Yesterday I tried their take on s'mores. It was very good, but the chocolate to marshmallow to graham cracker ratio fell in favor of a rich chocolate & walnut layer. It was almost too much. I do prefer a bit more marshmallow. Tasty none-the-less. It's true nothing beats the traditional s'mores, but I like trying new creative variations on the original.

What's your preference?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

When the temperature drops I crave warm, hearty dishes. Soup is at the top list. I'm eager to make a Ribollita soup - white cannellini beans mixed with tomato, veggies, toasty bread and Parmesan all on one bowl.

How about you? What are you craving?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Got a note in email about this, I'm sure the 200+ photos are gorgeous...

We are excited to announce the first book from Next Restaurant is available today, exclusively on the iBookstore. Paris: 1906 is a complete, uncompromising guide to reproducing the 4-star opening menu of chefs Grant Achatz and David Beran.
This digital book includes: Recipes: exact recipes for every dish served, as documented by our chefs Photos: over 200 full-color photographs Video: a video of table-side duck press service Essays: short essays by the chefs describing the key dishes and concepts This full-color, stunning, illustrated book is designed specifically for viewing on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and we've priced it at only $4.99 to make it accessible to everyone. Download Paris: 1906: iTunes.com/NextRestaurant We think there will be a few pressed ducks on Thanksgiving tables this year! Bon Apetit, Grant, Dave, and Nick

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

As I stepped outside one day, I noticed this interesting carton on the street.  There was a bit of irony as the carton made a loud claim that "Boxed Water Is Better" whilst littering the street.

I did a bit of research and it turns out this carton hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  There's a lot of thought being given to how we can minimize the negative impact to our environment and that is precisely what young entrepreneur Benjamin Gott had in mind with his Michigan-based start up.  His goal for the company is to create sustainable packaging that also gives back to organizations that have similar environmentally friendly goals or philosophies.

As for the box itself, their website claims that it is more sustainable than plastic bottles - 76% of the container is made from renewable resources, trees.  Also, these boxes are shipped flat and then filled, thus taking up less space than plastic bottles and in turn less energy is consumed in their transport.

You can read more about it at their company website:

http://www.boxedwaterisbetter.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Capitol Hill neighborhood Seattle, WA

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Capitol Hill neighborhood, Seattle, WA April 2011

In front of Stumptown Coffee and Rudy's

Pine Street (between Belmont & Boylston)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

[View the story "Oysters" on Storify]

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Taylor Shelfish Farms, which opened it's doors in Capitol Hill on July 21, 2011, was a great addition to Melrose Market.  

What a lot of people are just getting turned on to is the fact that you not only can buy a selection of fresh oysters, clams and the ever perplexing goeduck, but it's also a great spot for lunch & or maybe even a light dinner.

I stopped in not too long ago to chat with Tom Stocks, assistant manager, and got a dozen hand selected and shucked oysters and fantastic glass of wine.  They also have one or two daily made chowders.

The space is simple and pristine.  I'm sure it's one of the tidiest seafood shops in town.

See the full gallery on Posterous

They have a great selection and it's easily accessible.

See the full gallery on Posterous

And this is the geoduck - native to the northwest cost of the US and Canada.  

Did you know? The geoduck was once the focal point of a hot little campaign in 1987.  It was revealed in  U.S. News and World Report that "the Geoduck is threatened with extinction due to a voracious international appetite for aphrodisiacs."  In fact, The Seattle Times featured a few articles about this campaign to "Save the Geoducks."

Later they were let in on the joke.  It turns out it was all just a well executed prank.

Photo credit: http://www.joeyskaggs.com/html/geo.html

Photo credit: http://www.joeyskaggs.com/html/geo.html

Taylor Shellfish also had a great selection of Dry Soda.

See the full gallery on Posterous

I didn't waste any time. 

Next time you're in Capitol Hill, stop in!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

If you haven't seen much of me these past few weeks it's because I've been busy working on launching an exciting social dining journey in Seattle.  Last month I started working for Dishcrawl.

Dishcrawl is a national start-up founded on the premise that communities can be brought together through good food and good company, four restaurants in one night.  We're rapidly expanding into new markets and Dishcrawlers can currently join monthly progressive food adventures in San Francisco, New York, Montreal, Ottawa, San Jose, Toronto, the Tri-Valley Area, and the Peninsula. Dishcrawl is currently headquartered in the Silicon Valley.

Next on the list is Seattle!  The plans have been made, restaurants are confirmed and people have bought their tickets.  Our launch is less than a week away and is taking place in my hood - Capitol Hill.  This morning I got to do a big reveal on KING5 New Day Northwest.  A tiny bit of the secret is out: one of our stops is Grim's Restaurant & Lounge!

The best part of the morning was the chance to cast the spotlight on some great local talent.  Grim's Executive Chef, Khampaeng Panyathong did a fantastic cooking segment and featured the item Dishcrawlers will be enjoying next week.  Laura Olson, Grim's Founder/Owner, along with her awesome assistant Lindsey were backstage to cheer Khampaeng on.

I'm very excited about what Dishcrawl will do for supporting local businesses.  I hope to see you soon at one of the upcoming Dishcrawls! 

Be sure to follow @dishcrawlSEA

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

While working hard on the Dishcrawl Seattle launch, I had the opportunity to take a bit of a break and headed to Portland.  Dishcrawl Portland launched successfully last month and this past Tuesday I joined their second crawl.

We explored NE Alberta Street in northeast Portland with a very social group of 38 food enthusiasts!  Our first stop was The Grilled Cheese Grill.  Co-owner Matt Breslow was a gracious host.  This food cart spot features outdoor seating and the School Bus.  Located on 1027 NE Alberta this is the original location.  More recently they added a second location in southeast Portland that features the Double Decker bus.

~ The Grill Cheese Grill 1027 NE Alberta

At 7 pm on the dot, people starting arriving and were welcomed by Katie, Dishcrawl Portland's coordinator.  Already I could tell we had a gregarious group.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Once everyone got checked in, Matt came out and introduced himself.  

Matt grew up helping his mom in the kitchen and became a little grilled cheese whiz.  Later in life, Matt didn't attend a culinary school, but rather honed his skills working in restaurants.  He always wanted to open a restaurant and he finally decided to do open a place that would feature one of his favorite foods, the grilled cheese.  

He really looks like he's having fun with it.

See the full gallery on Posterous

The group was getting hungry and you could smell the delicious cheesy goodness that was about to come out - even a small visitor was eagerly awaiting the grilled cheese.

See the full gallery on Posterous

I snuck into their food cart to find Matt's crew hard at work.  They were readying up the grilled cheese.

See the full gallery on Posterous

We had the opportunity to taste a few of the grill cheese options on their menu such as the Jalapeno Popper - roasted jalapeños, colby jack, cream cheese and corn tortilla chips on sourdough.  

The Grilled Cheese Grill was a great start to the Dishcrawl and everyone was having fun meeting each other and checking out the bus.

See the full gallery on Posterous

It was time for our next stop.  Katie gathered up the group and we were off to the Yogio food cart.  Yogio is not normally opened late on Tuesdays, but did not want to miss the chance to be included in the Dishcrawl so co-owner Ali came in to host our group.  

See the full gallery on Posterous

Yogio, owned by Timber Adamson and Ali Clarsy, features Korean snack food - all gluten free.  I was very excited about checking them out especially after hearing they have ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS on the menu.  This evening we would get to try their most popular item on their menu - the Rocks.  Ali gave us the scoop on what we were about to enjoy.  

The Rocks are seasoned rice stuffed with bibimbap vegetables.  They crisp it up and place it atop of a homemade gochujang paste spread across a bit of seaweed and served up with their Crack sauce - no clue what's in this sauce, but it was so good.  Everyone lined up right away to get their Rock.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Next on the agenda was The Tin Shed Garden Cafe.  They have a simple philosophy of using fresh and wholesome ingredients and that definitely comes through in their food.  It is no wonder this place is always busy and has very good reviews.  Owner Jannette Kaden greeted the group upon arrival.  We had the pleasure of sitting in their covered patio area.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Jannette and two of her staff already had the food table set up with plates, silverware and napkins before we arrived.  While they took drink orders and brought them out, Katie went around to each table to everyone know about the three different dishes from their menu we would be trying.  

Berry Garcia - Roasted red peppers, jalapenos, black beans, Tillamook cheddar & berry jam in a grilled tortilla, topped with jalapeno creme fraiche & fresh cilantro. 

Mac of the Day - this one featured Cavatapi pasta in a three cheese sauce, baked with a crispy bread topping.

Baby Beluga - Roasted yams, onion, zucchini, mushroom, garlic & black lentils in a yellow curry sauce, served over fresh spinach & jasmine rice, topped with raisins, peanuts and avocado.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Everyone was able to grab a plate and help themselves.  Believe me, there was plenty to go around!

See the full gallery on Posterous

Our final stop was a real treat.  We all headed down the street to the ice cream shop Salt & Straw - perfect choice for a warm evening.  Salt & Straw is a brand new addition to Portland's NE Alberta Street.  Their store front just opened last month.  

See the full gallery on Posterous

The aroma of the waffle cones on the griddles lures you in and the unique flavors on their menu are quite intriguing.  Owner Kim Malek is a genuinely lovely person.  She was so happy to host us in her new shop.

All the preparations were made ahead of time for our large group.  They had already scooped the ice cream into cups and had them waiting on trays in their cooler so we could get served right away. 

See the full gallery on Posterous

We tried their Honey Balsamic Strawberry with Cracked Pepper and a new flavor - the very creamy Olive Oil made with a locally produced olive oil from Red Ridge farms in Portland. 

See the full gallery on Posterous

I had so much fun and it was great spending the evening with Katie!  

Just think how much fun we'll have at the Dishcrawl Seattle launch.  There are still a few tickets left.  Hope to see you soon!

~~~~~~~~~~

Dishcrawl Seattle Launch Kicks Things Off In Capitol Hill

Dishcrawl is coming to Seattle! We couldn’t think of a better way to kick this off than by taking on Capitol Hill. 

Join us in this social food tour of some of Capitol Hill’s favorite spots.  We’re making dining out just a bit more social as you take this food tour with other local food lovers at four different restaurants through the night.

To reserve your seats, please register quickly. Tickets tend to sell out.

For those of you lucky to get in, see you soon!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The Stranger had an "I, Anonymous" (QUIT YER YELPING) a while ago that caught my attention.  It is true, there are some horrible reviews out there from many who fail at basic English grammar.  Comments at times are ludicrous and perhaps have little to do with how well an establishment delivers its core product or service.

The concept of Yelp is admirable, but I personally place little value on what people write.  I feel like it's noise and doesn't necessarily represent how well a business delivers products or services to consumers.  Many of the reviews that I've read are not very helpful to me.  Some examples:

The problem: the service. When we got the bill we were pleased with the amount: $46 for a pretty good little dinner. However, when we got the "receipt" we noticed we were charged $68. Well, that was not good. That is not a very easy "mistake" for a waitress to make, and it is an "old trick" for scamming a big tip. Away went the $15 tip we were ready to leave (we know waitresses and believe whole-heartedly in leaving about 1/3 of the bill as gratuity), and out we walked with the residual bad taste in our mouths, and knowing we are a lot smarter than we look. ::sigh::  -  Excerpt: Yelp Review about Revel, Fremont

I would certainly consider editing my review if someone wanted to whisk me away and show me the positive aspects of Paseo. Of course, I'm gluten free so can't eat sandwiches.  - Excerpt: Yelp Review about Paseo, Fremont

Too pretentious to be in such a cool neighborhood, I wish it never opened or that a less uppity place were there instead.  The staff there was just too cool for school and it took forever to get a drink order in, and I am never a fan of a place that serves foie gras.  They need to get with it and have some common decency.  Overall, just horrible. - Excerpt: Yelp Review about Quinns, Capitol Hill

Loved it all!   Boyfriend took me here for our 3-year anniversary, because we wanted to eat someplace fancy. Personally, we love to dress up, so the dress code here is no problem. On a side note, BF humorously observed, "The family sitting next to us is actually fancy. We just like to pretend we're fancy." - Excerpt: Yelp Review about Canlis, Queen Anne

Though I used to appreciate the open kitchen, exposed brick wall, unfinished floor, dishcloth-as-napkin establishments of Seattle, it's starting to get trite. But that is not my real issue with this place. - Excerpt: Yelp Review about Staple and Fancy Mercantile, Ballard

Some reviews have severely damaged any chance of businesses making things right if they did do wrong.  Many business owners try to fight back.  Consider another example.  Scott Parker of Denver, Colorado even took a stab at who these Yelpers are:

When asked - What you'd like to see less of in Denver from a culinary standpoint, he replied:

Amateur instant online restaurant critics -- specifically, those who write reviews for a website that rhymes with "kelp." Think about it: They review a McDonald's and then turn around and review Mizuna. I just imagine bored, jobless layabouts with not many friends who are convinced that they're going to have a bad time before they even step through the door of a joint. The kicker is, you can't respond to these inbreds and try to educate, or at least explain, why some things happen the way they happen. Have a little fun, for chrissakes. Loosen up when you go out, and let me be the stress ball in the kitchen busting my ass for twelve-plus hours trying to make you the best food I can.

- blogs.westword.com Nov. 2010

Some owners take the opportunity to find the humor in the awful reviews.  My personal favorite is Zach Bolotin, owner of Porchlight Coffee, Capitol Hill:

How do you get credible reviews, call out things that truly need to be fixed and still have an appetite for what a business is offering?  Hard problem to solve.  Perhaps there are better ways to qualify reviewers by topic and actual expertise.  Additionally, what can business owners do to turn people's opinions around when the bad reviews are still up and visible on Yelp?

What do you think?

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

A sweet surprise delivered directly from Paris :)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Seriously, this looks like it was so fun to make!  What a fantastic keepsake that everyone had a part in.

joya and emre | wedding music video from David Robin on Vimeo.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Keep an eye out becuase you may soon see the DRY Soda Tasting Truck  touring your neighborhood soon.  This past Monday (5/2/11), DRY Soda hosted a little party.  I got to check out their truck and tasted a few of their DRY Soda flavors.  The highlight was the creative DRY Soda cocktails!

Can't wait for the truck to hit Seattle in full force.  I also heard that there might soon be a phone app that will help you find the closest spot to buy DRY Soda.  Want to know where the DRY Soda Tasting Truck is headed next?  Find DRY on Facebook, Twitter and Yelp .

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This weekend Seattle's Washington State Convention & Trade center was host to Sakura-con, the oldest and most well attended anime convention in the Pacific Northwest, now in its 14th year. There were plenty of attendees in costume.  It was fantastic to see such creativity and all were ready to show it off.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

It was opening weekend for Marination Station in Capitol Hill Seattle this past weekend.  The location is great, but also a little quirky.  Marination Station makes it home on the corner of Broadway and Pike above the QFC grocery store.  

It also happens to be next door neighbors to a most baffling Chinese restaurant, Little Shanghai.  Baffling because that place has been open for years,is never busy and yet somehow it's still around...just a bit suspicious.

Unlike its neighbor however, Marination Station is going to have no problems staying busy.  I had the chance to stop in this weekend to check it out.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Inside are a few nice touches, like the quotes on the fridge.

See the full gallery on Posterous

As for the meat options, I got a couple of quotes from a few anonymous carnivores:

"These [Kalbi beef tacos] are so good! Are you sure you don't want one?"

"Wow, wow! Heaven..." Referring to the Kalua Pork sliders.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Found this app online and can't stop creating random music patterns.  There's no way to share the music patterns that you make but if you take a screenshot of your pattern, you can share that with friends who can recreate it to listen to your tune or make their own.  I am warning you though, you may be playing around with this for hours...

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

One year ago today, I rallied together sixteen Seattle-area restaurants asking them to donate much needed financial aid towards the relief efforts in Haiti.  It was a proud moment to see such a fantastic response.  

Dine_Out_Seattle_for_Haiti_01-24-10.wmv Watch on Posterous

It was not possible for all of us to travel to Haiti to assist with relief efforts, but many of us still had a tremendous impact on getting this island country the help they needed.  Local artist Jesse Link created a poster for the event to help spread the word.  Then on Sunday January 24the 2010, many Seattle-area residents gathered their friends and family for a meal at participating restaurants (listed below) who would donate a percent of the evening's proceeds towards relief efforts in Haiti.

• Dinette
• Restaurant Zoe
• Quinn's Pub
• Le Gourmand
• La Rustica
• Skylark Café 
• La Isla
• Café Venus 
• Tavolata
• How To Cook A Wolf
• Barking Frog -Woodinville
• Spring Hill
• Feedback Lounge
• Mission Bar
• Taste
• Ballard Brothers Seafood and Burgers

I want to thank all who took part in the Seattle Dine Out for Haiti last year and to those that made their own personal donations.  Much was accomplished with your contributions, but there is still much that needs to be done. The people of Haiti are now dealing with Cholera and hurricane aftermath and they still need our help.

Many of the participating restaurants donated to NetHope.  Below is a fantastic update that I received from them not too long ago.  Thank you once again - Seattle rocks!

January 5, 2011 Dear Friends, Next week marks the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti which took the lives of over 200,000 people and left over 1.5 million Haitians displaced in tents and other transitional housing. It’s predictable that there will be a lot of news about what’s not working in Haiti. While a lot of good work has been done, Haiti still suffers from political instability, unfulfilled donor commitments, cholera outbreak and a painfully slow rebuilding process. NetHope member agencies and several of our partners have been operating in Haiti for many years. Our team is committed to support the Haitian people over the long haul—no matter what the obstacles. We must remember that there are also many bright spots including the amazing resiliency that defines how every day Haitians live and adapt. Accomplishments In the wake of some enormous challenges this past year, the NetHope community, which includes all of you, can stand very tall for the work that we have done together. Here is just a partial list of accomplishments: In the hours and days following the earthquake, NetHope partnered with Inveneo, our member agencies and the technology sector to restore communications capabilities for emergency responders. Communication is the lifeline of every major humanitarian response. Today the relief communications network is still operational and is self-sustaining with every dollar reinvested with our Haiti partners. Read more on our work in Haiti › With the huge influx of humanitarian staff, computing equipment was badly needed. The tech sector responded generously, delivering almost four tons of equipment. A special thanks goes to NetHope members CHF International and Catholic Relief Services for providing logistics services so that the equipment could be shipped in bulk and distributed by NetHope in-country. This spirit of collaboration was evident time and time again with NetHope members working together to support each other during this crisis. The shortage of IT professionals in Haiti is a very real problem for both the humanitarian sector and private industry. The NetHope Academy selected 36 young Haitian computer science graduates and is providing them with internships to gain 'on the job' work experience, coupled with “boot camp” style classroom and self-study instruction around key need areas. The progress to date has been simply amazing thanks to the hardworking interns and their IT mentors from 14 different host organizations. We would like to thank our new friends at Voila Foundation and our longtime supporters Microsoft, Cisco and Accenture for their generous support of this important program. The Road Ahead Nothing has been easy in Haiti this past year, and the future will not be any easier. NetHope member organizations and our partners working in Haiti are committed for the long haul. NetHope will continue to focus on “game changing” technology interventions that leverage our unique interagency collaboration and public/private partnership model. We still see connectivity and IT skill development as being core to our mission and crucial for the country's needs from an information technology infrastructure standpoint. To that end, we are: Supporting our partner Inveneo in their broadband connectivity buildout for the under-served provinces outside of Port-au-Prince. We can help strengthen the business case for extending services to rural communities by aggregating our member agency connectivity requirements. Our member organizations benefit from better bandwidth at lower prices, and surrounding communities are able to connect to a whole array of information technology enabled services. We remain committed to building the IT skills capacity in Haiti through our innovative NetHope Academy internship programs. The country needs qualified IT professionals to support the long-term use of information and communications technologies for health, education, commerce, government, conservation, tourism and more. We already have commitments from Microsoft, Cisco and Accenture to continue their support of the NetHope Academy program into Fall 2011. Learn more about we responded to the Haiti Earthquake with the help of Inveneo: The Future is Near We are already seeing our partners and our members begin to innovate with proven technologies to support the rebuilding of Haiti. Some examples of great work that is already underway include: Mercy Corps and Voila partnering to deliver mobile banking services for the poorest of the poor in Haiti. Read more › Red Cross and Voila delivering an SMS alerting system that provides lifesaving Cholera health information to “at risk” Haitians. Discover more about the system › IDB and Microsoft partnering with the Haitian government to deliver an e-government platform that provides secure communications solutions and essential information repositories. Find out more about this partnership › World Vision rolling out an innovative solution for capturing information in remote field locations called Last Mile Mobile Solution. This program has tremendous potential for helping humanitarian agencies gather and report on information from the field. Learn more about the program › How Can You Help? There are two areas where we are focusing our efforts: NetHope has a whole array of scalable solutions to support health, education, conservation and economic development in Haiti. If you would like to learn more about how to join forces with us in any of these areas, please contact me › The Haiti earthquake has demonstrated the importance of investment in Emergency Preparedness. NetHope and select technology partners are coming together to invest in this high-payoff area. “An ounce of prevention IS worth a pound of cure," so please consider becoming part of a broader Global Emergency Preparedness program that NetHope is leading. As always, we want to thank you for your support of NetHope's activities. NetHope, our member agencies and our public and private sector partners have made a positive impact in Haiti this past year. We are committed for the long haul and look forward to your continued support. Kind Regards, Bill Brindley William A. Brindley Chief Executive Officer Executive Director NetHope www.NetHope.org Connect. Collaborate. Innovate.

NetHope is a US-registered 501(c)3 organization.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I finally had the chance to check out the Thai Curry Simple 2 stand.  I stumbled upon it one day on one of my walks.  If you're driving you might even miss it.  It's located at 1122 E. Madison (corner with 12th Ave) taking up some of the Cobra Lounge parking space and has been up & running for about a month now.

They offer a handful of lunch choices as well as iced Thai coffee and Thai tea.  Their green curry was very flavorful.  It's definitely worth checking out for good curry to go.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

It's good to know where your food is coming from.  Portlandia pokes a little fun on how serious one can get about knowing all the details.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »