Blue Heron

OK Seattleites & Portlanders.... What are your favorite places to go out for a drink? What are your fave dive bars, fave taverns, fave micro-brew places, fave places for happy hours, fave places to sit outside on the deck on a warm summer day and have a drink?? Anyone? And please specify which city.

oooh Kathy, you've just given me an idea for a new thread....

hey tighe, welcome and thanks for the tips. My uncle was just telling me about another good eats place in South Park. It's a Japanese place, as one exits I-5 (onto Michigan St. I think), it's on the right hand side (in kind of a strip mall), and before you get to 1st ave. His friend stopped everyday at this place to pick up Japanese food to take for his wife who was up at Virginia Mason being treated for cancer. He also took my uncle there, who just raved about this place, especially the tonkatsu. Would you know of the place I'm describing? I don't have a name, unfortunately.

Taqueria Pancho Villa: 8064 Lake City Way NE, Seattle. (Formerly known as La Guadalupana Taqueria & Mexican Grocery).

researchgal... you know, BACON is about the only thing I have heard of yet that I can actually imagine pairing up with peanut butter (that would taste good), especially on toast! Is there anything that bacon doesn't go with?

Cold pizza for breakfast this morning, with mushrooms, green peppers, onions, olives, feta & mozzarella cheese, fresh garlic, diced tomatoes, spinach, sunflower seeds and topped with crispy shredded pepperoni.

Welcome, Teeitup. I noticed this is your first post. (are you a golfer by chance?). Yah, the roasted rats don't sound so good, but according to Survivor show, they aren't too bad (I think they were starving, however). I'm also with you on the blood pudding and lima beans thing. Would love to hear some of the foods you ate on your trip to Africa, if you get a chance.

I am strongly of the "no bad ingredients, only bad preparation" mind. You woulda LOVED Ed LaDou's shrimp-topped pizza, I bet I bet I bet, Blue Heron. Priscilla Priscilla, you're right of course. Shrimp are even one of my most favorite things in life, so it's not hard to twist my arm when it comes to anything with shrimp. Also, those small shrimp that get so maligned are delicious when fresh, like on a salad, or in a shrimp salad sandwich. Fresh Oregon small shrimp are so sweet and delicious. Also re: the Wolfgang Puck pizzas.... his frozen ones are about the frozen pizzas I like. Have we done a thread on frozen pizza's yet? It would be good to know if there is a good one out there that I don't know about.

Yessss! Also a big YES to the the JITB fake tacos (2 for $1) that it aint easy being cheesy mentioned. Makes a perfectly decent snack! Shrimp on pizza? Sorry, no way. But the large shrimp wrapped in applewood bacon that Priscilla described could easily convert me.

All the items you mentioned (with the exception of the CC) sound sooooo good. I was surprised I didn't see Pho on your list of cravings, as from reading your book, I would think it would be right up there, too. You mentioned earlier that you would love to go back to Vietnam. What are some of the Vietnamese foods you miss? Do you cook vietnamese cuisine at home? Do you like bahn mi's?

As for people who detest cantaloupe for instance...I had a roommate who said she could not eat it because it upset her stomach and gave her a bad case of the belches. I guess that would be good enough reason to avoid it. A bad experience with a food or ingredient makes sense that one would want to avoid it. I had a traumatic experience with mayo once, and could not eat it for years. I got over it, though, in time. Wilfrid, I'm sorry to hear about your aversion to kirsch. Are you talking about a shot of kirsch, or can you not enjoy it in a fondue, either, for instance? My dislike of chutney is a taste thing...I've never had a bad experience with it, per se. It's more like the combinations of flavors not working for me. I try it every once in awhile to see if my taste buds have changed, as I would like to like it.

Sara Moulton did a show not too long ago on fun cookie ideas from Gourmet magazine. She made rolled cigarette cookies, that when finished looked like lighted cigarettes, and she served them placed in whimsical retro yellow ashtrays - tres chic. I mainly tuned in to watch her make a forest of meringue mushrooms, which I think would be ideal to bring to our mushroom club potluck sometime. When finished, she dusted them with a bit of cocoa powder, and they really did look like mushrooms. She finished the show by making marzipan, in various shapes of brightly colored fruits and vegetables...much too pretty to eat, of course. Not served in a restaurant, but awhile back (I think it was at Easter) the pastry chef of the White House made a replica of the First Lady's scottie dog, made in chocolate. One of a kind, I'm sure.

Laurie...I can't believe that you don't like shrimp! It's one of my favorites. Actually, my hubby just barely tolerates them. Give him a choice between boiled potatoes and shrimp and he will choose boiled potatoes everytime (& I get his shrimp). note to self: don't bring anything with shrimp or avocado to any PNW eGullet potlucks.

I'd love to see the 2 Anthony's star in KC. Antonio Sabato Jr. could play the younger Bourdain Click here , and Anthony Bourdain could play himself in the older years. Bourdain goes to Hollywood next. And after you win your first acadamy award, we will all be able to say we knew you way back... when you were on eGullet! If you decline the role, my second choice would be Russell Crowe to play the role of Bourdain. Although I have not heard his band, assuming it's a good one, he could play his own music in the kitchen while cooking.

I love instant oatmeal, but it's gotta be Quakers Instant Oatmeal, and it has to be Apples & Cinnamon flavor. It comes in a little packet and you add it to 1/2 C. hot water...yum. I eat it without milk on it, just the hot water and instant oatmeal flakes, yum. Anything else on it ruins it.

I also wanted to add.... Thank you so much for participating in this forum, and taking the time to answer our questions.

Guilty Pleasures: What do you eat when no one is looking? Do you ever stop for fast food, and if so which are your favorites? Do you get cravings? ....and is it usually for something salty or sweet? What do you like to eat when you go out after a shift is over? What do you like to eat at home when you are just too pooped to cook?

Here is a link I found through google.. Click here Scroll down a little to escolar. this is what it says: Gempylotoxin, a strong purgative oil (can cause severe diarrhea) Escolar FDA recommendation: Escolar should not be marketed in interstate commerce

I remember reading about a year ago or so that escolar can cause digestive upset in some people, or somthing to that effect. Strangely, a very well respected restaurant here in Seattle has it on their menu. I always thought that was kind of strange.

I've loved reading everyone's favorite childhood food memories. They are so varied, and all wonderful to read. Sandra, I like the idea of a fish and vegetable truck coming around...that would be nice! Some places have started up with the milk trucks again. My next door neighbor gets her milk delivered by truck and she has a milk box outside her door. more of favorite childhood food memories: Sloppy Joes served on open faced hamburger buns. Cracker Jacks w/peanuts w/ the little toy prize inside. Mom's tacos...served American style, which meant crispy shells, hamburger filling w/taco seasoning package, cheese, lettuce, tomato, bottled taco sauce, and sour cream if we were lucky. Taco nights were a real treat. A couple of times, my mother served us bacon, scrambled eggs and toast for dinner - we thought that was the coolest. Breakfast for dinner. (mom said those were for nights we had nothing in the house for dinner). I used to love cream soda, too. Suvir, you have an incredibly good memory, if you remember at age 2. I have a brother who can remember back that far, too.

chutney. I would really like to like it. I also only like cumin in very small doses. PB & J, I only like them separate

Hi Tony, When you are working as a Chef, do you wear Chef's clogs? or is there another type of shoe that you find comfortable for working/standing on your feet for long periods of time? Somehow I am picturing you wearing your cowboy boots in the kitchen, but that is probably not the case? Thanks.

I used the Cook's Illustrated recipe for perfect pan fried chicken breast cutlets (s & p, then dip in flour, shake off excess and fry in a small amount of oil over med-high heat for about 3-4 min. ea. side), and just substituted skinless boneless thighs (cheaper and has great flavor). It worked very well, however I did have to finish it off in the oven for a few minutes longer, which was ok, because that's when I made the cream sauce. I just checked the recipe again, and it's not called pan fried, it's called Sauteed Chicken Breast Cutlets. In my mind, I always think of saute as pan cooking at a lower temp, so tend to use the term pan fry more often when it's at a higher temp. Now I'm curious...what's the difference between pan fry and saute?

Ron, your dinner sounded absolutely heavenly, especially the wild mushroom lasagne (and the wines looked delicious, too), and the picture of tommy's ribs... yummm. For dinner tonight... sliced cucumber salad; pan fried chicken (using skinless boneless thighs) topped with a Marsala Cream Sauce with fresh Morels; parslied noodles. Served out on the deck on a beautiful warm evening.

My first impression of the new Times Food section, is that I liked it. I don't remember seeing anything that I didn't like. I have an uncanny ability to see absolutely no ads. I have trained myself well, and really have to make an effort to notice if a page has an ad. I liked the berry info by Nancy Leson, and always enjoy whatever she is writing. I would like to see more of Kathy Casey, as I always enjoy her articles, too. I liked the cookbook review section. As for the wine info, it was of interest to me. I liked the article on the sandblasting the wine bottles (was glad to see the McCrea bottles pictured), which was interesting, but felt it was perhaps too long an article and told me more than I really wanted to know. The diffferent appellations was very interesting to me, but the article itself was a bit dry. I have a soft spot for Eastern WA wines, and love to go wine tasting over there. I'm a real wine dummy so if I can learn more about it, that would be a plus. Several years back I worked at Balcom's restaurant in Kennewick (of Balcom & Moe winery). It was my introduction into the world of wines. Having lived over there, I'm really proud of the way the WA wines have blossomed over the years into some truly fine wines. I love hearing about the Horse Heaven Hills area, etc., but that's just me. I also love wine tasting in the Napa & Sonoma valleys. That said, I think heyjude and girlchow would do a hellava good job running the Seattle Times food section anyday! If familysecrets gets a chance, I would love hearing more about her winery sometime. ie. what type of grapes she grows, what types of wines they produce, the name of the winery, etc. Do you produce the legendary Oregon Pinot Noir?