nightscotsman

Oh, and since we now have good bread in this town, can we please have a decent, european-style pastry shop? Thanks.

I also wanted to think a bit about this topic before posting a response. Either that or wait for someone more eloquent that I to say everything for me (thanks tighe ). I especially agree about the level of service. Except for a very few places (like Canlis), it seems like Seattle diners prefer the chummy-but-sloppy, overly-friendly style of service over professionalism. Maybe it's that whole discomfort with formality thing that causes people to think it's OK to wear polarfleece and hiking boots to the opera. Some might call it being unpretentious, but I think it's just immaturity. There's a great word. That pretty much sums up my impression of the Seattle dining scene: immature. I also agree there are some really good neighborhood places, but I sure would like to see a few more at the high end that might be worthy of two or three stars - if for no other reason than to boost the ol' civic pride.

... and light match.

Also my favorite cocktail site. My copy of the book (out of print - grab a copy if you can find it) is full of postit notes on all the recipes I want to try. My favorite food recipe using bourbon is "chocolate dipped bourbon prunes": Soak prunes for several days in bourbon not quite to cover - stir occasionally. Dump prunes and soaking liquid into non-stick saute pan along with sugar equal to about half the volume of bourbon. Bring to a boil and light to burn of some of the alcohol. Cook on medium-high heat stirring frequently until liquid is pretty much gone and prunes are candied. Place individual prunes on foil sprayed with non-stick spray and let cool uncovered overnight. Temper milk chocolate (milk balances the bourbon much better than dark) and dip prunes to cover half way. I'm not allowed to show up on Thanksgiving without a plate of these things.

When we went I remember it being only ala carte - no tasting menu. But of course, that could have changed by now. Unfortunateley no menu on Amazon yet.

Looks like I may have been a little hasty saying Lampreia wasn't Italian. Seems like he's had much experience in Italy and is into Mediterainian ingredients. I just remember the overall preparation felt French to me. Maybe it was just the foie gras that gave me that impression?

I just thought I would mention that I found a product called "Horlicks Natural Malties" while shopping recently at a Japanese candy store here in Seattle. They are tablets that sort of look like light tan Tums and have a similar consistency. I assume you're supposed to chew them like candy for quick energy and nutrients (?), but they taste more like toated wheat flour than malted milk. A very odd item. Still haven't seen Holicks malted milk powder in any local stores, though.

NOODLEHEAD!! I used to live like, four blocks from that place! I loved the way the interior looked like "Tokyo 1962". Great salad rolls. The owners had another place in NW Portland that had my favorite name for a resaurant: Misohapi. Is it still there? Don't mention Ezo. I'm still in denial.

ooooh, I just remembered Mamounia, a wonderful Moroccan restaurant on Capitol Hill. You'd walk in off the street and feel like you were in a fabulous tent in the desert somewhere, with thick rugs and cushions covering the floor. The chicken with preserved lemons was fragrant and rich while the lamb with honey literally melted in your mouth. Everything was eaten with your hands which where rinsed with rose water at the end of the meal. The whole thing felt exotic and luxurious. Now it's a tattoo and body piercing place called Apocalypse Hardware. My how times have changed.

Do you mean you liked Chang's at its original location in Portland, or you miss the restaurant that used to be at the Chang's location in Seattle?

The last time was over a year ago and I only specifically (but vaguely) remember the seared foie gras appetizer, which was wonderful. I think it was served with asain pears. I had also heard the chef was a little controlling, but the staff we interacted with were friendly and we had great service. Just remember that it is european-style service: very professional, but not hovering or overly friendly. The overall feeling of the place is elegant, but not stuffy or formal. And definitely not Italian. Oh, and I agree that Tango is completely overrated. I ate there last year and the service was increadibly bad as well as the food being hit and miss. Good desserts, though.

OK, here are my two: Capital Club. Funky neighborhood place with sort of a Marocan interior. The food - creative mediteranian - is always good, interesting and very reasonably priced. Good bartender too. Makes a great French 75. Lampreia. Expensive, but worth it. Impecable service, seasonal French cuisine, beautiful, modern presentation. One of the best meals I've had in Seattle.

Half-price on that menu? Sold! Just tell me when.

I usually drink champagne in cocktails - french 75, kir royale, bellini, black velvet, etc - so Freixenet works just fine for me. No reason to use the really good stuff if you're mixing it with gin 'n stuff. For nice champagne straight I rather like Schramsberg.

Article on self trapanation: Drill here. Warning: Certain icky bits are NOT for the squeamish. You have been warned.

"Cafe Beaujolais" by Margaret Fox - The recipes are great, but I just love reading her stories about Mendocino and the cafe. So sad to hear she and her husband split and sold the restaurant. "Chez Panisse Desserts" by Lindsey Shere - still the best approach to fruit desserts. I agree 22tango! "Nantucket Open-House Cookbook" and "Cold Weather Cooking" by Sarah Leah Chase - she cooks the way I like savory food: bold flavors and lavish ingredients. "The Cake Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum - I've made almost every recipe in the book. "Desserts by Pierre Herme" - It's all about flavors and ballance. The "Plated Dessert" series by Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty - XXX food porn. "Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts" - early Martha, before the empire. "The Complete Book of Pastry Sweet and Savory" by Bernard Clayton - my copy is falling apart. Wish I could find a new hardbound version. These are my old favorites, but I keep getting new books which may get promoted to the list when I get around to cooking from them.

Hmmmm... watermelon sounds interesting. Was is sweet or dry? Where did you get the recipe?

Over in the Pacific Northwest board MsRamsey mentioned a nasty rhubarb wine to be had in Iowa, which reminded me of a not-too-bad dry rhubarb wine I had here in Washington. She also mentioned a pineapple wine from Hawaii that she's too chicken to open. So what non-grape wine have you seen or tried? Was it tasty or was it run-to-the-bathroom-spit-it-out-and-gargle-with-listerine heinous? Do tell!

Seltzer would be fine, but club soda is another story. It usually has lots of sodium in it and tastes like baking soda to me.

I do drink plenty of tap water and don't buy bottled still water, but I can't get sparkling water out of my tap. I've never heard about sparkling water being an appetite suppressant before. Can you link to the research or article where you read this fact? Seems like if this were true it would be shouted from every diet book on the shelf and we wouldn't need Weight Watchers. Never had this problem myself. I believe the gas is usually released by light burping rather than passed through the sytem to the other end.

I know I may sound picky and hyper-critical in my reviews sometimes, but when I dine at a restaurant I genuinely arrive open to whatever philosophy the kitchen and staff wants to show me and I intend to enjoy the food and experience. However I just couldn't see what the chef was thinking with these dishes. It was as if they were cooked to retain perfect texture and color, but remove as much flavor as possible. I just didn't get it. The place was about half full when I arrived at 7:00 (on a Saturday) and by the time I left between 9:30 and 10:00, it was more than 3/4 full. So I guess they were doing well, but not crowded or booked up. The kitchen (which is huge and very nicely appointed) did not appear to be very busy. I couldn't say for sure whether the chef was in the house, but I did see someone in the kitchen who resembled his photo on the web site. I'm one of those people who weighed in on the "chefs in the house" thread as saying the dining experience should be the same whether the chef is there or not, so I don't usaully ask unless I want to meet the chef for some reason.

So I just got back from dinner at Cascadia where I had the seven course "decidedly northwest" tasting menu. Unfortunately for me, Laurie seems to have had a much better experience with the three course menu. My reaction to the food could be summed up in three words: Where's. The. Flavor? The only seasoning I could discern (besides the rosemary on the french fries) was salt. And only one of the dishes had an actual sauce. The space is large and airy with lots of natural light from the front windows. Finishes and fixtures are rich looking, but clean and unfussy. Live piano music combined with the water trickling through the "rain wall" makes for nice background sound. Service was fine, if unexceptional. As usual, I started with a cocktail. This time it was the "3 C's" from the house cocktail menu. It's a combination of Clear Creek apple brandy, Cointreau and Chartreuse. Unfortunately, the balance seemed to be off as all I could taste was the Chartreuse. The amuse was a chanterelle and goat cheese tartlet garnished with reduced balsamic vinegar. Not much flavor here and the mushrooms were tough and chewy. The appetizer was sea salt cured salmon with poached muscles and diced red onion. The presentation is pretty with a muscle shell filled with a bit of sea salt propped on the rolled salmon. The cold muscles were plump and sweet and make a nice contrast with the salty salmon. A clean and simple dish. Cesar salad with apple-smoked bacon and fuji apple slices. The lettuce is unevenly dressed with completely bland, creamy dressing and the tired croutons add very little interest. The small piece of bacon is good, but the apple slices are just a garnish and really don't add anything. A wimpy, pointless salad. Now we get to the chef's signature "designer soup in a can" tomato bisque. OK, the presentation is cute, but the soup itself is awful! It's hard to tell tomatoes were even in the kitchen when the soup was made let alone actually used in it's preparation. It just has a kind of vague, sour taste with no seasoning evident. Did any of the cooks taste this stuff? And the crisp it's served with tastes like freeze-dried mashed potatoes. Next up - halibut served on top of yukon gold mashed potatoes with crab on the side and crab sauce. This was OK, and each ingredient was well prepared, but not really cohesive as a dish. The crab had no sauce or apparent seasoning. One odd thing was I saw other diners served this dish with a layer of sauteed spinach between the fish and potatoes that mine did not have. I didn't mention it to the waiter as I didn't think it would really add anything. Beef tenderloin with a roast tomato, sauteed spinach and rosemary french fries. The presentation of this one was nice with the fries served in a sterling silver cone/cup. The beef was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, but no seasoning or sauce. The fries were nice. Cheese plate next. Six slivers of cheese - three cow, three goat. All of them are very interesting and are strongly flavored (finally some flavor!). Served in the middle of the plate is a mound of shredded apple, which would make a nice refresher between cheeses, except it has started to turn brown. For dessert I chose the triple chocolate mousse cake and pavlova with rainier cherry cream. The cake part was OK with genoise and a light and dark chocolate mousse, but the solid chocolate layer on top was too thick and made it very hard to eat without squishing the whole thing. Maybe it was served at the wrong temperature? The pavlova was OK too, except the "rainier cherry cream" was actually just dried sour cherries in whipped cream. So much for seasonal ingredients. Possibly the most disappointing meal I've ever had in a Seattle restaurant. Was it "decidedly northwest"? In a word: no.

I agree with everything that Jason said, except I never ask about the brand before ordering, and I always order a big bottle sparkling water. I don't really care about the brand, but I'll admit that I like to have a cool looking bottle (like Voss) sitting on the table. One thing I really appreciate is when lemon and/or lime is served on the side and not in the glass. I usually like my water plain, but even when I want a little flavor I want it to be my choice.

"Because real Key limes are yellow, a true Key lime pie isn't even lime green. The golf-ball-size fruit can cost four times as much as ordinary limes and are tough to find outside Florida." Key limes are readily available at asian grocery stores like Uwajimaya here in seattle. Have been for several years I think. Not expensive at all, either.

I haven't had the problem with other tropical fruit, but I have a couple times with particularly tart apples. That's why I attributed it to the acid. Wouldn't the bromelain just make my tongue squishy?