Lunch at Bandoleone
Lately it seems I haven’t been eating anything nor doing much that’s been worthy to write about. I’ve been having a wonderful time – I’m just not sure you wanted to really hear about it! For instance, a typical day has been something like: wander around the yard eating strawberries while watering and pulling a few weeds; come inside and get so involved in some project that it’s suddenly mid-afternoon and I’m starving so I pull together something basic like cheese and crackers or slices of bread; since I ate "lunch" so late I’m not really hungry at dinner time and so I just have a bowl of cereal. :-) Not exactly inspired eating!
Yesterday I suddenly decided I needed to shake-up my life. I think this is partially brought on by the impending change in my semi-retirement/chosen unemployment. Yes, I’m finally going to be spending more formal time working. I’ve done a few small projects over the last several months but next week I start a bit longer (though still fairly short) term project and it looks like I may have another one starting in mid-July. Between the two I’ll have a bit more than full time hours. Although I’ll still be able to schedule my own time and be working from home quite often I’m going to miss the total flexibility I’ve had for so long.
But back to yesterday… I called R and we arranged to meet at Bandoleone for lunch at 1:30. Quite some time ago Bandoleone moved to Fremont from Eastlake. I’ve only been to this new location one other time and so I was looking forward to getting back. Yesterday was really beautiful so I was hoping that they’d be seating in the outdoor area in front.
I parked about a mile away so I could get in a little walk before and after lunch. I walked along the canal enjoying the little breeze, the passing marine traffic and the general funkiness of Fremont. On Saturday and Sunday this same area will be filled with booths of all sorts for the Fremont Street Fair and on Saturday it will be part of the staging area for the Solstice Parade.
The path is part of the Burke-Gilman Trail that links with many other trails throughout the region. You can ride from the Puget Sound all the way out to the Woodinville wineries and beyond. Something I’ve never been inclined to do – I can imagine getting out there but then dreading the ride back!
Over the years the character of Fremont has changed slightly. In fact R and I had a little debate over this yesterday. Fremont has always been bohemian and considered itself a bit out there. Several years ago when Adobe built in the area everyone was so worried about the disaster this spelled for funky Fremont. (Adobe has been part of the Seattle scene since purchasing a local company, Aldus, in 1996. ) It would be …. gentrified! But that really hasn’t happened. Yes, many of the old rickety warehouses are gone, replaced with new buildings but most of the new buildings either were built with the canal and access to it in mind and/or have their own funky character. And for the most part the shops, restaurants and people of Fremont are still unique. It’s a much more walker friendly place these days. And while walking you can see the Troll, the statue of Lenin, the Rocket, the topiary dinosaurs that used to live at Seattle Center and all manner of other things that define Fremont.
I guess I’m meandering in this post about as much as I did on my stroll! To get to the heart of the matter, I arrived at Bandoleone and was disappointed to find they were not seating outside, but that was probably just as well since the wind had picked up a bit. R arrived and we placed our orders. I started with a Mojito and she had a glass of sangria. We also placed orders for tortas (sandwiches) – she ordered the Cubano and I decided to try the San Salvador. I was originally going to have salad on the side but at the last moment changed to chips and salsa.
Our orders arrived and looked beautiful. I was immediately sorry I had not stayed with the salad as my side. I took a bit of R’s and it was yummy! Lightly dressed in a tangy vinagreta. My chips and salsa were good but I really coveted that salad! My torta was a mile-high! It was filled with layers of roasted turkey, grilled sweet onions, a spicy peanut sauce and greens all on soft but chewy bread. The flavor mix was wonderful although the peanut butter sauce had a tendency to stick – just like peanut butter will! I could only eat half of it and took the other half home for dinner.
R’s Cubano had been pressed and so was a bit easier to bite into. It was filled with roasted pork, turkey and ham, cheese and pickles. It looked amazing! I forgot to ask her to describe it (I was busy with my own plate!) but I think she liked it as it entirely disappeared!
After we finished we strolled around Fremont checking out some of our favorite shops. We eventually ended up at Peet’s Coffee where R had one of her quad-shot things and I settled for a non-fat mocha, no whip. We sat at an outside table sipping our beverages, watched all the (mostly miniature!) dogs walk by, and enjoyed the sun. We finished up, parted ways and took our memories of a lovely, lazy afternoon home.
Bandoleone
703 N. 34th Street, Fremont
Seattle
206.329.7559
Between the troll and the Fremont Bridge
Pumpkin Date Bread
After Paper Chef #7 I found myself with lots of Medjool dates. Dates always remind me of one of my favorite quick breads that I normally make in the fall. No special reason for that except that the ingredients are fall-ish. So last night I finally got around to making a couple loaves. I had a couple slices fresh out of the oven and will have more for breakfast! I love this bread as the cloves lend such a warm, comforting taste to the moist pumpkin. This bread is so moist that you don’t need to add anything to it, unless of course you’d like to! And, as it gets a little older, I love it toasted with butter, too.
See the cracks in the top of the bread? I’ve always sort of wished that wouldn’t happen. And then I was reading Viv’s Paper Chef entry and I had to laugh! She actually hopes to get those cracks! :-) Funny how those things work – if you’ve got them you don’t want them, if you don’t, you do!
I always use my own pumpkin in this recipe (now the fall thing makes sense, doesn’t it?) but canned works just as well. For the nuts I normally use either pecans or walnuts. It’s a super easy recipe and it’s nice that it makes two loaves – one for now and one to freeze for a special treat later on.
Pumpkin-Date Bread
Betty Crocker’s Christmas Cookbook- First Printing, not in current version
2½ cups sugar
⅔ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
16 oz pumpkin
⅔ cup water
3⅓ cups flour
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
½ tsp baking powder
½ – 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
½ – 1 cup pitted, chopped dates
Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease bottom only of two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans or three 8½ x4½x2½ inch loaf pans.
Mix sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin and water in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.
Bake until pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 60 – 70 minutes. Cool slightly, loosen sides from pan and remove to racks to cool.
Cool completely before slicing. (Or slice v-e-r-y carefully!) To store wrap and refrigerate no longer than 10 days.
Pappy Luc Rautureau
There’s an interesting article by Hsiao-Ching Chou in this morning’s Post Intelligencer. It gives a little insight into "The Chef in the Hat", Thierry Rautureau, owner and chef of Rover’s, whose father recently passed away.
15th Dinner Club Meeting – Greece Menu & Recipes
Finally! It seems like it’s been ages since our last Dinner Club Meeting! This month R was the host and she chose "Greece" as the theme. I think she had a hankering to cook lamb and so Greece was the obvious answer.
Here was our menu for the night:
- Appetizers: Cumin Sticks (from "The Complete Book of Greek Cooking by St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church") and Dolmas
- Cocktail: Ouzo on ice
- Salad: Khoriátiki Saláta (from Culinaria Greece, recipe below)
- Main: Herb Stuffed Leg of Lamb with Avgolemono Sauce
- Side: Tzatiki with Greek Pita (recipe below)
- Dessert: Fanouripita
Khoriátiki Saláta
(Country-style salad)
2 – 3 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, sliced
1 onion, cut in rings
2 pale green peppers, cut in rings
Black olives
8 oz sheep’s cheese
Capers and eggs, as desired (in the photo the eggs are hard-boiled…)
Greek extra virgin olive oil
Vinegar
Oregano
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Put the prepared vegetables in a bowl, pour over the vinegar, season with the salt and pepper, and mix well. Garnish the salad with the olives, sheep’s cheese, and, possibly, capers and eggs. Be sure to pour over plenty of olive oil. Finally sprinkle with the oregano. Serve with white bread that has been freshly baked.
Tzatiki
8 oz Plain yogurt
2 Cucumbers
3 – 4 Cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
Peel and grate cucumbers, place on paper towels and squeeze excess water from flesh. Mix into yogurt and add pressed garlic and olive oil.
Serve with warmed Greek pita.
15th Dinner Club Meeting – Greece Summary
Thursday night was a beautiful night! We assembled at R’s house at 7:00 pm and decided to take advantage of the evening and her view of Lake Washington by having our appetizers on her front porch.
This was M2’s second meeting and she is already into the swing of things. (And she came back – we didn’t scare her off last time!) She had appetizers and cocktails. She plated two appetizers, Cumin Sticks and Dolmas, and brought out a bottle of Ouzo to be served with a little water over ice. Before adding water we tried the Ouzo just over ice and decided it was smooth enough to drink on it’s own. This was a little surprising since all of our past experience with Ouzo had been with a harsher version – obviously we hadn’t been too savvy about picking our brand! The Dolmas was very good but what we all fell in love with were the Cumin Sticks! They were savory and covered with cumin seeds – a perfect cocktail accompaniment!
We then moved inside for the next courses, which we had previously decided to serve all at one time. R was very brave and cooked the lamb on her grill. After the last cooking club grilling episode at her house she made sure she kept an eye on it all! And it was a great decision! The lamb was perfectly grilled; a little crusty on the outside, juicy and pink on the inside. It didn’t need the sauce but the hint of lemon was a nice contrast. Yum! K used an "old family recipe" for her Tzatiki and had warmed the pita just before serving. I love that wonderful fresh taste. It always feels so healthy to eat it! I was happy with my salad, too. It was also very refreshing and will find its way onto menus at my house this summer. I used banana peppers, which kept the pepper taste from overwhelming the rest of the flavors. I soaked the sliced onions in cold water for 15 minutes before adding them to the salad – that takes the bite but leaves the flavor in onions. Although the recipe calls for 8 oz of cheese, I used about half that and it was plenty! You can really adjust the amount of each ingredient based on personal tastes.
To finish off the meal we had M’s Fanouropita, a pie in honor of Saint Fanourios, about whom little is known! This "pie" turned out much different than expected. Based on the picture she found with the recipe, this should have been flat, almost like pecan pie. As you can see, hers turned out more cake-like. The recipe called for self-rising flour and she used the normal substitute of all purpose flour and baking powder but somehow it turned out very fluffy! And very good! It is an olive oil based cake and has that great flavor that the oil brings to the batter.
We sat around and talked while finishing our cake and wine. We closed a little on the early side, as this was a "school night". My fault since I was going to be out of town for my nephew’s graduation the next night. (By the way I made the Market Stall Tart again, at the request of my sister and it was a hit again!)
One thing we decided at this meeting, though, was to try to meet a little more often. Maybe it’s because we’ve gotten into a rhythm and the planning isn’t as much work as it used to be, but it seems to be a long time between meetings right now. So we are going to try to meet every six weeks and see how that goes. We actually have the next two meetings scheduled already! I host next time and I’m really excited! Look for the next write-up in about six weeks!
Starbucks Mochatini
When Starbucks Coffee Liqueur was released I was interested in checking it out to see how it matched up with other coffee liqueurs on the market. I can’t remember where or how but somehow I ended up with a single serving "sample" bottle. I took it home, cracked the bottle open and took a little sip. Yum! Deep, dark coffee flavor – much like the Starbucks coffee itself. My first thought – "This is going to be too strong for some." – but I liked it.
I put the rest away and made a note to try it out in something, somewhere, sometime. A couple weeks went by and a read a little review by Drinkboy. Hmm. Not all that inspiring. I think this liqueur will shine in many ways, but still I didn’t get around to checking it out on my own.
Fast forward about a month or two. I’m at Taste of the Nation, and who is serving? Yes! Starbucks Coffee Liqueur. They were serving "Mochatini’s" among other things AND at our table we had little take home bottles of the liqueur. I had a couple cocktails while at the event – they were 1/2 size drinks – and really enjoyed them as my dessert. I took home my little bottle and a few other bottles that had been deserted. When I got home I realized that there was also a little recipe book in the package – score! I wouldn’t have to try to recreate the cocktail even though I had quizzed the bartender on the mix. Here it was, laid out in black and white – or actually light brown on dark brown.
Tonight I finally got around to trying it out on my own. I mixed it up and made a couple of small, small changes based on what I had on hand. Deep, dark flavor. A hint of sweetness but not cloying – you know how I hate that! Really very nice.
Here’s their recipe and my notes. Enjoy!
Mochatini
1 part Starbucks Coffee Liqueur
1/2 part Dark Creme de Cacao (I had clear on hand and it was fine)
1 part Absolut Vanilia Vodka
Shake and strain into a martini glass rimmed with a chocolate and turbinado sugar. (I used Dutch-process cocoa mixed with superfine sugar. I wet the rim by running it through a slit in an orange. The slight flavor of orange essence adds a nice touch.)
West Seattle Farmers’ Market
I’ve been out of town for a couple days and missed my normal trip to the University District Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning. This morning I visited the West Seattle Market and was happy to see many of my favorite vendors!
I picked up pea vines, banana peppers, green onions, radishes, basil, cilantro, Ranier and Sweet cherries, baby carrots, spring cheese (a fresh goat cheese), and a couple of flavored shortbread cookies. Those cookies are now long gone, as are many of the cherries.
For a list of all Farmers’ Markets in the area, see the Puget Sound Area Farmers’ Market website. They list markets in 12 counties – something for everyone!
For information on markets across the U.S. see this map.
Five Favorite (Food) Books
Kate, Accidental Hedonist, tapped me for the latest meme making its way around the blog world. Although it started as books in general, when it got to Josh at The Food Section and as it has made it’s way through the food blog world the focus has been on food and cookbooks, which makes sense to me! So here goes ~
Number of Cookbooks I’ve Owned
I just updated my list of Cookbooks by Title and I’m at 99 on that list. In the last couple of years I’ve probably given away somewhere between 25 and 50. I have to confess that at some point many years ago I signed up for one of those Time-Life subscriptions things where books magically appeared every few weeks…. By the time I ended that relationship I’d collected around 25 cookbooks on various topics. Some of them were pretty good but I just didn’t really use them, so off they went! I also have just a couple that aren’t on my list. I’ll talk about a couple of those in one of the following questions.
I also have fourteen "Mixology" books. And I have several books, fiction and non-fiction, that deal with culinary topics or stories, e.g. The Man Who Ate Everything. Those are too hard to count as they are mixed in with all my other books!
Last (Cook)book I Bought
This an easy one since I just bought three a couple weeks ago! I tend to get in a little bit of trouble every time I swing by the cookbook section at Costco…
- Molto Italiano, Mario Batali
- Nibbled, Katy Holder
- Shaken, Jane Lawson
Last (Food) Book I Read
Fiction: The Winemaker’s Daughter – Wine, salmon, love, lust, natural resources, environmental issues, geology, history, culture clashes – what more do you want? I found this book interesting as it is tied in to current issues here in Washington. Some things I knew about and some things I learned about.
Non-Fiction: Culinaria Greece – These "cookbooks" are so much more than just recipes! Lots of great information for each region within a country. I’ve been focusing on the Greece volume, since tonight is Cooking Club and R has chosen Greece as our theme!
Five (Cook)books that Mean a Lot to Me
At any given time this list could be different. Seasons influence which books I’m using a lot and whatever my current interests are will affect the list. So this list is "as of this moment" although some things will always remain. I’m going to admit right now that I’m going to cheat a bit on this, too…
- Flavours: I love this book by Donna Hay because it constantly inspires me. The photos are gorgeous, as they are in all her books. What I really like about it though, is the slightly different way she looks at foods and flavors – it makes me look at the culinary world a bit differently. Oh, and if you are looking for this book in the US, it has been republished as "Flavors".
- From Tapas to Mezze: I love small plates. When eating out I hardly ever order entrées, or if I do it’s to split with others. I’ve taken a class from Joanne and found her depth of knowledge and her enthusiasm for these foods to be absolutely wonderful. I love the way this book is arranged by country and you can see how the influences have spilled over borders over time.
- Culinaria Series: See, here’s where I start cheating. I love these books! They are beautiful, inspiring, educational and make we want to travel as well as create! I am lucky enough to have four of these out-of-print volumes and am keeping my eyes open for a couple others.
- This next little group (I’m cheating again) are books that don’t show up on my lists. They are books that were my Mom’s and that she handed down to me at some point. The first one is absolutely entertaining. It’s called "Home Maker’s Guide" (photo at the top of this entry). It was a little "gift with purchase" my Mom got from her wedding photographer. It not only has recipes, but all kinds of hints for the new bride! I also have my Mom’s original Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, published in 1951. One of the things that I love about it is that there are lots of recipes that my Mom added. The BH&G people were smart – if you got their magazine, the recipes were formatted so that the could be cut out and then slipped into this 3-ring binder. It’s fun to look through and see what my Mom added. And finally, I also have her original Betty Crocker New Picture Cookbook, although the cover is quite the worse for wear.
- And last but not least, my two 3-ring binders with all the recipes from the cooking club. These aren’t just recipes but the history of our club. Every time I look through these I can picture the dinner and the evening we shared. And the bonus is that I actually use many of the recipes time and time again!
Which 5 People Would You Most Like to See Fill This Out?
The question might actually be, "Can I figure out 5 people who have not yet filled it out?" Well, I’m going to take a shot at it! Here’s my list:
- Restaurant Widow
- Efoodie, The Everyday Gourmet
- New Orleans Cuisine (or Cook’s Journal)
- Delicious! Delicious! (can she work it into the script?)
- Tomatilla
WBW #10: Pinot NOT Noir
When Alice announced this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) theme I was thrilled! In fact, it is exactly what I would have chosen if I was hosting. (I have volunteered to host, and this event has become so popular that I am scheduled for December 2006!)
During my recent Oregon Wine Tour, I had the opportunity to sample many Pinots – Noirs as well as non-Noirs. Although, I’m pretty familiar with Gris/Grigio, I didn’t know much about Pinot Blanc and tried to focus a bit more on that grape. I brought home a couple bottles, so when the theme was announced I looked through my stash and chose the Erath 2003 Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc.
Now, when I bought this wine, I had actually been thinking of consuming it on a hot summer’s day. Well, it’s June in Seattle and, true to form, May’s nice weather has segued into gray and drizzly days, making you wonder if we are going to have a summer after all. I’m sure that, as normal, the nice weather will return right after the 4th of July and we just have to make do in the meantime.
I decided to heat things up in a different way (no, there’s no man involved, dang it!) by grabbing some Thai food from a little place down in my neighborhood. So I popped the wine in a Rapid Ice Chiller while I ran down to pick up my take out order. If you don’t have one of these chillers I highly recommend them – they can chill a bottle of wine in 10 minutes! And they are even handy when you have reds that are at "room temperature" but your room temperature is no where near cellar temperature. Just leave them in the cooler for a couple of minutes and in no time you’ll have wine at the proper temp. They also make a version sized specifically for champagne, although I normally just dunk that in a bucket of ice water.
I sipped my wine and tearily (I had ordered 3 stars out of 4 but it was more like 5!) made my way through Pad Thai with Chicken and Prawn Delight while watching the Ms and Marlins. (Oh, I guess there were men involved!)
Erath 2003 Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc (Oregon)
Eyes: Beautiful, clear with a hint of the palest yellow
Nose: Not too assertive. Doesn’t give you much clue about what you are in for. Very light hint of citrus and grass.
Taste: Fresh, clean, lingers just a bit. Still a little grassy with some pineapple. Soft and round in the mouth. With the Thai food the flavor became more pronounced, almost as if it just needed a challenge to assert itself.
Price: At the winery $13 US
Overall: This wine is not at all complex but is completely suited for the purpose I had in mind – a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. It went well with the Thai food and I think it might also make a nice white sangria to serve with brunch. It would make a great picnic wine. At $13, it’s a great value and you may even be able to find it discounted in the retail channel.
Cherry Street Coffee House
A week or two ago I noticed that Cherry Street Coffee House had opened a new location in the north end of Belltown. Yesterday I stopped in to check it out.
The interior is cozy and inviting: copper-topped tables; saddle-leather chairs; polished pine benches; Persian cushions; stone planters and fountain; interesting plants; friendly baristas; and big windows looking out to slatted tables and benches under the awnings.
I leisurely sipped a cup of tea, worked on some "to-do" lists and watched the neighborhood folks wander by with their dogs and sometimes stop in for a beverage. I believe this location has only been open a little over two months, and already there are regulars.
An outdoor sign says that they serve Persian food in the evenings. I wasn’t able to check that out but it sounds intriguing. Yesterday I sat inside as a spring downpour blanketed the area but next time I hope to enjoy the outdoor seating.
If you live in the neighborhood you should definitely check it out. And if you don’t you might want to think about stopping by before or after a trip to the Market or Belltown.
Cherry Street Coffee House
2719 1st Ave (1st & Clay)
Seattle
206.441.5489
Check the website for hours and other locations
Culinary Fool 