit the Seattle Youth Garden Works at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens.

Interestingly, it’s a short hop from farm-to-table to the second genre of food experience I’m seeing, as both leverage the cult of personality that can form around a talented chef. Look no further than Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain or even the beloved Julia Child. As food lovers we eat at their restaurants, buy their cookbooks and watch their television shows because these are easy and accessible ways to tap into a little bit of that talent and personality.

In Seattle we certainly have our version of the celebrity chef, Tom Douglas and Ethan Stowell among the most visible of the empire-builders. Or one of the chefs who connects the farm-to-table and cult of personality genres for me, Matthew Dillon of The Corson Building and Sitka and Spruce. Dillon was the guest chef at OinF’s Seattle Youth Garden Works dinner, and he’s also participating in Hope Grocery’s New Guard. As described by Lorna Yee at Seattle Magazine, New Guard is “a new underground dinner club that combines a love for good food, art and music. Monthly dinners feature chefs from Springhill, Cantinetta and The Corson Building cooking up casual, family-style meals. Art pieces curated from new, local artists are featured, and the evening ends with live music from a rotating list of talented bands.” How cool, right? And here is where that other piece of the genre comes in, the act of combining several different elements into one totally fabulous experience centered around food.

Now, New Guard sounds a lot like another interesting occurrence, Songs for Eating and Drinking, a collaborative effort brought to us by foodie Michael Hebb at One Pot and the incredibly talented Seattle-based photographer, Chase Jarvis. Their dinner experience also involves art but rather than the visual variety, Songs for Eating and Drinking is well, all about the music. And I have to say I love their description of the meal as “sturdy drinking food.” In thinking about this evening somehow the word “raucous” comes to mind…

In what are somewhat precarious financial times, it seems as though people want more of a bang for their buck, more “experience” from their dining experience. But if you’re not up for the big stuff, now is also an excellent time to check out the other end of the spectrum, which is flourishing as a result of the current economy. One example at that more affordable end of the spectrum is mobile food, something big in Seattle right now. For a chance to sample the wares of a bunch of good purveyors all in one place check out next weekend’s Mobile Food Chowdown.

Who knows what the next trend will be and from whence it will come? You can bet that I’ll be on the lookout for it, for sure.

Yellow Terror beckons at Wing Luke

2009-09-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today I took advantage of free admission at the Wing Luke Asian Museum in the International District, my first visit since they opened the new space in May 2008. I came specifically to see the new exhibit that opened last week, Yellow Terror: The Collections and Paintings of Roger Shimomura.

Some big and some small, all of Shimomura’s paintings are eye-catching. They are done in a brightly colored pop art style and explore Asian and Asian American stereotypes and our perception of the Other, set in the context of World War II. He looks at how Japanese nationals were depicted during this time in American history, and how the stereotypes of yellow skin, buck teeth and slanted eyes were visually exaggerated to encourage normative Americans (as he names them) to relegate an entire group of people to subhuman status. Shimomura uses himself as the primary subject in several of the pieces, intending to juxtapose images traditionally associated with Japanese identity and his own self-confessed non-Asian-American appearance. I especially like how he employs color, heavy on the use of bright yellow when depicting Japanese or Japanese Americans, and often pink or beige for the faces of normative Americans. Some of my favorite pieces are part of the “Mixing & Matching” series that depicts several couples mixed and matched into multiple color combinations.

In addition to his paintings, Shimomura also shares his collection of ephemera from that time period. It was so interesting to see how the xenophobia of the age was cultivated through an enormous array of materials. There were the more extreme examples like Jap hunting club cards, but it’s the everyday objects that seem somehow more jarring. The caricatured depictions of Japanese nationals in everything from salt and pepper shakers, to the bottoms of ashtrays, to cookie jars, not to mention postcards, buttons, envelopes and greeting cards, all underscore the insidiousness of this brand of racism. Add to what’s apparent in these physical objects, their portrayal in the movies, books, cartoons and comics of the era, you can clearly see “the ease with which stereotypes moved from the public sphere to private consumption.” Frightening stuff.

The exhibit opened last week and continues through April 18, 2010 but I encourage you not to wait that long to see it. Take note that admission to Wing Luke is free on the first Thursday and third Saturday of each month, with extended evening hours on both days. In a time when our recent history includes terrorist playing cards and an immigration debate with its own heavy undertones of xenophobia, the history of 70 years ago suddenly doesn’t seem quite so distant. What’s that again about history and being doomed to repeat it…?

Eat, drink and be merry: Phinney, Ravenna, Ballard

2009-09-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another installment in my occasional series on interesting neighborhoods to check out, and my recommendations on where to sample the local food and drink.

Phinney

Plan your tour of Phinney for a Thursday night so that you can start at Picnic’s (pictured above) weekly wine tasting. For a mere $8 you’ll get the chance to sample some terrific wine as well as a selection of the meats, cheeses and other nibbles straight from the pantry of this fantastic eat in/take out neighborhood spot.

Continue on to Oliver’s Twist for a Parish Boy (cognac, St. Germain, fernet-branca and lemon bitters ) and small plates like the Mt. Townsend Seastack cheese, bacon compote, brioche crouton and orange marmalade.

Take a u-turn from the upscale and march down the block to El Chupacabra. Go for the kitschy “Mexican baroque” décor (as I’ve heard it described) and stay for margaritas in tall tumblers and several rounds of pool.

Ravenna

Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor is the sort of place where you want to settle in and stay for a while, and I encourage you to do just that. Maybe it’s the small scale of the bar, all of the warm wood or the excellent service, but I can’t think of a better place to start your night.

I feel a little like I’m cheating as Frank’s and Pair are owned by the same couple, but it’s such a great combination that I couldn’t resist. Pair is a sweet little neighborhood restaurant that happens to have fantastic food like the smoked pork belly with a farro and spring onion salad, wilted chard and ginger-mustard gastrique. I mean, come on!

For dessert check out Peaks Frozen Custard, working hard to teach Seattleites the joys of this Midwest staple.

Ballard

Start your evening with drinks in the bar at Volterra, with a White Peach Thyme Bellini or maybe the Nocciola Manhattan if you’re feeling a little sturdier.

Just up the street from Volterra is La Carta de Oaxaca, with to-die-for black chile mole and my favorite, molotes (potatoes and beef sausage wrapped in fried homemade tortillas with guacamole, hot sauce and Oaxaqueno cheese). No matter that the line is always out the door; just order up a margarita and settle in for the wait.

Another small plate option, though likely to be just as busy, is Ocho. Come here for fantastic Spanish tapas like seared sea scallops with an English pea purée, Serrano ham and lemon vinaigrette, and stay for a very well-poured San Miguel (gin, St. Germain and rhubarb bitters). Can you tell? I love the St. Germain.

If you’re still standing after all of this good food and drink, make your way to King’s Hardware and play a few games of skee ball while you ponder the use of taxidermy as décor.

[Photo of Picnic courtesy of BUILD LLC]

Fairest of the Fairs

2009-09-12T21:09:00.001-07:00

It’s fair season, that magical time of year of blue-ribbon canned vegetables, barnyard animals, rides galore and sugar-heavy elephant ears fresh out of the fryer. Of course the mack daddy of this variety is the Puyallup Fair, the biggest, craziest spectacle for miles around. I personally prefer one that’s slightly smaller and feels a bit more like it has a sense of place, and on this side of the state that’s the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe.

Maybe it’s because I grew up going to the Spokane County Interstate Fair, but I’m a complete sucker for all of the traditional fair stuff. I love going through the rooms and rooms of all kinds of things vying for blue ribbons: sewing projects, vegetable creations in the shapes of animals, canned fruits galore, floral arrangements and baked goods. The live, non-vegetable animals are always a favorite, particularly when they’ve been raised under the auspices of 4-H or Future Farmers of America. And who doesn’t love pygmy goats? I was never a big fan of the rides -- something about being turned upside down and flung around that never really appealed to me -- but fair food is a definite yes. Elephant ears, deep fried Snickers bars and Fisher’s Famous Scones all figure prominently in the fair experience for me.

Today, though, I got to enjoy a fair of a very different kind, Seattle Tilth’s Harvest Fair. It is a single day event, unlike those mentioned above, and given Seattle Tilth’s commitment to “support local food systems in order to cultivate a healthy urban environment and community,” it has a distinctly crunchy/city feel. The chance to meet urban livestock, stock up on compost, get ideas from PCC chefs and buy extra produce to donate to the Solid Ground meal programs all show that it isn’t a fair of the Puyallup variety.

In addition to educational programs like Demystifying Organic Fertilizers, Lawns to Lettuce and Harvest the Rain with a Cistern, there were a bunch of activities, including a station where you could craft your very own herb crown.

No fair worth its salt would lack entertainment, and the Harvest Fair was no different. On the stage while we were there was a duo in grass skirts, clearly a big hit with the kids, singing a very educational song about worms at the ladybug picnic.

We couldn’t leave without a stroll through the farmers market section of the fair, the bounty of late summer/early fall fruits and vegetables on full display. Check out this stunning array of peppers!

Citizen Coffee

2009-09-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

I lucked into the most fabulous find today: Citizen Coffee. I pass this building on lower Queen Anne nearly every day and I’ve been watching it transform from an auto repair shop into… something. I just wasn’t sure quite what.

As I drove by today I did my usual slow down to see what I could see, and this time I saw bottles on the shelves and a new funky sign on the outside of the building. All very encouraging! So I screeched to a stop and, stepping around the guy on a ladder putting finishing paint touches on the outside, poked my head in. I was greeted by co-owner Justin Taft, who was more than happy to give me a quick tour. It turns out that today was their very soft opening, maybe more of a pre-opening -- pastries in the case, but the upstairs not quite finished and of course the aforementioned exterior painter. Give them a day or so, though, and I bet that they will be totally spiffed up and ready for business.

Citizen will be open from 6am to 9pm, catching both the morning coffee and pastry crowd and the evening beer/wine and dinner crowd. Justin promises that the selection of wine is a very good one, and moderately priced to boot. I can already envision spending way too much time here, either at one of the window-side stools on the double-height first floor or in the second floor loft space that’s shaping up to be wood-floor warm. While there I also discovered that Justin’s other restaurant is one of my new favorites, the Hangar Cafe in Georgetown. The menu will be similar in that Citizen will also offer crepes of the savory and sweet variety as well as sandwiches, but with a slightly more upscale twist.

Ah, the joy of what I know will be the perfect neighborhood coffee shop/restaurant/bar, opening just down the street. Lucky me, and welcome to my ‘hood, Citizen!

Vermillion

2009-08-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Vermillion is an undiscovered hot spot -- apparently opened two years ago but totally new to me -- just down the block from other Capitol Hill bars Barca and Grey Gallery. In fact on the surface it’s similar to Grey Gallery in that each is styled to be an art gallery and bar/restaurant. Though on all of my visits to GG I felt like they missed the mark. A rotating selection of art all around but too stark to be somewhere I wanted to hang out for any period of time.

At Vermillion, on the other hand, you walk right into the gallery but there is no dining or drinking to be had in that space. But keep going, and you’re rewarded with a nicely dim, high-ceilinged, exposed brick hideaway. The jukebox is loaded with old school blues and R&B, and the ceiling-height horizontal wine racks are part storage and a larger part décor. Chalkboard menu, (faux?) fireplace, bar-top Darth Vader head and two ancient Macs on the shelves behind the bar complete the interior. Nothing stunning, I suppose, and I didn’t try enough of the food to figure out if that’s what I’ll be coming back for, but I’ll definitely be coming back.

I love that it wasn’t overrun in the way of other places I walked by on a recent typically busy Thursday night. Nothing like finding a hidden gem in bar-crowded Capitol Hill.

[Photo courtesy of Tamara Childress]

Reimagining your space (part II)

2009-08-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to report that the small space that started as a closet and storage area has been transformed into an office. And the bedroom that was once part office is now bedroom through and through.

The really good news is that both spaces are working out better than I could have imagined. The office is a much more functional work area because everything I need is within arm’s reach -- the unintended benefit of a petite space! -- and better organized because things have real homes rather than “make do” homes. Because I can’t see the lights of the wireless network and hear the hum of the printer, the bedroom no longer reverberates with the energy of my work day. Without a doubt, the clear separation of office and bedroom has made for more restful nights and productive days.

A clockwise tour of the office:

Eventually I'll do something decorative with this big blank wall but right now I just like to marvel that there used to be a free-standing clothing rack right in that very spot:

What's behind the curtain you saw in the edge of the last photo, you ask? Why, it's massive amounts of storage! All hidden by a just-perfect curtain constructed by my very handy mother.

Last but not least, the desk-less bedroom:

Brunching and the Hangar Café

2009-08-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

I love brunch. Though as much as I love the time of day that brunch occurs and the kind of food generally present, sometimes the act of brunching can seem like it requires too much effort. Do you ever get that feeling? I do when I drive past the hordes standing outside Dish in Fremont/Ballard, Portage Bay Café in the U District, Hi-Spot in Madrona or the 5 Spot in Queen Anne.

In fact, I’ve resisted the first two just because I couldn’t stomach the wait. But I suppose that’s the part of the whole brunch experience, right? Hanging around and chatting with your friends and the other members of the horde waiting to be seated. I especially like places like Senor Moose in Ballard and the Streamliner Diner on Bainbridge Island that outfit you with a cup of coffee while you wait for your table. Excellent!

I really and truly intended to dive in and brave the crowds at one of the brunch places mentioned above that everyone seems to love, but instead last weekend decided to venture off to a new spot. Maybe it’s just that now I fancy myself a fan of Georgetown, but back I went for brunch on Sunday.

The Hangar Cafe sits slightly apart from the main strip of bars and restaurants that includes Stellar Pizza, Nine Pound Hammer and the Georgetown Liquor Company. It has a big patio outside in the front and the requisite mismatch of tables and chairs inside that fits the old-house-turned-restaurant interior. The breakfast menu is crepe-centric with a waffle accent, which is just fine by me. I had the special crepe of the day with bacon, black beans, spinach, avocado, carmelized onion, fresh tomato, egg and I'm sure some kind of cheese I can’t remember. My friend had the Hangar crepe with egg, black forest ham, swiss, cheddar, red onion, fresh tomato and spinach. A roasted poblano basil vinaigrette and creme fraiche graced the top of both crepes. Although we had to skip the waffles this time around, we agreed that next time the Triple B is a must. How can you go wrong with a waffle topped with apple smoked bacon, brie and fresh basil? Another must includes something from the sweet crepe family like Pear Ricotta or Coco Banana. Start to finish, including terrific service, I thought that the Hangar Café was a winner.

Some of my other favorite brunch spots:

Volterra in Ballard (do not pass on the peach bellini)

Café Presse on Capitol Hill and its sister restaurant, Le Pichet, downtown (what can I say -- I’m a sucker for French food any time of day and the presence of eggs allows me to qualify this as brunch food)

Tilth in Wallingford (I suppose it’s not technically a “favorite” because I haven’t been there yet but I’m headed there soon, I promise)

Café Soleil In Madrona (traditional breakfast menu by day, Ethiopian menu by night)

[Photo of the Hangar Cafe courtesy of Jen Waller]

The joy of French bakeries

2009-08-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

I think that all of us should have more French pastry in our lives. Not that I advocate eating a pain au chocolat every day of the week, but the occasional flaky, buttery bit of goodness certainly improves my day. I know that this short list represents a tiny fraction of all of the fabulous bakeries in the city; consider it a good place to start your bakery research.

Café Besalu
How is it that Ballard gets two (two!) fantastic classic French bakeries? It’s because there is the buying public there to support it, you say. And you’re right. I’ve been to Besalu a number of times and the line is always out the door. I like that as you’re standing there waiting to order you have a clear view of the pastry-making, and that what happens on that counter will soon appear in the case before you. They serve a nicely narrow selection of quiche, danish, brioche and croissants, and of course have the standard sort of espresso offerings. For a small place they have a decent amount of seating, with what seems to be a lower hang-out ratio for patrons.

Honore Artisan Bakery
I made my first trip to Honore just recently after hearing about it for a while, often in a sentence like, “If you love Besalu you’ll love Honore…” It’s true. It has many of the same offerings as its Ballard neighbor and in a head-to-head plain croissant tasting I can’t say that I prefer one over the other. Honore is even more tucked away in a small sub-neighborhood of interesting restaurants and shops, so it feels like a find when you make your way there. I like that the little bit of inside seating are street-facing counters and stools, and that the outdoor options are Adirondack chairs out front and bistro tables in an enclosed and planter-boxed area out back.

Bakery Nouveau
I’ve written about Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle before, but it’s so good that I don’t feel bad about a repeat mention. They produce the same sorts of fabulous French pastry as my two Ballard favorites above, and also do big business in sandwiches, pizza and a huge array of cakes, tarts, and macaroons. As well as being a lovely place to spend some time -- definitely a higher hang-out ratio for patrons here than at Besalu -- consider Bakery Nouveau for any take-away or party needs you might have. In fact, my first introduction to their food was at an event, so I know that they produce equally delicious results in large quantities as in small.

What do all of these places have in common besides the fantastic food? Really friendly top-notch service. I don’t think it’s such a stretch to say that being around buttery bits of goodness makes for happy customers and happy staff.

[The photo of a Besalu danish courtesy of smohundro]

Reimagining your space

2009-08-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have that lightning bolt moment when suddenly you see how things can be different? Now remember, I’m an organized sort so we’re talking more physical than existential here. But big sweeping physical change can be exciting too. It allows you to see your world in a different way, which then opens up the possibility for all kinds of things to happen. Maybe even existential things.

But rather than sitting around waiting for lightning to strike, look for opportunities to change the way you look at your space or relate to your environment:

Have your kids outgrown toys or play equipment and you just haven’t thought about storing everything in the basement or giving it away? Think about all of the floor and storage space you could reclaim!

Have a child who is going off to college next year? Start thinking about all of the fantastic ways to use this newly acquired square footage. Maybe it’s a painting studio, or a quiet space for meditation, or temperature controlled wine storage. Whatever you never thought you would have room for.

Think big: Instead of using that shed in the back yard to store the garden tools you don’t actually use or all of the boxes of stuff you really should just give away, consider getting rid of the structure itself and putting in the patio you always wanted.

The key is to take a critical look at the space you inhabit and turn your knee-jerk reaction of “but it has always been that way” on its head.

Recently, my lightning bolt moment occurred when I started really thinking about where I spend my working hours. As a consultant who works with clients either in their offices or homes, I don’t need a big formal space. I’m lucky enough to be able to work from my home office, but it was the “office” part that was giving me trouble. Before I spent my professional life in close proximity to my life life, the desk and laptop lived in an area carved out of the bedroom. As I transitioned from employee working in a cubicle to this consultant role, I found that I needed a separate space in order to be efficient when working as well as a way to turn off work that was more than simply closing the laptop. My solution was to make the large pass-through area I had used as a closet and storage space for six years into a home office with storage that’s a bit more hidden.

Since having this brilliant idea I have slowly but surely implemented my transition plan. Being a professional organizer my natural inclination is to get it all done right away to the exclusion of all else, but I’m learning to appreciate that sometimes big change takes time. I've included below a few of the “before” photos to give you an idea of the scale of the shift in my thinking.

Sometimes a project on a physically small scale can be the most challenging because it requires some real creativity. My new office is 6’ x 8’ with built-in shelves as well as an extra 2’ x 3’ bit of space tacked on to one end. Here it is in its previous incarnation as a closet:

A second view:

While perfectly functional as a work space, it was clear that this original configuration of desk and laptop wasn’t going to fit into the new office. My work area when it was still a part of the bedroom:

It’s easy for us to get stuck in a rut where we only see our surroundings in one certain way and have a hard time picturing them as something else. I encourage you to take a look around and see where a small shift in your physical space might make for a big shift in perspective.

Stay tuned for the transformation…

Light rail comes to Seattle

2009-07-23T11:47:00.001-07:00

I was excited for my first trip on Seattle’s new foray into public transportation: Sound Transit’s light rail. With ORCA card in hand -- which debits the amount of your fare on various forms of transport including train, bus, and ferry -- and armed with a bunch of information gathered from the web, I felt ready for my journey. I first checked OneBusAway.org to get an exact GPS-provided arrival time at my stop then rode the bus from home downtown to Westlake Center, one of the end points of the current “central link” of the light rail system. (Future service is slated for the University of Washington and points north, and SeaTac Airport and points south.)

The first thing I thought when I went downstairs into the transit tunnel at Westlake Center -- where buses and trains run on the same surface, incidentally -- was that it looked very big city. Like an honest to God train station. With its signs to trains, buses, and monorail (ahem) as well as to multiple street exits and shopping, it actually reminded me of subway experiences in London, Paris, and Washington, DC. The mouth agape wanderings-around of many of the riders, though, demonstrated that at a week old, light rail is still at the novelty stage.

At all of the stations through Saturday of this week they have helpful staff people providing information and pointing folks in the right direction. One of them said to me that her most frequent question was about how to pay, not surprising given the fact that there are no turnstiles either at the station or on the trains, just ticket kiosks. Which means that we’re basically operating on the honor system, with what I understand will be regular checks by ticket enforcement staff to ensure that we are all behaving as we should.

The other thing my helpful Sound Transit guide mentioned was the public art in and around the stations, and she even had a brochure that described everything on display. After my recent amble around downtown Seattle to check out the public art there, it was terrific to see so much more happening around the region. All of the pieces are a part of the STart Public Art Program, funded by Sound Transit's 1% allocation of all project construction costs. Bravo! Read more about the project and link to all of the pieces here.

If all goes as planned, light rail trains will become a regular way for people to travel: the Stadium stop for Mariners games; the Columbia City stop for the Wednesday Farmer’s Market; and at the end of 2009, the SeaTac Airport stop for points further afield. Certainly the fact that the trains run on a dependable schedule and aren’t subject to traffic, unlike buses, makes this form of transportation particularly appealing. I have to admit that I was positively gleeful whizzing past cars inching along, and imagine that it is especially satisfying to parallel I-5 at rush hour and see all the cars nearly at a standstill as far as the eye can see.

What will have to improve, though, is the connecting public transportation. Park and ride lots, and parking in general, were intentionally eliminated from station plans in an effort to encourage riders to use other forms of public transportation to get to and from the train. Bikes, for example: As well as bicycle lockers available at several stations, the trains also have these cool racks where you bring your bike on board and hang it up by the front wheel. Buses are another obvious option, but I didn’t have much luck with my first attempt: It was easy enough for me to bus from home downtown to the Westlake Center station, but when I contemplated taking the train south for a meeting in Renton, Metro Transit’s online trip planner was stymied by my request to find a bus that would get me from the train station to my meeting location.

The Puget Sound area doesn’t have the integrated web of public transportation that makes it easy to travel around without a car, but I’m hoping that is in our future. I’ll be supporting the use of light rail as a functional way to get around town and I encourage others to do the same. This is just one step toward real big city public transportation, but as far as I can tell it's a step in the right direction.

[All photos courtesy of Lee LeFevre]

Serafina

2009-07-16T21:34:00.001-07:00

Serafina is one of those places that drops off my radar for a while, then someone suggests meeting there and I remember all over again why I love it. My two favorite things: First, the charmingly shaded courtyard in the back makes a picture-perfect setting for a summer evening meal. Second, somehow I always feel at home in the bar, no matter that I haven’t darkened their door for at least two years.

At Serafina you step out of the traffic on Eastlake and directly into their just-right sized bar area. Maybe I like it because you can choose the few seats that are window-adjacent, or snag the funky tall table for two or four, or take a seat at the bar. Never have I chosen the last without someone or other striking up a conversation with me, usually a person who looks to be a neighborhood regular.

The happy hour is among my favorites in town, offering an impressive array of drinks at very happy prices as well as a dinner-worthy menu of food. On one recent visit a friend and I agreed that the Plin (agnolotti filled with braised pork shoulder, savoy cabbage, and reggiano cheese) was our favorite, though the Panino con Formaggio (brioche filled with fontina, fresh mozzarella, onion frittata, and sliced tomato) and Salsicce d'Agnello (spicy Anderson Ranch lamb sausage served with yogurt and cucumber lentils) were fantastic as well. Finished off with a piece of the house-made mascarpone cheesecake served with Marasca cherries, the meal was an excellent one.

While there I picked up some information about their upcoming cocktail tastings, events that might well be worth a look given how much I enjoy Serafina’s cocktails. Just a few of the upcoming dates:

A History of the Martini -- September 26, 3:00-4:30pm

Gin Cocktails: Experience the Gentler Side of Gin -- October 24, 3:00-4:30pm

Historical Bartending: Pre-Prohibition Cocktails and Techniques -- December 5, 3:00-4:30pm

Nancy Leson recently wrote about another reason to keep an eye on Serafina: their soon-to-open cicchetti bar. Think Sambar/Le Gourmand and Licorous/Lark, that magical pairing of small bar-bistro and sister restaurant. From what I read in Nancy’s post it looks as though the folks at Serafina are converting a former architecture firm’s office into a funky space for great drinks and small plates -- the perfect complement to its big sister across the courtyard.

[Photo of the mussels I have yet to try courtesy of oysters4me]

Bastille Café & Bar

2009-07-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

I have been reading about Bastille for a while now, and every time I walked past its Ballard location I would try to catch a glimpse inside to check on the progress. Open now for just a couple of weeks, I stopped in recently for a drink and a look around. French-inspired Bastille is owned by two veterans of the Seattle food scene, Deming Maclise and James Weimann. Maclise opened local organic coffee house Caffe Fiore in multiple locations, and Weimann owned Triangle Tavern, El Camino, Peso’s, and The Ballroom, among others. The two men responsible for what comes out of the kitchen have some very recognizable names on their resumes as well: Executive Chef Shannon Galusha with Campagne, Café Campagne, and the now-closed Veil; and Chef de Cuisine Jason Stoneburner with Campagne, Union, and How to Cook a Wolf.

The first thing that struck me about Bastille is its scale. The front room includes feet and feet of a beautiful zinc-topped bar and huge mirrors on one side of the room, a restaurant space with dining tables and a few select booths on the other, and what seems these days to be the requisite open kitchen. Extending what you see of the space from your first look inside is a large outdoor patio that will be perfect for lounging about on long summer evenings. Bastille’s bright white subway tile and fantastic café-style light fixtures do bring a bit of Paris to Ballard, while the big metal beams give a nod to the history of the place and root it in this formerly industrial neighborhood. I really like that they have retained some of the elements of the old building, which used to house family-owned Obermaier Machine Works. Though one of those elements, a hood that vented a furnace at Obermaier, has below it something that resembles an open brick fire pit that would be more at home at the Mexican joint up the street, Matador. I love the light airiness of the front space, but for my next visit I intend to spend considerable time at the back bar, accessed down a hallway and hidden away in the rear of the building. Despite the tall ceilings, this room with its two massive portraits and equally massive mirrors still manages to be the darker, cozier cousin of the front space.

In uncharacteristic fashion I skipped the cocktail menu this time around but will be back soon to try one of my favorites, the French 75, as well as something I spotted on Bastille’s menu, La Rive Gauche. Anything with the liqueur, St. Germain -- I’m on it. If you’re in the mood for beer, they offer a few local but mostly appropriately international beers including Hoegarden, Stella Artois, Chimay, Fischer Amber, Kronenbourg, Tecate, and Negra Modelo.

On this first visit to Bastille I sampled some of the items from the happy hour menu. Although the mussels (in a broth of champagne, leeks, and thyme) didn’t knock my socks off, I really enjoyed the fries (love the grey sea salt) and the grilled lamb burger (on a lavash sesame bun with harissa aioli and arugula). The dinner menu looks as though it will be worth a more serious perusal some time soon and a few things that I have my eye on include the Salade Lyonnaise with frisée, crisp bacon, poached egg, and a Dijon vinaigrette; Crispy Pork Belly with a summer pole bean salad and pickled radish; and the classic charcuterie plate of cured meats, rillettes, oil-preserved olives, and baguette slices.

Adding to the draw of Bastille is the fact that all of their herbs and salad greens are grown in raised-bed planter boxes on the restaurant’s roof. In a city crazy for locally-sourced products, they are certainly raising the bar in shortening the distance from soil to table.

[Photo courtesy of Marty Lindal]

A summer's worth of fun to be had in downtown Seattle parks

2009-06-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

The other day I picked up my mail and what should I see but a brochure from Seattle Parks & Recreation. Normally I recycle immediately anything addressed to “Postal Customer” but something about this one made me look twice. It must have been the fact this brochure promised all sorts of information about great summer (mostly) free events downtown in our center city parks. Count me in! There are a whole slew of activities scheduled, but here are a select few that I plan to check out:

Of course you can always do the Fremont Outdoor Cinema thing, but for a change of pace try out the downtown version: Center City Cinema. The two where you might see me are Bride and Prejudice on Saturday, August 15 and Shall We Dance on Friday, September 3. All movies begin at dusk, naturally.

There are a bunch of different musical opportunities including First Thursdays Evening Concert Series in Occidental Square, in conjunction with the art walk that happens in Pioneer Square once a month. Or check out the Thursday noon concerts at City Hall, where I might be on July 16 for world fusion with Children of the Revolution or on September 3 for improv musical theater with An Unexpected Musical.

Dancing ‘Til Dusk gives you the chance to get a lesson in before you are let loose on the portable dance floors at Occidental and Freeway Parks. There will be all sorts of styles of music throughout the summer, everything from salsa, to rhythm and blues, to swing. If you’re not so much interested in participating and would rather watch the professionals, check out the Inside Out Dance Company in the same parks performing ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and modern dance Thursdays on July 9, July 23, and August 20.

I just love the concept of drop-in anything, because you never quite know who is going to be there and how it will go. Two such opportunities for you to experience the adventure of it all are drop-in bocce daily at Occidental Square and drop in tai chi classes Thursdays at noon in Denny Park.

Last but not least, for the times that you still need to be productive but want to take advantage of our few months of incredible weather, check out the wi-fi hot spots in Freeway, Occidental, Westlake, and Victor Steinbrueck Parks. Get a little sun, do a little work, and try not to be distracted by the incredible people-watching to be had in each of these locations.

[Photo of Freeway Park courtesy of ken mccown]

Getting organized without alienating your loved ones in the process

2009-06-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

Organizing your space can be a daunting task when you’re tackling it on your own, and sometimes it feels as though the process can be made that much more challenging when your loved one gets involved. The loved one might be the spouse with whom you live so you’re required to figure out a way to share the space, or the loved one might be a friend or family member who has generously offered to lend a hand. In any of these situations, it’s important to take a deep breath and remember that you want to preserve these relationships long after the last bit of organizing is done.

When working with your spouse or significant other in your shared living space, remember that you both have a vested interest in the end result though you may approach the process from two very different angles. Cut the other person a little slack if he gets antsy when discussing ways to pare down his themed tie collection, or when the two of you have opposite approaches to naming and ordering your shared electronic files. The key is compromise. Give a little here and there and you will both feel as though your work together was successful.
Here’s a process suggestion:

1. When sorting through a stack of items and deciding whether or not to keep them, the first person works alone sorting into piles of KEEP FOR SURE, MAYBE KEEP, AND TOSS.

2. Subsequently, the second person goes through the stack again, also alone, re-sorting into his own three piles.

3. Review this second sort together and implement what you’ve decided. This allows both of you to feel as though you had your say in the process without the kind of friction that can sometimes occur when you’re working through it live. Each of you will get to see what the other has chosen, and hopefully you will feel as though you have come to a consensus decision.Helping a friend presents its own special set of challenges. Whether you have been asked to help or you’ve offered your assistance, the key here is to remember is that you are on his turf operating under his rules. You may have your own -- and very good, you think -- ideas about how a project should be done. Perhaps you’re helping a friend pack up boxes in preparation for a move, or helping to install a closet system in the guest room. It’s great to offer a helpful suggestion or two along the way but in the end this is his deal.
Here’s a process suggestion:

1. In the case of the closet installation, understand what needs to be accomplished and what time you have to accomplish it in. If the goal is to get the closet installed and fully functional, either commit to being there until it’s done or make it clear that you have two hours to devote to the project but then need to be on your way.

2. Take direction well. If your pal asks to you go and fetch the drill: fetch.

3. Be patient. Recognize that he may not be a drill master, but unless he asks for your help let him figure it out on his own. And in the meantime, don’t drop on his head the shelf that he’s trying to screw down.Projects on which parents and children work together can be the most challenging to tackle because of the years of shared history and existing relationship dynamics. Whether you are a parent teaching your child how to keep his room reasonably tidy, or an adult child helping your parents downsize from their house into a retirement community, the key thing to remember is that this important relationship is primary, and whatever you’re trying to accomplish is secondary.Here’s a process suggestion:

1. Have a very clear understanding of what the goals of the project are. I recently worked with my mom to put on a yard sale. She determined that the primary goal was to divest herself of things she no longer needed in order to lighten the load once she decided to move from the house she is in now, without worrying about how much money was raised.

2. Talk through the process. Mom and I sketched out a timeline of when we would price and move items, how we would advertise, and what were our individual to-do’s in the weeks and days before the sale.

3. Be kind. Recognize that you’re under stress and one or the other of you (hopefully not at the same time!) may buckle. It’s just temporary, though, and remember that you’ll get through this challenge and come out on the other side.What are some general tips that are helpful in all of these situations?

Have plenty of snacks available, and drink lots of water. There is nothing worse than a food- and water-deprived cranky partner when you’re trying to get a project done.

Take regular breaks. For example, 15-minute breaks every hour and a half if you’re working on a day-long project. This will help you clear your head and stave off any snarky commentary.

Agree to the no-guilt “cry uncle” option. If you’ve done what you can do for the day, or for the project, agree that communicating this will induce no guilt on your part or hard feelings on theirs.

Celebrate your success. Recognize that you’ve just put in a whole lot of hard work -- whether it’s two hours on a closet or two days preparing for a yard sale -- and give each other a big pat on the back.

Silent Movie Mondays: been there, done that

2009-06-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

I was excited to have the chance to experience Silent Movie Mondays at the Paramount after writing about them a couple of weeks ago. I went last night to see 1929’s The Godless Girl, a hate-turns-to-love story between the atheist rabble-rouser high school girl and the God-fearing student body president boy. They make their way through a series of perils, including a riot that breaks out between the opposing sides, neighboring reform schools for the two of them (featuring a grisly stigmata scene), escape, and return to the reform school culminating in a fire to end all fires. There is lust, piety, and an overabundance of over-acting -- necessary, I suppose, when you don’t have sound to rely on to communicate emotion.

I was surprised to see a healthy number of the young and hip contingent in the crowd, thinking (as referenced by Seattle Metropolitan’s fantastic Steve Wiecking in his blog post) that the average age of the audience member would be about 77. I was also amazed by how engaging the story was, due in no small part to the live organ accompaniment. Though it wasn’t Dennis James behind the organ -- the protestors outside and the fliers they were handing out an indicator that this was an unexpected and unwelcome development -- his replacement was phenomenal. Kudos to anyone who can play with that much skill and enthusiasm for nearly two hours straight.

I heartily recommend that if you have the chance to catch the last movie of the summer series, do it. It’s one heck of a unique experience. The remaining performance:

Monday, June 29 at 7:00pm: Seventh Heaven

The mobile food craze

2009-06-19T09:19:00.001-07:00

I like the phrase on Marination’s website: curbside cuisine. It’s food that appears on the street sometimes at varying locations and sometimes not, and includes everything from the straightforward taco to upscale pasta and salad. I keep reading on various blogs and websites that Seattle is no Portland when it comes to street food options (who knew that our little sister to the south was so food advanced!) but apparently we’re catching up in that department.

I’ve spent some time sampling some of the options around town but I have no doubt that there are all sorts of places that I haven’t even heard about yet. So get busy – write in and tell me what I’m missing!

The big mobile metal pig, out of which Maximus Minimus operates, is of course eye-catching and has to be a huge draw on this busy downtown corner at 2nd and Pike. The menu is straightforward: a pulled pork or veg sandwich, either minimus (sweet) or maximus (spicy) sauce, and the option to top with Beecher’s Flagship cheese. Add a side of fried vegetable chips (potato, beet, carrot, and green bean) or slaw (again sweet or spicy) and there you have it. I didn’t try the veg sandwich but I thought that the pulled pork topped with sprigs of cilantro was truly fantastic, and I loved the minimus sauce that’s a nicely sweet combination of tamarind, honey, and molasses. My friend’s maximus sauce was tasty as well though not nearly spicy enough to be called spicy, so I suggest taking their advice and “put the hurt on it” to crank it up a bit. One really nice touch was the addition of metal tables that ring the two streetlights on the nearby sidewalk, as the lack of a space on which to eat is one of the typical challenges of mobile food.

Skillet is one of the street food options that has been around for a little while now and I kept meaning to get there and meaning to get there, and now I can check it off the list. They offer high brow food (that’s slightly more expensive than your average mobile options) served out of a couple of airstream trailers, on this particular day in a dusty lot in SoDo just south of Safeco Field. The growing line was a visible sign that Skillet is clearly a very popular lunch destination. Ordering wasn’t the challenge so much as waiting to get our food, but perhaps that’s due to the nature of what they’re serving. On menu the week we were there was a burger of grass fed beef, cambazola, arugula, bacon jam, brioche and handcut fries, which looks to be a fairly standard offering. While that was excellent, particularly the bacon jam, I also really liked the cilantro cream on the fish taco. Probably my favorite of the day was the Thai cured confit of duck, rice, and mizuna salad with a cilantro plum vinaigrette. Yum! I just checked the website and new on the menu as of Wednesday is a pasta I’d love to try: trailer made gnocchi with Oregon corn, frisee, pancetta, and sage. I love a food world in which we’ve moved on from “house made” as the phrase of the moment to “trailer made.”

We made it to Marination, the home of Hawaiian and Korean curb cuisine, on their official opening day at the Fremont location along the canal. Being the organized and efficient sort that I am, I was immediately impressed by the wireless point of sale system they were using to take orders. The line moved speedily, much more so than the glacial pace at Skillet. (Should I cut Skillet some slack because of the upscale nature of their food? I’ll consider it.) I wouldn’t normally call myself a fan of kimchi, but it turns out that the kimchi quesadilla (which also included kalua pork) and the kimchi rice bowl (served with a fried egg and tofu) were my favorites of the meal. Both had a whole lot of flavor and spice, which I thought was a little lacking from the tacos and sliders. The signature slaw wasn’t as saucy and tangy as I might have hoped, though the ginger in the miso ginger chicken was just right. I didn’t see the SPAM musubi on offer which made me a little sad -- or maybe just made me want to make a future stop at Marination.

Tako Truk is a funny little spot that operates a few nights a week out of the kitchen at 14 Carrot Café on Eastlake. And I mean out of the kitchen, because they literally set up a table on the sidewalk that blocks the door to the restaurant and you order from the guy with the fanny pack. Just like the website describes. It looks as though the menu is totally variable and eclectic, with all sorts of different insides in soft taco outsides. The night I stopped by I paid a very budget $5 for three of the most tasty, interesting tacos I’ve had in a long while: Coco Piggy (pork belly and slaw), Beef and Fries (brisket and tiny shoestring fries), and Channaloo (chickpea and potato curry).

A few places that started out mobile and now have permanent locations as well:

Rancho Bravo in Wallingford is a fantastic example of the taco truck, one of my favorites in this whole genre of mobile food. I mean, who doesn’t like a good old fashioned pork or chicken taco, or maybe a carne asada burrito? Rancho Bravo does it well, and I’m a frequent visitor whenever I can make it over that way. A friend was just telling me about their new location on Capitol Hill across from Oddfellows, and on a recent swing through that neighborhood I walked by to check it out. Sure enough, there was the Rancho Bravo banner on the (mostly unchanged) former KFC. And let me tell you, late on a Thursday night the place was absolutely packed.

Anita’s Crepes was always a Ballard farmer’s market staple for me, and people watching while I ate my fantastic crepe all part of the experience. Although I love the interior of the Fremont-Ballard restaurant, the savory crepe I tried just didn’t seem to have the same soul. The crepe itself was papery and the filling pretty plain Jane: fresh spinach, feta, fresh mozzarella, and a sunny-side up free range egg. Or maybe it was the fact that I wish I had known that my entrée would come with a side of fresh spinach, because I was definitely fresh-spinach-ed out by the end of the meal. The good news is that my old standby, the nutella and banana crepe, was everything that I remembered and hit the mark exactly. What I would like to return for is Anita’s non-mobile options, things like the croque madame and bangers and mash.

Veraci Pizza, on the other hand, seems to have lost nothing in translation between farmer’s market and restaurant. There is something about their version of the wood-fired Neapolitan pizza that I like better than the one served at the ever-expanding Via Tribunali. One of the specials the day I was there is my new favorite at Veraci: the Deluxe with CasCioppo Brothers Italian sausage, Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, onions, and fresh mushrooms. One enormous slice of pizza for $5 is a perfect meal in itself, though I could of course be convinced to add a slice of the Tuscan as well: sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, chevre, and roasted garlic olive oil.

[Photo of Maximus Minimus courtesy of citywalker]

Yikes, I’m disorganized! Where do I start??

2009-06-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

As a professional organizer, I hear this one a lot. As in, “I’m so overwhelmed by this pile of stuff in my basement I don’t even know how to begin making sense of it!” A disorganized space, as with other aspects of life, can feel so out of control that you feel like you can’t make a dent without devoting some serious time and energy. Of course, it’s my job to come into that same space and bring order to it, but I’m here to tell you that you too can tackle your own problem areas without giving your whole life over to the project.

Here are a few tips to nudge you in the right direction:

Just start somewhere. It’s easy to talk yourself out of diving into the basement project by mentally reviewing the piles of stuff and everything that has to happen to get it from its current state to what you picture as its finished state. Start with one piece of the puzzle, and you’ll be amazed how eventually, all of the pieces will fit together.

Move methodically around the room. Once you have decided to begin the project, pick one corner of the room and go from there. In our imaginary basement, tackle the shelves of paint, household cleaning products, and automotive supplies. Take a careful look at what is still usable and donate or toss the rest. Once that section has been thinned out and only that which you’re actually using remains, continue moving clockwise around the room doing the same sort of thing.

Don’t bite off too much at a time. Start with an hour, and reward yourself once that hour is done. I find that a time increment like this is easier than saying “Today I’ll organize every photo I’ve ever taken” because the latter can more easily get overwhelming. When you organize with a time goal in mind you are more likely to feel successful, and thus more likely to continue working on the project.

Maintain the order you’ve created by taking the time to put things away rather than just dumping them in the middle of the basement. Also, continue to evaluate why you’re keeping what you’re keeping. If you’ve decided that you’re done with tennis and want to spend all of your time playing golf, now is the time to sell or give away your rackets rather than have them take up valuable storage space. Another “spend time now to save time later” practice with big benefits is to spend 15 minutes when you get home putting away the cleaning you picked up on your way home, hanging up the suit you just changed out of, and recycling the junk from the mail you just brought into the house. By doing this you will more easily maintain an organized space and won’t have to spend double the time down the road.

Go south, young man: Georgetown & South Park

2009-06-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

I admit that when in search of interesting new bars and restaurants I rarely venture further south than Columbia City. A couple of recent trips beyond CC might just have changed my mind.

First stop on the adventure was the Georgetown Liquor Company, notable for the fact that everything on its menu is or can be served vegan. Yep, everything from the Obi-Won-Ton Plate, to the Picard sandwich, to the Darth Reuben. Are you sensing a theme here? The total nerdiness of the Star Trek/Star Wars naming convention is underscored by the always-on, always-free array of Atari 2600, Nintendo, and Supernintento games, but then somehow the tall stools and vinyl-backed chairs give it the look of a beer-soaked college bar. I suppose the fact that you can’t quite peg this place makes it just a little bit more intriguing.

Stellar Pizza, just down the block from GLC, is colorful and garish in the best hipster sort of way. The pizza is what I would describe as medium thick and the crust is made dairy-free. Though I think that I was feeling particularly carnivorous after vegan-centric GLC, and ordered the fantastic Georgetowner pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, black olives, and onions. Yum! They also have great beers on tap including Manny’s, which I think must be a requirement when opening an establishment in this neighborhood given the brewer: Georgetown Brewing Company.

Hudson and its Marginal Way location, though not on the strip of Airport Way I typically associate with Georgetown, is technically part of the ‘hood. It opened fairly recently and has the right gray and black interior, cushy swiveling counter stools, and rough-edged table tops (an interior my friend dubbed “retro industrial”) that lends itself well to a variety of clientele. At the bar on this particular evening were two guys in white tank tops, tattoos, and much-used work boots alongside a fellow in a Hawaiian shirt, earring, and mutton chops. It was a red beer kind of night, perfect alongside the sampling menu of chicken fingers, cheese fries, and pulled pork sandwich.

Our server at Hudson, who was unquestionably one of the most fun in recent memory, recommended that we go to Loretta’s as our next stop that evening. So we headed off to South Park, a first in neighborhoods for me. The front room of the place is floor to ceiling (and floor and ceiling) wood paneling so you feel a bit like you’re walking into a warm cave -- perfect for a drink on the blustery night we were there. The next room is a mix of unmatched kitchen tables and chairs and glossy mountain-filled landscapes, all of which reminds me of my favorite Northern Idaho bars and only encouraged further drinking of red beer. The back patio is the highlight, though, complete with an Airstream trailer, neon beer signs, and the ideal space for what looks like frequent live music.

Silent Movie Mondays

2009-06-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Going to see a fabulous old silent movie at the Paramount, complete with live Wurlitzer organ accompaniment, sounds like such a cool thing to do doesn’t it? For four consecutive weeks this month the Seattle Theatre Group, with series sponsor Trader Joe’s, hosts Silent Movie Mondays at the Paramount. It’s a great opportunity to see wonderful old films, experience what I’ve heard is a magnificent organ, and lucky you, the first one in the series is free.

The first film of the month is Monday, June 8 at 7:00pm: Flesh and the Devil featuring Lars Hanson, John Gilbert, and Greta Garbo, originally released in 1926. The film looks to be romance- and action-packed, including unrequited love, an exile to Africa, and multiple duels and almost-duels.

The other films in the series:

June 15 at 7:00pm: Romola

June 22 at 7:00pm: The Godless Girl

June 29 at 7:00pm: Seventh Heaven

Brasa

2009-05-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

Brasa is one of those downtown restaurants I walk by all of the time but never seem to consider going in. I hear about chef/owner Tamara Murphy from time to time, doing interesting foodie things around town, but something about it never pulls me in. I recently had my first experience at Brasa and now that I know what I’ve been missing I confess that it doesn’t top my list of places to return to, at least not for dinner.

Hats off to Tamara and crew for a fantastic Portuguese Pig. It was beautifully presented atop a bay scented potato and served with clams and chorizo, the broth a terrific combination of spicy and sweet. The rabbit with a cannellini bean stew, bacon, and mustard greens was another well-received entree, though the risotto (asparagus, mascarpone, tempura fried ramp leaves) and the Agnolotti al Plin (ricotta, English peas, porcini mushrooms) both came off as a little bland. Kudos to my fellow diner for ordering the veal marrow bone (with accompanying quince and pistachio marmelatta); the enormous halved bone would have made both Fred Flinstone and Julia Child very proud. Dessert was an overly tart, overly lemony crème brulee with a decidedly un-crème brulee texture. The saving grace of the meal was stellar service from start to finish by a perfectly attentive server who I’m told had a great eye for picking just the right wine when requested. It was an unwieldy group, to be sure, and he did a fantastic job managing all with aplomb.

Although dinner didn’t knock my socks off, I might be lured back for a happy hour that includes things like curried mussels, Catalan fish stew, Moroccan steak sandwich, and Spanish doughnuts. Though I’ll do my best to sit facing the windows that look on to an always colorful strip of Third Avenue, thereby blocking out the interior of the restaurant and its distinctly 1986 vibe. Something about the peach-toned walls, light fixtures, and big, curved booths makes me think that Crockett and Tubbs might walk off their cigarette boat and through the door any second.

Another Tamara Murphy creation that I’ll be checking out, now that I’ve experienced Brasa: The newly revamped café at much-beloved Elliott Bay Book Company in Pioneer Square. The café space had always had a real basement feel with food to match, and if this new menu lives up to expectation then it will be fantastic indeed. And I’m all for giving Ms. Murphy a second try in a new setting.

[Photo courtesy of jdong]

My version of spring cleaning: Spring Organizing

2009-05-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

It happens to me every year. Just as the weather begins to turn and we’re surprised with a long stretch of warm, sunny weather –- the kind that pops up in the spring in Seattle before summer officially starts on July 5 –- that I start to feel the organizing itch. Maybe it’s the desire to lighten up my space, make it more streamlined and ready for the long summer days ahead. I mean, who wants to think hard about where to file your July paperwork when the sun and barbecue beckon?

Here are some of my favorite things to do to clear out the cobwebs from a winter of being inside. Try a few of these, and I guarantee that you will feel lighter. And as a reward for all of your hard work, perhaps a mojito on the back deck?

Take a serious look at your closet. Now is the time to look critically at what you’ve just been wearing (or not wearing) all winter, and what you anticipate wearing for summer. Make some space in your closet for tank tops and capris, and move the big sweaters to the back corner. After you’ve done that, consider one of these ways to unburden yourself of unwanted clothes.

Sort through your stack of manuals and warranties for electronics, household appliances, etc. See the manual for the toaster oven you sold at a garage sale ten years ago? Pitch it and all others for products you no longer own.

Take a walk through your files and recycle or shred paperwork you no longer need to keep. Make space in your filing cabinet and you’ll find it’s easier to put new documents in on a regular basis, thus staying more organized.

Go through that unruly pile of photos and organize it into labeled photo boxes, arrange in albums, or categorize your electronic photos if the unruly pile is a virtual one. One tip: If you are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number, try to pick out a few representative photos from a particular trip or occasion and don’t feel guilty about disposing of the rest. Consider sending the extras out to family or friends you know would enjoy the photos –- what a fun surprise for them to receive!

Give your stack of magazines a critical once-over. Sure, there are some magazines -– perhaps relevant to your profession –- that you want to hang on to for years to come. Most of us, though, turn down a page thinking that we’ll come back to reference a particular something but then don’t ever return. The solution is to go through your magazines and tear out anything interesting and toss the rest. Make some files into which you can drop the things you’ve torn out. A few to start with might be design ideas, recipes, product suggestions, how to’s, and gift ideas. For those of you who really get into this idea, sub-categorize further: gift ideas for kids, parents, sister, brother, hostess gifts.

As you dive into the summer gardening season, look at which tools you’re actually using. Maybe you don’t really need five rakes that all perform exactly the same task? Now is the time to give those extra tools to your daughter who has just bought her first house (and acquired her first garden!) or donate to something like the P-Patch Community Gardening Program that could put your unneeded tools to especially good use. They can be reached at 206.684.0264 and are pleased as punch to receive gardening tools in good working condition.

Beyond pho

2009-05-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

There are all sorts of fantastic ethnic foods obtainable in the Seattle area: Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Ethiopian, Italian, French, Greek, Brazilian, Caribbean, and that doesn’t even cover them all. We have access to food from a huge number of regions, and it’s fun to take a gastronomical tour around the world. One of my most oft-visited stops on the tour is Vietnamese cuisine and I’m here to tell you, it’s not just about pho. Some of my favorites:

There is a pocket of the International District chock full of Vietnamese restaurants, and Green Leaf is one of the best. It offers a representative selection of appetizers, salads, and noodle soups, and many reviews I’ve read praise it for the freshness of ingredients used. Two of my go-to choices include the fresh spring rolls with shrimp and fried tofu, and the vermicelli bowl with a combination of egg roll, pork, and a perfectly sweet sauce poured over all.

Tamarind Tree is the slightly more upscale International District neighbor to Green Leaf. Getting through the enormous menu requires some perseverance, but you will be rewarded with finds like the steamed daikon prawn wrap and the Tamarind Tree crepe (scallops, prawns, pork slices, shiitake mushroom, bean sprouts, and mung beans in fried rice batter topped with coconut milk – yum!).

Monsoon on Capitol Hill is a delicious pairing of Northwest and Vietnamese cuisine. It’s certainly the fashionista of this bunch, with menu items like grilled cervena venison with curry and glass noodles, and grilled Monterey squid stuffed with duck meat and dried shiitake mushrooms. They recently branched out and opened an eastside location, though I confess that I’m probably more likely to drop by Monsoon’s little brother, Baguette Box, either in Fremont or Capitol Hill.

Although I came late to the pho craze, having been introduced to Than Brothers I’m now a huge fan. Multiple locations + lightening quick service + consistently good chicken pho = I'm sold.

The transferable skill of fitted sheet folding

2009-05-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

A funny thing happened to me this weekend. I was working an event in Federal Way for Friends of the Hylebos and we were using three of those pop-up canopies with detachable covers. (You know, like the kind used by all of your favorite vendors at the farmers market.) After two days and a couple of set-ups and tear-downs of the canopies I came to an interesting realization about folding the covers, once detached. I picked one up and realized that it had shaped corners, exactly like a fitted sheet. With the help of another pair of hands -– it’s bigger than your average sheet, after all –- we were able to fold the cover lickety split. The peaked shape of the canopy makes for a funny pokey-out bit when you’re trying to wrangle it, so the sail folding skills learned in childhood came in handy with evening out the uneven shape.

All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that the skills used in folding a fitted sheet can be applied to other aspects of one’s life. If you too would like to become a folding wizard, check out my previous post and how-to video.

Barrio

2009-05-07T21:40:00.001-07:00

I walked into Barrio the other night expecting Capitol Hill cool and the place delivered in spades. The entry is of the super-secret variety, with a large metal handle on the farthest left of the tall wooden doors the only clue. Once inside, it’s a big space nicely divided into different dining areas, including seating along the open kitchen. The large, curving bar with a sort of mosaic surface dominates the center of the main space. Given that Barrio and Purple Café share the same ownership I wasn’t surprised to see all of the metalwork and feel a similar heft in the heavy bar stools and napkin rings. Happily, though, there is enough wood to balance the chilly feeling that can come with too much dark metal. The enormous wall of candles has tremendous visual impact and certainly helps to warm up the interior as well.

It was absolutely packed; apparently others had also heard about the phenomenal happy hour. Big kudos to the host who was incredibly helpful and made room for three of us at the bar. The drink specials are varied and include a well-priced Tecate, margarita, sangria, caipirinha, and my favorite, the Brown Derby with bourbon, grapefruit juice, and honey. From there we dug into guacamole, shredded chicken tacos with queso cotija, and drunken bean tacos with green cabbage salad and avocado salsa. The real star of the night, though, was the Chilaquiles del Dia, a hearty serving of tortilla chips layered with asparagus, chorizo bacon, queso fresco, and topped with a fried egg.

I’ll look forward to coming back on another evening when the din of the happy hour rush has quieted a bit, and I can dig into the rest of the menu. Some of the things I have my eye on for the next trip to Barrio: Ancho Roasted Baby Beets and Queso de Cabra, the Pozole, and most definitely that day’s Chilaquiles del Dia.

[Photo courtesy of Barrio]

Fantastical celebrations of the new moon

2009-05-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Lucia Neare’s Theatrical Wonders is one of those happenings about which a friend says to you, “Hey, have you ever heard of…?” And once she did (thanks, Angela!) I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen mention of it before. The aforementioned Wonders are site-specific theatrical works on large scale that occur outdoors and include dozens of performers, live music and dance, huge mobile set pieces, and stunning costumes. When I first checked out the website and saw all of the photos, the performances struck me as kind of an outsized Alice in Wonderland-style fantasy, and of course now I’m dying to see one in person.

I’m a big fan of art that surprises me, and appears when I’m least expecting it. Neare's newest creation, Lullaby Moon, delivers in a big way. She describes it as “a year-long invitation to Seattle to explore a world of dream. A celebration of the night sky, the series of performance events brings bedtime whimsy and wonder to parks and other public spaces throughout the city, enlivening and enlightening the dark time of each month. Performances take place on each new moon for an entire lunar year beginning in October 2008.”

You know when the performances happen given the lunar schedule. Remaining dates, all in 2009, include: May 24, June 22, July 22, Aug 20, September 18, and September 19. What you don’t know is where, and that’s where the surprise comes in. If you’re near the selected site on the new moon you might be handed a card that says something like “Please join us this evening for a performance vignette just south of the Bathhouse Theater beginning around 8:30pm.” And if not, you’ll just have to check back on the website to see what you missed…

[Photo of the January 2009 performance at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square courtesy of Violetta de la Luna]

We could all use a little Organizing 101

2009-04-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Ever thought that if you could just make sense of all the clutter in the garage, your life would improve ten-fold? Or that if you could just put some order to your kitchen you could turn out gourmet meals that would make Julia Child proud? I’m not here to tell you that organized spaces equal a perfect life, but I do firmly believe that they make for a better quality of life. Less searching around for the things you need, and more time spent doing the things you want.

I’ll tell you a little story: There is a cupboard above my refrigerator, awkwardly placed and awkwardly sized. I’m reasonably tall so I’ve been able to get at the few things I had stashed in there, but I’ve never liked how I used the space. In particular, it seemed to be a great place for baking sheets, large pans, and cooling racks, but every time I tried to extract one of those things I ended up taking everything else out just to get at what I wanted. I will even admit that although I love to bake, sometimes having offered to bring dessert to a dinner party I would avoid anything that required extensive cooling rack usage (thus the disappearance of the three-layer cake) in favor of other, non-rack options.

Last week I finally said enough. Enough! I wrote down the measurements of the cupboard and the kinds of items I wanted to store there. I came home from the Container Store with several plastic-coated wire shelves, perfect for separating the space and making it much more user-friendly. And baking-friendly.

If you’re interested in learning how to make small but significant changes like this, or need a step-by-step process that you can use to organize a garage or other big space of your own, I’ll be teaching an “Organizing 101” seminar on Tuesday, May 19, 7-9pm at the Bellevue Club. If you’re a member and want to attend, you can call 425.688.3384, email, or visit the club’s website to register. Or if you’re not a member but would like to talk about putting together a seminar for your own group, feel free to get in touch with me at 206.841.2804 or alix@organizeability.com.

Take a look at the before after photos from a home office re-do that will hopefully inspire you to give the same kind of makeover to your own space. Happy organizing!

Birth announcement how-to's

2009-04-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

Divine Ms. Alix,

I recently received a birth announcement from a former colleague who I worked with briefly a few years ago. While I'm delighted at the birth of his child, I was surprised to be included since we did not socialize when working together and have not been in touch recently. I'd like to do something to acknowledge the new addition to his family, but I'm not sure what is appropriate. Help!

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Dear Properly Acknowledged:

How thoughtful of your former colleague to include you on his announcement list. I picture him absolutely thrilled, pleased as punch, and wanting to shout his news from the rooftops.

Given that your relationship was a professional one and that you didn’t socialize outside the office, I think that there is no need to send a gift. (As you might if the announcement had been from a good friend, or from someone with whom you felt a strong personal connection.)

Rather, I suggest sending a card with a nicely written personal message. Surely he would have included his return address on the announcement mailed to you, but if not you can try WhitePages.com to locate the information. And if it happens that you’re not able to find the address without too much difficulty, then consider yourself off the etiquette hook. In that case you’ve tried your best to send a note, but now are only required to think very happy thoughts for the new family and the best for their future.

Tax-free shopping without going all the way to Oregon

2009-04-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, April 25th, head to West Seattle for The Junction Rebellion, your chance to shop a slew of fantastic West Seattle businesses without the sting of that pesky sales tax. If you already know and love the Junction (the downtown area stretching out from the intersection of California and Alaska streets) then this is another, more heavily discounted, chance to visit the neighborhood. But if this is one of those parts of Seattle you know about and always mean to explore but haven’t yet, the time is now!

A few of my favorites, all of which are participating in Saturday’s festivities:

Shoofly Pie Company offers fantastic sweet pies like banana cream (yum!) as well as their savory cousins, including a carmelized onion galette and a ham gruyere scallion quiche.

If you’re looking for interesting shoes that can’t be found just anywhere, Clementine is worth a visit. It’s one of several shoe boutiques around town that offers a unique selection of footwear, but I go there because they are always incredibly friendly and helpful. Why not spend your money where people are actually nice, I say.

Swee Swee Paperie’s name may sound a bit precious, but I’m a sucker for lovely and well made paper goods and they have some of the best. I especially like their selection of letterpress notecards. Who wouldn’t want to receive one of these beauties?

Ah, Bakery Nouveau… They offer a dizzying selection of mouthwatering breakfast pastries (twice baked chocolate croissants and the like), breads, sandwiches (roast beef on brioche, anyone?), pizza, and quiche, but you absolutely must try the cakes, tarts, and desserts. A small sampling: chocolate mocha cheese cake, praline dream mousse, black currant panna cotta, salt caramel apple tart, and pot de crème.

[Thanks to Daily Candy for the tip on The Junction Rebellion]

Sushi round-up

2009-04-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

It’s time to talk sushi. In a city like Seattle that’s a dangerous topic. Everyone has their favorite, and for all kinds of reasons. Location, price, ambiance, freshness of the fish, it’s all part of the mix. I’ve collected below a short list of my favorites and I invite your comments in return. Have a fabulous spot that I haven’t mentioned, or totally disagree with one of my choices? I’m always interested in getting the scoop on what’s available in and around our fair city.

Wasabi Bistro and Umi Sake House, both in Belltown, excel at what’s termed “modern Japanese cuisine” typified by the long list of wacky rolls available –- green decadence, crunchy lizard, that sort of thing. At Umi Sake I especially like Duff’s rock n’ roll, a super-human concoction of a shrimp tempura roll topped with avocado, barbecued eel, and teriyaki sauce. At Wasabi I’m a fan of the Belltown roll with crab, scallop, mayo, tobiko (flying fish roe), and cucumber topped with fresh salmon. Clearly, neither of these rolls lies within the scope of what one might consider typically delicate Japanese dining…

Musashi’s in Wallingford serves some of the biggest cuts of fish, and I particularly like the fresh salmon here. Let the consistently long lines outside (despite the cash- and check-only edict) attest to the fabulousness of what’s inside. Add to that friendly service and a very reasonably priced menu, and you’ve got a real hit with this one. Blue C Sushi in Fremont is perfectly good kaiten (conveyor belt style) sushi, and it gets points for immediacy of food and fun factor. I hear that it’s a big hit with the kids. Plus, if you find yourself at U-Village, Bellevue Square, Southcenter, or Alderwood malls with a hankering for sushi, you’ll know that this expanding sushi empire is a safe bet. Its neighbor across the street, Chiso, is another one of my favorites. Classic style sushi beautifully prepared in a lovely atmosphere.

I love Maneki in the International District for its history -- 100 years plus and still going strong -- and ambiance of old-school Japan. (Complete with the tyrannical obaasan, who might be grandmotherly in another context, but here gives you the hard stare if you have the audacity to be an irregular customer who didn’t think to make a reservation.) When I make the pilgrimage to Maneki I always include an order of the hiyayako, chilled tofu with shaved bonito flakes and thinly sliced green onion strewn over the top. My one favorite outside Seattle proper is Toyoda Sushi in Lake City. Completely unassuming but consistently delicious, they offer traditional sushi in the kind of place where you are likely to be greeted by name after just a couple of visits.

Some other resources that might be of interest:

Sushi Monsters has what appears to be a reasonably thorough list of the sushi joints in the Seattle area, as well as other resources like tutorials, recipes, and an immense gallery of photos. Though if we’re talking photos, I’m most impressed by Matthew Lankford’s array of visual deliciousness. I stumbled on Matthew and his “Sushi for 30 Days Straight” project via the All You Can Eat blog penned by Nancy Leson, former identity-withheld food critic for the Seattle Times and now its blogger and foodie-about-town among other things. Of course, there are always the reviews available on Citysearch (slightly less painful to navigate now that they have revamped the website) and on Urbanspoon if you have something in mind and just need to know some basic info.

Now go out there and get yourself some eel, or some octopus, or some sea urchin, or…

[Photo courtesy of Matthew Lankford]

To hang, or not to hang: that is the question

2009-04-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Alix,

I want to reorganize my closet. I have more space for hanging clothes than for folded clothes. Can I hang my t-shirts or will I just end up with puckered shoulders? Is there a "what to hang and what to fold" rule?

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Dear Potentially Puckered,

Actually, you’ve hit dead center on the rule for what to hang and what to fold: Do more of whatever you have space for. It sounds simple, but because things like jeans, pants, and shirts can go either way you have some flexibility in how you allocate your space. Even men’s shirts can come back from the dry cleaners freshly laundered in either hanging or folded form.

As for the question of which hangers to use, I’m a big fan of wooden hangers. They look great, and they leave your t-shirts and other lightweight shirts pucker-free. You can get them in all sorts of finishes, generally available in a standard version as in this photo, or in a deluxe version that's a bit wider. I say no need for the wider deluxe, but if you’re really, really fussy about rounded corners, go for it.

Another option is this felt-covered number, called the friction soft grip. Word on the street is that they are also great for hanging t-shirts, and take up less room in your closet. They have little more than the width of wire hangers, but are a whole lot easier on your clothes.

Whichever hanger you choose, opt to use all of that single kind of hanger if possible. Doing this will make your closet visually more uniform, and thus appear more organized – even if you haven’t ordered your clothes in color groupings, lightest to darkest (as, ahem, some might). Everything I’ve mentioned above can be purchased from one of my favorite organizing resources, Organize.com. Though, between you and me, I bought all of my wooden hangers for cheap at IKEA and they work beautifully.

And, bravo to you for tackling closet reorganization. Write in and let us know if you come across any other stumpers!

Go nuts with the shredding

2009-04-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

Now that you have liberated your files of all that extraneous paper, it’s time to dispose of it in a responsible manner. I recommend shredding any paper with personal information (account numbers, account balances, etc.) as it comes into your house, so ideally you would have a small shredder at home near where you open your mail. For big organizational efforts that have generated piles of paper to be shredded – or if you just like to accumulate paper and get rid of it all at once – the answer is to take everything to an industrial shredder.

Normally you would pay to shred a large amount like this, but you’re in luck because the Seattle Area Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers and ARMA International Records Management Association have put together an opportunity next weekend to bring your boxes and shred for free.

Shred up to six bankers boxes of paper per car for free, something that would normally cost $30

Enter to win a free shredder

Free organizing advice from the "Ask the Organizer" table

The when’s and where’s:

Saturday, April 18
9:00am - 12:00pm
Shoreline OfficeMax (1345 N 205th Street, Shoreline)

I'll see you there!

Financial records: keep or toss?

2009-04-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

It’s tempting to keep every piece of paper you ever receive, every seemingly important bit of financial information. Luckily for the state of your filing cabinets, that’s simply not the case. You can – and should – regularly go through your paperwork and toss out whatever you can. (Or more accurately, shred. More on that in my next post.) Of course, it’s ideal to pay bills and receive statements electronically; I encourage you you to do as much of this as you can. For everything else, here is a list of what to keep and for how long. Now you just need to take the initiative to do this on a regular basis, right?

Toss every month

ATM and bank deposit slips, after you’ve recorded the amounts in your check register and checked them against your monthly bank statement

Credit card receipts, after you’ve checked to make sure the item appears correctly on your monthly statement

Sales receipts for minor purchases, after you’ve satisfactorily used the item and if it has no warranty

Toss after one year

Monthly bank and credit card statement (if you don’t itemize deductions)

Monthly or quarterly brokerage and mutual fund statements, after you’ve reconciled them with your year-end summary

Monthly mortgage statements, as long as your year-end statement clearly shows the total amount you’ve paid in interest and property taxes over the course of the year

Phone and utility bills (as long as you don’t have a home office, use your phone for business calls, or anticipate any need to prove long-term residency)

Paycheck stubs, after you’ve reconciled them with your annual W-2 or 1099 forms

Retain for Seven Years

W-2 and 1099 forms

Year-end statements from credit card companies

Phone and utility bills (only if you deduct any portion for business expenses, have more than one home or have moved within the past few years)

Cancelled checks and receipts/statements for annual mortgage interest and property taxes, deductible business expenses, child care bills, out-of-pocket medical costs, or any other tax-deductible expense

Records of expenses incurred in selling and buying a house, condo, etc., such as legal fees and your real estate agent's commission

Keep Indefinitely

Annual tax returns

Year-end summaries from financial services companies

Confirmation slips that show beneficiary designations and the purchase price of stocks, mutual funds, and any other investments you hold; hang onto these records indefinitely because some day you or your heirs will have to know exactly how much you paid to determine the profit on your investment for tax purposes

Home improvement records

Receipts for major purchases such as jewelry, rugs, appliances, antiques, cars, collectibles, furniture, computers, etc. – should be kept in an insurance file for proof of their value in the event of loss or damage

Records detailing medical procedures and results

College transcript

Automobile records (title, registration, repairs) – for as long as you own the vehicle

Examples of records needed for taxes (keep for seven years)

Bank statements and cancelled checks

Certificates of Deposit

Contracts

Charitable contributions

Credit statements

Income tax returns

Lease and loan agreements

Loan payment books

Pension plan records

Pay stubs

Keep receipts for as long as you own

Appliances

Art, antiques, collectibles

Clothing

Furniture

Home improvements

Home repairs

Major purchases

Keep in a fire-proof safe or safe deposit box

Birth certificate

Adoption certificate

Death certificate

Marriage license

Divorce decree, custody agreement, property agreement

Citizenship papers

Estate planning documents

Copyrights and patents

Insurance company names and policy numbers

Vaccination records

Deeds and titles to property and vehicles

Military service record

Household inventory, photos, serial numbers

Social security numbers

Passport

Bank and credit card numbers and telephone numbers of issuers

Contracts and other legal papers

Sources:
Diane Harris, Real Simple, April 2000
Marquette National Bank and Catherine Williams, President of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Greater Chicago posted on Bankrate.com, September 2005
University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension, 1999

Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop

2009-04-03T09:29:00.001-07:00

Why does a sandwich always taste better when someone else makes it for you? I mean, I know what goes into the kind of sandwich I like so theoretically I could whip up the same thing at home. But yet… no. I’ve been on a mini sandwich (as opposed to mini-sandwich, a la slider) kick lately, with a trip to HoneyHole on Capitol Hill and now Homegrown, a new addition to Fremont.

I like the concept of Homegrown. I mean, what sort of earth-friendly, shop-local scrooge would I have to be not to like what they term “sandwich environmentalism”? It's their goal not only to use sustainable ingredients for everything on the menu but also to make sandwich creation sustainable. You see that most obviously in the 100% recyclable and compostable materials they serve on and in, a relatively new trend in food service that seems to be happening more and more. On a local scale with Molly Moon’s ice cream dishes and Coke cups on the UW campus, or on a massive scale as foodservice giant Sysco works to make available a range of biodegradable, compostable, and earth-friendly disposable products.

The space is high-ceilinged without a lot of design frills, the room dominated by enormous chalkboards displaying the menu. The stripped-down décor is just fine with me as it gives the food a chance to shine.

And shine it does… I had the hot flank steak sandwich, with grilled portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, blue cheese, chimichurri, and mixed greens. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for a steak sandwich, flank or otherwise. My favorite is still the Hilltop Ale House version but in all fairness it’s an apples and oranges comparison. Guess you’ll just have to try them both. Homegrown offers cold sandwiches, soups, and salads as well but on a rainy, blustery day in Seattle I couldn’t look beyond the hot sandwich menu and other options like blackened cod with creole honey mustard, South Carolina slaw, and caramelized onions, or the chicken thigh with bacon, lavender pear butter, goat cheese, and mixed greens.

The sandwiches also come with a taste of one of the side options, all of which are also available in larger sizes for takeaway purposes: South Carolina slaw, apple fennel slaw, and Moroccan carrot slaw. Speaking of takeaway… I bet that they do a booming business on orders-out, so never fear if you only have time to carry and go. But while you’re there consider taking with you a couple of the other things they currently have on display, all offerings from terrific Pacific Northwest companies including Stumptown Coffee, Mighty-O Donuts, and Theo Chocolate.

[Photo courtesy of Betsey S.]

The ins and outs of folding a fitted sheet

2009-03-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Alix,

It’s driving me nuts, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m proceeding into a precarious world of neat-freakiness. You see, the thing is, I like ninety degree angles. All of my household linens fold up into tidy, orthogonal bundles for stacking and storage. All of them, that is, except for the fitted bed sheets. When I’m finished doing laundry I’m usually left with a pile of perfectly ordered sheets, pillow cases and towels – a straight and symmetrical tower of linen. Dolloped on top, in all its asymmetrical rebellion, is the fitted sheet. Like a pound of whip cream dumped on a perfectly executed crème brûlée, there it sits. I suspect that there is a way to fold a fitted bed sheet so that it does not involve funny curves and wrinkles the size of small mountain ranges. Does the answer exist or is this the anomaly of laundry organization? Should I just roll the fitted sheet up and conceal it out of view?

What Would Alix Do?

Sincerely,
Orthogonally Obsessed

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Dear Orthogonal,

This sheet-folding business is a real challenge, and the more I ask around to determine who actually knows how to do this, the more furrowed brows and puzzled frowns I see. It turns out that you’re not alone in your frustration with the fitted version of the sheet species. You’re in luck, though, because I was fortunate enough to have a mother who taught me the finer points of this household chore (thanks, Mom!) and now I’ll share them with you. Check out the video below for step-by-step instructions:

Poco Wine Room

2009-03-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last night we tried out Poco Wine Room, in the street level retail space of a condo building on Capitol Hill. You step directly into a pocket-sized space of a 5-seat bar and two tables, with a larger seating area upstairs that peeks out over the entry. Behind the bar and up into the second level was my favorite part of the interior, a wall of vertical wood strips done in high relief. Perhaps a bit of ad hoc carpentry? That and the glossy wood-striated bar are reminiscent of Frank’s, we thought. I also really liked the big metal panels that juxtapose nicely with all of that warm wood.

I started with a glass of the Malbec, happy hour priced at $2 off. For bites I had the toasted coppa sandwich with camembert and a fabulous fig jam, along with pickled beets, arugula, and chevre. Although delicious, the portions are definitely on the petite side. If you’re aiming to make a meal out of the bites, or even the plate of truffled mac n’ cheese, it’s a bit of a challenge. I might try the advertised “value night” on Sunday: wine for $6 and food for $8.

One of the best things about dropping in on Poco was that I got to visit a corner of Capitol Hill that I rarely do. Just a couple of blocks in opposite directions you’ll find Spinasse, and Ethan Stowell’s new Anchovies & Olives, two places I’ve been wanting to try. My friend had exactly the right suggestion: Come to Poco for a glass of wine while you’re waiting for a table at one of these, then the aforementioned bites can be just that, the first stop in an evening of fantastic food.

[Image courtesy of Poco Wine Room]

What's so great about being organized, anyway?

2009-03-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to a first time home buyer’s class at the Jefferson Community Center on Beacon Hill. Now, I’m not necessarily in the market to buy my first home, but I figured that I would check it out and see what I could learn about the process. Thach Nguyen at John L. Scott Real Estate and Michael Brogan at Bank of America, who co-presented the class, very clearly communicated that if you have the capacity and are ready, now is a great time given low interest rates and a tax credit for first time buyers. They were also very careful to say that if you don’t have the capacity to buy right now, none of those other incentives are worth a darn. As they said that day, just being at that class was the first step in determining if I'm ready. I am starting to get my ducks in a row and in short, get organized. To be successful in this whole house-buying enterprise it helps to go about it in an organized fashion and as it turns out, living our every day lives works that way as well.

It’s tax season, right? Ugh. Just think how much less painful this process would be if everything you needed was neatly filed away and you could easily lay your hands on pay stubs, investment statements, and mortgage records. Or how much faster you could get out of the house in the morning if you could quickly find the right pair of pants instead of hunting through the jumble of clothes hanging in your closet. Or networking to find a new job? That’s a hot topic right now. Good networkers know how to build a foundation of strong relationships by regular, methodical communication with those in their circle, and by being able to connect people with common interests. All of these things are about creating order and structure in our lives so that we can reap the benefits in the future.

So, you ask, if I’m not naturally a ducks-in-a-row kind of person, how can I magically transform my life into one of organization and ease?

Some of us are born with a knack for organization (me) and some of us are born with a knack for other things, like car repair (not me). If you're in the second category my advice to you is to start small. Begin by designating a home for your keys and start putting them in that basket on the counter or on that entry way table every single time you step in the door. Eventually you won't even think about it because it will have become part of your routine. Move on to a filing project next. Haul out that stack of paper you stashed in your closet and separate it into broad categories: bank, car, medical, house, and voila, this is the start of your filing system.

Start small and eventually you'll get in the habit of being an organized, or at least more organized, member of society. I think that you will find yourself better prepared to take advantage of big opportunities that come your way – like buying a house at an incredibly low interest rate or being offered a fabulous new job – because of all of the work you did on the front end. And then you can give yourself a big ol’ pat on the back.

Eat, drink and be merry: Wallingford, Belltown, Capitol Hill

2009-03-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

You know it: That panic you feel when your friends say, “Why don’t you decide where we’re going on Friday night,” or you’re plotting out a big date and are stuck for ideas on where to go to look knowledgeable/hip/interesting. I’m a big fan of Urbanspoon for restaurant info and reviews, but sometimes you just want someone to tell you where you should go.

I’m all about deciding what neighborhood you’re in the mood for on a particular evening, as much as what kind of food or vibe of a restaurant or bar. (Side note: If you like reading about neighborhoods check out Build LLC’s "Better Know a Neighborhood" section on their blog. I love that they delve into the cool design – and other – elements of select areas around the city.) Accordingly, I’ve broken down my suggestions below into neighborhood categories, and included a few other helpful tidbits. I’ll be back in future posts to offer new suggestions, so stay tuned.

Want to play cool kid in Wallingford?

Rancho Bravo taco truck (how more of-the-moment do you get than the taco truck?)

Ice cream at Molly Moon’s (the salted caramel ice cream makes my taste buds do a little jig)

Al’s Tavern for pool and Rainier on tap (divey dive of the best kind)

The traditional Belltown vibe:

Drinks at Branzino (clubby goodness)

Tavolata (the lamb ragu is fantastic; this is my favorite of Ethan Stowell’s restaurants)

Dessert at Restaurant Zoe (the citrus vanilla creme caramel is to die for, though starting there with a drink and an app of the fresh ricotta gnudi isn’t a bad idea either)

Or maybe you’re in the mood for Belltown, but not the usual scene:

Drinks at Cyclops (good beer and always-interesting art on the walls)

Rendezvous (it’s true – they serve food)

Shorty’s for Coors Light bottles (and pinball, of course)

Going for the foodie end of Capitol Hill:

Drinks at Licorous (we already know that I love it there)

Osteria la Spiga (the open, modern interior is a perfect compliment to the food)

Café Presse (go for coffee and seriously hipster atmosphere before heading over to…)

Dancing at the Century Ballroom

Public art... where?

2009-03-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I took in some amazing art, not by visiting the Seattle Art Museum or any other of our wonderful established local venues, but by driving around the city. I first read about the Listen 4Culture program in the December issue of Seattle magazine. Although it took me a couple of months to check it out for myself, I’m glad that I finally did. It’s a terrific program that makes audio snippets about various pieces of public art available via phone, so while you’re taking in a specific work you can call on your cell phone and hear a little bit about it. Sometimes the audio is contributed by the artist herself, or it’s the artist’s daughter, or in the case of the Jacob Lawrence piece, the man who did the enamel work on it. I printed out the map and list of works before I left home, and trotted around to see a few in SoDo and in the International District.

My first stop was Christian Moeller’s Newsreaders, 50,000 plastic discs snapped on to chain link fencing depicting people reading. Nope, not obvious at first glance.

Just across the street on a four-story parking structure is Bloom, by Susan Zoccola. It’s an enormous construction of concrete, aluminum, fiberglass, and steel and I thought that it was fabulous.

I didn’t have time to see all 23 works today, but I did get to one last piece: Heaven, Man, Earth by Seattle painter and sculptor, George Tsutakawa.

My favorite thing about this outing is that it has me on the lookout for less official but just as readily available public art. I might just start with the Wave Rave Cave, those oddly lit wave-like things under the viaduct in Belltown…

Matt’s in the Market

2009-03-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

I suppose that I’m predisposed to think happy thoughts about Matt’s in the Market because I went to high school with their Executive Chef, Chester Gerl, but actually I fell deeply in food like with the place before I ever knew the connection.

My initial introduction to this Pike Place Market gem was by my good pal, and I was glad to be with her that first time because she lent me previous diner street cred. She had loved Matt’s from way back, from when it was less than half the size it is now. I’m a relative newcomer but I confess I like that it’s a tiny bit easier to get a seat here than it was in its smaller incarnation, or so I’ve been told.

This friend and I come whenever we can manage it, and generally opt for the bar. I was sorry to see that they had taken out the counter and stools from around the open kitchen, though; maybe the chefs got tired of all of us staring longingly at the food from such near proximity.

I started out a recent Friday evening with a Vesper, a drink with which I plan to become more familiar. (I’m told that I need to check out the versions at Sambar and Oliver’s Twist, and I am on it.) The bartender at Matt’s is one of my favorites in town. Not only does he mix a mean Bombay Sapphire martini and Vesper, he never gives me the famous bartender sniff if I order a drink that’s slightly less high brow, or don’t know so much about the wine he’s recommending.

Dinner was a beautifully done lamb loin, slightly pink and appropriately juicy, with a delicious spinach accompaniment. Along with the lamb and spinach came my favorite part of this meal, farro with black trumpet mushrooms, fabulous for the heartiness of the farro and the silkiness of the mushrooms. We capped off dinner with perfection in dessert form: rhubarb shortcake with lightly sugared biscuits and a dollop of whipped mascarpone. Utterly delicious, from Vesper start to shortcake finish.

[Photo courtesy of Seattle Bon Vivant]

Which pair of pants is which??

2009-03-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Ever had one of those mornings when you reach blindly into your closet, trying to locate a particular pair of black pants (one of four you own, of course) without pulling each off the hanger to assess its defining characteristics? If only you could tell at a single glance which is the pair that’s the perfect length to wear with your favorite tall boots, rather than the short pair that only looks good with ballet flats.

Now you can: Buy a pack of key tags and create labels for the pants hanging in your closet. I generally use brand, color, and length as those descriptors tell me enough about the item to help me find what I’m looking for. Say, “Calvin Klein, black, medium.” (For those of you playing along at home, that means neither tall boot nor ballet flat but rather a nice little kitten heel.) Hang the metal ring from the neck of the hanger, and you can now identify in a jiffy which pair of pants you’re looking for. For the record, I don’t feel the need to label “Gap, grey corduroy, short” when they are the only pair of Gap, grey, or corduroy pants in my closet, but if you like consistency and want to do it all, knock yourself out. Heck, if you have four black t-shirts hanging in your closet and each has wear applications that aren’t immediately apparent, label those too. Go key tag crazy!

One version of the finished product:

Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor

2009-03-10T09:01:00.001-07:00

You would think that if you went to a place like Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor you’d be eating oysters, right? I suppose that’s the idea, but there were too many other good things to sample on Saturday night that we didn’t even make it to the namesake items.

This new spot in Ravenna is separated into two wood-paneled storefronts, the bar in overlapping blocks and the restaurant in lightly contrasting vertical lines. I love the strong geometric shapes in warm tones complimented by curvy, cushy stools, similarly styled love seats, and eclectic mix of chairs and tables in the champagne parlor side of the house.

The tiny bar where we cozied up to four other patrons produced two terrific cocktails for us: The English Violet, with Hendrick’s gin, cucumber, and Creme di Violette, and the High Tea, with Earl Grey tea-infused Bombay gin, honey, and lemon. Although the entrees looked excellent, we chose a selection of snacks and small plates. The goat cheese deviled eggs were an interesting twist on the expected, with a slice of crispy leek perched atop each portion. Greens came in the form of a side of creamed kale and the Lolla Rosa salad, with seared manouri cheese, hazelnuts, and a light citrus vinaigrette. My favorite, though, were the Quinault razor clam fritters with linguica, and saffron aioli on the side. My friend took one bite and immediately recognized that something similar is served at Pair, just up the street. It turns out that she’s right; both are owned by Felix and Sarah Penn. I wonder if I can convince them to open their third restaurant in Queen Anne?

[Logo courtesy of Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor]