SeaGal

I agree, Chinooks has solid, well-prepared seafood and non-foodie out-of-towners (read family) usually love it. I always enjoy their steamed mussels and clams and the oysters are usually good and fresh. I've never tried their brunch, but we often take folks there for a late lunch after a brisk walk at Discovery Park (one of the best views in Seattle IMHO). Jan

Susan: What a nice gift for your Valentine. It looks wonderful. I'd love to make this for my guy. Would you care to share your recipe or point me to it's source? Jan

I went recently and I have to agree. The saba shioyaki is probably the best I've ever had. Also, I went for lunch and it was a huge portion of both the saba and the rice and my total was less than 10.00 if I remember correctly. I really love the little pickled cabbage too, but I wanted more of it....greed!! Jan

Darn, I tried to sign up for the foie gras class, but they'd just sold out. I'm first on the waiting list..............so I sit, praying for someone to catch a cold, or flu.....bad Jan, bad Jan.

I'd love to hear how yours turns out, as I've had mixed results with bison. I really like the flavor, though, it's just a bit chewy sometimes. Oddly enough, I've had better results with the sirloin cut than with the "New York" cut. Not sure why. Jan

Wow, Wendy, that souffle is a thing of beauty. I've never made one, but now you've got me thinking about doing one. Dinner last night was: Bison sirloin - marinated with pinot noir, olive oil, fresh thyme, garlic, dijon and sumac, then seared in cast iron and finished in oven till nicely red and juicy. Used marinade to degalze pan and poured it over slices--this was the tenderest bison steak I've ever made - not sure if it was because of longer marinade or just the meat itself Lentils de puy, ala Jacques Pepin, dressed with dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic and a bit of tobascco. Ruby chard sauteed and braised with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and smoked spanish pimenton. Served with 2003 Zigzag Pinot Noir, which wasn't that great, oh well.....

Yep, that's where I buy mine.

Jan, Thank you so much, but I just want to clarify that the ravioli you had were filled with eggplant and a little mint, served with our regular marinara sauce. No mint in the marinara. ← Doh! Thanks for clarifying that, Olivina. I knew the mint was in there somewhere. It was very subtle and very delicious. Jan

Abra just about summed it all up. It was a great meal. I really loved the ravioli which were stuffed with eggplant (and something else which I can't remember), and lightly covered with Lago's amazing marinara and mint. Sounds odd, but it was excellent. SeaGuy and I shared those and the sausage pizza which was way better than I expected it to be--I also tend to like a bit thicker crust, but this was soooo good. I also really enjoyed the caponata and the eggplant on the appetizer plate. The Barolo was indeed delicious and a great bargain. The service was attentive and friendly. I'd like to go back and try a few other things on the menu, and since it's just down the road a ways, I imagine I will. Jan

So, this is my first shot at this. I'm trying to expand my wine knowledge and especially my ability to talk about wines. I know what I like, I just don't always know how to describe it. So, here goes. I picked up the Trimbach 2002 Riesling from Pete's here in Seattle and the guy there suggested pairing it with crab. Well, who was I to argue. So I picked up a couple of dungeness, served them room temp with both butter/lemon and homemade mayonnaise, along with some steamed asparagus, a salad dressed with balsamic vinegar and bread and cheese. Both my husband and I detected floral and citrus on the nose, which was extremely delicate--I had to really sniff to get anything--of course we were sitting there with asparagus and crab right nearby, so that may have been a problem. The first sip was citrusy with a slight salinity and a nice, dry finish to balance the fruitiness. I didn't find it too acidic, but fairly well balanced. This was very dry for a Reisling and I enjoyed it, although I still prefer a nice Sancerre with dungeness crab. Oddly enough, it went really well with the salad, which had beets and fennel in it. It did not go well with the cheese, Le Lingot--I got a strong metallic taste when mixing the two. Jan

I was so excited this week. I was browsing through a small Vietnamese market in Seattle and found what's known in Costa Rica as culantro. The family I stayed with put it in their black beans and it has this amazing, cilantro-like, but more intense flavor. The Vietnamese call it ngo gai or saw-leaf herb. I've never been able to find this in the US before--guess I was looking in the wrong ethnic market! So, I hurried home and put on a pot black beans with onions, garlic, the culantro, red pepper flakes and some fresh oregano. Finished it off with salt, more culantro and some sauteed chopped onions and garlic. Simmered till all was lovely, black, tender beaniness. Served them with white rice; flank steak marinated in garlic, wine and oregano; my own variation on chimichurri sauce; and cabbage salad with pickled onions, cilantro, red peppers, hearts of palm and lime juice. The beans were so good that the next night we had the same thing, but with roasted, marinated chicken thighs. I'm a happy camper with my culantro!

One solution is to remove the fat and deglaze the pan between searings. This actually gives you more lovely deglazed bits to flavor your final stew or braise. Then start with a freshly rinsed pan for the next batch. *oops, edited to add that I just noticed that you don't want to rinse out the pan between searings. I guess you could have more than one pan going at the same time. Anyone else with ideas?

I've had good luck with the steaks, marinating them with wine, garlic and whatever spices I feel like at the moment and then searing briefly. Abra, your method of putting it over a bean salad sounds great. I've served it with lentils as well. Oddly enough, I found the sirloin steaks to be more tender than the New Yorks. May have just been a fluke. I've only purchased them from Whole Foods. I've made chili using ground bison and it turned out well. I didn't use a special recipe, just made it as if I were using ground beef. I did try bison burgers once, and wasn't happy with the result. I think they were so lean, they sort of just mooshed out of the bun rather than staying patty-like. I would think that pot roasting would work well, with the combination of liquid and low temperature, but haven't tried it. I'd love to hear how your roasts turn out. Jan *edited out comment I made without carefully reading previous post, doh!

I also use it daily, but not for cooking things. I find it a very useful tool for the following: Heating milk in my little pitcher for my morning tea (means I don't have to clean milk scum out of a little pan every morning) Defrosting things - an amazing thing I only recently discovered, although, you have to watch it carefully so it doesn't become pre-cooking things Melting butter or chocolate; softening butter that's too hard, but again, see above about defrosting. Reheating leftovers - I can't imagine the day after Thanksgiving without it. We used to have to put everything in pie plates/tin foil and into the overn, then have lots of stuff to wash. I also think the microwave is the only way to reheat mashed potatoes with any semblance of their original flavor. I also pre-cook baked potatoes and then finish them in the convection oven (rubbed with olive oil or butter and kosher salt). I used to hate nuked potatoes until I tried this method. Now I can't tell the difference from fully baked ones. Reheating the tea/coffee in my cup that's sat too long because I got distracted. Heating up liquids such as stocks and milk that I'm using in recipies such as gravies, rice or sauces. Heating up heating pads for pulled muscles Heating up the cat's canned food - (finicky thing ) For some reason, the only vegetable I use it for (other than potatoes) is beets, when I need them quickly--otherwise I roast them. There's probably other things I use it for, but I can't think of them now. It would be a big adjustment to not have one. Jan

I like them that way too. I also like them at room temp/slightly chilled with a nice lemon mayonnaise or mild aioli. Definitely accompanied by baguette and butter, maybe a steamed artichoke (also either dipped in butter or mayo/aioli) and a nice Sancerre. Yummmmm............ Jan

The nice thing about making your own, is that you can adjust the taste and heat intensity to your liking. I use a combination of fresh grated horseradish and some extra hot bottled horseradish (I like the vinegary kick it gives). Then I add a bit of sour cream (although I imagine creme fraiche would be wonderful in this as well), salt and pepper. If it doesn't have enough kick this way (horseradish varies in intensity) I add a bit of dry Chinese hot mustard--really gives it a nice bite. Enjoy your prime rib Jan

I'd suggest Palace Kitchen. On their online menu I count 9 apps, 3 soups and 3 mains that appear to have no meat (you'd have to ask them to leave the bacon vinagrette off the grilled trout, though ) I really love the way they do vegetables here. Of course, their menu changes all the time, so a call ahead for a faxed menu might be a good idea. Also, maybe Matt's in the Market? You could also call ahead to Union and see if they can accomodate with a pescatarian tasting menu. It can't hurt to ask. Jan

A big thank you to Abra for coming up with the idea, organizing and taking pictures; to Steve for opening up his home to us; and to everyone for making such beautiful food. It was all wonderful--so many delicious new dishes to add to my files, and also some really nice Spanish wines. Thanks to all! Jan

Wow, that looks like a nice chunk of saba! And they didn't skimp on the daikon, either. I'm going to have to get down there soon....Thanks for the great picture BH. Jan

I also love your posts, Jinmyo. They always get me thinking about food combinations I wouldn't usually try. Thanks! SeaGuy had knee surgery today to repair a torn meniscus, so, tasty, easy to digest, comfort food is in order for tonight: Asstd olives Spaghetti all'amatriciana - no bucatini at Whole Paycheck--drat Salad of romaine w/ hearts of palm and sherry vinagrette Wine: Marques de Carceres for me Oxycodon, Vintage 2005 for husband and leg Jan

Anyone who needs directions for tomorrow's cooking extravaganza should email (NOT PM) SparrowsFall (Steve). In case you don't know how to do this, just go to his profile, by clicking on his user name, and then click on "send an email". He'll send you directions and contact info. See you all tomorrow! Jan

Ha Ha! Great minds do think alike, LMF. I also love the double decker supreme and the mexi fries dipped in the mild taco sauce and ketchup. I have a weakness for the 7-layer burrito and that chicken stuft burrito thing. Very rarely I have the Nachos Bellgrande, but I have to be in a real down-n-dirty, need-fast-food-now mood and that doesn't happen much these days (my heart thanks me.) I haven't been to TB in over a year now....hmmm maybe it's time to head up Aurora I used to like Wendy's singles w/ cheese and their fries, but now I usually prefer to get a really good burger at either a local chain or pub. Jan

Carnitas w/ guacamole and little hand-made (not by me) corn tortillas....yummmmm

I decided to add the lamb meatballs with mint to my list, since it was missing from the line up. I also will have to bring a revised version of the stuffed potatoes. Spanish Table only had a small amount of tetilla cheese left, so they suggested Urgelia (a soft cow's milk cheese) as an alternative. I bought both and haven't decided whether to mix them together or just use the Urgelia. (The tetilla is very mild, kind of like really good Monterrey Jack and the Urgelia has a bit more pungency) Unfortunately, I just don't have time to make a run to PFI, so will just have to make do. Or, I could just skip the potatoes and bring the cheeses to munch on. What do you think? I'm also bringing the bean and chorizo salad. I also picked up a couple of bottles of the Naia white wine featured in the magazine. The wine lady at Spanish Table said it was very good. Jan

Continuing on the winter comfort food jag, tonight is: Sauteed chicken livers w/ red wine, shallot reduction Mashed yukon golds w/ garlic Frisee, red leaf lettuce, red onion, maytag blue and sherry vinagrette Wine: 2002 Carabella Pinot Noir