Too many carbs in my belly

Before heading to the airport, Dave and I had one final lunch with Braiden at Serious Pie, Tom Douglas‘ pizza joint. We started out with a salad of fava beans, local radishes, and miner’s lettuce. Smothered in a creamy but light dressing, the favas were the shining star of the dish.

We each got our own pizza. All three (we swapped slices so I was able to sample them all) were delicious in their own right. The crust was crisp and salty and full of flavor. I find that this is the true test of a good pizza. Too often, I am disappointed by over-hyped pizza which turns out to have a flavorless crust, but that was not the case today.

Mine: roasted chanterelles, truffle cheese. I did wish they had been more generous with the mushrooms, but the ones I did get were delightful.

Dave’s: cherry bomb peppers, sweet fennel sausage. “Sweet and delicious.” 

Braiden’s: Penn Cove clams, house pancetta, lemon thyme. She complained of the clam juice making the pizza, “a little too clammy,” but I thought my slice (minus the pancetta) was pretty good.

A winning trio.

We then booked it to Trophy for one last act of gluttony.

My friend Hana, when I told her I had been to Cupcake Royale, had said that Trophy was much better, so I went to see for myself. We got our cupcakes to go, for the plane, as we were still full of pizza. I went with the chocolate graham cracker with toasted marshmallow (only available on Sundays and Mondays), Dave chose plain vanilla.

They survived the trip through airport security pretty well. We just ate them, sitting here in the airport lounge (our flight is delayed). Dave said the frosting on his was delicious. Mine was pretty good, with a layer of crunchy graham cracker on the bottom of the cake, but the marshmallow frosting on top was a bit too much for me, I couldn’t eat it all. I think that I am over cupcakes.

Stuffed, I am so done with food (especially sugar) for a while…

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The best, last: lark

Last night, our last in Seattle, we had dinner with Meghan at lark.

The small restaurant on Capitol Hill offers seasonally-inspired small plates that highlight local “artisans, farmers, and foragers.” Its warm interior is what I would call rustic chic. A nice touch are the hanging curtains which can be closed to section off parts of the space, adding an increased sense of intimacy.

The menu is divided into five categories of small plates — cheese, vegetables/grains, charcuterie, fish, and meat — and dessert. The three of us ordered six small plates and two desserts to share. The only sections of the menu that we did not explore were the cheese and charcuterie. I’m not one to overly gush, but the food was sublime. Each dish that arrived offered delicate and thoughtful flavor pairings. The portions were neither too big nor too small, and we all left the restaurant feeling satisfied but not bursting at the seams. Without further ado, I present to you our dinner (in the order it was served).

St. Judes albacore belly confit with warm potato, fennel and herb salad. Thin, salty slices of tuna, soft, welcoming potato, crisp fennel. The perfect beginning.

Rosti potatoes with clabber cream. Crunchy exterior, piping hot so the cream melted into each nook, served in a cute mini cast iron frying pan.

Bluebird Grain Farms farro with nettles and roasted oyster mushrooms. Farro seems to be one of this season’s hot ingredients. The chewy grains paired well with the wilted nettles (much like the dish I had at Tilth) and savory mushrooms.

Roasted eel with saba and new potato salad. The best dish I had. The eel, seasoned like Japanese sushi eel, was slightly sweet and melted in your mouth.

Sautéed half wild mushrooms with garlic, olive oil and sea salt.

Rotisserie pork belly, stuffed with prunes and Serrano ham, bean râgout. I didn’t have this one, but Dave says it was “tender and delicately spiced.”

Apple, dried cherry and currant cobbler with ginger biscuit and crème fraiche. Dave’s favorite of the two desserts: a buttery, dense crust atop sweet, hot pieces of local apple.

Hazelnut cake with port syrup, salted hazelnuts and banana sorbet. Sadly, the banana sorbet didn’t photograph well, but this dish was outrageously good. The cold, sweet sorbet melded amazingly with the spongy cake.

At the end of our meal, Dave proclaimed it the best dinner he’d had since our anniversary at Gramercy Tavern in March. I whole-heartedly concur.

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Duck Soup

Last night’s wedding festivities ended with a candlelit dinner at Duck Soup, considered by many to be the best restaurant on San Juan Island. Cam raves about the place, so I arrived hungry and excited, still a bit buzzed from the afternoon champagne. Set off of a small pond in a rustic log cabin, the inside of Duck Soup is cozy and unpretentious. The walls are decorated with simple paintings of various types of fish and produce. Our table was right by the roaring fire. We sat down to three different bottles of wines (one white, two red) and crusty baguette slices that we slathered with a delicious house made sardine spread. 

The meal kicked off with my favorite course, a Dungeness crab stack with wontons, avocado, and wasabi aioli (there was five spice tofu instead of crab for the vegetarians). The crispiness of the fried wontons provided a pleasant contrast to the tender crab and avocado. Next came a cream of mushroom soup with bacon croutons (which I scooped out and gave to Dave). The soup, which also tasted of tomato, was flavorful and woody and just the right size.

The third and final appetizer was an organic baby green salad with tahini green goddess dressing and optional blue cheese. I skipped the cheese, as the tahini dressing was so flavorful that I didn’t want anything to detract from it. By the time our main courses arrived the toasts had begun and I was beginning to feel full. I had chosen the halibut muinère with lemon basil beurre blanc, creamy polenta, and fresh asparagus.

There was also a filet mignon (Dave’s choice), and an Israeli cous cous risotto. I’m not a huge fan of creamy sauces, but the beurre blanc was light enough that it didn’t over-power the halibut, one of my favorite fish, which is now in season.

The meal ended with a heart-shaped vanilla bean crème brulée, meant to be shared, how apropo.  Also on the table were truffles, my other favorite part of the meal, made by the bride herself.

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Perfect island day

Arriving in the San Juan Islands, for me, is like reuniting with a happier, truer version of myself. As soon as I drive off the ferry onto one of the islands (usually Orcas Island, my favorite place on earth, but this weekend we are on San Juan Island where my friend Cameni grew up) there is an immediate sense of release, everything negative and unnecessary melts away.

Yesterday was a perfect island day. It started out with a yoga class. Unlike the over-crowded and intense atmosphere of my NYC studio, the one I went to yesterday was as serene and calming as the view of the Cascade mountains in the distance, and there were only five of us in the class. After yoga, Dave picked me up and took me to the farmers’ market. 
San Juan Island is largely covered with farmland and the produce that you find at the market is unlike any that I have seen in NYC farmers’ markets. Beautiful heirloom varieties of whatever is in season.

That’s purple broccoli! One stand was selling seedlings for various greens, another several kinds of meat. It all made me wish that I was staying somewhere with a kitchen.

 
We partook of my main weakness: baked goods. The cinnamon buns at one stall looked to die for, but I resisted and went with the whole grain bakery stand instead.

pear tart, lemon ginger muffin, ham and cheese croissant

We hiked off our baked treats with a quick jaunt up Mount Young for some scenic views of the surrounding islands.  Then it was time for the main event. Cameni and Alex were married lakeside, in a movie-worthy ceremony that started and ended with Cam being rowed across the lake (there by her father, back by her new husband).

After the ceremony, there was a tea reception in the main lodge of the Lakedale Resort where we were all staying. Every little detail of the tea was ever-so-charming, and ever-so-Cam. She had made creative labels for all the offerings, most of which were brought by friends and family.

Pixie Snacks

Dewdrop/Moonbeam Juice

Wood Gnome Bread

Flower Petal Tea / Dragon Wing Tea

Toad Stools

The crowd favorite was definitely Alex’s mom’s pumpkin chocolate chip bread.

We ended the reception with champagne and wedding cake — a delicious, rustic carrot cake made by the maid of honor’s mother.

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Island cake, island bride

Cameni, a dear, old friend of mine, was married today on San Juan Island, WA. The ceremony was one of the most beautiful and moving that I have had the pleasure of attending. The cake was pretty tasty too.

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A San Juan lunch

Orcas Island, the island in the San Juan archipelago I know best, is home to some of my favorite cafes. Every summer I look forward to fresh salads, sandwiches, and pizzas, made with ingredients that were plucked from the ground just hours earlier. We arrived on San Juan Island on Friday and our room wasn’t quite ready for us so we ventured out to find some lunch. We stumbled upon The Market Chef after we found the place we had wanted to go — Backdoor Kitchen — closed. One look at the sign outside and I was sold.

Fish tacos are among my top 10 favorite foods, but after looking at the menu there were so many things that sounded good that I wound up not getting them. Dave did, so I was able to have a bite.

I went for  “My sister’s favorite sandwich: smoked cheddar, crisp slices of Granny Smith apple, honey mustard and roasted sunflower seeds broiled until warm and bubbly then topped with crunchy sprouts. On Breadfarm‘s organic Chuckanut multigrain.” My bite of Dave’s fish tacos — blue marlin, mango salsa, and fresh cabbage on corn tortillas — was delicious, but it did not make me regret my choice. I love the way cheddar and apples go together. With the added crunch of the sunflower seeds in the sandwich, each bite was a stellar mouthful. The bread, which I later learned is made by a friend of Cam’s family, was also quite tasty. If all food was like island food, the world would be a happier place.

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Crumpets and bao

No trip to Seattle is complete without a stop at the Pike Place Market. While the seafood (and the famous fish guys) get all the publicity…

I go to the Pike Place Market for one thing: crumpets. One of my favorite treats in this world, a must-eat on any trip to Seattle, comes from The Crumpet Shop. 

Crumpets, which originated in the United Kingdom, are the precursor to what have come to be known as English muffins here in the US. I can never decide between sweet and savory, so I usually get both. My favorites in each category are the English cheese, pesto, and tomato; and the butter and blackberry jam.

With a crispy bottom and spongy top, full of pores that soak up the cheese and butter respectively, one bite and you’ll be hooked too.

Dave and Braiden decided to go for pork buns (a.k.a. cha siu bao, a.k.a. hum bao, though here in Seattle they spell it hum bow). Mee Sum Pastry, another Pike Place Market staple, sells the buns in both steamed and baked varieties. If you walk by at the right time, you can even see them being made.

Dave went baked,

while Braiden went steamed. 

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Tilth

Every time I mentioned to one of my Seattle-based friends that I was going to Tilth for dinner, the immediate response was, “you’re going to love it.” Located in a charming green house in Wallingford, Tilth is a certified-organic restaurant that serves new American cuisine. Executive chef/owner Maria Hines is up for a James Beard Foundation Award this year (side note, I’ll be volunteering at the awards next weekend).

When you walk inside, you feel as though you are entering someone’s living room. The warm yellow-colored walls and green chairs invite you in, as do the friendly and knowledgeable servers.

Our meal started with an amuse from the kitchen: wheatberries in a tangy citrus sauce.

Tilth’s menu is structured so that every dish can be ordered as a half or full portion, allowing you to construct your meal as you wish. For those who crave the more traditional appetizer and entree progression, you can order one half and one full dish. Or, if you are in the mood to taste many offerings, you can share several little plates. I ordered the creamy celery root soup to start.

The soup, which is poured into your bowl tableside, comes garnished with celery root chips, Theo cocoa nibs (yes, that Theo), and orange oil. While it could have been a bit hotter, the taste and texture were spot on. Irene and I decided to share two half-portion dishes as entrees: farro risotto with nettle, soubise, and preserved lemon; and sous vide Alaskan sablefish with fingerling potatoes, fennel, and picholine olives.

The riotto was flawless, my favorite dish of the evening. As for the sablefish, I was a little disappointed, but it was my own fault as I prefer my fish to have a nice sear on it and therefore should have shied away from the sous vide. For dessert we both had the almond brown butter cake with black mission fig, Meyer lemon preserve, and almond milk.

The cake was moist and dense with a pleasantly nutty flavor and the figs were delicious. The only thing that would have made this dessert better would have been if the chantilly cream on top had been ice cream instead, but I have no complaints. With the check came a final treat of rhubarb with raspberry gelee. 

Garnished with a mint leaf, it was the perfect mouthful with which to end.

 

Post script: Irene has since been back to Tilth and sent me an email raving about the heirloom bean cassoulet with wild mushroom, truffle, and oven-dried tomato. We had been deciding between that and the sablefish on Wednesday night.

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Green envy

Nothing makes me want to move to the west coast more than an amble through its cities’ markets. Ramps herald the arrival of spring and are only around for a very small window of time. If you see them on a menu near you, there should be no hesitation, order them.

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Heaven must smell like this

Yesterday I gave myself the morning off from food, drank a lot of herbal tea and took in a yoga class. It was a nice break from all the eating I’ve been doing. Also, I was saving my stomach for dinner at Tilth (more on that later).

Before dinner, Braiden and I met Irene for a late afternoon tour of Theo Chocolate‘s factory. Theo is currently the only organic, fair trade chocolate producer in the country, and they welcome visitors daily to tour their small production line, located in a red brick building that once housed the Red Hook Brewery. 

During the pre-tour mini-lecture, we learned that cacao is the second most antioxidant-rich food (açaí being number one). Cacao is also a vasodilator, it can help lower blood pressure and promote heart health. It is a common misconception that cacao, and therefore chocolate, is high in caffeine. In fact, three ounces of cacao contains about as much caffeine as one cup of decaf coffee. What cacao does contain is theobromine which triggers a much smoother high, and subsequent low, unlike the crash that can result when caffeine wears off. The darker the chocolate, the higher the cacao content, thus the better for you. When it comes to milk chocolate, one could argue that you simply need to eat more of it to reap the same health benefits of dark, but milk chocolate also contains more sugar. The more sugar you eat, the more you counteract the potential health benefits of cacao, or any other food for that matter. Lastly, there’s white chocolate — made of cocoa butter and sugar — which many will argue is not chocolate at all as it doesn’t contain any cacao solids. I personally don’t care for the stuff, but for those who do, just know that it doesn’t contain any antioxidants at all, as they are found in the solids.

After donning oh-so-chic hairnets, we were taken through the entire production line that turns bean into bar. We were shown the various machines that process the beans into the more recognizable products that we are used to buying. I won’t bore you with the names and functions of them all, but I will highlight a few.
 

All but one of the machines in the Theo factory are second hand, including their winnower and ball roaster (the two seen above). The winnower removes the beans from their husks, readying them to be roasted. The vintage roaster, which can handle one bag of beans at a time, is one of the most crucial stops along the journey from bean to bar. Unlike coffee beans, which can be roasted for varying lengths of time to produce different flavors, cacao has a roasting “sweet spot.” If you over- or under-roast the beans, the resulting chocolate will not taste right.

Cacao in various stages

Cacao husks

Once the cacao is roasted and the beans ground, it is liquified and sweetened. Our tour guide told us that anything larger than 20 microns is interpreted as a texture by our taste buds. Therefore, the liquid cacao is passed through a tube thinner than a human blood vessel in order to get the particles to about seven microns. Only then is the cacao liquid ready to be sweetened to the appropriate level, and milk added if milk chocolate is being made. Theo uses organic cane juice from Uruguay and organic milk powder from Humboldt Creamery in California.

Once complete from a flavor perspective, the liquid chocolate is held in these tanks and can be hand-tempered and turned into confections or else sent to a large machine (the only one the factory bought new and had made to fit the space) that tempers the chocolate and pumps it into molds for bars. Each of these tanks holds enough liquid chocolate to produce 22,000 bars!

After the tour we were able to taste a lot of the chocolates, and taste we did.

That’s a ginger flavored confection that I tasted. My favorite bar that I had was the coconut curry milk chocolate bar from the 3400 Phinney collection. I also liked the nib brittle dark chocolate bar. We left the tour with bellies full of chocolate, bags full of bars (I bought several to bring back to NYC as gifts), and our clothes smelling of the factory. We even had a moment of choco-Zen towards the end of the tour.

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