Welcome M2!
In late January, I shared with you that one of our cooking club members, V, had decided she needed to leave the club. We were all sad: our group had been together for two years. In those years we’ve shared a lot and become our own little family. We understood V’s decision but still it was hard.
The search for a new member commenced. A few weeks later I got together with several other Seattle Food Bloggers. Prior to the meeting I had been wondering if one of these people might be a good fit for our group – after all they were interested in food! I read their blogs trying to get a good sense of who they were. As you know (especially if you’ve done any online dating!) what someone looks like on "paper" doesn’t always match up with who they are in person. It’s not necessarily that they are trying to be deceitful but we all interpret information our own way and sometimes we just get it slightly skewed. So I went to the meeting feeling there might be a couple possibilities but wanting to see in person how they might fit in with our group.
That first blogger meeting was rather chaotic. There was a rather large group and everyone seemed to be talking at once, at times. By the end of the meeting I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to one person who I thought might be interested and be a good candidate for our group. And this was not just about me checking them out, I had wanted to give them the opportunity to check me out and find out more about our club.
The next couple days I debated about contacting the person and asking her but finally decided to give it a shot. I was thrilled when she decided to accept! So on Friday our new member M from I♥Bacon.com joined us for our dinner club meeting. Since she is the second M in our group, she will be known as M2 in my references.
We have a good group of people and, although it can be hard to join an established group, I think that M2 fit right in. (Especially with the Whiskey Bread Pudding she contributed!) For this first meeting she was watchful and thoughtful, trying to get the pulse of the group and understand the members. I bet that for our next meeting and those that follow she will be right at home as her history with us grows.
So join me in welcoming M2 to the Table for Six Dinner Club!
Dinner at FareStart
As you are aware, I am a big fan of FareStart. A few weeks ago Jen from FareStart invited a few of us to come to a Thursday night dinner and get more detailed information about the program. Since I hadn’t looked at the "official" information in a while I thought this was a good chance to get caught up on FareStart’s progress. And we would be given a tour of the kitchen as the guest chef prepared dinner and trained FareStart students – what a great opportunity! On Thursday, my friend E (Iron Chef Host) and I made our way to the FareStart Restaurant at 1902 2nd Ave. There we met up with Molly (Orangette) and her friend, Keaton.
As I’ve mentioned, one of the reasons I like FareStart and one of the reasons I think it’s such a successful program (80% success rate) is that the program not only teaches the students work skills but also helps them with life skills. In my mind, this is a key part of the program. Students are given the tools to earn a living and the tools to fit into society. Over the last ten years they’ve helped 1500 people. The number per year has been increasing, I believe 300 people went through the program last year. And they are currently in progress of building out a new, much larger facility that will allow them to greatly increase the number of students they serve each year.
One of the things that really hit home on Thursday was how the helping one program or group has a bigger impact. They currently prepare 2500 meals per day; last year they served over 600,000 meals. Many of these 2500 meals go to low-income child centers, homeless shelters, and senior centers who contract with FareStart. The FareStart students prepare the meals in their facility and then they are delivered to the various centers around the city. This is such a great deal! The students get more practice, the homeless get fed.
In addition to shelter meals, the students serve lunch at the FareStart restaurant Monday – Friday – if you work downtown or can make it downtown this is a great way to support the program. They assist with the Thursday night dinners, they work at cafés at the Downtown Seattle Library and at the 2100 Building in Ranier Valley, which serves building tenants and is open to the public.
Through these services, the students raise about 40% of the revenue for the program. The other 60% comes from donations and various fundraisers throughout the year. (Both Taste Washington and Taste of the Nation contribute to FareStart.) But one of the easiest and tastiest ways to support this program is by making a reservation and eating at one of the Thursday night Guest Chef Nights.
On these nights the Guest Chef and their restaurant donate all food and the chef takes the opportunity to use the evening as training for the students. (As a side note many of these chefs end up hiring graduates once they graduate.) If you attend one of these dinners the cost for the meal, your beverage and the tip all go directly to the program. The base cost of the meal is $19.95 for three courses! Bargain! Especially when you consider how much a meal at one of these chef’s restaurants would cost.
On Thursday our chef was Dave Miller from the Jolly Roger Taproom at the Maritime Pacific Brewery. Our meal started with mixed greens topped with miso halibut cheeks. The halibut cheeks were lovely – the miso enhancing the delicate halibut flavor. Both E and I had the pork main course, although a vegetarian option was also available. Our dinner consisted of lime-seared pork tenderloin, on a bed of sweet shoestring onion rings accompanied by roasted-corn masa wrapped in a green pasilla chile. A trio of beer-based sauces (Salmon Bay E.S.B. piri-piri, Bosun’s Black Porter salsa negra, and Islander Pale Ale chimichurri) were distributed around the plate. While it was all great (the pork was tender, the masa soft and light) the onions might have been my favorite part of the dish! :-)
Portions are very generous – I had not been able to finish either my salad or my entrée. However, for the sake of research and reporting to you I forced myself to take a stab at the dessert course! This, too, was a combination of contrasts. A small dense butter cake was topped with habenero ice cream with browned peaches and broken caramel. I loved the ice cream, although a couple people at the table thought it was a bit too hot.
All in all it was a fine meal and a great experience. I encourage you to take advantage of this program. They are making a real impact in the community and through these meals they support a significant amount of the program themselves – not many 501c3s can say that. So make a reservation and maybe I’ll see you there!
FareStart
1902 Second Ave.
Seattle, WA 98101
Main: 206.443.1233
Website: http://www.farestart.org/default.asp
Email: info@farestart.org
New Grand Central Bakery Location
Grand Central Bakery has long been a landmark in historic Pioneer Square. It’s been a great place to grab a sandwich or bowl of hearty soup if you were in the vicinity – even if you were just somewhere downtown since it is located fairly close to a major bus tunnel stop. But it was always a little difficult to just drop in to pick up a freshly baked loaf of bread, although since many local grocery stores carry the bread it wasn’t as if I had to go without.
Well, be that as it may, I am very happy to report that Grand Central Bakery has finally opened a second location in Seattle! They just opened about a week ago and I stopped by this morning while out running errands. The new location is on Eastlake Avenue just a couple of blocks North of where Eastlake and Fairview Ave intersect.
The ambiance here is just about completely opposite of the original location but both work. While Pioneer Square is all about brick and cobblestones and history, this location is all about simplicity and light.
The interior space is 1 1/2 to 2 stories tall with windows stretching to the ceiling to bring in as much light as possible. The service area is a simple counter with bread displayed in buckets at one end, followed by a glass case of pre-made sandwiches and pastries. Outside is a large patio area with aluminum-colored tables and chairs brightened with orange umbrellas. The whole effect is very cheery!
Although my intention today was only to see if the place had actually opened (it was scheduled for March 31) and pick up a loaf of bread, if possible, there was a personal-size Irish Soda Bread in the case that called my name and I couldn’t refuse! I purchased a loaf of Campagnolo for the weekend, the Soda Bread and a cup of tea for the moment.
The sun was shining brightly so I took my purchases out to the patio, found a place in the sun and just enjoyed the entire experience! The Irish Soda Bread was heavenly – fragrant with caraway and orange zest, filled with tender currants, and light yet substantial at the same time. What a perfect mid-morning treat!
As a bonus they have free Wi-Fi access! I didn’t try it out today, but I’m thinking that’s a really good excuse to head back there next week. I mean as a service for all of you! I’ll check out the Wi-Fi and maybe one of those beautiful sandwiches in the case….
Grand Central Eastlake Avenue
1616 Eastlake Ave E
Seattle, WA 98102
Phone: 206.957.9505
Hours: Monday – Sunday 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sur la Table Summer Classes
You can now register for the summer session of Sur la Table’s classes online. Classes are available in twelve states.
I’ve registered for three so far!
Success! My Ramos Gin Fizz
After much testing and research I have come up with a winner – and I don’t think it’s just because I’ve had so much to drink that anything would taste good at this point! :-) Actually, after taking into account my trials from last night and reviewing a few more recipes I came with a winner on the first try – actually it was 1 1/2 tries because I started with what was basically a Silver Fizz, had a couple sips and then added the cream/milk to make the final Ramos Gin Fizz. I know it sort of looks like a glass of milk but it packs a little citrus punch!
In case you’d like to do your own research you can find:
- Three recipes here at Webtender
- A few at Drinkalizer including the Silver Fizz
- Recipes at About, Gumbo-Pages, Know Your Cocktails, and Emerils, to name a few
- The two I used at Drinkboy and New Orleans Cuisine
And here is my final version – check all the notes below:
The Fool’s Ramos Gin Fizz
1 1/2 oz Dry Gin
1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice
shy 1/2 oz Fresh lime juice
1/2 oz Egg white (about 1/4 of an egg white)
2 oz Whole milk
1 Tbsp Powdered sugar
A couple drops Orange Flower Water
1 crushed Ice cube
Club Soda
Add all ingredients except club soda to blender. Blend for 30 seconds or until ice is fully incorporated. Pour into wine glass, top with a little Club Soda and garnish with an orange slice, if desired.
Notes:
- During my tests I used both Gordon’s Dry Gin and Tangueray. Both were okay but I liked the Gordon’s a bit better.
- In my early tests the drinks were a little lime-y, as most recipes called for equal portions of lemon and lime juice. The New Orleans Cuisine recipe had a slight differential which I think is key.
- To make an egg white easier to divide, whip it with a fork or whisk for a few seconds.
- Some recipes call for cream and light cream or 1/2 and 1/2 would probably be fine. Last night I was using heavy cream since I had some around and it was just the wrong texture.
- Be generous with the powdered sugar! Some recipes called for 1 tsp and that is just wrong! Make it a nice full tablespoon.
- I have a set of measuring spoons that are a "dash, pinch and smidgen" similar to these. I bought them as a joke but found the "smidgen" was what I needed for the Orange Flower Water! :-)
- Since I used a blender (which will be really helpful when doing a bunch at a time) I needed to introduce a little water into the mix. Something you would get naturally if using a shaker with ice. You don’t want too much but one (small) ice cube should do the trick.
- I recommend a blender to get a really nice froth, even if you are just mixing one or two drinks.
Decisions, Decisions!
So how early in the morning can you start drinking? I mean for research purposes? :-)
Tomorrow night is our next Cooking Club gathering. The theme is New Orleans and I have appetizer and cocktail. My appetizer is set – I found a recipe that just looks yummy and I’m pretty sure will be a hit – but I’m still working on my cocktail.
My original plan was to make Ramos Gin Fizzes, a classic New Orleans cocktail. There are actually several versions that vary just slightly and then there are also a whole line up of other varieties of fizz, such as Silver Fizz, Golden Fizz, Royal Fizz and the list goes on. Most vary only slightly from the original Ramos Gin Fizz.
So last night I decided to do a trial run as this drink has one ingredient that is rather uncommon in a cocktail – egg white. (In the case of a Golden Fizz it’s egg yolk and some versions use the entire egg.) I know – this sounds a little weird but it gives the cocktail a little body.
Well, I tried a couple different methods and I really didn’t like either version. But after the first two I just couldn’t bring myself to mix another – I did want to get up this morning, and hopefully be hangover-free! When I went to bed last night I was trying to think what I might make instead of the Ramos Gin Fizz. New Orleans is known for a couple other drinks like the Hurricane (too sweet for me!), the Sazerac (also a good choice) and Milk Punch (served at breakfast to fix what ails ya.) But when I woke this morning I decided I wanted to stick with the Fizz. Which means I need to do some more work and I have a very busy late afternoon and evening so I pretty much need to have it nailed earlier today – hence we are back to the first question.
You may wonder why I am so determined to make this Fizz thing work. Well, we’d have to go back to a time long, long ago….
I grew up in a family where alcohol was part of daily life but always respected. At dinner with my Italian grandparents I would be served a "glass" of wine starting at about age 12. (The glass was actually a very small cordial glass.) As I got into the late teens an occasional beer or bourbon and seven might be offered but it was usually sort of a reward or part of a special occasion of some sort. So drinking with the adults wasn’t foreign but also wasn’t necessarily common.
When I was in college I was an Industrial Engineering major. Well, at least for some of the years – I actually had three majors at various times but that’s another story! I was a member of the local student chapter of IIE (Institute of Industrial Engineers). In my junior year there was a conference in southern California and several of us decided to attend. I hooked up with three other people and we decided to road trip. One of the guys, Jeff, had a car (bonus!) and parents who lived in Los Angeles (double bonus!). If I remember correctly I had a crush on him, too.
About 6:00 pm we took off from Corvallis, OR (home of OSU and the Fighting Beavers!) and started the 1000 mile/16 hour trip south. Although we intended to switch off driving, Jeff drove the whole way – explaining that he’d done the trip so many times that it was no big deal (can you say speed?). Besides a couple bathroom/food stops we only made one significant stop and that one was rather historic – at least before this last winter. Coming into LA there is a stretch of Interstate 5 called The Grapevine. Well, on that day The Grapevine was closed due to a mudslide. We parked the car on I-5, broke out the Frisbees and played on the freeway for a couple of hours.
Once the freeway was open we made our way to Jeff’s parents’ place, rolling in about 3:00 in the afternoon. His parents lived in a really wealthy part of LA. I can’t remember the actual name of the area but I do remember that their neighbors were VPs from Disney and CEOs of local corporations. Anyway, we all got cleaned up and by then his dad was home. We were asked to meet in the living room for "cocktails". And what was the drink that afternoon? The wondrous Silver Fizz!
I don’t know if it was the drink, the trip, the idea of "cocktail hour" or what but I loved that drink! I have never had one since but think about them every now and then. I don’t believe many bars serve them – they are a labor intensive drink – and even if they used to, with all the concern about raw eggs I’m sure they’d prefer not to. So I thought this dinner was the perfect time to take a walk down memory lane. Now if I can just get it to taste like I think it should.
And that, in a nutshell, is why I will be drinking around noon today… :-)
Local Chefs Nominated for James Beard Awards
Congratulations to the following local chefs nominated for James Beard Awards!
ALL-CLAD BAKEWARE OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF AWARD
Leslie Mackie
Macrina Bakery & Café
2408 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
206-448-4032
AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: NORTHWEST/HAWAII
Scott Carsberg
Lampreia
2400 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
206-443-3301
Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez
The Harvest Vine
2701 E. Madison
Seattle, WA 98112
206-320-9771
Holly Smith
Café Juanita
9702 NE 120th Place
Kirkland, WA 98034
425-823-1505
John Sundstrom
Lark
926 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
206-323-5275
Fran Bigelow Nominated for James Beard Award
Local chocolatier, Fran Bigelow, owner of Fran’s Chocolates has been nominated for a James Beard Award for her cookbook, Pure Chocolate. This is a really beautiful book – both educational and inspirational. If you haven’t yet seen it, or better yet purchased it, I urge you to do so!
The entire list of nominations can be found here.
BluWater Bistro – Belltown
Last night L, E and I stopped by the new BluWater Belltown Bistro in Belltown. I think technically they are only calling it the Belltown Bistro since it’s the only location not on the water. The location formerly occupied by the Belltown Pub, has been renovated and looks much like the interiors of the other BluWater locations. The menu is also very similar, although I believe each location has it’s own variations which are listed as specials.
The interior is very cozy with a nice mix of woods, leather and interesting lighting. There are several booths along the wall. Smoking is only allowed at the bar, which is nice. Note that I said, AT the bar, not IN the bar. Besides the actual bar itself, there is a row of bench seating (technically in the bar) that divides the bar area from the dining area. Smoking is not allowed along that bench as there are dining tables placed right along side it. I’m not a smoker and so I appreciate this, however at one point in the evening a large group that had been celebrating a birthday in the upstairs area descended into the bar for a smoke break and we suddenly found ourselves a little overwhelmed by the concentration of smoke in the area.
The bench dividing the bar/dining room is one of those layout things that I understand (you want as many seats as possible) but find awkward – both as a diner and as a cocktailer. Sitting along the bench you are a little higher than the diners so you are directly looking at their heads with only a few inches separating you. Think you are having a private conversation? Think again! As a diner you’d have this feeling that vultures were perching over you. It wasn’t too crowded last night so it wasn’t an issue but I think it would be a bit uncomfortable on a busy night.
As all the BluWaters, they have a decent selection of wines by the glass and beers on tap. The appetizers we chose for "dinner" last night were very nice. We had sliders – adorable little hamburgers that come three to a plate and served with mustard, ketchup and diced onions; calamari – nothing special but solid; and a really lovely baked Montrachet Chevre on a bed of caramelized, sweet onions served with toasted baguette – one of their monthly specials.
I think it’s a good, solid choice for a casual dining experience and you may find me back there from time to time. However, there is nothing to really draw me from my normal seat at the Queen City Grill.
BellTown Bistro
2322 First Ave.
206-728-2000
4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Expectation
Where does the time ago? I’m finally getting back to my little "two-part series" on Context and Expectation! The context part has been covered and now on to expectation.
A couple of months ago, after reading a post at The Tasting Menu about the lack of decent restaurants in Seattle, I started thinking about Hillel’s observation that there were only half a dozen or so really good places in Seattle. My immediate reaction was that he was so wrong! But then I started thinking that perhaps I was setting the bar too low. Maybe I had been settling for substandard food for so long that I no longer realized it. Substandard is probably too harsh of a word – maybe the idea is more that while something might be good it misses opportunities to be great.
Over the next few weeks I started examining my dining experiences with a more critical eye. I examined the food more closely: Maybe it was good but could it have been better? How was it prepared? Could you feel a sense of pride in the presentation? And it wasn’t just about the chefs and servers but also about me (and/or my friends): How do I choose the places I frequent? What is it that makes a dining experience "good" or "great" for me? Or for that matter, what makes it "bad"? How much of the dining experience is in my control and how much is it controlled by those presenting it? This led me to think about what it is I want when I go out? Which, of course, leads to the idea of expectation.
From all that thinking and evaluation (my how my head hurts!) I’ve determined that for me, the way I feel about a meal and my dining experience is often out of the chef’s control.
There are times when I am expecting a fabulous experience to unfold course by course as the night goes on. I want to be entertained, so to speak, and I don’t want to bring anything to the table, expect perhaps an open mind. And those are times when I head to places like Lampreia or Rovers. At these places preparation and presentation have been raised to the highest art form and the meal is a great symphony with all the different parts coming together in a wonderful experience that fills your soul. The focus is primarily on the food; it almost doesn’t matter if you have a dining partner or not, except that it’s nice to be able to share the "Ohhhs" and "Ahhhs" with someone.
Then there are times when I want really good food and that generic idea can take several different meanings. It might be that I want something new or different; that I want to try some preparation or ethnic variation that is unknown to me. It might be that I want something that I know well prepared in a way that is comforting and familiar yet with a little surprise of some sort – an element that raises the food to a "wow" level. These experiences for me can be either about the food or about the people I’m dining with. I want to be happy with the food but I’m probably going to be too involved in conversation to focus on it. This is more like a concert with a band that’s been around for awhile, has lots of standards that you’ll expect to hear during the concert – things you can sing along with yet they may throw in a few new things or take one of those standards and extend it to include a bunch of solos by the individual artists. You will really enjoy it because it has that comfort factor of the familiar yet will surprise you with something new.
There are two things that can make me feel that one of these experiences was less than expected. Sometimes I either pick something that I really didn’t care for or that was so far from what I was expecting that it becomes disappointing. A good example of this is the hamburger at Bick’s Broadview Grill. I love Bick’s and the way they put a little heat in everything. But one day I was in the mood for a good burger and didn’t really read the menu description. Well, what arrived was a Bick-ified Burger with lots of peppers and a spicy sauce. Not a tomato or piece of lettuce to be found. On another day I would have liked it but that day I was so disappointed.
The other thing that can ruin one of these experiences is if the company is not up to par. The primary reason this occurs can be summed up as "bad date"! I pride myself on being able to talk to almost anyone about anything. But every now and then things just take a bad turn. Like the time I dated an attractive lawyer and found out that his only interest in life was basketball. College basketball. Now I know a fair amount about sports but more about professional sports than college. After the first hour and a half or so of trading comments, and then me asking questions to learn a little more, and then trying to change the subject to something we might actually be able to have an actual conversation about, I gave up. And listened to him drone on and on about every team in the U.S. And this wasn’t even during March Madness! Well, needless to say I did not enjoy the meal. But this was not the chef’s fault or the server’s fault it was just the surrounding experience that made the whole thing bad. Very bad! Luckily I’ve forgotten where we actually went for dinner as I’m not sure I could go back! :-)
Then there are times when the food is actually a prop for other activities. Maybe the focus is a glass of wine or a cocktail – and of course you want a nice little snack to go along with it but sometimes what you want is good old bar food – some spicy wings or fried calamari. Something bad for you that makes you happy with every bite you take. Now, I’m not saying that bar food or appetizers by their nature can’t be good but sometimes I don’t really care. Sometimes you want to just sit somewhere on a deck and your primary purpose is to enjoy the sunshine or the view. And I sometimes even pick places that are really only good at one thing – but if they are really good at it, I don’t care that everything else might be a little lacking. Let’s see – what’s my music analogy for this? This is like the music or an artist you are a little emabarrassed to let anyone know that you like! You actually listen at home but you’d never play the CD when there was company! I have a Chic CD that I periodically play and dance around like a crazy woman when it’s on. But I’ve only shared it with friends on some of our Whistler trips when we are in the condo being completely stupid. It fits that mood and in between I hope they all forget I own it! :-)
Well, I realize that I’m starting to go on and on about this so I’ll get off my soapbox and summarize. I think there are lots of great places in Seattle because there are places that will satisfy my every mood and expectation. For me, it’s often more about the total experience of friends, service, food, atmosphere and how they all come together. And I believe I have a significant roll in that so what I get is often what I create. And I like that.
Culinary Fool 