Music: More Than a Sum of Its Notes
Seattlest Pix 30Dec11
Friday Morning Headlines
Can't Miss It: The Weekend and Forever Forward
Closing Words from Your Resident Beer-Nerd
It was one year ago that we were craving eastern European dumplings known as pelmeni, giving them a try at Café Yarmarka. The menu listed beef, pork, chicken, turkey and lamb options, but while we liked the many options, we found the pelmeni a little mushy and bland, and the sauce lacking in kick. We longed for the dumplings we'd eaten at Pel'Meni in Juneau, and wondered whether they were available in Bellingham.
One of the main things we love about winter is making all of our favorite one-pot meals. That comfort of filling the house with the smell of vegetables and garlic, and having the windows steam up in the kitchen from the heat of the warmth. Meals that we missed all last summer and now can finally make again until June, when we've had our fill and go into winter-food hibernation with barbeques, salads, and other easy dishes that won't make us break a sweat in our east-facing, upstairs apartment. Not to get down on summer--we've got plenty of favorites there as well--but we grew up in Alaska, where the winter foods last longer so they tend to be some of our most nostalgic.
So for our maiden journey into making homemade stock we chose instead to use the Crockpot. Not only can you make homemade stock in the Crockpot year round without dying from heat exhaustion in the middle of July, but anyone can do it--no matter what your previous skills in the kitchen are. You don't even have to actually bake the chicken yourself; buy one from the grocery store and when you're finished eating it just save the bones or carcass. Like we said, incredibly easy. Plus, it's essentialy calorie- and sodium-free (depending on what you throw in), and you don't have to worry about any unwanted additives.
Japanese immigrants have been growing yuzu trees in California for over a century, but until recently the fruit wasn't widely cultivated for commercial sale. Now that's changing with an increasing amount of farmers starting to raise yuzu to fulfill the demands from chefs. One such farmer is Robert McClendon. McClendon, a longtime pharmacist turned botanist, runs one of the Phoenix metro area's only USDA-certified organic produce farms. He has created a niche market by custom-growing exotic crops for some of the Southwest's top restaurants. When James Beard award winner Nobuo Fukuda came to him inquiring about yuzu he hadn't even heard of it. But after researching the fruit, he planted an orchard of 30 trees.
Walking through the door, we are transported to a different time and place. Perhaps circa-1960's, with a hot, humid climate somewhere like the Carolina's. We walk up to the counter and are greeted by Barbara, the most friendly, outgoing counter person we have seen in a long time. She points out the menu to us, an old Pepsi menu board with the white block lettering like you'd find at a drive-in diner or bowling alley. She informs us that they only take cash, luckily we came prepared. We placed our order, a chopped beef sandwich for my wife and a plate of ribs for myself, with a Peach Cobbler dessert to share.
Aside from the meat ball, pork blood, pork intestine, and quail egg you might see floating on the surface, know that below is some organic fermented tofu, a.k.a. "stinky tofu." You'll know something's brewing, as the smell will hit you as soon as the fiery pot hits the table.
Twenty years have passed since Rick and Ann Yoder opened the original Wild Ginger, an unusual café with a pan-Asian menu on the Western slope below the Market. In 2000 they moved uphill and took over the spacious Mann building at 3rd & Union, remodeling the upstairs in to a multi-sectioned 450-seat drinking & dining emporium and converting the lower level (a one-time porn theater) into one of the city's leading music venues, the Triple Door. Last year they expanded again, to the Bravern in Bellevue, a ready-made village of ultra shops, power offices and millionaire condos.
Glen W. Bell Jr., founder of Taco Bell, passed away Sunday. He was 86. Bell first began selling tacos in 1951, when he wanted to expand the menus at his hamburger stands. Bell also worked with an employee to open Der Wienerschnitzel in 1961, which turned into a 400-unit chain. Bell opened the first Taco Bell in 1962.
Chefs Collaborative works with chefs and the greater food community to celebrate local foods and foster a more sustainable food supply. The organization will use the proceeds to fund this year's Seattle Farmer-Fisher-Chef Connection (March 1) and other efforts, such as the Quillisascut Farm School Scholarships.
Nestlé also issued a recall of cookie dough in June after it was linked to an outbreak in which at least 72 people in 30 states became ill. People who consume E. coli can become severely ill with serious cases leading to kidney failure and even death. The bacteria can be killed by cooking and Nestlé repeated warnings that consumers should not eat raw dough and should bake it before eating.
Snob Factor? Pretty Low, but Kuma definitely takes their coffee very seriously. They are very proud of their beans and are not afraid to let you know about it. Don't be surprised if they throw out a shot or two while making your drink as they are perfectionists. We could see how their passion and pride in their product could be viewed as a tad pretentious, but just try their coffee and you will see where they are coming from!
Before there was Guy Fieri doing Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels on the Food Network and Chowhound, Yelp and Urbanspoon dominated our smart phones and laptops, Jane and Michael Stern were on the road reporting about authentic purveyors of regional American cuisine. Together they have traveled over 3 million miles, eaten over one-hundred thousand meals and written thirty books, not to mention work found in Gourmet Magazine and on NPR's Splendid Table. On Tuesday night they shared some of their stories from the road to a surprisingly, large crowd at Benaroya Hall presented by Seattle Arts & Lectures.
However, gliadins along with glutenins are the proteins responsible for bread dough's elasticity and plasticity. That is, the ability of dough to change shape under pressure, yet resist pressure and move back to its original shape when pressure is removed. Using genetic methods to remove the celiac-causing proteins, Dr. von Wettstein's task is to produce a similar wheat grain while preserving wheat's baking qualities.
Savuthy "T" Dye thought about Eden, and realized that rabbits run around in gardens. His Rabbit Three Ways dish included rabbit crepinette, rabbit loin, and a crown rack of rabbit. Apple and quince cemented the Eden connection; and, yes, there was blood. As Gabriel sang, this plate provided a "moment of bliss."
When Christina Keff launched Flying Fish at the corner of 1st and Bell almost 15 years ago, Belltown was still called the Denny Regrade, a culinary wasteland considered far too sketchy for a classy restaurant.
With the multi-state outbreak of E. Coli infections due to E. coli occurring just after this poll was taken, confidence in our nation's food is now likely lower than the report indicates. That outbreak resulted in 21 ill in 16 states, including 1 in Washington.
With winter in on our doorsteps, the cold and flu seasons are upon us. Clementines are a good source of Vitamin C, which has been shown to be effective in fending off colds.Whether eaten as is, candied, or tossed in a salad, clementines evoke a sense of freshness and seasonality.
Four Local Cooks Make the (Master Chef) Cut
The formidable Gordon Ramsey has a new reality show on Fox, Master Chef, and needs fresh blood: home cooks, amateur chefs. Hopefuls lined up yesterday in Kirkland, and four of them made it through to the second round: Leslie Kelly, erstwhile restaurant critic for the Pee Eye; Mark Schermerhorn, whose Dalmatian ate one of the duck breasts he was going to prepare; Scott Heimendinger, who blogs as SeattleFoodGeek; and Linda Miller Nicholson, whose website, SaltySeattle.com, is molto elegante. Congratulations are in order, we think, although standing up to Chef Ramsey would try the passion of even the most passionate foodie. Our money's on Nicholson, who has lived in Italy and looks like nothing would throw her.
It was Mobile madhouse once again, a bit saner than the first Chowdown clusterfeed three months ago (more seating, more toilets, Top Pot donuts) but still a sad commentary on the American diet: 20,000 Seattle mouths navigating to an Interbay parking lot to get stuffed with street food.
Tucked behind a wall of hedges in the most mundane of strip malls in Downtown Redmond is Tropea Ristorante, a true hole-in-the-wall. Situated next to an insurance office and a Mexican grocery sits one of the most authentic and personable Italian restaurants you will find in the Northwest.
Where do they get their beans? Cloud City exclusively uses True North coffee roasted in Ballard: the Espresso blend for all espresso drinks and the Cloud City Blend for drip.
What espresso machine do they use? La Marzocco Linea.
What kinds of milk do they carry? Whole and skim milk, rice, and soy.
What food do they offer? Aside from doughnuts from Mighty O, all pastries (including bagels!) are made on-site daily. They offer a rotating assortment of soups and a full menu of panini sandwiches and wraps. Not to be missed are the wholesome breakfast burritos to get your day going.
Lots of food action at the top of Queen Anne these days.
Just the past few days, we've learned that Peet's closed, Sorrentino is trying to reinvent itself as Enza, and Julia's is becoming emmer&rye.
Today's sweet story? Wink Cupcakes finally opened today. Come one, come all, for cupcakes. We like the vanilla bean cake with Madagascar bourbon vanilla buttercream, and we're intrigued by the Guinness with frothy frosting.
Today marks his 36th birthday on this rotating orb, and although 36 is no 21 or 50, it still deserves recognition.
It's the first day of the new year, which means hangovers, aching stomachs, and determination to make the throbbing skull stop. Here are some craft options to make the accountants in your head stop typing.
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