I took a stroll down to the Pike Place Market to check out the newly opened Rub Shack, right between Etta’s and Seatown. This is the place where you can stop in for a sandwich or pick up some rotisseried meats or chicken to go, or you can eat at one of the very appealing picnic tables right out front while drinking a cold Rainier. (The view from inside the Rub Shack looking out on the picnic tables, photo top). All the meats, poultry, and fish featured here are seasoned with our delicious spice blends, Rub with Love.
I had a hard time choosing between the BBQ chicken sandwich with BBQ sauce and the roast pork sandwich with pickled peppers. Also the daily special salmon salad sandwich sounded pretty good. But I went for the Piri Piri turkey with sriracha mayo and pickled green tomatoes. The meat was sliced and the sandwich assembled in moments (photo above) and I was on my way back to the office.
The turkey sandwich, eaten at my messy desk covered with cookbook editing work, turned out to be delicious- tender turkey, beautifully seasoned, on a soft housemade roll with perfect condiments. Now that the weather is warming up (hmmm… or even if it’s not) this is a fantastic spot to pick up a quick summer lunch.
June 29th, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Look for us in the Pride Parade today!
June 26th, 2011 | No Comments »
Prosser tomatoes growing like crazy!
Editor’s note: it may be June-uary in Seattle, but it’s summer in Prosser!
June 23rd, 2011 | 1 Comment »
One of our best restaurant experiences while visiting Washington DC was brunch at Oyamel, a José Andrés joint. (Andrés, a major celebrity chef of the DC area, also owns Jaleo, Zaytinya, and other restaurants.) Oyamel describes itself as serving Mexican street food, with a lengthy menu of small plates of tacos, ceviches, salads, vegetable dishes and much more. The food is vibrant, exciting, and fun.
The wackiest item on the menu is “chapulines,” a Oaxacan specialty of sauteed grasshoppers which Oyamel serves in a taco with guacamole, shallots, and a splash of tequila. My husband, Frank, just had to have this of course. (He’s eating the grasshopper taco in the photo, top.) Frank said it was delicious, but, I’m a little embarrassed to admit, that seeing the little grasshopper legs falling to the plate, I couldn’t bring myself to take a bite. (The flavor had been described by our server as “strong.”)
We started brunch with guacamole (photo above left), prepared tableside, a basket of fresh tortilla chips, and an intriguing tomato salsa… all top notch. We passed on the cocktails, but tried the prickly pear limeade- pretty, pink, and refreshing. My personal favorite of the dozen or more little plates that we ordered was the quesadilla huitlacoche with Chihuahua cheese and “corn truffle.” (In the photo above right-partly eaten.) Huitlacoche is a fungus that grows on corn and is considered a delicacy in Mexico. I couldn’t get over the subtle flavor of the fungus, which I’ve never tried before, and the taco had just the right amount of savory, melty cheese and a hit of spiciness.
We also enjoyed the papas al mole, and, sorry Canadians, these French fries drizzled with mole, crema, and queso fresco are way, way more delicious than any poutine I have ever tasted. (Poutine- which means French fries covered with gravy and cheese curds- being a newly trendy dish I have never figured out the point of, unless it is to absorb the intake of too much alcohol or protect you from frigid Canadian winters.) Everything else- including tacos filled with everything from braised goat to asparagus, fresh baby cactus with lime dressing, and a tuna ceviche creatively seasoned with toasted pecans, crispy amaranth, and jalapeño- ranged from very good to spectacular. We polished things off with strong cups of coffee and shared a plate of tres leches cake. Then we were off to the airport for the return trip to Seattle- but can’t wait to get back to Oyamel for more great food on our next visit to DC.
June 22nd, 2011 | No Comments »
Thank you to our talented dough makers for perfecting our pretzels. There is a beautiful picture of the Brave Horse pretzel in the July issue of Sunset Magazine which describes it as “hand twisted rounds with bubbly brown shells and an authentic tang, and a just right chewy interior.” The other Western spots mentioned that are featuring pretzels: Absinthe in San Francisco, Kazimierz Wine Bar in Scottsdale, Rockenwager Bakery in LA Park, and Co in Denver.
Editor’s Note: you will find a beautiful photo of our Brave Horse pretzels in Sunset, but this beautiful photo is credited to Seattle Foodie and Summer Camper Extraordinaire, Bruce Miyahara.
June 21st, 2011 | 1 Comment »
The highlight of my recent visit to Washington DC (which was a vacation for me and the opportunity to attend a legal conference for my husband, Frank) was a personal tour of the White House graciously conducted by Frank’s cousin, Sam Kass (photo below, Sam is to the left- Frank is on the right), who is the personal chef to the Obama family and also the administration’s Food Initiatives Coordinator.
The garden of course is meticulously tended and beautifully laid out. Sam told us that they had recently dug out the spring garden and replaced it with a summer planting. With all the hot sunny days DC has been getting- things seemed to be in full swing even if recently planted, including many flowering eggplants and tomatoes, plus a row of cauliflowers starting to head up. There were also okra plants, all kinds of squashes and cucumbers, and many herbs (which Sam and I are tasting and sniffing in the photo below).
There’s an entire bed planted with the same varieties of vegetables grown by Thomas Jefferson, (possibly our most intellectually brilliant President, with agricultural experimentation among his many pursuits) . When the abundant garden, which produces hundreds of pounds of produce, is harvested, the vegetables go into meals prepared by the White House kitchen. Sam told me he still cooks dinner for the Obama family 5 nights a week. I asked him what he was preparing for them that evening, and all he said was: “a little steak.” (By the way, Sam is the Obama family’s personal chef, not the “White House Chef.” That position is held by Cristeta Comeford.)
One of my favorite things about the garden is the exquisite setting against the White House South lawn, near a shimmering fountain. From the right perspective (though not in this photo), you can see the Washington Monument in the distance.
There’s also a beehive adjacent to the garden, which Sam told us is the first ever beehive at the White House. The colony of about 70,000 bees pollinates the kitchen garden (and probably everything else in the general area) and provides a flood of honey.
Like any good working garden, there’s a compost bin of course!
Thanks a million, Sam, for a garden tour we will never forget!!
June 20th, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Strawberries in the new walk-in in the new barn at Prosser Farm !!!!
June 13th, 2011 | No Comments »
Our CEO, Pam Hinckley, not only does she run the company, but she really knows Aloha too!!
June 13th, 2011 | No Comments »
The first Salmon Chanted Evening went beautifully. We prepped for 400 and we sold out. Thanks to the team that worked the supper and those of you who attended. We are very proud of how our company supported this event. The parks department has already placed a concierge in the park and it is making a positive impact. Hope we get the good weather for the next three!!
June 13th, 2011 | No Comments »
As I’m writing, the first boxes of radishes, tat soi, spinach, and strawberries are coming in from our farm in Prosser–the season is upon us! My wife, Jackie and her farm team have been planting like crazy, including 2500 tomato plants, 200 squash and melon plants, sweet silver corn and much, much more. This is our fourth growing season in Prosser and we have gone from a half acre to more than six acres under cultivation. This was also the first year of our greenhouse, so many of the starts were started by US!
Saturday (June 11) is the first of this year’s Salmon-Chanted Evenings at Victor Steinbrueck Park in the Pike Place Market. (This event is near and dear to me so bear with me as I pitch for your support)…..
Read the rest of Tom’s letter here.
June 9th, 2011 | No Comments »
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