Culinary Fool

Yesterday was May Day and the first day of the Great Seattle Shake! R and I kicked it off with a jaunt to Ballard to check out The Matador and The Hi-Life.   I’d been meaning to get to both of these places and this was just the kick-in-the-pants I needed!

A quick reminder about The Great Seattle Shake:  May 1 – 22 (Sunday – Thursday); 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm; 23 restaurants in and around Seattle; $15 for two cocktails & one appetizer.  Note:  We noticed last night that Matador included  the tax in the $15, while Hi-Life added it to the $15.  Not a big deal but it does make a difference of more than a $1.

We started at The Matador at 7:00 pm sharp.    When we arrived the bar was packed.  We managed to scope out a place and bellied up to the bar.  The Matador’s cocktail offerings for this event included two margaritas and a Mojito.  Since I can’t drink tequila my choice was easy!  R tried the House Margarita.  We were served by two very attentive bartenders – I love that!  I’m sure that one of them "owned" us but both kept checking in to see if we’d made a decision and what they could do for us.  From the list of appetizers we chose Fish Tacos. 

My Mojito was delicious – a little lighter on the mint than some places serve them but that was okay – and refreshing.  R’s Margarita was good, nothing special, but a decent drink.  While waiting for our tacos we munched on chips and salsa.  The tacos arrived in short order and boy were they delicious!  Pieces of blackened halibut (piping hot, too!) topped with pico de gallo and sauce in flour tortillas.   While enjoying our "meal" we noticed that they have an interesting Happy Hour, too.  It runs twice a night, 4 pm – 6 pm and 10 pm – 1 am.  There are a dozen menu items for just $4. 

I loved this place and I will defintely be back for more very soon!  Also, the Matador owners are opening a new place in West Seattle called Toreador.  Not sure if it’s open yet (my notes say Spring 2005)  but I’ll be watching for that, too!

Next, we walked the few blocks to The Hi-Life for our second round of the night.  The Hi-Life is in the building that used to be the Ballard Firehouse.  Let me try that again.  The building originally was a fire station for Ballard, and then became the Ballard Firehouse, a music venue that also served some food.  At one time, every local band who was anyone at all played here and they also hosted national acts now and then.  It was a fun place but always dark and a little hard to see where you were going!

The transformation from Ballard Firehouse to The Hi-Life is pretty amazing.  What once was a cavernous, dark room is now an oh-so-tastefully lit, cozy space with lots of booths, brick walls and an open kitchen.  It took R and I some time to reconcile "what was" with "what is" – "Now, the stage would have been there, right?"  When we entered, the bar was nearly empty but the restaurant had several full tables.  We sat at the bar and positioned ourselves so that R could see the Sonics game on the nearby screen.  We checked out the Great Seattle Shake menu and both decided to order their Apricot Fizz, house apricot infused vodka with a hint of tuaca and a splash of soda, and for our appetizer a Grilled Lamb Skewer. 

The apricot infused vodka (as well as several other infusions) sits in big bottles at the back of the bar, providing art as well as beautiful flavors.  The bartender poured some of the infusion from the spigot into our glasses and then added the tuaca and soda.  The drinks were very fruity and flavorful.  I liked it but probably wouldn’t order a second just because these were a bit on the sweet side and I’m more of a sour drink person.  One is good, two would put me over the sugar edge.  Our lamb arrived and they had thoughtfully divided it for us onto two rosemary branch skewers.  It was tender but I thought the taste of the marinade was just a little strong.  It came with a serving of white beans that were done to perfection!  (Actually, R added a little salt but I liked them as they were.) 

As with its sister locations, The Hi-Life has a quarterly rotating menu.  They are currently serving foods from Paris and on May 18th the focus shifts to Barcelona.  Like The Matador, they have a Happy Hour.  Theirs runs daily starting at 3:00 pm, running until 6:00 pm with menu items for $3.  (3 o’clock, 3 hours, $3)

The Great Seattle Shake has done its job and got me out to a couple places I haven’t been before but will definitely be back to again!  The Matador was my favorite but the Hi-Life is a good bet, too. 

Our next GSS night is planned for Thursday.  (I know it’s Cinco de Mayo but we’re going to try to avoid that…) We’re headed out for the Frontier Room, Bada and Belltown Bistro – maybe we’ll see you there!

Other GSS entries: 

• The Great Seattle Shake
• Palace Kitchen
• Frontier Room; Bada Lounge; Belltown Bistro
• Pink Door, Il Bistro & Bonus Del Rey Preview
• The Bookstore and Jasmine

The Matador
2221 NW Market
Seattle (Ballard)
(206) 297-2855

The Hi-Life
5425 Russell Ave., NW
Seattle (Ballard)
(206) 784-7272

Ballpark food has changed a lot over the years.  You can still find the typical hotdogs, pretzels and beer but those offerings have been expanded to included fish and chips, sushi, pizza, fruit skewers and stir fry, to name a few. 

Safeco Field has quite a selection and, the nice thing compared to the dearly departed Kingdome, is that no matter what section you’re sitting in you can get to any concession stand in the park. 

Earlier I promised to provide some guidance on offerings at the Safe.  So far I’ve been to more afternoon games than night and I tend to mostly skip food at these games.  But I have managed to check out a couple things. 

I have checked out the new coffee bar on the first level behind home plate.  They have really improved this facility.  It’s been expanded and the equipment has been upgraded.  The staff also seems to be better trained this year.  You should still expect long lines on those really chilly nights, though.  There just aren’t enough "good" coffee stand to service 40,000 people. 

The Ichiroll is a dining option for those who’d like to keep their diet on the healthy side while watching a game.  For those of you who don’t actually follow baseball our third baseman, Ichiro Suzuki, is an amazing player and is beloved by all.  He’s the only baseball player to simply go by his first name – Ichiro.  The Ichiroll is filled with spicy tuna and cucumber.  You can also order it in a combo with additional pieces of sushi.  I watched the preparation, since ballpark conditions are not always what you’d like them to be, and the people do a great job at keeping things refrigerated and handling with care.  The Ichiroll is pretty tasty, although you mostly taste the fresh crisp cucumber.  I had a hard time picking out the spicy tuna.  And the rolls are not wrapped as tightly as you might wish.  Other than that they are a decent choice, especially for a lighter bite.  You can find Ichirolls behind section 136 and in the Bullpen Market. 

Papa John’s Pizza at several locations throughout the ballpark.  My guests at the last two games both ordered the cheese pizza.  Both had similar viewpoints – it was "okay".  This is the same opinion I’ve had in past years.  You could certainly do worse but they’re just not quite what you want them to be.  If you have access to the Diamond Club on the 2nd level there is a wood-oven pizza stand located behind section 241.  I haven’t tried it but, in theory, it should be a better alternative. 

I’ll be heading to the ballpark for a couple games in the next week, so maybe I’ll have an update on Thursday or Friday. 

In the meantime you can check out all the offerings here.  (Adobe file)

Last Sunday M and I planned to meet early in the day.  I suggested Le Pichet as I hadn’t been there for a little while and it is always one of my favorite places in Seattle.  Le Pichet is a little French bistro, as you may have guessed by the name. :-)  When I am there I always feel as though I’m on vacation. Sometimes it feels like Paris, not always, but it just has the feel of the kind of lazy and relaxed days you have when you travel. 

And it’s very versatile: I’ve been there with friends, dates and on my own; I’ve been there for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a late evening bite or glass of wine.  The menu is simple but you can always find something to suit what you’re looking for.  They have a fairly extensive wine list and I love that you can get most of it by the glass, demi-pichet, pichet or bottle. 

So on Sunday M and I met there at 9:00 am, settled into our table, ordered tea to start and then looked over the menu.  They always have a few things on special and in the morning, if you are lucky, they will have freshly baked brioche.  I had actually been thinking about the brioche since I woke up, hoping they’d have it and they did!  So my order was easy.  The brioche are huge – no need to order anything else.  M opted for the salt cod. 

My one criticism of Le Pichet is that they seem to have more than their fair share of ditzy servers and I seem to end up with one about 50% of the time.  Since one of the reasons I go there is to relax and spend a little time, it doesn’t affect that much but you just have to be prepared for odd things.  On Sunday morning my brioche arrived a few minutes after we had ordered.  Obviously it wouldn’t take as long to "prepare" as the salt cod but since it was the only thing I’d ordered you’d think the server would have held it.  And it wouldn’t have been bad if the salt cod had arrived soon after, but that wasn’t the case.  After waiting quite some time, we finally had to ask about it and then it was brought out.  It was still hot so that was good.  And there were other little things that I won’t go into detail about, but just be prepared to have servers who may not be thinking through how to best serve you. 

The food, however, was superb!  My light as a feather, eggy brioche was heavenly, especially with a dollop of the fresh strawberry jam served with it!  M’s salt cod came with big slices of toasted peasant bread and was piping hot!  I didn’t try it, but she said it was all she was hoping for. 

A couple hours after breakfast I met R at Safeco Field, where we watched the M’s crush Cleveland, 9 to 1.  When we were planning our day we had decided to grab a bite after the game instead of before, since it was a 1:05 pm game.  And where had R suggested?  Why Le Pichet!  I kept mum on the fact I was going there for breakfast, as I didn’t want R to change her mind. :-)

So after the game, about 4:00 pm, we found ourselves selecting a table and making ourselves comfortable.  The café was partially filled and there was a duo (accordion and bass) playing for those enjoying a late afternoon lunch.  I know that many people do not appreciate accordion music but it always reminds me of Europe.  And I was happy to see that the accordion in use was a Petosa accordion, made by a local family that I’ve known for many years. 

We looked at the menu but I think that R and I pretty much knew what we wanted.  R selected the Pate Albigeois and I chose the Gateau au Foie de Volaille.  If R had not ordered the Pate, that would have been my choice but since she did, I ordered something a bit different so we could have a couple different tastes.  Then we selected a demi-pichet of Cotes du Rhone to accompany our meal. 

The pate is a rough-cut, chunky style, country pork pate.  It comes with mustard, honeyed walnuts and the teeniest-tiniest little cornichons.  The Gateau is a smooth, mild and buttery chicken liver terrine.  It also comes with mustard and cornichons.  And of course, both are accompanied by beautiful baguette.  I like participating in my food preparation and both of these dishes fit that bill, as you choose which mustard, or how much mustard, to include a piece of cornichon or the honeyed-walnuts in each bite you assemble.  And it makes for a much more relaxed way of eating because you can’t just shovel it all in – time must be taken to create each combination of tastes. 

All in all, it was a wonderful day of relaxed and tasty dining. 

Le Pichet
1933 First Ave.
Seattle
206-256-1499 

Tuesday night I finally got to visit a place that has been on my "list of places to try" for (literally) years, Café Juanita.  It was actually on my list prior to Holly Smith taking over the place but I’ve been really wanting to get out there since she took over the helm.  And since she is celebrating her 5 year anniversary I know it’s been at least that long that I’ve wanted to eat there.  About a week after I’d made our reservation, Holly Smith was nominated for a James Beard Award!  I guess I’m not the only one who’s heard good things!

I have no idea why it took so long to get out there.  I guess maybe it’s the "out of site/out of mind" dilemma.  But now, having eaten there, I wish I hadn’t waited so long.  Our original idea was to sample one of the Anniversary Tasting Menus.  Unfortunately, when looking over this page I didn’t notice that each menu was to be served during a certain week.  Duh!  And so we both had lamb on the brain, only to discover that this week’s tasting menu didn’t include lamb.  But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself…

We arrived at Café Juanita just at our reservation time.  We were surprised to see that it apparently used to be a 50’s style rambler in an earlier life.  The parking lot is rather small and the fact that Kirkland’s ongoing expansion is happening right across the street didn’t help the parking situation.  Since it was after construction hours I managed to find a parking place part way under some big piece of construction equipment.  Hopefully, we wouldn’t get blocked in! 

We entered the restaurant and were promptly seated.  Ten seconds later two glasses of water and a napkin containing three amazingly thin and delicate grissini appeared.  While looking at the menu one of the first things we noticed was the interesting list of Aperitivi and that each cocktail was paired with a small bite.  How fun and what a great idea!  We munched on the grissini and selected cocktails.  R went with the Ginger Martini paired with Foie Gras Cherry Brik.  I decided to try the Rhubarb Bellini paired with Prosciutto di Parma Grissini.

My Bellini was a beautiful light pink color, effervescent and a bit on the sweet side.  The rhubarb was not a distinct flavor but just enhanced the flavor, a bit to my disappointment, yet it was good.  R’s Ginger Martini was wonderful! Made with a bit of ginger-infused simple syrup, and both gin and vodka it was  so smooth!  And it was paired perfectly with the Brik, although the Brik was just a tad bit greasy.  But I kind of liked it that way.  :-)

While we were sipping our cocktails we started putting together our own tasting menu since, as I started to mention earlier, we had lamb on the brain but it wasn’t on this week’s anniversary menu. 

Our waiter returned and we began placing our order (we planned to split everything):

• Appetizer:  Grilled Yakima Asparagus with Poached Egg, grated Parmigiana and Truffle Oil
• Salad: Belgian Endive, Celery, Fennel and Watermelon Radish, Lemon and Ligurian Olive Oil with White Anchovies
• Pasta:  Tagliatelli – oops!  A problem – they were out of the tagliatelli but had replaced it with a gnocchi with lamb ragu, but we were planning lamb for the entrée.  What to do???  We consulted and continued…
• Pasta:  Barbaresco Risotto with Braised Oxtail
• Meat:  Saddle of Oregon Lamb with Gratin of Turnip, Mâche and Marinated White Anchovy
• Contorni:  Grilled Spring Onions with Toasted Hazelnut Oil
• Dessert?  We’d decide later!

First out – the Asparagus.  As they were placed in front of us the perfume of truffle oil wafted over the table.  The only bad part of this dish was that I had made a similar dish for a recent brunch but the dish I had prepared did not even compare! There were two keys to this dish for me.  One was the grilled asparagus; grilled over a high heat so that they were deeply caramelized on the outside yet firm and crispy, though tender, on the inside.  The second was the truffle oil, it was really a heavenly element.  And I sometimes think that truffle oil has been overdone – it’s become the ingredient every chef must incorporate in some way or another – but in this case it really made the dish.  I could have made an entire meal just of this dish. 

Next the salad.  The salad was fresh and refreshing and was almost a slaw.  The salty anchovy provided a nice contrast to the tangy dressing.  R gave her approval on the anchovies – they weren’t "hairy" as she had been thinking they might be.  I liked the salad but I had no desire to rush right home and make it. 

Our next course was the pasta.  I was actually excited that we were getting the risotto instead of the tagliatelli, although I’m sure it would have been good, too.  But we were surprised when two plates were delivered to the table.  One was the risotto as ordered, the other was the gnocchi.  When Holly heard we had a little debate over which way to go, she just decided to send us both!  It was very nice of her!

I started with the risotto.  It was earthy and rich and bursting with deep flavor.  I think oxtail is one of my new favorite things!  Then I tried the gnocchi.  The little pillows were so soft and smooth.  Unfortunately for me, the lamb ragu was pretty delicate and so it was lost since I had started with the much richer risotto.  However, I had a couple bites of cold leftovers the next day and it was really nice.  The risotto was still my favorite though!

The lamb medallions soon appeared.  Perfectly cooked (we had asked for medium rare) and perfectly plated on their bed of gratin.  The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth, roll-your-eyes-back-in-your-head good!  Our conversation stopped as we savored each bite.  The spring onions accompanied and they were tasty.  The hazelnut oil added a nice note to the onions and they were a good complement to the lamb.

I forgot to mention that we had asked our waiter to recommend a wine to accompany our varied array of dishes.  He asked us a couple questions and then recommended a 2001 Pelissero Barbaresco.  It was the perfect selection for out meal. 

As we finished our wine we surveyed the dessert menu and made a selection – not like we really had room for it but we wanted the full meal experience!  Our choice: Trampetti Olive Oil Cake with Mascarpone Gelato and Chestnut Honey Caramel.  I ordered tea and R had coffee to accompany. 

The cake was simple and light.  It had been lightly toasted on the outside.  What a good idea; a little bit of crunch surrounding the tender interior.  The gelato was smooooth and with a bit of the honey caramel it was elevated to an experience!  The cake is what really got me though – but that makes sense since I’m more of a cake/cookie sweets person. 

All in all, this was a wonderful dining experience and I highly recommend Cafe Juanita.  On the way out we stopped and thanked Holly for the wonderful meal and for sending out the gnocchi.  We also congratulated her on her nomination, which she seems a little uncomfortable with.  She seems very nice and like someone you’d just like to know. 

Cafe Juanita
9702 NE 120th Place
Kirkland, WA 98034
tel. 425.823.1505
info@cafejuanita.com

(Why Cocktail is spelled Coqktail.)

Monday April 18th the Cocktail Club met at Vivanda Ristorante in Pike Place Market.  Our official meeting time was 7:00 but a couple of us got there on the early side to catch the tail end of Happy Hour. 

I was a little hesitant when K selected this as our location.  I like the chef, Peter Levine; I like his food – he’s been at several events that I attend around town and always has something interesting to offer.  However, in the past my experience at Vivanda has been rather lackluster. 

When I arrived JB was already there and was sipping on an Old Fashioned.  It took several minutes for the bartender to acknowledge me (the bar was not even 1/4 full) and I asked about what was on Happy Hour.  The answer:  $5 wine; $4 wells; $3 beer.  I decided to start with a basic G & T – it was nice and sunny out and I was in a summer cocktail mood.  We were soon joined by R and K.  K also went with a G & T, while R decided to try something a little different.  She’d been wanting to try Stoli Cran and ordered it on the rocks with a little lime.  She wasn’t that fond of it, thought it was a bit medicinal, but we decided it was her own fault for ordering it like she did. :-)  All other drinks were good.  KA joined us and ordered a Tangueray Martini up and dry.  It was a very generous drink. 

At this point we were strung out along the bar and asked if it was okay to move to a booth (they were all empty) and the bartender tried to discourage us but we moved anyway.  (Booths hold 4 and we were 5, expecting a 6th, JH to show soon).  We added a barstool to the end of the table and we were happy as clams. 

For our second round I asked the bartender what his specialty was – what he liked to mix.  And he couldn’t answer me!  I find this very sad – obviously this was just a job for him, although I know he’s been there for at least a couple years.  Anyway, he finally suggested some drinks based on a new liquor they were carrying.  It’s called Ciroc and is a grape-based vodka.  KA ordered a "Ciroc du Soleil" and K ordered a drink based on the same liquor but the bartender couldn’t really remember they name they’d given it.  I decided to stick with gin and went with a Negroni.  R went with Absolut Mandarin on the rocks. 

When this round of drinks arrived we were amazed!  They were beautifully prepared, and the garnishes were exquisite!  We discussed how this change in attitude and presentation came about!  Some thought it was because the bartender noticed me taking notes – I wasn’t really trying to hide my little book – but I thought it was more likely due to the fact that we engaged him and showed a real interest in our selections.  Either way the results were amazing. 

K’s no name drink had a beautiful set of citrus leaves, skewered on a pick and then splayed for full effect.  My Negroni had one of the most gorgeous citrus spirals ever.  I can’t remember exactly what was in KA’s cocktail but it was also created with care. 

Vodka made from grapes is still just a vodka, no grape taste, but it was a nice vodka and the drinks were good.  JB decided to order a Spanish Coffee – this is starting to become his reviewing specialty!  The glass was nicely crusted with sugar (although I like to see cinnamon, too) and the drink was piping hot – that was a nice bonus. 

Only R ordered food.  She had the calamari.  It is beautifully presented but was a bit of a surprise, which I remembered from past orders once it was delivered.  It’s basically calamari in a red sauce stacked into a little column.  Although it is good, the menu description leads you to believe it would be more of a fried-calamari dish. 

So I’d say our experience was so-so, starting out on the uninspiring side and then moving uphill to a delightful experience.  If only they could guarantee the delightful piece of it – I’d be back way more often! 

Our next meeting is May 23rd.  JB is in charge of selecting our location.  Look for an update a day or two later ~ 

Vivanda Ristorante
95 Pine Street
Seattle, Washington
(206) 442-1121
Fax: (206) 442-1141
Happy Hour: 5:00 – 7:00 daily