Wright Eats

Hm, I’ve been slacking on the blogging front, haven’t I?  Life has gotten a bit crazy lately, but here I am again.  During crazy times, we often find ourselves digging around in our freezer on weeknights, looking for something that might make a quick and easy dinner.  Which got me to wondering, what do other people keep in their freezers?  I love it when I find a great recipe that’s perfect for making a big batch and freezing.  Here’s what you might find in our freezer:

Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese sauce – It takes hours to cook Marcella’s Bolognese sauce, but it’s the perfect thing to have on the stove on a cool weekend afternoon.  With beef and pork (optional), milk, white wine, tomatoes, and a touch of nutmeg, it leaves you looking forward to Sunday dinner.  We make plenty of extra for our freezer.  Just defrost and heat, add a dab of butter to the sauce, mix in with your favorite pasta, and grate some parmigiano on top.

Tom Douglas’ fruit crisp topping – This stuff is perfect for a super-fast dessert.  I make a triple-batch and freeze it.  Then when I’ve got some lovely fruit – apples, peaches, cherries, whatever – I just cut it up, mix in a touch of sugar, throw it into a pie dish with some crisp topping, and pop it in the oven.  A large apple is perfect for one of our individual-sized Emile Henry pie dishes, and then the two of us can share a yummy apple crisp.

Tamales – These are newcomers to our freezer.  I wrote a couple months back about making tamales at our friend Kathy’s house.  Our freezer stash of tamales has dwindled, though, so we may need to make some more.

Bruce Aidells’ chicken and apple sausage – This homemade sausage is great both for breakfast and in savory recipes.  It’s juicy and better than anything I’ve bought in grocery stores.  It’s not too hard to make, actually, unless you want to stuff it into links which takes longer.  We just form it into patties for the freezer.  Bruce Aidells has a recipe for French toast stuffed with sautéed apples and some of this sausage, which is a great Sunday breakfast.

Jerry Traunfeld’s apple black bean soup – a great winter soup, especially during the time when apples are the only fruit available at our local farmer’s markets.  Jerry’s absolutely right in his intro paragraph which says that it makes a huge pot – one recipe is plenty for several meals.

Vij’s – You’ll always find a cooler in our car on our way over the border to Vancouver, so that we can bring back cryovaced packs of our favorite Indian food for our freezer.

Soup and rolls from Dahlia Bakery – Every few weekends, we’ll stop in for a morning fried egg sandwich (the gourmet version of a McMuffin), and if we get there late enough, the lunch items are just coming out of the kitchen.  We might grab a soup or two, which comes with one of their traditional rolls, and freeze it for a weekday lunch at work.

Fu Man Dumplings – You need to call ahead 24 hours in advance to pick up a bag of Fu Man dumplings to-go.  With some of their super-garlicky sauce, the dumplings make a yummy snack.

Eat Local – We’ve mentioned this place on Queen Anne on our blog before.  Now they’ve set up tent at the U-District Farmer’s Market each Saturday, which means that you might find their dinners in our freezer a little more frequently now, or maybe one of their cracker-bread pizzas, pictured above.  Just as the name of the store implies, everything is made using local ingredients, and is quite delicious.

So, what do you keep in your freezer?  Favorite recipes?  Trader Joe finds?  Food that you’ve always got to have on hand?

Omakase at Tojo’s.

When our friends Michael and Susan proposed that we make a trip up to Vancouver to celebrate the Chinese New Year, it took us about two seconds to say yes.  It had been a year since our last trip, and we’d been wanting to go back to some of our classic favorite restaurants.  The parade in Chinatown sounded like it’d be fun, too.

So we packed our bags and an empty cooler, and off we went on a Friday afternoon.  We arrived in time for a late dinner reservation at Tojo’s.  It’s been long enough since we’ve dined there that we hadn’t yet seen the new digs.  They’ve moved from a tiny second floor location, to a huge, bright ground floor restaurant.

Our meal was outstanding.  Highlights included: sablefish and sea urchin in a smoky-yummy sauce inside a sea urchin shell; a sesame albacore that reminded me of our favorite starter at Kisaku (but even better), and two kinds of amazing toro nigiri.  The food is special, but the bill at Tojo’s is steep.  Four of us spent as much that night as ten of us would the next evening.  Definitely not an everyday kind of meal.

Oyama Sausage Company; Japadog; fish at the Granville Market.

Saturday morning, we headed straight to Granville Island for coffee and doughnuts.  We’d had great coffee at JJ Bean on a previous trip, rivaling some of our favorite coffees in Seattle.  John and Eric waited in line, while Jacki and I walked around the corner for Lee’s Donuts.  Unfortunately, the filled doughnuts I wanted weren’t ready yet, so I decided to wait.  They said it would be only 15 minutes.  So we grabbed our coffees (which were indeed as good as I remember), and wandered off around the market.

When we arrived back at Lee’s, there they were.  The puffy, sugar-coated doughnuts were ready, with more coming out as we stood there deciding which one.  I finally settled on the lemon-filled, and Eric the chocolate Bavarian.  Oh, man, these were even better than last time.  This was the warmest, freshest doughnut I’ve ever eaten.  The lemon was oozy and sweet, but not overly, with the crunchy sugar on the exterior coating my lips as I tried not to squirt lemon everywhere (I’m sometimes a messier eater than I like to admit).  Eric made some comment about how my lips looked like a margarita glass.

Bread at the Granville Market; JJ Bean coffee; the kitchen at Vij’s.

After picking up some pork lomo and speck from Oyama Sausage Company for our trip home, along with candied fennel seeds, a few pocky sticks for snacks, and matcha tea from one of our favorite Granville stands, South China Seas Trading Company, we headed back downtown.

Eric and I were torn between Japadog or Kintaro Ramen for lunch.  With limited time in Vancouver, we could only do one, so we let our friends decide.  With a six-year-old in party, hotdogs won out.  The little stand on a street corner looked like a normal hotdog stand until you took a closer look at the menu: Terimayo, Misomayo, Okonomi, and Oroshi dogs.  The Terimayo was an all-beef hotdog with Japanese mayo, nori seaweed strips, teriyaki sauce, and fried onions.  With juice dribbling off my fingers, I managed to switch with Eric so I could try the Okonomi next.  It was a juicy Kurobuta pork sausage with okonomiyaki sauce, bonito flakes tacked down from the breeze by Japanese mayo, on top of fried cabbage.  We realized we should have ordered a third, but by this time the line was loooong, with a crowd waiting for their dogs.

Japadogs! Okonomi (top) and Terimayo (bottom).

We spent the afternoon doing a brief bit of shopping followed by a long walk from downtown to the waterfront and halfway along Stanley Park’s exterior edge, before cutting back through the duck pond and up to Denman.  It was a gloriously sunny day, and all of Vancouver seemed to be out.  We didn’t realize how lucky we were with that weather.

It was 4:30 when we headed off to dinner.  Why so early?  We had to get in line for Vij’s.  We were the first in line at quarter to five, and the queue started forming moments later behind us.  By the time the doors opened at 5:30, the line stretched two storefronts down!  It was a good thing we arrived when we did, because our party of ten would have otherwise had hours to wait.

I’ve written about Vij’s here before, and it is still my favorite Indian restaurant anywhere.  While we were deciding what to order, the wait staff served us nibbles of hot pakoras and pooris, along with complimentary chai.  We ended up ordering about a dozen dishes, all good, some outstanding.  I’d forgotten why the lamb popsicles are so popular, but quickly remembered – they were juicy and perfectly cooked, with that amazing cream curry.  I was also a big fan of one of their simplest dishes: saag paneer.  I wonder why that isn’t in their cookbook?  I will make any dish in that cookbook that has paneer – the recipe is simple and turns out great.  My favorite dessert this evening was the gulab jamun, which was the best version of this sticky fried dough I’ve had.

Dining at Vij’s; saag paneer.

We couldn’t leave without a stop next door at Rangoli to pick up some of Vij’s food to fill our cooler for the trip home.  Rangoli is a more casual cafe along with a marketplace selling Vij’s meals, spices, and their excellent cookbook.

The next morning, we all met in Chinatown for the Chinese New Year festivities.  It was a rainy, cold morning, not much different than a winter Seattle day, except for the intermittent wet snow.  After staking out a prime position on the parade route, we eventually gave it up when we all started freezing, and headed over to the Classical Chinese Garden instead, where the gardens were open and booths outside were set up with face painting and crafts for the kids.  While groups with their costumes assembled for the parade, dancers and drummers performed under a tent where everyone crowded in to stay dry.

Rain was constant during the parade, and umbrellas lined the curbs while the colorful groups paraded under the Millennium Gate.  Firecrackers, dragons, and ox helmets were everywhere.  After about 45 minutes, we left to find some dim sum to warm up with.  We headed downtown to Kirin for a change from our usual visit to Sun Sui Wah.

Chinese New Year parade; dim sum at Kirin.

Instead of carts wheeling past, at Kirin you order from a menu and everything comes out made-to-order.  Everything we ordered was good – definitely better than anything we can get in Seattle.  My favorite was the savory radish pudding, a Chinese New Year specialty.  After finishing up with some red bean and sesame desserts, we were on our way home.  Short weekends like that always leave me wanting more, but fortunately Vancouver’s just a short drive away.  Any tips about where we should go next time?

To see more photos from our weekend, go to our photo gallery.

Tojo’s, 1133 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

JJ Bean, 1689 Johnston Street, Vancouver, BC

Lee’s Donuts, 1689 Johnston Street, Vancouver, BC

Japadog, 899 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC

Vij’s, 1480 W 11th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Rangoli, 1488 W 11th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Kirin, 1166 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC

We’ve heard good things about Wallingford restaurant Art of the Table since it opened last fall, and finally had a chance to try it this week.  Catherine Reynolds (of Queso y Vino) teamed up with Chef Dustin Ronspies to create a wonderful Catalan wine dinner.  After we enjoyed our banderilla appetizers with Montsarra Cava and caught up with our friends, Dustin rang the gong, bonggggg, greeted the packed room, and talked a bit about the meal.  He explained that he hadn’t cooked much Spanish food before this night, but after tasting the wines Catherine selected and getting inspiration from The New Spanish Table cookbook, he devised six courses of Catalan food to pair with the wines.  We would have never guessed this upon eating dinner – each course reminded us of meals we’ve had in Spain.  I particularly liked the Grilled Spicy Prawns with Chick Peas, Chorizo, Parsley & Saffron Aliolio dish, and how it paired so well with the Gramona Gessami white wine (a muscat and sauvignon blanc wine from Penedes, Spain).  And I’m a sucker for meatballs – the homemade Catalan Lamb Meatballs with Romesco Sauce didn’t disappoint.  Dawn and I are already planning on going back for dinner at Art of the Table.

As the evening was winding down and we rolled out of our chairs, I had the extra treat of being the first customer of Queso y Vino’s wine delivery service!  Catherine is set up to deliver wines around Seattle, and she brought the case that I had ordered on the day she got her liquor permit.  We often asked Catherine for Spanish and Portuguese wine recommendations when she was the wine manager at The Spanish Table, so it’s like old times again – we can all ask her for new and interesting wine recommendations, or to track down old favorites we’ve been missing.  For my first order, I went the omakase route and let Catherine put together a mixed case.  And what a tasty result!  I sampled a Valdespino Delicioso Manzanilla dry sherry after dinner a few nights ago, and have my eye on the Viña Ardanza Reserva wine from the Rioja Alta region next.  Give her a call or drop her a mail if you’d like to put together your own case.

Queso y Vino
Catherine Reynolds, Owner
(206) 518-1166
quesoyvino@gmail.com

Art of the Table
1054 N 39th St, Seattle
(206) 282-0942

Our new friends Kye and Eric introduced us today to Pal-Do World in Lynnwood.  Kye is Korean American and has eaten her way around most of the Korean restaurants in Seattle – she particularly likes Pal-Do for its soft tofu, and surprisingly, the fried chicken.  She and Eric mentioned how the fried chicken at Pal-Do is probably the best fried chicken in the Seattle area, so we didn’t think twice about trekking up there for lunch with them and our friends Catherine and Ken.

Pal-Do is actually not a restaurant, but a large Korean grocery store with a food court inside.  Eric V ordered for all of us, while Kye went off in search of her favorite blood sausage (Soondae, 순대 – thanks for the translations, Eric and Kye!) in another part of the store.  When she got back, our basket of Chicky Pub sauced fried chicken (Yang Nyum Chicken, 양념 치킨) had arrived, with a can of Coca-Cola included.  There weren’t nearly enough napkins for the sticky sauce, but no one cared – we just licked our fingers and went in for seconds.

Then the rest of the food arrived.  Along with the kimchee, my favorite was the seafood soft tofu stew (Hae Mool Soon Dubu Chigae, 해물 순두부 찌게), which we ate on rice.  We also enjoyed grilled short ribs (Kalbi, 갈비) and squid stir-fry (Oh Jing Ah Chigae, 오징어 볶음), and washed it all down with roasted corn tea (Oksusu cha, 옥수수茶).

We were nearly stuffed, had plenty for leftovers, and left there paying less than 10 bucks a person – a steal!  I say “nearly” because we all saved room for the fish waffles (Boong Ah Bang, 붕어 빵).  We wandered to the back corner of the store where a guy runs a very cool machine that cranks out small fish-shaped waffles stuffed with red bean paste (no, there are no fish involved).  They came out piping hot and we all stood there shivering in the freezer aisle munching on our fish waffles.  Those alone are worth the trip.

Pal-Do World
17424 Highway 99, Lynnwood
(425) 742-2237

The Chez Panisse kitchen; Eric ready for dinner at Chez Panisse; Blue Bottle coffee at the Saturday market.

Eric’s f/1 photography group met for a weekend in San Francisco at the end of September.  The two of us flew down a few days early to do some eating, and then my friend Jacki and I toured around and shopped while the guys were doing their photography thing.  Here’s where we went:

• Jardiniere – This is a classy, upscale, expensive place near the symphony.  The food was good, but not out of this world.  We had an excellent pinot recommendation – George Vintage IV, which we really loved.  And when we reached the end of the meal, we regretted having had (awesome) cocktails and drinking most of that bottle of pinot, since we had to miss out on the dessert tasting flights of name-your-drink.  They had a good two dozen different flights: armagnacs, tawnies, scotches, everything.
• Boulette’s Larder – Eric and I went here for weekday brunch in the Ferry Building.  We sat outside on a brilliant beautiful day (as it was for our entire visit), overlooking the Bay Bridge.  They had a limited menu of impeccable simple ingredients.  We enjoyed poached eggs with beans and a beautiful slice of tomato, with a dusting of Parmigiano, along with a huge plate of toast from Acme Bread Company, a great bakery also in the building.

The Ferry Building; a farmer selling grapes; rotisserie chicken at the farmer’s market.

• Slanted Door – This is a modern Vietnamese place in the Ferry Building.  We went here for a light lunch.  It was good, but I doubt I’d go back, since nothing we ordered impressed me hugely.  The size of the place and type of food vaguely reminded me of Wild Ginger in Seattle.
• Chez Panisse – We hadn’t been here before, and were really impressed by the execution of a simple menu.  We went for a weeknight dinner and were offered one small tasting menu.  Just four courses seemed tiny compared to most restaurants’ lengthy tasting menus nowadays, but it was perfect – I hate the overstuffed feeling at the end of a huge meal, and this just made us feel satisfied and happy.  The food initially seemed like fairly standard local fare when reading the menu (tomato salad, lamb three ways), but the seasoning was spot on and little touches of simple things made the standard become inspired (such as tangy-salted handmade ricotta and warmed Nicoise with the tomato salad).
• La Taqueria – Great tacos in the Mission District.  They charge for extras like cheese and sour cream, which make it a little pricey, but worth it.  I couldn’t get over the fact that they would charge $1.20 to remove the beans from the tacos.

Bi-Rite ice cream cone; choosing flavors at Bi-Rite; a Ritual Coffee Roasters cappuccino.

• Ritual Coffee Roasters – We stopped here for our caffeine fix in the Mission.  You can watch them roast the beans right there in the store.
• Tartine Bakery – The line was out the door and inching slowly at this popular bakery.  I rested my feet at an outdoor table while Eric stood in line to get a slice of lemon meringue cake.  It was moist, yummy, and super-rich (I could barely eat more than a few bites).
• Bi-Rite Creamery – Awesome ice cream.  Beats our Molly Moon, particularly the salted caramel ice cream, which is very close to my all-time favorite homemade ice cream (Bi-Rite’s is missing the yummy caramel praline bits).  I was really bummed when I found out that David Lebovitz would be visiting from Paris and signing cookbooks here only a week later.

Lemon meringue cake from Tartine; pop rocks dark chocolate bar enjoyed with peanut butter hot chocolate at Christopher Elbow; sole with corn chowder at Range.

• Range – A one-Michelin-star restaurant tucked into a corner of the Mission District.  We had a reservation but chose to sit at a table in the bar, which had a better vibe than the rooms in the back.  We were all guessing what Eric’s “sole with corn and potato chowder” would be – chowder with sole in it, or sole with some chowder on the side?  Turned out it was neither.  The sole was served in a bowl with a shallow pool of chowder at the bottom and lots of chunky vegetables.  Don’t miss the homemade butterscotch pudding for dessert!
• Ferry Building Farmer’s Market – The ferry building has lots of interesting food shops open every day of the week, but the place comes alive on Tuesdays and Saturdays when the farmers set up tables all around the building, and everyone in San Francisco comes out shopping.
• Yank Sing – I didn’t go here, but Eric did with the guys for dim sum and said it was great.

Peppers at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market; a mural in the Mission; the f/1 guys enjoying dim sum.

• Rye – On the recommendation of Michelle and Kelly at Licorous, Jacki and I stopped here for pre-dinner cocktails.  The space is really cool.  Dark, brick walls, high ceilings except a lowered wood ceiling over the bar, a pool table near the bar, and a lounge on the other side of the room.  It looks like it would be a fun place to go late at night.
• Zuni Café – This was my second time here and it was just as amazing as I remembered.  Last time, we could tell there were a number of nooks and crannies behind the main dining loft, but I had no idea just how many there are.  The second floor dining rooms are tucked away everywhere, each with railings overlooking the first floor.  Loved the Caesar salad, and had a nibble of Jacki’s starved tomato salad – those were the best, sweetest tomatoes I’ve ever eaten.  The roast guinea hen was super-flavorful and juicy.  Yum.

The wood stove at Zuni Café; a tea shop in Chinatown; the starved tomato salad at Zuni Café.

• Citizen Cake – We stopped here for brunch while shopping on Hayes Street.  I’m always a sucker for Dutch baby pancakes, and theirs was great.
• Christopher Elbow Chocolates – Lots of yummy gourmet truffles here (you can get some of them at Chocolopolis in Seattle), and interesting inclusion bars, too.  Jacki bought a dark chocolate bar with pop rocks, which fizzled on your tongue as you let it melt in your mouth.  They had a dozen different drinking chocolates – I liked drinking my peanut butter chocolate in the chocolate lounge.
• Blue Bottle Coffee Company – We stopped to pick up espresso beans from the Hayes Valley location.  It was mid-afternoon and there was still a long line crossing the alleyway in front.  We didn’t get any drinks since we had had Blue Bottle mochas (made with Recchiuti chocolate!) just that morning from one of the two Blue Bottle stands at the market.
• Canteen – We all went here for Sunday brunch.  It’s a tiny, tiny place, like a small diner, so we had to split into two tables.  Breakfast was satisfying and tasty – I’d go back, and would like to try dinner here.

Chocolopolis opened on Wednesday to the Queen Anne neighborhood.  Grand opening festivities are scheduled to begin July 15, and Chocolopolis will be participating in the Queen Anne Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, July 19.

Take a look at our previous blog posting about Chocolopolis to learn more about Lauren Adler and her new store.

When I hear Lauren Adler talk about the nuances of artisan chocolate, I think of someone describing a fine wine.  She explains how all five senses are used to evaluate chocolate: the shininess and color (sight), the snap when breaking off a piece (sound), the texture and smoothness (touch), the aromas (smell), and of course, the flavor as it melts in your mouth (taste).  You might hear her describe the cherry notes, earthy aromas, and the “finish” of a chocolate bar.  And like wine, she recommends you save the sweeter chocolates for the end of a tasting.

Lauren started her company Chocolopolis last year to help others learn about artisan chocolate.  I met her last summer when she was testing her chocolate tasting classes.  Eric worked with her a number of years ago, and we jumped at the opportunity to taste test chocolate at her home together with mutual friends.

We learned about single-estate chocolate bars, where the chocolate in the bar comes from one estate, just like a single-vineyard wine.  We also discovered vintage chocolate – I had no idea that you could obtain chocolate bars made from beans grown in just one particular harvest.

She has been hosting tasting events and selling fine chocolates through her web site for a year now.  Since then, Lauren has been looking for the ideal space for her Chocolopolis retail business, where people can come to experience and learn about chocolate.  She finally found a spot atop Queen Anne hill, right next to Bricco wine bar.  Construction is nearly completed, and late this month she plans to open what she anticipates will become one of Seattle’s premiere chocolate shops.

Lauren has relationships with some of the finest chocolatiers in the world.  Chocolopolis will sell over 200 different chocolates, including rare vintage chocolates that can’t be found anywhere else in Seattle, and coveted chocolate from producers like Amedei.

We got together with her last week and had the opportunity to try chocolate samples from one of the new chocolatiers in the U.S., Patric Chocolate.  I recently read about this tiny chocolate producer on David Lebovitz’s blog, so I was excited to get a chance to try the 70% and 67% Madagascar bars.  I honestly think these were among the best chocolates I’ve ever tasted!  They were incredibly complex, and even Lauren, who clearly has tasted much more chocolate than I have, was amazed at how there was no bitter aftertaste, as there is with most dark chocolate.

Lauren talked with Patric founder Alan McClure last month.  He was so interested to hear about Chocolopolis that he will be sending some of his autumn batch of chocolate to Lauren to sell in her store.  He said that he hasn’t heard of anyone out there doing quite the same thing as her, with the educational aspect of her business.  I will be among the first to purchase Patric Chocolate when it arrives!  Lauren, maybe you need to start a newsletter to announce new arrivals!

Lauren doesn’t want Chocolopolis to be intimidating and hopes the store will appeal to Seattlites of all ages.  During the grand opening in mid-July, she’ll have an entire week of events for both kids and adults to come celebrate and discover chocolate.  Stay tuned to the Chocolopolis web site for details.

UPDATE 7/6:  Chocolopolis is now open!  For photos of the new store, check out our latest blog posting.

Chocolopolis
1527 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle

Since Anita expanded to the U-District market earlier this year, her crêpes have become part of our Saturday morning routine.  I always wondered why the U-District market had been lacking the yummy prepared foods of other markets around the city.  Anita explained to us that it wasn’t until recently that the U-District market folks finally got permission from all of the nearby eateries to allow prepared food stands.  Now, Anita is there, and you can find other munchies too, like wood-fired pizza, and for the first time this week, Empire Ice Cream.  Starting this month, the prepared foods have all moved up to the grassy area next to the University Heights Center.  Between the grass, seating area, and the playground, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy a bite just a bit away from the market foot traffic.

Sweet or savory crêpes, it’s a difficult choice.  I started out hooked on the nutella and banana crêpe for a while, but it’s been at least a month since I’ve deviated from the spinach, mozzarella, and feta crêpe.  What makes it so addictive is the generous sprinkling of cracked black pepper on top, which goes nicely against the feta.  This week, I paid $1 more to add Wooly Pig ham to my crêpe – yum.  Eric went for the ham paired with Mt. Townsend Creamery cheese, which he said was awesome.

Anita wasn’t there this week when we bought our crêpes.  Apparently, she was off taking advantage of the sunshine and planting flowers at her soon-to-open restaurant in Ballard.  It will be a tiny place with only nine tables, and in addition to crêpes, she’ll be using her CIA and French Laundry training to develop some interesting dinner menus.  Anticipated opening is next month.

But no need to fret as I initially did – fortunately, her crêpes will still be available each week at the markets.

We were wandering through Whole Foods looking for some chocolate for our macaroons when we noticed a little sign for flying chocolate bacon pigs.  What?  There were no pigs in sight, so we asked someone what this sign was all about.  He took us around the corner to the Vosges Haut-Chocolat display, where there were indeed chocolate pigs and a number of “exotic” chocolate bars.  He pointed out that Mo’s Bacon Bar was the same flavor as the pig, but in bar form.  We were so intrigued, we had to bring one home.

What’s not to love about this decadent chocolate bar?  It’s milk chocolate, with bits of applewood smoked bacon and Alder wood smoked salt.  Each bite is a complex array of flavors – I like that you can taste the individual components, and yet there’s an overall unique flavor.  And it builds brilliantly on the premise that everything tastes better with bacon – chocolate with gray salt is good, and this is great.

Now I need to try some of their other chocolate bars, like macha green tea, or ginger-wasabi-sesame.

Three weeks ago, Ronald and Lara mentioned that the first edition of Edible Seattle had hit newsstands.  We went looking and asking at Metropolitan Market, Whole Foods, PCC, and even a bookstore or two, but the stockers hadn’t even heard of it.  Each time we went through a checkout line, one of us would scurry around to each line looking through the magazines.  And then today, there it was right in our line at the Whole Foods in our neighborhood.  We now have our very own copy.  Your photos look great, Lara!

It had been almost two years since we’d been down to Portland, Oregon.  Portland has become quite a dining destination in recent years, with skilled chefs opening innovative restaurants constantly.  We spent two nights there this weekend, hoping to whittle down the list of restaurants we’ve been compiling.  While it was one of our more memorable foodie weekends in recent memory, we’re left with a list that has only grown longer.

The first reservation we made was for Le Pigeon, since we weren’t able to dine there on our last trip.  Then, a month ago, my coworker foodie friend Kurt came back from Portland with a glowing review of his meal at Sel Gris, a fine dining restaurant that opened there last fall.  We were torn.  We’d be there only Saturday through Monday, and neither restaurant is open on Sundays.  Should we wait yet another trip to try Le Pigeon, or should we miss out on Sel Gris?  In the end, we canceled our reservation at Le Pigeon and made a new reservation for Sel Gris at 5:30 pm.  A little earlier than we desired, but it was the only time still available for the 6-seat chef’s counter (where Kurt said we had to sit).

We arrived in Portland during lunchtime.  Since we didn’t want to eat much before dinner, we opted for lunch at Escape from New York Pizza.  Eric misses the NY pizza from his childhood and is always on a quest to find good NY pizza.  He likes Seattle’s A New York Pizza Place, but the crust and sauce there are a little blander than I like.  Escape from NY Pizza pleased us both, with tasty sauce, plain cheese pizza for Eric (which he says is the way it’s meant to be eaten), and a New York vibe inside the place.

We did some shopping, checked into our hotel, and then caught a cab to Sel Gris.  We were the first to arrive when it opened and sat in the center two seats at the glowing amber counter.  It was really tough to order, because so many items sounded good.  My eyes kept landing on the pasta dish.  I knew it was the token vegetarian dish, and I felt that I should order a meat dish to really see what the chef could do.  But I love pasta when it’s done well, and I just couldn’t pass up the artichokes, peas, ramps, mushrooms, and goat cheese, which may as well be a list of all of my favorite things.  So I ordered it anyway.  Eric chose the lamb.  We heard a number of other lamb orders fired after his, and I don’t think we had been sitting there for more than 15 minutes when we heard the chef tell the wait staff that there was only one lamb dish left for the night – apparently they’d had an early run on lamb.  I guess our early reservation was fortuitous!

We started with the foie gras done two ways.  This was the first dish out of the kitchen that evening, and so our first opportunity to see what beautiful plates Chef Daniel Mondock constructs.  The chef’s counter directly overlooks Chef Mondock’s station, where he effortlessly drew a pattern onto our plate with molasses.  The plate was warm, so the molasses melted and then thickened as it cooled, sealing in the blood orange sauce alongside.  We know this because we were so intrigued by its consistency as we ate it that we had to ask our waitress Mary why it wasn’t fluid as we’d expected.  Both foie preparations, one cold and one seared hot, were flawlessly seasoned and we instantly knew what Kurt, and the subsequent reviews we’d read, had been fussing about.  This was only the first in a series of spot-on dishes, brilliantly presented and incredibly flavored.

Our salads were next.  Mine was fun to eat: a salade composée, where the components of the salad were artfully arranged on a plate.  Rabbit paté with a tiny cornichon and mustard on the left, grilled onions cradling olives, figs, crispy pork, and almonds in the middle, and then diced strawberries with cheese on the right.  Eric enjoyed the Lyonnaise salad with warmed frisee, lardon, bacon vinaigrette, and a poached duck egg.  His only complaint of the night was that while the salad was nicely seasoned, the egg was not, so he had to add some of the sel gris they had provided on the side.  Perhaps this was intentional, in homage to the restaurant moniker?  It did seem out of place in the salad.

I could tell that our main courses were coming when I saw vivid green English pea puree being spread in a rectangle across a dark plate.  The pasta with peas was piled into a cylinder on one side and the vegetables were arranged on the other.  One bite and I was happy.  Creamy and sweet with the goat cheese sauce and perfectly al dente hand-cut noodles, it was exactly what I was hoping for.  But I couldn’t help eyeing Eric’s lamb.  He shared a few bites and I now understood why everyone was ordering it.  Neither of us had eaten such a tender, flavorful lamb loin before.  And then there was the spherical round of spiced lamb balanced on top.  What was this?  Yellow egg yolk burst from the center when Eric cut into it – an egg had been wrapped in lamb!  The pepper crust went perfectly and we agreed this was the best part of the dish, even with that amazing loin.

Over dessert, we chatted a bit with our waitress and one of the waiters.  They wanted to know where we’d recommend they eat when they visit Seattle this summer.  In exchange, they gave us a few tips on places to try in Portland.  We hadn’t even eaten at two restaurants yet and already our list was growing again: Nicholas (Lebanese), Good Taste Restaurant (Chinese), and Restaurant Murata (Japanese).

Mary also told us how she’d lived in Barcelona recently, which piqued our interest, since we love that city.  She told us not to miss Cinq Sentis next time we visit, which is an up-and-coming restaurant that she thinks is outstanding.  She said that it’s only a matter of time before it becomes more widely known.

While we were talking about Portland, she mentioned that Le Pigeon is great, too.  We heard this at least twice more during our visit, but even so we didn’t regret missing it.  Sel Gris far exceeded our expectations, and we’re glad that we had the chance to dine at this creative Portland restaurant.

We headed back to our hotel, but it was still early – daylight, in fact.  Michelle Magidow, from Licorous/Lark, had mentioned that there is an innovative new cocktail bar in the Pearl called Teardrop Lounge.  We weren’t really in the mood for cocktails after that meal, but we wanted to go somewhere and this was another place not open on Sundays so it was our only chance to try it.  So we walked over from our hotel.  These people are passionate about drinks!  My cocktail was interesting, with forbidden black rice horchata and chipotle-chocolate bitters.  They make their bitters in house.  Eric ordered from their extensive sake menu.  It was a “small” sake but I was lucky that it was really quite large, because I stole more than a couple sips – it was amazing.

We stopped at Powell’s and stayed until close, lost in the photography section.  The only reason I mention Powell’s is for one food-related find that we purchased with our books: an Envirosax.  Everyone seems to be catching on to using reusable bags as part of their regular routine at the grocery store, including us, but sometimes we forget to bring our bag.  There’s no excuse with Envirosax, because it’s a lightweight eco-friendly polyester bag that rolls up to a tiny size that fits in your palm.  Stash one in your glove box or your purse and you’ll never be without a bag again.

Onto day two… we are not yet done eating.  We had chatted with John Sundstrom before we left for Portland, and he recommended brunch at Beast, so this is where we headed on a sunny Sunday morning.  We’d enjoyed clarklewis last time we were in town, and Beast is Naomi Pomeroy’s newest venture.

The restaurant is small.  There is one small communal table, seating eight, and another about twice as big.  We were seated facing the open kitchen, which occupies about a third of the room.  We enjoyed Stumptown coffee and fresh squeezed juice while watching them prepare the first of four courses.  The menu called it “brioche and baguette french toast” but it was really a bread pudding (thinking about it, are they really much different?).  Topped with a strip of candied bacon, maple bourbon sauce, and whipped cream, it was like starting brunch with dessert.  Just my kind of brunch!

Between courses, we had fun reading the wall-sized chalkboard covered with cooking tips, quotes, and random info.  There was a small list on the side listing their favorite restaurants.  In case you are looking for more recommendations:

Second course was a poached egg perched on a hash of morels, crispy potatoes, spring peas, ramps, and a medallion of venison.  Hollandaise paired perfectly.  It reminded us of the lovely seasonal dishes we enjoy at our favorite Seattle brunch spot.  This was followed by a selection of Steve’s cheese and a wild gathered salad.  This wasn’t the only time we noticed Steve’s cheeses while we were in Portland.

Finally, there was dessert (or was it second dessert?).  A tiny scoop of buttermilk ice cream with poached rhubarb and a dollop of caramel ended the meal sweetly.

That afternoon, we headed to the Portland Indie Wine Festival.  It was a juried event featuring small independent wineries from the state.  It was fun meeting the winemakers and learning about wines we had never heard of before.  We particularly enjoyed the 2006 Pinot Noir wines from Johan Vineyards and Capitello Wines.  We also tried an interesting cranberry wine from Hawks View Winery.  We’ve tasted cranberry wines before in Door County, Wisconsin, and haven’t been big fans, but this one was nicely refined and not too sweet or tart.  It would be a fun wine to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Dinner on Sunday was at Toro Bravo, another sibling of a restaurant we’d enjoyed on a previous trip, Simpatica Dining Hall.  We sat at the bar, continuing the weekend theme of observing the kitchen while we ate.  The kitchen was surrounded by the bar seats, but unless you’re along the back corner as we were, you can’t really see the cooking.  It was controlled chaos as the kitchen was slammed that night.  Everything was delicious.  We particularly liked the oxtail croquettes, which were hot and creamy inside.

We had noticed that the cook on the far end of the line looked familiar.  During a break near the end of our meal, she came over and wanted to know if we were from Seattle because she recognized us, too.  Turns out, we knew her from Lark where she previously worked.  Rachel has just moved down to Portland and is loving it.

Ok, just Monday left (are you still with us?). For lunch, we were headed to Pok Pok, which I’ve been dying to go to since Matthew Amster-Burton wrote about it in 2006.  He’s mentioned it regularly since and each time I wonder why I haven’t tried it yet.  This was really the entire motivation for our trip.

But wait, I forgot breakfast.  We knew we had to eat light, so we headed over to Stumptown Coffee for cappuccini (orrr, cappuccinos – they went out of their way to point out that they prepare them traditionally, but then go and call them cappuccinos :)  We also grabbed a doughnut (just one) from Voodoo Doughnuts up the street.  Only one because it was the most massive doughnut I’ve ever seen: their Memphis Mafia doughnut.  The two of us could only eat about a third of it.

We hung out until lunchtime and then headed over to Pok Pok.  This place was incredible.  The dishes we tried were definitely distinct from any other Thai restaurant we’ve been to.  Andy Ricker, the owner, is on a constant quest to recreate the best food in Thailand, along with Vietnam and China.  He regularly travels there and brings back new ideas, and is constantly evolving the menu.  We loved the Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings, which were sweetly caramelized, garlicky, and left our mouths tingling.  Our favorite dish was the Khao Man Som Tam, which was shredded green papaya salad served with coconut rice and sweet shredded pork, along with fried shallots and cilantro.  The waitress suggested that we mix everything together to get the best combination of flavors and textures.  What an amazing dish.  The coconut rice alone was enough to make me happy.  We finished with the Pok Pok Affogato – condensed milk ice cream drowned in Vietnamese coffee, served with fried donuts for dunking.  If we had a place like this in Seattle, I would eat there regularly.

Initially, we thought that two days wouldn’t be enough, but with that much food packed into one weekend, we were ready to go home and detox.  However, we’ve vowed to return to Portland again before the end of the year.  Two years was too long.

Escape from New York Pizza
622 NW 23rd Ave, Portland
(503) 227-5423

Sel Gris
1852 SE Hawthorne, Portland
(503) 517-7770

Teardrop Cocktail Lounge
1015 NW Everett St, Portland
(503) 445-8109

Beast
5425 NE 30th St, Portland
(503) 841-6968

Toro Bravo
120 NE Russell St, Portland
(503) 281-4464

Pok Pok
3226 SE Division, Portland
(503) 232-1387

Stumptown Coffee
128 SW 3rd Ave, Portland
(503) 295-6144

Voodoo Doughnuts
22 SW 3rd Ave, Portland
(503) 241-4704

Last Saturday morning, we were awake at 3:45am so we could meet up with friends and head up to the Skagit Valley before sunrise.  We wanted to catch some photos of the tulips in the morning light.  I thought I’d be miserable and bleary-eyed, but it turned out to be a gloriously beautiful morning and it was great staying ahead of the crowds.  We were the only people in a massive tulip field as the sun rose over the Cascades.  What a sight!

We caught lunch in La Conner at the Calico Cupboard Cafe and Bakery.  They packed nine of us, including two kids, around a table in the corner.  Lunch was casual and the food was tasty.  We had to use willpower to avoid the yummy-looking baked goods in the display case.  We were trying to postpone dessert until the ride back to Seattle, when we planned to stop off at Snow Goose Produce.  Although we’ve passed by this place a number of times over the years, we’ve never stopped in.  But we wanted to try the ice cream that Catherine mentioned on her blog.

What she didn’t mention is just how enormous these waffle cones are!  We waited in a long line for at least 20 minutes before we got up to the ice cream counter, watching happy face after happy face disappearing behind gargantuan ice cream cones.  It was so worth the wait!  The waffle cones were made right in front of us, and were incredible with Lopez Island ice cream.

We also bought some of the Gothberg Farm Chevre that Catherine mentioned (she is the cheese goddess, after all), some Skagit pickles, and an extra bottle of Cornelia’s Apricot Syrup.  And on the way back, we stopped at Silvana Meats and picked up some of their gourmet jerky for the road.

Note: If you’re interested in seeing our tulip photos, they are here.