Frank and I headed over to Brave Horse Tavern after work yesterday- our first visit since the soft opening months ago. The outdoor seating looks so appealing, but we couldn’t snag a table outside so we walked in and seated ourselves at one of the communal tables. The joint was packed! Noisy! Jamming! Exciting! I spied Chef Brian Walczyk over at the pretzel station, rolling pretzel dough. I have so much respect for the Brave Horse team. They’ve been slammin’ and jammin’ ever since they first opened the doors- it takes a huge amount of energy to run a big, busy joint like this.
Surprisingly, given the crowds, our sever found us right away and offered menus. We ordered beers from their big list and also got a pretzel with smoky peanut butter- delicious. Everyone in Seattle has to come in and try one of these pretzels. Also a burger with fries — just a great Tavern burger with a soft homemade bun, hand ground juicy beef patty, drippy yummy sauce, and a thick pad of crispy, crunchy lettuce for 6 bucks! That is a crazy good deal! Frank got the bratwurst with mashed potatoes and spring onions. No one makes a better brat than our Brian!! We couldn’t leave without trying one of Pastry Chef Stacy’s desserts, so we got the little cherry pie with vanilla ice cream. It arrived warm with a perfect tender and flaky crust and fabulous cherry filling.
Next time we come, we’re going to try to get one of those dreamy outdoor tables. On weekdays, I think it may get a little less busy after the after work rush.
June 9th, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Molly (photo left), Dahlia Bakery manager, and Layla (photo right), Serious Pie server (and also Palace Chef Desi’s girlfriend), are both in love with Harvest the Horse and are always waiting on Thursdays with fresh fruit and veggies to feed him! He sticks his head into Serious Pie Virginia to let them know he’s outside!
June 8th, 2011 | 2 Comments »
This English muffin, toasted at home this morning, was baked yesterday in the test kitchen as a recipe test for the upcoming Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. The muffin toasted up craggy, crisp, feather-light and delicious!! Perfection!
June 8th, 2011 | No Comments »
This was our last official day testing recipes for The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. There is still much work to be done on the book, but the testing phase is mostly over. With the help of our Bread and Pastry Production Manager, Gwen LeBlanc, we successfully sailed through the English Muffin recipe! Photos above- cutting portions of the dough. Photo below- the finished muffins:
It makes me happy to have a paper bag full of English Muffins sitting on my desk to take home, split, and toast for breakfast tomorrow.
We also finished all our cherry recipes today, including a simple, rustic cherry crostata and an amazing cherry Pinot Noir hand pie that tastes like a super fabulous jam filled “pop tart!”
Julie, Beth and I feasted on cherry pastries and toasted each other with glasses of sparkling red wine! Thanks a million for all your hard work testing recipes, Julie and Beth!!
June 7th, 2011 | No Comments »
Strawberries at Prosser Farm!!
June 7th, 2011 | No Comments »
I’m finally back testing the last of the recipes for the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook after 3 weeks of recovery from a broken wrist. The rough puff pastry squares that had been sitting and waiting in the freezer all that time at long last got topped with poached pears and almond cream to bake up crisp and flaky- thank goodness they passed the test! We also made a nectarine blueberry crisp with cornmeal crumble and lemon thyme- delicious- but we should have snuck a scoop of ice cream out of Dahlia’s freezer for the ultimate tasting experience.
Best of all, the fabulous Gwen Le Blanc is initiating us into the mystery of the Dahlia English muffin. In the photo she is turning the dough. Tomorrow, after the dough rests overnight in the refrigerator, we’ll finish the English Muffins. We’ll also be working on our cherry recipes- sweet cherry crostatas, cherry Pinot Noir hand pies, and Brachetto cherries.
June 6th, 2011 | No Comments »
Bags and bags of rolls first thing in the morning destined to become roast pork sandwiches at Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia. Memorial Day weekend they were sold out of most everything by 2 o’clock! I had the roasted pork, broccoli rabe and sharp provolone at Dinic’s.
June 2nd, 2011 | No Comments »
In all of our restaurants the chefs and cooks rotate who gets to prepare family meal for the staff each day. Today at Dahlia Lounge I came in to eat a fragrant pineapple chicken curry dish that sous chef Alex had prepared for us! It had just enough heat to get your taste buds tingling, only to be cooled down just in time with the sweet tart pineapple. Coconut milk, mango chutney, garlic, ginger, cilantro… some of my favorite flavors and Alex did an awesome job of marrying all of thmem into the perfect comfort meal for lunch!
June 2nd, 2011 | No Comments »
RSS Subscribe