kiliki

I'd like to know, too. We have a July 26th reservation but I'm waffling a bit.

Cook's Illustrated has one that you might like (I made it and liked it) and it's available online, but only to members (or maybe you can do the free trial to get the recipe?). http://www.cooksillustrated.com/login.asp?...recipe&iseason=

Here in Seattle we do buy directly from the farm via the farmer's market, and it looks like the vendor, Taylor Shellfish, ships across the US. Though it seems like you could find someone closer to home (the idea of clams and mussels shipped across country icks me out a bit). Taylor Shellfish Farm I second the recommendation for Penn Cove mussels--they are better than any other mussel I've had on the East Coast or in Europe-but again, I'm not sure how they fare in shipping.

Ditto TSquare's ID (Chinatown) recommendations. Plus, if you like crab, add Seven Stars Pepper to the list, and get the Szechuan crab. Seafood stalls/dives/etc: Market Grill in the Pike Place Market for salmon sandwiches, Pike Place Chowder for chowder and other seafood soups. I know a lot of people that love Sunfish on Alki for fish and chips and fish kebobs, but I haven't been. Alki is a pretty waterfront area in West Seattle (great views back to downtown) and would be a nice trip, too. Not fine dining (LMF is right that most of the places being recommended here aren't fine dining, though they are some of the best restaurants in the city), but IMO a don't miss, is Matt's in the Market. Lunch is less expensive if you want to go that route and save your $$ for dinner somewhere else.

My favorite food on this route are the ice cream and shakes at the Cascadian Farm stand near Rockport (you can't miss it). They make the ice cream from the organic berries they grow there. I like the Cinnamon Twisp bakery in Twisp as well. Neither of these fit the bill for a lunch stop but I can't really recommend anything else in the area (I've had tons of meals at different places that were okay but nothing I'd point anyone too). It's too bad the food at the Duck Brand Inn isn't better since they have such a nice deck area. It's okay, just not great. I have friends that always make a stop at the Twisp Brewing Company after a hike in the area, and say they have decent dinners, but I haven't been. Lol, there is no way you'll avoid tourists in those places (though the brewing company is a local hangout too).

My radishes were all tops and no radish when I used organic veggie fertilizer on them. So I started just seeding and watering, no fertilizer, and they are great (French breakfast and cherry belle). I have peas on my english peas finally (still too small to harvest though).

I'd stopped watching the show--I was really tired of the little "skits" and non-food related stuff that weren't nearly as entertaining as Tony just being himself. But I watched the Hawaii episode last night and it was great--just like his earlier shows, before they got so corny. At the beginning I thought, here we go, before you know it he'll be decked out in a grass skirt trying to learn to hula at a luau. But no! It was mostly about food, I felt like I learned things I didn't know and that would be useful next time I go to Hawaii, and all in all it was entertaining. Hopefully they'll keep doing shows this way again.

Has anyone ever had a cheese shop vacuum seal a cheese for travel? I would have liked to smuggle back some Camembert from France recently, but US Customs says soft, runny cheeses are not okay (hard cheeses are fine). I saw a cheese shop that said they vacuum sealed but real Camembert is SO stinky (I had a piece in a minifridge in my hotel room, and we smelled it as soon as we got off the elevator in the hall!) that I couldn't imagine that it would really contain the smell.

Operating on the theory that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I planted more radishes, spinach and lettuce. *sigh* I didn't bother to replace the pickling cukes.

Les Cocottes de Christian Constant: delicous food, open on Monday for lunch and dinner, very reasonably priced, and casual. http://www.leviolondingres.com/eng_cocottes.htm

I had a roasted Bresse chicken breast at Cafe Constant a couple of weeks ago--it was I think 18E, same as all the other plats.

KennethT, thank you so much. I'll have to use a fine sieve, as I don't have a Tamis. I hadn't thought to run the potatoes through a sieve again after they went through the ricer! That must really make the difference.

I've looked at a bunch of recipe sites to see if I could find a potato puree recipe, but nothing looks quite like what I'm after. I'm wondering how to make the kind of mashed potatoes I've had in France (like the kind you get at Cafe Constant in Paris). They are flat, not fluffy, clearly have a ton of butter (yet don't feel heavy), and are perfectly smooth but not gluey. I probably could figure it out through trial and error but any tips would be appreciated!

We ate at Le Grand Bleu last week. I'm pretty ambivalent about the experience. My husband enjoyed his dishes (langostine starter, beef with cognac) but mine didn't work for me. My asparagus and truffle starter came with what appeared to be vanilla ice cream (yuk). My lobster was wonderful but the risotto with tarragon and coconut milk was just an odd combo. Both of my dishes came with supplements, adding 21E to the menu price. The peach souffle dessert was fine but not outstanding. My favorite part of the meal was probably the post-dessert fizzy strawberry mousse they brought. I enjoyed our meals at La Belle Etoile (in La Roque Gagneac) and La Recreation (in Les Arques) far more. Both are doable as dinner from Sarlat.

My understanding is that basil is unhappy at temps below 50 degrees. I don't usually plant basil until mid June for that reason. Speaking of plants unhappy in cool weather, my special little "homemade pickles" pickling cuke starts I got at the Tilth sale, which were VERY small, were eaten while I was on vacation. If anyone sees any interesting varieties of pickling cuke starts, let me know.

Last time I asked about saffron at World Spice they told me that the only saffron that meets their standards is from Iran, and if they can't get it (which they usually can't), they don't carry it. It seems like it would be worth their while to carry a kind they like almost as well...

Where is it?

I was just corresponding with the owner of a b and b near Sarlat (we'll be there next week) and she recommended Le Grand Blue. But, she said if we wanted a reservation to let her know as soon as possible--they are booked all the time now that they've received the star.

Matt's in the Market and Tilth for nicer, sit down service; Market Grill, Pike Place Chowder and Sunfish Seafood for casual/order at the counter style. Lots written about all these places if you search here and google. Maximilien (in the Market) would be good as well-great view of bay, great ambiance, and plenty of local seafood (crab, mussels, salmon) though it's a French restauant (maybe French-NW would be most accurate).

Lucky you! Ours (in the PNW) are behind this year due to a cold spring and we don't normally even get them until June. And there's no point in buying the awful California grocery store kind so I'll be waiting a while longer... But when they come I am anxious to make Dorie Greenspan's strawberry tart with creme fraiche again. A nice, less common dessert. I also had raves when I made Ina Garten's Strawberry Country Cake--I'm going to need to try the CI one mentioned above.

I will be in Paris soon and I was feeling a bit sheepish that I'm planning on eating at all of these restaurants (I've loved Fables and the cafe on previous visits)...I'm glad to read I'm not the only one that does that! Which apartment is it? We stayed with Paris Perfect on our honeymoon and found the apartment just wonderful.

There was no line when I went yesterday--I figured the rain kept a lot of people away. I found "Homemade Pickles" pickling cukes which I really wanted! Tomatoes, too. But I wished I'd seen the youth garden stand before I went in-their tomatoes were so much bigger!

Wasn't someone asking about where to get Isis Candy? I just saw it on the list of plants that will be at the Tilth sale this weekend. Tilth sale

Exactly. I didn't think their decision NOT to use Polish sausage was a bad one. First, they can only shop at one place, so they're at the mercy of whatever kind of PS Whole Foods has. What if they only have one kind? What if it sucks? Does the average chef even know what goes into a PS if they did want to make it, and does Whole Foods have what they'd need (like casings?). I could easily imagine them doing store-bought PS then being told, well, this was an improv challenge, why didn't you improv?

There is a process including inspection that you go through to become certified organic--info from the WA Dept. of Agriculture here. I'd highly recommend "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades" by Steve Soloman.