Crepes = Easy Entertaining
07-Aug-2008
When having people over for dinner (or lunch or brunch, for that matter) it’s always nice to choose dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and then just heated and served once guests arrive. Filled crepes are a great option, as you can actually make them over the couple days prior to your party and then just pop them into the oven about 30 minutes before you want to serve them. And, the filling options are endless so they can be made over and over again yet be different each time.
About a month ago I attended a potluck and I made filled crepes as my offering. The group seemed to like them, they looked good and yet were pretty easy to make, although planning ahead really is key. I don’t have an exact recipe for what I did but here’s the general idea and if you are looking for a good source of recipes or inspiration I highly recommend Crepes: Sweet & Savory Recipes for the Home Cook. The following actually is a combination of ideas from that book. 
A day or two before the event I make all the crepes and stack them placing wax or parchment paper between each crepe. Then I put the stack in a plastic bag and hold them in the fridge until I’m ready for assembly. For this recipe I made garbanzo flour crepes.
Also a day or two before, I roast chicken – either white or dark meat will work but dark has a little more flavor. Depending on the size of the chicken and the number of crepes you’ll need one or two breasts or two or three thighes. Once the chicken is roasted, remove the skin and pull the meat from the bones. Then shred the meat by pulling it into pieces with your hands or a couple of forks. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
The day before your party or event, peel a large onion, slice it in half and then cut into 1/4" slices. Saute the onion in olive oil. While it is sauteing, slice several crimini (or button) mushrooms into 1/4" slices. When the onions are starting to turn golden add the mushrooms to the pan. Continue sauteing until the mushroom are tender. When you add the mushrooms also add an herb of your choice – thyme, sage or rosemary are good options. When the mushrooms are tender remove the pan from the heat.
In another pan make a Mornay Sauce. The one I make is similar to this recipe but I use chicken stock in place of some of the milk which adds a different flavor dimension.
Once the sauce is made reserve about 1/2 cup of it and then mix the rest with the onion/mushroom mixture and the chicken. Combine until everything is coated with the sauce.
Lay a crepe flat and put about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture towards the top center of the crepe. Roll the crepe around the filling. Place the crepe seam-side down in a buttered 9"x13" baking dish. Repeat until the dish is filled. You should be able to get about 12 filled crepes in the dish.
Drizzle the reserved Mornay Sauce over the crepes and then top with about 3/4 cup of Gruyere cheese.
At this point you can place the pan in a 350°F oven and bake for about 30 minutes or cover the dish with plastic and place in the refrigerator. Once the sauce has been mixed with the other ingredients I wouldn’t hold them for more than a day, however you could also freeze the dish to hold for a longer period. If you do that be sure to allow plenty of in-fridge thawing time prior to baking.
Although there are a few steps involved, breaking them up over a couple of days makes this a pretty easy dish to prepare and serve.
Garage Billiards (and Bowl)
07-Aug-2008
You don’t really go to the Garage to eat. Still while there you may choose to have something to go along with your beer or cocktail. And if you order something chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised. This isn’t just any old bar food but bar food created with care.
The small but varied menu has something for everyone. There are small plates, soups and salads, and large plates with each category consisting of six or so items. Add to that a few burgers and pizzas and you have a pretty decent selection to choose from. And the food is pretty dang good!
On my last visit I had the Quesadilla filled with blackened chicken. smoked cheddar, black beans and corn. A little pile of lettuce chiffonade and poblano sour cream filled out the plate. An interesting twist to a standard item and fresh ingredients elevate this bar food to a new level. And other items on the menu follow the same recipe. There is always just a slight twist, executed well and created with good and tasty ingredients.
But one of the nicest things about the Garage is their willingness to handle large groups (I take a group of 50 – 60 in there a couple times a year). They are always gracious and happy to serve us – and we are a bit of a motley crew. That attitude, the 18 billiards tables and 14 lanes of bowling, make this a great place to enjoy that good, innovative bar food.
Garage Billiards
1130 Broadway Ave
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill
Seattle
206.322.2296
Eat (at) Crow
06-Aug-2008
I don’t’ believe I’ve ever written a post about Crow. I think that’s because in the past the photos have not been great. Generally the place is packed to the gills and finding a place (without a reservation) is enough of a challenge without trying to take photos, too.
But M and I visited a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised to walk in to a semi-empty space. I guess it wouldn’t be pleasant if it had stayed that way – after all we want the good places in Seattle to survive – but it soon began filling up, just at a more leisurely pace than in past visits.
I think the only reason for the slow down is that Crow is now established and is not subject to the feeding frenzy that consumes newly-opened, acclaimed restaurants. Instead the crowds have now settled into more of a rhythm. They know what to expect, they’ve had a chance to try it out and while they will continue to come to Crow, newer places are now handling the clamor and frenzy that used to be found here. Either that or it was a sunny day outside and here in Seattle people tend to stay out longer on those days….
Our food this last visit was just as good as ever. The menu at Crow changes on a regular basis but the quality stays the same. It’s always been great. And the freshness and inventiveness you find on the food menu extends to the drinks menu, too.
I started with a lemon-based drink but since this was a few weeks ago I can’t remember if it was Lemondrop-like or gin-based. I just remember it was perfect for the evening. It had been a little warm that day so I wanted something really refreshing. The drink was lemony and had the perfect touch of rosemary balancing out the flavors. I was very happy.
For dinner I had a Thai-inspired Shrimp salad. The coleslaw-like base was fragrant with toasted coconut, among other things, and the shrimp were perfectly grilled!
M had Crow’s take on Pasta and Clams. Small, succulent clams, bacon, onion, greens and broth mixed into linguine. Simple and satisfying.
As always, we sat at the bar and had great service. All in all a pleasant way to spend an early evening.
Crow
823 5th Ave N
Queen Anne
Seattle
206.283.8800
Lunch at Steelhead Diner
06-Aug-2008
Yesterday I met MO for lunch and we headed to The Market to Steelhead Diner. It was a perfect day to sit outside and since we had arrived early there were open tables on their little deck overlooking Post Alley. While we were serenaded from below by different musicians we enjoyed a delicious lunch comprised of fresh, local ingredients.
While waiting for our orders we first dipped into the bread – good enough to be a meal on it’s own – which was served with both butter and olive oil. I was extra bad and used both but I love that combination!
Next we divided a green salad made with Full Circle Farm organic baby lettuce, Rolling Stone Lavender Goat Cheese, Sidha farms berries and spiced walnuts. The goat cheese was soft and just lightly scented; the berries were super sweet and some were gigantic. The combination was simple yet very nice.
We also split a Dungeness Crab cake and Totten Inlet Mussels.
The crab cake was very large and filled with big pieces of crab leg. It seemed that meat from the body was used as filler, although there must have been bread crumbs, too. but not much besides crab – the cake barely held together. Crispy, fried parsley was sprinkled over the cake adding a nice dimension to the flavors.
The mussels were very tasty, although not as hot as I expected. They were actually titled "Totten Inlet Mussels in Purgatory", which to my mind meant there would be some heat. Although sliced serranos were evident I really didn’t feel any sort of even mild burn. Still, the mussels were very good with andouille, toasted garlic and herbs complementing the sweet shellfish.
Steelhead Diner
95 Pine St
Pike Place Market
Seattle
Seattle
206.625.0129
Mee Sum Pastry
30-Jul-2008
A giant BBQ pork humbow – is there a need to say more?
Okay, maybe just a little. I’m pretty sure that when I first moved to Seattle after college and ended up working at 3rd and Pine, one of my first lunches "out" involved BBQ pork humbow from Mee Sum Pastry in Pike Place Market. Reasonably priced, yet one alone is big enough for a lunch these delicious buns are now part of my "comfort food" definition.
Are they the most authentic humbow in town? I don’t know and I don’t really care. I love them. And yesterday’s gloomy, drizzly weather was perfect for picking one up, heading to Victor Steinbrueck Park during a dry spell, and enjoying every slightly sweet bite.
Mee Sum Pastry
1526 Pike Pl
Pike Place Market
Seattle
Seattle
Santa Monica: Urth Caffe
28-Jul-2008
While spending a week in Venice, California I had tea and toast in my cozy cottage most mornings or sometimes ventured out to local coffee shops or farmers’ markets for a little bite. One morning, though, I decided to have a real sit-down breakfast at a place M had told me about, Urth Caffe (pronounced “earth”).
Urth has three locations in the LA area with one in Santa Monica on Main Street. That one was within walking distance of my cottage – perfect!
Urth bills itself mostly as a coffee and tea shop but they also have a fairly significant menu that can be ordered in or to go. I was there on a weekday morning and the line was out the door. Many people were taking items to go so after placing my order at the counter I was able to find a little table out on the small patio.
The patio is very pleasant with plants breaking the direct sun and a corner fountain babbling just enough to reduce the traffic noise. Many items on the menu caught my eye but I settled on the smoked salmon and bagel plate, as well as a pot of tea. The tea was served in a French press, which is kind of nice but can lead to tea that is bitter since there is no way to remove the leaves when it’s done brewing. I just made sure to drink my pot fairly quickly so I wouldn’t have to worry about it. I do like the presentation but it’s just not that practical.
My breakfast arrived a couple minutes after my tea and was absolutely gorgeous and very generous. The salmon was a lox style preparation and was super fresh. It was accompanied by lots of red onion, soft cream cheese, capers and a nice sprinkling of chives. I’d chosen an onion bagel to go along with it and while not exactly an east coast bagel it was good.
I spent the next half an hour or so, soaking in the sights and sounds of the people around me and the passing pedestrians, and enjoying the perfect combination of ingredients in each and every bite.
Urth is very pleasant and the food (including all that I saw around me) was very good. I’d love to go back again the next time I’m in the area. I imagine it’s just a zoo on weekend mornings but definitely manageable on weekdays.
Urth
2327 Main St
Santa Monica, CA
310.314.7040
Venice, CA: Joe’s and Primitivo
27-Jul-2008
I know I’m jumping all over the place and I apologize. So much has been going on and I still have a few things to tell you about from my trip to Venice Beach! I hope to finish them up a bit later this week. Two of my favorite places to eat turned out to be right next door to each other in an funky little building on Abbot-Kinney just southeast of where it meets Main Street.
At the first place Joe’s Restaurant, a friend and I enjoyed a really lovely lunch on the outdoor patio. With a name like Joe’s Restaurant you might not be expecting too much but you’d be wrong. They bill themselves as serving California-French cuisine, which really means California ingredients prepared and served in a classic French style.
The food was beautiful as well as tasty, although I find that over the years my tastes are changing. While I still enjoy classic French preparation with its buttery and rich sauces it’s not something I’d want everyday. My friend and I both started with a lightly dressed and fresh green salad. I opted for a Moroccan spiced tuna for my entree and he had Sand Dabs with baby shrimp.
This is, a definite white tablecloth sort of place and is nice for a quiet and relaxing meal.
Joe’s Restaurant
1023 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, CA
310.399.5811
The second place, Primitivo Wine Bistro, was quite a contrast to Joe’s. While located directly next door, walking the few steps between them was like traveling a world away! Raucous and loud and jammed to the gills it was like walking into a giant party.
Primitivo has a large and varied wine list and I was happy that the bartender was great at helping us work our way through it to find some wines we enjoyed. But, even more than the wines and the friendly staff, what would keep me coming back (I do wish I lived about 1100 miles closer…) is the food. Primitivo’s has wonderful cold and hot tapas. We were only able to try out three – even though they are small plates they are pretty generous – and there was so much more I would have liked to check out. I think my favorite dish was the Braised Short Ribs, although I really loved all of it.
Unfortunately I have no photos to share. It was very dark and crowded at the bar and taking photos just didn’t seem to be the thing to do that night. And since I won’t be back anytime soon I can’t share the visual experience with you. But I really recommend this place. If I’d found it sooner in my visit I definitely would have been back at least once if not more often during my stay in Venice.
Primitivo Wine Bistro
1025 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice, CA
310.396.5353
JT at Ste Michelle
27-Jul-2008
I guess concerts don’t really qualify as a food event but somehow we always manage to turn any concert at Ste Michelle Winery into one. For my friends and I the picnic before the concert is as important, or maybe more important, than the actual concert. So we always put some time and effort into our pre-concert plan.
We generally arrive at the venue 15 to 30 minutes before the gates open to secure a place in line. Once the gates open we have a well-defined plan. We send one or two people in with the tarp and a couple chairs – their job is to secure a good spot. Then the remaining group follows with the other "equipment": cooler, blankets, more chairs, a little table and the picnic basket. We set up our spot, then proceed into the winery to purchase our wine. They actually sell wine inside the concert venue but we like to choose from their entire line and also to use indoor plumbing one last time….
Then it’s back to the table to start our feast. The menus don’t vary greatly from time to time as there are certain foods that just seem to work well for us but every now and then I’ll shift a few things and that was true this time.
On Tuesday we saw James Taylor and what a great concert! He’s touring with a big group and they are all accomplished musicians in their own right. The music started at 7:00 pm and we thought it was winding down just before 10:00 pm but as we made our way to the car and out of the lot he was still playing! The weather held for us – it had been overcast all day but there was no rain and it was warm enough. Overall it was a great night!
The menu for the evening:
Mixed Nuts
Radishes and Sea Salt
Teriyaki-glazed Alaskan King Salmon
A version of Orzo Salad
Caprese Salad on a Stick
Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies from The Great Book of Chocolate
"Dixie Cups"
Apricots with Estrella Family Blue Cheese and Vache de Chalais
Ste Michelle wine…
More photos here.
Outstanding in the Field
24-Jul-2008
If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time at all you’ll know that I have an affinity for local sources of food. If I could, I’d grow all my own and I manage to do some of that in my little yard. But for the majority of ingredients I tend to roam Farmers’ Markets, sometimes U-Pick fields and farm stands.
I grew up in a family that put high-value on the freshest, direct-from-the-garden food. We had a small “orchard” with a variety of trees; the large garden was split between perennial crops like grapes, berries and asparagus and annuals like tomatoes, squash, lettuce, corn, etc. If we didn’t grow it there was a chance one of my relatives would have it in their garden. We also purchased sides of beef from friends who raised 4-H steers every year, and hogs from a guy my dad worked with. We used to love those summer and fall meals when we’d look at the table and realize that the meal was all “ours”. Nothing had come from a grocery store. Most nights the food was picked from the garden and went directly to the kitchen to be prepped for that night’s meal. We ate the freshest food possible and it was evident in the glorious and rambunctious tastes we experienced.
We also preserved as much as possible by freezing or canning so the summer bounty could be enjoyed throughout the year. The fresh tastes and vitamins were captured before they had a chance to escape.
So I’ve always placed a premium on local foods. Many people’s first concern is organic but mine is local for a couple of reasons:
- The organic designation is not as neat and tidy as you might think and it doesn’t always mean what it implies. (Although often it does and at least an attempt is being made, which is good.)
- Those who raise crops organically may not have the certification. For many small farms it’s not worth the effort and cost to become certified, even if they would qualify. So when you know your producer you’ll know more about their status.
- Organic food may be sourced from anywhere in the world but I prefer the idea that produce is picked as close to the time I buy it as possible. So organic food from anywhere other than my local area is likely to suffer in the taste department as it needs to be picked while not yet ripe to allow time for shipping and shelf-life.
- Although this is a more recent concern I am trying to think about my carbon footprint in a more mindful way.
So my primary concern has always been local – I like knowing my producers and developing relationships with them. That concept has to be taken with a grain of salt, of course. I can’t live without grapefruit, lemons and limes. While you may be able to find a tree or two in someone’s backyard or indoor pot here in the Pacific Northwest, there certainly aren’t any citrus producers in this area. Ditto for avocados, olive oil and tea. None of these are things I intend to live without, and that is where a global economy is so great. However, you will very seldom catch me purchasing strawberries in December or January because I know that with a little patience my local berries will be available in late spring. Their taste and the fact that they symbolize the approaching summer are worth the wait for me. You may decide that you want a taste of spring in the dead of winter – which is great. The point is not to deny ourselves those pleasures but to be mindful, aware and educated in our choices.
A couple years ago my friends, DW and MB forwarded me information about an organization called Outstanding in the Field (OITF). About the same time I read an article about them. OITF seeks to educate and inform people about local farmers and producers through dinners it presents around the U.S. and Canada. And they are now expanding to other countries, too.
OITF will select a local chef known for using local, organic and sustainable ingredients. They allow that chef to create the menu and select the producers who will be involved, assuming that a local person will know who best to showcase and how best to use the ingredients.
The diners meet at a farm or vineyard, are welcomed and then taken on a tour of the operations; then they sit down to a meal sourced from that farm and other local providers. During the meal the diners are presented with information about the producers and have the opportunity to interact with them throughout the course of the evening. The idea is to make people aware, showcase the producers and educate the diners. I really love this concept as it meshes so well with my belief that providing examples and allowing people to experience this type of meal has more of an impact than lecturing or pushing labels at them.
This year OITF added a Seattle date and location to their line-up. The day the tickets went on sale we were online purchasing. They were sold out within about two hours! I felt lucky to have been able to get in. Last Sunday five friends and I were able to experience the OITF dinner here in the Seattle area.
We gathered at a farm in Carnation – one of the great agricultural valleys in the Seattle area. We were greeted with Washington wines and a big bowl of local Bing and Rainier cherries. Once most of the group arrived (there were about 130 diners) OITF founder, Jim Denevan greeted the crowd, explained his philosophy and then turned it over to the farmers, Siri Erickson-Brown and Jason Salvo of Local Roots, to present information specific to their operation and to lead a tour of the farm.
After the tour we sat down at one long, long table situated in the middle of the fields and our dining experience began. I was happy to see that many of the producers acknowledged on the menu were people I know and buy from.
An outdoor kitchen had been constructed on the property and all the food preparation and plating was done there within sight of the long table. It really gave new meaning to the term “open kitchen”! Each course was served family style, encouraging conversation between tablemates. Local wines were paired with each course and at a couple points during the meal some of the producers talked about the ingredients they had provided for the meal. I loved this part and was only disappointed in that more of them did not participate (I know at least a couple are actually from the east side of the mountains and attending the dinner would have interfered with the work they needed to do at home). I would have liked them to be represented in some way, even if it was the chef talking about why he had selected the producers he had or someone from OITF giving us some background.
We were served five courses with nearly every sort of food group represented – if you take a look at the photos you’ll be able to see everything but dessert which was a lovely plate of apricots and Estrella Family Creamery cheese.
The night flew by even though dinner and the event lasted several hours. Part of that, of course, was due to my great friends who I was able to share the experience with. I was really not ready to leave but the dinner lasted so late that one of our party needed to get home. I would have liked to have lingered a bit longer but left nourished by a great meal and good memories.
I absolutely loved this experience and there were only a couple things I wish had been a bit different. I’ve already mentioned that I’d like to see all producers represented in some way. The other is that I felt this choice of farm was maybe not the best option. Our chef was Matt Dillon of Sitka & Spruce and The Corson Building. I have a ton of respect for Matt and all he does, and he has been widely recognized for his work. He chose Local Roots Farm as they are one of the producers he deals with. This is, however, only their second year in business. I felt that while they are passionate and creative in how they are trying to make their business work, they do not yet have the breadth of experience to be as informative as I would have hoped them to be. And I found them to be a bit too idealistic and naïve in some ways. I don’t mean to minimize the work they do in any way, I just think a more seasoned operation may have been a better location for this sort of function. And, just to be clear, that is only a function of this particular experience. Every OITF experience is unique based on the many variables and, maybe most importantly, what the diners themselves bring to the equasion.
Having said that I enjoyed this experience immensely. I love the idea, the message and the channel being used to communicate it. I hope to have many more opportunities to attend Outstanding in the Field functions and maybe I’ll see you at one!
To find out more information, including event details (most are sold out for this year), see the Outstanding in the Field (OITF) website.
There are lots more photos here.
First Look: Zayda Buddy’s
21-Jul-2008
Last week some friends and I visited Zayda Buddy’s in Ballard. During the course of our friendship (over twenty years) we have visited all kinds of places but Zayda Buddy’s was certainly a first for us. Although they bill themselves as a pizza joint there is much more than pizza on the menu. But that isn’t what’s unusual. What is, uhm, interesting is that they bill themselves as a Minnesota-style thin-crust pizzeria.
Now I have to tell you when reading that description I had actually no idea what to expect, although I have to say there’s no better place than Ballard to locate something that is Minnesota-style! With it’s original Nordic population often migrating from the Midwest, if anyone can appreciate Midwestern fare you would think it would be Ballardites.
Since we only ordered a couple of appetizers I still don’t have a real feel for what Midwestern pizza would be, except for the description on the menu and it seems to be mostly related to the thin crust. The rest of the menu, however, definitely points to a certain style. Partly honoring Midwestern traditions such as hot dogs and bratwurst and also nodding to what I think of as 50s dishes such as Tuna Noodle Casserole.
We shared a couple orders of Buffalo Chicken Wings, which were very good and Deep-fried Shrimp. They were also good and I really loved the heavy-on-the-horseradish cocktail sauce served with the shrimp!
I can’t say I’m drawn to make a special trip to Ballard specifically to eat there again but if I was in the area Zayda Buddy’s would definitely be a place I’d think about stopping by.
Zayda Buddy’s
5404 Leary Ave NW
Seattle
206.783.7777
Culinary Fool 