kiliki

This is all so great. Little Ms Foodie, if I didn't already live here your blog would make me want to move to Seattle. After seeing your crab pictures I now MUST run up to the Market during lunch (I work near Pioneer Square, too) to pick up a couple crabs for dinner.

I think Alice Waters' "Fanny at Chez Panisse" is a sweet book (but maybe aimed at older kids). I would try to take a look at that if you can. My first cookbook was Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls, and I adored it. It has been recently reissued, and while there are still a lot of easy recipes kids can make on their own, it does have some very dated, weird recipes in it. It's too bad there isn't an updated equivalent because I think giving a cookbook is a good idea. I completely agree with Busboy about cooking being fun and accessible first and foremost-I know every kid is different, but if someone had tried to teach me knife skills or roux when I was 6 I would have been bored stiff. I wanted to make stuff I thought was cool (and delicious).

I tip as I do in a restaurant, 15-20%, but I've been told that's too much for pizza delivery.

I've lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life and have never paid for a drink refill (and I am an iced tea fiend). My pet peeve about iced tea is that so many places here make a fruity (usually peach) flavored tea and then serve that without telling you that you are not getting the regular, plain iced tea you thought you were ordering. It's just gross.

The Jalapeno flavor are great.

This is off topic of the orignial post, but: How hard it is to get a table at Sambar at that time? When we visited last summer, the entire place (patio too) was packed on weekend nights. So last night we went early and ate dinner there (the cheese blintzes with butter chive sauce were out of this world, btw), figuring that later the little place would be full.

Malawry's answer is exactly what I was about to write. I'm a former vegetarian also who has always detested those "fake meat" products. The only people they will fool is those who haven't eaten meat in some time-vegetarians get used to the different taste and texture of the fake meats, while meat eaters usually notice the difference instantly (unless the fake meat is a minor part of the dish). I guarantee you that if you make a fake meat dish and introduce it to hardcore meat eaters, you will reinforce their current ideas and definitely not "blow their mind." And again I agree with Malawry, make something delicious based on eggs/cheese/beans/grains-there are THOUSANDS of wonderful veggie entrees you could make. I'd recommend looking through Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone or The Greens Cookbook. My ultra carnivorous boyfriend does not miss the meat at all when I make pasta primavera, polenta gratins, fritattas, etc, because they are so delicious and satisfying. If you are still wedded to the idea of fake meat, bury it in the dish. Make a quiche with fake bacon (which isn't terrible, though it does not have the same flavor as bacon) as one ingredient-don't make the fake meat the star.

While at Sambar last night (enjoying, among other things, a lovely matsutake and zucchini gratin), we asked about the monthly Le Gourmand cooking classes. The waiter told us that right now the classes are very mushroom focused, if anyone is interested in learning more about cooking 'shrooms.

My assumption: We're largely a city of single family homes-a delivery service then has to drive far and wide, deal with traffic, etc just to be available to a moderate amount of customers. In a city like NY, SF, Vancouver, delivery services reach a lot more people without having to spend too much time on travel.

I also have a number of Thai and Indian options available in my neighborhood (Phinney/Greenlake); the problem is, none of them are good. I too wish there were more delivery options, but I've always assumed Seattle just doesn't have the density to make this profitable (which makes sense, then, that SF and Vancouver have many options. Portland, I'm not sure about).

I also enjoy The Splendid Table as well as her other book, "The Italian County Table."

Yes, the outlet store is right off of I-80. Their regular pieces are priced about the same as you'd find at Amazon or other discount site but their "seconds" (items with tiny scratches) or discontinued colors are terrific deals.

I've never had pizza in NYC, but the descriptions make it sound like "real" Italian pizza (thin crust, fresh mozzerella, light on the cheese)...so are we basically just looking for great Italian/Neopolitan pizza or is there another key difference to NY pizza? Not that I would be too helpful if is it the same as I've never had pizza in the US that was even as good as pizza from the Naples train station, for god's sake. Though there is a mobile wood fired oven pizza business at the Ballard Sunday Market that makes a delicious pie (too heavy on the oregano, but I imagine you can ask them to leave it off). But I think they might be taking winter off.

I agree that it is nearly impossible to buy good pie, but I'd call Macrina and Dahlia Bakery to see if they make apple. If they do, I'll bet it's not bad at all.

Oh, those Zuni gougeres sound fantastic. I'll try those sometime, too.

Thank you!!

Does anyone have a link to or the recipe for Jeffrey Steingarten's Blt canapes? I imagine it would be easy just to invent my own but I would like to read the original. I have looked everywhere and cannot figure out where I originally saw it.

Ditto.

The Ballard Market has fabulous mushroom deals right now. Chantrelles, $3.98/lb. Chicken of the Woods, Lobster, Oyster, Shitake, and I know I'm forgetting one or two more, all about $6-$9. Plain ol' crimini, $1.98.

I feel the same about Matador as I do Thaiku. It's not awful, and I wouldn't discourage people from going there. I just think they are both unremarkable, especially given the kind of crowds they draw. And would it kill Matador to have a non smoking section?

I doubt there is a secret menu-I think it appeals to a certain clientel (maybe the ones who are also packing Matador, a couple doors up). I've had a number of fair meals there (a girlfriend of mine used to drag me there), not bad enough to really disparage the place but not good enough to want to return. Maybe because there are not many thai places in Ballard, it is in an area that attracts a lot of people (for movies, clubs, shopping), and the ambiance is nicer than your average thai place?

I didn't actually know that anyone was saying they TASTE better-I've never been under the impression that was their appeal. Everyone I know that buys them (including myself) does so for reasons you mentioned in your first post (and it is easy here to find them from local growers).

The bars in Belltown seem to draw crowds on weeknights. Try the Rendezvous, Shorty's, The Lava Lounge, etc, if you're looking to drink in a somewhat lively space.

This week's forecast looks great, even for the mountains, so you'll be fine.

It's been nippy in the mountains-there's been snowfall already-so if you're heading up to Hurricane Ridge (and if you are not, you should) in the Olympics dress warm. Also, the dampness makes it feel a lot colder than it is, so if you're heading to the coast/rainforest, also dress warm. Salmon IS better here.