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Cafe Besalu is a big favorite (and has wonderful pain au chocolat as well as dreamy ginger biscuits). I'm surprised about the coffee - Meg is one heck of a barrista. Maybe you got someone else. Try Le Pain du Four, on 4th Ave, North of Battery. Very French, very buttery. How about the Boulangerie on 45th, near Meridian (?) Haven't been in a few years, but they used to make pretty fine pastry. The croissants at Gelatiamo do in a pinch. Probably won't make you go out of your way though. Uh, Dahlia Bakery? Can't remember seeing them, but worth checking!

Thanks Steve, Wondered why I couldn't find the good stuff in Portugal last month!

In Portugal, when I mentioned the concept of fried oysters, they didn't believe me. Perhaps a vestige of the days of immigrants?

He's throwing out the ball for the game!

sounds so good - care to share the approximate cost of this feast?

At breakfast Saturday, after asking his girlfriend (?) what scallions are, the guy seated next to me (at a counter) asked the server what pecorino was!!!

Funny thing is, some do care - or even make a career of it. Not everyone strives only for the almighty dollar. http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/...&query=baristas

Tomorrow is Seattle Tilth's Plant sale! No doubt full of surprising starts for my very late to get going garden. I did buy a few tomato and pepper starts last weekend at the Arboretum Foundation plant sale. One was a pepper plant recommended for drying your own paprika - anyone try this? I didn't think to ask if the starts were organic...but they will raised as such. Last weekend I spent hand chopping waist high cover crop and starting to human rototill the soil. In one area I have lumbering fava plants in full flower, with slender pods of beans starting to appear. Will I have the patience to wait for them to mature? Pea and potato plants are growing before my eyes, artichoke plant has a few small heads (?), and last season's mustard and greens are bolting. Tarragon is back fully green, and there are signs of life on the lemon verbena!

Bux, Travelling by car does help in getting to those out of the way lunches. Not travelling by car is how I missed the suckling pig in Mealhada, Portugal. Sob. But a car in those ancient cities and terrifying roads? My hat's off to you. I'd love to know if there were restaurants I missed in Portugal that served anything like these meals you've described. There was a place in Lisbon I passed that was quite modern and sleek, but had semi-traditional sounding meals. Hmm, bet I could find it again, given a chance. And there were those recommendations I received for remotely located places; again, one would need a car.

Quick trip into Seattle's International District today. Took the bus, walked around, bought tea and Pockys (didn't see any Pocky G's) at Uwajimaya, bbq pork and rice from King's, and was pleasantly surprised by how calm the area felt. No masks, schoolkids from the 'burbs on field trips, shoppers...first I travel during the war, and now I go to Chinatown during the scare...what an activist!

In considering dried fruit, I recommend trying pizza with figs (or fig jam made with lots of onions), proscuitto, and gorgonzola. Oh my.

"And therein lies the problem. Many people, myself included, find bursts of sugar in savory food highly unpleasant. It would be like putting meatballs in a chocolate chip cookie. " but, but, aren't you one of those enjoying the pairing of fleur de sel (or salt) in candies and caramels? How about bacon candy? Or sugared nuts with a big hit of hot spice. Or chocolate cookies with red pepper heat. Of course, consistency is the hobgoblin...No pork with pears? No dried fruit in stuffing or middle eastern stews? I guess I like to mix 'em up.

Oh yeah, Raison d'Etre.

So you wine dinner diners have such good things to say about this place - did you read the review in The Stranger (April 17, 2003) on French restaurants in Seattle? Do you think they reviewed it before the current the staffing or just a question of taste preferences? Mmmm, hazelnut caramel dessert wine...

On Orcas, the best place to stock up on picnic supplies and treats - Rose's Bakery and Specialties. Owners are involved in Slow Food, make artisan type breads and pastries, have an amazing wine and cheese selection, etc. Worth looking for! They've been at it for maybe 10 years? Near Moran State park, not Cafe Olga - the old hippie place in the art gallery, but a little closer to the water, in the old post office (or was it a store?) is Olga Cafe (?) - the people who used to run the beautiful restaurant in Seattle where El Nino is now (help me, I've lost my memory!) May only be open for breakfast (brunch?) and lunch. Good luck - I was only there once, last July.

Even in Portugal (really a non-traditional country playing at tradition - or is it the other way around?) it was easy to feel like a food anarchist. With a caffine low approaching, I requested an espresso while waiting for lunch. I had to convince them that I meant now, not after dessert. (I had actually considered stopping at the cafe next door before going to lunch to order a quick espresso just to avoid this!) Also, picking up some food for a train ride, I tried asking for a whole orange from a cafe, in the morning. They kept explaining that they didn't have to go cups for orange juice, and I kept trying to convey, an unpeeled, whole orange was all I wanted. Finally got the idea across. The orange was listed on the receipt as "dessert".

I brought back two bottles of spirits from Portugal - Ginja, a cherry liquor with whole cherries floating in it, and Licor Beirao, an herbal mix that must include fennel or anise, but not overwhelmingly so. They are "only" 25 or 26%. I think they taste a bit like the advertised firewater, so was surprised to see readily available US spirits are 40%? The most interesting part of Ginja is that it is sold in a few tiny stores surrounding a plaza in Lisbon. If I understand it right, these places sell only the brand they make, though it is also available in bottle stores, groceries and at the airport. Customers walk into these tiny store/bars and get a shot in a paper cup, walk out into the plaza and join their friends for a chat and a drink, before heading off for an evening out. This in a country where "to go" is a rare concept. Espresso and fresh orange juice always served in china and glassware, no paper cups. I missed out on arbutus liquor as well as fig.

I made one of these last weekend as a late birthday/Easter Egg hunt party for a 3 year old and her and her parents guests. Party at their home, included hand made egg pinata and dyed eggs (along with store bought treats.) Cake was mostly the recipe from Village Baker's Wife with a touch of Cake Bible (cream of tartar and vanilla added to cake). Topped with homemade candied orange peel. The cake was quite good, IMHO, and the sun was shining. A good day.

Coop - I wasn't offended - just wondered if I missed something! Tighe - Excellent find. If I'm not mistaken, last time I was in Vancouver, a few years ago already, I think I stumbled into a Portuguese bakery. I forgot about that until I read the link. May need to drive up for a fix.

Tighe, It's not much, but The Spanish Table in Seattle does stock some Portuguese food stuffs, and occassionally has Caldo Verde as soup in the deli. They have a good selection of wine and port, prices can sometimes be beat elsewhere in town. Coop - Did I eat tourist food in Lisbon?!?

I keep forgetting to get the exact count, but I'll venture 110...that's the minimum. Food essays stored separately from cookbooks. Cookbooks kind of organized by type, ie, vegetarian, baking, Italian, Asian...but it breaks down for oversized books that lay flat, or new books when I haven't taken the time to reshuffle.

Glad the reports were of interest. It was a good exercise to write this up and realize how many different things I did try. I think food can provide interesting insights into culture. I was told a number of stories, some of which have been related here, about how and why some of these dishes came to be. This led into discussions about history and politics, as well as current trends in culture and food policy. Chloe, Thanks for filling in so many gaps in my notes and comprehension! What keeps you from visiting the Algarve? Fear of not wanting to return home or of ex-pats? It was very comfortable there, though of course, slightly off season. I can imagine it being overwhelming if full of tourists and sun seekers! Bux, Also a land of soupy noodle dishes. I was thinking I had not had any pasta in weeks, then remembered the meal at Monte da Eira. That was very tasty.

"Baltasar and Blimunda" by Jose Saramago. Lots of interesting talk about 18th century Lisbon, including food and scandals.

Installment 2 – The Algarve From this point on there are typically five of us dining together at most meals, some of the descriptions apply to things shared or just sampled. Faro – a bright restaurant Restaurante Adega, Dois Irmaos Funado– Monkfish with prawn kabab interspersed with bell pepper, onion, and tomato, served with boiled potatoes and a little salad, red wine from Mealhada Cooperative “Tojal”. The monkfish is firm – very lobster like in flavor, the prawns are served whole with shells and heads. There is a note on the bill that may say something like, “if you don’t like the cataplana, please inform the owner and you won’t be charged.” (Or maybe my deciphering is way off and it says you will be served in the next order!) Tavira - Lunch riverside from the Mercado da Ribeira. Vinho Verde Casal Garcia. Cockles with lemon and cilantro. We eat two platters of these sweet small clams. A little presunto sandwich. There is the river, sun, and good company. Dinner is at a restaurant near the ferry to Ilha de Tavira, perhaps Quatro Agus (wasn’t paying attention.) The couvert (the stuff they set on the table to tempt you with and ruin your appetite and up the bill – but usually worth the extra couple of euros) includes bread, tuna salad spread, olives, and garlicky carrot salad. Dinner of squid and prawn kebab served with rice with raisins and a vegetable side of carrots and cabbage. We split 4 or 5 desserts (a chocolate cake, an almond cake, a cake filled with egg yolk and sugar that is spun into hot oil to make a nest looking confection, and a sponge cake with fruit, as I recall), drink espresso and port. Dinner wine is red, Maria da Fonseca, Periquita, decanted and served in big balloon style glasses. Lunch the next day is at an Oceanside café near Cacela Velha. The bamboo shaded terrace and restaurant are almost empty, the season hasn’t started. More bread, cheese, olives, and cockles, oysters fresh from the adjacent beds have excellent texture and taste of the sea on a good day. An entree of baby squid, fat pink roasted with garlic and oil, are served with fries and salad. I sample cuttlefish – a bigger version of squid, a little frightening to behold, but sweet and tender. Fresh orange juice is served in tall glasses, icy cold. We watch a man kicking small crabs out of the surf for bait, and carting buckets of clams. Dinner (really, there was a lot of walking and sightseeing between meals) – in Tavira at Patio. Red wine Caves Velhas, Dao, white wine Vinho branco seco reserva 2000 Douro Planalto. The couvert is excellent cheese, tuna pate, carrot salad, and bread. We split two cataplanas – one with monkfish, clams and prawns, the other with pork and clams. Cataplana is the name of the cooking utensil – a copper clamshell like device that is used to gentle cook the selected combination with tomatoes, potatoes, carrot, herbs and wine, I’m guessing. There are probably a lot of variations on this, but the point is to end up with a fragrant and delicious pan of food, meant for sharing. After dinner there is a round of bitter almond digestive. Breakfasts haven’t been discussed. Usually, it is uma bica and a pastry or bread with cheese. At hotels, they set out a buffet with weak coffee, tea bags, cocoa powder, juice, scrambled eggs, some meat – bacon, sausage or something, cold sliced meats and cheeses, yogurt, butter and jams, cold cereals (cocoa puffs, museli, and bran-type are typical), breads, and sweet pastry items. Lunch in Loule is the worse meal in Portugal. A tosti – toasted sandwich. There was plenty of it, such as it was, but don’t get me wrong, there was too much of it no matter what! The concept seems perfect with the great ham and cheese we’ve been eating. But this sandwich included ketchup and mustard and I’ve forgotten what else, mercifully. A vegetarian pizza is topped with cubes of once frozen peas and carrots, as well as green beans, plus some fresher peppers, onions, and spinach. It’s all just wrong. Out into the country, we dine near Querenca, perhaps near Loule? Casa Paixanito. An aperitif of white Port. It’s very light, but hits me like a ton of bricks. Wine is Douro Doc Casa do Doura Reserva Douro 1999 by Sogrape. I just wrote down everything, not sure what is important here. Couvert of bread, salmon pate, olives, lupini beans – “tremucos” boiled and salted, slip them from the skins for eating. They are wide and flat and addictive, but out host says they go better with beer. The restaurant was a way station on the road between Lisbon and the coast. It’s grown into this excellent and attractive restaurant serving tapas style dishes. We eat cod fritters, clam/corn mush (don’t know the name), thin sliced beef tongue, blood sausages with apples, fava beans, roasted peppers, and goat cheese with honey and almonds. Dessert is chocolate mousse ladled out of a big silver bowl, part frothy and light, and part dense and intense. Lunch today is a riverside picnic – you guessed it, bread, cheese, wine, pastries, and a Portuguese specialty – spicy sausage cooked at the table over flaming spirits! They have terra cotta dishes especially for this. This smells great, and tastes pretty good except for the blacked skin, but it sits heavy in the belly. A fine dinner at Monte da Eira, again somewhere near Loule. Red wine, Jose de Sousa 1998, vinho regional alentejano. Good red with leather. Couvert of bread, olives, carrot salad. Entrée of seafood and elbow macaroni stew/soup made with mint, clams, shrimp, and fish. I sample lamb cooked with potatoes and bread (that’s what my notes say anyway) and more mint and herbs and vegetables. We are done in and dessert is vanilla gelado – ice cream. A light lunch of sandes (sandwich) and a bite of cake in Silves. Dinner in Lagos at Don Sebastiao Restaurant. The wine cellar here is immense. We drink red, Alentejo Borba Montes Claros Reserva 2000. Couvert with extra order of carrots. I recall a chunky livery type dish, intense and rich. I eat lamb chops with mint sauce that seem awfully English, though quite good. Taste some fresh sole, also kid roasted in red wine and served with boiled potatoes. Another poor lunch in Sangres. The place is barely open – looks to be a better place to drink and meet at night. Stomach has had it. I eat a small tuna salad. Dinner is at the Pousada do Infante Sangres. Couvert, I choose a broiled prawn appetizer as my entrée. There is a dessert buffet that includes a great selection of cheeses, fruit, nuts, cakes, and flan. I eat a small piece of chocolate cake and a wiggly sliver of flan. Perhaps it is crème leite? A great lunch follows at Restaurante Sitio do Forno on the cliffs at Pontal. Surfers paradise, when the wind and surf are right. Today, the waves only serve to carve the cliffs. A Fonseca white wine, extremely fresh sea bass and rock fish served whole from the outside grill. Big salad, a platter of cooked fresh broccoli, carrots, and potatoes. A final dinner. I’m done, but I taste two appetizers meant for a Sunday brunch. Smoked salmon on toast with cream cheese, and scrambled eggs with sausage, tomato and fresh mint. I order Portuguese duck with rice, but can eat only a few bites. It is good, kind of like duck fried rice, but I just can’t eat anymore. A few sips of a robust Palha Canas Vinho Tinto 2001, Estremadura Casa Santos Lima (13.5%) and of Quinta dos Murcas 1999 Douro (perhaps even more robust?) Missed out on drinking firewater, especially that made from arbutus or figs. Brought home a bottle of Ginja, cherries bobbing around in a potent liquor, and a bottle of Licor Beirao, an herbal concoction. All along the walking trails in the Algarve, the hillsides are covered in productive trees of almonds, loquats, olives, figs, carob, and orange as well as flowering plants such as poppies, rockrose, iris, calla lily, and herbs. I identified angelica, anise, borage, purple and yellow lavenders, mint, a rosemary looking plant that didn’t have much scent, sage, and thyme growing wild as well as cultivated crops of grapes, favas, peas, cabbages and kale. Already, I am feeling drawn to return.

On Pike Place between Stewart and Virginia Streets in the northernmost block of the Pike Place Market.