Schielke
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Posts posted by Schielke
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I bought my first Henckel knife mumbledy-mumble years ago when I when they let me fill in in the kitchen of the hotel where I worked as a purchasing agent. The Chef told me if I was going to be serious, I should get some good knives. Where to start? I asked. German, said he. Trident. Henckel.
These names were not familiar to me. Previously I had only seen Forschner, Dexter, etc.--as ngatti says, "house" knives--which I had purchased for prep cooks and general use. So I got a Henckel 10" chef's knife, because no place in town had Wusthof (we're talking Atlanta, 19-mumble). The knife seems fine to me, though I don't use it much any more. But, based on ngatti's comment that the line seems to have changed, I think maybe we're looking at a difference in pre-/post mass market design--like Fender Stratocasters made before and after CBS bought them, or a Marantz stereo amplifier before they decided they just had to be on every bookshelf in middle-class America.
I also like those 3-packs--cute and useful, dishwasher safe, ultimately cheap enough to be disposable.
My Grandfather used to sell Henkels knives in his store way back in the day. I do believe they are completely different products today. The ones my parents still have from his shop are very well made pieces. I have used some of the new ones and, while better than most knives people use, the craftsmanship is just not there anymore.
Ben
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Wow - I just had a great dinner in the lounge at Brassa!
First off, yes the drinks do seem a little expensive. I had a nice cocktail from the house-specialty bar menu called a "Confusion" (containing gin, muscat, fresh orange juice and champagne) for $7.25. kinda high, but not outrageous. The food on the bar menu is so inexpensive I really don't begrudge the markup on drinks. However, if the gin and tonics Schielke had were well drinks and not name-brand gin, then I would consider that too much.
moving on, I had the pan seared fish (which I think the waitress said was a river bass? probably the same as MsRamsey had) covered with sauteed onions, big chunks of crispy bacon and a smooth vinaigrette. The fish was perfectly done, tender and moist, with the skin intact. It was served with a tossed salad of baby greens and a huge pile of crispy onions. A great price at $13, but an amazing deal at half-price - $6.50
I finished up with a dessert from the regular dessert menu: huge, perfectly ripe blackberries drizzled with rosemary syrup and covered with creamy, tart lemon curd served in a cocktail glass. Very simple, but fresh and bright tasting. The syrup added just the right amount of sweetness and complexity to the blackberries and the lemon curd added creaminess to bring it all together.
Total bill: $21.58 not including tip.
This has to be the best dinner deal in Seattle right now. I confess like MsRamsey, I felt a little guilty about paying so little. I do hope they're making a profit. Thanks again to heyjude for the heads up on this place! I left with a big smile on my face
Edit: By the way, dinner was preceded by an amazing movie at the Uptown - "Spirited Away". It's a Japanese animated film by the same director and studio that produced "Princess Mononoke". If you haven't seen Mononoke then you owe it to yourself to rent it soon. If you have seen it, then I have to say I thought that "Spirited Away" was actually better. More complex and themes with deeper resonance. Like Alice in Wonderland on acid - in a good way, of course. It's dubbed, not subtitled, which works much better for an animated movie than a live action film. As a side note, it was the highest grossing film ever in Japan (Mononoke was second highest).
The Gin and Tonics I thought were a bit high, but not completely unreasonable. The beer, however, is where I felt ripped off...but the cheap food evened it out so it was not all that bad...
Pan fried fish seems to be the dish of choice at Brasa's Bar, has anyone tried the steak with cabrales butter? I think it is next on my list...with water.
Spirited Away- Been on my list, I really need to go. Hmmm, perhaps a dinner at brasa and then a viewing is in my future.
Ben
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Hehehe, sorry about the pun.
What are your favorite pieces of cutlery in your kitchen.
The following categories should work well enough.
Large Knife: 10" MAC Mighty
Small Knife: I still really need a good paring knife
Specialty Knife: Also taking reccommendations for a really good bread knife.
So those of you with some favorite knives, do tell.
Ben
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Ben and everyone... thanks for the reviews on Brasa bar menu. The food sounds incredibly good. Are you sure about those drink prices? Maybe the prices have gone up. The online wine list shows a chimay red beer for $5. The draft beers are $4. The online menu doesn't list prices for mixed drinks, though. Drinks menu
edit: Ben, I like your new kitty avatar. Is that your kitty?
The drink prices were for sure 7.50 when we were there. Perhaps the white label chimay is a different price, but that seems a bit much...esp when the price in stores is exactly the same. Only the Grand Resereve blue label chimay is more expensive (.50 more on the large bottle size).
It would make more sense if the chimay was a full pint, but since it is a trappist beer, they serve it in the belgian style glass, which is somewhere around 8-10 oz. This usually makes up for the cost difference and they bill it as a regular beer. At least that is what happens at the Elysian when they had Chimay White on tap.
Perhaps Ill try to order a regular old beer there and see how much they charge.
Avatar note: Not my kitty, but perhaps one of them will show up as an avatar in the future. The kitty is from a picture that has nightscotsman's avatar in it. hehehehe.
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I was both delighted and disapointed with my first trip to Brasa to sample their super cheap bar menu.
Food=Delight
The three of us ordered the following dishes: Pan-fried sea bass with bacon shallot vinagrette; Spicy Short Ribs; Mashed Potatoes; Green olive, tomato, and chorizo pizza; and Calamari (cant remember the name they used).
All the dishes were very nice, esp the fish dish I had. The sauce on the short ribs was a bit underwhelming but still fairly tasty. The mashed potatoes were pretty average. The pizza had a really wonderful crust that I loved. The squid had the perfect texture of being not too chewy and just chewy enough.
Overall I was overjoyed at the kind of food I was having for the price. Go Brasa!
Drinks=Dissapointment
One companion and I each had a glass of Chimay white label beer (about 8 oz or so) and my other companion had two Gin and Tonics. Our total drink bill was $30 before tax and tip. Each drink was $7.50!!!!! for 8 oz of beer! Good golly miss molly that is price gouging!
Boo Brasa!
So right now I am torn with the whole experience. I think I will just return for food and omit the happy hour drink. Or perhaps I could share one with three other people. Ill just ask for extra bendy straws.
Ben
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Ill be back to doraemon in a bit, for now I am the kitty!!!!
Ben
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I think it's the other way around, actually.
Yeah!
Not really about hotel restaurants, but as big as a hotel!
Ben
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"Domo-kun is a small brown open-mouthed monster hatched from an egg who lives with a wise old rabbit underground. He really, really likes TV and also enjoys rocking out to Guitar Wolf."
And "killing some kittens" too, eh??
Only if you are naughty...hehe.
Ben
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Now About burgers,
I have never had a jump for joy gol' dang good burger. I have had good burgers. Good burgers in the area have been at Six Arms and Red Mill. I am interested in trying the lamb burger at Brasa.
Klink, how well does a smoked burger do?
Ben
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oops, I forgot marble pocky and almond pocky.
My friend was convinced that chicks loved the pudding flavor the best. He would attract them from the woodwork when he opened a box.
Ben
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I am a huge pocky fan. My old roomate was insane with pocky lust. He used the old boxes to cover his door with them as a kind of wall paper. He had enough for more than two doors worth. Last I heard, he was thinking about laquering them and making a suit of traditional japanese armour with them.
I have had:
Chocolate
Strawberry
Men's (dark chocolate)
Cocoa
Pudding
Burnt Cream
Giant Chocolate
Giant Strawberry
Almond Crush
White Almond Crush
A few other Crush types
Rainbow Special Edition
Green Tea
Chocolate Mousse
White Chocolate Mousse
Various other Mousse types
And then other kinds such as Fran.
Pocky is da bomb.
Ben
p.s. they are called pocky because that is the sound they make when you eat them. Pocky! Pocky!
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I am a fan of their Pecan Prailines (It is a serious problem if I get any in my home). I also pick up Mochi Ice cream there when they have it.
Yum!
Ben
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I went to a Benihanna down in LA recently for the first time. We got a chef that had a blue hat (I think there is some kind of ranking system) and he was not very good. He didnt talk much at all and he missed some tricks. The food was pretty disapointing too.
I would be interested in trying out other styles of communal dining such as shabu shabu or the like. I really need to eat at the big table at Salumi sometime.
Ben
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I have a bottle in the freezer right now. I have enjoyed it so far! It has a very nice mouthfeel.
My only complaint is that the paint/coating on the bottle is flaking off and it gets all over my hand.
Ben
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Where in Kirkland is Hoffmans? I am new to the eastside and would love to know where to get some decent pastries.
Thanks a bunch.
Ben
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I broke in my first cast iron pan by cooking up a lovely Rib Eye steak. I had the steak with a pat of my shallot and bleu cheese butter with some homeade fries. I drank a nice cold Full Sail Amber beer with it.
I had a grand old time with myself.
Ben
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My parents have stopped in Roslyn where there is a really great butcher. I am sorry to say that I dont have any more details about it, but I bought a really nice hand cut steak there.
In Yakima, Miners is a fast food institution. We would always stop there after Tennis matches when we were in the area. Many a school bus has pulled up there after sporting events.
Ben
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Nightscotsman-- What did you eat at Lampreia? I must admit I've been hesitant to eat there after stories of the Soup Nazi-esque Chef. Would love to hear the details of the meal if you can recall them.
And I thought it was Italian? . . .
From what I understand (I have not eaten there yet and it is next on my list) he does not tolerate picky eaters and the like. I guess he does not take kindly to anything sent back. Think Bourdain if he were to come out a give somebody a tounge lashing if they ordered their steak well done.
I can respect his viewpoint, but the cliche "You can attract more flies with honey than vinegar" would be a better position for him.
Ben
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awesome, I have been meaning to drop by there for a long time.
Is the happy hour all week (monday-friday) or just some days?
Ben
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Is there a reason that the fda does not require nutritional or ingredient information on alcohol? I have always wondered about this, especially when people make claims at bars that Guinness beer has like 1000 calories in 16 oz, which is a horrible lie.
I did recently see some info on a bottle of "turtle" beer, a mexican beer with a sea turtle on the front. The name means turtle beer in spanish so all you linguists can translate.
Thoughts?
Ben
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Gosh, I never thought that Todai would get such a negative reaction...BUT
I stand by my original thought.... "high quality sushi" is a relative term
Although I can get authentic high quality sushi at really high prices in land-locked Dallas, I often prefer AYCE quantities of uni, a typically high cost sushi item at any Dallas Japanese restaurant...
I've found that the Dallas Todai serves acceptable uni for my AYCE requirements/buffet strategy.... nuf said about that....
sorry 2hear Todai is unacceptable for sushi in other locations.....
Yeah, I have heard that they are kind of hit and miss. The one in Hawaii is supposed to be good, so yours must be in that vein.
I heard tonight that our Seattle one recently got a health violation. Ill have to look into it. I am not suprised...the sushi I had there was warm.
Doh!
Ben
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BH: regarding Todai you've missed my buffet strategy.... "high quality sushi" is a relative term... if I want mass quantities of uni at a value price thats where I go ... I've no local japanese food market importing uni any cheaper than I can get mass quantities at Todai fully prepared
FG: first pass take alittle of everything strategy is usually a good one but immediate pig-out gratification over one or two items req'd in mass quantity usually diverts my attention, eg, if I need half shell oysters, I take 2doz first pass... other strategy, I usually fill up/eat fish before starting on the meats
Also, on July 4th holiday no one would give a buffet pass (I begged and I wasn't goin' to gamble 2get one!!)... but thanks for mentioning the tip...
If by "High Quality" you mean "Absolute lowest quality on earth".
Sorry, the todai we have up here is really really bad. I felt violated after I left.
Ben
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That is super duper weak.
poor show herbfarm, poor show.
Their ingredients must instantly go bad and be thrown out as soon as the cancellation is made. amazing!!!!
Lets have a big fat BOO for the Herbfarm.
BOO!
Ben
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That site is wacked. 2.5g protein per 1/2 cup?? My rice package says 5g per 1/4 cup.
Its not a competition, folks.
In the larger scheme of things, keeping in mind modern sensibilities, wouldn't you rather eat something because it tastes great than because you'll live longer? I know I would.
I eat pretty healthily -- my cholestorol count is 120 and my blood pressure is 110/70 at age 31, among other things. Wheat grass juice might be good for my long-term well being, but wild horses couldn't make me drink it on a regular basis. Ditto with brown rice. I'll eat it every so often, but I wouldn't recommend making a risotto with it.
eeek! brown rice shrimp risotto...sort of on par with pad thai -- Roxanne style.
SA
I think that both rices have their virtues. Brown rice has a really great nutty flavor, but it can have a texture that is incompatibale with many dishes.
White rice has a lovely texture, but not too much flavor. I would, however much rather use it in virtually all rice dishes.
Old Monk - where to buy
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
I saw a couple of bottles of old monk at a liquor store here in Kirkland, Wa. I dont know if that helps at all.
Ben