Seattle's Best Mac and Cheese

After the lobster macaroni and cheese at Purple in downtown Seattle, I thought I had found Mac and Cheese perfection. And its still some damn fine Mac and Cheese. I also have to say on a personal note that anyone who puts tomatoes in their Mac and Cheese is also great by me. Before I moved to Seattle, I thought I was crazy for that habit, but it comes that way in several establishments here such as the Icon Grill (who also makes a very good baked Mac and Cheese with a side of melty cheese in a pitcher.)

But sorry Purple and Icon, you lose. On the recommendation of the wonderful staff at 94 Stewart in Pike Place Market, I had the best Mac and Cheese I have ever eaten. Come visit, I will take you there and we can have some together. I have no idea how she gets so much flavor in a cheese sauce. This particular visit was a lunch visit, but the food has been consistent during subsequent visits. Our Irish friend asked what the big deal about Mac and Cheese was at nice restaurants in America and I reiterated that its actually really tough to do correctly. 94 Stewart nails it.

Bagels

This week, Beef requested bagels. I found this great blog and resulting bagel recipe: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/bagels. I wanted an overnight recipe because I know that good gluten development is really the key to the texture I was looking for (bagel...not round white bread ala supermarket bagel like object). I followed her instructions which worked perfectly with a couple of notes/changes.

• I was unable/inept at finding Malt syrup or powder. I live in Seattle, this shouldn't be difficult, but alas I did not get it done. I used honey for sweetener.
• Kneading is a good arm and back workout. Especially when your kitchen lights are floods.
• I lengthened the second baking time by 5 minutes because my bagels were not brown enough at 10 minutes.
• I used King Arthur Bread flour.
• I sprinkled three with poppy seeds and three with fleur de sel.
• Two people cannot eat a dozen bagels in five days before they leave town unless they are very dedicated to the cause.

October in Cape Cod

I can't believe its Thanksgiving already...

All of my favorite food blogs are filled with Turkey and traditional dishes which is all fine and well. However, I have prepared more than my share of Turkey in my lifetime -- over 200! -- (that story is for another post) and I am now less than fond of the whole shebang. So here is a little rewind to October, when I experienced some beautiful Cape Cod in the fall.

Each year in October, one of the vendors that I subscribe to in the riveting world of financial research hosts an annual conference in Chatham at the Chatham Bars Inn, one of the most picturesque places I have ever been.

Since my East Coast experiences have largely centered on this place and the city of Boston alone, it makes sense that I hold it somewhat dear despite quirks that I would gripe about elsewhere. As you can see, the hotel is beautiful, right on the beach. Each time, I have been fortunate enough to have a cottage on the water, though this year the pack of elephants upstairs made the experience a bit less than tranquil.

Each year there is also an option to participate in an activity. While the militant individualist in me balks at this sort of thing, it really is a nice opportunity in a casual setting to share common interests with the other attendees. Instead of touring as I did last year, I opted to take part in a cooking class. It turns out that instead of a class, it was more of a competition to make chowder...a competition with helpful tips. My team consisted of two sponsoring company reps in addition to the wife of another attendee. We were shown ingredients of all kinds (and were given access to anything we thought of in the interim) and given a base list of recipes for traditional, red, and vegetarian chowders.

We were also instructed on the dispatching of lobsters, one of the primary ingredients in just about everything at the Inn (including the delicious lobster roll above that I ate while waiting to check in). Apparently some folks believe that if you soothe the lobster before killing it, it is both more humane and the meat tastes better. The chef assured us that lobsters didn't feel much pain (he seemed to have as much reverence for lobster as I do for turkey) and took care of them for us despite the lesson.

Our team came in last sadly, due to under-salting which I take some blame for. I love salt and I generally think most things are under-salted. I did not speak up when I should have, thinking I would offend other sensibilities. Later, the chef salted the chowder for us to show us just how cowardly we had been and told us we would have scored a lot better had we just seasoned the stuff correctly. However, it was a wonderful time and our chowder really was quite beautiful. After a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc isn't everything?

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!

Taking the Test -- Omnivore's 100

This has been around for awhile, but I have been wanting to submit my answers and see how truly well fed I have been... This is, of course, courtesy of the Very Good Taste blog.

Instructions:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold(or italicize) all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.


The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martin
i58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
(PS. The list has generated a lot of questions, so I’ve created an FAQ for it over here!)

I heart my CSA basket

We are so lucky in Seattle to have a large year-round public market and an above average community relationship with local growers. At our house, we have been members of a Community Supported Agriculture program from several local farms over the years. This year, we are receiving produce (on Wednesdays for 22 weeks) from Tiny's Organics in Wenatchee, Washington.

Participating in a CSA has done several things for us. First, it has taught us about so many different foods that we didn't know about or how to prepare and has widened our horizons in a big way. As we are both from the northern to central "midwest" we were pretty familiar with the starch and meat equation but not with the tremendous variety. I had no idea what sorrel or mizuna was four years ago. Secondly, it has taught us to value fresh, local ingredients. Chef Beef's father is a farmer in Ohio, so we have mixed feelings about swearing allegiance to the organic movement, however, we believe heavily in the local food movement for the simple facts that it supports the local economy and tastes a lot better.

Thirdly, it has vastly increased our vegetable consumption (which was not terrible before). There was a time when Chef Beef could not have imagined eating only vegetables for dinner. This year's basket is also relatively fruit heavy. I have no talent for canning or preserving, but I have pawned off an awful lot of fruit crisp this summer from pluot crisp to apple crisp.

Pike Place market itself provides produce throughout the year in addition to local butchers, cheese crafters, arts, dairies, food vendors and flowers...(for the decoration-ally challenged).

Weekly Lunch Splurge -- Steelhead Diner

Lest you worry that I will only be a one note blogger, I introduce a new feature: Weekly Lunch Splurge. I will tell confess where I ate a brilliant lunch this week as opposed to a smushy sandwich from the cafeteria upstairs or questionable noodles from up the street.

Given my love of weird food, odd combinations, and utter devotion to carbohydrates despite their relatively unfashionable reputation, the Steelhead Diner in Pike's Place Market is the place to eat lunch.

Typically I try to be somewhat budget conscious during the week, but when I want to spend $25+ on lunch (which I do maybe once a week) I try to do it somewhere fun and different. Yesterday, I sampled the heirloom tomato/pesto/and hand pulled mozzarella (from neighboring partner Beecher's cheese) and a side of potato latkes. First, its amazing you can get a side of potato latkes because they are not exactly common Seattle restaurant fare. It was a great lunch and accompanied by a cold glass of blackberry lemonade. I don't know what was up with the pineapples. They were everywhere.

I highly recommend getting in on the heirloom tomato crop while they are fresh. Spend the extra money and eat them fresh...you'll see tomatoes in a new light.