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Hands down, Quinn's is one of my favorite Seattle restaurants. It's just not that it's located within a 15 minute walk of my house, or that the bar cranks out excellent drinks and has an impressive beer menu, or that the wait staff is friendly, cool and crush-worthy, but also, most importantly, the food is amazing. Wait, that's amazing as in a-MA-zing. As in, not one bad meal in the probably 15 times I've dined since it opened last October.

Quinn's calls itself a gastropub, which means that the traditional pub food is there, but elevated to another level. Rarebit? That's served as a warm pretzel with a complex cheese sauce. Salad, yes, but spiced up with new ingredients; my favorite is the bread salad, with fennel, radishes, olives, cucumbers, lettuce and of course, grilled bread. Hamburger...wagyu beef with a pile of delicious fries. Meat, in the form of braised oxtails with gnocchi. Foul, duck confit. Bangers and mash, elevated to a housemade sausage with lentils. Fish, in the form of scallops. Braised eel. Oh, and the list continues...

A few weeks ago, I ended up at Quinns three times in one week, once with my brother, once with Gabe, Jess, Lisa and Tracy, and once again with Lisa, plus Andy, as they helped me snap out of a blue funk with good food and drink. It was an excellent weeklong adventure...Along the way, I snapped a picture of the salad and savory cheesecake, with fresh raspberries and a raspberry dressing. Oh, delicious. The photo looks delicious, the taste is even better.

BTW, I met the head chef in the bathroom line. A Boston Southie, polite enough to want me to cut ahead of him in line. "No," I insisted. "You are feeding all of us. I can't go ahead of you."

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Accompanied by two girlfriends and two gay boyfriends, wearing my sparkley gold shirt and new fabulous patent leather ballet slipper flats, I hit Sex and the City, the movie, opening weekend. I felt like I was hanging out with four friends whom I hadn’t seen in a while - I miss Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.

Highlights for me: conversations over meals, the fashion, the raw and harsh portrayal of the devastation of a broken heart; cosmos at the end (why did we stop drinking these?); and the sheer energy created by four best friends. Lots of hits, a few misses, and Carrie’s wedding dress was not as tacky as it seemed in the after pictures leaked (although what was up with the bird?). Oh, and I adored the bridesmaids dresses.

It’s not entirely unusual to hear me reference moments from the series, particularly when discussing the single/dating life (I also reference Seinfeld too, which I guess tells you that my brain remembered more in the 90s and early 2000s than today). It’s always interesting to gage people’s reactions when I drop a reference. Those that made it into their 30s single nod in agreement, often adding their own perspective along the lines of “the same thing happened to me”. Those that didn’t make it into their 30s single generally seem a little perplexed, as in “how could this be true? It was an entertaining show, but that’s about it”.

I don’t know if it’s a fun fact or a sad fact or something in the middle – but some things in show have happened to me. Not just the general theme of hanging out with other single friends, but dating disasters, interactions with singles and non-singles, bad and good break-ups, happy and sad. Call it a badge of honor.

In celebration of the final episode four years ago, I made Caroline dinner (pad thai and spring rolls, if I remember correctly). This time, before the movie, I made margaritas and guacamole. After, Hilary, Lisa and I had dinner at Quinn’s, where I consumed a Manhattan (their special Manhattan is excellent), a cosmo (not so good) and a tasty, tasty espresso martini (which is the new “it” drink, I’ve had in both London and Seattle). And we talked about the movie, and of course, dating.

The next day, Carrie and I spent about 30 minutes discussing the movie. Apropos, I was drinking wine. I also informed her that when she gets married, she needs to take a cue from Carrie Bradshaw in her choice of bridesmaids dresses.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Daily Candy sent the official notice: a new ice cream shop in Seattle! Not just any ice cream, but one sourcing local/organic ingredients, a mix of traditional and offbeat flavors and a grand opening party.

The opening day party sort of passed by, but the next day, a sunnny Sunday, I remembered the notice, when Lisa and I saw the "sorry, no more" sign at the new ice cream stand at the Broadway Farmer's Market. Have you heard of Molly Moon's, I asked, do you want ice cream?

We went, we tasted, we loved.

For me, a scoop of salted caramel and cardamom. Lisa also chose salted caramel, but with a scoop of Vivace coffee. (She also noted that my scoops were bigger than hers. Uh huh, I smiled and smacked my lips. Can I have another taste of your coffee?).

The ice cream was amazing. It tasted homemade, like what I remember eating at my Grandma's house when I was a kid. None of the cloying sweetness of [insert name of ice cream store]. Ground up Vivace coffee beans in the ice cream. Crystals of sea salt in the salted caramel. Other flavors that I didn't get to try: "scout" mint, balsamic strawberry, honey lavender, ginger, and so many others.

A few days later, I mentioned Molly Moon's to Tracy, who knows Molly and the back story. Molly has always dreamed of opening an ice cream shop, one without artificial-ness and styrofoam. The creamery has been a while in the making...and since opening has been a huge success. Molly has been working non-stop to make enough ice cream, even putting out the call for ice cream making help amongst friends.

It's finally summer in Seattle, so likely, I'll be making a special trip or two to Wallingford for Molly Moon's. Yeah to good ice cream!

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 04:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I so want this dish. Everything that makes my taste buds well up is there: pork, foie gras, some fat, a few veggies, demi glace. What more could one ask for?

Has anyone ever really tried pigs feet? My Grandpa absolutely adored pigs feet, and would be very excited whenever Mom brought them to him. I suspect that my Grandma thought that they were disgusting, so would grudgingly cook the trotters for him when she needed to. Then again, I don't even know if they were pickled or boiled up or something else. My only other experiences with feet (besides my last day at IDC, when I got stuck in a traffic jam resulting from a truck filled with animal parts, including feet, had overturned on 101 near San Mateo, and I was definitely not looking for the culinary experience) has been chicken's feet at dim sum, which I thought were way to much effort for the reward. It's not that I'm opposed to working for my food - crab is hard work and worth it - but the chicken feet just weren't worth it.

I looked up pied de cochon in Mastering the Art of French Cooking; no recipe. Perhaps in Volume 2. I also found a few recipes online, but am a bit leary. Any ideas?

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My birthday was at the beginning of this month – number thirty-five. It was a perfect birthday, truly, in every sense of the word. I flew to San Francisco, and Carrie organized a birthday celebration, with my amazing friends Suzette and Drew, Tricia and James, and Emil.

We started at the Elite Café, a New Orleans themed restaurant that pulled off Creole and the South so much better than Nola in Palo Alto; limited tack, much elegance and what looked to be very tasty food. I settled into Sidecars, and Carrie ordered a plate of horseradish deviled eggs, the creamy egg yolk spiked with horseradish.

After a quick stop at another bar (can’t remember the name), we hit SPQR for dinner. I was really excited – the new "it" place in Pac Heights had just opened, run by the same folks behind A16, one of my favorite San Francisco restaurants. The appetizers were good – shelling beans, sweetbreads, sunchokes and mushrooms, olives and a few others. Sadly, I chose my main dish wrong, one that was primarily oddly shaped pasta mixed with a bit of tomato, tuna and capers; it could have been good, but was just mediocre. Suzette’s calamari was delicious, Drew’s pork was fabulous and Carrie said that her carbonera was also tasty. Win some in the food world, you lose some. The table shared a slightly underwhelming dessert, something resembling a grilled cheese sandwich. A birthday song was required - I made a wish and blew out the candle.

35 is a nice, sturdy, in-the-middle celebratory number. Not like 30 or 40, which tend to be life markers, but still, solid. In the third grade, I had to memorize the multiplication tables, and since, have always been fond of 5 and 7 as multipliers (along with 7 and 8). I thought the equation was pretty to write, pretty to look at, especially once I adopted the European writing standard for 7 (with the line through the stem). I may have been a slightly twisted elementary school student, come to think of it.

I told Aimee - we've known each other since we were 4 - that I realized I was alarmingly close to 40, and am now saying that I need to go to Betty Ford at 50, rather than the previously stated 40th birthday. She wondered where we’ve gone wrong, “I’m pregnant, you’re a drunk…” Truly something to ponder.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carrie came to visit for a long weekend, in part to see my new home and also meet many friends at the housewarming party. Her flight was delayed by several hours, and to her credit, she managed to spend the time wisely, drinking martinis and catching up on the latest celebrity gossip in the airport bar. I’m so proud.

After arriving, she rallied and we dined at Harvest Vine. I’d been once before, and remember enjoying the meal so very much. My second visit did not disappoint – it was amazing and I really can’t wait to return.

Small plates kept arriving, each just as delicious and beautifully presented as the last. We began with a charcuterie plate, contained translucent thin slices of Serrano ham, copa, spicy salami and air dried pork. Boquarones, tasty marinated sardines arrived next – this may have been one of my favorite, if it is possible to choose a favorite. We then went a bit extravagant, with crispy seared scallops atop a bed of caramelized onions and seared foie gras with caramelized pumpkin. For dessert, we shared a square of flakey puff pastry stuffed with almond paste and accompanied by a scoop of vanilla caramel sea salt ice cream; I think that caramel and sea salt is now one of my favorite combinations. A nice tempranillo went well with the meal.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 07:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I’ve always been impressed by Phinney Ridge. Not only does the neighborhood have El Chupacabra with its fabulous burritos and tasty margaritas AND Red Mill Burgers, it has a strong neighborhood association which produces fabulous events. Last summer, I went to a micro-brew tasting in the Phinney Community Center, an old school house. I was really impressed; the event was clearly for the neighborhood and real beer lovers, rather than the usual former frat boy element of beer festivals. And the selection was an amazing group of high quality micro-brews, plus some tasty treats.

Phinney outdid itself with “An Incredible Feast�?. A partnership with Seattle chefs and the Phinney Farmer’s Market, chefs worked with local growers to create dishes, with excellent results. For what I quickly realized was a small fee, we were able to walk around and taste as much as we could eat, selecting from at least 25 different foods (if not more). The chef and farmers were there, to serve the food, talk about the food and overall, promote local farmers. All in all, it was delicious. And, the best part – the organizers compiled a cookbook, which was included in the price of admission. Yeah!

My Incredible Feast highlights, in no particular order:

Summer Squash Crostini with Smoked Salmon Mousse: The crostini was made with squash, giving it an interesting texture that I didn’t quite expect. It paired well with the smoked salmon mousse…because after all, what can be better than smoked salmon than to mousse it? It came from Growing Things Farm and Restaurant Eva.

Kasu Jiro Soup with Seared Salmon: From Loki Fish Company and Chiso, the soup was a rich broth of seafood goodness. Reading the recipe, I was surprised that the broth wasn’t made by simmering fish bones and vegetables for several hours, rather, it using dashi as a base, followed by simmering time with a few Japanese vegetables. The flavors were perfectly accented with a piece of seared salmon.

Goat Cheese and Sweet Onion Tartlets: Little tartlets in phyllo cups. Nothing much more needs to be said, except for the fact that I needed to have seconds. The recipe came from Nell’s, the goat cheese from Port Madison Farm.
Zabaglione Semifreddo: Frozen deliciousness, topped with a syrupy raspberry wine. From Rockridge Farms and La Medusa.

Roasted Lamb Salad with Haricots Verts, Cipollini Onions and Citrus Dressing. The name of this dish makes it seem much more complicated than reality. Really, it was a straightforward dish, with perfectly seared rare lamb and a few vegetables, all tangy with the citrus dressing. The lamb came from Sea Breeze Farm, the recipe from Restaurant Zoe. I’m not surprised by this recipe, considering how much much Zoe impressed me.

Chilled Fava Bean Soup with Dungeness Crab and Truffle Oil: I love fava beans, crab and truffle oil, so it’s not really surprising that I loved the combination. The soup was mild and earthy, the crab and truffle oil were an excellent addition of sweet and garlicky earthiness. This was created by Stoney Plains Organic and Oliver’s Twist. I really need to go to Oliver’s Twist.

Steamed Musells and Fennel with Iranian Saffron: I think this was one of my favorite dishes, and am sad that I found the mussell at the end, mainly because I couldn’t really eat more than one. The broth was rich and flavorful, and judging by the recipe, one of those dishes that takes a while to make. This came from Rover’s and Taylor Shellfish.

Roasted Organic Suckling Pig: The roasted pig sat on a giant cutting board, reminding us all that the delicious pulled pork came from a baby pig. It was moist and rich, bursting with spicy pork flavors. Wow. The pig came from Whistling Train Farm; the cooking was supplied by Brasa.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We had reason to celebrate - a Monday morning presentation represented the end of a three-month long project. What better way to celebrate, than with Tom Douglas' Serious Pie, a place with amazing, wood-fired, thin crusted pizza, really, the perfect pizza.

We began with a salad of butter lettuce, poached cherries and smoked buffalo mozarella (brachhio, maybe?). The pizzas then arrived - three beautiful creations. Roasted potato with a shake of parmesan. Marinara and cheese. Mushroom with truffled cheese. All fabulous. I accompanied with a tasty glass of dolcetto.

And then it was time for dessert. A sister restaurant of Dahlia Lounge, we ordered off of the Serious Pie menu from the Dahlia menu. Our waitress delivered two slices of the famous coconut cream pie and a steaming bag of Dahlia donuts, with vanilla and raspberry dipping sauces. The coconut cream pie was all that I remembered - a flaky crust, a rich and thick cream studded with chunks of fresh coconut and a layer of lightly sweetened cream, covered in white chocolate curles and flakes of freshly roasted coconut. It was heaven. I didn't even taste the donuts, but was told that they were delicious.

After two bites of pie, Jeff remarked "This is really rich". "Yes" I mumbled, my mouth full of coconut cream goodness, "Eating this takes work."

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to my daily dose of Daily Candy (which finally started in Seattle, yeah!), I discovered that the forever-in-renovation space in the Wallingford Center had been completed, serving a very useful purpose as cupcake shop and cafe, Trophy Cupcakes and Party.

After a brief stop for lunch, beer purchases at the Bottle Shop and a dose of gourmet at Cosa Bella (where I picked up the very excellent Ecorce de Sapin, a wonderfully runny cheese, tasting of slight sour and toasted almonds), Jill, Jamie and I made our way to the cupcakery. Jill chose a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting, I went vanilla all the way. Other choices included red velvet, variations on coconut and a chai cupcake. Wisely, we decided that going basic would give us a good sense of the cupcakery's potential; after all, if they couldn't make a decent basic cupcake, were the gourmet ones really worth it? Jamie disagreed, but he also doesn't like cupcakes, so I'm not sure that I trust his line of argument. (Sorry Jamie)

The Trophy Cupcake was delicious. Airy cake, with enough structure to support the generous helping of frosting, but not overly dense. The frosting on it's own wasn't as sweet and cloying as say, a Safeway cupcake. I'll be eager to see how well it does over the long-term. I suspect that cupcakes are a fad that are nearing their end for now, but Wallingford could be a great location, considering the neighborhood's heavy emphasis on family. Also, the cupcakery sells an assortment of other stuff, including cupcake decorations and cards.

In other news, I finally broke down and bought the new Shuffle; mine was a year old, starting to have problems and rather than suffer the pain of it's eventual breakdown and demise, proactively purchased a new one. For those that care, i selected silver. The colors are super cute, but in the end, I thought the silver was best.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was time for a road trip, so Friday after work, we headed up to Vancouver, a short 3 hour drive away. Really, the weekend was eating, drinking, shopping and staying out of trouble. Vancouver is a great place to visit, the perfect road trip to a very international city.

Dinner Friday night at an old style steak house just off of Robson Street with an imposingly large menu and sheet of white butcher paper laid on top of the white table cloth. I agonized - partially caused by the late hour - ultimately choosing an iceburg wedge with bacon and blue cheese dressing and a lamb shank with mashed potatoes. My partner-in-crime had a caesar salad, steak and very excellent horseradish mashed potatoes. A cabernet, the Shadow of the Dog or the Hair of the Dog or something similar was served with; it didn't have much depth.

Appetizers at Cardeno's Saturday afternoon. Very excellent oysters, on the smaller side, crisp and sweet. I was reminded of what it's like to taste and experience oysters for the first time. An oyster virgins' questions: do I chew? what do they taste like? how should I eat them? I also enjoyed the Granville micro brews (so much so, that I had more later that night).

Dinner Saturday night, at the very excellent Fuel, one of Vancouver's newest, hottest restaurants. The bread - delicious crunchy rolls - was served in one of the most creative ways I've ever seen: the rolls were laid on a piece of granite, with unsalted butter and flakes of sea salt. The only sad part was that they didn't deliver more bread (which they could have. Walking out, I saw more rolls on the baking rack in the kitchen). I chose the warm mushroom salad as an appetizer. The salad was dressed with a poached egg and a sherry vineagrette. While the combination sounds odd, it was delicious. Pete ordered beef consomme, elaborately poured over fried manchego cheese slices; a comic strip was laid between the lead glass bowl and white serving plate, a nice twist. Main courses: trout with hazlenut sauce and a sauteed winter vegetables and a chorus of pork with a fennel compote (or something like that). A very nice Penfold's Shiraz accompanied.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony and I chose Gary Danko in San Francisco for our annual holiday dinner. As a chef, I suppose you know that you’ve made it when people don’t snicker at the vanity name. And, at every step, the Gary Danko brand is presented, emblazoned on match boxes at the door, the sticker on the toilet paper roll in the bathroom, the pen used to sign our receipts, the old-fashioned purse holder attached to the table.

Gary Danko ranks as one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had. It’s definitely at the same level as the French Laundry and Michael Minna, it’s that fabulous. In combination, all of the elements that count – the food, the atmosphere, the service – were simply exceptional.

The menu is fairly unique. The chef pulled together a five-course prix fixe meal, or if that wasn’t interesting (it wasn’t to us), we could mix and match our own meal, choosing dishes from “appetizers�?, “seafood�?, “poultry and meat�?, “cheese�? and “dessert�? and selecting a three, four or five course meal, each course a set price. We went with the four course, a decidedly rich and complex meal.

Chef’s favor: venison stock with a grilled orange segment and clove biscotti. I’m not sure that I liked the citrus, but the venison stock was deep, smokey and delicious, complimented well by the smokey spice of the clove biscotti. I can only imagine how much time someone spent making the stock.

First course: Tony selected oysters and caviar, I, seared scallops. While both dishes may sound somewhat simple, each were served with complex sauce and were rich and delicious. This is the only dish that we didn’t fully share, instead handing each other a bite. Partly because neither of us had said, “hey, let’s swap plates halfway through�? and partly because I am selfish and scallops are one of my all-time favorites.

Second course: Our server told us that they had white truffles available. Remembering how much we loved white truffles (I can still taste the white truffle angel hair pasta at Quince), we splurged. White truffles were thinly shaved on seafood risotto (creamy white goodness studded with chunks of lobster) and foie gras seared with a sweet apple sauce. The tangy garlicky earthiness of the white truffles went perfectly with each dish.

Third course: I chose duck, coated in spices and seared. It was accompanied by duck hash, a sort of pancake and a few vegetables. Tony chose the yellow tail tuna, which wasn’t bad, but fairly ordinary considering that everything else was so spectacular. It came with a roll containing some sort of pickled vegetable and monkfish liver, a decision that definitely elevated what was a somewhat unexceptional dish.

Fourth course: Cheese. All cheese. I should have written down our cheese choices. A cart with at least 30 different types of cheese was wheeled to our table, every piece was explained to us, we made decisions and four very generous servings arrived on my plate. On reflection, I think I chose a Sally Jackson, a goat gouda, a cowgirl creamery and something else, but I can’t quite be certain. I was sad that I couldn’t finish the cheese – but at a certain point, I was done.

Of the drink to accompany, we began with kir royals (had to wait at the bar for a few minutes) and enjoyed a bottle of champagne. It’s a standard with us.

One last note. The restaurant was elegant, dark wood and mirrors. And the bathroom was just cool. A little fountain under the sink, paintings, flowers, and the som held the door open for me. That is service.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Coco La Ti Da opened! Fabulous! Amore!

Sue McCowan, owner and head chef, created a wonderful little space of tables and an even more hip and casual side room with moveable mirrored tables and couches (not so moveable). Her designers did an amazing job with the space and murals (especially considering that they are a tad bit gothic, but can not be removed, as the Loveless Building, which houses Coco, as well as Joe Bar, Massage Sanctuary, other shops and a slew of apartments, is a historic landmark, and thus, the murals must stay). Fabulous background music, great atmosphere, and one of those places that works dressed down and dressed up, for a date or with a group or by yourself.

Asra and I - both super excited - went the day after opening. The menu is arranged beautifully, with multiple small dishes that allow combinations and sharing (there are usually two or three entree specials). We began with cheese - jasper farms cows milk, a goat cheese and semi-firm cow cheese. Next, we enjoyed savory lollipops, which as implied by the name, were savory bites on sticks. A slice of baked apple, a warm fig stuffed with goat cheese and a warm date stuffed with cheese and wrapped with pancetta. We also split a plate of curried lamb skewers. And finally, for dessert, we shared four dessert lollipops, slices of cake on sticks. "The Loveless", chocoate cake layered with strawberry buttercream (my favorite, and more on this in another blog), "The Exit", chocolate, caramel, sea salt and dried pears, "Sweet Relief", lemon cake and meringue and "Tomboy", spice cake with cream cheese frosting. I also had a glass of Sangiovese (ok) and a glass of pinot (much better). The mixed drink menu looked absolutely scrumptious.

For San Francisco friends, this place is similar to my beloved Citizen Cake, but different enough that it doesn't really draw comparisons. Coco La Ti Da is certainly a sexy little dessert lounge, and I have a feeling, will become an expensive little habit in my life, along with Sun Liquor and Cafe Venus.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What to Drink With What to Eat is a just published book that's well, all about what to drink with what you eat.

The authors, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, received a James Beard award for a previous book (either Becoming a Chef or Culinary Artistry), which they joked may be a bit hard to top with any book. It's an excellent skimming read - I received a free copy when I attended a special dinner at Dahlia Lounge and got a chance to chat with the authors. Without going into a lot of details (because you can either read the book or the reviews on Amazon), the authors do a fabulous job of listing a variety of liquids and foods and what pairs best. It's not just wine, but covers everything from fruit juice to sake to spirits to water to champagne. I'm happy to see that the "chocolate" category has a significant list of items, including my all-time favorite chocolate pairings porter and cabernet.

The real content for this blog however, is about the Dahlia Lounge dinner, a scrumptious eight-course meal carefully paired with wine in honor of the book and the authors. I can honestly say that this meal is one of my all-time favorites, close in quality and arts to memories of the French Laundry, Michael Minna, Quince and Fifth Floor. Tom Douglas gave a small speech about the moment in France years ago when he realized the perfect pairing of cheese and wine. He also spent a few minutes explaining the forthcoming meal, which while eight courses, would be small plates (despite the small plates, I was stuffed at the end, the portions were sized perfectly). He also hung out for a while, talking around the room (not to me, because, well, I get a little flustered around amazing chefs); a few of the women at our table convinced him to bring us a pizza from Serious Pie (his very excellent new pizza place, similar to my beloved Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco), which was a lovely addition to the meal. The authors also said a few words. And then the food and drink began.

First course: A small piece of slow roasted pear, with a few scattered hazelnuts, slivers of bacon and chicory salad. This was great - the salt and sweet were nicely combined, and the salad was lightly dressed with a lemon based dressing. I enjoyed the Steinberge Riesling Qba 20045 from Germany; it had some fruity flavors that perfectly matched the pear.

Second course: A piece of caramelized fennel with a sort of green olive tapanade and then what was called "fennel frond verjusenette", basically pureed fennel. I especially love fennel, and it was perfectly caramelized which was so delicious. I did remark to Jackie (my neighbor at the Park Rose Terrace) that this was my favorite course. Little did I know what else was coming. Two wines were poured for this course and carried to the next: a 2005 Mark Ryan Chardonnay and a 2005 Chinook Sauvignon Blanc. I did not care for the chardonnay, I'm just not a chardonnay person, although I should note that I did manage to drink it, as it makes me sad to waste wine. The sauvignon blanc was fabulous, and I loved it with both the fennel and the next course.

Third course: This became my favorite dish so far: a small portion of thick cauliflower-lemon soup adorned with a spoonful of curry infused oil, topped with a perfectly seared scallop and crispy garlic. The scallop was amazing and the flavors worked very well together. I wanted seconds.

Fourth Course: A piece of Dahlia's smoked salmon with a sesame seeds and hot mustard. Good and a nice way to move into the heavier meat courses.

Fifth Course: Duck was served with a 1999 Castillo Labastida Rioja Reserva. Actually, it wasn't just duck: it was a generous helping of five spice duck with a scallion pancake and a kung pao cashew mixture. The duck was cooked with "five spices", which gave it a great depth of asian flavors and made the skin extra tasty.This was absolutely delicious, although I wasn't so fond of the rioja pairing with the duck - for some reasons, the flavors just did not marry well. However, the Rioja went very well with the next dish...

Sixth Course: A wood roasted lamb chop with a gratin of kale and potato and a "roasted pepper-anchovy chow chow", sort of a relish. This dish was delicious; the anchovies weren't too overpowering and held up nicely against the lamb. And the rioja, well, the rioja was deep and tasy and perfect with the lamb.

Seventh Course: As I'm typing this up, I've begun to realize just how decadent this meal was. A tiny apple dumpling was paired with a piece of soft cheese from Jasper Hill Farms (which I think is located in this area, since I've seen the same cheese on other menus). The cheese was soft like a brie, although the flavors were not as pungent. I enjoyed the 2003 Townshend Late Harvest Viognier. I also never realized that Viognier was a sweet dessert wine wine - I had always assumed it was a blend of white wines and paired with chicken and fish. Or maybe I'm just confused.

Eighth Course: It makes me sad to write this, but the final course simply fell flat. I would have been content with a piece of Tom Douglas' signature coconut cream pie, although it may have been too rich, and perhaps too plain to stand up to the rest of the meal The dessert was good, don't get me wrong, but it just did not stand up to the quality and genius of the previus courses. A vanilla-citrus ganache, cocoa nib spice cake and mulled wine sorbet, which seemed to be a mishmash of leftovers rather than one signature dessert that would have sparkled all on its own. However, the wine, a 2005 Brachetto d'Acqui Prieto from Italy was simply out of this world. It was sparkly, like a champagne (and was served in a flute), but creamy and deep rich color at the same time. I had a second glass and want to pick up a few bottles.

And that was a Monday night at the Dahlia Lounge.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interesting article in today's NY Times about entrees at mid-tier restaurants reaching $40. The cost of food - particularly those not easy to get (organic farmers can produce only so much of our food supply) - plus increasing rents, labor, and other restaurant costs, factor into the rising costs. Some lament the expense, but I suspect that most accept the prices without much more than a "that's the cost of fine dining".

The first thing to point out is that, well, life is expensive, especially in certain geographic locations, such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Vegas, etc.

But more importantly, and missed by the article, is that cooking is expensive. And time consuming. Hosting a dinner party for a group of friends can easily exceed $100, not to mention the time required to make the meal. (Please do not read this as a complaint - if I didn't enjoy designing a menu, scouring the farmer's market and grocery store for ingredients and constructing the meal, I would never invite anyone over). When, not if, I pay $40 for an entree (and I know that I have paid close, if not that amount in the past), I expect that the same degree of time, effort and expense (if not more, since I don't do some things from scratch, like broth or pasta) went into creating the meal for me in the restaurant that I would have at home.

I recently read an article in the New Yorker, which pointed out that the cost of a restaurant meal has not kept up with inflation, and in fact, dining out now is cheaper than it was 40 years ago (also a time when far fewer people dined out). Factor in employee salaries, hopefully a livable wage, rent, building upkeep, insurance to protect against the crazies looking to sue, etc and it's actually surprising that $40 entrees haven't yet hit the market in greater numbers.

I do wonder - did the NY Times article stem from an editor who just noticed the price of entrees and made his reporter write a story that's not really a story? In my former career, I had at least one call a month with a reporter who would say "I know that this really isn't a story, but my editor think it is and I'm being forced to write". It's highly likely that the $40 entree is not necessarily new, but is now news, and it certainly didn't happen overnight.

Best quote at the end of the story: “Your $40 plate?�? Mr. Zagat said. “It comes with a $20 first course.�?

Well, duh.

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've heard about Teatro Zinzanni for years - it's in San Francisco, but was always one of those "someday I may get to it" type of things. I finally got to it, in Seattle, when Char sent out an invite for a Theater of Puget Sound Live Theater week kick-off and fundraiser.

Before talking about the food and experience (because Teatro Zinzanni, or TZ, is an experience), it's worth noting a few of the tidbits that I found out about Seattle and the acting community. Over 100 theater groups exist in the Puget Sound Area, 136 to be exact. Someone noted that Seattle is one of the only cities in which an actor can actually earn a living acting; the cominbation of theaters and strong community support make this situation possible. Although, I do wonder how long this will continue, considering the rapidly rising cost of living (and case in point, my neighbor Curtis, also an actor, works a day job). A few days later, Curtis told me that Seattle is among the top three cities for those in the arts (New York and Chicago are the other two). And I was especially happy to have supported TPS, when he talked about the amount of support the group gives to actors. I had absolutely no idea - but can say I'm extremely proud to be a resident in this city and am going to take advantage as much as possible. (Case in point, last night I attended The Whore of Texas at the tiny and very cool Theater Schmeater, right in my neighborhood).

So, about my night at TZ. It is true dinner theater - the actors mingle with the audience at every possible moment, not only just socializing, but pulling audience members onto the figurative stage (set amongst the tables) to be lettuce or help make a movie or something they dream up. It is unusual, fun and highly entertaining. Richard was particulaly liked at our table - I believe his head may have been fondled more than once. Entertainment, wrapped around a not particularly clever story, is a combination of song, juggling, acrobatics, and humor. I particularly liked the three french guys at the end - their combination acrobatic/dance act was highly entertaining, and their finale had me catching my breath.

About the food. The most important thing to keep in mind is that Seattle's hero chef, Tom Douglas, designs the menu. The next most important thing to know is that a wine course is also available, of which I must say, the som did an excellent job of pairing great wines with each course. The food:

First course: Crostini with olive tapenade, goat cheese mouse, melon and figs.

Second course: Orechiette pasta and broccolini, spiced with red pepper flakes and a very heavy dose of garlic. I wish that I could remember which wine we had (I stared at the menu trying to memorize the name, but alas, it's gone). What I do know is that the wine perfectly complemented the spiciness of the dish...

Third course: Smoked trout, accompanied with cucumber panna cotta and sweet vermouth sauce. This was my favorite course. The slightly tart panna cotta perfectly complemented the smoked trout, and the vermouth sauce added a nice balance of sweet.

Fourth, or Main course: I chose steak, with very excellent garlic mashed potatoes and a few fried onions and fresh, bright green beans coated in butter. The steak was ok; it was a hangar steak, but had been sitting for a bit too long before being served, and just did not live up to the standards of the rest of the meal. The pinot was quite tasty. Now, I wish that I had gone with the salmon.

Dessert: Wow. A generously sized cup of something was placed in front of me. Digging in, I discovered a creamy lime mousse covered with a beautifully browned and thick dollop of meringue. Digging deeper, I found a hazlenut cookie at the bottom. And what may have been mistaken as a cup holding the entire thing together was actually a thick band of white chocolate. Again, wow. It was one of the most perfect composed desserts I've had in a long time, with an excellent balance of sweet and slightly tart.

I'm now wondering - how did the pastry chef manage to brown the meringue without melting the white chocolate? And how did those French guys not manage to kill themselves? The mysteries of TZ...

Posted by Schelley Olhava at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)