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SeaGal

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Everything posted by SeaGal

  1. I just ate at Toby's this afternoon for the first time - gorged on the fish and chips with shrimp and clams - good slaw, beer, view and nice people. YUM! ← I love Toby's too (it's in Coupeville, by the way). Excellent fish and chips and coleslaw. Good chowder. Great steamed mussels with really tasty bread that's fried with butter on the griddle. The portions are huge--we ordered way too much (but I think we finished it anyway ) . *edited to add location
  2. Abra, where did you buy the normal-sized jar of Salsa Lizano? I've only seen it in the huge, economy size in the market. I fell in love with it in Costa Rica and it's irreplaceable in gallo pinto (Costa Rican beans and rice). I see you've found other uses for it.
  3. Beautiful pictures, Abra--looking forward to your blog. I vote for French. Jan
  4. SeaGal

    Limes

    Ahhh, the Michelada. So wonderful to sip while lounging under a palapa on the hot sand under the warm Mexican sun.......so far away from grey Seattle drizzle....
  5. I second the vote for Ken's, and I do feel uncomfortable even saying it, but Costco has a very good roti chicken. In a completely different league than Safeway and QFC and Larry's. cburnsi ← No need to be uncomfortable, Costco's roast chickens are very good. Unfortunately, Costco isn't a very convenient location for most people to grab a chicken on a busy weeknight. I usually get mine at either Whole Foods or Safeway. Not too fond of QFC's-they tend to be dried out a lot of times. I like Pasta and Co's, but they are usually cold which is sometimes fine, sometimes not. I wish Seattle had a Mexican-style chicken place where you could get a grilled half or whole chicken with tortillas and beans...maybe someday.
  6. A group of us went to King's Chinese Restaurant (aka Ming's) in Bellevue awhile back and had a some really nice dim sum. Here's a link to check out the responses: Dim Sum Address is: 13200 Ne 20th St, Ste 4, Bellevue
  7. Adding fennel to almost anything is never weird, in my opinion. I love fennel and I bet it goes well with the richness of the duck. Lovely pictures--I want to eat it now! I also vote for parsi, with breakfast second and lunch at an Amish restaurant third.
  8. Unfortunately, I can't help out with West Seattle but hopefully others will. If you can make it over to Ballard, though, you absolutely must try La Carta de Oaxaca. This place is the real deal, with everything made from scratch, from the tortillas and chips to the salsas. It's really good--and lots of Mexican in Seattle isn't. It's all good, but a couple of my favorites are the lamb birria, the entomatada with salsa verde (this is a slice of grilled beef with an enchilada--sounds pedestrian, but it's not) and the tacos al pastor. The homemade chips and the posole and their salsas are also excellent. I believe they open at 5:30 on weeknights and it's best to get there then or a bit earlier to avoid lines. Here's a link to a local blog with pictures: Seattle Bon Vivant on La Carta and here's an eG thread on it: PNW Mole Thread Enjoy the rest of your stay! Jan
  9. Thank you so much for this info. I've had such a hard time getting good, sharp knives. I'm definitely going to give Bob a try. Jan
  10. A couple of weeks ago they had several: the regular salami, the fennel (sorry, can't remember the Italian name ) and at least one other. Maybe they were just sold out..?
  11. All I have to say is WOW! Gary and I went last Sunday. We shared a pan au chocolat, a nectarine danish and a savory ham and cheese croissant. All were excellent and the espresso drinks were top-notch too. Wish I hadn't waited so long to make it here and also sorta glad it's not closer to where we live (angel, devil, angel, devil..... )
  12. I find it fascinating to see how each of us draws the line in this area. Some say no convenience foods at all and somehow have the time/organization/stamina/creativity/equipment/desire to make everything from scratch. Many of us use a mix-match approach and make many things from scratch while throwing in convenience foods where we can tolerate them and where they make sense in our lives. And I know many people whose whole "cooking" repetoire consists of convenience foods (most of these folks have no desire to cook and woudn't be posting on these boards, either). When I read MFK Fisher, I find it fascinating that, as much of a good food lover as she was, she still wasn't above using canned soup laced with sherry and dolloped with sour cream when she needed a quick home meal (often when cooking for herself). When I feel inclined to use convenience foods, it's usually a time/energy issue and I almost always doctor them up with a variety of seasonings and additions. I've found that certain things work for me and some don't. Many people swear by bagged salads, but I've found that I don't really enjoy them--they taste somehow stale and chemical to me (except for bagged mesclun, which somehow doesn't). I used to occasionally use bottled salad dressing, but now I can throw together a vinagrette so fast that there's no reason--except for Marie's Bleu Cheese (which I admit that I doctor up with buttermilk, garlic and extra bleu cheese crumbles)--probably just be easier to make it from scratch...... I can't stand hamburger helper/tuna helper, but I'll use Shake'n'bake in a pinch and enjoy the rice products such as Goya and Near East--but I haven't had Rice-a-roni since I was a child. I don't really enjoy boxed Mac n cheese enough to go to the trouble of boiling the water for it, but I'll eat Stouffer's frozen if I have a craving and no time to make my own. Bottled BBQ sauce makes appearances in my pantry-I doctor with vinegar/hot sauce etc--and since I don't have a pasta maker, will buy good-quality deli-made if I want fresh--otherwise it's boxed. When I'm sick, it has to be Campbell's chicken noodle soup with saltines--I love homemade chicken soup, but it's not what I wan't when I'm sick.
  13. Really interesting discussion. You know, oddly enough, I think what I'd miss most is citrus--lemons, limes and oranges especially. I use them in almost everything I cook and drink. I was raised with them growing in my grandmothers front yard and I still have to pinch myself to remember that they come from another place now. Much as I love lemongrass, it just isn't quite the same. I also would miss the rice and soy products. My questions is, could rice, soy and/or citrus be grown anywhere in Washington? I think this type of local eating would be great in the summer and really suck come winter, unless you lived further south--as Rocky said, it'd be easier in CA. Jan PS: Imagine cocktails without citrus *edited to correct typo.
  14. Wow! That prosciutto is a thing of beauty.
  15. And don't forget chilaquiles in Mexico--what a great way to use up leftover tortillas. And pho in Vietnam.
  16. And then there's a milquetoast (milk toast): "Caspar Milquetoast. A cartoon character of H. T. Webster, Caspar Milquetoast was a caricature of the mild-mannered, overly proper ineffectual man thoroughly dominated by his wife, other men, and essentially everyone else." Caspar Milquetoast Another similar word for a wimp is milksop.
  17. I'm awphully aphraid that I might not "get it" and have no desire to spend an uncomphortable evening pheeling like a phool just because I don't have the proper wine knowledge or cool phactor to phit in. Jan
  18. SeaGal

    The Basics

    I agree about the techique being more important than the recipe. That's why I've always loved Julia Child's "The Way to Cook" since it shows basic techniques and then variations. I'm going to dissent on the roast chicken, much as I love it. I think for a beginner it would be better to learn the technique of sauteing a chicken, since you can so easily vary this, for example, add some lemon and capers and it's chicken piccata, some mushrooms and tomato, chicken cacciatore and on and on. If you can saute a chicken, it's also easy to saute some chops or a piece of fish. Of course, ideally, you'd learn both techniques so you could enjoy sautes and roasts. I also think proper cooking of vegetables is so important to get right.
  19. I just sent my letter via the website. It's sad, but it seems that there's just not that much urgency around this for many people.
  20. Steve, is this the website you went to? Volterra The address and phone are right there under their logo. Maybe they did read your post and fixed it immediately Jan
  21. I would say that Lampreia is in the same category price-wise as Rover's; that said, I think Lampreia is excellent. I also heartily second Union, Matt's in the Market, Salumi and Harvest Vine (just an addendum to LMF's description, their food is served tapas-style, not Basque family-style). Enjoy your visit! Jan
  22. Actually, they had lamb cheeks last week, which I've never tried. It looked like only about 1/2 lb were left. I'd have snatched them up, but had already made other dinner plans. I bet they'd be really good and lamby. Jan
  23. That place is unfortunately gone. Actually, it's not gone, just moved a couple of blocks north to this address: Continental Store, Inc. 5200 Roosevelt Way N.E. Seattle, WA (206) 523 0606 Jan
  24. This might be fun and a great way to hook up with other cheese makers/lovers: DeLaurenti's Seattle Cheese Festival Jan
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