cupcakequeen

formerly of Le Pichet. I think they have been talking about a Feb./March opening.

does anyone know who's in charge of pastry there?

regardless of artificial vanilla tasting like real vanilla, it's the way it's made that bothers me. i was told in school, that alot of artificial vanilla is a byproduct of wood pulp used for making paper.

i love the sandwiches at smarty pants in georgetown. i eat meat, but i love the turkey sandwich, subbing field roast for the turkey. if only i could get fries.....i also love the turkey sandwich at cafe septieme (but i usually sub portobello for the turkey, yum). vio's has great sandwiches, too.

les cadeaux gourmet in queen anne sells my favorite vosges truffles from nyc. it's not local, but they're the best.

i had a few bites there tonight. i like the look of it. it's white, but it's a warm white. we had a bunch of appetizers and they were great. one of our plates was from crate and barrel, one of my friend's was a villeroy and bosch (sp?). the server caught us & noted that they have a mix of stuff. i noticed another diner peeking under her plate, too. the desserts were good, too. we shared some wine and had some champagne cocktails. the few sips i got were really good. there was a peach cocktail that was great. i can't wait to come back and have a REAL dinner there.

i second jean george!!!!!!

Hmm, pretty difficult to imagine getting up to the 5:30 a.m. alarm! ← we got there when they opened at 5:30 pm and were seated immediately. we were there for 5 hours, and had a great time! the food was good, not outstanding...needed some seasoning, phred was entertaining. it was a very enjoyable dinner.

since i can't afford to go to the french laundry once a month, i'd totally welcome rip-off in seattle! and practically every dish on FL's menu has been copied by one restaurant or another. crush serves a coffee and doughnut dessert. i've seen their caesar salad at a few places. oysters and pearls, too. what about the fact that per se has the same items as french laundry? is it okay because they're both run by Keller? if using clever words to describe dishes is a rip-off, there are hundreds of restaurants in this country that are guilty of that: crush, crave here in seattle. wd~50, db and aix in new york, tru in chicago, etc.

i'm getting excited about veil's opening. i heard from some old classmates that the pastry person has worked here at rover's and crush, and spent some time at wd-50 in new york. i think they'll do some interesting things.

they still do, but they're pretty light on the toasting. they also carry black n' whites.

bergamocello sounds amazing! i'm tired of the usual winter citrus fruits and looking for something new.... candied peel sounds great (thanks for the heads-up on the chocolate maker). a tart based on a lemon curd-type recipe. confit. gelee. panna cotta?....i'd just like to experiment.

bergamot marmalade is lovely. i have a recipe for a tart, similar to a lemon tart. thanks for the heads up. i've never had a fresh cara cara either. i'll have to check them out.

can you get fresh bergamot fruit in the u.s.? more specifically, can you get them in seattle or order them online? will it cost me an arm and a leg?

i definitely like the ice cream, but beyond that..... i ordered a hot fudge sundae (i am from boston, and there's no better sundae than herrell's). the late-teen aged boy behind the counter gave me two scoops of vanilla ice cream and then asked if i wanted hot fudge on that. "ummm, yes, please?" i got a squirt of CANNED whipped cream. and i was charged $5.00! i was not impressed.

jean-georges. hands down. amazing service, beautiful atmosphere, phenomenal food. and, to pick one dessert: the mint-white peach vacherin. it was a perfect on a sweltering summer day in new york after a 6 course meal, cool and clean, and not too sweet. for those unfamiliar with his menu, Iuzzuni does dessert "stories", with 4 elements to each dessert. the vacherin was just one element with a crisp, a fruit soup, etc.

almost a month later, i haven't had a chance to put any thoughts on paper since my trip, but i am so glad i visited the restaurants i went to. it was an inspiring trip to say the least....i was absolutely blown away by johnny iuzzuni's work at jean-georges. i don't know what i expected but i was absolutely amazed. the mint and white peach vacherin was fantastic. he also did a flawless almond blanc-manger. both very traditional desserts, but with more savory/contemporary flavors and accompaniments. the almond had a basil seed jus that was nice. sam's desserts at wd-50 were unimaginably fantastic. as beautiful on the plate as they were in the mouth. the banana flan/chocolate ice cream/banana paper was great. the eggless lemon curd with basil foam was my favorite...very clean flavors. i had a great lavender parfait & provence cake at aix. brasserie 8 1/2 was a total disappointment. aquavit was really good. all cold desserts...but i guess most people don't have 5 plates on their table, like i did on mine. the apple-fennel cream and apple sorbet dessert was my favorite. also had the goat cheese parfait (very good) and a basil-chocolate frozen meringue. i also got truffles from vosges...i love their stuff. especially the "rooster"- a taleggio and nut chocolate. and black sesame ice cream and lychee sorbet from chinatown ice cream factory. delicious. i'm ready for another visit to try all the places i had to pass up.

it is constantly evolving, but the menu on the website says "summer" and the desserts haven't changed for a couple months & i know they were discussing changing them when i visited. just curious if anyone's been there lately.

have they put out a fall menu yet?

is ph 10 for sale online in the u.s.? i could only find it on the french amazon site.

wendy: would you mind sharing one of love's ganache recipes? i'd be interested to see the difference. thanks!

culinary classics has new bootcut pants for women. they're offering them in custom inseams. they also have women's chef coats in different lengths as well!

there's been a lot of work at veil, the new restaurant near crow. it looks like they're pushing for opening the first weekend of november. the menu sounds like it'll be alot of fun.

OK Doc, on the amuse we had a cantaloupe soup with prosciutto foam; a tiny puff pastry with pesto and parmigiano; and one slice of Hamachi with wasabi granita. We then had between us, seared foie gras, raw tuna cubes in a dashi and rice vinegar broth, with a demitasse cup of buttery mushroom soup; risotto with porcini and balsamic; garlic soup with frog legs; beef tenderloin; squab; trio of berry dessert; trio of chocolate dessert; marshmallows; petit four. One cocktail, two sparkling water; one glass Loire Valley white. $136 + tip. ← i believe it is a cantaloupe soup with a smoked salt foam...at least that's what ours was. the squab with preserved lemon is very good. the foie terrine is fabulous. johnny i. sent out one of every dessert. i love this place so much.

is there any place in seattle that makes shanghai juicy buns or any kind of soup buns?