Sushi Class

A week or three before all of my hospital/dome food drama, we set about to have some fun with C & J.  See, a while ago, C and I embarked upon an Italian cooking class at a smaller establishment and had a great time mainlining cheap white wine and trying to show off knife skills (me, ahem) and generally being the only people in the class with personality and a desire to learn (that was all C -- I was too busy with the wine). 

Anywho, we decided to try and add boys to the mix and since we all love sushi, why not take a sushi cooking class!?

As J was quick to point out, very little cooking was involved in the sushi course. As in none. It was really a sushi rolling course where we learned about how to cook rice, but didn't really participate. We also learned how to cut fish, how many colors should be a part of your sushi roll, and that if you want good seasonings for  your rice, you'd better find yourself a Japanese grandmother or you are SOL. 

While the more studious among us made the most beautiful wares (C's spicy tuna rolls above left), and Chef Beef was busy trying to entertain the obviously overwhelmed and alone girl at the end of our bench. I was basking in an earful of snark from the class pet, J "The Engineer" Sushimaker (seen above contemplating that hand roll with serious distrust). Seriously, it was probably more fun than any sober cooking class had a right to be but we were all tired little tunas when it was all over.  Tired little tunas lugging home two pounds of leftover sushi...

I think what we all can agree on is that sushi costs a lot and thats O.K. because its ridiculously hard work and requires a skill set and patience that is not really possessed by our little tuna posse. But we were glad we tried it.

Chez Lounge

When I was very little, I was afraid of sleeping alone. My grandparents had a wonderful piece of furniture in their room that I was allowed to sleep on...a cream and green chaise lounge. Naturally, though I don't own one today, it remains one of my favorite pieces of furniture. That is why when we bounced our Friday heels up the stairs to the third floor of the corner Pike Place Market Building...above the butcher and the ice cream shop and several vegetable vendors...I had high hopes for such a cleverly named cafe.

Chez Lounge is a pun based derivative of Chez Shea, a longtime market venue previously only available for dinner. In a time when most restaurants are cutting back hours, its nice to see more choices available. C suggested that we take advantage of one of the Thirty for Thirty promotions. G and J met up with us over a raggedy half hour where we sat sipping wine and overlooking the painted pigs on the roof of the main market building. Gradually the intimate space filled up, and though small, the tables aren't particularly crammed together and the high ceilings did not amplify noise as I thought they might. We wereprobably the loudest people there.

For $15 (not much of a splurge before wine -- which we all had), Chez Lounge offered a 3 course prix fixe menu that catered to meaters and veggies alike. G and I started with a wonderful butter lettuce salad with perfectly candied and slightly salty walnuts (so often nuts are candied to the point of being painful to eat). J tried the creamy broccoli rabe soup and C started with the salmon mousse. The mousse was a tad salmony to be honest, but we helped C finish it anyways, and really that was probably the only low point of the meal. For the second course, we all had something different. I tried the artichoke gratin, G braved the boulliabase, J went for the burger, while C tried the grilled three cheese sandwich with greens. The boulliabase looked delicious, but I just have issues with sea shells in my soup (say that 10 times fast). I parceled out pieces of gratin and tried a hunk of C's delicious cheese sandwich. I think on the right day with a steaming bowl of tomato soup, it would be just the ticket.


But much like a fairy tale princess, I had to suddenly abandon the pursuit of the third course and high tail it back to the office for a meeting that was suddenly just 10 minutes away. I stuck C with my bill and scurried down the street as fast as my little heels would carry me. Breathlessly I sat down three minutes early onlly to be told that I was late as they wanted to start 5 minutes early....Ahh, the best laid plans. In short, Chez Lounge was delicious and a wonderful space. The service was pleasant, but not overbearing...with just enough eyebrow wagging to keep one in line, but not enough to feel intimidated. This is the way French food -- European lunches, should feel. I may have been late, but as I ran down the street feeling warm and relaxed, I thought to myself, "It was worth it."

Holiday Premieres...Seattle Four Seasons & ART Restaurant

Tis the season and all that so an industrious group of pioneers (ok just three of us) set out all the way across the street to try the new Four Seasons restaurant for lunch. All of the reviews that I have seen thus far have been for dinner and so I was really curious about the lunch experience which was quite a bit different.

The first thing that G, C, and I noticed was that the space was nothing like what we expected -- nothing like a typical Four Seasons. The space during the day is spectacularly open, large, and so bright that you hardly notice the pulsating light blocks surrounding the counter and bar that seem to have offended several reviewers. The space was also filled with ladies who lunch -- not a plus or a minus, just an observation. G must have been one of the only men in the place. But it WAS filled which is wonderful in these sorrowful times for the restaurant biz.

Onto the food... the gimmick, if you will, at ART is incorporating your own personal artistry into the food. The counter menu invites you to sample raw, cured, or warm items and combine them with a long list of sauces. These items are then served with paintbrushes with which you can apply said sauces. Though this idea seems whimsical and wonderful, the implementation was somehow lacking. Ordering was cumbersome (default suggestions would have been welcome) and service of said items was harried...even though we had a four top for three people, space became limited. G and C both had fancy-pants chicken club sandwiches and I had a 'TV Tray' lunch (above) featuring small portions of protein (seared ahi for me), fries, soup, and dessert on a four spot plate. Our server was sweet, but nervous and my food came out decidedly lukewarm and G & C's plates looked a little empty honestly. Note in the picture that the restaurant was using crinkle cups by Robert Brandt which really is art.

We'll be back, I'm sure. The kinks in service timing and coreography will be worked out and perhaps my confidence with the paintbrushes will be bolstered somehow. It seems like an even better place for a glass of wine in the evening. And then there's one last part of the whole experience -- stopping by Fran's Chocolates in the lobby for a little dessert on the way back to the office. I had a mocha and one of C's hazlenut crunch truffles and a wonderful time.

Tea for Three

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining two friends for afternoon tea. These days, it seems we are discouraged from the frivolity of taking the time to spend an hour or so catching up on the news and having some tea, but the tradition is beginning to find a foothold again and spots all over are serving tea of varying formality levels. Claremont Mckenna, my alma mater, served an informal tea every afternoon at four as a nod to its Oxford inspirational roots.

The three of us took tea at a delightful spot just north of the University District called Queen Mary. The shop is crowded, but the thoughtful decor lends itself to feeling cozy rather than chintzy and most of the staff seem to genuinely care about the experience. Lots of patrons were wearing tiaras and hats and enjoying a few "princess moments" while several little girls looked like they were having the time of their lives. 

We each ordered a different tea with V ordering a creamy Earl Grey, W ordering a fruity green, while I chose a silver oolong. We

 started with three sorbets (spicy peach, rhubarb, and mango which was my favorite) and a shortbread. Shortly thereafter the tower arrived with sweets, savories, and fruit. The variety was wonderful and highlights for me were the chicken almond salad sandwich, the sausage rolls, and the carrot cake bites. Everything was small, but we all ended up stuffed. It was a first afternoon tea for V who is from Mons, Belgium and she got to put a pin on the big world map in the back of the shop. Hooray for new traditions and V please come back to visit soon!