reesek

i made some sushi the other night with fish from uwajimaya (CR prices posted correctly by Laurel above). i asked the woman behind the counter if it was ok to eat CR raw. she told me "it would be better" to freeze it for a couple of days first. clueless, i assumed this was for presentation (frozen or colder fish is easier to slice) she said no, then giggled at me but didn't really answer, so i didn't buy any. i bet it's critters. next time someone goes to mashiko - let's ask. also - on the white king conversation - they have had it at madison market, and metropolitan market (west seattle). i've asked both markets about white king - is there a season? when do you have it? the answer at both markets was - no season, they'll carry it when it's offered and they don't price it any differently. Metropolitan Market carries fantastic hot smoked salmon in their fish case. about a week ago i noticed they had a couple chunks of white king. imo - the flavor difference b/w white and red salmon is highlighted by smoking. the white is sweeter and much more delicate. i thought it needed scallions and lemon zest and salt. then it required awkward rolling in nori with sushi rice. plain - i prefer the more flavorful red. rk

my first visit to union last night - long awaited. i had to resist the urge several times to spike something and dance around like an NFLer. it was that good. we sat in the bar as we weren't sure we wanted the full tasting experience and thought the bar atmosphere might be more casual. i'm delighted we did - i can't imagine getting better service in the dining room - the bartender was wonderful - very funny, attentive and helpful. the amuse was shaved fennel with olive oil and chives. a friend and i split 4 courses...first - the dungeness crab salad - a disc of creamy crab infused with tarragon in a tangy green liquid. (wheat grass?) we had also wanted the shaved porcini salad, but were told they were out of porcini. second course was flat discs of pasta with bluefoot mushrooms, favas and a lemon thyme cream. insanely good. we mopped up every bit of sauce. third we had the seared halibut with hollandaise and asparagus - we were struck with how such a classic dish could seem so modern and clean. an exceptional hollandaise. dessert was a strawberry rhubarb crisp with strawberry ice cream. they didn't really match well together, but who cared? they were both so good we were caught scarfing it. the ice cream tasted so fresh - i swear chef stowell must have a cow in the kitchen. best meal i've had in seattle - maybe ever.

from pcarpen - that skate looks amazing. i've noticed it lately in my market but i've been intimidated to cook it. i've only had it once - pcarpen, would you be so kind as to post your recipe? did you have your fishmonger remove the membrane? many thanks! reesek

mark, i love thai bird chilis - imo, though they're hot, it's their flavor that's truly exceptional. my recommendation would be to rehydrate them before use in boiling water until they're soft. wear gloves, i never do and alway regret it - especially if you're going to be checking the texture with your hands. my favorite use of these chilis, (always fresh - but the same principles would apply) is to bash them in a mortar & pestle, and add pepper, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, rice vinegar and a bit of oil. use as a dressing on shredded green papaya or as a marinade for fish or chicken. we also like to make a spiced vinegar - for this you could heat rice wine vinegar and reconsitute the peppers in the hot vinegar. develops flavor over several days. i drip the vinegar on rice and fish.

love the topic... potato pancakes at Parkway Deli in DC - they look more like pucks than pancakes, but they have just the right amount of matzoh meal and onion, and they're fried in some sort of contraption that ridges them on one side so you get 3 extra raised crispy lines. stupendous. reliable crisp, plain, buttery hash browns. (perfect at the aforementioned Parkway Deli when ordered "well done") none of this "herbed grilled potato" business. patatas bravas - a spanish tapa i had everywhere i could. (cubed fried potatoes with a spicy, thin tomato-based red sauce and if you're very lucky - a dollop of aioli) best ever at a tiny place in Barcelona near Sagrada Familia. (are you sensing a theme?) pizza - Vace in DC has the most impossibly thin onions and roasted red peppers - making the most delicious pizza i've ever had. indian food. specifically the dal makahni they used to have at Moti Mahal on Devon Street in Chicago. it's gone...not moti, but the chef has left - it won't be the same eaten in a different setting. crepes from paris. preferrably shared and eaten in huge crisp cheesy bites. to kiliki's point - i don't think i'd want these things here - they're all very linked to me with the places in which they're located - but i long for them.

little ms. foodie - mutual fish is on rainier ave. south - as mamster intimated - across the street (west side) from Lowe's. driving from downtown you'd take 12th or 14th (or dearborn) to rainier ave south. it's on the right past the oberto's. they have parking, an awesome (hilarious) staff and they supply a lot of area restaurants. excellent quality.

robyn - i'm wondering why the (mis)perception of my age happened, and why it should matter? (women of all ages get married and have bridesmaids - if that was the reason) for the record - i thought the bartender was clueless but competent. i don't think i ever implied i was unhappy with the service - just the food - some of which was raw - but not delivered as advertised. the one thing that nags at me is your hypothesis about why i might have been unhappy. unwelcoming service in a restaurant that's aiming for a high-market clientele would be my #1 reason not to return. the fact that it's an inconsiderate diner that monopolizes a table isn't relevant - all guests should be treated with warmth and respect. besides - if i'd been there alone and not wanted to be in the bar but wanted to order a full meal at a table - wouldn't that have been ok? i'm glad you had a good experience there, and i see why you feel protective of it - i hope for your sake that i was there on an off night, but i just can't see returning to eat.

i enjoyed the bar at cascadia last night. had the mojito...slushee? can't remember what it was called, but it (like several of their bar drinks) has a lump of appropriately flavored sorbet in it. it was divine! i had 3! 3 of us shared sliders, calamari, salad & "posh mac & cheese" - note that we arrived after happy hour so we ended up with a bucket of calamari rather than a dainty cone. the chipotle mayo that came with the bucket was excellent. i thought the calamari was ok but in need of all 3 wedges of lemon and salt. the salad was lovely, sweet baby romaine hearts, radish sprouts and an addictive lemony dressing. the star by far (not having eaten the burgers) was the mac and cheese. that should be my last meal. the cheese was stilton, it was topped with a generous dollop of chopped truffles, a knob of steamed cauliflower and decorated with celery leaves. amazing. oh - and it was a TON of food. great option and it just feels so nice in there

flips salad reminds me of vietnamese fresh rolls which i find very refreshing. rice paper wrapper, rice stick noodles, cooked halved prawns, sprigs of cilantro, thai basil (or mint), thin slices of fresh jalepeno, julienned scallion, carrot & cucumber. i dip it into sweet chili sauce that i dilute slightly w/rice wine vinegar and top with scallions. serve with lemon drops.

i have a friend who's looking to open a retail shop and we've been going over these same questions. an UMC neighborhood with no retail (to me) seems to be begging for gourmet deli (prepared food case) with tables and a small menu - maybe that also does sunday brunch and potential for special orders (party-food trays for the harried entertainers) - some shelves stocked with wine/dry specialty goods. there was a dynamite place here that closed (to your point) because it was wrong for the neighborhood. i would have shopped there all the time if i didn't live across town. the neighborhood it was in was not wealthy enough and there was no place to park. ever. we went to a baseball game on saturday night and as we walked back to the car, noticed that the brand new krispy kreme was packed. people buying 3 dozen donuts...each!! it's the perfect market - kk=safe - like MCD's or CCF - you know just what you're getting. unless a chef or something truly outstanding makes a place a destination, neighborhood places work when they make residents' lives easier.

i couldn't agree more. (oh that hummus!) it was after a meal at 941 that i knew my boyfriend was "the guy." his eyes were glazed, his hands jerky and he was muttering something about brandade. love the bin.

i agree with markk in principle - if i order something in good faith and it turns out that i just don't like it - i don't feel badly about ordering something else. whether i do or not is less topical - i believe i have every right. i went to a local tapas place a few months ago and had a mediocre meal, nothing to complain about, but just not very good. the waiter offered dessert and we hemmed a little. he then started talking up the flan du jour. (i'm very anti-flan) he cajoled me into trying it (best flan ever - not flanish, etc) but sure enough - a flan by any other name is still eggy to me. when he came over to check back i told him the truth. he removed the flan and brought cookies (good cookies!) instead. he charged me for the flan anyway. i wasn't surprised, but i probably won't go back. in my opinion - a restaurant (and by extension the front of the house) has one meal-long opportunity to get you to come back. that should be the goal - every place worth eating in that i've ever worked in - it has been. i really didn't care about paying for the flan - but a good experience with a waiter can absolutely change my impression of a restaurant...and get me back for a second or third try.

They serve food there? I thought it was just a place to see and be seen. people go to hooters to be seen??

when i was in spain it was called a cafe cortado - though cortadito would just mean - very little milk. i am so jealous...seattle has excellent coffee, but it's hard to get a cortado just the way i like it (spanish) i think the boxed milk is a critical component. hathor - great blog so far...! that white bean and shrimp salad looked divine!

i guess i'm not sure i understand how immigrant influences aren't as important a factor of cuisine as the natural bounty of the region... what's new york without pastrami and rye? and pickles..oh pickles the only regions in this country that i think are easy to define by their food are those, like maine, which aren't very diverse. though - certainly as lala/saydee point out - cedar planked salmon is pretty authentically northwest. (so are hot smoked salmon and marionberries)

those restaurants are open at night too! and you're here in the perfect season to watch the sun set over the market. you can take a $6 cab ride or a 20 minute walk...it's been nice here lately and not dark until 8 or later.

varmint - i have two words for you: bananas foster recipe from brennans...

i concur on martha's book - it's gorgeous. one of my favorite finds from that book was cucumber cups. you can fill them with anything (egg or crab salad, tuna tartare...) i filled them with smoked salmon, herbed cream cheese and caviar. it was a good thing. in case you're interested and don't want to buy the book - you'll need english cucumbers, a melon baller (or i used a demitasse spoon). optional - a 2 inch or smaller - depending on the size of the cukes biscuit cutter. cut the cukes into 2 inch slices - trying to cut evenly. use the biscuit cutter if you want to create smooth peeled cups - scoop out seeds. i salted lightly and turned over to let them drain a bit. then blot the insides, fill, chill and serve. she does some thing similar with cherry tomatoes...

malachi - if the weather is nice - you're not a long walk downtown from broadway. i highly recommend a visit to Pike Place Market - Chez Shea and Matt's In The Market (across the hall from each other) both have bars where lone diners eat all the time - and they're excellent. the Alibi Room is a good spot for a drink afterward. if you happen to be going stir crazy during the day - the market has a plethora of great cheap eats options (sandwich and homemade soup from Three Girls, piroshkys, fish and chips...homemade sausages, etc) Lark (mentioned above) is a quick walk from broadway and wonderful place. they don't take reservations, and eating alone might be a slight challenge as the tiny bar is also the waiting area - i suggest eating early. i haven't been to Union, but my dinner at lark was the single best meal i've had in seattle all year. enjoy your visit and let us know what you've discovered!

chefette - the plan was to serve alongside the cool panna cotta. i think chefpeon is right when she says that bad fruit can't be roasted good. (sounds like a country song) i'm going to the market this afternoon and i'll see what they've got there. my new thought is to get a couple of little chubby bananas, slice them on the bias and brulee them. i'll update...many thanks to both chefs - ette and peon. rk

that's been pretty much my experience. i've always found 5-spot to be the strongest of the chow chains. i used to live on the hill, so frequented coastal more, but thought the consistency was better at 5-spot. it's also cleaner...a friend and former waitron who works weekends at coastal does not have nice things to say about cleanliness there. there used to be a diner on aurora just north of the jack-in-the-box at 85th(?) called the aurora family restaurant. huge breakfasts...awesome antique waitresses and AA meetings in the back room - a rotating group of smoking & not. i think it's still there, but might have different owners. i used to love that place.

chefpeon - that was my point...hard to resist the temptation to do just that. thank you for your input, by the way! i think the acidic flavor was because the strawberries were red, and not cottony - but not sweet to begin with. gale gand's recipe sounds wonderful...i may use it. i didn't have any butter (insert blank uncomprehending stare) so i just sprinkled them with sugar...i don't have a thermometer, though the oven is new. maybe i'm actually getting what i'm going for - they weren't falling apart. do i need to let them rest after coming out of the oven? i kind of squeezed them a bit, straight from the oven and they just seemed very...wet. maybe i'm trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear...if the strawberries aren't good to begin with - will any roasting technique help them? ironically - i'm going to pick some fresh ones on saturday. i'll have to re-experiment then...i have some lovely tart cherries - maybe i'll pit and stew them with a little wine. what, after all could be a more appropriate nipple?

i've been blown away by roasted strawberries in restaurants - tender, sweet flesh -intense pure berry flavor - it's elevated mediocre brulee to memorable. not in my oven. i'm prepping for a dinner party tomorrow night and my dessert (thanks to some excellent advice) is buttermilk panna cotta (more on that in a sec) having loved roasted strawberries, i looked up a couple of recipes and did a test run with some good looking (though tart) california imports. i dusted with superfine, and roasted in a 400 degree oven. 6 minutes. 8 minutes. 11 minutes. yuck. they were wet, squishy - decomposing even, sweet but overripe feeling, ...and with acidic undertones. should i have macerated first? is it me or is it the strawberries? and what's the fix? incidentally - the individual ramekins i have are larger than i wanted to use, so i chilled the panna cottas in small round bowls. when i unmolded the test case last night i had to laugh...it looked like a vanilla speckled breast implant. can i hide that? (should i even want to?) i'm torn between wanting to crown each one with a single macerated strawberry and wanting to start over...

good to know...ours (in the picture upthread) are about 24" - we have 2 kinds - edible pods and shelling (shelling are a bit taller so far) - and they're obviously well crammed in together - i had no idea there would be so many...naive new gardener. next year i'll know better...hopefully we'll be able to reach them all.

not sure if it's too late. this isn't mexican - it's spanish, but easy and delicious. stuffed piquillo peppers jarred/canned piquillo peppers canned tuna (i used albacore) drained 2-3 Tbsp olive oil - or more if it's too dry 1 tsp drained capers 1 T chopped italian parsely 1/4-1/2 tsp smoked paprika (any spice would be fine) vinegar to taste - i used a splash of sherry, but balsamic would work too 3T minced red onion basically, piquillos are the perfect ready made pouch - you just puree all the other ingredients in a cuisinart (one can of tuna makes about 20-30) and stuff the filling into the peppers with a spoon. tapa-licious. alternatively - you can stuff piquillos with herbed goat cheese mixed with a little adobo sauce (the red sauce packed with chipotles) and green onions.