Cassidy's Crystal Ball Works

When writing up this week's review of How to Cook a Wolf, I was reminded of a piece about restaurant names my predecessor, Laura Cassidy, wrote in December 2005. Turns out, her predictions were right.

Permalink | Comments (0)

New Bar in Ballard

Image: http://www.mdhb.com/index.php?cPath=11_17

Peeking at CHOW's Pacific Northwest board, those posting about Il Giardino, also mentioned another new place:

"going in right next to Tiger Tail is apparently a "growler bar"..."

Anyone know more?

Topics: News

Permalink | Comments (2)

Tapas in Ballard

Hannah Levin just clued me in that Seattle's Chowhounders are abuzz with the January 22 opening of a tapas restaurant in Ballard:

Ocho
2325 NW Market St.

Apparently, it's open 7 days a week, serving food until midnight and strong liquor until 2. The phone directory hasn't registered the business and I can't find a website yet, so let me know if you have any more information or comments.

Topics: Restaurant Gossip

Permalink | Comments (2)

It's Official: Bottomfeeder is a Curse

Remember last week, when we wrote that garnering mention in Bottomfeeder might be a curse on your restaurant? Well, we wrote about this place. Then this happened.

Topics: Bottomfeeder

Permalink | Comments (1)

New Italian in Ballard

There's a new Italian joint coming to Ballard, called Il Giardino. Sign's up, and now there's a big "coming soon" announcement in the window. Anyone know when it's opening?

Topics: News

Permalink | Comments (3)

Meat is Murder

Image: www.epa.gov/Region7/water/cafo/images/cattle2.jpg

But not (only) in the way you think.

New York Times food columnist and cookbook author Mark Bittman explores the environmental effects of meat in this Sunday's Week in Review section.

A few of the most compelling quotes from the article:

"livestock production generates nearly a fifth of the world's greenhouse gases - more than transportation."

"if Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan - a Camry, say - to the ultra-efficient Prius. Similarly, a study last year by the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Japan estimated that 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days."

"Americans eat about the same amount of meat as we have for some time, about eight ounces a day, roughly twice the global average. At about 5 percent of the world's population, we "process" (that is, grow and kill) nearly 10 billion animals a year, more than 15 percent of the world's total."

Read the full article here:

Topics: News

Permalink | Comments (0)

Keep It Down: Worst Food Ever

Reading Malcolm Gay's column about canned silkworm pupae this week, I had to grimace: When people ask me what the worst thing I've ever eaten was, that's always at the top of my list.

I tried silkworm pupae at a little Korean restaurant in Oakland that specialized in fruity soju cocktails and plates of fresh pork belly and intestines to grill at the table. I was there with a few friends, one of whom was Korean, and when we asked her to translate the Korean-only menu items it took her a while to get this one right. "It's a kids' snack in Korea," she explained. "Butterflies? No. Caterpillars? No." After 20 questions we got the picture, and everyone pretended to be nonchalant and gung-ho about trying some (the soju cocktails turned out to be a little more powerful than we had anticipated).

The pupae arrived in a hot stone bowl, and each of us plucked out one grey, rubbery pod. It tasted like mud and decaying mushrooms, and required a heavy swig of soju to chase down, then another shot to sweep away the shivers of nausea. In fact, the bowl smelled so strong that we had to put a plate over it.

But before our waitress slipped the bowl off the table, Yumi kept lifting up the lid to pluck out pods, which she'd chew meditatively. "It reminds me of childhood," she finally announced.

I have the same feeling about frozen Twinkies.

Permalink | Comments (0)

Pesticides, Prime Ministers, and Other Food News

I'd like to dedicate this week's food-news roundup to the U District Farmers Market, where I will be on Saturday to recover from this week's food news:

Mercury Content in Sushi? Here�s the Local Reaction by Nancy Leson (Seattle Times): Leson responds to all the reports about astronomical mercury levels in tuna by hitting the sushi bars. What she finds: Sushi makers care more about the topic than diners.

Harmful Pesticides Found in Everyday Food by Andrew Schneider (Seattle P-I): Local scientist finds that Mercer Island kids who eat regular produce have disturbing levels of pesticides in their saliva and urine. The chart of most-contaminated fruits and veggies at the bottom is great for priority setting. Bonus link: I'm going to plug this sensible book one more time.

Food Markets Getting Greener, More Sensual by Stacy Finz (SF Chronicle): Hey, you know that Whole Foods on Denny, the one you never go to because it's cavernous and expensive? Well, it's becoming a model for "lifestyle stores." Someday you, too, may head to Safeway for wine tasting.

Dip Once or Dip Twice by Harold McGee (NY Times): This quote sums it all up: �The way I would put it is, before you have some dip at a party, look around and ask yourself, would I be willing to kiss everyone here?� (I don't know about you, McGee, but sometimes the answer is yes.)

The Prime Minister With a Kitchen Cabinet by Leo Lewis (Times Online, thanks to Chow): Thailand�s new prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, has no plans to give up his television show, on which he dispenses cooking tips and right-wing ideology. Update: We hear Rachel Ray has just set up a meeting with Karl Rove.

Lastly, mark your calendars: Tuesday, February 5, is World Nutella Day.

Topics: The Food Section

Permalink | Comments (0)

Course Alert: Adult Fine Dining Etiquette Class

Image: http://departments.oxy.edu/career/studentinfo/etique4.jpg

If too many forks make your belly go queasy with anxiety, perhaps a lesson from the Maitre d' at The Georgian will help restore your appetite for fine dining. The small class (limited to ten students) offers the perfect opportunity to pose those etiquette questions you'd rather not have to ask. Which fork? How to properly butter your bread? Which of those little plates is yours? The fee includes a three-course meal with wine —It's a practical test, you see— in The Petite, The Georgian's private dining room.

Thursday, January 31 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, February 6 at 6 p.m.

$69 (includes valet parking but does not include tax and tip).

The Petite Georgian
The Georgian, Olympic Fairmont Hotel
411 University Street
Seattle, WA 98101
Reservations required: (206) 287-4059

Topics: Culinary Classes

Permalink | Comments (0)

Coming Soon: Costco Brand Beer

The brew blog says we should keep our eyes open for Kirkland's own amber ale, pale ale, and hefeweizen.

Has anyone tried Kirkland wine?

I haven't, but it's certainly not the cheapest bottle they carry. I'm guessing this beer's not gonna be too ugly, aside from the packaging.

Topics: Beer

Permalink | Comments (0)

I Ate This: Breakfasting in Portland

I spent 48 hours in Portland this weekend, which, like all of my trips there, could be broken down as follows:

Sleeping: 25 percent (at most)
Dinner: 20 percent
Brunch: 20 percent
Shopping, going to random bars and parties, drinking coffee and complaining about being tired/full: 35 percent

This time, though, my dinners at 23hoyt and Gino's (an old favorite with my friends) weren't the high point of my visit. Brunch was. Saturday morning, we went to Broder, a new Scandinavian restaurant next door to sister restaurant Savoy. There we had intricate breakfast plates, arranged like bento boxes on square wooden rectangles; they look like this and this. Instead of rice and pickles, our platters contained brown bread, lingonberry jam, yogurt with granola and apples, and baked egg scrambles with ham and cheese. The sleeper: a wedge of light, almond-y cake served with apple compote.

On Sunday morning, brunch at North Portland's Roux started with beignets, just for something light, and continued with other New Orleans-esque favorites: fried chicken with biscuits and gravy, eggs Benedict with house-smoked pork, a spicy crawfish omelet, and pork loin with cheesy grits and Creole tomato sauce. For those undaunted by the prospect of beignets plus eggs benedict for breakfast, Roux serves a four-course Sunday brunch for $25 that involves both of the above, as well as oysters and some sides.

Topics: I Ate This

Permalink | Comments (1)

Luciano's Goes the Extra Mile (That Pag's Won't)

In our ongoing series on pizzerias not named Pagliacci who are willing to deliver hot pie to the rough and tumble portion of West Seattle known as Poverty Gulch (aka Delridge, aka "my neighborhood"), I give you Luciano's, whose Luciano's Special gets high marks for the quality of its onions. Incidentally, Luciano's West Seattle affiliate in the Admiral Junction (they've got a satellite location in Lake City) is about a mile further from my house than the Pagliacci outpost in the Alaska Junction that won't touch my street with a ten-foot Hyundai.

Topics: Bottomfeeder

Permalink | Comments (2)

Smith Gets New Chef

Just got an email from Linda Derschang saying that Smith, her 15th Ave. pub, has a new chef: Tyler Palagi.

Before starting at Smith last Tuesday, Tyler was the chef at Vashon Island's Ferrara Restaurant. The restaurant closed in September, but during his tenure there Palagi built a rep for sourcing local: local eggs, local meats and veg, homemade pastas. Not sure what he'll do with Smith's menu yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the sweet-potato fries and poutine stay.

Topics: Restaurant Gossip

Permalink | Comments (1)

$13: The Taco Trail (A Photo Journal)

WHERE: The four taco trucks between Stevens Pass and my home in Seattle

WHEN: All on the same day, after a long day shralpin'

WHAT DOES $13 GET YOU? Four tacos, a burrito, a drink, a mulito and a sopita.

RECOMMENDED? Of course.

For most people, I think, the energy expenditure required for a solid day of skiing typically justifies adding a meal into the day�s regular eating schedule. I�m no exception, and as soon as our wheels hit Route 2, my ski partner and I start looking forward to taco truck fare. There are four on our route from the ski area to Greenwood, all of which we�d tried at some point, but never (the challenge!) all in one day.

On your way back to Seattle, if you veer off Route 2 in Monroe at Main Street and take a detour through Monroe�s less big-boxy old downtown, you�ll avoid the trafficky 522 interchange and find Tacos Pihuamo parked in a dusty lot next to a little triangle of green space.

We started there, wolfing down a surpisingly lean cabesa (shredded beef cheek) taco and a pork carnitas taco, both braised to tender perfection and served on fresh corn tortillas with cilantro, onion, and a few radish slices ($1 each). Simple. Traditional. Delicious. My favorite part? No gas fumes. Just nice people, and a flock of geese overhead. Almost scenic by taco truck standards.

Continue reading "$13: The Taco Trail (A Photo Journal)"

Topics: 13 Dollars

Permalink | Comments (1)

Capital Grille Hits Seattle

When I lived in Boston, the search for the perfect dry-aged steak inevitably turned the beef-obsessed toward Capital Grille, an upscale steakhouse in Beantown's swank Back Bay that prides itself on old-school service and a darkish, romance-you-with-manliness atmosphere (leather, mahogany, etc.). It's a place that, perhaps like El Gaucho, may grill a great porterhouse, but also earns some of its stripes by doing the best job convincing diners that a) they are the most important people on the planet and b) they should go to bed with each other.

I naively assumed it was a Beantown original, but it turns out there are no fewer than 31 Capital Grilles, each striving to be the place to see and be seen in (fill in city here).

Next week, Capital Grille will open its doors downtown with chef Michael Hillyer at the helm, first with a series of private charity events to benefit Children's Hospital, and then to the public on February 4th, making it the chain's first west coast location.

There's that one word that Seattle might not like (chain!) but with 250 seats, hand-cut Delmonicos, a fancy wine list, and a prime location in the historic Cobb Building (and, well . . .pockets deep enough to open a high-end restaurant in these trepidatious economic times), I'm not sure that will matter.

Capital Grill Seattle Steakhouse, 1301 4th Ave., 382-0900. DOWNTOWN
Opening Feb. 4. Click here for hours.

Topics: News

Permalink | Comments (2)