Henry Alford’s article, “Would the City Shut You Down?” in yesterday’s New York Times dining section, details the writer’s experience of enduring a city health inspection of his apartment kitchen. Even though Alford had 27 hours to prepare for the inspection (unlike restaurants which get no warning), and even though he “scrubbed and scoured” for 10 hours and took out 7 garbage bags worth of opened and dubious foods from his kitchen, the health inspector still found quite a few violations. Though she graded him with a “C,” she informed him that if he were a real restaurant she would have taken “more dramatic action,” due to his too-warm refrigerator. The article is delightfully witty- laugh out loud funny in fact- especially if, like me, you work in a restaurant and wonder sometimes if customers realize that their own home kitchens would probably not pass muster if subjected to the type of frequent health department inspections that are a basic fact of life in the restaurant business.
September 30th, 2010 | No Comments »
This Sugar Pumpkin Pie was baked by Pastry Chef Garrett Melkonian today- yet another recipe developed for the upcoming Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. Though it may look modest and humble in the photo, I think this is the best pumpkin pie that I have ever tasted. The texture is unique for pumpkin pie- rich, but light as a cloud. The flavor is pure and pumpkin-y with delicate, subtle spicing. The crust is perfectly crisp, even on the bottom.
I know you’re tired of hearing about Garrett’s secret techniques, but I can’t help it- the man is a magician. Garrett makes this pumpkin pie in a way I’ve never seen or heard of before, and I’ve baked plenty of pumpkin pies in the past for the restaurants, as well as the couple I bake every year for my personal use at the holidays. This pie is made with a real sugar pie pumpkin, roasted and pureed- but that’s not the secret part. We have to keep the technique a surprise until the book is published.
I love this pie.
September 29th, 2010 | 10 Comments »
A cone of frites and curry ketchup in Amsterdam! Check out Eat Drink Zack Adrienne, also under “Blog Buddies,” to your right, to keep up with the European travel adventures of Dahlia sous chef, Adrienne Lasko, and her sweetie, Zack.
September 29th, 2010 | No Comments »
Portland has so many fabulous street vendors! There is an awesome two block area ringing some parking lots in downtown Portland that has nearly every conceivable type of food available: strictly vegetarian, family made grilled sausages, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, etc, etc….
Besides an awesome bratwurst, the food at Kaho Man Gai was my top favorite!! I think the best food is made with the most honest ingredients. Here the chicken is simply poached in broth, served with steamed rice, a side of soup, and a mind blowing homemade garlic and ginger sauce- made fresh right in the stall. This stand would be a major hit in Seattle. Come on Seattle- make it easier for good street food vendors!! This is food that everybody wants to eat. It makes you feel so good, and it is honest.
September 29th, 2010 | No Comments »
Check out this link to the Voracious blog and watch the video. You’ll find out what Tom Douglas and other “culinary heavyweights” have to say about why you should vote yes on I-1100.
September 28th, 2010 | No Comments »
Our Extreme Beer and Moustache Contest was a big hit! Who knew there was a cult of facial hair enthusiasts in this town? A spirited competition awarded prizes for evil mustache, best lady, best man, and real life hair. Warren Peterson did a great job with the food, and the buzz in the room was palpable!! One of the notable favorites was the Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA with the pickled pigs ear. This event is bound to be an annual occurence.
September 28th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Our catering team helped to enhance the festivities surrounding the opening of the expansive new park at South Lake Union. Friday night was a seated dinner for the Parks Foundation, and Saturday we handed out
free coco pie bites which astonished the happy recipients! The park has been thoughtfully designed and gives us wonderful access to our urban lake center.
September 27th, 2010 | No Comments »
For our fanciest dinner in Portland, I had reserved a table at Castagna, so we cabbed it across the river to the Hawthorne neighborhood on a rainy Saturday night. Castagna’s chef, Mathew Lightner, has been winning accolades, including cooking a recent dinner at James Beard House and being named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, 2010. Also Castagna was chosen as the Oregonian’s 2010 Restaurant of the Year. There’s a Cafe Castagna as well, but we went for the fancy joint.
I think there must be a city law that every Portland restaurant have a hip and exciting cocktail menu and Castagna is no exception. (There’s another law that every Portland line cook must have one arm tatooed from wrist to shoulder- or is that a nationwide law?) I enjoyed a “Choked Manny,” Castagna’s take on the Manhattan made with the artichoke based Italian liqueur, Rye whisky, and orange bitters.
My first course, described on the menu as “Bison: fresh currants, malt, melon rind, hazelnuts, and shaved 
tenderloin,” was basically a fabulous carpaccio, the rosy, tender, slices of meat studded with herbs, currants, and nuts. Frank chose the pickles and bay scallops- gorgeously plated if a little light tasting for Frank’s palate. The bread service consisted of two housemade rye rolls and a ramekin of pork butter. I also loved Frank’s second course of a rectangle of corn custard plated in a pool of mushroom broth and blanketed with roasted chanterelles. Both of our entrees were also good- Frank’s smoked “pressa” (pork) with crispy scallions and my black cod with eggplant, yogurt, and honey.
But the peak experience of the meal, for me, was the dessert! I liked Frank’s poached peach dessert, especially for the almond ice cream that had been shaped in molds to look like stone fruit pits, but I loved my choice, described on the menu as “Red fruit: digestif herbs, roots, stems, gingerbread, fernet ice cream.” One of the things I admire about this dessert menu is the way it is set up exactly the same way as the savory side. For Castagna, this means the chef chooses an ingredient- which may or may not be the largest or main element of the dish- and riffs off the flavors and textures of that ingredient.
For my dessert, the red fruits- including raspberies and red currants- were set off with a lusciously smooth intriguingly flavored scoop of Fernet ice cream. The gingerbread was in the form of a broken bits of brittle, and herbs, seeds, and candied stems were scattered around, every bite revealing a new flavor and texture. Eating this dessert was an experience both mysterious and delightful, almost lyrical. Like eating a poem.
Next time you’re in Portland, give Castagna a try. Not every dish is a complete success (my second course of slow cooked potatoes in beer and potato consomme was a snoozer) , but when Lightner hits the ball out of the park, your culinary horizons expand, both mentally and sensually. In this recessionary time, when our best chefs are making burgers and fried chicken, I find it invigorating and exciting to find a chef pushing the boundaries.
(Photos: top left to right- pickles with scallops, rye rolls, red fruits. Thumbnail photo center upper left, bay scallop with a tiny seed pod. Thumbnail photo center lower left, peaches with almond ice cream. Thumbnail photo center right, bison carpaccio.)
September 27th, 2010 | No Comments »
Eggplants used to be dead to me. They’re such a cop-out for vegetarian dishes and even though “it helps to block the formation of free radicals and is also a source of folic acid and potassium” (via Wiki)… I never really thought they were GOOD for you. Our waiter recommended the dish at a local restaurant and the desire to attempt to make it at home has been growing since then. I gave it a shot this morning and it worked out well. It’s HELLA EASY:
BUY EGGPLANT > STEAM 5 MINUTES > MAKE SAUCE > EAT
Steamed, Spicy Eggplant
They serve this dish at Facing East in Bellevue, WA, one of my favorite (and only lol) Taiwanese joints near Seattle. There are many items on the menu that are delicious, but I love the fact that the eggplant is served cold – a wonderful addition to a steaming bowl of hot white rice.
Slice a Japanese eggplant into four long slices, stopping 1 inch from the top to keep the stem intact. KINDA LIKE A FOUR LEGGED OCTOPUS. Steam for 5 – 7 minutes or until tender. Chill in fridge until cool. You can also eat this dish hot.
For the sauce, mix the following ingredients in a bowl:
3 tablespoons chili oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp white sugar
White pepper & black pepper
To plate, make a bed of sliced rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and lay the eggplant on top. Generously ladle the sauce on top of the eggplant, making sure to get between the eggplant slices. Top with green onions and even some cilantro. Serve with stir-fried pork belly or 5-spice braised beef. OR FRIED CHICKEN LOL.
Next time, I’ll probably add a bit more fresh chili or a touch of water to allow the sauce to coat the bottom of the plate more for more “sop-ability.” I’m also thinking about fermented black beans for a bit more TWANG, but for now, the dish will be a go to veg’ for the next few weeks!
HOORAY EGGPLANT.
Editor’s note: check out Herschell’s blog, All Things Chill. You’ll also find it under “Blog Buddies,” to your right.
September 23rd, 2010 | No Comments »
Construction continues on the new spaces for the bread and pastry bakeries in South Lake Union.
September 23rd, 2010 | 2 Comments »
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