FrogPrincesse

You are very welcome. I added links to these various places so they'd be easier to look up. Seattle is a fabulous place for food. And I am sure Portland is as well, but I haven't had a chance to go there yet. Have fun on your trip, and please report when you get a chance!

In Seattle, for reasonably priced shellfish in a casual setting, Taylor Shellfish (multiple locations). For more upscale and a very wide array of local produce, seafood etc, Lark. A bit expensive but absolutely worth a spulrge. Eater.com has a bunch of other recent recommendations. http://seattle.eater.com/maps/best-seattle-restaurants-38 http://seattle.eater.com/maps/best-new-seattle-restaurants-heatmap Edited to add- I just realized that I had already recommended these two restaurants in a Seattle-dedicated thread that someone else had created. At least I am consistent! Two more recommendations from my husband who just travelled there a few weeks ago. The Walrus and the Carpenter Matt's in the Market (Pike's Market)

Salad with butter lettuce, white peaches, fennel, feta, chives, lemon-infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Homemade bread on the side (mix with white flour, whole-wheat flour, and buckwheat).

Well, it depends on the café, of course. Illy is one of the brands that seems popular, and it also happens to be available in the US.

No need to be embarrassed! Obviously you have kittens on your mind!

I've been to 320 Main quite a few times and had heard about Jason Schiffer's drink... but generally I prefer to stick to tiki drinks when I am there! Mustard seemed a bit out there. It's interesting to hear your description and understand how mustard can work in a drink.

You mean Smitten Kitchen, right? Something "odd" came up when I searched for Smitten Kitten!

Smitten Kitten. I love it. So, which one of your adorable kittens made these delicious treats?

Exactly. No chicken eggs, so it's not mayonnaise! Describing it as mayonnaise with fish roe doesn't do it justice. Also I feel that it misrepresents its texture. Mayonnaise is rich and eggy. Tarama tends to be lighter, salty, highlighting the flavor of the roe. This is making me hungry. It's a bit hard to find cured fish roe, but making this from scratch is wonderful. I wonder if I can use the boutargue I brought back from France...

Mayonnaise with cod roe? That is a strange way to describe it. Tarama typically doesn't contain any eggs, which is probably a good in thing your case!

A Nolita from a few nights ago with Sipsmith London dry gin, Campari, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, St. George coffee liqueur. Simple and pretty great!

Marinated Zucchini in the Style of Naples, with a few substitutions. Based on of what was available to me, I used a large white patty pan squash instead of zucchini, rice vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, and mint instead of parsley & basil. It is a bit involved with 3 steps required - salting, grilling, and marinating, but it's very delicious and works great as a side dish with grilled steak or sausages, or as a "salad". Recipe link.

It's a cool guide, but I have to point out that this current thread has at least as many variations!

I'm sure it's fine. I've been using the same bottle for years, and it hasn't changed. I keep mine at room temperature.

Hot Mess at The Crack Shack, Richard Blais' chicken and egg place: mezcal, Ancho Reyes, grapefruit, lime, honey. Spicy, smoky, and a bit tart - a good brunch drink, great with the food.

Pâte de fruit (fruit paste). There is no accent on the 'e'. With the accent, it becomes a charcuterie item...

How does the taste compare to Malört? I am curious too....

Ti Punch with rhum Neisson L'Esprit and J.M cane syrup. Powerful stuff.

I couldn't resist the banana liqueur, but this was too sweet. I would change it a bit to make it more bourbon-forward, and reduce both the Campari and the banana. Anvil’s Banana Boulevardier (Terry Williams) with High West American Prairie bourbon, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Campari, Giffard banana liqueur.

$27 at Trader Joe's. Seemed like a good deal...

I haven't baked bread in a long time but managed to produce something decent last night - a no-knead bread with mostly white flour and a little bit of whole wheat flour, cooked in a Dutch oven.

That was lightning fast! Very impressive.

I checked online and was surprised to see that the St George pear brandy was selling for less than $40 for a full-size bottle. A really good price for this! It's an eau-de-vie from what I understand.

Santouka Ramen is a Japanese chain and its San Diego branch is located inside the Mitsuwa supermarket on Kearny Mesa Road. The décor and ambiance are non existent, but the ramen is so delicious that you forget your surroundings in an instant, too busy slurping the rich broth and devouring the ultra-tender meat. I have tried other ramen places in San Diego, but this is still the reference for me. I usually get the Tokusen toroniku ramen which is their specialty and has the most generous amount of pork of all options.

@rarerollingobject Which flavors were your favorite?