agnolottigirl

On island, we end up most often at Casa Rojas (hey, Abra, the tacos al pastor are my favorite!), Four Swallows, and Sawatdy. Haven't been to Ruby's in a while, but ate there a fair amount this past summer (outdoor seating overlooking the water) and it was very good. (The view didn't hurt! It's now in the space where MoonFish was.) The new teriyaki joint that went in where the Russian place had been is really good--and cheep, cheep, cheep. They've been doing a land-office business since they opened. Other cheap eats favorite is Chili Cosmo's, which is supposed to be reopening soon in the space where Annie's was, in the village green. Haven't been to the Winslow Way Cafe or to Nola since the changes in each place. Have never been to Bainbridge sushi, but have heard good things about Hakata in Silverdale. Have found Pleasant Beach to be spotty--sometimes very good, other times not so much. Serivce wasn't especially friendly, either. Anybody been to Via yet--the new Italian place in the Pavilion (the weird building where the big movie theater is)? Supposedly under the same management as Winslow Way Cafe now.

Cool . . . we really SHOULD get ourselves together on this side! I was thinking, too, it'd be nice to get some more recent info up on the board about restaurants out our way, as there has been some turnover and as the summer is coming. (Should make it easier to lure some of the SEA and PDX folks out our way!) So. . .where do you all like to eat when you're not up for a ferry ride?

Rather than hijack the Salumi thread (which, btw, is so worth the ferry ride!), here's a spot for those of us "on this side" to gather. Who else is out there lurking? Abra and I are on Bainbrigde, sequim is in Port Orchard. . . Foodie-Girl, are you out this way?

Saute them! This is the method Thomas Keller recommends, and it's worked great for us. When we make gnocchi, we make a zillion, boil them all, freeze them (cookie sheet, etc.), then crank up the FoodSaver. To reheat, you saute the little darlings in a bit of olive oil with whatever else. Gnocchi with garlic, little cherry tomatoes, and basil were what I ate all last summer. I know that browned gnocchi aren't strictly traditional, but they're delicious. And I think if you saute them first, you won't end up with a pan of mush (as you might if you just baked them frozen.) Let us know how it turns out!

'nother vote for Dansko. Fwiw, the box leather is supposedly a better choice than the oiled for serious kitchen work (less absorbent of kitchen goop). Mr Agnolotti's experience seems to be bearing this out so far. He trashed a pair of oiled clogs at work--his new box ones seem to be holding up better. This medical-supply place may also be worth checking out: http://www.allheart.com/nursematesshoes.html They appear to have plastic versions for men and women starting at about $11.00, as well as the Calzuros for $55.00.

I can't believe nobody has posted this yet: http://www.peepresearch.org/ This is also a handy link for those times when your loved ones bring up the question, "Why do you waste so much time on eG, anyway?" Prefaced, of course, by something along the lines of, "It could be worse, honey. . . check out these people!"

Bainbridge Island. Ferry. Ferry terminal. (No, I can't stop stumping!!)

Sorry you're feeling poorly, lala. Get well soon. . . so you can have a donut!

There's not much I wouldn't do for a raspberry bismarck from Top Pot!

I'm with LEdlund--value definitely enters into the equation for me. If I'm going to spend the big bucks (and maybe I'm just outbudgeted here, but I do consider $100 a head expensive), I expect to have a very nice time--I want interesting food, properly cooked, in a comfortable environment, where I am nicely treated. Otherwise, I can spend a lot less and have a nicer overall experience cooking for myself at home. A so-so dinner for $200 for two would make me unhappy.

Ha! We were there early last night (5:30 reservation) as well. No point in rehashing the entire menu, but it was a lovely meal. Not sure I could pick a favorite course, but luckily, I didn't have to. This time, we sat toward the back of the dining room and found the space to be very comfortable; I think our earlier impression of coldness was based on sitting in the bar by the window on a cold night. (Check out the painting of the woman with leaves on the way to the restrooms.) Neither of us is a big beet-eater, but the amuse was perfect: just enough edge to get the juices flowing. Oysters were great--briny and cold, with the lemon adding just a bit of citrusy zing. Watercress soup had a fresh, green note that primed the appetite, and the brandade was creamier than other versions I've had. The cod was extremely fresh and perfectly cooked. The duck was delicious (again); the whiff of cardamom complemented the port reduction and the bed of sweet, silky onions. The cheese course (frisee with balsamic, Bleu de Gex, sultana-pecan bread) pretty much brought tears to our eyes. (Do NOT skip this bread!) Sorbet was a nice wakeup (mm! grapefruit!), and the panna cotta offered a creamy, satisfying finish to the meal. Throughout, the freshness and quality of the ingredients was impressive, as was the interplay of textures in each course. It was, in Mr. Agnolotti's words, "a party for your mouth." And as to flavor--well, does anybody still have any questions about whether Chef Stowell and his team know what tastes good? We bought a half-bottle of the Domaine Drouhin pinot noir. (We were going to try the St Innocent on vengroff's recommendation, but they were out of it. Just as well--the Drouhin, which we'd had before, is excellent.) We were (primarily) waited on by Terry, who supplied spot-on wine recommendations for the latter courses. We tried the Andrew Rich late harvest Gewurtstraminer with the cheese course (really a fantastic pairing) and a Hyverniere Muscadet with the sorbet and panna cotta. I'm glad March is one of the 31-day months!

Thanks, Michael. . .there is no way I'd ever have guessed that. I would have just wondered why I ended up with a soupy mess!

I made this last week, and it was pretty good. Olive oil, garlic, shallots, chopped kale, canellini beans with pasta--I used torchio, but orecchiette, radiatore, or another substantial/chunky shape would work too. Oh--and s&p, some parmesan grated over.

Sushi--some with white sesame seed some w/ black?

We're going Wednesday. Thanks for the tip on half-bottles, vengroff.

Ok--in case anyone else is interested, I found a few recipes (one w/ tropical fruit and one w/ strawberries) on epicurious. Am guessing the buttermilk just makes things tangy. . . it appears that you do not substitute buttermilk for cream after all.

I've had buttermilk panna cotta a couple times now in restaurants and would like to try making it at home. I've made "regular" (ie, cream) panna cotta and am wondering, what difference does buttermilk make? Can I just substitute buttermilk for cream in the recipe (Hazan) I have already? And one more question: when you add "stuff" (for example, I had one version with wild Maine blueberries in it that was simply delish--they sort of sank to the bottom, or they were layered in the bottom in the first place, maybe?), any advice re how much/consistency/etc.? Thanks

We have both kinds of peels and use both on the occasions when we have a make-your-own gathering. If the dough's good and has been adequately oiled or floured, and the person making the pizza remembers to throw some flour or semolina on the peel before they make the pizza on it, all is well--with either one. A metal one does work better if your dough is sticky. The metal peels generally seem to have a longer handle than the wooden ones, which are more paddle-shaped. This could be a plus or a minus, depending on how your oven is situated and your personal heat tolerance. The metal peels also seem to be quite a bit cheaper, esp if you buy them in a restaurant supply place. Then again, you can't use the metal ones (or you shouldn't, probably) as a cutting board in a pinch.

Grilled sardines! Also the ham platter is great. . . butter lettuce salad is nice. . . Cheeeeeeese. . . .and they will just keep bringing you bread and butter forever, as far as I can tell. Great place to while away the afternoon. I think the chicken must be brined. It was definitely top 3 chickens ever--super-moist, tasty. It was with a taleggio sauce the night we went, with brussels sprouts. The brandade is great too.

OK, so I did try them (sorry for the delay--was out of town), and they weren't half-bad. Smaller ones were better (crunchier and smaller bones, naturally), and I used the flour/cornmeal frying suggestion, since that seemed to be the winner. They're not going to become a new kitchen staple, but they were worth the $2.00 a pound I paid. Biggest drawback: fried-fish smell in the house. Oogy. . . I had to leave on a trip right after that, so left Mr. Agonolotti to enjoy the fishy-greasy-smelty-smell by his lonesome.

Steamed is good if you don't live right on the beach (and preferably far from a marina or other known source of pollution). . . but if you are lucky enough to be on the water, go down and fill up your lobstah pot with ocean water. Boil that sucker. Sweetest ever--and table salt, unfortunately, doesn't work anywhere near as well. Go figure. . .

Agree with kiliki--king and sockeye are pretty close, at least here in the Pacific NW. If both are available, I just choose whichever looks better that day. Re Copper River: if you find it too oily, grill! Grill! Salt + pepper, lemon and/or rosemary, and that's it. I love salmon, but I don't understand why anybody would do anything other use a dry, very hot cooking method--grill or broil. Poached salmon is a complete mystery to me.

Isn't the real question . . . what AREN'T anchovies good in? I especially like almost neat (with EVOO, minced garlic, chopped parsley, and red pepper flakes) with good bread. Also like them in a quick saute of steamed broccoli, garlic, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and EVOO with some kind of chunky pasta (orichette, fusilli, medium-sized shells). Have also made a killer steak sauce that involved anchovies, black pepper, and much-reduced chianti. Can't recall the specifics right now, but it was seriously good. Mr. Agnolotti thinks he doesn't like them, but he has no idea how often he eats them in other things. . . and enjoys them. Ha.

Aren't we all? Takes a big man to admit . . . all that! But seriously--I've read that there are significant regional differences in taste preferences. I forget where, or what the specifics were, but one thing this mystery article mentioned was that bitter flavors (tonic water was one of the examples) are much more popular in the PNW than elsewhere, and that very sweet stuff sells better in New England and in the south than on the west coast. We'll have to stay tuned and see if your taste buds adapt!

That's not all he doesn't like!