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Had a great fresh peach cobbler this weekend - my friend used Cook's recipe that bakes the biscuits separately from the fruit, then combines them at the end. The dough cooks through, you get more crunchy bits, and it looks great. She hates raw dough, so she loves this recipe. I'm not much for cooked fruits, but this was excellent. edit to remove not getting stuff that don't constitute a "cuisine". Can't think of one I would completely discount.

1st and union - across the street from the south end of the Pike Place Market. A black hole for restaurants. Oh yeah - Brasa? Good food - half priced bar menu 5-7 and after 10? Not that bad for full priced, some special events regularly...

Matt's in the Market - lunch or dinner. Saito's sushi? - lunch or dinner. Zoe - dinner. Cafe Juanita - dinner. The new place - Union - is looking pretty. Watch for early reviews. Flying Fish - dinner.

There was a report in the paper not too long ago...which one? My recall is that the Owner is the son of the ballet Stowells. He has hired an old name, modernist architect, Gordon Walker - you can see it in the details - and is planning to use fine china, silver and glassware to serve fine cuisine, but will also encourage casual bites. (Sounds a bit like what Cascadia has evolved to?) But I don't recall that had he has chef experience. I think he is/has hired that. He's got the connections and energy. Oh, here it is: half way down

It only took me about a year to get to this book. Read the whole thing - lots of it has been written elsewhere - or so it seemed to me. It took some time to plow through. It was a small tidbit that really took me by surprise - he wrote that the Italian tricolor (the flag) of red, white, and green, represents tomato, mozzarella, and avocado. I always thought it was basil.

Yeow - they are busting butt there - hanging art today, arranging furniture and washing windows. People in cheffies in the kitchen. Maybe they are opening this week?

Use straw, not hay. (Or is it the other way around?) You want the stuff without seeds or you'll really hate weeding next year. There are varigated sages, as well as ones with unusual scents such as pineapple, if you are looking for some more ornamental specimens. My bonus this year is a bumper crop of tomatillos - and I didn't even plant any! They self seeded from years past and have been quite generous. Also, a health crop of papaya/pear yellow summer squash. Terrible failure - no winter squash! Feels like fall/winter here today - first time since spring!

Macrina Bakery's Leslie Mackie has one "hot" off the press. Can't wait to explore this. (If half the cookbooks I use regularly are from local authors/restaurants, does that make me a good regionalist or a poor purchaser of cookbooks?)

I saw Matt Costello's name attached to Inn at Langley in the paper this week...thought that was a typo. Anyone know? He was the chef for Library Bistro. Union is steaming ahead with construction, finally. I look in as I walk by. I'd guess they are 2 months away, at least.

Sign on Belltown Pub - closing Sunday, for good. Someone has reopened The Turf on 2nd and Pike. Restaurant/convenience store? I'll pass.

Another interesting point is that most of the $ spent in local restaurants stays in the area - purchasing from local distributors and suppliers, salaries reinvested locally, charity and community support by the restaurant owners, chefs and staff. Chains - corporate profits head back to the home base. Some chains do support local organizations, but not relative to the profits they make. To confuse matters - I wouldn't turn down a meal at Oceanaire - and I know who owns it (and hate that they do.) And then you can get into the phenomenon of corporate hotels with locally significant restaurants. I'd head for 727, W, Sazerac, Andaluca, Fish Club, Library Bistro, and such over Cheesecake Factory et al any day - and not be apologetic about my choice.

Thanks for the spelling correction. At Persimmon - the new place on Fremont - at 43rd. Open 'till 7, M-Sat. They cook their own corned beef. And they had a great mushroom soup - 4 types in a light cream base.

I had a Ruben Saturday - maybe for the first time. It was soo good.

Lobster BLT.

2 more for me - waited until the 3rd day of the library book sale - still managed to find a like new copy of Cuisine Minceur (will be surprised if I ever cook from it) from 1976, and a pretty little book "Espresso". Total cost: $0.87.5.

There was a cheesemaker wanted sign on the new cheese place going into the Market (where Seattle Garden Store was.) I think they are making fresh only - but it might be worth looking into.

Yucky doesn't start to decribe my thoughts on these. Bad, and not in a good way.

Pyramid Ale House - across the street from the baseball stadium? drink beer

Currently on sale at the pharmacy downstairs (Seattle- Bartell's) for $0.99 a box - 4 or 5 flavors. Just tried those and they're great! My grocery had three kinds - plain almond, plain almond dipped in chocolate (the bottom of the cookie), and chocolate almond dipped in chocolate. I bought the chocolate dipped varieties. I'm going to send some to my grandmother because she loves biscotti. What are the other flavors? One had mint and chocolate. That just seems wrong. No recall on the other. I'll look. Edit to add: The other is bite sized almond biscotti enrobed in chocolate.

Oops - too late to edit. Simple Italian Cooking, by Batali Marcella Cucina, by Hazan

Mmm, forgot about those - Ladybugs are amazing. Oh, in the name of research - found some new cookies by LU this weeekend - individually wrapped, box of 6. Shortbread cookie with chocoalte (or hazelnut) filling, crisped rice, coated in chocolate. Pretty darn good. But the wrappings didn't slow the eating by much.

And he visits Gelatiamo - downstairs from where I sit (Seattle) - I saw their baker at the tail end of the clip! Way to go Maria and Erin!

Of 110 or so, probably use 2 dozen regularly - if only to compare recipes. Frequently use: How to Cook Everything, Bittman Olives, English Figs, English Wildwood, Schrieber (?) Greens, Sommerville Baking with Julia The Baker's Wife (pastry & deserts) Simple Italian Cooking, Hazen Batali's books (well, 2 of the 3) Tom Douglas's Kitchen and another baker's dozen that I'd have to write down at home. I've probably cooked one or two recipes from 90% of the books I own. Try not to buy a new one until I've accomplished that - unless the book turned out to be a dud - or was a gift that I didn't find palatable. I don't think I ever worked my way through a whole book.

This sounds like my favorite dish at Noodlehead--my beloved Noodlehead--one of my favorite restaurants in high school that closed several years ago. Matthew and I often mourn for it. Is it possible that it's been resurrected? The dish was called Spring Roll Noodles, and I've never seen it anywhere else. Don't they serve this at Viet Chi (maybe not the right name) right next door to the Arctic Building (the City of Seattle building with the Dome Room)?

Shill?