New Swanky Cocktail Lounge: VESSEL
07-Nov-2006
You might remember that this summer I visited a place in Vancouver, BC called Lumière. The bartender there, Jamie, was also working on a project here in the Seattle area. That project is now open (just in the last few days) and is ready to receive your business! It’s called VESSEL. (full website coming soon)I’m not going to be able to get in until next week at the earliest, so I won’t be able to give you any first-hand details until then. In the meantime, based on Jamie’s work at Lumière and what I’ve heard about VESSEL, I’m expecting lots of good things. You can expect cocktails, thirty wines by the 1/2 bottle and by the glass, 15 champagnes by the glass. Some bar food – Jamie says it’s "great, fresh bar food".
If you go in the next few days, remember my normal warning – places need a little time to get into the groove so be gentle!
VESSEL
1312 Fifth Ave (next to the 5th Avenue Theater)
Seattle
25 for $25
07-Nov-2006
Okay – that was a really long break! Sorry about that. I’m back and starting out s-l-o-w-l-y… but with good news!
It’s November which means it’s time for 25 for $25 – twenty five restaurants in and around Seattle selling 3-course dinners for $25. And some have 3-courses lunches for $12.50.
The deal runs Sunday – Thursday through November, excluding Thanksgiving, of course. The line up this month is really good – too many places to choose from. Tonight I’ll be at Serafina with a friend. To see the whole list and get all the details just check the website – they even have links out to the menus so you can check them out ahead of time.
Anaheim Peppers
15-Oct-2006
These are Anaheim peppers. Mostly you see them when they are still green but if you leave them on the plant they ripen to a beautiful red. And they get a bit sweet. Anaheims sort of run the gamut from mild to a little hot. I’m not sure why they vary so much – perhaps there are different strains of peppers or perhaps it has to do with the growing conditions. I’m not sure, I just know that I generally think of them as mild, but when I purchase plants, for instance, they are usually in the "medium" section.
I had a lot of peppers this year – way more than I could use or even give away. So I let a bunch of these sit on the plant and ripen. I picked these the other day and used them with a bunch of the tomatoes to make a slightly spicy pasta sauce. Yum! Besides the peppers and tomatoes I used a red onion, garlic, rosemary, red wine, anchovy paste and a little tomato paste to help thicken it. I also tossed in a handful of portabella mushroom sausage slices. Just for a little bit of extra flavor. Top it all with shredded Parmesan and it’s pretty much perfect!
Happy Hour at Home
12-Oct-2006
Looking for an easy way to celebrate the fall weekend? Check out this week’s Happy Hour at Home post on Perry (hard pear cider) and crostini.
End of Summer Salad
08-Oct-2006
I haven’t been writing much about what I’ve been eating lately because I’ve mostly been eating tomatoes – lots and lots of tomatoes! Now, don’t get me wrong – I love that – but it doesn’t always make for interesting reading.
I love caprese salad of course, but another version of cheese and tomatoes that I love is to use fresh ricotta and lots of pepper and some salt. Ricotta doesn’t have a ton of flavor on it’s own but add a nice element and contrasting texture. Sometimes I eat it just as pictured above but I also often add a couple of splashes of balsamic for a nice tang against the sweet tomatoes. And of course you can use any type of tomato. For this salad I’ve used bright and cheery Yellow Brandywine tomatoes. They are huge! And this bowl of slices is not even one-half of a tomato!
The Farmer’s Cocktail
08-Oct-2006
I’m on the mailing list for a couple PR firms here in town and received the following as part of a monthly update from one of them:
Summer may be over, but local gardens and Washington State Farmers Markets are still going strong, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only is buying locally a great way to support our state’s farmers, it is ideal for getting the freshest, highest quality produce and the best flavor and nutrition. Get creative and experiment with some new cocktail recipes for yourself or a group of friends. The botanicals in high-quality, artisan spirits like Plymouth Gin complement the flavors in fresh fruits and vegetables for a pairing like no other. The following drink can be made with plums, in abundance at local Farmers Markets, grocery stores or maybe even out of your own garden.
Plymouth Plum-tini
The sweetness of fresh plums are enhanced by the warmth of cardamom, a spice at the heart of Plymouth Gin.
1.5 oz. Plymouth Gin
1 ripe plum
½ oz. fresh lemon juice
2 bars or spoonfuls of honeyMuddle plum with honey in the bottom of a shaker, add the Plymouth Gin and lemon juice and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with some slices of plum.
I thought it was an interesting twist on the "buy local" marketing you normally see!
Free Knife Sharpening at Sur La Table
05-Oct-2006
During the month of October, the Sur La Table stores are offering free knife sharpening for up to three knives! The details are in their latest catalog on page 38. If you don’t get the catalog you can check it out online. Drink Pink!
04-Oct-2006
As most of you are probably aware, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, meant to encourage and educate women about testing and to encourage funding for research to find a cure or, better yet, a way to prevent this disease. You’ll see many ways to support this cause over this month but here’s a fun way to contribute!
The restaurants operated by Restaurants Unlimited are running drink specials with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. For instance, at Palisade you can purchase a "Cause-mopolitan", a classic Cosmopolitan with a difference – $1 of the price is donated to the foundation.
Other participating locations in the Seattle area include:
- Cutters
- Maggie Bluff’s
- Palomino
- Scott’s Bar & Grill (Edmonds)
- Stanley and Seaforts (Tacoma)
Unfortunately, the email I received doesn’t specify the offers at the other locations (my guess is that it may be the same since the Cosmo is a "pink" drink) and I didn’t see information on their website, so I guess we’ll just have to call or stop in to see what’s going on!
Restaurants Unlimted has several locations around the US – see them all here.
You can also help fund free mammograms for those who need them by visiting this site and clicking on the "Fund Free Mammograms" button. There is no cost or any sort of obligation for you. The more you visit and click, the more money that is donated!
Forks and Corks
03-Oct-2006
Forks and Corks is a new charitable event here in the Seattle area. It will be held October 21, 7:00pm – Midnight at Pravda Studios, Capital Hill. It’s a combination of entertainment (live music, a Silent Auction) and great food and wine from local purveyors. For a summary of all the details see this information.
All event proceeds benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of King, Pierce and Jefferson Counties, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization in the Greater Puget Sound area.
Tickets are $75 and are on sale now here.
Amazon Now Offers Restaurant Deals
02-Oct-2006
Check out Amazon’s latest offering, discount Restaurant Gift Certificates
from Restaurant.com! You pay online, print off an Email and go!
from Restaurant.com! You pay online, print off an Email and go! In the Seattle area, most of the current offerings are for smaller places.
A typical offering is pay $10 for a $25 certificate with certain restrictions such as:
- Your certificate link will be sent by email. Print right from your computer. Valid for dine-in only unless otherwise stated.
- Visit our store for terms/conditions. 1 Dining Certificate per redemption per party, even if the party gets separate checks.
- Limit 1 redemption per customer per month per restaurant. Additional restaurant-specific restrictions apply.
- THIS RESTAURANTS RESTRICTIONS: Valid with minimum purchase of $35. Not valid Friday, Saturday and holidays.
- DONT (sic) SPAM BLOCK YOUR CERTIFICATE EMAIL! Add gcinfo@restaurant.com to your address book for delivery.
Or, pay $3 to get a 50% off certificate:
- Your certificate link will be sent by email. Print right from your computer. Valid for dine-in only unless otherwise stated.
- Visit our store for terms/conditions. 1 Dining Certificate per redemption per party, even if the party gets separate checks.
- Limit 1 redemption per customer per month per restaurant. Additional restaurant-specific restrictions apply.
- THIS RESTAURANTS RESTRICTIONS: Maximum gift certificate value may not exceed $75
- DONT (sic) SPAM BLOCK YOUR CERTIFICATE EMAIL! Add gcinfo@restaurant.com to your address book for delivery.
And, of course, you can also just go directly to Restaurant.com.
Culinary Fool 