What is Northwest cuisine? Is there such a thing?

[wesza]

Realistically you must consider the large difference in simply eating to survive against the potential of eating to enjoy or indulge.

In any Restaurant environment if you expect to remain in business you must cater to the pleasure, traditions and trying to please your patrons enough so that they will return as well as spread the word about the establishment.

In our Northwest environment there were seasonal opportunities that were traditional to many Native Americans. In many instances this was important enough that armistice or setting aside of tribal or personal differences during these periods of plenty was the custom.

As a example of this it's historically recorded that annually on the Northern California Coast there was a gathering of all the regional tribes for a Mussel eating and collecting celebration where there still remain today giant mounds of Mussel Shells from these ceremonies. There was also gathering to share in the bounty of various spices of fish such as the Grunions and of course the spawning of the various species of Salmon, Sturgeon, Herring and Trout as well as the Berry Harvest.

But even taking all this into consideration to bring this bounty to your customers it will require the adaptations that make this food so special by the various ethnic infusions through the years. Nothing that will bring pleasure or satisfaction to your customers should be left out, fusion, salting, pickling, smoking, curing, drying or adapting anything to it's best taste flavor or culmination brings you to what should be considered Pacific Northwest Cuisine in my opinion.

If you wished to bring this together it may be done by attributing the various dishes on your menu to the source of your dishes served adding any special adaptations you've made to bring out your own interpretation.

I feel that respecting tradition is important in serving your customers. It abhors me when I see all the variations of classics such a Cesar Salad or Oysters Rockefeller that are almost never as good as the original without any explanations just to mention two most often abused.

It would be nice if you investigated many of the types of seasonal or special dishes offered throughout the region going from Alaska down to Northern California including items like all the natural berries, greens, easy overlooked things like Nuts [pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc] as well as the bounty that become identified with our region such as Potatoes, Apples, Mushrooms the list is always going to grow larger since our bounty is so great. Sea Urchin's, Crabs, Salmon, Albacore, Introduced Shad, Herrings, Cods, Kelp fish Varieties, Anchovies, Sea Weeds, Spot Prawns, Singing Scallops, Whitefish, Squaw fish are only a few.

Whatever you do, please try and make it a fun experience. I'll never forget the customers reaction when we served Giant Oregon Puffball Mushrooms weighing almost 10 pounds with Fiddle head Ferns at the "Four Seasons Restaurant" from a display on a cart in the dining room in the 1960's in NYC they were sold out very quickly because they appeared exciting and new at the time on the east coast.

Irwin

[lala]

Steve, when you do figure it out, would you please post? You've shot down just about every idea/resource posted here, so it would be interesting to see how you redefine Pacific NW cooking.

[Steve Ramsey]

Steve, when you do figure it out, would you please post? You've shot down just about every idea/resource posted here, so it would be interesting to see how you redefine Pacific NW cooking.

I think I pretty much shot down cedar plank salmon and asian-fusion.

Not much else, Iv'e left an open question.

To me, salmon IS distinctly northwest, but let's face it, the plank business is just a done to death novelty.

If you want salmon, Great salmon, without the hype go here:

Ray's Boathouse

Take away about a third of the menu, and it's getting very close to what I am looking for, particularly on the seafood side of things.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Why not just start with local seasonal ingredients, and prepare them the way you like it?

Another thought is to research the ingredients that have fallen out of favor because of food supply centralization and distribution dictating that the only things we can buy in stores are those which ship well and still come out looking great after weeks and months in a box car.

The US used to have thousands and thousands of different kinds of vegetables the locals used to eat in whichever region, but nowadays we only see a fraction of them. That seems like a place with possibilities to start. And you'd be supporting the local farmers too.

Pat

[wesza]

Steve:

Reality counts before you insinuate that Salmon is specifically a Pacific Northwest item remember that it's been part of the European and especially the Russian Culture in fact many of the same species of Salmon also are traditionally caught in the Siberian and Russian Pacific Rivers and been Salted and Smoked for centuries.

It's surprising that you've not mentioned the one type of Seafood that it truly exceptional is that the Largest "Octopus" in the world come from our waters.

Most other items from our Mushrooms, Shellfish and other types of foods also occur in the same or related forms elsewhere, often even superior. even Giant Octopus, just now well known.

I would suggest that you research indigenous ingredients more throughly before forming conclusions. Whatever you do simply attempt to prepare it better, offering options to make it special and identify with your on unique way of making them special.

We all wish you great success, it wouldn't hurt to go over all our well meaning suggestions and post about your own feelings.

Irwin

[ExtraMSG]

I think I see where you're going Irwin and I don't want to get in the way except to add that indigenous ingredients is a pretty weak determinent of a cusine. Imagine:

* Italian without tomatoes

* Mexican without pork, cheese, or cilantro

* Irish without potatoes

* European desserts without chocolate

* Thai without chiles

And a bazillion others.

[wesza]

NicK;

I agree. But I'm confused about where Steve is going since it not easy to interpret, comprehend or understand just what he wants or expects to put together.

The ideas interesting but to what goal? IE: Rays Boathouse I enjoyed lunch there last Sunday at the Café and Dinner in the main room several weeks ago. It was up to it's usual standard with Salmon offered in many ways. If I had wanted it done simply it would have been prepared as I requested. But it wasn't very different then Salmon at any other competent Restaurant or even what I prepare at home.

I enjoy "Periwinkles, Whelk" and other items at various places, even sometimes live "Abalone" from Alaska, but still not sure where this thread is meant to go.

The "World" has gotten smaller, indigenous is only what your serving today. Seattle Restaurants offer Fresh Food from all over the World, often prepared with local ingredients is that where Northwest Cuisine is going ?

Irwin

[ExtraMSG]

Like I've said, I think you emphasize local ingredients preparing them in a way that projects the culture and you've created NW cuisine. It's a restaurant/gourmet cuisine. It's more about a style that speaks of the NW than it is about dishes, imo.

[petite tête de chou]

"I am however, going to have to do more reseach into the native american end of things." Excellent idea, Steve. While I appreciate everyones ideas and opinions on what defines NW cuisine, perhaps the various native American tribes in this area could aid you in your quest for tasty authenticity. You would have the added benefit of reintroducing what is now an unusual cuisine to palates, I think, ready for it.

http://www.nativeweb.org/ ??? Maybe this will help? Good luck!

[Steve Ramsey]

Regarding salmon and my feeling that is does speak to the northwest.

Sure other cultures have done it for centuries, but the fact is it's been done here for at least as long, as long as man has inhabited the region as far as we know, so it cannot be ignored.

As to Ray's, I think about two thirds of the menu speaks to the northwest, not just the salmon.

I don't mean to sound so dismissive of certain suggestion, it's all just part seeking answers to the original question.

[duckduck]

Salmon, salmon and more salmon...but forget the cedar plank as far as I'm concerned. That's a fad as far as I'm concerned and it ruins the flavor of the salmon. Grill it with a little lemon butter and seasoning salt. Basic fresh ingredients prepared simply are the base of it all here. I'll agree with that. Living here my whole life, my strongest memories are food memories. Peaches, cherries, apples, and melons...watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, casaba...add to that 'shrooms and crab and other seafood. Now that I'm grown up...add a good Oregon pinot noir or any other of the fine choices from our many wineries.

[duckduck]

And for a starter, a nice mesclun salad with candied hazelnuts and Oregon bleu cheese crumbles with a good basic vinaigrette. Let's not forget the nuts and many cheeses.

[duckduck]

Now I have this thread stuck in my head and I feel like the BubbaGump salmon company. Sauteed salmon, poached salmon, grilled salmon, salmon fish and chips, canned salmon on crackers, smoked salmon, salmon pate and a NW classic and distant relative of the beer-can-up-the-butt chicken, there's always the dishwasher steamed in tin foil salmon. The most common meal in my house growing up was grilled salmon, boiled corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and cut Hermiston watermelon. Followed up with a Prlain's cheesecake from the freezer. Mmmmm.

We also have chicken, lamb, beef...venison comes to mind but you would have to keep on mind who your audience will be and it does run a pretty penny. Recently at axissupper club we had beef spare ribs braised in pinot noir and it was fabulous.

If I had a restaurant with my name on the front like Rocco's, Mama's signature dish in my house would be pan-fried venison with mashed potatoes and pan gravy. It's my favorite answer to the "last meal on earth" question.

I did a search on Alpine Foragers on yahoo just to find that they don't have a website but the first thing that came up was an event at theresort.com that listed many local chefs serving up NW fare. You might want to check it out. It was interesting. When is this event happening?

[bstotler]

Real NW Cuisine? I can understand your stance against fusion but not against excluding the contributions from the many & varied immigrant populations.

Nor can I reconcile your comments in this thread with "I'm not interested in doing thing that others have been doing forever." Wouldn't that be the definition of a "Northwest Cuisine?" (i.e. what others have been doing forever)

I have a few comments:

Make sure you don't exclude B.C. from the "Northwest":

Sooke Harbour House

Liliget Feast House

Find John Doerper's books (I have "The Eating Well Cookbook, ISBN 0-914718-93-2) at Half-Price Books. Some of his recipes are very reminiscent of things I grew up with, some are more adventurous or unusual. The ones I have tried or adapted have been excellent starting points for my food explorations.

While you're at it, why not look for a copy of "You Can't Eat Mount Rainier" by Bill Speidel? From my point-of-view (36 yrs old, i.e. old enough to know of most of these restaurants but not to have actually experienced many of them) you get an idea of what was going on in and around Seattle 40 years ago...

Edited May 12, 2004 by bstotler (log)