I don’t often feel like I’m on the cutting edge, but last night’s date with my husband, Frank, included not one but TWO fabulous openings. First off, we had timed tickets to the members’ preview of Seattle Art Museum’s new Picasso show, from the Musee National Picasso in Paris. This is a stunner- a huge, exciting show of the kind that doesn’t seem to come to Seattle much. Don’t miss it. SAM’s Picasso show opens to the public on Friday, October 8.
Next we went to the almost brand new restaurant, The Book Bindery, which opened just last Friday. We knew we were the hippest of the hip when we walked in and found these characters sitting at the bar: (photo below and to the left, Eric Tanaka and his wife, Danica, who were carousing with Katie O and Amy R.)
The Book Bindery is owned by my friend, Patric Gabre-Kidan, the uber-talented guy who opened Tavolata and How to Cook a Wolfe with Ethan Stowell (Patric’s not associated with Stowell any longer), and, previous to that, was the Tom Douglas Restaurants’ Executive Pastry Chef for several years. If the thought of Patric opening a new restaurant isn’t exciting enough, Patric’s chef for The Book Bindery is Shaun McCrain, a man with heavy-hitter chef experience including a stint at Per Se in New York.
Back to the start of our dining experience: The Book Bindery is a bit of a challenge to find. It’s located on Nickerson in a warehouse-type building. We knew it was not far from Ponti, so that helped. Peering in the darkness at the street numbers, we finally found it. Walk inside and you are transported from a stretch of industrial North Queen Anne to a sexy, elegant, romantic restaurant with plenty of gorgeous white marble, a beautiful bar, and big windows overlooking the ship canal on one side and a warehouse filled with wine barrels on the other side.
We started with an amuse bouche of chilled eggplant soup, went on to sweetbreads with caramel apple puree, hamachi tartare with avocado, grilled sturgeon with corn, chanterelle mushrooms, and black pepper gnocchi, and braised lamb shank with panisse (chickpea flour) croutons, artichokes, and roasted tomatoes. We finished with a rich caramel pot de creme and feather light beignets in a pool of concord grape sauce. All in all, it was a divine meal. I especially liked the hamachi with tiny cubes of gelled dashi and a “tile” of avocado. This was beautifully, carefully plated with several different elements- but nothing seemed superfluous- everything made sense. I also loved the sweet corn puree under the perfectly cooked sturgeon and the intense sweetness of the roasted tomatoes with the lamb shank. The lamb was cooked just the way I like it- sublimely tender, but not mushy; it still had a little body and chew. I was surprised to find that kind of very reduced, almost slightly tacky demiglace under the lamb. That’s old school- you don’t see that so much these days. The cooking is a little old fashioned that way, a little French. Not a bad thing. McCrain clearly has an abundance of technique at his fingertips.
What I liked the most about our meal at The Book Bindery: the nice, clear flavors, the subtle seasoning, the overall intelligence of the cooking. The menu may look moderately expensive, with appetizers from $10 to $18 and entrees running $18 to $34, but for the quality of the food, it’s actually a bargain. This place could be in Manhattan, with higher prices and stellar reviews.
This is a sweet location- so convenient for all of us in Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, Greenlake… I advise you to check it out now, before the reviews roll in.
(Note: the food photos above- hamachi tartare, left/ grilled sturgeon, corn, and mushrooms, center/ braised lamb shank, right.)
October 6th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
We’ve started doing some painting in the South Lake Union construction spaces for the new bread and pastry bakeries.
October 5th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
This is what’s left, at 2pm, of a giant bowl of roasted cauliflower and mushrooms with olive oil and fresh herbs that Tom Douglas made for the office staff this morning. Yes, it’s a little unusual to eat roasted cauliflower at 9 am, but it’s a lot better for you than a box of doughnuts, right? We have an office tradition where everyone takes turns making a “veggie tray” for each weekday of the month, so we can munch on something healthy when those little hunger pains strike.
I was thinking about our office tradition this morning as I was reading Jane Brody’s article in the Health section of the New York Times. The bad news, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is that Americans are still falling “far short of the goals set a decade ago to increase consumption of vegetables.” The upside of the article is finding out just how fantastically healthy those tasty and colorful veggies are for you. “Vegetables are loaded with vital nutrients: potassium, beta carotene,… magnesium, calcium, iron, folate,… and vitamins, C, E, and K as well as antioxidants and fiber.” That deliciously roasted cauliflower Tom prepared for us this morning? Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower have been “linked to protection against cancer.” So, if you care about controlling diabetes, the reduction of cardiovascular disease, the acuity of your vision, control of your weight, prevention of infections, and protection against cancer- be sure to eat a good quantity and wide variety of vegetables everyday! Brody is looking for readers’ suggestions of “how to raise the consumption of vegetables among not-so-health-conscious Americans.” Maybe I should tell her about Tom’s veggie tray?
October 5th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
The gods were smiling as I walked by Serious Pie and spied a few empty seats through the window. Holy Moly! Empty seats at the Pie at noon! Naturally, I walked in and was seated for lunch.
Farm-to-table enthusiasm is company wide. First, my server, Scott, greeted me. Then he proudly showed me iPhone photos of his first time canning adventures- pickled green tomatoes (since only ONE tomato ripened in Scott’s garden this year) and pickled green beans. Scott said fig jam is scheduled for the next bout of canning activity.
Next, Serious Pie sous chef, Tony Catini, came to my table to show off a little plate of his own olives- beautifully deep green Sevillano olives that Tony purchased as fresh olives from Orland, California, and cured himself, with significant help from Serious Pie line cook and curing master, Kenan Fox. The olives were dressed with flavorful olive oil, strips of lemon zest, and tiny shreds of red pepper. Really delicious. Tony said his Italian mother who lives in Chicago has cured olives every year for the last 40 years, but it took Tony 3 years to figure out how to do it successfully without the constant stirring (which isn’t possible in a restaurant kitchen).
What else did I enjoy at Serious Pie? A cloud of cool, rich, milky burrata cheese perfectly set off with Kadota figs (gently bruleed with butter and sugar on their cut edges), toasted pine nuts, and a drizzle of tangy balsamic. A light textured, nicely blistered pie topped, with balance and restraint, with slices of Jackie’s eggplant from Prosser Farm, Rustico cheese, and chunks of garlicky sausage. A glass jar of creamy Arborio rice pudding with diced apples and crunchy sweet crumbs- plus a spoonful of caramel at the bottom. A lovely, lovely lunch at the Pie!
October 4th, 2010 | No Comments »
Check out the new side salads at Seatown- mouthwatering accompaniments to our delicious rotisserie meats. Our chefs have been making the most of all the glorious produce available in the autumn harvest, including stunning tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant from our own Prosser Farm.
October 4th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
San Francisco has so many things for so many people! I just love, love, love the city! Whenever I am there, I just want to traverse the city, talk to the people, and of course eat great food. This past summer, I was able to go to great hot dog stands, wander the public spaces, soak up the sun, explore more neighborhoods, nap in parks, visit farmers markets, and soak up day to day life.
San Francisco is such a marvelous city, and I feel so much at home there and always have over the past 18 years that I’ve been going there. Funny sensation of being a home away from home but somehow being my home? I think that it is one of the most marvelous cities in the world. Yep, I said it and I mean it.
I used to go to LuLu every time that I would visit SF, but it has been several years since I’ve returned there. I went recently and had an awesome cocktail called an Angkor Cocktail with Kettle One, lemongrass, and coconut water syrup. I had my favorite wood oven roasted black mussels with drawn butter, and a wonderful pizza with Parmesan cheese, olive oil, onions, artichoke hearts, and spicy arugula. My fabulous bartendress let me sample several California Pinot Noirs, which is my favorite grape.
October 2nd, 2010 | No Comments »
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