eG Foodblog: HhLodesign - On Food and Architecture

[rjwong]

Sorry. I got in late. Great blog, Henry!!

You grew up in Southern California & you're Chinese? We need to talk, dude ...

What type of Chinese food did you grow up eating? Cantonese? What are your favorite Chinese restaurants in LA? in Seattle?

Do you keep up with what's going on with both the culinary & architectural scenes in Los Angeles, particularly downtown LA? What do you think of Frank Gehry? And who would be his culinary counterpart, in your opinion?

[handmc]

What an interesting blog, good food, cool designs and the best part, you get to wake up and look at your kitchen!

With the food your putting down this week you will be ready for the competitive eating circuit! That's a lot of food.

You have put a lot of effort into your blog and it shows, thanks.

[a2k]

As someone who’s dined at the HhLodesign Studio kitchen on several occasions, I’ve gotta say that the quality of the food it produces is on par with the quality of the design of the space.

[MarketStEl]

Back when I was little--the age at which most boys answer the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" with "A fireman!" or "A cowboy!"--I answered it, "I want to be an architect!"

Didn't come to pass, sorry to say. But writing has its pleasures too.

←

It's never too late!

Ya think?

Right now, I'm secretly waiting for Inga Saffron to call me and tell me she's hanging up her pen, and would I want to take over for her? (Inga Saffron is the architecture critic of The Philadelphia Inquirer.)

Great work so far.  You may even be able to get away without the obligatory inside-the-fridge shot. 

←

My inside the fridge shot is not that exciting. I tend to walk down to the market and buy ingredients fresh when I want to cook. It's nice because I can go during the day because I work for myself. It's usually a nice half hour break from work, and usually combine shopping with lunch.

But here you go:

Only what's essential, I see. Funny, I don't remember you confessing your love on that long-running sriracha thread. Does sriracha require refrigeration? If so, I need to move my bottle, but it hasn't seemed to suffer from its placement in the pantry.

All the beer is leftover from a party I had. I don't really drink beer, so they tend to linger til the next party.

I think I'm addicted to Pelligrino.

I have some tofu marinating to be grilled.

leftover Cole slaw that I made last week (should be thrown out)

leftover chili I made last week (must be thrown out!)

You always have to have a bottle of white chilling!

I usually keep some scallions, onions, carrots, spinach, leaks, and peppers around.

[emphasis added]

←

Another can't-bear-to-waste-good-leftovers type!

Can I trade my never-eats-leftovers roommate for you?

[Della]

Really enjoying your blog Henry. I live in Seattle and have been to some of the places you are featuring. You are really doing up our city proud!!!!

[hhlodesign]

Went to a wine tasting for Brian Carter Cellars at the Waterfront Restaurant this afternoon.

It is located on Pier 70 on the Puget Sound, and is about a 5 minute walk from my studio. My friends and I have drinks there often. The food is...not bad. I don't eat dinner there often. But the bar area has a gorgeous view of the sound. A better place to watch the sunset and have a drink I cannot think of.

Brian Carter Cellars makes only belnds. They had 5 wines they were showcasing tonight. The memorable ones for me were the 2004 Oriana. A white blend of Roussane, Riesling, and Viognier. Also, the 2000 Solesce, which is a Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, and Malbec blend. I wish I could speak about wine more intelligently. I just know what I think tastes good.

[hhlodesign]

Dinner tonight was at the Barking Frog in Woodinville.

It is located in the Willows Lodge complex which also houses The Herbfarm.

You can read my thoughts on Herbfarm here:

Externship thread

I was lucky enough to be dining with the pastry chef of the restaurant tonight, so they started sending out special courses right off the bat. We got a foie gras course 2 minutes after our wine was poured.

This was pan seared foie gras with "fiddle faddle", cinnamon gastrique, and smoked almonds. The fiddle faddle was made by Melissa who was sitting right at my table. The question was posed "what's fiddle faddle" and I stupidly answered, "Its like cracker jacks but cheaper and you get it in huge jugs at Costco." Forgetting that I was sitting at the same table with Melissa who personally made the fiddle faddle herself. I'm constantly putting my foot in my mouth. I really liked the contrast of textures between the very soft foie and the crunchy FF.

The next course they sent out was chicken based soup with lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves. This was pressed in a French coffee press at the table, then poured over a deep fried mascarpone lobster wonton. Very unique presentation and a nice refreshing dish.

Then came series of appetizer courses.

Kobe Beef tartar and Carpaccio with spicy tomato relish and raw quail egg.

Very well executed and nicely balanced flavors, but not the most original dish.

Grand Marnier Prawns with lemongrass vinagarette.

This dish was a guilty pleasure. The prawns were crisp and succulent. The sauce sweet and tangy. Its admittedly a favorite of the diners. Its the kind of dish that everyone is supposed to love. Even those who know nothing about food. Playing to the mass market/ business traveller/ hotel crowd. And I loved it! Oh well, I like what I like.

Goat Cheese and Artichoke Terrine with sorrel pesto and sunchoke chips.

I didn't even get to try this one.

My main course was the Grilled Kurabota Double Cut Pork Chop served with honey glazed radichio, roasted cauliflower and ruby crescent fingerling potatoes, in a Parmesian white wine sauce.

Wow! What a nice dish. For those of you who don't know, Kurabota pork is to pork what Kobe beef is to beef. This is especially nice since in the last few decades, pork in America has been bred to have virtually no fat left. The radicchio added just the right amount of sweetness. I didn't get much out of the cauliflower other than texture, but maybe that's what they were going for. A lovely dish!

Some other entrees on the table:

Beef tenderlion

Beef Short Ribs

Seared tuna

Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals.

Dessert came next and was quite the spectacle.

Mardi and Dion (also in attendance) have a toy poodle named Tiny Elvis.

Melissa actually made a cookie shaped Tiny Elvis!

On the plate are meyer lemon tarts, Amareno cherries in Michelle Cluizel chocolate (72% cacao), and others I forgot to write down.

Other desserts that we could barely finish:

Manjari Chocolate Bread Pudding with apricot coulis and chocolate sorbet.

Caramel Apple Cake with Date ice cream, chamomile anglaise, and fried apple skins.

Willows Lodge chocolate hazelnut torte.

Its a vanilla rum sponge cake with nutella mousse.

The GM is a friend of all of us, so joined us for a glass of wine at the table.

Pablo (sitting) is a great front of house guy. The sous chef, Brian Figler, also came out to say hi. Bobby Moore is the executive chef, but he was off for the night. Brian did a fine job though.

This is the most talented culinary marriage in the city:

Charles Walpole is the Chef De Cuisine at Mistral, while his wife Melissa Walpole is the pastry chef at Barking Frog. Imagine going to a dinner party at their house...hint hint.

After dinner Melissa gave us a tour of the kitchen.

I noticed that there seemed to be a lot of people back there. Close to 10 when Veil had around 6 for around the same size dining room. But Melissa informed me that they have room service and banquet facilities as well.

We couldn't leave with saying hi to the resident truffle pigs at the Willows Lodge. They had their work cut out for them because I don't think there are truffles growing within hundreds of miles from Seattle.

Edited March 21, 2006 by hhlodesign (log)

[hhlodesign]

Really enjoying your blog Henry. I live in Seattle and have been to some of the places you are featuring. You are really doing up our city proud!!!!

←

Thanks! It's actually very easy when you have such a great city to write about.

What are some of your favorite places to eat?

[hhlodesign]

Does sriracha require refrigeration?  If so, I need to move my bottle, but it hasn't seemed to suffer from its placement in the pantry.

←

I don't know. But I kind of like it cold for some reason.

[hhlodesign]

With the food your putting down this week you will be ready for the competitive eating circuit! That's a lot of food.

←

I've actually been thinking about this. I have lunch and dinner everyday. So If I go to a nice restaurant or cook something quick and simple at home, the caloric intake should not be that far off. As long as I control my portions. I never said I clean my plate.

[hhlodesign]

Sorry. I got in late. Great blog, Henry!! 

You grew up in Southern California & you're Chinese? We need to talk, dude ... 

What type of Chinese food did you grow up eating? Cantonese? What are your favorite Chinese restaurants in LA? in Seattle?

Do you keep up with what's going on with both the culinary & architectural scenes in Los Angeles, particularly downtown LA? What do you think of Frank Gehry? And who would be his culinary counterpart, in your opinion?

←

I grew up in Orange County. Fountain Valley to be exact. Under grad at Cal Poly Pomona and Grad school at UCLA. Both degrees in architecture (I want to teach.) Other than a year in Florence, I have lived in SoCal til 1999 when I moved to Seattle by way of NY.

My mom is from Jiang Su and Dad is from Hunan so I had lots of spicy dishes and noodle based dishes. My mom is a great cook and really enjoyed it. I wish I had taken an interest in cooking as a child, but she is still teaching my things now. As I said before, my godmother is from Szechaun and made lots of great spicy Szechaun dishes for me. It's still my favorite regional cuisine of China. That and Hunan. Love the spice!

It's been awhile since I've been back to LA for Chinese. I typically eat at two places in OC when Igo home to visit, Wei's and Mandarin Gourmet. But I like Ding Tai Phong in Montery Park. And some Cantonese place in West LA I forget the name of. Ocean something. I tend to lean more towards the Mandarin side of Chinese cuisine because that's what I grew up with. I only speak mandarin, no cantonese. Not to say I don't enjoy Dim Sum, and Cantonese specialties often.

It's funny, I was on the local NPR station a few months ago telling Ruth Reichel that there is no good Mandarin style Chinese food in Seattle. I still stand behind that, but I should have mentioned that a few places are doing decent food. Seven Stars Pepper, Rocking Wok, and Chiang's Gourmet. I should try to get to one of those this week. I also love the fried squab and salt and pepper crab at Sun Sei Wa in Vancouver! I go there almost everytime I go up.

I think Frank Gehry has a very talented "eye." He kind of "emotes" his designs, as opposed to a logical progression of steps. He just sort of knows what looks good and makes his buildings look like that. I'm not a fan of the form not representing what the structure is doing. If you look at drawings for the Disney Concert Hall. The structure is very rectilinear. The facade and interiors are simply applied. It's dishonest in my opinion. Not to say that he is not intellectual about how he creates. Maybe its just over my head. So how do I compare a chef to that description?....hmmm... I think I'll leave that alone for now.

Edited to add: Having said all that, I'd still say that (aesthetically speaking) the Guggenheim in Bilbao is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

Edited March 21, 2006 by hhlodesign (log)

[hhlodesign]

Damn! Its gonna be hard to get work done this week. I hope my clients aren't reading this.

Your cook was definitely better looking! I would have asked her out years ago if she wasn't married to Frank from Frank's Produce downstairs. (where I get all my produce)

They only got married a year ago...

←

Just trying to be funny. Call it creative license. Don't go Oprah on me.

[Ling]

Dinner tonight was at the Barking Frog in Woodinville.

<snip>

On the plate are meyer lemon tarts, Amareno cherries in Michelle Cluizel chocolate (72% cacao), and others I forgot to write down.

Other desserts that we could barely finish:

Manjari Chocolate Bread Pudding with apricot coulis and chocolate sorbet.

Caramel Apple Cake with Date ice cream, chamomile anglaise, and fried apple skins.

Willows Lodge chocolate hazelnut torte.

Its a vanilla rum sponge cake with nutella mousse.

←

That's quite a line-up. I wish I was there to finish up the desserts for you all. I love Michel Cluizel, Valrhona Manjari, and Nutella. Date ice-cream sounds very interesting and delicious as well!

Do you have a favourite dessert in Seattle, Henry?

When I was eating my way through the Dahlia Lounge pastry case, my favourite was the lemon tart with Italian meringue.

Edited March 21, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Pan]

Another great meal! It's great to be friends with chefs, isn't it? How many people were eating all that food?

Were you in Florence on a Fulbright? It's interesting; Italy is part of my family heritage, even though it's a country where I have no ancestry or relatives, because my father, who's a painter, spent a year in Florence on a Fulbright before I was born. So my mother and father cooked a lot of Italian food when I was a child, and I grew up reading Il Capucetto Rosso in Italian, instead of Little Red Riding Hood in English. Eventually, I was able to use my own grant money to go to Italy for two summers when I was in graduate school and have my own love affair with that wonderful country, its wonderful people and culture (and of course, food and wine).

(Off-topic, but I salute you for your opinion of Gehry.)

[Genny]

So Henry, how does an architect from SoCal get to be so entrenched in the culinary world in Seattle? How did you get to know and befriend so many of the top purveyors of your city?

[kiliki]

Speaking of food and architecture: Jeffrey Steingarten's article in the new Vogue is about the architecture of Morimoto's new place in NYC.

[hhlodesign]

Seattle Sandwich tour Stop #3

Paseo.

Unless you know where you're going, you'll never find it. There is no sign. I should be shot for sharing this little secret place with the world.

They are a little shack in the Fremont area of Seattle, and they do the best cuban sandwiches on Earth! Of course I've never been to Cuba so I'm speaking from an area of ignorance. I'm not talking about the pressed, melted cheese, jobs all over miami. They marinate porkshoulder, chicken breast, thighs, fish, tofu, and prawns in their secret marinade and grill or slow roast it.

Everything is good here, but my favoite is the midnight cuban sandwich.

Its slow roasted pork shoulder with grilled onions (they go on every sandwich and are awesome!) jalepeno relish, mayo, and lettuce.

Aaron (the vegetarian) got a tofu sandwich.

Same as mine sub the tofu for pork. I haven't tried it yet cause I can't help but order the Midnight Cuban every time.

I eat lunch with my friend Aaron all the time because he also works for himself. His office used to be next door to my studio, which is how I know him. We alternate who pays each time, and keep track with a little free lunch coupon we made and both signed. Today was his turn.

[hhlodesign]

Dinner tonight was at the Barking Frog in Woodinville.

<snip>

On the plate are meyer lemon tarts, Amareno cherries in Michelle Cluizel chocolate (72% cacao), and others I forgot to write down.

Other desserts that we could barely finish:

Manjari Chocolate Bread Pudding with apricot coulis and chocolate sorbet.

Caramel Apple Cake with Date ice cream, chamomile anglaise, and fried apple skins.

Willows Lodge chocolate hazelnut torte.

Its a vanilla rum sponge cake with nutella mousse.

←

That's quite a line-up. I wish I was there to finish up the desserts for you all. I love Michel Cluizel, Valrhona Manjari, and Nutella. Date ice-cream sounds very interesting and delicious as well!

Do you have a favourite dessert in Seattle, Henry?

When I was eating my way through the Dahlia Lounge pastry case, my favourite was the lemon tart with Italian meringue.

←

We could have used your help. It's always such a shame when the desserts come and are so delicious and you are just way to full to eat anything else, regardless of how good it is.

My favorite dessert is still the peanut butter ice cream at Veil! You have to try it when you come down!

I have a nice mental image of you in the pastry case at Dahlia eating away. I'll have to try the lemon tart.

I need your list of great Chinese places in Vancouver. What do you think of Sun Sei Wah? and is the downtown or Richmond one better?

[hhlodesign]

Another great meal! It's great to be friends with chefs, isn't it? How many people were eating all that food?

Were you in Florence on a Fulbright? It's interesting; Italy is part of my family heritage, even though it's a country where I have no ancestry or relatives, because my father, who's a painter, spent a year in Florence on a Fulbright before I was born. So my mother and father cooked a lot of Italian food when I was a child, and I grew up reading Il Capucetto Rosso in Italian, instead of Little Red Riding Hood in English. Eventually, I was able to use my own grant money to go to Italy for two summers when I was in graduate school and have my own love affair with that wonderful country, its wonderful people and culture (and of course, food and wine).

(Off-topic, but I salute you for your opinion of Gehry.)

←

I'm gonna get back to this one, cause I have a lot to say about my experience in Florence and what I learned about food and eating there. I just have too much work to get done today.

Oh, and we had 6 in our party before Pablo sat down.

[hhlodesign]

So Henry, how does an architect from SoCal get to be so entrenched in the culinary world in Seattle?  How did you get to know and befriend so many of the top purveyors of your city?

←

Lots to write on this subject as well. Work first.

[hhlodesign]

Speaking of food and architecture: Jeffrey Steingarten's article in the new Vogue is about the architecture of Morimoto's new place in NYC.

←

I'll have to check it out. I did read an article recently about how both Del Posto and Morimoto were suffering. Anyone been? thoughts?

I love "The Man Who Ate Everything."

[Priscilla]

Henry, your live/work is so cool! I love that concrete column--and your ingenious trash receptacle placement.

Anticipating tonight's dinner party... blog on!

[Pontormo]

This blog is a visual pleasure as well as fun to read.

While you call yourself a minimalist, you seem to have a sense of color that separates you from Sol Le Witt et al. Was the intense green of the wonderful kitchen you designed your own idea or that of the client?

Given your fascination with food and relationships with people in related businesses in Seattle, would you be interested in designing on a smaller scale: silverware? plates? drawer handles?

[Swisskaese]

I love date ice cream. There is a fish restaurant here in Israel called Uri Burri that is one of the best fish restaurants I have every been to and I have travelled a lot. They make all of their ice creams and sorbets in house. My favourite ice cream is their date ice cream. It tastes like you are in a date palm tree licking a frozen date. They also make cardamom ice cream which is to die for.

[Ling]

My favorite dessert is still the peanut butter ice cream at Veil! You have to try it when you come down!

I have a nice mental image of you in the pastry case at Dahlia eating away. I'll have to try the lemon tart.

I need your list of great Chinese places in Vancouver. What do you think of Sun Sei Wah? and is the downtown or Richmond one better?

←

Here are some pictures from Dahlia Lounge (including that lemon tart!)

I think I will have to make it down to Seattle soon to have the peanut butter ice-cream! I missed many places when I was down there in September that I wanted to go to...Le Pichet and Fran's especially!

Sun Sui Wah is pretty good for Chinese, but apparently the squab dish that you (and I) like so much is not so good anymore. Sea Harbour is a favourite of Vancouver Egulleter canucklehead, who is much more knowledgable about Chinese regional cuisine than me. It is located in Richmond.

photos from Sea Harbour

There's also many pictures/reviews in this thread! Chinese in Vancouver

Edited March 22, 2006 by Ling (log)