An Office Lunch, Nettletown Inspired Noodles/ by Herschell Taghap, Catering
Pictured: Chinese Noodles with Sauteed Trumpet Mushrooms, Bone-In Pork Loin and Baby Squash
A few weeks ago I worked a day with Chef Christina Choi of Nettletown in the Eastlake Neighborhood of Seattle, picking cilantro seeds, cleaning fava bean pods, makin’ sauces, sipping on thyme-flavored soda and having honest conversations on farmers, the virtues of recycled toilet paper and how to build a restaurant with your significant other. She was recently showcased with a demonstration at our Tom Douglas Culinary Summer Camp, which honestly feels like YEARS ago. Hee hee.
One of my favorite parts of the day was a trip to the Columbia City farmers market, which just recived an America’s Best award from CNN. I had the pleasure of meeting new farmers, speaking to them about harvest times and discovering their just picked produce. I also loved seeing that the food that these people picked from the ground would be served at the restaurant the next day. I already understood that owning and running your own restaurant is an incomprehensible task, but visiting family owned farms and actually creating strong relationships through direct contact and a handshake must be one of the most rewarding parts of the job.
When Liana and I had dinner at Nettletown (Fridays and Saturdays at the moment), one of our dishes was the noodles with pork. It had great textures and had a light flavors that were so memorable, I still craved it days later. To appease my appetite, and gain brownie points with Liana’s co-workers, I made a big batch of noodles, strongly influenced by that dish.
Instead of writing down the recipe, In respect for Christina’s brand-spankin’ new restaurant (five months opened, right?), I’ll just recommend that you and your friends visit her at Nettletown. The food is incredibly fresh and is delicious.
Thanks Christina!
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July 29th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
Looks absolutely fabulous! I’ll have to go there sometime. As for making it myself, how come trumpet mushrooms are so expensive??? When I lived in France, the mushrooms were a fraction of what they cost here — maybe because the pharmacists are all qualified to tell people who pick their own if they’re OK to eat or not. This means the pros have to compete in price with those who gather their own.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:32 am
I can’t wait to check out Nettletown for myself. Also, I’m so glad you mentioned that the Columbia City Farmers Market was recognized on that CNN list as one of the best farmers markets in the whole country! I shop at the University Farmers Market most often, because it’s closest to me, but I love both the Columbia City and Ballard Farmers Markets.
July 31st, 2010 at 7:18 pm
thanks herschell for helping us at nettletown! it was a pleasure to have your cheerful company
come back soon!