nightscotsman

Another great decription is in "Microserfs" by Douglas Coupland. He describes the Cap'n Crunch aftermath as "having raw gobbets of mouth goo hanging from the roof of his mouth" and talking like Cindy Brady for the rest of the day. I may just be extra sensitive, but whenever I eat too much fresh pineapple (like two spears), my tongue bleeds freely. The acid just eats it away. :-P

Pineau des charente - not exactly a dessert wine, but it is sweet. I've loved this stuff ever since I had it paired with foie gras at Le Toque in Sonoma. Can anyone recommend a good producer, and more importantly, a good supplier? There is only one place I've found in Seattle that sells only one label. Sam's used to carry a few labels, but I can't find it there anymore.

Thanks for the great review Laurie! It sounds like they've greatly moderated the menu and prices since my friends went. I can tell I will have to go and find out for myself. Damn, what a chore Reminds me I've been meaning to post a review of a dinner I had at Earth and Ocean a couple weeks ago. Until then, I can tell you my experience was interesting but mixed.

One of my favorite food books is "Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen" by Laurie Colwin. This is one of those books I re-read every few years and it still makes me feel all warm inside. In it she has a chapter titled "Repulsive Diners: a Memoir". The first time I read this chapter I laughed until tears will rolling down my face. I still can't read it without laughing out loud. It starts: "There is something triumphant about a really disgusting meal. It lingers in the memory with a lurid glow, just as something exalted is remembered with a kind of mellow brilliance. I am not thinking of kitchen disasters – chewy pasta, burnt brownies, curdled sauces: these can happen to anyone. I am thinking about meals that are positively loathsome from soup to nuts, although one is not usually fortunate enough to get either soup or nuts" And a description of one of the dishes (it was served in London, of course): "Here is what we had: the casserole contained a layer of partially cooked rice, a layer of pineapple rings and layer of breakfast sausages, all of which was cooked in a liquid of some sort or other. Each person received one pineapple ring, one sausage and a heap of crunchy rice. We ate in perfect silence, first in shock, then in amazement, and then in gratitude that not only was there not enough to go around, but that nothing else was forthcoming. That was the entire meal." My own worst meal has to be Christmas dinner at my brother's. Costco frozen lasagna, Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes from a box, iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing served on paper plates. Yes I said Christmas dinner. Now that's just depressing

I hope you got good stuff. Enough to share with the rest of us at the tasting on Saturday? I talked to a couple people at work today who have eaten at Cascades and they both said it was good, but not outstanding or impressive. They also said it was very expensive (these are people that have eaten major restaurants around the world) and mentioned the overblown interior. There was a lot of buzz when it first opened, but I don't hear it mentioned much lately. I assume it's still doing OK? This is probably true of Seattle now, but if so it's a relatively recent development. Before all the Thai places I would say most neighborhood restaurants served what I would call "pub grub": burgers, fries, sandwiches hot and cold, chicken tenders, salads, soups, etc. It's getting better, but the Northwest has not been known as a culinary hotspot. Which is sad since the variety and quality of local ingredients is an embarrasment of riches. Maybe we're just so used to all the great stuff we take it for granted. What could be better than picking ripe, intensly flavored blackberries and strawberries and stuffing them in your mouth one after the other. Who needs preparation?

If I remember what my sister-in-law said about when she used to teach in a remote Alaskan village, the big treat was whale blubber raw. The kids ate it like candy. ::shudder::

Mmmmmm... strange wild herbs

I may not be the best person to answer this since I've lived in the Northwest my whole life. That may sound like I would be *more* qualified, but I think I'm just too close to the matter and don't have the insight of an outsider. That said, I'm having a hard time thinking of any distinctively Northwest preparation techniques other than planked fish (which we got from the natives). Everything else seems to be borrowed from elsewhere and used on local ingredients. Can you think of anything else? In the case of Cascadia (and I'm only talking about the menu here) I don't see how it's so brilliant. As I said before, lots of places have been doing "Northwest" for years - and calling it "Northwest" cuisine (thanks to girl chow for bringing up the Ark). Slightly changing it to "Decidedly Northwest" seems like over-hyping a few local ingredients in order to grab some marketing buzz - pretentious without being definitive. I'm not saying Cascadia shouldn't aspire to be a Northwest restaurant, I'm just saying they could do it a little more creatively if they want to stand out from those who have already been there and done it.

In the thread on The Herb Farm, Steve Klc suggested starting a separate thread to discuss Kerry Sear and his restaurant Cascadia here in Seattle. So that's what this is To quote from Steve: Not having dined at Cascadia, I can't really comment on the full restaurant experience, but by just looking at the menu I would say that it doesn't look special or unique at all. Many places in Seattle and Portland have been doing "Northwest cuisine" and ingredients for years - and many still do. While most items do sound good, none of the dishes really jumps out at me as being particularly innovative or exciting. All the usual NW suspects are here: Salmon, Halibut, mushrooms, herbs and greens, Washington beef, oysters, etc. Maybe it's in the preparation, side dishes and garnishes? Can anybody who's eaten here tell me what I'm missing? While I may not be excited about the experience at The Herb Farm (though many people do love their warm, inclusive, "craftsman" approach), it does sound like they are doing much more creative things with the food.

Among my friends and coworkers I am known as Mr. Snackman. I love snacks anytime, day or night. I love trying new snack products and I've always been fascinated by food engineering. Currently I always have a supply of Cliff bars in my desk drawer, including the new Cliff Mojo bars (less sweet, more crunchy, thumbs up), but I'm also addicted to Dots. The only time I don't really like to snack is during movies - no popcorn, no sodas - it just distracts from the movie. However, I feel compelled snack while watching TV (must be the commercials). I still eat semi-regular meals, but they tend to be smaller, especially in the evening. Snacks for dinner? You bet! For me, snacks are almost any food served in small, bitesized portions and not necessarily prepackaged. Being able to be eaten with your hands is also helpful.

Thanks so much for your extensive and detailed account of your experience. The food sounds just lovely and amazing, sorry to hear some of the wines weren't up to the task. By the way, you mentioned that a USA Today photographer would be shooting during the meal, and I was wondering if that was very disruptive or intrusive? Normally a photographer would have to bring in extra lights to get the best shots - did he? Were they actually taking pictures of diners during the meal? If so, did you sign a waver? Did they even ask if this was OK?

Having eaten at both Ouest and Lumiere as well as "C" just last month, I thought I would give my two cents worth. I thought the cuisine at all three places was excellent, but different enough stylistically that I couldn't really pick one as best. Though the foie gras appetizer at Ouest I would have to call my single favorite dish of the trip, with the tomato water and prawn dish at Lumiere a close second. Where I can choose a favorite is in the overall experience. Here I would choose C first, Ouest second and Lumiere a clear third. I enjoyed C the most because the service was incredibly helpful and accommodating. I told the waiter that I was not up for a large meal and just wanted to order from the appetizer menu, and this not only didn't phase him, but he actually encouraged the choice by suggesting the order in which the dishes should be served. I also didn't want to drink too much since I was driving, so he brought me paired half glasses of wine with each dish. Also, they have a lovely view of False Creek and Granville Island. Ouest comes in a close second. The excellent service was exactly what I would expect at this level. I thought the room was modern, elegant without being stuffy, and comfortable. I sat at a table just outside the kitchen pass and one of the chefs (could it have been Chef Hawksworth?) asked me how I liked my appetizer and made a welcome suggestion on how best to enjoy it. While the food may have been a bit better than at C, the extra mile the wait staff went to make sure I enjoyed my unconventional meal gave C the extra points. Lumiere comes in last, first because I thought the dining room was bland and a bit crowded. Second, I thought the autographed menus from other restaurants on the walls in the bathroom was a little pretentious. But what most annoyed me was being seated next to two regulars you were obviously personal friends of many of the staff. They made a big point of ordering off the menu and asking the chef to "surprise them with something outrageous". The wait staff hovered over them talking loudly about somebody's birthday and such, all the while standing between our tables with their butts in my face. After a bit of this I did complain to my waiter who tried to explain that they were long-time regulars and old friends. I said I understood this, but didn't appreciate the extended view of the wait staff's backsides (I was paying for the full 13 course, 3.5 hour tasting menu and I think I deserved to be treated as a valued guest). Thankfully she conveyed my message and things calmed down a bit. The food was wonderful, though I thought the desserts were more "interesting experiments" than successful. Vancouver certainly is a great (and easy for me living in Seattle) destination for fine dining. I also had fantastic desserts at Diva at the Met and Senses where the former pastry chef from Daniel now works. Gotta love that exchange rate!

Use more lighter fluid. lot's more. Or maybe just a different type of fuel... http://ghg.ecn.purdue.edu/~ghg/ Scroll down for lighting the grill with LIQUID OXYGEN. With video. Classic.

Wow, I know I'll be making a reservation soon. By the way, I took the liberty of cleaning up a couple of the photos for you. Only 2 came out OK, the others were just too dark to salvage. When you do your write up can you please let us know what the other dessert selections where like (if you can remeber)? Thanks!

I highly, highly recommend staying at Ryokan Shigetsu in Asakusa (about two blocks from the temple). Close to the Ginza subway line. Very new and clean, but has a nice, traditional Japanese feeling to it (wood, shoji screens, tatami mats). Western style or Japanese-style rooms (go for the Japanese) with private bathroom and shower. Wonderful public bath on the top floor with a view of the temple's pagoda. Very reasonably priced - 9,000 yen for a single. special price on good mini-kaiseki dinner for guests. See more here Do be sure to try shabu shabu while you are there. The place I went to called Shabusen in Ginza was good and fairly inexpensive. Very difficult to find, though. This is true of many restaurants - be sure you get directions with visual landmarks and not just addresses. Thumbs up on the okonomiyaki - and very easy to make at home when you get back and want to re-taste your memories. Also, the bento boxes you can get in the train stations are very good. Here is a great site called "superfuturecity" with info on shopping and eating in hipster Tokyo: http://city.superfuture.com/city/city/city.cfm?city=1 Damn, I wish I was going

I personally like Onikoroshi as it is very mild and smooth. Also, why do you say he won't have the opportunity of tasting before purchase? I was offered samples of seasonal sake in several department stores, and small producers (brewers?) sometimes have samples at a small charge. You can even get small bottles in vending machines on the streets (along with beer, wine and whisky).

I assume this is in Spanish? ningun espanol leido

Abso-f*cking-lutely! I know when I tell people this is the way I eat grilled cheese reactions range from puzzled to horrified, but it's really good! Think "apples and cheddar cheese" - sweet and savory. This was how my Mom's family ate them, and how I was brought up eating them - and we ate them alot. But we didn't use processed American cheese (my Mom thought it was not actually a food product and refused to buy it - but we never had butter, only margarine. Go figure ). We always used Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese.

He-llooooo! ::jumping up and down, waving arms:: Please see above post on fruit desserts. I love dessert and must have it after every meal, but restaurant pie is almost always an abomination. I agree - that's why I go to restaurants. I'm not going to order something I can make easily (and usually better) myself at home.

Oh ya, that's always good. But to be really satisfying it has to have strawberry jam spread on top. Raspberry will do in a pinch.

Cheddar cheese and apples.

Oh, of course it wouldn't actually be called "home made" on the menu, but from the description or title it would appear to be the type of thing that is a "home style" dessert like pie, crisp, cobbler, shortcake, pudding-in-a-cloud, etc... I would expect everything on the menu of a fine dining restaurant to be from scratch except for maybe a few components like puff pastry dough or fruit purees.

Ever tried to raise a family on minimum wage - even with tips, which are taxed whether you receive them or not? I think tipping is barbaric - the service should be included in the bill and waitstaff should be paid a decent wage. If the service is above and beyond the call of duty then a tip would be an *optional* discretionary reward. Why should a good portion of a person's livelihood depend on the whims of a disinterested customer? One of the wonderful things about traveling in Japan is that there is no tipping for anything - restaurants, hotel, or taxis. If you actually tried to tip, the service person would be embarrassed or even offended. Of course Japan does have that whole "gifting culture" thing, but that's another discussion.

I never order anything that sounds like a "home-style" fruit dessert at a restaurant - especially pie. Even at the best places I'm always dissapointed. In fact, I will only eat pie baked by myself or my Mom.

I just happened to see a recipe I thought was very interesting in a British magazine called (I think) "Food & Travel". It was for little tomato leather cones (like fruit leather, but made with fresh tomatoes, basil and - wait for it.... ketchup) filled with haricot verts tossed with pesto. Sounded tasty and looked very avant-garde and "upmarket". [disclaimer: I'm not a professional chef or caterer]