Seattle Bon Vivant

Arabesque: Claudia Roden at Benaroya Hall

Her delicious and easy peasy apple cake is a staple in my house and her classic The New Book of Middle Eastern Food an integral part of my cookery library.

And tomorrow night, Claudia Roden, award winning food writer and author of The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York who right now happens to be on book tour in the U.S. (born and raised in Cairo, she currently lives in London) for her brand new book Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon will be appearing at Benaroya Hall as part of Nextbook's Writers Series.

According to Michelle Yanow of Nextbook, Ms. Roden will talk about her career, including such topics as: how she started collecting recipes from relatives and friends when the Jews left Egypt after Suez, and continued to collect from other communities; why she became interested in the history and background of foods; her views on food as an important part of culture and identity; how for her writing about food is - apart from eating and cooking good food - about meeting people and hearing stories.

The book is organized by countries (Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon), contains over 150 recipes and I love that not only does she cover the classics but improves on Middle Eastern favorites--she offers tagines any cook can prepared at home and utilizes simple equipment most of us have around in our kitchens.

But most of all, Ms. Roden incorporates in this book one of my favorite things in the world, my beloved quince. Just look at that cover! That alone sold me on the book.

Following her talk, Ms. Roden will be joined onstage by chef, food writer and culinary arts instructor Emily Moore for conversation and Q&A. Ms. Roden's books will be available from Elliott Bay Book Co., and there will also be a booksigning after the program.

So, come on, start thinking of a good question to ask Ms. Roden, listen in on some delectable conversation, a chance to pick up your very own copy of Arabesque and definitely some inspiration for this week's menus.

To order your tickets click here

 

Nextbook Writers Series: Claudia Roden
Monday, November 20
7:30 pm
$8 Regular Admission $6 Student/Under 25
Benaroya Hall
200 University Street
Seattle, WA 98101
206 215 4800
Will Call/Box Office opens at 6:45pm.
Seating is general admission

David Kamp at University Bookstore

A heads up that David Kamp, the gorgeous Vanity Fair and GQ contributor and author of The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation will be appearing at 7pm tonight at University Book Store.

University Book Store
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA

The Hunger Artists

First Chapter: ‘The United States of Arugula’

Frank Bruni on Kamp's book

Bread & Chocolate, Paris Style: Bernard Burban & Laurence Sourzat at Sweet & Savory

Did you ever dream (like Alice Steinbach did in Educating Alice) of going to Paris to learn cooking and baking? Have you ever wished to learning to make the perfect tart or trying your hand at baking your own bread at home?

Well, if you live in the Seattle area you are in luck! No need to buy expensive airfare, hotel and tuition fees or go to school to learn French. No need to schlep your heavy bags through TSA security or even take your shoes off.

Bernard Burban (Meilleur Ouvrier de France and recently retired pastry and cooking class chef of the Ritz-Escoffier School within the pantheon of cuisine and deliciousness that is the Hôtel Ritz in Paris, France) author of Pains et Fantaisies arrived yesterday in Seattle (along with his translator Laurence Sourzat) from Paris to teach four classes at Sweet & Savory in Mount Baker this weekend.

"This hands on event will be taught in French with an English Translator (the same translator Alice Steinbach writes about in her book). You will leave with complete recipes (in English), a variety of fresh pastries (or breads) and the knowledge and experience to recreate them in your own kitchen!"

The Fromage, Chocolate & Port (History of chocolate & chocolate tasting, classifying cheeses and cheese tasting, Port and wine parings) is sold out but there are still 3-4 spots available for the Tartelettes Traiteur (sweet and savory tart making class) and the Preparation of a Trio of Breads classes.

Mâitre Burban will teach all four 2 hour class sessions next Saturday May 6th and Sunday May 7th  (2-4pm or 4-6pm). The cost per class (payable by check, cash, Visa or MC) is $95.00 + tax.

This is a fabulous opportunity to spoil your inner Francophile, learn from the very best--a Parisian master boulanger no less!--and a chance to perfect your techniques in baking to make your next breakfast, brunch, dinner party or holiday meal even more special.

And may we remind you Monsieur Buban is the man that taught Sweet & Savory's owner, pastry maker baker and extraordinaire Cynthia Brock all his baking secrets? How's that for an incentive?

Not to mention to take home with you a few delectable goodies such as a your very own "baguette, pain de campagne or pâte à tresses, Saumon fumé en crème de fromage, Magret de canard fumé moutarde et céleri, Jambon de Parme et crudités, Quiche aux lardoons, Tourte gourmande or Feuilleté de thon".

Is your mouth watering already? Mine too! For more information call 206 325 2900.

Sweet and Savory
1418 31st Ave South
Seattle, WA 98144
(206) 325-2900

*These classes are being sponsored by Sweet and Savory and are in no way affiliated with the Hôtel Ritz.

May Day: Clap your Hands, Say Yeah!

  Sign spotted last Thursday on window at Tutta Bella in Wallingford

They are our prep cooks, line cooks, sous chefs, small business and restaurant owners, servers, busboys, dishwashers and bartenders. They tend the vines and harvest the grapes that go into our award winning, world class Washington wines.

They pick (and pack) the apples and cherries, raspberries, Walla Walla onions and asparagus our state is famous for. And they grow a lot of the organic produce that comes to our farmers markets (nationwide) every week.

They are our housekeepers, nannies and day laborers. My clients. Fellow Seattleites and Washingtonians.

And tomorrow afternoon they'll march in silence from 20th Avenue South to the Federal Building for May Day. For more information on this event click here and here.

Hsiao-Ching Chou blogs (yes, blogs!) from China

Seattle P-I's food editor, Hsiao-Ching Chou one of my favorite food writers and numero uno food podcaster in the city, has traveled to China on a working vacation where she has been exploring the food scene (with her mum and husband Eric) all the while posting between meals at her blog A Food Lover's Journey.

So far she has blogged about plane food (Thomas Soukakos from Vios made her a box lunch), scallops in Hong Kong, xiao long bao (steamed soup dumplings) in Shanghai, hong shao ti pang at Jesse and dinner at Jean-Georges.

I am salivating already, anticipating her next post.

And by the by, if you missed PBS's *The Meaning of Food episode where "Hsiao-Ching takes us back home to the family restaurant in Missouri and shares bittersweet memories of seven-day work weeks — as well as her family’s prized recipe for dumplings", you'll be glad to know it is available for purchase from pbs.org and also on Netflix.

*In the same series, on the episode Keeping Kosher Rabbi Aharon Brun-Kestler, executive director of Seattle Va’ad, visits Essential Baking Company in Fremont to supervise the bakery's kosher products.

On Tom Douglas's I Love Crab Cakes & Super VIP Party

Via Tom Douglas's Seattle Kitchen Newsletter:

"Be the first to go home with your very own personalized and signed copy of Tom's new book, I Love Crab Cakes! 50 Recipes for an American Classic .

We will be hosting a special party for our customers the week before the book hits the shelves at the Palace Ballroom. Come on down to taste five different crab cakes, say hello to Tom and co-author Shelley Lance who will both be on hand to sign books, and kick up your heels for an all-around good time!

The cost is $25 and includes your hot-off-the-press copy of the book, at least five different crab cake 'tastes', and a glass of wine or beer. Extra books will be available for $19.95. Please RSVP to amyp@tomdouglas.com or call 206.448.2001 to make your reservation."

I Love Crab Cakes Super VIP Party
Tuesday May 2nd, 2006
5-7pm
Palace Ballroom
2100 5th Avenue
(corner of 5th & Lenora,
next door to Palace Kitchen)
Seattle, WA 98101

To receive your own electronic copy of this most delectable of newsletters, click here.

Food & Wine May 2006's Spotlights Seattle

As part of their featured article "The 376 Hottest Restaurants Around the World", Food & Wine Magazine has chosen Seattle as one of the 50 cities covered in their May 2006 Special 10th Annual Travel Issue.

Among the restaurants listings for Seattle, a few delicious city spots:

• Crush
• Lark
• Union
• Dahlia Lounge
• Lampreia

And as if a Seattle mention was not enough, there's coverage on top tables and hotels at a few more of my favorite cities such as New York, San Juan, Chicago, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Portland, San Francisco, Paris, London and Madrid (for the magazines complete Go List click here).

This is definitely a collector's issue so get yours soon, before it sells out at local newsstands leaving you at the mercy of eBay sellers preying on procrastinators (it almost happened to me with Gourmet Magazine's March 06 Montreal Issue) with $15 and $25 copies.

Seattle Bon Vivant on Typepad's Blog Inspiration

Because "this food scene is anything but grungy". Neat, huh?  Thanks Typepad!

Chili Cook-Off at Union Restaurant

On Sunday March 12 Ethan Stowell, the chef and owner of Union Restaurant will be hosting (along with Shannon Galusha of Veil and Renee Erickson of Boat Street Café, Steve Smrstik of 35th Street Bistro and John Howie of Seastar and SPORT) a chili cook-off (the first of what promises to be an annual event), a duel between professionals and amateurs, chefs and home cooks. 

Seattle P.I.'s food editor (and my favorite food podcaster in the city), Hsiao-Ching Chou will be the event’s official taster.

Those in attendance will get to sample all the chili they can eat and all the beer they can drink and vote for their top three choices.  The winner of the cook-off will earn a fabulous dinner at Union Restaurant.

Doors will open at 6:00 pm, tickets are $25 per person. If the chili is half as good as the amazing food coming out of these three Seattle kitchens, this is going to be a sold out event. For additional information call 206 838-8000.

Union Restaurant
1400 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
Dinner Mon-Sun
5pm to 11pm

In Newsstands: Seattle Metropolitan Magazine

Seattle Metropolitan finally launched today.

I could not wait to get my paws on the Premiere Issue (from the same publishers of Portland Monthly) so I drove around for a while this morning looking for it--to no avail--until I called the magazine and asked where oh where were the precious.

"Whole Foods (Ravenna and Bellevue) and QFC later this afternoon". So I drove to Whole Foods in Ravenna and found a fresh batch right as I came into the store.

I've been browsing and reading my copy since noon and so far I like what I see.

I especially enjoyed the story on artisanal cheesemaker Rhonda Gothberg who is making goat cheese in Skagit Valley, an article on pairing wine and rabbit stew, a feature on Veil in Queen Anne and for the ballet patron in me (have you subscribed  yet?), a fabulous article on Pacific Northwest Ballet and the amazing Peter Boal (pity the soul who has missed the season so far).

Then there is, of course, the cover story: 65 Best Ways To Love Our City which should have actually been titled 100 Things to Love About Seattle (at least!).

Memo to Seattle Metropolitan: You guys just got here. It is not your city just yet. You'll have to wow us on a monthly basis to earn the privilege.

Just one thing: Top Pot Doughnuts downtown location (in my very own corner of the city) is at 2124 5th Avenue, not 4th Avenue. :-)