scarlett

Scrolling through older posts...I found mention of these nuts and gave them a whirl yesterday. Holy hell...these are amazing!! I'm not a big fennel fan, but these were so good. I'll definitley be making them again and again. They're a nice sweet-savory addition to carepackages...and an easy thing to have on hand for holiday cocktail parties. And now...for the cookie thread tie in... Yesterday my girlfriends and I rented out a commercial kitchen and made our cookies there. A big bowl of these nuts sat by the ovens and we munched on them as we baked. Mmmm... I still haven't figured out how to upload photos on eGullet...but I've got a photo over here.

Dorie...what a great idea! I have a jalapeno apricot jam that will be perfect for those savory rugelach. Thanks for the link!

Beautiful! I've been meaning to try that galette ever since I bought the book. Must try it this week.

Besides my usual haunts (Union, Green Leaf, Volunteer Park Cafe)...a few of my more satisfying meals of late have been: Brunch at Sitka & Spruce (Saturday & Sunday from 10-2. Multiple dishes are served buffet-style on the counter while they prepare an egg dish option made to order. Delish.) Lunch at Saint Germain(the tartines are great...and the endive salad is hauntingly delicious) Lunch or dinner at Kingfish Cafe (I'm torn between many favorites here, but I'm especially smitten with their salads) My recent meal at Cafe Presse was completely forgetable. Not bad--just not good, either. It was food, that's it. Nothing more, nothing less. 8 of us had dinner at Beato this spring. We ended up ordering nearly the entire menu and unfortunately, a snag in the service found almost all the dishes arriving at our table at the same time. I only mention it because we didn't get much of a chance to linger over each of the dishes and they were more or less a blur in my memory. I do remember the food was good and while they rotate the menu somewhat, if you get a chance to order the chicken liver pate, do. I've *still* got it on my mind. However, I'd say the best reason to go to Beato is to make a trip to Bakery Nouveau...also on California in West Seattle. Grab a few goodies for dessert (and if they have a twice-baked almond croissant, do yourself a favor and grab that too! OMG.) Have a great trip!

I was there for dinner last Tuesday and the menu was very much the same as it always is at Union. They did have a couple pasta dishes, but that's typical of Union as well. We had fish, scallops, steak, octopus, etc.

Thanks for the feedback. As I remember the flavor was really good...so it's worth giving it another go. Thanks again!

I'm just catching up with this thread...what a great read! Last fall I took cooking classes in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The instructors had a saying about shrimp paste: "Smells like HELL, Tastes like HEAVEN!"

Question: so did you cut out half the white sugar...or substitute it with brown? I'm going to try making these again and would love to take your recommendation. Thanks!

I've also made the Olivia's Chocolate Chip cookies and they turned out nothing like Lorna's. Mine spread quite a lot. I'll have to give them another go. The flavor was very good. Other recipes I've made: * Sweet & Spicy Nuts (I made this type of nuts for the first time with this recipe. It was good but I don't have anything to compare it too. I'm not sure this is my favorite recipe for this type of spicy nut mixture. It was okay...just maybe not a knock out.) * Orzo Salad with Cucumber, Bell Peppers, Basil & Feta (Yum) * Lemon Butter Cake with Fresh Strawberries & Lemon Cream (Oh-so-light!) Note: the Macrina lemon cream is not as tart as the Pierre Herme cream I'm glad this thread got resurected. Reminds me that I wanted to play with this book a bit more. Thanks!

I was at Theo's today for the David Lebovitz meet & greet. I had a chance to try their basil truffle and the rosemary caramel. I liked the idea of the rosemary caramel, but I couldn't really taste the rosemary. However, the basil truffle was fantastic! They just put it back in rotation for the summer. For a side by side comparison of chocolates, check out the new shop between 1st & 2nd on Pike called the Chocolate Box. They sell Fiori, Oh!Chocolate, Theo's, and I believe Bakery Nouveau's chocolates. I was there for the grand opening and the shelves were full of chocolate truffles, bars, and baked goods. They also have some really fun drinks (chocolate tea anyone?) and gelato. Again, a great place for side by side comparisons. I'm a big fan of Fiori. Their dark chocolate truffles are mind-boggling delicious. I also really like their champagne truffle. His curry truffle is also really good...complex, intriguing without being too assertive. Aesthetically, their chocolates are beautiful too. I'm amazed how shiny they are. Sitting side by side with some of the other chocolates represented at the Chocolate Box, Fiori's practically gleam!

Did you all see this? Not exactly a coming or going...but an expansion is on the horizon for Green Leaf. They nabbed the lease over them and are working on plans for additional dining space. And since they've also been doing a ton of catering lately, the upstairs might end up being a great space for groups... Here's the scoop: http://www.seattleweekly.com/food/blogs/vo...eaf_unfurls.php

I visited Rocking Wok back in January and as I understand it, they were under new ownership. Apparently the owners sold to an employee (one of the cooks). I'm not sure if the transition impacted the quality of the food, but when I was there, I didn't think it was all that exciting either.

The Cheese Cellar does a free wine and cheese tasting on Thursdays. They usually have a theme and compliment the wine & cheese. I've been several times and enjoy them very much.

Check out the locals nominated for James Beard Awards....

Green Leaf is OPEN. YAY!!!!!