Seattle Foodies

Tom Douglas interviews The Chef In The Hat, safely in 2-D.

After these dreary past few months, I’m feeling like our summer might need a jumpstart. Something amazing. A bit of pampering. Certainly some perfection. But unlike our weather forecasters, an unassailable track record is essential. And, certainly, we could use a little luck.

So Seattle Foodies has turned to Rover’s to for help. And for July’s First Friday Lunch Club, we’re going to get it all. Thierry Rautureau (a.k.a. The Chef In The Hat) has been dishing up exquisite French tasting menus in his comfortable “house” in Madison Park for over two decades. And if you’ve dined there, you’ve experienced his obsessive-compulsive attention to detail and service. All that doesn’t come cheap, of course, unless you’re dining with us July 2nd.

Here’s a sample menu for our three-course deal (ultimately to be decided by chef de cuisine Adam based on what’s fresh):

FIRST

Golden Beet and Pear Brandy Puree with Caramelized Onion and Apple-Almond Salad

- or -

Poached Egg, Frisée, Smoked Bacon Salad with Lemon Olive Oil and Red Wine Gastrique

SECOND

Troll King Salmon with Ramp, Lentils du Puy, Salt Pork and Red Wine Gastrique

- or -

Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Farro, Asparagus and Rosemary Sauce

THIRD

Rhubarb Clafoutis Tartlet with Whipped Vanilla Crème Fraîche

All for 35 bucks (plus tax and tip). And you’ll want to join me with the $25 wine pairing to perfect the experience. (Vegetarian or restricted options available on advance request.)

So that should do it. Amazing food and pampering perfection from one of Seattle’s top, long-established gastronomes. But what about the luck? Without making specific promises, it was at Rover’s where I was slurping delicious oysters with foodie Chuck when he found a natural pearl inside one. Chuck never disclosed the exact value of the little gem, but he did suddenly take a year sabbatical soon after. So who knows?

11:30am, Friday, July 2nd at 2808 E. Madison. If you haven’t already, please RSVP by Tuesday night (June 29th) if you can make it!

UPDATE (6/28): Looks like another record lunch! Only six spots left . . .

Cantinetta waits for unsuspecting foodies.

Some people are saying Cantinetta’s Chef Brian Cartenuto has lost his mind. But it might be more accurate to say that he merely went nuts. I leave it to you to decide. (Caution: the following is a true story.)

For our June First Friday Lunch Club, Cantinetta generously agreed to open their dinner-only restaurant for a special lunch event. They sent a mouth-watering sample three-course menu, promised they could do it for only 25 bucks, and then cautioned (in hindsight, this was the first sign of trouble) that Brian wouldn’t settle on the menu until the day, so he could take advantage of what would be in and fresh that very morning.

The first wave builds in the kitchen.

Spurred by the double-whammy of Cantinetta’s tweets to their dedicated following and Lorna Yee’s blurb in Seattle Magazine, a record-shattering number of foodies came. The restaurant filled. New friends met. Eating stories were shared. Spirits were high. And none of us saw it coming.

Soon we were seated and the food started coming. And coming. But it wasn’t three courses. Heck, the first course alone had more than three courses. It was more like three waves. Except the second wave had three waves. And all of it impossibly delicious. It went like this:

ANTIPASTI

Shaved fennel salad, oil-cured olives, tangerines, fennel pollen

Green beans, anchovy vinaigrette, hard-boiled eggs

Grilled asparagus risotto

Insalata mista

PASTA

Veal francobolli (veal brains stuffed pasta envelopes)

Ricotta ravioli, tomato fondutta

Golden beet pansotti, arugula, pine nuts

CONTORNI

Braised greens, pancetta

Roasted cauliflower, 15-year balsamic, grana

SECONDI

Grilled Painted Hills teres major (beef shoulder tender), 15-year balsamic, sea salt

DOLCE

Lemon panna cotta, blackberry sauce

Chocolate ricotta tart

A thrilling food tsunami, so we ate and ate. Then ate some more. I could try to describe the deep flavors of the fennel and olives and tangerines in that fruity olive oil, the crisp beans and eggs richened with anchovy vinaigrette, tender just-made pastas, and on and on, but I would quickly run out of superlatives. Yet it seems insufficient to say it was completely unexpected and enormously satisfying. The pictures speak volumes, so click on any one to jump into the slideshow (huge thanks to foodie Bruce for taking most of them).

Eventually, after the waves receded, the electron cloud in the kitchen slowly resolved into Brian and his staff. Taking a short pause before spinning back up for dinner service, he deflected our praise and gratitude by explaining that he had simply wanted to give us a sense of what a true Tuscan lunch was like.

So my only question is: Has anyone seen my passport?

It’s lunchtime and you’re in the mood for something special. You close your eyes and imagine yourself on a Tuscan hillside. It’s a warm spring afternoon. At a large table, you’re surrounded by friends and platters of hand-made pastas, organic produce from nearby farms, and succulent meats. It’s rustic, comfortable, and romantic all at the same time. Your wine glass fills with a gorgeous rosso. You breathe in deeply, the flavors permeate your senses, and you feel satisfied even before the platters are passed.

When you open your eyes, somehow you find yourself outside Trevor Greenwood’s ravely reviewed Cantinetta, staring through the front window, pining for a taste of Chef Brian Cartenuto’s magic. But sadly they won’t open until dinner.

Unless it happens to be Seattle Foodies First Friday Lunch on June 4th, when Cantinetta will open it’s doors for a special three-course Seattle Foodies-only lunch! (Special thanks to Robyn, Bruce, and Dana.)

Chef Brian will select our lunch based on last-minute market availability, so the menu will be a bit of a surprise. But here’s a recent example to get you salivating:

Shaved fennel salad, tangerines, oil-cured olives, fennel pollen

Ricotta gnocchi, pork & beef spezzatino, preserved tomato, chilies, mint

Lemon panna cotta, Marion berry compote, almond cookie

It’s $25 per person (plus drinks, tax, and tip), and the first courses will be served family style. 11:30am, Friday, June 4th at 3650 Wallingford Avenue. Please R.S.V.P. before noon on June 3rd if you can make it!

If, like me, you never made it into William Belickis’ Mistral in Belltown before it closed two years ago, you probably still get teary eyed at the prospect of life-long, deep regret. How could that be, closing after earning four stars, making the top 10 Seattle restaurant lists, and even being listed as one of the top 100 restaurants worldwide?

Well, turns out he was planning his new, gigantic, 5,000 square foot restaurant, now Mistral Kitchen. With many of the same staff, the same infamous Belickis foodie madness, plus a massive dose of investment into the kitchen and interior, Belickis’ new joint has been getting shockingly rave reviews.

So for the upcoming First Friday Lunch Club, we’re going to surrender ourselves at the front door, and enjoy a special menu we’re putting together (details to follow).

Skip it if you dare. And the regret will be yours to bear for the rest of your life. Or better yet, R.S.V.P. by Thursday, and show up at 2020 Westlake Avenue this Friday (May 7th) at 11:30am for a three-course experience you might just be gloating about for years to come.

UPDATE: I just heard from Amber at Mistral Kitchen, and we’re going to be pampered. Here’s the special menu:

SEATTLE FOODIE MENU

1st Course

Wild Arctic Char, Pea Spears, Pea Vine Salad

2nd Course

Slow Cooked Beef Shortrib, Red Quinoa, Hon-Shimeji Mushrooms

3rd Course

The Ultra Brownie, Fresh Mint Ice Cream, and Cacao Nibs

Plus some delicious fine print: “In light of our regular menus changing daily there is a very high chance of the vegetables on the two savory courses changing or being added to tomorrow morning.”

And the cost will be $30 (plus tax, tip, and drinks). See you there!

Group dining therapy at Steelhead.

Spring is here. And with the vernal equinox mercifully behind us, cherry blossoms exploding, our long summer days stretched out before us, and the Pike Place Market unloading the season’s early produce, my Seattle version of OCD is back with a vengeance. No, I don’t try to hide it. Obsessive Consumption Disorder is my diagnosis, the chief symptom being unbridled, frantic gorging on the fresh, what’s-in-season, right now. Such an affliction makes this a particularly hard town to live in, like a compulsive gambler settled in Las Vegas.

Especially with places like Kevin Davis’ Steelhead Diner. Located in the Pike Place Market (95 Pine Street), they focus on the local and seasonal, serving “nothing south of Oregon, nothing east of Idaho.” The dishes are inventive, generous, and delicious, and have earned Kevin a semifinalist position for the 2010 James Beard Best Northwest Chef Award.

In fact, it’s the perfect place for April’s group therapy session, a.k.a First Friday Lunch Club. We’re working on a special menu for the event, so stay tuned for more details.

The fine print: the Seattle Foodies dining plan covers OCD (pre-existing condition or not), so mark 11:30am, Friday, April 2nd on your calendars, and come prepared to get well. Also, please R.S.V.P. by next Wednesday so we can ensure everyone receives adequate treatment!

UPDATE: I just received this from Tiana Garrett, Steelhead’s general manager. They’re really excited that we’re coming, so we’re getting the private dining room plus a special Foodies multi-course tasting menu:

SEATTLE FOODIE MENU

Amuse

SMOKED ALASKAN BLACK COD SALAD

With Red Radishes, Chevril & Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

Appetizer

JUMBO LUMP DUNGENESS CRAB CAKE

With Crispy Parsley & Sauce Louis

Entrée

OLIVE CRUSTED BRISTOL BAY SOCKEYE SALMON

With Sauteed Asparagus & Spring Garlic ~ White Bean Puree

The cost will be $25 plus tax, tip, and any beverages (or additional food) you’d like. They’re doing separate checks, so feel free to go nuts.

As a reminder, we’ll start at 11:30. Steelhead is at 95 Pine Street, right inside in the arcade entrance, which is just uphill from Post Alley (and Beecher’s), and across from Sur La Table and Café Campagne.

If you haven’t RSVP’ed yet, please let me know by Thursday mid-day so I can let them know the final headcount.

Finally, as many of you know, I just can’t get enough of the Pike Place Market. So after lunch, if anyone’s interested, I’d love to do a walking tour of favorite spots. I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours!

See you there!

Dahlia does Dim Sum!

As you know, March is Dine Around Seattle month, where restaurants jam with the hubbub of deal seekers. And Dahlia Lounge will be no different, bless their hearts, feeding the masses on the cheap.

But don’t worry. Because Seattle Foodies has your back, you won’t be elbow-to-elbow with the herd for the March First Friday Lunch Club. We’re getting a double dose of exclusive: we’re taking over the private dining room at the Dahlia Lounge, plus we’ll feast on a custom session of dim sum creations from Dahlia’s sous chef (and Lovefest! wizard) Adrienne Lasko!

The drill: arrive at 11:30am on Friday, March 5th, and start gorging. The cost is $25/person (before tax & tip) and includes drinks like coffee, tea, and juice. But go ahead and fortify yourself with additional beverages if you like—they’ll keep track with separate checks.

So finally. Will Seattle have an awesome dim sum joint? You be the judge. Adrienne will be looking for your foodie feedback, so please join us and help shape the future of delicious dim sum in Seattle!

And please R.S.V.P. by next Wednesday so we can get a headcount to Adrienne.

UPDATE: Adrienne just sent this menu proposal:

Soup:

• Family-style congee with all the fixings

Fried:

• Curried samosas
• Shiitake chopsticks
• Five-spice duck wontons

Steamed:

• Eggplant humbao
• Pork momo (dumplings)
• Banana leaf ~ sticky rice

Veggie:

• Chinese broccoli ~ miso hollandaise
• Ginger ~ scallion Hong Kong soba noodles

WOW! Now I am drooling!

With Lovefest! fast approaching, February’s First Friday Lunch Club will go for something that feels a bit more simple and casual. But don’t be fooled, there’s nothing simple about truffle fries, braised Bershire pork belly, Painted Hills’ lemongrass steak, or roasted leg of lamb sandwiches. Or any of the other delicious sides, sandwiches, and salads that Eric Bahn (owner/chef of Monsoon and Monsoon East) is serving at Baguette Box (1203 Pine Street, Capitol Hill).

Baguette Box is definitely one of my favorite joints. So please join us next Friday, February 5 at 11:30. Depending on how many can make it, we should be able to graze most of their menu, which you can browse by clicking on the image above—but have a napkin handy, because you’ll be drooling in no time.

As always, please please R.S.V.P. if you’re coming so we can work with Eric’s crew to handle our group.

See you there!

Another year, another thousand or so meals to look forward to! If that sounds daunting, perhaps you’re feeling a wee bit saturated from all the holiday feasting. But fear not: we have the solution for January’s First Friday Lunch Club: tapas are the smallest of small plates, and Txori (2207 2nd Avenue, between Blanchard & Bell) packs some phenomenal tastes into those little Spanish bites. (Txori is the Harvest Vine’s little sister.)

So this Friday, we’ll let everyone set their own pace. Nibble one or two bites, or mow through the menu (separate checks are in order, I think). Personally, just thinking about Spain will help me get through this dreary, rainy week.

We’ll arrive just before Noon when they open. As always, please R.S.V.P. if you’d like to join us so we can work with the restaurant to accommodate everyone.

See you then!

P.S. Fast guide: “Txori” is pronounced “chore – ee” and “pintxos” means tapas. Just remember that “tx” is Basque for “ch” and you’ll be fine.

Lip-smacking house salumi, Walla Walla onions, Sardegna.

Today the First Friday Lunch Club finally got serious. Not because we clubbed Serious Pie, but this month we did some advance planning (and “research”) with the restaurant manager (Scott) and chef (Gray Brooks). The result was a pre-planned appetizer and pizza tasting that ranged deliciously across (nearly) the entire menu.

But we weren’t too serious. When Grace ordered a glass of wine, the rest of us fell like dominoes (the game, not the abominable pizza). And with wine all-around it was a good thing that the appetizers and pizzas were on autopilot. And what appetizers and pizzas they were.

The apps were rich and generous, filled with a variety of seasonal flavors. Sweet sour winter squash “caponata” (traditional caponata is made with eggplant) with cipollini onions and pine nuts. Cute thumbelina carrots with sage and chunks of ricotta caprina. Even the foods we wanted to hate as kids: Baby beets richened with anchovies, crunchy with pistachios, and brightened with mint. Brussel sprouts with pork belly and crisp croutons. And then there was the crazy good (and crazy fun) toasted apple sandwiches with truffle fonduta for dipping.

We'll have the lot. (Almost.)

Not bad for a warm up. But the pizza . . . well, it’s no wonder Serious Pie’s been in the middle of a snowstorm of accolades recently (One of Seattle Met’s Top Ten Restaurants, Nancy Leson In Lust with Serious Pie, Andrew Zimmern: “easily the best pizza I ate all last year”).

One reason, and my favorite thing about Serious Pie, is that they don’t “break” the cheese. Most places load up uncooked pizza dough with toppings and cheese, slam the whole mess in the oven, and cook it til the crust is done. The result? The cheese goes beyond melt and breaks, just like a bad mayonnaise. The oil-and-milk-solid emulsion separates, leaving greasy pools of oil soaking the pizza (and your hand). Serious Pie cooks their crusts and toppings first, and adds the cheese for the last minute or so. The result? Creamy, melted cheese goodness. At Summer Camp 2008, we did a side-by-side taste test. The broken cheese was a disgusting mess compared to the rich, velvety cheese-done-right. (Other pizza joints, please, pretty please take note!)

My other favorite thing about Serious Pie is the fantastic flavor combos. Cherry bomb peppers and sweet fennel sausage. Roasted chanterelles and truffle cheese. Penn cove clams, house pancetta, and lemon thyme. House salumi, Walla Walla onions, and Sole de Sardegna cheese. Guanciale, soft egg, and arugula. Delicata squash, garlic, and gorgonzola lucifero (with chili peppers). They speak for themselves. And none of which, by the way, are allowed to make the crust soggy. (Other joints, pretty please?)

I’m drooling.

As if things couldn’t get better, we welcomed two Christinas and Kathy as new-comers to the Club. Next month we’ll be lunching on December 4. So just holler if you’d like to join us!

Fresh spring rolls with a surprising fried crunch inside.

If you love treasure hunts, then you have to love Seattle’s International District, where gems lie hidden in unassuming places. Green Leaf Restaurant is one of those places, and when the First Friday Foodie Lunch Club chose them for October, I rushed out to do some reconnaissance work in advance. Multiple times, in fact. Yet by the time fifteen of us foodies arrived for our lunch feast, I was eager for more.

To say Green Leaf has super-fast service, fresh, crisp produce, clean, bright flavors at unbelievable prices (as reviews for decent Vietnamese restaurants inevitably do) would be accurate, but misses what makes them special. It’s the consistent, and obvious care that they take in the kitchen. Fried dishes are crisp and hot, not soggy or oily. Like the Vietnamese pancakes, full of shrimp and creamy with coconut, with edges so crisp they flake apart. The platter of fresh lettuces and herbs and dipping sauce make this one a messy but must-order dish. Grilled dishes have crunch and deep flavor. Even the fresh spring rolls, with lettuce, shrimp, and pork, pack a wonderfully crunchy fried center that elevates this simple appetizer, and also tells you they’re made to order rather wilting in a cooler in huge batches.

Grilled shrimp on sugar cane.

Places like this remind me of the origins of much of classical French cuisine. Humble (meaning cheap) ingredients transformed through creative and careful preparation into something amazing. Green Leaf does exactly this with fresh and simple ingredients, inventive twists on Vietnamese classics, and an apparently highly trained and consistent kitchen staff. It’s so good, the tiny bill always shocks me, as if somehow it’s cheating to get so much for so little.

One final bonus: their recent remodel and expansion upstairs added tables and one of the swankest I.D. bathrooms, but mercifully did nothing to diminish the magic.