spitzbuebe

Okay, one more addition to this thread: I went back today to sample the coffee and a cream puff. At the last minute, I made a wild switch to the eclair (the wily call of the chocolate glaze). I am thrilled to report that both were exemplary. The coffee was Caffe Vita, smooth and not a trace of bitterness. The counter guy's foam skills were more than adequate--I had foam to the last sip. The eclair, like the cream puff, is filled with both pastry cream AND whipped cream. They're not too big--maybe 3 or 4 bites, which is nice. I hate monster-sized cream puffs (or eclairs) that just become big, gloppy messes when you try to eat them. The pastry itself was crisp but not crunchy. It had a (good) hint of egginess but wasn't overpowering in the least. The pastry cream was smooth, not too sweet, with an overtone of hazelnut. The whipped cream was barely sweetened, I think, and the proportion of whipped cream to pastry cream was perfect (slightly more pastry cream than whipped). Oh, and the chocolate glaze? Perfect, too. It was dark chocolate, but not quite bittersweet, and it flaked like a chocolate coating, didn't squish like the chocolate glaze on a doughnut. So my verdict for now is skip the croissants, but try anything with pastry cream! And order a coffee on the side. Over and out. --sb

Hey Jim, thanks! Consider me signed up! The Venetian trip sounds like a good reason to save my latte money. --sb

Sure. Besalu was beautifully outfitted in evening wear--real napkins, candles on the tables, wineglasses everywhere. French music on the stereo. No pastries in the cases. It was odd and fun. As we entered, we were offered a 2001 McCrea Viognier--crisp and refreshing. Diners milled around a bit, figured out where they were seated, and then sat down. When everyone was seated, Robert Reynolds introduced the dinner as "James's fault." RR does dinners in Portland that James the baker hasn't been able to attend, so they just decided to have a dinner in Seattle. He talked about the challenge of cooking a dinner in a kitchen that only has ovens and about the trickster nature of the food (a savory poundcake that looks sweet, for example). He also told a beautiful story about the rabbit recipe and its provenance--friends in France and a spoiled dinner party--and about how the French start planning Sunday supper a week in advance. It was beautiful and poetic and I'm not doing him justice at all. From there, he explained the winter-into-spring menu, to wit: Savory poundcake with olives and bacon (and maybe mushrooms?) with a dollop of mustard cream sauce More Viognier Chestnut Soup with a hint of herb liqueur 2001 McCrea Syrah (but they should have stuck with the Viognier, in my opinion) Slow-cooked rabbit with smoked pork over toasted bread Cabbage gratin with Gruyere (heart-stoppingly good) 2000 McCrea "Cuvee Orleans" Syrah that was so good we should have just skipped the 2001 Walnut cake with chestnut honey, ricotta cream, a candied orange peel and orange sauce The walnut cake was ethereal and the honey gave it the right grounding. The ricotta cream fooled the eye by pretending to be ice cream and then tasted like, well, sweet ricotta. The orange sauce was gilding the lily--tasty, but the honey was enough. Everyone seemed to be happy and full and pleased with the experience. Even James the baker looked happy and relaxed--I don't know that I've ever seen him look that way! The dinner was $30 plus $18 for the 3 glasses of wine. Since the bottles were on the table, I may have had 4, but who's counting? It was a bargain, that's for sure. Now I may have to drive to Portland for another of these meals! --sb

Sounds like the one and only reason to visit Zoka! I'll put it on the calendar. And maybe Hiroki's croissants will be really tasty by then, too. Who can resist Fluffy Kittens?

By the way, I attended this after reading the article in the P-I. The rabbit with smoked pork was so moist and tender and perfect that I'm still dreaming of it. Hope this happens again!

Hi! I have to agree with mamster--the croissant is too biscuity. It's better than the QFC, but doesn't hold a candle to Besalu's crispy, flaky puff pastry. The chocolate in the pain au chocolat was melty and nice, but the pastry just didn't do it for me. I also picked up some cake slices for dessert tonight--they certainly look right, so I'm interested to see how they taste. Am ruing not having picked up a cream puff. Perhaps that's tomorrow morning's pleasure. On a positive note, I loved the interior (sky-blue ceiling, matcha-green walls, plummy purple floor) and the hand-blown glass shades on the lights. I'll be back, but am sad about it not being perfect from day one! I suppose that's a tall order. Didn't try the coffee, either. If they do that right, that'll make them a destination right away. Zoka's too bitter and slow and cranky (the coffee or the baristas? both.) and the Mighty-O's coffee people mean well, but haven't had much training, it appears, and so the lattes are foam-free. I'll report on cake tomorrow! -sb

All right! And truth be told, I may not make it until all of 9:35 or so, but by gum, I'll be eating pastry tomorrow! (As if I didn't find some room for pastry nearly every day...) --sb

Okay, pastry pals, there's a handwritten sign on the door of Hiroki that says "Open Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-6pm." They were still painting in there when I went by this morning, but the help wanted signs were down. See you there tomorrow morning at 9:01!

Alas, they're still not open, but the new Elysian pub (called Tangletown) opened last Thursday. We went on Sunday night--it was already packed with people! The menu features standard pub food (burgers, BLTs, fish and chips) with some interesting sandwiches (pork ribs) and some downright surprising appetizers (squid in black bean sauce). There's also a kids' menu and of course, lots and lots of beer. We had some service mix-ups but everyone seemed friendly and eager to work it out. Oh, and they're going to have weekend brunch, too. I predict lines out the door for a few months. Maybe forever. Hiroki finally has some display cases visible when I went by yesterday, but nothing in them yet and it still looks fairly under construction. I'm hoping for later this week or early next... -sb

Thems fighting words, especially if you tell it like it is - vegan donuts! (Not that I care, since all of 'em are wasted on me.) Okay, it's true: I omitted vegan because it sounds like a horrible thing to do to a doughnut. And Mamster is absolutely right that the Mighty-O specimens at Whole Foods are awful. But I tell ya, folks, get 'em fresh and you could almost imagine that they're real and they're bad for you. I promise I'll report the moment I notice that Hiroki is open. Can't wait!

Nope, it's not open yet, but you can always drop in just down the street at the Mighty-O for an organic doughnut if you're in the 'hood. Find out which ones are freshest--the quality seems to drop off, the older they get. It's getting so groovy to live in Tangletown!

Hi again -- Thanks for all of the interesting replies. I've considered Pioneer Organics, but it seems more like a Whole Foods delivery service than a local connection--I note that they have tomatoes in their box this week, for example, which must be coming from Mexico. There's a nightmarish story in that Nabhan book (Coming Home to Eat) about the miles and miles of plastic greenhouses in Mexico that are farming organic vegetables but ruining biodiversity and bees' habitats. (NB that I'm still at Whole Foods about every other day, but trying harder to stay away from the way-out-of-season produce.) I suppose Jim is right, that just heading down to the Farmer's Market may be the best bet. But I'd love to hear from any other Seattleites who've enjoyed a particular CSA! On a broader note, are any of the rest of you finding that your love of food is causing you to view eating /shopping/cooking as a political act? I'm trying to find a balance between the local/regional stuff, for example, and my love for French cheese, Italian olive oil, and Swiss Chocolate. (By the way, Mamster, not to cross threads, but you can get Cluizel chocolate at Marketime in Fremont, too. Yum!) Thanks again! --spitzbuebe

Bread and jam every week?? Lovely! Thanks for the pros and cons, halland. I'd also love to find a CSA that includes eggs in the box. We'll see--otherwise I'll follow the advice given here and spend more time at University Seafood & Poultry. At some point last year I bought eggs that actually tasted like eggs, with beautiful, golden yolks, and now I can't remember where they came from. Maybe it was from US&P...

Hi, everyone -- I'm delurking to renew the CSA thread. It's a little over a year later--did anyone end up subscribing to a CSA? I've just read Gary Paul Nabhan's "Coming Home to Eat" and am newly galvanized in my desire to eat far more locally than I do. I'd like to subscribe to a CSA, but have found (joy of joys) that there are so many, I can hardly choose. I'd love to hear if anyone's had experience and if they can recommend one farm over another. Here's a nice list: CSA list from Seattle Tilth I'm already pretty good about buying organic, but after finding organic bell peppers from Israel at the Whole Foods, I'm realizing that the issue is more complicated. Who wants to pay for all that shipping and all those CO2 emissions? Anyway, if anyone has a recommendation, I'd love to hear it. Thanks!