jbonne

the weather sucked, as stated above. a lot of bad bottlings, declassified wine and the like. we tried Vieux Telegraphe's Telegramme (declassified) several weeks ago. it tasted like middling American pinot noir -- not a bad wine, but nothing even vaguely close to a southern Rhone.

hadn't seen mamster's review but we went last night, and almost entirely concurred. (my dining companion found some scallops slightly overcooked; i found no such thing.) we were very bummed that the yum pug boong was off the menu, but somewhat relieved that they explained it by saying it wasn't in season. i don't know enough about Siamese watercress to verify that, but appreciate that they're not trying for ingredients that won't survive the winter. the broths and sauces are the real winner -- tom yum comes with those endless layers of flavor, but May's version manages to be delicate and aromatic amid all that heat. the mushrooms are long and tender, a far fry from the usual sliced crimini that serve in most joints. best i've had in years. service was a touch flighty, but not badly so. very friendly, but not chatty. and wasn't slow -- with the exception of getting a check. needless to say, the decor is stunning. so are the hours: late night in Wallingford? party on! extra plus: a really nice, if brief, wine list. and very modest markups. a bottle of Sancerre went for about $25, not much above what I think is about $18 retail.

i'm not sure Momofuku is trying to be a serious ramen joint. it seemed pretty clear to me they're aiming for a hybrid option, though it can be debated whether they're accomplishing it. i do have to agree their noodles need some work; they lack a certain springiness and bite until they've been steeping in the broth for 20-30 minutes, which seems counterintuitive, but yep, they actually seem to firm up with time. had no issues with the presentation, though the poached egg wasn't quite working for me. (disclaimer: i had the pork neck ramen, not their basic version.) they also score points with the pork bun and their take on tsukemono. curious: what are your issues with Rai Rai Ken? they appeared to have nailed the noodle texture, and the broth managed to accomplish a certain richness and mouthfeel that otherwise requires glutamates. (i'm assuming they don't use glutamates, given the many natural disclaimers.)

seconding Momofuku, though i also quite adored Rai Rai Ken, around the corner. i hit both within an hour of each other. the former is sublime, the latter is gorgeously traditional. hard to beat.

it was. see ref: here.

can't speak to the food -- though i'm optimistic. but $35 seems like a ton of cash for a churrascaria. most of my old New York haunts (here's one)were closer to $20-25 (feijoada and lots else inclusive), and even Buenos Aires was charging $22 or so for their parrillada. maybe Seattlites have far more bottomless stomachs, though i doubt it. will most certainly try it, but only on an evening when i'm feeling rich ...

some extra bits and pieces of 'Sideways' backstory in this week's column. (apologies for the late post. i've been stuck in Boston, watching snow vortices.)

the Winebid auctions found here. more on the biz impacts tomorrow. i'll post here (though may be Friday before i can post it.) (hey Natalie!)

ouch. now THERE'S a story begging to be told. just sayin' ...

this is why i don't bet. though i'm happy to pick up the dinner tab at whatever point. 750? man, that's cozy.

thanks. i'll have to look into his backstory. he seems to have a great eye for a balanced list.

MGLloyd already mentioned Vivace, which would have been my suggestion. their coffee's real charm is in the skil with which they roast it, so i'd be curious if anyone's had experience with their green beans. (pulling espresso properly keeps me busy enough, so i'm happy to buy half-pounds of Dolce and call it even.) given how detail-oriented David Schomer is about everything, i'd wager that an eager request when you order green beans would probably lead to a lot of free advice from their roasters. you could try calling the number on their web site.

i thought after i posted that my rant might have been a bit harsh. i think this may be tinged by having several acquaintances -- none of whom i particularly like very much -- who live in Greenlake. not so many in Tangletown, but Penelope hit the nail on the head with that review of the Elysian Tangletown. the New Yorker in me cringes when i hear the words "family-friendly" and "restaurant" in the same sentence. i assume this will change with age, but i have this weird thing about really liking to dine around other adults. a couple venues excepted (like Eva), Greenlake's restaurant scene has always struck me as very family focused. that's wonderful for family diners, less so for me. you might have me on property size, but my house is 950s.f., smaller even than my old Capitol Hill apartment. (but with a bigger kitchen -- priorities first.) there's no question GL is a friendly, convenient and probably even diverse (compared to Bellevue) place to live. it's just a bit too gentrified for my taste. and then there's the bad-food problem, which really is a sticky wicket ...

a great conversation! despite winemakers' proclamations about more oak, less oak, &c., i imagine Mel is the man who probably truly knows what's going on with barrel use in our fair land. on that point: how much, by percent, do you see usage of the various toast levels? up here in fair WA, i see a ton of MT+ and not much else. but i wonder whether there's some more lightly toasted barrels being hidden away where the oak fiends can't see. also (and my apologies for having not chatted with you and Jim Clendenon when i wrote about multistate winemaking), can you tell us a bit about where you're sourcing your Oregon grapes for Ici/La Bas? and how would you describe the terroir characteristics of OR versus the Anderson Valley? are there qualities in each batch of fruit that really speak to you?

to say nothing of a really appealing, affordable (compared to the food prices) list. can i ask the wine director's name? haven't seen it mentioned anywhere obvious yet ...

the only thing worse than being surrounded by endless waves of yuppies in houses (i.e., Greenlake) is being trapped in an incomprehensible maze of yuppies in houses. it's like the triple-A team for Wallingford. and physics dictate that Kirkwood Place should not be able to intersect with Kirkwood Place. as a New Yorker, i have an irrational belief in the virtues of grids. ok, ok, so my 'hood of Maple Leaf isn't much better, but we do have the occasional crackpot and cranky, old-time Seattlite to keep things lively. people always say to me, "oh, wow, you're so close to Greenlake." and i always reply, "really? wouldn't know." also, i can't stand most of the Tangletown restaurants aside from Eva. like Luau -- what's up with THAT? and if i want to go have a burger at the Elysian, the original still has that would-be-grunge charm that makes me remember why i once liked living on Capitol Hill. this all sorta summed it up for me.

since it hasn't been mentioned in a while ... i utterly adore Eva. that's doubly impressive, because i really can't stand Tangletown, geographically. we had an impromptu dinner there the other night, wonderful as always. (a healthy whack of coconut milk in the sauce for my mussels always helps. but even the mac and cheese was this lovely, decadent thing.) but what i truly adore is their wine list, which is always fun and innovative and has one of the best selections of half bottles i've ever seen. and their service is impeccably pleasant and professional, and the vibe manages to be refined and yet totally casual. i'm totally remiss, because i need to be visiting them far more than i do.

just to confuse things: shipping to Texas is neither legal or illegal right now. the Fifth Circuit overturned Texas' shipping ban, but the Texas ABC is mostly waiting for the state legislature to write a new shipping law that complies with the court's decision. as such, shipping is functionally allowed to Texas -- but ONLY to localities that aren't dry. (the ABC maintains a list.) as to whether you can actually pull it off, that's a matter of the retailer and the shipping company. as RobInAustin notes, most shippers won't touch this. more here: http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/Wine.htm more on shippers here: http://wi.shipcompliant.com/WhoShipsWhere.aspx#64#64

Huet seems to make its way around a good bit, but haven't seen the Baumards. but then, Seattle wine distribution is totally quixotic.

mmmm, Top Pot. all i need now is a SBUX pastry option that costs less than $1.50. (try splitting those two-madeleine packages for a start.) on the independent note, i've found many, many small-town espresso stands that don't have their acts together. i remember visiting one out in way-eastern Washington -- where, incidentally, all the local WSP patrolmen could be found on a weekday morning -- and asking for an espresso. despite the big "espresso" sign out front, the counterperson had never had ANYONE ask for just an espresso. she didn't even know how to serve it, or what to charge me. i walked out of there with a 50-cent espresso. it was horrid, but cheap.

excellent! we've had a bottle sitting downstairs for a few weeks, ready to open. now i've got an excuse ...

last week's blunder: zipping through this recipe, which all worked well except for the slightly puzzling instruction to make a whole heap of spice mixes ... and then ONLY USE A TABLESPOON OF EACH. too bad i missed that last part. i've since been dubbed Spice Boy.

i've tried Umbria a couple times and generally liked it. restaurants: the first place that comes to mind for espresso is Le Pichet in Seattle. they use beans from Caffe Vita, i believe, and the staff really knows how to extract a more-or-less ristretto shot with good crema and some pretty caramel notes. none other come to mind right now, but i'll keep thinking. my dream would be a place that got both beans and training from Vivace. many places order the beans, but training costs a pretty penny.

nope, you're not the only one. ugh. i happen to think "amuse-bouche" is completely legit, given that it's a standard part of a meal in many corners. it's far less irksome than an Americanism so ingrained i often fall prey to it: using "entree" to describe a main course, when in fact linguistic propriety should dictate otherwise. (also, my blog name would suffer should we stop saying "amuse-bouche.") shorthanding it to "amuse," however is a huge pet peeve, similar to Bourdain's degradation of "mise en place" to "meez."

i'm about to start a tear through some Friulian tocai and pinot bianco. but haven't begun yet. otherwise, i'm always a sucker for what little Oregon pinot blanc is around, though that may be more rounded and less acidic than you're seeking. ditto Alsace.