LaurieA-B

"Sorbet" doesn't always mean dessert. I've seen savory sorbets on restaurant menus for different courses. At the Gramercy Tavern a couple of years ago I had heirloom tomato salad (first course) served with a scoop of tomato sorbet. I didn't really care for the sorbet, but it did have a very clear, pure tomato flavor. At a recent farmers market cooking demo in Seattle, Jerry Traunfeld of the Herbfarm made a sorbet to top a cold vegetable soup. I think the sorbet was flavored with melon and fresh herbs (I didn't catch all the details).

Here's another sack lunch thread. I love all these ideas because I'm a teacher, and I always bring my own lunch. What about cold roast or fried chicken? Or cold/room temp roasted vegetables--you can always throw extra vegetables in the oven when you're cooking dinner. My favorite sack lunches usually involve cheese, bread, and salami. snowangel, what sort of packaging do you use for keeping things hot/cold?

Thanks, nightscotsman--I did find Horlicks in Seattle (while on my way to lunch at Malay Satay Hut), and brought a jar home for Matthew. We haven't made chocolate malts yet, but it smells nice and malty.

Tamara Murphy of Brasa is cooking at FareStart in two weeks. Here's the schedule of upcoming chefs. I see that the chef from the Capitol Club, which nightscotsman recommended, will be there next week. I am rather flummoxed to see that the PF Chang's dinner is sold out. I haven't been to a FareStart dinner, but I hear they're great and money goes to a good cause. Dinner is $16.95 plus tax/tip/beverage, every Thursday. We should make it an egullet night some time.

Here is a local review of the Herbfarm from a year ago.

Wait a minute--they're making you pay a tip on a nonexistent meal? The employees are going to get a tip from you for doing absolutely nothing? Nice work if you can get it.

After reading in the Seattle Times yesterday that the Malay Satay Hut, Seattle, was re-opened, I decided to head there for lunch. Roti canai was calling my name. (I considered posting to egullet for lunch companions, but on Tuesday, when I had a big list of things to do, I spent way too much time on egullet. So on Wednesday I swore, no egullet all day. And I got a lot done, including lunch at MSH. Also, as I admitted to Matthew last night, I wanted the roti all to myself.) I took off for 12th and Jackson without stopping to get cash. FYI: MSH is cash only, and there is no such thing as an ATM at 12th & Jackson, that I could find. I walked down to Viet Wah to see if they had an ATM, and then to find something to buy so that I could get cash. I was very pleased to find a jar of Horlicks for Matthew. At Malay Satay Hut, which was quite busy, I ordered roti canai, fish filet with tamarind sauce (off the lunch menu), and a fresh lime juice. The roti was delivered along with the soup that comes with the lunch special. Roti delicious as I remembered: crisp, buttery shards of bread, spicy sauce, a fabulous combination. The soup appeared to have cabbage and carrots. I don't know what it tasted like because, as I dived into the roti, I knocked the soup all over my lap. Fortunately it was not blistering hot. I sponged myself off as best as I could and returned to the table to finish my roti. The fish was large chunks of moist white fish, battered, fried, and covered with a heavy red sauce that did not taste noticeably of tamarind. It was okay, but I will try something else next time. Fresh lime juice very delicious, reminded me of drinks in Thailand. See you all tonight at 12th & Jackson.

One of my favorites is shown on the front cover of Teubner's Pasta Bible: mezze maniche rigate with scallions. Lots of scallions sauteed in butter, stirred up with chopped parsley, two egg yolks, Parmigiano, and stirred into the hot pasta, with a grinding of black pepper. It's especially great because you can get the ingredients at any grocery store, any time of year, and it tastes fresh and fabulous. Mezze Maniche Rigate with Scallions

I will be visiting New Orleans with friends in October. It is the first time for all of us. Our plan is to have one dinner at a nice restaurant, other meals at less expensive places. For the big meal I am thinking about Commander's Palace, as it is such a classic New Orleans restaurant. Any advice on which part of the restaurant to request when making a reservation? We are also thinking about going to either Bayona or Herbsaint for lunch. Both sound great from the menus. If anyone has comments on lunch experiences at either restaurant, I will be glad to hear them. I've picked up some good suggestions for other, less expensive places here, and will be glad to have more. The friends I will be with do not eat meat or poultry, but do eat seafood, thank heavens.

Last night I dreamed that Matthew and I were having dinner at the Gramercy Tavern. We sat down and the first course was served. (I don't know what it was; may have included tomatoes.) I realized that I was sitting in a chair so low that my chin was level with the tabletop. Matthew had a normal chair. I asked the waiter to find me another chair. They dumped some fruit or something out of a box and placed the box on my chair for me to sit on. It didn't help. Everyone, including Matthew, was really annoyed with me for complaining about my chair. The problem was not solved by the time I woke up, and I never got to eat any of the meal.

Well, the catfish salad was highly recommended. I was dining with two friends who don't eat meat/poultry, so we stuck with fish and seafood. I agree with this egullet review, from Mao (last post in the thread). I was there in April. tighe, I haven't been to either of those restaurants. I see that Bai Tong is in SeaTac. It sounds good. We had some pretty good Thai food at Simply Thai in Southcenter, too. (These are all in the greater Seattle area.) I'd like to try your recommendations. I will try not to compare them to restaurants in Thailand, though.

Since visiting Thailand I have simply accepted that Thai food outside the country will not be like the food there. I enjoy eating "Americanized" Thai food (in Seattle, at Siam on Broadway and Thaiku) because I do not expect it to be like Thai food in Thailand. I don't order the same dishes here; many of them are not on the menu. In Thailand we ate lots of fish and salads, while here we usually order curry, fried rice, and noodle dishes. (For those in Seattle, I like the gai yaang [grilled chicken] at Thaiku very much, and it is similar to gai yaang in Thailand, served with sticky rice and papaya salad.) The only two restaurants in the U.S. that I have heard described as "authentic" Thai are Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas and Sripraphai in New York. I haven't been to Lotus, but I was quite disappointed in Sripraphai. My disappointment was a result of high expectations, based on many rave reviews. The papaya salad was all right, spicy enough for me. Fluffy catfish salad was chewy and a bit bland, without the lightness and bright flavor I was looking for. A fish curry was one-dimensional. We tried a couple of other dishes. But the meal just wasn't memorable, no lively flavors such as I enjoyed in Thailand. Cabrales, the Lonely Planet book World Food Thailand, by Joe Cummings, discusses royal Thai cuisine. It also includes an overview of Thailand's regional cuisines. Roger, I would love to read more about the food you enjoyed on your recent trip.

My Minnesotan friends are all talking about this year's favorite: deep-fried macaroni and cheese on a stick. It is mentioned in this article, which says "Minnesotans love their fair food on a stick, and each year, fair vendors go out of their way to offer something new and bizarre on a stick."

Ah. Well. I would have loved to see other dessert presentations being whisked by. Unfortunately, there weren't really any other diners to whisk them to. I didn't want to be out alone too late, so I called and reserved a table for 6:30. I was thinking, "It's August, lots of visitors in town, they're probably busy, but surely they can squeeze in one person." This line of thinking, I learned, was ridiculous. When I arrived, I was the only person in the restaurant. It was completely empty. A couple came in about ten minutes after I was seated. When I left at 8:00, only five or six tables were filled and no one was coming in. As most of my fine dining experience has been in New York, where I had to re-re-re-dial in order to get a dinner reservation at 5:15 or 10:30, I was quite taken aback by this. I assume this is the reason Cascadia has relaxed its menu, encouraging a la carte dining. It's clear from the posts here that at least some locals have been turned off by high prices. Are there any difficult reservations in the Seattle area, besides Herbfarm? A few desserts are listed on the website; the creme brulee trio sounds pleasant. One thing I did see at another table was a rack filled with test tubes holding colored liquids. It was quite intriguing, so I asked my waiter, who explained that they were flavored vinegars to anoint the raw oysters. Other than this, which looked like fun, and the soup cans, I didn't think anything on the menu was at all "gimmicky." Also, as a solo, young-looking (I'm 26) diner who only ordered a glass of wine and the least expensive dining option, I would have been disappointed but not surprised to receive perfunctory service. The service was really lovely, and I appreciated that. nightscots, I am very interested to read about your mixed reaction to E&O. girlchow, thanks for posting the detailed comparison. It seems clear that Cascadia is trying to broaden its customer base.

Well, that is the question. I'd like to have a full seven-course experience to answer that definitively (yes, such a chore). The funny thing is that my meal was very reminiscent of a lunch I enjoyed at Gramercy Tavern three years ago. Three-course prix fixe: heirloom tomato salad, roast pompano, selection of ice creams for dessert. The tomato salad at GT was better, a more ample serving of several different tomatoes, with a tomato sorbet and without a pile of greens. (This meal was in July 1999.) Otherwise, the Cascadia meal was quite comparable. This comparison detracted from the "Decidedly Northwest" idea, though, as GT isn't northwest of anything (except, perhaps, Brooklyn). It does, however, speak very well of the food at Cascadia. Salmon, of course, speaks of the NW to me. I understand they serve it in New York, but doubt I would order it there. The other salmon preparation on the menu, besides my grilled salmon, was roasted in cedar fronds. I assume this might be similar to cedar plank-roasted salmon. The salmon was translucent in the center; I like my salmon more cooked than some people, and this tasted perfect to me. Speaking from my limited knowledge of Seattle's fine restaurants, I do think Cascadia filled a void in Seattle fine dining. We need restaurants like Cascadia if we are to be a "world-class" city. It's great to have one with local emphasis along with the French, Italian, etc. I have not yet been to Le Gourmand, but I have the impression that it's style is different from Cascadia; it is smaller, more intimate, outside the downtown core. I think it's important to have both of these restaurants in Seattle.

The hay-baked chicked is described in a Seattle P-I article today. leafy greens

This evening I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Cascadia. When else can I enjoy dining solo except when Matthew is toothless? I looked over the menu on the website and decided to sample some Decidedly Northwest cuisine. The restaurant is attractive, light and airy with a high ceiling, decorated quite simply. The "rain window" at the back of the room is a focal point; I enjoyed glancing back into the kitchen throughout the meal. It sounded silly on the website, but the falling water is quite pleasant. I ordered the three-course menu ($25) as I had planned. This fit both my budget and my desire for a relatively brief meal. Their menu is extremely flexible: the three-course menu, three different seven-course ($65) menus, an a la carte menu, and all dishes on the prix fixe menus available a la carte. [Note regarding tasting menus: While the website says that they require everyone at a table to have a tasting menu, I heard my waiter telling the four-top next to me that it was "recommended," and they ended up with one person ordering a 7-course menu, the other three going a la carte.] The three-course menu for July is posted on the website; it changes monthly. The shrimp appetizer and the grilled salmon were both on the August menu. Amuse bouche: a tiny (eggcup size) white porcelain soup tureen filled with "tomato gazpacho": cold, smooth tomato soup, drizzled with basil oil and garnished with dill. It looked creamy, but another guest inquired later and learned it was nondairy. Very refreshing. 1. I chose the heirloom tomato salad. A deep orange tomato, two cherry tomatoes, and a reddish-yellow tomato were dressed in a light basil vinaigrette. The tomatoes were ripe, juicy, and delicious, thus I did not appreciate that they were served with a very large heap of salad greens that completely covered the tomatoes. The tomatoes by themselves would have been fine, and a more attractive presentation. 2. Grilled wild king salmon with sweet corn, arugula, and watermelon. (The other entree choice was "Hay-baked chicken." I regret not asking the waiter to explain this entree.) A thick square-cut salmon fillet was served skin-side up, with a checkerboard of grill marks, on a small bed of mashed Yukon Gold potatoes. The salmon was surrounded by corn kernels with some small arugula leaves stirred in, and 6-7 small medallions of watermelon. The vegetables (and fruit) were lightly sauced with beurre blanc. The corn was the highlight of the meal: crisp, sweet, and flavorful, glossed with butter with a bit of bite from the arugula. Watermelon was just odd; I would eat a bite, think "hmm, is this good or not?", then think, "Buttered watermelon... ewww." I assume it was meant to add some sort of flavor contrast, or something. The salmon was nicely cooked with a very crisp and delicious skin, moist and tender. The mashed potatoes were very buttery. The whole plate had a delicious buttery air without being heavy. Except for some stray watermelon circles, I almost licked it clean. 3. For dessert, one offering: Blackcurrant mousse, vanilla ice cream. A small dome of deep purple mousse was encircled by a tart blackcurrant reduction, topped by a blackcurrant-flavored wafer and a quenelle of what I expected to be vanilla ice cream. In fact it was very thick, creamy whipped cream. The mousse had a lovely texture and a flavor not quite berry, not quite grape that was very enjoyable. The dessert was simple but had a nice contrast of flavors and textures. Very expensive? I thought this meal was a steal at $25. With a glass of 2000 McCrea Vin Rose ($7; recommended by my waiter, who said it was her favorite of the wines by the glass, and it was quite nice), dinner totaled $41. My waiter, who was the only person who served me throughout the meal (including water, etc.), was attentive, pleasant, and very knowledgeable about the menu. A small fruit jelly candy (berry, I think) was presented along with the check. I appreciated the emphasis on current seasonal flavors in all the dishes. Since they have begun offering a la carte dishes and this $25 menu, one can dine at Cascadia at a variety of price points. I will certainly consider returning, perhaps for a special occasion to sample the seven-course menu, or for the three-course menu in a different month. Maybe I'll even take Matthew next time.

Hmm. Well, as someone who has eaten at both Cascadia and the Herbfarm a couple of times, when it comes down to the food on the plate, I gotta say the better food came out of Jerry Traunfeld's kitchen. Well, his food does cost twice or thrice as much as that at Cascadia. I notice from the website that Cascadia offers a vegetarian menu at a lower price than the regular tasting menu, with some delicious-sounding dishes. I'm not vegetarian, but this is a nice accommodation, pricewise. As I am not much of a wine drinker, the beverage policy at the Herb Farm doesn't attract me either.

Still waiting for someone (thelastsupper, Fat Guy?) to explain what they disliked so much about Cascadia. I've mostly heard good things about it. I am not concerned about whether the chef is there as long as the food is good (in reference to tls's comment in the Herbfarm thread, about Sear not being present in his restaurant). Looking over Cascadia's website, the emphasis on local ingredients is clear, and a few preparation techniques are described. The food sounds good; I'm a little put off by the detailed description of the decor and its significance, but I assume diners at Cascadia don't have to undergo a mandatory guided tour. In The Man Who Ate Everything, Steingarten's piece on "Ingredients in Search of a Cuisine" discusses the use of local ingredients in the PNW. He describes his visit (in 1990) to Sooke Harbour House, and their absolute rules on using local ingredients. I don't know anything else about SHH, but what he writes is interesting.

I enjoyed the Cobb salad at the Dahlia Lounge some months back. And while looking at this menu, I noticed the doughnuts listed with honey tangerine jam. I had them with strawberry jam, and Judy's had them with rhubarb. So delightfully delicious. A Cobb salad and Dahlia doughnuts for dessert would make a lunch to remember.

I belong to a (non-food-related) listserv on which many of the members are mothers, mostly American. Yesterday in my email: 1) A mother wanted suggestions for what to cook for her two children, one of whom only eats plain pasta and sauceless pizza, the other who eats anything except meat. She and her husband eat separate Jenny Craig meals, so she wanted ideas to cook small portions for the kids. While I thought this situation was hopeless, I suggested baked potatoes with various toppings. She replied that the only potatoes her son eats are McDonald's french fries, and her daughter (who eats "everything") refuses to eat potatoes. 2) A mother posted the recipe she had prepared for her family's dinner, which involved onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, and chopped meat. 3) A mother posted about her son's birthday, for which she had taken him and a friend to a mall for lunch, and then had a "family dinner" at Pizza Hut. These three items, collectively, made me sad for what American children are eating. Saffy, I love your plan for letting your kids choose a restaurant every month. Choice is so empowering, and they may choose places that you wouldn't have dared to take them to. circeplum, I have read that breast-fed children are more amenable to trying different foods, because they have been exposed to a wide range of flavors; formula always tastes exactly the same. Your experience supports this theory.

No, the sauce was added to the dish. I don't think the breast was separated from the leg, as you describe it, either. It looked like we each had half the chicken (not an entire half, a leg and breast) and it was all attached to each other. Forgive my lack of terminology; I don't know anything about carving.

Try this thread on the worst things we eat.

Judy and I had lunch at the Blue Onion Bistro last week. I ordered the Blue Salad: greens, blue cheese, smoked chicken, sliced apples; I think some cucumber also, and perhaps onion. It was very delicious on a hot day, accompanied by the tallest glass of lemonade I've ever had in my life. The flavors of the salad blended nicely, and it definitely kept my interest.

Jaymes, thank you for sharing the sangria recipe. I've made sangria with red wine several times (Cook's Illustrated recipe), but have never tried white sangria. This sounds delicious. Last year Matthew made Bellinis with some ripe peaches. They were light and fruity, yet decadent.