laurel

I think Sunshine Produce is closed. If you're looking for somewhere in that area, Madison Market can probably special order it, if they don't have it.

Have we decided when and where?

For fans of the lamb tagine at Lark, the recipe is in this Sunday's Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw...0404/taste.html

Penn Cove Shellfish farms them: http://www.penncoveshellfish.com/StellarBay.htm You can probably contact them to see which retail stores in Seattle they sell them to. Also, Uwajimaya usually has 5 - 10 different kinds of oysters, so you might want to call them.

Friday for 2: Green and White Curry on Roasted Kale: Tofu, summer squash, broccoli, and parsnips; spiced with caraway, coriander, fennel, and cumin; thickened with lentil puree.

I've been to two large birthday dinners at Marrakesh, the Moroccan restaurant in Belltown. The food was good, and the atmosphere was fun, with sitting on the floor and eating with our hands from shared plates (you'd probably want to make sure the people coming are pretty good friends and/or don't fear germs).

Last November, I went to Kaspar's with about 10 people. However, their regular menu looked so much better, so we ordered about 25 dishes instead (Kaspar's isn't quite doing the "small-plates" thing, but we got a lot of appetizers and sides).

Heated up some mustard oil, then cooked some black mustard seeds until they started to pop, cooked some garlic slices until they were golden, dumped in some chard (leaves only, torn into bite size pieces) by handfuls, wilted until they would all fit in the pan with the cover on, and lowered the heat and let them steam until soft.

Yes, I did. The emphasis was far more on the business end of trying to get loans, hiring various colorful people to do the construction, etc (my favorite was the segment with the Sign Guy...). The interviews with successful New York restaurant owners were also interesting; it was amazing how people in the same business could have such different attitudes. And if you've never been to Big Picture, it's a pretty cool space... very different from a normal movie theater.

If you're looking for a place to order it, I've seen Joe's Special at 13 coins. The menu there probably hsan't changed since the mid 70's.

Dinner for 2 on Monday: Mustard Salmon: Garlic and Mustard Chard: Brown Butter Jerusalem Artichokes: Dinner for 2 1/2 on Wednesday: Lentils and Spinach: Dover Sole Baked in Tahini: Fennel Stuffed with Caramelized Onions and Tomatoes: Snap Peas with Sesame-Tofu-Miso Dressing: Miso Mincemeat with Quark:

Yep, I was give a culture last fall, and I've used it to culture cream, butter, and milk. When the milk is drained, you get a tangy, smooth, soft cheese, similar to quark or drained yogurt. Piima clabbers at room temperature, so it's a lot less fussy than yogurt.

Here are some pictures from when I went to Union on the 15th: Guinea Hen Pate: Roasted Beets, Chevre, and Watercress: Kohlrabi Soup with Foie Gras Mousse: Seared Tuna with Grapefruit, Avocado Puree, and Parsley Oil: Rare Duck Breast with Chantrelles and Porcini Mushrooms and Port Glaze: Lemon Sorbet: Vanilla Panna Cotta in Grapefruit Soup with Mint Chiffonade:

Dinner for 4 last Tuesday: Salad: Arugula, Watercress, Fresh Piima Cheese, and Caramelized Onions: Roasted Kabocha Squash: Striped Bass Roasted with Fennel, Lemon, Garlic, and Olives: Lentils:

Looks like there's a shrimp festival in Brinnon that weekend too: http://www.friendsofbrinnon.org/ShrimpFest.htm

Joe and I are in! Going to Seven Stars sounds good. We could even make this a regular event and try a different place every time, like Tibetan hotpot, or sukiyaki.. Usually Seven Stars hot pot is only meat, noddles, and cabbage, but I was able to special request mushrooms and chrysanthemum greens (but that was for 30).

Fry sage leaves and blanched almonds in plenty of olive oil until crisp, drain the oil, cool on paper towels, and toss with salt.

This site lists how to get in touch with peopel offering cow and goat shares: http://www.realmilk.com/where2.html I'm jealous that you have co-workers that actually eat real food... I stopped bringing food in to work because it seems that the only thing that people will eat here are krispy kreme donuts.

I tried the "quick" recipe, using about a cup of liquid from reconstituting dried chantrelles, just because I had it and didn't want to throw it out. There was a lot more onion than mushroom, but I think it did add something.

I'd be up for an expedition to the west west side... I've heard that Xinh's Clam and Oyster House in Shelton is good, and I enjoyed the food the chef there prepared for the Slow food shellfish celebration. Maybe we can do a wine tasting trip, or go for the spring barrel tasting here: http://www.wineryloop.com/events.html

I've never had fresh wasabi, but I'm sure it's twice as good as the stuff in the 1.5 oz tube that I probably paid about $3 for.. Maybe you should just grow your own.

No idea about pike place. You can probably call or email someone here: http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/info/whoto_contact/ but I've seen fresh wasabi at Uwajimaya.

Would you happen to have a phone number, or know how late they're open tonight?

I've had a lot of "garouper" in Chinese restaurants. Could it be a pomfret, like this: http://www.starvinmarvinsseafoods.com/Silver-pomfret.htm ?

Joe's parents were in town for the evening: Frisee, Pecan, and Apple Salad in a Parmesan Basket: Braised Leeks and Kale: Five-Spiced Halibut Cheeks: Turkey and Green Onion Souffle: Berries and Cultured Cream: