Hamming it Up for Easter

Michael made a heck of a ham for Easter Sunday.

We had it with fresh spring asparagus and roasted red potatoes that were finished with butter, salt and pepper, fresh parsley and--get this--lemon zest. Yumski!


Looking forward to leftovers!

"Mmm, it's so watery! And yet there's a smack of ham to it."

-Buster

Chicchetti - FAIL

I was excited to try out another new place on the Eastlake corridor, Chicchetti. Venetian tapas? Sign me up!

But not for a return visit. The food wasn't great.

The foccaccia was too thick and a little on the dry/dense side. The olive oil for dipping was too plain, even for a girl like me who adores her EVOO. Add some herbs or vinegar, please!

We were intruiged by the Octopus with salsa verde and chickpeas, which turned out to be chopped octopus with garbanzos, more plain olive oil (are they not using high quality olive oil? why don't I like it?) and some unhelpful flavorless green herbs. Was it fresh parsley? There was no flavor. The dish was sadly under-seasoned. We thought maybe some lemon or some salt might have helped? Or a recognizable fresh herb? There were some pickled onions on top, but not nearly enough to help the dish be anything but plain.

The pizzas? Pass. The margharita was fine I guess, but you can find so much better versions of that in Seattle. The pizza that caught our attention turned out to be too heavy and salty--which is hard to do on a thin crust pizza, isn't it? Don't know what kind of cheese it was, but it wasn't paired well with the strange olive oil (there it is again!) and the hunks of cured pork. The pork had some fancy name we couldn't pronounce and was sold to us as "sort of like bacon." It was fatty and tough and tasted oddly salty in a way that put me in mind of anchovies. Not in a good way.

There were children (?) wandering through the dining area. Mmm, no thank you. This place reads more like a bar. Why are kids here?

The best thing going for this place is its warm and friendly servers and the fries with yummy drippy bleu cheesey dipping sauce. But come on--how hard is it to find good fries?

Dear Chicceti, Figure out how to season things and pair flavors and textures. It's not that hard. Love, Jean

Hilo Bay Cafe

The host at our B&B in Hilo directed us to Cafe Pesto on our first night there. It was easy, predictable, overpriced, and the food was...edible. The next night we discovered Hilo Bay Cafe. Hilariously situated next to Walmart, it's a cute little fancy place. We were able to get a table without much wait, but on our last night there we opted for reservations and got a great table by the front window with super comfy leather chairs. We were very happy with our food and beverages, and the service was lovely.

We had a chicken dish and the barbecued ribs with some sort of savory bread pudding thing. It was tasty, but the two most memorable dishes were as follows:

This is the pan-roasted jumbo pork chop with gorgonzola fondue potatoes (amazing), broccolini, and smoked bacon-apple vinaigrette.

Beef carpaccio that changed my life. Those are dollops of horseradish and sprinklings of truffle oil.

Loco Moco

We had heard that the Loco Moco was invented in Hilo, and that Cafe 100 was the place to get it. Legend has it that the Loco Moco was invented in this very restaurant.

It reminds me of Dick's Burgers in Seattle, with its walk-up window. There are plenty of picnic tables even for the hoardes of people waiting in line for lunch on the day we went.

There are about a gazillion different variations on the Loco Moco. We got the standard rice + hamburger patty + gravy + fried eggs, but also had a little slab of grilled Spam and a couple of slices of yummy portuguese sausage (linguica?).

And of course the requisite macaroni salad on top of a dollop of coleslaw. Such a hearty and homey meal! I think this would be something you'd want to eat as a stick-to-your ribs breakfast before taking a tropical hike. Too bad all we had planned on that day was bumming around Hilo. We wouldn't have had to eat again for our entire trip. Oh, but we did eat again...

Duck!

In 2008 we visited Arles, France and had dinner at La Caravelle. I ordered le canard, and it was fantastic. It was duck with some sort of tomato based sauce, and green olvies, served over wide ribbon noodles. I found this recipe for Duck Legs in Green Olive Sauce with Cracklings and Pappardelle, which is close to what I remember.


We found duck legs in the freezer section of Whole Foods, but we were hoping for fresh. I think we need to find an actual butcher here in Seattle.

So we made cracklins out of the duck skin and boy is there a lot of fat in those things! I have a little jar of in my fridge because it's supposed to be great for frying potatoes. How French am I? Pretty darn tootin' French, that's for sure.

The cracked green olives were fantastic. They must have crack in them. And we were delighted to try a new ingredient--green peppercorns in brine. They added a very nice flavor to the sauce. The tomato sauce balances nicely with the briney/salty flavors and the bright orange zest and cointreau. The cracklins, breadcrumbs and parsley on top were brilliant additions of texture, flavor, and color. This is a wonderful special-occasion dish, but I can easily see making a version of it with chicken for a faster, simpler meal.


We also tried a new-to-us wine -- a burgundy. It was floral and tart all at the same time, and had a beautiful bright red color. It paired very well with the rich, gamey poultry.

The best part of the meal was, of course, cooking it and sharing it with my Valentine:

Pastis-marinated Chèvre

We were looking for a Provence-inspired appetizer recipe and stumbled upon this fantastic and simple preparation of goat cheese: Pastis-marinated Chèvre.

We brought some pastis home from Arles in a really cute little bottle. It's yummy as an apertif, but a little goes a long way. It was fun to stumble upon another purpose for the pastis.

Michael sliced up the goat cheese into little disks, added extra virgin olive oil, the pastis, and herbes de provence and let it all get friendly with each other in a jar in the fridge. The next day we had some fantastic cheese to spread on slices of baguette. It was even better toasted!

Aloha Fresh Fruit

I could get used to this.

10 (I counted) kinds of fresh fruit every morning

Kona coffee

and an ocean view

Hilo has it figured out!

Mikey's Gyro's

Mikey's is one of the few local restaurants in Moscow that has managed to survive over the years. It's definitely a local institution. On this particular New Year's visit we stopped by for lunch and a pint of dark beer. So yummy on a winter's afternoon!


Their homemade strawberry lemonade is fantastic, especially on a hot summer's day when there is a free table out on the sidewalk.

Their menu hasn't changed as far as I can remember. They are still serving up all kinds of tasty Greek goodness, with lots of vegetarian options. They do homemade soups. They do hummus. They do all kinds of gyros.

We had their standard Gyro With Cheese -- a fluffy warm pita topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, yogurt-cucumber dressing, and of course, grilled lamb.

I hope they stick it out on Main Street for many many years to come. Cheers to Mikey's!

l'Hôtel du Château Beynac et Cazenac

We had the house wine. And I do mean the house wine--we were staying and eating here, at l'Hôtel du Château Beynac et Cazenac:

I think we were one of two tables in the entire place. It was so relaxing!

I couldn't resist the salmon appetizer. So pretty!

I shared with Michael of course, and he shared with me his fois gras (the specialty of the region) and all the dainty little accompaniments, including some ground walnuts (another specialty of the region).


The light garlic soup with bread floaties could have been the main course:


But how could we resist delicious red meat, potatoes, and french green beans?

What a great start to our tour of France!

Recipe: Mixed Green Salad with Warm Cream Cheese "Croutons"

Sydney found this recipe on a salad dressing ad in a magazine and told me how good it was. She was correct. It's brilliant! The croutons are warm and toasty and creamy and really go well with the sweetness of the pomegranate and the tartness of the apples. I added a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Divine!


Mixed Green Salad with Warm Cream Cheese "Croutons"

Ingredients
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped sliced almonds
8 cups torn salad greens
1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

SPRAY medium skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium heat. Meanwhile, coat cream cheese cubes with almonds. ADD to skillet; cook 3 min. or until golden brown, turning occasionally. TOSS remaining ingredients in large bowl. Top with cheese. Serve immediately.

The Saint

"Looks like a guy who you think is called Hermano is going to get his ass kicked."
-Gob Bluth

The Saint's house margarita, the Hermano, is delicious! I'm not typically a connoisseur of tequila, but this is awesome.

But then Emilie ordered an Old and Nutty, which is burbon (Old Crow I think ?), orange bitters, ginger syrup, and nutmeg. It was so fabulous, that's what AJ and I both ordered on our next round.

The Old & Nutty, and a guacamole plate

We tried the yuca fries, which are like big steak fries and the yuca is stringier and mealier than a potato, but not bad. AJ and I both had the tasty chicken mole. Her happy hour portion was not much smaller than my full portion, and both come with cute little flour tortillas, rice, and kidney beans.

I dragged Michael there for happy hour soon after, as I was craving another Old and Nutty. He didn't love his drink, which was like an old fashioned but with tequila. But we did enjoy the guacamole, which comes with a generous basket of chips, and three kinds of salsa.


My first impression of The Saint -- before I went there -- was that it was full of itself and snooty. It's bright blue exterior is super cute, but the lack of signage/advertising made me think it was a too-cool-for-school kind of place. But really, how could a place that used to house the Wing Dome be anything but awesome? Turns out, it is pretty casual (at happy hour anyway) and is just about good tequila and yummy food.

The New York Cocktail

Who doesn't like a delicious cocktail? Mormons, I guess. Recently, we got a bottle of George Dickel Whiskey and thought it quite delicious in mixed drinks. So after a few Ol' Fashioneds we tried a new mixture: The New York, substituting Dickel for the Canadian. (Always substitute Dickel for the Canadian.) We think you will enjoy it.

The Formula

• 2oz blended Canadian
• the juice of one tortured lime
• 1/2 tsp simple syrup
• 1 tsp Grenadine

Shake vigorously and pour over ice into an icy old fashioned glass. Garnish with a twist of orange.

Ravish-ing!

Ravish on Eastlake is my new best friend.

Location - check.

Atmosphere - check.

Drinks - check.

Food - check.

Service - check.

It's in an unassuming location across from Eastlake Bar & Grill in that new condo building. I passed by on my walk home from work a couple of weeks ago--it wasn't open on this particular day--and was immediately enamored of the cute, girly, green-painted chairs I could see through the window. They have clearly gone to a lot of trouble to make the place cute. Love it.

We started with a trio of house-made artisan (Michael says artesian) spreads. One was a yummy olive tapenade with fresh basil and capers, oh yes. Then there was a sultry smoky, sundried tomato pine-nut spread, oh my. And some creamy herbed chevre spread with La Panzanella croccantini (this is crackers, not tiny italian crocodiles) & baguette slices. We liked the crackers but the bread was a tad dry.

They had Stella on draft, on happy hour, and a very good selection of bottled beers including Black Lion Lev Czech Premium Dark Beer (which my resident homebrewer wants you to know is a lager) and this one with cute pink elephants, Delirium Tremens, in its own lil' tulip glass. Cuteski!

There were easily half a dozen reds and whites each on the wine-by-the-glass section of the menu, and it was predominantly Frenchy. Love it. The rose I had first wasn't the best I have had (and was oddly koolaid colored) but the Cotes de Ventoux whateveritwas was delicious. I think HP liked her fresh tasting Sauvignon-Semillion better than the chardonnayish house white that she first tried.

We ordered the Applegate Farms organic mini-pigs in mini-blankets (about 7 or 8 of them), with ketchup & mustard that claimed it was horseradishy, but merely tasted like stone-ground mustard. Did I mention the pigs were mini? MINI!!!! Serve her anything mini and HP is in. Mini piggies in little, teeny, tiny, itty bitty blankets of puff pastry yumminess. They were $1 off on happy hour.

Also, mini meatloaf sliders. (WHAT.) These came two per order.

Then there was the heavenly trio of salads, one for each of us.


Michael had the beet salad with Rogue Creamery Oregon bleu cheese, sherry vinaigrette, and some clearly-homemade spiced walnuts.

I had maybe the best caprese of my life, with basil and fresh mozzarella in just the right amount of balsamic vinaigrette. Love the red and yellow slices of heirloom tomato!

HP had the some lovely fresh greens heaped with raspberries and blueberries in some sort of balsamic loveliness, with sprinkles of feta.

I think we'd go back just for the salads. But then there was the very helpful bartender who convinced us to try Becherovka, which did indeed taste "like Christmas" with licoricey, spicey goodness and legendary cure-what-ails-ya powers. And "The Ravish" which is their signature cocktail (for now) which was some sort of creamy chocolate and cherry martini. Very nice.


And finally, the delicious Theo Chocolate: a little dish of 70% Dark, Sage, one vanilla, ghost chili chocolate covered caramel, and one little square that tasted like solid coffee (in a good way) the minute it hit your tongue. Fantastic!


Thanks to HP for the pics!!!

Cafe Flora

We tried Cafe Flora's lovely vegetarian fare for the first time last weekend with a Saturday brunch. It's got a super cute dining room, and the bar and atrium-like area looked really cute too. The service was just lovely.

Here's what our party had:

Cath had a breakfast quesadilla - flour tortilla filled with roasted yams, corn and Pepper Jack cheese wrapped with egg and pan fried. It was served with some sort of hot sauce, lime crème fraîche, and a little green salad with cilantro vinaigrette.


I had the heirloom tomato summer scramble. The eggs were mixed with fresh corn, grilled onions, and fresh dill. It was topped with a few slices of heirloom tomatoes and some salty crumbles of cotija cheese. It was served with some yummy cheesy grits and a slice of blueberry bread that I am pretty sure was vegan. It was pretty good, but a lot of eggs that were nothing super special.

I should have stolen more bites of Michael's peach pecan waffle. It was a very tasty cornmeal waffle garnished with toasted pecans, tart fresh peaches, and real maple syrup. This was delicious!
Even though this place doesn't have bacon and sausage, I'd totally come back for brunch. I think it would be fun to try for dinner too.

Bakers' Blueberries

Blueberries galore, as big as your face, and sweeter than any other blueberry! Can't you feel the antioxidants working, just from looking at the picture? I can.


There is nothing quite so yumski as a summer weekend at the Bakers' house in Quilcene. Swimming in the bay, bowls of fresh-picked blueberries at your fingertips, gallons of blueberries to take home as souvenirs, always (ALWAYS) cheese for snacking, and -- if you are very very lucky -- Charlie's pan-fried oysters, and/or Patty's peanutbutterlicious granola.

Green Chiles!

Everything I ever learned about green chiles I learned from Emilee.

The first time I visited New Mexico I received an orientation packet from her, which I cannot seem to find. Too bad, because it was incredibly informative about the New Mexican cuisine. I learned about being asked "Red or green?" and I learned about sopapillas. (I also received an official Blaze of Glory tshirt, which is still in my closet, but that is another story altogether.)

Tonight, hundreds of miles from Santa Fe, I bought some fresh roasted green chiles. They were still warm when I got them home!


Ok, I admit. It was a sad little ziplock baggie full, from one pathetic tumbler/roaster thingie set up in the street in front of Whole Foods. But they are delicious!

I still have a ton, but tonight I mixed some of them (in my new food processor) with some goat cheese and cream cheese and spread it on whole wheat tortillas. Rollups for lunch tomorrow! I'm the best Mom ever--to myself! If only I could find a way to make them heart-shaped...



And, if only I were having sopapillas and margaritas with Emilee right now.

Chicken Piccata

This is my version of a Cooking Light recipe. It is divine! Light (as promised) and flavorful, and quite easy to make. In fact, I'm craving another batch!

• 2 skinless, boneless, spineless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• juice and zest from 1 lemon
  
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4-5 oz linguine

Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness. Place flour in a shallow dish, and dredge chicken in flour.

Cook linguine until just before it is done. Drain.

While pasta cooks, prepare chicken and sauce. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add wine, lemon juice and zest, capers, and garlic to pan; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for a few minutes and add pasta. Cook for another couple of minutes. Serve pasta with chicken. Top it all with grated parmagiano-reggiano and salt and pepper. Divine!

Panzanella!

Did you know there is a type of salad that is mostly bread?

!!!!

I first made this using this recipe for Tuscan Bread and Tomato Salad. But it was in need of something extra, so I added fresh mozzarella. Then it needed a little more veggie action so I added fresh-from-the garden greens. And one time I had an avocado on hand, so I added that. Brilliant! Perfection! (Oh, and I add some dijon to the dressing.) And I use little sungold tomatoes from the garden, when available.

While this tastes lovely as a main course salad on a hot summer day, I can't figure out how to make it equally as yumski without the fresh homemade croutons, which require some hot oven action.

FAIL: Salvatore Ristorante Italiano

We really want to like Salvatore. Really, we do.

It's just up the street from our house, and it's quiet and intimate, and one of our favorite cuisine genres: Italian. But after two attempts to fall in love with it, we have added it to our "won't come back here" list of restaurants.

Complaints:

• A painfully long list of specials, listed for us in excruciating detail by the server.
  
• Vague smell of stale cigarettes
• Really? You're going to put the cloth napkin in my lap for me? Really? Is that what we're doing?
  
• My caprese was swimming (swimming) in a sea of olive oil.
• My carbonara had traces of identifiable undercooked egg white. No thank you. I want a smooth, cohesive sauce.
  
• Michael was super excited about his Argentinian beef dish, but he tasted nothing but gorgonzola goo that was drenching the entire plate.
  

Ultimately, the bar is set pretty high for Italian food in Seattle by both Monkey Valley and Bizarro's. We have not found an improvement on their chill atmosphere, amazing food, reasonable prices, and incredible service.

Sorry, Salvatore. It wasn't meant to be.

Love,
Jean

Homegrown Cherries

For the first time in four years we noticed a few ripe looking cherries our tree on the curb on 4th of July Weekend. Those dratted birds didn't get them this year! Michael busted out the ladder to harvest them. We are pretty much farmers.



We didn't get a ton, but they were sweet and warm from the sun and very delicious. Hope there are more next year!