Blue Heron
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Posts posted by Blue Heron
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Your innovativeness is commendable! For take out, I usually just reheat, or as in the case of pizza, occasionally eat it cold! For leftover salmon, poultry or meat, I make a caesar salad or coleslaw and top it (especially great for blackened salmon)...or use it for quesadilla filling, or slice and make a sandwich. I love leftover potatoes, for fried potatoes b-fast the next morning. Leftover sausage, I slice and scramble w/eggs. Once in awhile if I have too much of something really nice, I'll take some over to a neighbor.
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I love the strong flavor & bitterness of straight or on the rocks Campari. Can anyone suggest appetizers that would complement this drink?
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That was an intersting review, thanks. I would not have thought they would taste very good, but prepared and described the way you did, I could imagine they did. I have only heard of these, never seen them prepared. First question, did you buy them by the pound, and if so, how much are they per pound? Secondly, when they are prepared and served, it it apparent by looking at them what they are?
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I definitely agree about the hot dog being boiled, so you get that contrast of textures thing goin' on. I've never had a chili dog before, but I think one could also make a chili dog, and top it with fritos. It would be almost like a frito pie chili dog. How's that for comfort food? (served with tums, of course!)
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tommy, your "frito dog" actually sounds pretty good!
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I made frito pie about a month ago. I notice they don't have the recipe on their new online site.
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I like Campari on the rocks before dinner. I never thought of mixing it with grapefruit juice or OJ...hmmm... I'll have to give that a try sometime.
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My brother is going to be spending time in Mexico City on business, and would like to know if anyone has any favorite restaurant recommendations?
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Does anyone do block parties? Our block has one every summer on the National Night Out affiliated with the Block Watch program. We close our street for 1 night (which one can get a permit to do on this night providing you are not on a major street), and we set up long tables complete w/table cloths, fresh flowers and everyone brings a dish. These parties are a lot of fun, and in addition to great food, we get to know all our neighbors. We also invite our local firemen and police to stop by. A couple of times the firemen have brought their truck over and the kids have a great time getting to sit in the truck. We used to have grilled salmon w/ everyone bringing a side dish, but now we've changed it to where everyone brings what meat they want to grill plus a side dish to share. It's surprising, but the food turns out very well, and there is always a lot of asking for recipes afterwards. The block watch captain is basically in charge of getting the permit and dropping off flyers with the date & time.
Also speaking of potlucks, our NW moderator mamster has invited the northwest eGullet group over to his place for a potluck for our next eGullet get together in March. We're in the planning stages right now. col klink has offered to bring some of his smoked/barbequed meat...his choices present us with the delicious dilema of choosing from smoked chicken, duck, salmon, beef (and later on this summer he's offering barbequed ribs). The rest of us are all bringing side dishes.
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Mamster, do you remember at what time of year you saw lychees at Whole Foods? Was it recently? I'd love to surprise my mother-in-law with some. She says eating the fruit reminds her of home. I'd love to indulge her nostalgia :)
This isn't mamster here, but after reading about your quest for fresh lychees, I did a search and found an article that while not saying where to find them in Seattle, does give a calendar of when they are available and from where they come at which particular month: Fresh Lychee season calendar It appears at least LA might get them into November?
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Many years ago, a good Vietnamese friend of mine recommended Viet Wah Supermarket (in Little Saigon, 1032 S Jackson St., Seattle) as her favorite Seattle Asian market (& the place where her Vietnamese friends like to shop as well), so that's where I like to go. It's not as fancy, (or as clean) as Uwajimaya, but I like it none the less, and prices are cheaper there than at Uwajimaya. btw, I do think Uwajimaya has fresher greens. Here is a link to an older article I found on google about the owner of Viet Wah:
From Dishwasher To Durian King :article on Viet Wah owner
There is another store up in Little Saigon I also go to for cheap asian ingredients, I forget the name, but it is kitty corner from Viet Wah.
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I agree emphatically with the notion that steak should be cooked slowly -- a realization I only arrived at when researching an article last year on how real chefs cook steak, wherein I sampled many steakhouse steaks against non-steakhouse restaurant steaks with a critical eye for the first time.
Steven, I would love to read the article you wrote. Would you be willing to share it? Is it available online through a link? Can you give us any other steak preparation tips you learned through your research?
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Interesting article, thanks. That was the first time I have ever heard about the slow method for cooking steak. I would not have given much credence to it, until I read that Steven agrees with him (and I trust Steven!). I agree with the author that the rib-eye steak has the most flavor.
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Thanks for the review! I especially appreciated hearing about the sushi in more detail, since Nancy Leson's review glossed over the sushi in about 1 or 2 sentences. Your review was much more informative to the sushi eaters! The most promising thing I heard was that there were huge lines, which to me translates to good turnover, which translates to fresh fish (at least to my reasoning). I think I had read before on citysearch that some people complained about warm sushi. But if the turnover/crowds are as great as it sounds, that would seem hard to believe. Did you encounter "warm" sushi? Sushi falling off the rice is kind of forgiveable if one knows going into it, as the same thing happens when I buy sushi at Admiral Thriftway. Even though they make it fresh everyday, as it sits in the cold compartment, something happens to it, the fish sometimes wants to leave the rice, and it just doesn't taste the same as freshly prepapred at a sushi bar. But sushi at the Admiral Thriftway is cheap by comparison, and will satisfy my craving in a pinch. Would you say the sushi compares to grocery store fresh packaged sushi? ie. grocery store maguro sushi?
I think I read the difference between lunch & dinner, is that at lunch, they don't serve lobster. As I recall, some people at citysearch were complaining because they went for lunch and did not see any lobster.
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Our weather is unpredictable in any season, but if I had to recommmend a time for you to come, and you had a choice of either spring or summer, I would recommend summer. That said, spring can also be very nice, but the chances of rain & cold are much higher. I actually like it here around springtime and wintertime, as I get the beach to myself when I take a walk (in the rain).
This is our first year in the Seattle Mycological Society, but I've heard morels are extremely difficult to find, even for veteran mushroom pickers. I've never gone wild berry picking, except for blackberries (which come in August). Blackberries grow wild everywhere on almost every street corner it seems. People have to cut them back as they would take over the whole yard. Our next door neighbors grow raspberries, but mostly we just buy them & other berries at the farmer's market or grocery store. There are many local farms where one can U-pick, and that is also fun. Or one can head up to the Cascade mountains and pick berries while hiking. Maybe someone who has picked wild berries can help you out more than I.
I haven't had the pleasure of dining at Dahlia, but I've been to Etta's, one of Tom Douglas' other restaurants and like it. Here is a link to an earlier discussion of recommended restaurants to take visitors to in Seattle (and Dahlia was listed by papachef): Favorite place to take visitors in Seattle
I hope you have a great trip. Let us know when your plans are firmed up.
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For cheaper cuts of meat, I can recommend pork blade steak ($1.79/lb) and lamb blade steak. Not only cheaper, they are often on sale. For pork blade steak, cut in half, season with salt & pepper (sometimes I use Louisiana Cajun seasoning) & pan fry in a little oil...delicious, simple... like pork chops, but a little cheaper. For lamb blade steak, marinate it (a few hrs to overnight) in red wine, a little olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper and then grill (or you could broil it).
I also find cheaper prices for everything at our asian markets.
I almost forgot one of my favorite 'cheap' foods: the lowly but delicious potato. There are so many things that one can do with potatoes, from seasoned (& brushed w/ olive oil) baked potato wedges to scalloped potatoes, to fried potatoes, roasted potatoes...I never get tired of potatoes!
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My dad, step mom and brother just got back from a trip to Chile, and spent some time in Santiago. These are my dad's recommendations for Santiago:
Regarding the restaurants: Most of our dinners out were finished between 10:30 and 11:30PM, so be prepared for late night dining. The nicest place we ate was Coco or Aqui Esta Coco in Providencia, La Conception 236. It was about 6 blocks from our Hotel Orly [Which we would highly
recommend, about $85 for a nice room in a small, well managed and maintained 'continental' type hotel.] Dick may decide to stay there sometimes on some of his business trips. He treated us to dinner at Coco. It's easy to order too much food, and my dinner was not appreciated as much because the starters and fish soup were more than I needed before my entree was served. Margo and Dick enjoyed theirs more.
The decorations and various rooms are worth a visit. (we had Congria Thermador and it was fantastic)
We didn't connect for lunch at the Central Market, but we did visit there and thought 'Donde Augustos' would be fun and have good food.
Pastel de Choclo and Curanto are two Chilean dishes that they must try. (I fixed the Choclo dish tonight and it's made of chicken, hamburger, choclo-corn, onions and like a tamale pie, and the curanto is like a clam/mussel bake with sausage, ham and chicken) The homitas can be skipped. They are like tamales without the good stuff.
The places on Suecia Street in Providencia are worth a visit. It's several streets of wild American/Irish type pubs,
restuarants,bars, and later, Discos: with lots of people walking around looking for action. (I thought they were too American but it's definitely the place to be seen, also a bit more expensive for pisco sours which they must sample since it's the Chilean drink of drinks). Some of our most relaxing times were spent on the sidewalk veranda of our Hotel Orly, where we could enjoy a Pisco Sour, beer, light lunch, or early dinner that fit our mood of the evening.
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helena,
If you are in the Seattle area anytime from about Apr.5-21, I also highly recommend a side visit to Skagit Valley (60 miles north of Seattle) for the Tulip Festival. That area rivals Holland for the production of tulips and daffodils (the daffodils come 2-3 weeks or so before the tulips). It's absolutely beautiful when in full bloom Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
I've never eaten at the Herb Farm. I've read both good things and bad things about them.
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Spring (beginning Apr-May) is morel mushroom season. Since they like to grow in burned out areas, perhaps Leavenworth (a couple hrs from Seattle) might be a place to find them this Spring. Here is an interesting link: Seattle PI article on local Morels
The other mushrooms like Chantrelles and Boletus are found in fall.
Summer is berry season.
To see when various local berries are in season, here is a link: WA state farmer's markets When the site comes up, clink on 'links', then click on 'Puget Sound Fresh', then 'what's fresh now' for the calendar. Our neighbor's go up in the Cascade mountains every summer and pick wild huckleberries, and then bring us home made huckleberry jam, yum!
If you get out our way, I also recommed a side trip to Eastern WA, which is a totally different experience than Seattle. It's dry and desert-like, and home of some wonderful Washington State wineries: Washington State Wineries and also wonderful produce stands with some of the freshest peaches and apricots you can imagine. Any chance you can come in summer?
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Thanks, BH! Let's all start referring to these as "Blue Heron's green beans."
Don't you dare! I was initially surprised to see that they were double fried, no wonder they taste so good, but then that is the secret to better french fries, too.
I wonder how many other vegetable dishes are made better by double frying, or frying and then stir frying? Is that pretty common in restaurants?
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This is the recipe for one of my favorite restaurant veggie dishes, Wild Ginger's Sichuan Green Beans.
The recipe comes from Best Places Seattle Cookbook by Cynthia C. Nims & Kathy Casey www.kathycasey.com , Sasquatch Publishing copyright 2001 www.sasquatchbooks.com. They gave me permission to post this recipe to www.egullet.com, and I've referenced this link back to them.
Wild Ginger's Sichuan Green Beans
At Wild Ginger, the green beans are first deep-fried and then stir-fried with the remaining ingredients, using 2 separate woks. If you have only 1 wok, use a saucepan for deep-frying. Simpler yet, stir-fry the green beans in the wok until they begin to turn brown and blister, then continue as directed. The double-whammy technique of deep-frying and stir-frying produces the best, most flavorful results, however.
Note that the green beans must be fully dry before adding them to the hot oil for frying. If any water is clinging to the beans, they'll sputter violently when added to the oil. You'll want to rinse the preserved vegetable under cold running water before using, to wash away excess salt. Sichuan preserved vegetable is available in Asian markets and on well-stocked grocery shelves.
Peanut or canola oil, for frying
2 T soy sauce
2 t rice wine vinegar
1 t sesame oil
1 t sugar
1 lb. tender green beans, trimmed & thoroughly dried
2 T minced lean pork
1 T minced Sichuan preserved vegetables
1 t dried red pepper flakes
POUR THE OIL to a depth of 2-3 inches into a large, deep, heavy saucepan & heat over medium-high heat to 400 F degrees (the oil should come no more than halfway up the sides of the pan).
WHILE THE OIL IS HEATING, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar in small bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved & set aside.
WHEN THE OIL IS HOT, fry the green beans, in small batches, until lightly browned & blistered, 1-1/2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain. Allow the oil to reheat as needed between batches.
HEAT A WOK over high heat until very hot, then add 1 T oil (it will begin smoking right away). Add the pork, preserved vegetable, and red pepper flakes & stir-fry for 10 seconds. The pepper flakes will give off peppery fumes, so be prepared with an exhaust fan or nearby open window. Add the soy sauce mixture & heat, stirring, for about 15 seconds, being careful not to burn the sugar. Add the green beans & toss until most of the liquid is reduced & absorbed by the beans, about 30 seconds.
TRANSFER THE BEANS to a warmed platter & serve.
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For good barbeque, my step sister highly recommends Clay's Smokehouse Grill, 2932 SE Division St., especially for their brisket.
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Thank you for the recommendations. It turns out my out of town lunch companion had never been to Pike Place market, and asked to go, so that's where we went, (however I'm going to Zaina's next chance I have...I have never had falafel before and would love to try). So we did the market walk, got her picture taken with the "Caution, Low Flying Fish" guy, and stopped for fish n chips at Jack's Fish Spot across the street. We agreed they were on the greasy side (and not as good as Sunfish), but it was convenient and the market ambiance was nice.
Any other rec's for future lunches downtown? Last time previous to today I went to Wild Ginger for a lettuce wrapped spring roll...delicious, but a little messy. I've also heard their udon noodle soup is good for lunch. Also had a nice lunch salad at Etta's awhile back.
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Anybody have any favorite lunch places downtown (or heard of anything good)? I'm looking for something not expensive, but all recommendations are welcome. If anyone knows of anything near the Elliott Grand Hyatt Hotel, 721 Pine St., that's a plus. Thanks!
The Le Pichet roast chicken
in Pacific Northwest & Alaska: Dining
Posted
col klink or anyone else, what is the optimum amount of time to let the bird sit in the brine solution? Do you put the bird and brine in a big plastic bag, or in a bucket, and then rotate the bird every so often?
ps... mamster, I'm very glad to hear the good review for Le Pichet's roast chicken. Would you say you liked the chicken better than what you ordered last time, ditto for Laurie? You also mentioned Laurie had brandade. I have never heard of this, can you please describe?