Before Fam brought her arugula from Beacon Hill, she used to make potstickers at the Dahlia Lounge. She didn’t move very fast, but slowly and methodically produced thousands and thousands of potstickers for us. At first during the day time in the kitchen at the old Dahlia, and then after a surprise trip on the transfer truck with Steven Steinbock to her new workplace at the Palace, Fam was always a super jolly presence in the kitchen. She didn’t speak much English, having emigrated here from Laos after the Vietnam war.
After fifteen years or so of making our potstickers, Fam stopped working in the kitchen because of arthritis, and started bringing in the most beautiful arugula I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure where she got the seeds to start, but eventually she and a couple of friends started arriving unannounced at the Palace with backpacks and plastic bags full of the hardiest, spicy arugula you could hope for. The “rocket mafia,” as our manager Jay calls them, would ride city buses in from where ever their gardens are, and meet at the Palace to deliver. Sometimes we would get up to five of the containers you see in the pictures.
Fam died peacefully in her sleep a few years ago, but her daughter, also named Fam (see photo bottom right) still comes by sporadically to deliver arugula, Asian greens, herbs, and some not so delicious beets the size of softballs. If they make the effort to bring it in, I buy it, so I can have access to the arugula. Not only is Beacon Hill arugula a staple on the menu at Palace, but my interactions with the ladies that bring in the greens (see another lady who delivers arugula to us in the top photo) is one of my favorite parts of being called the chef at Palace
June 16th, 2009 | No Comments »
This trattoria, located across the street from the Central Market (Florence’s large food market), is laid-back, casual, and lunch-only. It is wildly popular with both locals and tourists. You patiently stand in line (photo top) outside the door waiting for your name to be called, which gives you plenty of time to read the glowing reviews (some in English, most in Italian) plastered to the window while you ponder the day’s menu. This is helpful because once inside, you won’t receive a menu; you have to read what’s posted on the wall (plus,if you’re eating on the late side, several items may be crossed out), so it’s best to mentally prepare ahead. (There are also signs posted on the walls which say, in Italian, “We cook your steak our way” and ” You are forbidden to order a well done steak,” since Trattoria Mario is known for Bistecca alla Fiorentina- rare grilled steak.)
We discovered Trattoria Mario by reading The Food Lover’s Guide to Florence by Emily Wise Miller, who calls this her favorite restaurant in Florence. My Florence restaurant experience is much more limited than Miller’s, but this turned out to be one of my very favorite places as well.
Once you get through the door, you’re likely to be seated with others at a communal table. Your paper placemat, flatware and paper napkin are placed in front of you, and you will soon be asked for your order. The food quickly flies out of the tiny kitchen (second photo from top). The service is cheerful and relaxed. The cooking is straightforward and homey- true Tuscan comfort food. Read the rest of this entry »
June 15th, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I grew up in Puyallup valley, and my birthday is the beginning of June. Naturally, my birthday cakes always involved strawberries. My favorite, and the dessert of lasting memory, is strawberry pizza. 
It’s one of those memories where I can’t decide if my recollection is from the event itself or the photo I have of my eighth birthday, digging into a slice of cream cheese-y strawberry pizza. The recipe I made this year is easy. A large sugar cookie as the crust, a layer of sweetened cream cheese, and sugared local strawberries. I can’t eat nearly as many slices as I could when I was eight.
June 10th, 2009 | No Comments »
What’s a burger worth? $5, $10, or $26? Well if you’re at the Minetta Tavern, it’s going to cost you $26. The burger is a prime grind and quite juicy.
But what made it delicious was the onion jam that it is smothered in. The sweetness of the onions contrasted well with the salty beefy flavor of the burger. I’ve had many burgers in my lifetime and this was really good, but when you factor everything in, it wasn’t the best, nor was it the most expensive burger that I’ve ever had. The most expensive was the DB burger which started the whole fine dining burger genre. The best I’m still searching for.
June 8th, 2009 | 4 Comments »
When you love food and you’re in the restaurant world, there are small pleasures to be found around every turn. Today, while making my morning coffee, I walked past the large Palace Kitchen prep table and saw that it was strewn with beautiful lettuces plucked fresh from Tom and Jackie’s farm in Prosser, WA. Mounds of Tom Thumb baby bibb lettuce, golden chard, beet greens and red fire leaf lettuce, with their tender roots still intact, had just been freshly washed and sorted for the restaurants. Everyone has their therapeutic outlets- sometimes it’s being out in nature, or excercise, or reading, or a whole host of other things… for me it’s being around food that’s been thoughtfully cared for.
June 3rd, 2009 | No Comments »
After a good, hard week of work, I felt that I had to treat myself to a bit of my favorite comfort food. Nowadays I don’t eat that much meat, but when I do, it should be good. I love to rub my steak (tonight: rib eye) with Old Bay and salt and pepper and sear it. Hardly anything better than local, steamed asparagus with butter! I also love my Yukon gold mashed potatoes with garlic and lots of butter and Romano cheese. The L’Orangerie de Carignan Bordeaux was really delicious! The meal was so comforting and restorative, and I found great pleasure at cooking it for myself.
June 1st, 2009 | No Comments »
RSS Subscribe