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There is a very palatable chocolate cake that mixes in a single pan - uses oil, no butter or other dairy, no eggs. I think there was a recent thread that included it. If no one points it up sooner, I can find a recipe at home for you. For something fancier, there are plenty of sources such as The Millenium Restaurant Cookbook (from San Francisco) - I think that is the correct name - a fancy vegan place.

Many morels at Pike Place Market today - priced from $16-$20 per pound. Not as big as your fist, but some fairly large ones. Guess what I'm having for dinner tonight? Thanks Jim.

Rose's - sorry, my typo, since edited. Yum.

Cafe Besalu and Le Pain du Four in Seattle. Rose's Bread and Specialities on Orcas Island - Eastsound.

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.