rmockler

I just got back from a long weekend with my parents, who live in Montana. Mom drinks cheap bourbon, Dad's a Cutty Sark man. But, lo and behold, when we went to get the fishing reels out to give my son some casting lessons (for his own good, of course)... there they were, in Crown Royal bags! Not only elegant, but also handy, since you can use the cord/tie to hang 'em on a nail in the shop.

We in Seattle have access to many grand CA cheeses, and just enjoyed the first Seattle Cheese Festival. IN addition to the usual suspects (Cowgirl, Cypress Grove, etc ... not that I'm complaining they are usual, mind you) we got to sample and buy many more. Highlights: Point Reyes (regularly seen in restaurants here, but harder to find retail) and . . truly grand .. some of Redwood Hill Farms' chevres -- I'm in theory working, so can't go look at which one was my favorite, but oh, such joy! My wife, more of a cheddared cheese lover, also got some Fiscalini (which we have purchased at Whole Foods, too), which also is a winner. There were more, but those pop to mind --- highly recommend all of them.

I would first say beware of some of WFM's cheese, which seems to have a too-long-in-wrap problem on too many occasions. That said, a few things pop to mind: 1) the most reliable place to get REALLY BIG AND FLAVORFUL Rocky Range roasters--seem expensive, but if you roast a 7 pounder (Marcella's method: stuff with whole lemons that you've properly rolled around a bit and poked with a fork, roast upside down for 30 mins, then turn and roast right side up (i.e., breast up) until done) you'll have a big dinner and a few great lunches, too 2) Coffee! Sol Calibri even when Arturo is not in town and around the markets, some of the Allegro stuff that they roast on site [full disclosure: Joe Kline, coffee man there, is close friend] 3) 10% off on 6 bottls of wine 4) Radishes, yum! ok .. back to work I go ...

Oh, we will!

Lucky indeed! It was truly wonderful. One note. You say you were working the pastry buffet table. It seemed like there were roughly 400 people working the tables overall, sometimes shouting at and bumping in to each other (and to diners.) Now, this was not true of the pastry folks, I should be clear. Still, it seemed like there was an "everybody in the pool" kind of spirit on the staff/student front that kind of impeded the overall flow of the very crowded buffet line. Just having all those people hug the wall in that tight space, lurking and trying to be helpful, is pretty oppressive, even if you're really really sympathetic to the situation. Having done similar work, I also understand the difficulty of serving a buffet and keeping it replenished when working in a space designed to mess with your success at ever opportunity, but stilll: it would be a great challenge for someone to carefully investigate the serving and staffing of the main buffet line, with an eye to making the diner's experience less chaotic and more sensual/food focused. This is all quibbles though. I am profoundly grateful for my apple tart :)

Just got back from our first SCCC lunch trip--and are very glad we went! A few delicious items this week among the ones we got to sample--the asparagus ravioli (though the sauce seemed a bit misguided), a couple of the salmon treats, the apple tart with creme anglaise. One note about the buffet, that we weren't clear about before went: at any one time, not all of the fabulous dishes from the week's menus as posted here are available; in fact, only a few will be. Limited serving space (and the need to have multiple dishes last though the rush, I suspect) mean you have to kind of check in periodically if you were hoping for anything in particular. Still, it was great fun and a true bargain for the quality of food (and let's not even talk about the quantity ... ) Cheers to you SCCCers -- we are looking forward to trying the table service soon.

I asked a Spanish friend of mine last night what he thought, and in addition to giving me a copy of an old cookbook chapter on morcilla (with variations from all over Spain, some involving things I've never thought of), he mentioned the bain marie method as well. Suggested cutting the congealed result into cubes and sauteeing quickly with a touch of garlic, then serving with a tomato-y sauce (my Spanish is not great, and he doesnt' speak English, and Jameson's was involved, so I didn't really get much more on the sauce.) The cookbook chapter looks great and old (thus I don't feel bad about the copying.) If you'd like, and can read Spanish or know someone who can, post a reply and I'll figure out how to get you one (I'm new to being active on eG so am not sure of protocol for posting contact info etc ... lots of rules here, don't want to break any ...)

Cheers to the Jacket Crowd. Beer and BBQ rituals have their dress codes -- try wearing a suit and tie to your next backyard neighborhood shindig. Rock shows have theirs. Attaching a bit of additional ceremony to something like a great meal in a refined setting should be celebrated. Not to mention the benefits of simply getting to be in an environment that reinforces the distinctions between adults/adult behavior and children/kid's behavior, another element of the jacket ritual. Even better, today the wearing of jackets is actually a social leveler, quite the opposite of a class (in the economic sense) pretension. These days, the greatest class pretension visible in Seattle and most of California comes from the "we're grown men, but we're rich and cool so we can dress in shorts and baseball caps all the time -- 'cause we don't care what you think!" crowd. Sadly, adolescent dress can encourage adolescent behavior. Jackets in the right setting level the playing field, at a reasonably dignified level, and encourage good behavior to boot. They invite everyone to sit at the grown ups' table, if only for an evening.

Well .. as a long-time resident of close-to-the-ID 'hoods, I can say this is not really true. In fact, you can roll in late looking for food and find none, sometimes. Best to check ahead and see if your favorite spot is open.

And Maneki, alas, is another example of a place whose guiding spirit (Kozo-san, in this case) is no longer with us. The only thing to watch for about Maneki is a tendency in the last few years towards USA-style super-sized sushi.

Excellent! I will .. and thanks.

Desperate to try the Avaiation, based on forum descriptions. But can't seem to find ANY brand of maraschino liqueur available per the dreaded WA State Liquor Control Board web inventory. (Well, not true: one store in Spokane, 200 miles away, has 4 bottles of Maraska.) Anyone else know if it's available at all in Seattle? If not, is there anything even close to try in its place? (Doesn't seem like it .. but you never know.)

Cheers, from a new poster, to Sr. Amster-Burton's review of Maekawa bar in today's Times. If you don't know the place, also make sure to visit Fort St. George across the stairs -- longtime haunt of the multi-cultural young Japanese crowd, and those of us who appreciate the whole culture blender thing. (Assuming the Fort is still open -- haven't been down in a couple months. It's also a great place to take kids for an early dinner out, if you don't mind a bit o' smoke.) On a related note: cheers for both go to the late, great Ueichi (sp?) Maekawa, with his ponytail, love of rock and roll, and devotion to the Ms. Maekawa Bar, as we always understood it, was basically his grown up place for people who weren't up for the kids at Fort St. George.