Thanksgiving 2009 Revisited

I finally got around to uploading some of the pictures from Thanksgiving. I figured I better do this before Christmas arrived. I had a great time with great friends and a lot of delicious food! I'm very grateful to have such wonderful people in my life. Nothing is better than sharing a great meal with close friends. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Hershey Kiss Cookies

One of my favorite holiday cookies are Hershey Kiss Cookies. I always seem to see these around the holidays, so I decided to try and make a couple dozen myself.

First the ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Hershey Kisses, 1 for each cookie

Pre-Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream together butter, both sugars and peanut butter. Add 1 egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt.

Form dough in walnut-size balls. Roll them in white sugar and place them on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Press Hershey Kisses into each cookie when fresh out of the oven.

Place the cookies back in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes to soften the Hershey Kisses to give them a nice smooth glaze. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Roy Street Coffee & Tea

I paid a visit to the new Roy Street Coffee and Tea (Starbucks). This is the second of two new neighborhood coffee shops owned by Starbucks. The first is located on 15th Avenue on Capitol Hill. Starbucks is trying to go back to its roots of being the local neighborhood coffee shop. I haven't visited the 15th Avenue location yet, but I was very impressed with the Roy Street location. First off, you wouldn't know the place is owned by Starbucks except for the "inspired by Starbucks" on the front door and on their white, non-Starbucks looking cups.

The coffee house doesn't look anything like any of the typical corporate-looking Starbucks coffee houses. The Roy Street coffee house is very inviting. The decor is very Northwest with large, over-sized wood furniture. All the light fixtures are very old-school. They are large clear glass vessels with exposed light bulbs. The coffee house itself is rather large. There is a lot of space. To help soften up all the wood furniture, red drapes are hung all throughout and add some good color to the place.

As for the coffee, I was impressed. I have heard a lot of bad reviews about the coffee at the 15th Avenue location, so I was pretty skeptical. The one nice thing about these two coffee houses is that the Baristas actually pull their own shots, rather than having the ultra high-tech coffee machines dispense the shot like they do at all the regular Starbucks. I personally like Starbucks coffee and I've had my fair share of lattes. I definitely like the taste of the lattes from the Roy Street Coffee and Tea. They taste more like the lattes you would get from one of the independent coffee houses, although I think the independent coffee houses still taste better.

So if you're one of the many Starbucks haters out there, give Roy Street Coffee & Tea a try.

The Calf & Kid

The Calf & Kid Artisan Cheese Shop just signed a lease in the new Melrose Project! Sheri Lavigne made the announcement last Friday in her blog. The Melrose Triangle Project consists of a triangular block of historic automotive buildings constructed in 1919 and 1926. The buildings are located in the west end of the Pike-Pine neighborhood. The Melrose Project will also include Sitka & Spruce, a very popular Seattle restaurant currently located in Eastlake.

I can't wait for The Calf & Kid to open its doors at its brand new location. I'll be sure to follow-up with another post after my first visit.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy a wonderful dinner with close friends and family.

Washington Wine Named Best in the World

Wine Spectator magazine has named Columbia Crest 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as the #1 wine in the world for 2009. The Washington Cab beat out 17,000 other wines to win the prestigious honor. The final selection was based on the wine's quality, value, availability and excitement.

This is the first time a Washington wine has placed #1 on the list of the top 100 wines. Wine Spectator has been making the list for the past 21 years.

Columbia Crest, founded in 1978, is part of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, which accounts for more than half the wine produced in Washington. The winery's ability to combine quality and value has earned it 14 spots in the Top 100.

List of Top 100 wines of 2009

Sunday Pot Roast Dinners

Ever since I can remember growing up my family has had pot roast on Sundays for dinner. As a kid pot roast wasn't exactly my favorite food, but as I got older I learned to appreciate just how delicious pot roast really is. I would eventually look forward to our Sunday dinners.

My Dad was usually the one who cooked dinner when I was a kid. I would remember him sitting at the dining room table peeling the potatoes and carrots. My Dad would alway prepare mash potatoes, cabbage, carrots, new potatoes, gravy and biscuits to go with the pot roast.

After all these years I've been wanting to carry on the tradition of pot roast Sundays, so I finally went out and purchased a roast and prepared one of my favorite family dinners. I grew up in the upper Midwest, so we rarely called dinner, dinner. We always called it supper. I can remember always asking my parents, "What's for supper?" To me dinner meant going out to eat at a nice restaurant. Now after living on the West Coast for so long, I now call my supper, dinner.

The one thing that I love about pot roasts is that they are pretty easy to prepare. I cooked the roast the same way my Dad would cook it. He would use one of those roasting bags, so I purchases a Durkee Pot Roast seasoning packet and it came with a roasting bag. I placed the roast in the roasting bag with some baby red potatoes and carrots. I also threw in some fresh, chopped garlic and onions. I added the Durkee seasoning and a half cup of water. I placed the bagged pot roast in a baking dish and placed it in the oven. I cooked the roast for one hour at 350 degrees. I made some brown gravy to pour over the roast and potatoes.

The one thing that I always remember about the great pot roast dinners my Dad would make were the biscuits. He would buy the Pillsbury biscuits and put them in the oven as soon as the roast came out so that they would be nice and hot when he served them on the table. I did the same and baked some Pillsbury biscuits. They are just as good now as I remember when I was a kid.

I will definitely make more pot roasts on Sundays. I would like to change up the seasoning and perhaps how I prepare the roast. What are some of your favorite pot roast recipes? I would also love to hear what other sides you might prepare with your roast.

Pork & Gourds

If you didn't have a chance to sample any of the local street food vendors at the Mobile Chowdown, you're in luck! Maximus/Minimus, Skillet, Kaosamai Thai, Parfait Ice Cream, and Dantes Inferno Dogs will be at Pork & Gourds, the Halloween Street Food & Farmer's Market. Before you take the kids out trick-or-treating, stop by for some great food.

Get more info at www.qafma.org.

Mobile Chowdown Rundown

Yesterday was the Mobile Chowdown at Interbay. This was the first, of I hope many, street food vendor gatherings in Seattle. The street food vendors included Skillet, Maximus Minimus, Marination Station, Gert's BBQ, Parfait Organic Ice Cream, El Camion, Dante's Inferno Dogs, and Kaosamai Thai. I had the pleasure of attending this event with my best friends Shay, Penny & Scott. The event started at 11:00am and was scheduled to go until 3:00pm, or until they ran out of food. I'm pretty sure all the vendors ran out of food before the 3:00pm deadline.

When we arrived shortly after 12:00pm, there were already long lines snaking from each vendors' trailers. I'm not sure the organizers of the event nor the vendors themselves expected shuch a large turnout for the event. Seattlites love their street food! When we approached the crowd of people it was hard to determine where any of the lines ended for any of the vendors. All the lines seemed to all be blended together. So we just stood behind some people who looked like they were in line and hoped it led us to some good food.

As we slowly advanced through the line, we found out that we were in line for Skillet. This was good news as I have always wanted to try their food. When we approached the Skillet airstream trailer, we were able to get a glimpse of their menu offerings, which just so happen to be written on the side of the airstream trailer with a black marker. Shay and I chose to go with the Skillet Burger and French Fries. Penny selected the Thai Chile Burger.

Now I must say, I love hamburgers and I have had my share of bad burgers and great burgers. I would have to say that the Skillet Burger was by far one of the best burgers I have ever tasted! The hour and a half wait was well worth it! The Skillet Burger isn't just a burger, it's an experience. It consists of grass fed beef grilled and topped with bacon jam (yes, bacon jam!!), arugula, cambazola and served on a butter toasted macrina soft roll. The hand-cut french fries were tasty too! Shay agreed with me that the Skillet Burger was very good. Penny also really enjoyed her Thai Chile Burger. If you haven't checked out Skillet yet, do it! They have a weekly calender on their website of where the airstream trailer will be located. Scott decided to try out Dante's Inferno Dogs and he seemed to really enjoy their hot dogs.

I would have loved to have tried out some of the other vendors food, but waiting another hour or longer in line didn't seem like all that much fun. Although after seeing some people walking around with the Parfait Organic Ice Cream, it was very tempting. This event was a huge success. I'm sure this will become an annual event. There's already a rumor that next year they will offer a beer garden and live music. I'm guessing next year there will be even more street food vendors participating. This event was sponsored by Seattle Magazine, Sorrento Hotel and Tilth Restaurant.

Mobile Chowdown

This Saturday, October 10th from 11:00am to 3:00pm is the Mobile Chowdown in Interbay. This is the opportunity to try out some of the best street food vendors in Seattle, all in one location! The event is free, except of course for the food that you purchase from each vendor. The organizers of the event encourage people to bring their own chairs and hang out with other street food foodies.

Vendors include Skillet, Maximus Minimus, Marinatin Station, Gert's BBQ, Parfait Ice Cream, El Camion, Dante's Inferno Dogs, and Kaosamai Thai. You can follow Mobile Chowdown on Twitter @mobilechowdown where they are hosting a trivia contest where you have a chance to win dinner at Tilth, a night at the Sorrento Hotel, and a year's subscription to Seattle Magazine, all of which are co-sponsors to this event.

Here are the details to the event:

When: Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 11:00am to 3:00pm

Where: 1616 W. Bertona, Seattle, WA in Interbay (vacant lot)

Why: To enjoy food from some of the best street food vendors in Seattle!

Bring your appetites!

Top Chef: Las Vegas

The new season of Bravo's Top Chef starts Wednesday, August 19th, and this season it has some local flavor! Not one, but two local chefs will be competing on the popular chef competition show on Bravo. Robin Leventhal and Ashley Merriman will both be representing Seattle when the new season premieres.

Robin Leventhal is the former owner of Crave, a popular Seattle Bistro. She is currently helping to raise money for Lymphoma research and is closely involved with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. I have had the privilege to have eaten at Crave a few times before it closed down, and Robin was our server. Crave used to be located on 12 Avenue on Capitol Hill. The food was amazing and the little bistro was always packed full of customers.

I also had the privilege to attend one of Robin's Copper Cure Charity Auctions last year to help raise money for cancer research. The auction included copper molds, gift baskets, and private chef dinners. Above are some pictures I took from last year's event.

The other local chef on the show is Ashley Merriman. Ashley is the current chef at Branzino in Seattle. The restaurant is located in Belltown on 2nd Ave. She also used to work at Tilth. Unfortunately I have not visited Brazino yet, but I definitely want to check it out. I'm sure they will be busy with the exposure the restaurant will receive with their star chef being a contestant on Top Chef. Ashely has been recognized as one of the Seattle culinary scene's brightest new talents.

I'm a foodie, food blogger (Chow Down Seattle Food Blog) and a huge fan of Top Chef. I'm really excited to have two very talented and creative Seattle chefs on one of Bravo's most popular reality-competion shows. I will be watching every episode each week, and I hope both Seattle chefs make it to the finals! I wish both Robin and Ashley the best of luck on the show!

Top Chef: Las Vegas will air on Bravo! TV Network starting on Wednesday, August 19th at 9:00pm PST.

Let the cooking begin!

Odd Fellows Cafe

I have been wanting to come to the Odd Fellows Cafe since it opened. Well this past week I finally had the opportunity to try it out. I went there on a Thursday evening and the cafe was pretty busy. Odd Fellows Cafe has cafeteria-style seating with tables in rows and old wooden benches. The space has very high ceilings and tall windows. The space is great. I love the fact that most of the original architecture. The only bad thing about the high ceilings is that it can get quite noisy in the cafe, but I love the feel of the place. You can definitely get a feel for the history of the building that was built in 1908.




I ordered the half chicken. The chicken was cooked perfectly and it was very juicy. There were only two things I think they could have improved on with this dish. First, they should change the name of the dish to quarter chicken, or start purchasing larger chickens. The portions seemed pretty small for a "half chicken". I was actually still hungry after eating all of the chicken offered and all of the green beans. The second improvement is to add some spice or rub to the chicken. Although the chicken was cooked perfectly, it didn't really have that much flavor. The lemonade I ordered with my dinner was tasty.

This was just my first visit so I will definitely come back to try some of the other dishes on the menu. I love the atmosphere of Odd Fellows and I hope some of the other food items they have to offer match the atmosphere.

http://www.oddfellowscafe.com/

Guanaco's Tacos Pupuseria

My boyfriend went to Guanaco's with a friend of his a few weeks ago and he's been talking about it ever since then. He said I had to try their Pastelitos. So last weekend we went to Guanaco's so I could try these things out. Guanaco's is a little restaurant in the University District. The staff at Guanaco's is very friendly. When we were there you could see two of the cooks in the kitchen chopping up all the fresh vegetables.

We ordered a plate of Pastelitos Guanacos and a Chicken Burritos Guanacos. Pastelitos are corn flour pockets filled with beef, onions and carrots. They are then flash fried and served with curtido. My boyfriend was right. The Pastelitos were very good! They were perfectly crispy. The beef, onions and carrots tasted as if they were seasoned. The burrito was very good also. It pretty much looks just like a Taco Del Mar burrito, but it definitely tastes much better. All of the ingredients taste so fresh. It was like having an authentic, homemade burrito. Guanaco's won't hurt your wallet either. They are very reasonably priced.

http://guanacostacos.webs.com/

Bite of Seattle

The Northwest's premier food festival starts today! The Bite of Seattle is located at Seattle Center right at the base of the Space Needle. This is the 28th year of this great festival of food from restaurants and vendors from all across Western Washington. This year the Bite features over 100 food booths, 4 beer gardens, 7 outdoor entertainment stages, the Family Fun Zone, Comedy Club, Bite Wine Tasting, and many charitable fundraisers. As you enjoy all the delicious food samplings, you can check out some of the over 150 entertainment acts throughout the weekend. The weather is supposed to be beautiful all weekend, so grabbed your friends and family and head on over to Seattle Center to experience the best food that Seattle has to offer!

Dates: July 17, 18 & 19, 2009

Location: Seattle Center

Hours: Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Sunday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

www.biteofseattle.com

Winemaker Dinner at Betty Restaurant

A few weeks ago I attended a winemaker's dinner at Betty Restaurant on Queen Anne Hill with a group of friends. This was a special one-night only dinner with special guest, Edgardo del Popolo of Dona Paula Estate Winery in Mendoza, Argentina. The dinner consisted of four courses plus six different wines. Edgardo spoke with everyone to explain the difference of each of the wines we tasted that night. Before dinner was served, we started our wine adventure with a 2008 Cardos Sauvingnon Blanc. This was a good wine to start with as it was very light.

This dinner came at a perfect time as my friends and I were all in Buenos Aires, Argentina at this time last year. So this was a perfect way to celebrate a one year anniversary of that trip. The food and wine in Argentina is amazing and I highly recommend visiting Argentina to sample their delicious food, their rich history and their wonderful culture.

Our dinner started with Rolled Eggplant with Fresh Mozzarella, Arugula Pesto and Red Peppers. Accompanied with this we tasted the 2007 Dona Paula Estate Sauvingnon Blanc. This wine was also pretty light.

Our second course were Potato-Chive Empanadas with Grilled Washington Asparagus and Roasted Garlic Aioli. The Empanadas were delicious! The Asparagus and Aioli tasted great together. The wine for this course was a 2007 Dona Paula Estate Chardonnay. I'm not a huge Chardonnay fan, but this one was pretty good.

The third course was a Trio of Meats (sausage, chicken, beef) with Spring Bulghur Salad and Chimichurri Sauce. All three meats were very tasty. My favorite was the sausage. The wine for this course was a 2006 Dona Paula Estate Shiraz-Malbec. This wine was delicious.

Our fourth course was dessert. We were served delicious House Made Churros with Chocolate Pudding and Dulce de Leche. The Churros were very good, and they tasted even better when dipped in the Chocolate Pudding and Dulce de Leche. With our dessert we were served a 2007 Dona Paula Estate Cabernet Sauvingnon. This was probably my favorite wine of the night.

To finish off the night, we were served a 2008 Dona Paula Salix Vineyard Tannat-Malbec. This wine came in a close second as my favorite for the evening. Betty Restaurant did an excellent job hosting the winemaker dinner, and they hinted that they might be having another one this summer with a South African theme. I hope Betty plans on hosting more winemaker dinners in the future. This dinner was definitely a lot of fun, and we all had a great time. To find out more information about Betty, check out their website: http://www.eatatbetty.com/

Anita's Crepes

Anita's Crepes used to sell their crepes at Farmer's Markets until last year when Anita opened her own restaurant in Ballard. Anita turned what used to be an old vaccuum repair shop into a cozy, little French crepe bistro. The space is a vast improvement from its prior tenant. The space is now filled with little, square tables and leather chairs. The restaurant has nice hardwood floors and an open kitchen. I really liked the simplicity of the place.

I ordered the wild mushroom and spinach crepe. The crepe had cooked spinach in the crepe and fresh spinach on top. The best part was the mushroom sauce surrounding the crepe. Whenever I eat a crepe I never think it's going to fill me up, but this crepe was very hearty and just the right amount of food for lunch.

My friend ordered the Raspberry freezer jam crepe. His crepe was very tasty. It was like eating dessert. It was topped with powdered sugar and whipped cream. This crepe was also a generous portion, and was a good size for lunch. It came with eggs and sausage.

Anita, the owner, was working the day I had lunch. She was great. She always has a smile on her face. You can tell her staff really enjoys working there too. They were all very nice. As we were finishing our lunch, one of the cooks asked us if we would like a small complimentary bowl of lobster bisque. Of course we're not going to refuse free lobster bisque, so we happily accepted. The bisque was delicious! I'd definitely come back and pay full price for it, and I will also come back to try some of the other crepes on the menu. Anita's Crepes is definitely a bright spot on an otherwise dreary Leary Way in Ballard.

I give Anita's Crepes 3 out of 5 crepes.

Bagel Deli

I went to the Bagel Deli on 15th Ave Sunday morning with my boyfriend for a breakfast bagel and some coffee. This was my first time going to the Bagel Deli and I was surprised to find the place empty. Especially on a Sunday morning. I ordered the ham, egg and cheese bagel with a vanilla latte.
I was really disappointed. The bagel taste just like the kind I would normally buy at Safeway or QFC, and I was not impressed with the ham, cheese or egg. I honestly would have rather had a breakfast muffin from McDonald's. It would have tasted better.

The vanilla latte wasn't all that great either. I would recommend walking down the street to either Victrola or Cafe Ladro. My latte barely had any vanilla syrup, so it basically tasted like a drip coffee. My boyfriend ordered "The Gobbler" turkey sandwich bagel as well as a bagel with cream cheese and strawberry spread. He said both were pretty average, but nothing that he would definitely order again.

I've heard a lot of people say that Seattle isn't really a good city for good bagels. I guess I would agree with that so far and continue on my quest for a good bagel sandwich. Any suggestions??

I give Bagel Deli 2 out of 5 bagels.

First Saturday Breakfast at Farm Kitchen

Do you like organic food? Love the country-side? Like making new friends? Then you should definitely make a trip out to Farm Kitchen located in Poulsbo, WA. Farm Kitchen is an eighteen acre organic farm which offers the First Saturday of the Month Breakfast. Treat the family to a short ferry ride and drive out to Farm Kitchen and you'll be treated to an organic, farm fresh breakfast!

The First Saturday Breakfast is Year round.

Each month Farm Kitchen offers a Featured Breakfast for $9.75 and a selection of side orders from $3 - $5 each.

No reservations are needed. Breakfast is served between 8:00 am to Noon.

A previous menu from a First Saturday Breakfast included: Scrambled Eggs, Thick cut Bacon, Roasted Potatoes, Orange Cranberry Scone, Fresh Fruit. You can also try one of their many fresh pastries: Cinnamon Rolls, Cherry Danish, Orange Cranberry Scones, Yummy Orange Rolls Hollis's Original 8-Grain Pullaparts, Pecan Sticky Buns and many others!

Farm Kitchen is owned by Hollis Fay and Anne Thatcher. According to their website, they "created Farm Kitchen to be a place where events are celebrated in a gracious country setting with friends and great food."

Do yourself and your friends and family a favor and head on out to Farm Kitchen for a wonderful breakfast experience.

You can find out more information about Farm Kitchen, First Saturday Breakfast and their other events at their website at http://www.farmkitchen.com/.

Quaker True Delights

I joined a foodie community website a few months ago called Foodbuzz.com. It's a great website for anyone interested in food, recipes, restaurants and food products. You can share your ideas, reviews, photos and blogs with thousands of other foodies all over the world. One of the cool perks of being a Foodbuzz member is receiving free samples of new food products. Just the other week I received some samples of the new Quaker True Delights bars.

The Quaker True Delights bars come in three flavors: Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond, and Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut. I received two bars of each so I shared them with my boyfriend. We first tried the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond. We both liked this bar. It has a lot of dark chocolate throughout the bar and the raspberry was quite tasty. The next bar we sampled was the Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut. This was probalby our least favorite of the three. On its own, the bar is okay, but compared to the two other flavors it definitely comes in third. The last bar we sampled was the Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry. This was our favorite. I'm a big fan of honey, so that paired with the cashews and mixed berries definitely made this the best tasting bar. I would buy a box of these the next time I go grocery shopping.

You can check out the Quaker True Delights bars at their website and request a free sample. If you're a foodie, like to cook, or like eating out at restaurants you should check out Foodbuzz.com.

Meatloaf

I finally made my first meatloaf. I have always wanted to make my own after being invited over to friends for dinner and tasting their delicious meatloafs. I took a shortcut and used some basic ingredients instead of getting too fancy. I ended up using ketchup instead of a tomato sauce or paste, and I used a store bought meatloaf seasoning mix.

I didn't realize just how easy it is to make a meatloaf, not to mention how much fun it is to mix all the ingredients with your hands! After mixing all of the ingredients in a large bowl, I placed the mixture into a standard loaf pan. I put a light covering of ketchup on the top of the loaf before placing it into the oven.

For a side I just mashed up some potatoes and I made some brown gravy.

Ingredients:

2 lbs Ground Beef
1 Onion - finely diced
1 cup Ketchup
1 cup Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup Cilantro
1 packet Meatloaf Seasoning Mix
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine ground meat, diced onion, bread crumbs, eggs, ketchup, milk,
cilantro, meatloaf seasoning, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well.

2. Place into a loaf pan and pat into place.

3. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 1 hour or until done.