rockdoggydog
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Posts posted by rockdoggydog
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Jason, thanks for the heads up, I stopped by to grab a final slice for lunch. You looked incredibly busy so I didn't say hi.
Rocky
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Corkage fees
in Wine
Must be nice in Sonoma.
As far as the $25 goes, I'm only willing to pay that in a really nice restaurant where things being relative it's not so expensive. I agree that at that point though it is getting a little out of hand, my own personal comfort zone normally ends at $15.Rocky
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Corkage fees
in Wine
So far as Seattle is concered, most restaurants in the area are quite accepting of people bringing their own wine. Corkage here ranges from $5 to $45, with most in the $15 to $20 range. Personally, the reasonable range ends at $25 and there had better be some good stemware involved Some restaurants here have a two bottle limit though many that do will waive that if you either purchase a bottle from their list or call ahead to explain that it is a special occaision. Most will also ask that you not duplicate wines on their list or have a higher corkage for those wines. For myself I will bring a bottle or two every now and then of something special but never on my first trip to a restaurant and I always make sure to offer a glass to the sommelier or waiter. I also never will bring a bottle that is on their list, just a matter courtesy I feel.
Rocky
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How about a one day basic tasting class, Pete's in Bellevue offers a nice one session class for $20 that lasts an hour and a half, you can call them at 425-454-1100 to ask about their schedule.
Rocky
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Is transportation an issue? If so what neighborhood(s) in Seattle would be preferable?
Rocky
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I'm okay with Anthony's Bell Street Diner because I've accepted that it is what it is, a moderately priced seafood place on the water with nothing objectionable about the food or service I'm just never going to be blown away by it. The view though is nice and the large amounts of outdoor seating available is a definite bonus when you have a group in town. Having said that, there's always the picnic route also, whether you go through the Market and assemble a basket or bags
of food, or you order from someplace like Boat Street Kitchen and have box lunches made up and just go to the water and hang out. There's also the idea floated above of going to Alki. Only I would say, don't have any one place in mind, just let your fancy take you. Myself I'd go for Sunfish and sit outside. Just my two cents.Rocky
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If I remember right Agua Verde had ceviche but it may be seasonal, since it is such a great summer dish. I usually end up making my own, with the wealth of good fish in Seattle it's acutally pretty easy to do. And the leftovers - I always make too much - make great fish tacos the next day.
Rocky
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Most restaurants with corkage also ask that you not bring more than two bottles of your own wine. Some will waive that if you also buy a bottle from their list. One of the good things about Sam's on Eastlake was their $5 corkage which they usually waived anyways, I think that was the cheapest corkage I've ever found in Seattle. Most restaurants will waive their corkage for regulars as well. I've also found that offering a glass to your waiter or sommelier will often get the fees waived or reduced especially if it's something new to them. Share the wealth.
Rocky
edited to remove redundancy from tighe's post upthread
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We got out of Seattle and went to the Alderbrook Resort and Spa outside of Belfair on Hood Canal. We had a good room service dinner, I had a well executed hanger steak, and she had grilled sea bass. The best part was actually a dungeness crab mac and cheese that was amazingly light. I was surpised to learn that Tom Black is also the executive chef here and then was unsurprised to find out that the Alderbrook is managed by the same company as the Willows Lodge, so it all fell into place. The next day we stopped by the Sunset Beach Greek Deli and Mini Market on SR-106 back to Belfair. We had noticed it sitting by the road the day before on our way in and the sign saying Gyros and Steaks caught our interest. We split a sandwich and a salad that were both very filling and delicious, definitely going back sometime, don't know when, but sometime.
Rocky
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Crate and Barrel has a slightly different warmer and on the same page they also have a bag of fifty tealights on sale. Crate and Barrel tea warmer
Rocky
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Rocky...I am interested in your teapots. Any chance you could post a link or a photo?
Also, at Ross near Crossroads they had a bunch of those small pretty Asian iron type of teapots that usually cost fifty bucks or more. These ones were more like twenty to thirty. I am curious if people use this type of have them more for looks (they are really attractive!)
Hi TamIam. I am not a fan of those heavy iron teapots. I don't think that they are practical nor do they brew a better cup of tea. IMHO I think that they were meant as decorative items for export and somehow gained popularity outside of Asia. I may be totaly wrong but I have never seen them used in Japan or anywhere else in Asia. I also don't want to be negative about something being decorative. In regards to tea paraphenalia, I certainly have teapots that don't pour right or are difficult to clean but I have them around because they make me happy. Tea like food can be an obsession. BTW, the cheap teapots I got from Viet Wah seem like they are made from the Chinese version of pyrex/corningware. No molding yet. Sincerely, wl
I agree with White Lotus, I have never found the heavy iron pots to be used for anything other than strictly decorative purposes. The exact pot I bought is nto available anymore but this is very similar.
Rocky
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I recently bought a whole slew of teapots for gifts on amazon for $1.49 each, they're rather small about three to four cups capacity but they also came in a whole rainbow of colours.
Rocky
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Just some really good olive oil and sel gris, I rub in the salt and oil and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so and that's it. Nothing else except a really hot grill or pan, with a little bit more olive oil.
Rocky
edited for clarity
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Swung by World Cup on Roosevelt today for the first time. It'e next door to where The Continental Store and Deli moved to near 52nd and Roosevelt. It's billed as an espresso and wine bar, the coffee was okay but there was and excellent selection of wines, wines by the glass are a flat $5 and are rotated on a monthly basis to coincide with the wines of month. They also had the usual soups, sandwiches, paninis, and baked goods. They also have free wireless internet and outlets all over the place. The best part though were definitely the wines, they are all priced right around retail by the bottle, seeing as how it's about two blocks from where I live and with the Continental Store next door I could see myself using it as my alternate office. The staff were very nice and the space tiself is pleasant and warm. Sorry about the stream of consciousness nature of this post.
Rocky
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Okay, okay, OKAY!!!!
I picked some up at the gas station on the way home tonight. 
Obviously this hasn't been on my radar before.
Tomorrow in culinary school we're supposed to bring a carbonated cola beverage originating in Atlanta, Georgia and invented by Doctor John Pemberton late in the century previous to the last one, and, for a time, the ingredients included extract of cocaine. Any suggestions?
Why would anyone ask you to take Coca-Cola to a cooking class, or have they been watching too much Iron Chef?
Rocky
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I started reading the book and it sounds delicious. Great suggestion Laurel.
Rocky
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Tried out Olive You tonight on Greenwood and 85th, it bills itself as a Mediterranean Specialty store but is mostly Greek, not that that's exactly a problem.
Dani and I had a sandwich each and split a bowl of lentil soup. The lentil soup was chock full of lentils and well flavored but lacking in salt, easily remedied. The sandwiches were available in two sizes medium and large, we got the larges and got through half. They come on Essential Bakery bread and are well stuffed. We ordered the lamb sandwich and the beef sandwich. They both had a nice layer of of feta but not too much or overpowering with grilled onions and peppers. They were both good but the lamb used what seemed to be thinly sliced gyros meat that was a little dissapointing as I was kind of expecting sliced lamb but it was still very tasty. The beef sandwich also used thinly sliced meat and was pretty good. What really caught my eye though was the cold case with the myriad of olives and pickled and marinated veggies, shimp, squid, and octopus. They looked very promising and good. The owner came and greeted us as we walked in and pointed out what was available in the hot case to be put together into a really substantial dinner special, two mains, two sides, and a salad for $12.95. The space itself was very bright and well lit and cheerful, with a small selection of beers on tap. The desserts also looked pretty decadent but we didn't try any this time around, but defnitely next time. There are a number of tables as well as counter seating and with its setup could be a really popular summer place. All in all a worthy addition to the area that will require some more sampling.
Dinner for Dani and I:
2 sandwiches
1 bowl of soup
$21
Rocky
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I usually use black vinegar and shreds of ginger.
Usually I go a garlic infused butter route but I like the black vinager route also sometimes. I put shredded ginger and and ponzu in mine, about half and half with the black vinegar.
Rocky
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Thanks to Abra for organizing and Steve for hosting! This was a great idea. I had a great time and enjoyed some truly wonderful food and wine! BTW I promised some fried shallots to two people at some point but I can't remember who. If I promised you fried shallots please PM me and we can work out getting them to you.
Rocky
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While $200 is expensive, I've always kind of braced myself for some initial sticker shock with any of the Cooks and Books events. I believe that I'm not just paying for a meal, but an experience and a performance. I am one of those people who willingly pay however much to see or attend something that is special to me, and within reason on a relative scale. Having thought about this for a few nights I believe that this is within reason for me on a relative scale because of who it is and I am absolutely confident that Ethan will do a bang up job and blow my socks off even more than usual.
Of course, this is just me talking for myself and no one else. Not everyone will think that this will be either an experience that they can't miss, special enough that the price is secondary to the experience, or as in my case within reason on a relative scale.
Many restaurants in Seattle - I'm not even going to think about other cities, charge $125-$150 regularly for a winemakers dinner. The dinner consists of however many courses and with matched wines from the winemaker and some time to talk to the winemaker, same structure, no book. While I love wine and woudl love to meet many of these winemakers I almost never go to any of these dinners. Most winemakers that I want to meet are at smaller wineries that I can visit and usually meet there and talk to for a while. The chances of my ever getting to meet Thomas Keller in his element and talking to him at any sort of length are vanishinly tiny, so an event like this is an opportunity that I can't miss but I'm sure not everyone will feel that way. Well, that's my soap box speech for the day, feel free to poke lots of holes in it, I always do.
Rocky
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It's going to cost $200 with a book, making it the most expensive Cooks and Books event ever apparently.
De-lurking to say: Holy ****!
This is the Bouchon cookbook, n'est pas? Bistro cooking?! Dinner at the French Laundry itself only costs $175... I love Ethan, and I love Keller, but that seems a tad nuts.
~A
Yup it's Bouchon but hey, it's a hell of lot easier than trying to get reservations at French Laundry.
Rocky
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Ethan Stowell is a tease!
Dani and I stopped by Union for a little something in the bar before going to the symphony and he was at the front desk when we walked in. He said, "We have a firm date for Thomas Keller but I can't tell you when." It's going to cost $200 with a book, making it the most expensive Cooks and Books event ever apparently. He also said that the Bittman dinner would be at Union also. Well, time to start saving up. Rocky
edited for sentence structure, Dani is taking grammer classes right now
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Did I totally miss a posting with the address for the shindig? I just realized I have no idea how to get there.
Rocky
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For a friend's 25th birthday I was in the process of pulling a bottle of 1978 Chateau Ste Michelle Reserve Cabernet and dropped it watched it bounce and then hit again and shatter. Not the most expensive wine around but pretty much irreplaceable, it was given to me by a client as partial payment for services rendered.
Rocky
P.S. for some perspective I'm 27 years old
English Food
in Pacific Northwest & Alaska: Dining
Posted
You can find some pretty decent foodstuffs and pasties at the British Pantry in Redmond. Here's their info 8125 161st Avenue NE, Redmond, WA 98052 Phone: 1 (425) 883 7511, webpage is British Pantry
Rocky