[rjwong]

hhlodesign, on Aug 27 2006, 11:26 AM, said:

We'll be hosting the Chinese banquet in my studio for friends in the building. Lorna and I will be cooking. We've yet to plan the menu exactly, but so far we're thinking:

Dungenous crab with Japanese pumkin and black bean sauce
Whole steamed fish
Hot and Sour Soup
Potstickers
Red-Brasied Pork Belly
Szechuan Homestyle Tofu
Hunan Smoked pork belly stir fry
Hot and Spicy Chicken
More to come...

Henry & Lorna, I'm looking forward to this Chinese banquet. Of course, you are going to include a green vegetable dish. You KNOW it's all about balance, ehh?? Do we really need to bring out the Chinese culinary comrades after you??

I notice a lot of spicy dishes on the list. Is Cantonese cuisine a bit subtle and/or bland for Henry?


Lorna, as you were visiting Seattle and getting to know Henry, what were your thoughts when Henry took you to these various places and he knew the culinary staff? ... he knows the chef at Mistral, he knows Mario Batali's father ... What was going on in your culinary mind?

[Parmhero]

tamiam, on Sep 1 2006, 01:29 PM, said:

Henry and Lorna,

Since your blog will have to come to an end sometime soon, I wanted to thank you for sharing this week of your lives with all of us.  It was really fun getting to know you a bit, and getting to see Seattle through your eyes and tastebuds. 

What he said.

It's been a peachy week. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

[lancastermike]

Hey Kids,

This blog truly rocked. Those of us who have done this know the amount of work involved and you guys really did a great one.

[Pan]

hhlodesign, on Sep 1 2006, 04:06 AM, said:

[...]and lamb sous vide

Wow, that photo is positively erotic!

hhlodesign, on Sep 1 2006, 04:06 AM, said:

We're full!

You should be! How were you able to put away all that food?

Lorna, for that matter, you put away a lot of food in an average day. Are you still getting taller, or do you just have a fast metabolism? Did you inherit that?

[Ling]

rjwong, on Sep 1 2006, 11:53 AM, said:

Lorna, as you were visiting Seattle and getting to know Henry, what were your thoughts when Henry took you to these various places and he knew the culinary staff? ... he knows the chef at Mistral, he knows Mario Batali's father ... What was going on in your culinary mind?

Hmm...I'm not sure I understand your question. If you're asking whether my opinion of the food at these places is somehow influenced because Henry knows the chef or owner, the answer is no. If I don't like the food, or am rather lukewarm towards it, I'm not eager to go back. I don't think I'm really influenced if we get special treatment at certain restaurants where we're known. I still evaluate the food on my plate objectively.

I think it's cool that Henry knows a bunch of chefs. I've also introduced him to some of the chefs I know in Vancouver, so it goes both ways.

This post has been edited by Ling: 01 September 2006 - 02:24 PM

[Ling]

Pan, on Sep 1 2006, 01:39 PM, said:

Lorna, for that matter, you put away a lot of food in an average day. Are you still getting taller, or do you just have a fast metabolism? Did you inherit that?

I think I have a regular metabolism. I have to get in some exercise 4-5 days a week, or I gain weight really quickly with the amount of food I eat.

[Ling]

Parmhero, on Sep 1 2006, 12:23 PM, said:

What he said.

It's been a peachy week. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Thanks for the compliments...but we still have 2 whole days left in our blog!

So tonight is Chinese banquet night. Tomorrow we're going back to Vancouver/Richmond for good Chinese food! (Even the "good" Chinese places in Seattle aren't that great...unfortunately.)

[Ling]

Late this morning, I insisted we visit Top Pot Doughnuts for breakfast. Some of you might be familiar with Top Pots--it was recently lauded by Jan and Michael Stern as being the best doughnut shop in America.



I've eaten perhaps six of the flavours they offer. They are OK/good, but the only doughnut I really enjoy is the old-fashioned glazed doughnut.









(Some Vancouverites might also be wondering how Top Pots compare to Lee's on Granville Island. I think Lee's does better flavoured doughnuts, but the Top Pot old-fashioned glazed is better than anything at Lee's. It has a really dense, moist crumb...almost smooth like custard, but in the form of fried dough, if that makes sense.)

BTW--I had a large Americano at Top Pots this morning and was pleasantly surprised! Good coffee.

Old-fashioned glazed...



After grocery shopping, we headed to Green Leaf, one of our favourite (cheap) lunch spots.



The decor is really casual.


We got the banh xeo and the green papaya and grilled shrimp. I was thinking about getting pho, but I wanted to try the soup first in case I didn't like it. The server gave me a bowl and didn't even charge us for it! So that was really nice of them. Unfortunately, the soup base was pretty weak in flavour.





banh xeo assembled


pho broth


grilled shrimp and green papaya


BTW--the banh xeo is only 7 bucks, and the salad was only 6 bucks. Really inexpensive for the quality, and they obviously put some thought into the presentation too.

This post has been edited by Ling: 01 September 2006 - 03:34 PM

[misstenacity]

Oh, gawd.... I looooove Bahn Xeo! I don't think that I've been served it with lettuce as of yet, so that looks new to me. Also, yours looks positively dry on the outside - a welcome change from some that I've had which were very greasy.

Vietnamese just rocks - it has even displaced much of the place that Thai had in my dining 'schedule'. Thank you for showing such a place on your blog!

Finding a great Bahn Xeo is just one of my culinary tasks here in the Duke City (as well as the best menudo, best pancakes, and a few other things).

Andrea
in Albuquerque
http://foodpart.com

[CaliPoutine]

Kind off off topic so I'll throw in something food related.

How is the border traffic from Vancouver to Seattle? I'm an American married to a Canadian( I actually left California for Ontario) and I frequently cross the border into Michigan for groceries and the like. The traffic is horrible, but the Nexxus pass is a lifesaver. I'd highly reccomend getting one.

[Ling]

rjwong, on Sep 1 2006, 11:53 AM, said:

hhlodesign, on Aug 27 2006, 11:26 AM, said:

We'll be hosting the Chinese banquet in my studio for friends in the building. Lorna and I will be cooking. We've yet to plan the menu exactly, but so far we're thinking:

Dungenous crab with Japanese pumkin and black bean sauce
Whole steamed fish
Hot and Sour Soup
Potstickers
Red-Brasied Pork Belly
Szechuan Homestyle Tofu
Hunan Smoked pork belly stir fry
Hot and Spicy Chicken
More to come...

I notice a lot of spicy dishes on the list. Is Cantonese cuisine a bit subtle and/or bland for Henry?

Yes, he wants to make everything spicy all the time! I just stopped him from adding hot sauce to tonight's pork belly dish, because what if some of our guests don't like spicy food?

Revised menu:

-dungenous crab with kaboucha squash and black bean
-spicy Chinese long beans
-(vegetarian) chow mein
-braised pork belly in shao bing
-ma po do fu
-a vegetarian fried tofu dish
-Szechuan bacon and leek stir-fry
-chocolate cake with caramel, ganache, and toasted cake crumb coating

ETA: My mid-afternoon snack was all the leftover ganache and cake crumbs. Ai-ya, too "yeet hay". My throat hurts now!

This post has been edited by Ling: 01 September 2006 - 04:35 PM

[Ling]

CaliPoutine, on Sep 1 2006, 04:14 PM, said:

Kind off off topic so I'll throw in something food related.

How is the border traffic from Vancouver to Seattle?  I'm an American married to a Canadian( I actually left California for Ontario) and I frequently cross the border into Michigan for groceries and the like.    The traffic is horrible, but the Nexxus pass is a lifesaver.  I'd highly reccomend getting one.

I usually drive down late at night after I get off work (so around 10:30pm at the border) and there is no wait whatsoever. It takes me 2 hours and 15 minutes to get from my house (in Richmond) to Henry's place in downtown Seattle, driving at the speed limit.

Sometimes I come down in the late afternoon on a day off, and the traffic is pretty bad...45 minutes to an hour wait at the border.

[MarketStEl]

Ling, on Sep 1 2006, 06:32 PM, said:

rjwong, on Sep 1 2006, 11:53 AM, said:

I notice a lot of spicy dishes on the list. Is Cantonese cuisine a bit subtle and/or bland for Henry?

Yes, he wants to make everything spicy all the time! I just stopped him from adding hot sauce to tonight's pork belly dish, because what if some of our guests don't like spicy food?

Serve 'em dairy products on the side (I know, I know--that's alien to Chinese cuisine), or send the dish to me.

Thanks, everyone, for all the tips on how to use duck fat. I just hope it keeps as long as butter does under refrigeration, because I probably won't be using it that often--I'm trying to lose weight, and it's bad enough that I still indulge my cheese jones as much as I do. But I will try them all, eventually. Even the white sauce.

This has been a fabulous blog, and a textbook example of a "labor of love."

[rjwong]

Ling, on Sep 1 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

rjwong, on Sep 1 2006, 11:53 AM, said:

Lorna, as you were visiting Seattle and getting to know Henry, what were your thoughts when Henry took you to these various places and he knew the culinary staff? ... he knows the chef at Mistral, he knows Mario Batali's father ... What was going on in your culinary mind?

Hmm...I'm not sure I understand your question. If you're asking whether my opinion of the food at these places is somehow influenced because Henry knows the chef or owner, the answer is no. If I don't like the food, or am rather lukewarm towards it, I'm not eager to go back. I don't think I'm really influenced if we get special treatment at certain restaurants where we're known. I still evaluate the food on my plate objectively.

I think it's cool that Henry knows a bunch of chefs. I've also introduced him to some of the chefs I know in Vancouver, so it goes both ways.

Thank you, Lorna. Your culinary objectivity is quite commendable. Haven't compromised or "sold out" yet, ehh?? I wonder how you would hold up with the "big names" over in ... NEW YORK, NEW YORK ... I think you would hold up quite well there and tell it like it is ...

BTW, did I notice someone about to eat some ... vegetables ... in one of those luncheon photos??


... doh jeh, doh jeh, shieh-shieh ...

[Ling]

I wouldn't compromise my ethics no matter where I'm eating. At the end of the day, it's just food.

[SeaGal]

I really like the food at Green Leaf. We had a similar salad the other day, but with lotus root instead of green papaya. It really rocked. Loved the grilled shrimp with the heads on.

Enjoying the blog--especially the "after hours" post

[mizducky]

Some of my Capitol Hill friends were apparently early and highly-vocal initiates into the Cult of Top Pot from the very beginning. I still don't know whether to be jealous or relieved (for the sake of my waistline) that the whole Top Pot thing did not get rolling until after I'd moved away.

Speaking of envy: any way you could Fedex a few samples of that pork belly dish down to San Diego?

[H. du Bois]

Happy anniversary to you! What a wonderful way to celebrate.

I am inspired by your style, your grace (your hummingbird metabolisms!), and that you each seem to strive to live well, in the best sense of the word.

I felt this after Henry's blog, and I feel it now - you provide a very, very compelling reason to explore Seattle and its food culture. Seattle couldn't ask for better ambassadors.

[judiu]

Ling, on Sep 1 2006, 05:09 PM, said:

Pan, on Sep 1 2006, 01:39 PM, said:

Lorna, for that matter, you put away a lot of food in an average day. Are you still getting taller, or do you just have a fast metabolism? Did you inherit that?

I think I have a regular metabolism. I have to get in some exercise 4-5 days a week, or I gain weight really quickly with the amount of food I eat.

The brat has the metabolism of a f*****g hummingbird!

[chezcherie]

judiu, on Sep 1 2006, 08:53 PM, said:

The brat has the metabolism of a f*****g hummingbird!

i think she has my previous metabolism, and i would really like to have it back!

[Ling]

^

So yesterday night, I made a chocolate cake. Here's some photos of the process.





(The liquid is buttermilk.)


levelled cakes


making caramel






ta-da! The velvety effect is achieved by doing a crumb coat with ganache, then letting it firm up in the fridge before you add your second layer and smooth it out. In the meantime, spread your cake scraps onto a Silpat and bake them in the oven at 250 for about 45 minutes. They will dry out and crisp up. Then process them to make crumbs. Sprinkle them over the partially set ganache and you'll get this:

[Ling]

The mise en place for tonight's dinner:


vegetarian chow mein


We were supposed to have a kabocha and black bean crab dish, but someone (*coughHenry) forgot to check on it as it was cooking down in the oven! So a few hours later, all we had was a blackened wok full of dried out kabocha. There was no saving it.

Fortunately, the reigning Iron Chef redeemed himself and saved the day. Here's the crab stir-fried with ginger, garlic, scallions, and black bean sauce.



Ohhhh yeaaaahhh pork belly!


A vegetarian fried tofu dish. (We also made another dish with pork.)


Hunan bacon and cabbage


mapo dofu


I made the best dish of the night! It was the first one gone, and it was our favourite too!
Chinese long beans


Yeah, we rented a round table because we wanted to do it right!


We had the chocolate cake for dessert.

Our guests brought over some great wine and beer. My favourite was the Duckhorn Cab Sauv. It was a wonderful evening filled with great stories and laughter.

[Ling]

This post is a day late, but yesterday morning, we met up with EGer, dandelion, at...



for...




The owner, Mario, sat down and talked to us for awhile when I told him I was from Vancouver. He loves the food there! His favourite restaurants are West, Vij's, and Tojo's.


random interior shots




They use Cafe Umbria beans and the coffee is quite good.

[hhlodesign]

I love this picture.



It clearly illustrates how Italians talk with their hands.

[hhlodesign]

It was a very fun evening. My favorite dishes were the black bean crab, the long beans, and the hunan bacon dish.

It was alot of work, but very enjoyable the whole time. Especially eating it!

Now we have to clean.

[Ling]

Change of plans for tomorrow--we're going to stay in Seattle so we can clean up Henry's kitchen and rest. It'll be a low-key way to end our blog. We'll probably cook something simple...maybe go for a picnic if it's nice. See you in the morning!

[rjwong]

The Chinese banquet wasn't bad, you two ... I'm glad you included some vegetables to balance things out. Nice save, Mr. Iron Chef, I suppose ...

Any leftovers? Steamed rice? jup?

How about some photos of the war zone ... I mean, the kitchen, before & after clean-up?

[Ling]

All the leftovers could fit on one dinner plate, so there wasn't much left. Our guests were good eaters! Too tired to take a pic of the dirty kitchen for you, sorry buddy. Nite.

[racheld]

Lovely.

Night, Night, Sweetpea.

[dandelion]

I was so glad to meet the two of you on Thursday at Senso Unico. I'm happy that you liked the coffee and the infamous Mario.

I really enjoyed the banquet tonight, both the food and the great company. Thanks so much for making the vegetarian dishes, they were truly tasty. Those beans especially -- amazing. And the finishing touch of the chocolate cake, I loved the caramel in there.

Goodnight!