Seattle Bon Vivant

Cooking with Les Dames d'Escoffier

Earlier this month, Seattle based publisher Sasquatch Books released a wonderful cookbook called Cooking with Les Dames D'Escoffier: At Home With the Women Who Shape the Way We Eat and Drink edited by Marcella Rosene, founder of Pasta & Co (with Pat Mozersky, founder of Ma Maison Cooking School).

A few of the contributors are Seattle Dames. Gina Batali (of Salumi fame), Leslie Mackie of Macrina Bakery and Fran Bigelow of Fran's Chocolates are just a few of the many, many women food professionals (nearly 200 authors) who have contributed to this compilation of appetizers, first courses, soups, main courses, side dishes, baked goods and desserts.

And tomorrow, at Kathy Casey's Food Studios in Ballard, many of these Dames will be gathering for an event that promises to be not only delicious and informative but also a great way to contribute to Les Dames d'Escoffier's fall fundraiser.

Proceedings from the event  which will help this organization to provide education for women pursuing careers in the culinary arts, hospitality and wine making, and supports community education projects. Space is limited but tickets ($110) are still available.

This walk around reception features recipes created by the Seattle Dames chosen for publishing and your ticket includes a complimentary copy of the book. To reserve your space email reservations@lesdamesseattle.com. And because they are dames after all, to make it even easier for you to attend, you can may pay for your tickets using PayPal. :)

Kathy Casey Studios
October 16th, 2008
6pm to 8pm

Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon

Chocolate, in all its forms, has always been my weakness. Give me a good chocolate bar, a great chocolate cupcake or a fantastic cup of chocolat chaud and I'm in heaven.

And today, I feel like jumping up and down with the prospect of attending the Seattle Chocolate Salon, the first major chocolate show in the Northwest. It will be held today, Sunday, July 13th, 2008 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle's waterfront, from 11am to 5pm.

Just imagine, table after table full of samples from some of the best chocolatiers from Seattle and the country: Amano Artisan Chocolate, Cocoa Chai, Theo Chocolate, Fiori Chocolatiers, Posh Chocolate, Dilettante Chocolates, Oh! Chocolate. The list goes on and on.

Among the activities planned for the day are chocolate tastings and demos, chef and author talks, a chocolate spa and television interviews by the good people of Taste TV

Additionally, I've been kindly invited to be one of a fantastically diverse, interesting and very accomplished Salon Awards Tasting Panel, a group of us tasting chocolate to our hearts content and scoring the delicious goods. The awards will be handed by the end of the afternoon. Its going to be an absolutely delectable task. :)

So if you are a fellow chocoholic or simply want to have a grand old time tasting scrumptious treats and perhaps learning a thing or two, why not come over to the Chocolate Salon later today and join in the fun. Tickets at the door are $20 for adults, $10 for children and kids under 6 get in free.

Seattle Chocolate Salon
Bell Harbor Conference Center
2211 Alaskan Way, Pier 66
Seattle, WA 98121
206.441.6666

Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie on KCTS Seattle

Great news for all you fellow Ruth Reichl and Gourmet fans! Starting next week, KCTS/Seattle will be airing the new cooking and travel series Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie.

The series (produced by WGBH and Zero Point Zero Productions in association with Gourmet magazine and Discovery Networks International) is comprised of 20 half-hour episodes with the Season Premiere on Saturday, October 7, 2006.

After taking a look at the press release and descriptions of the first four episodes I can already tell it is going to be fabulous.

“Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie” is a delicious new public television series that looks at the world food first. Traveling the globe to the world’s must-see food destinations—Italy, Brazil, Peru, China, Australia, and the United States, to name a few—the series unearths a feast of cutting-edge food trends, exotic ingredients, and in-the-know food players. From artisans struggling to save the ancient craft of knife making in Japan, to a hidden organic garden run by monks in central Rome,

“Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie” offers an unprecedented look at the ingredients that fuel our love affair with food. With Gourmet as editorial partner, the series boasts an arsenal of trusted epicurean experts who deliver compelling and provocative food stories steeped in passions and opinions. Gourmet Editor in Chief Ruth Reichl and her team of renowned editors also go inside the magazine’s New York City test kitchens to show viewers how they can bring fantastic finds from the international food landscape into their own homes."

An Interview With Ruth Reichl on Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie (from APT)

Nigella Feasts on Food TV

I have to admit I just can't be bothered to watch the Food Network anymore. The last two shows I really liked was the original campy and dubbed Iron Chef and later on the casual and simple elegance of Barefoot Contessa. Even then I only manage to catch it on re-runs while channel flipping on a weekend.

But this morning, while listening to the news I heard this delicious bit: Nigella is back on TV, with a show based on her Feast: Food to Celebrate Life book. Not since the Style Network aired her Nigella Bites have I gotten this happy about a new food show. If the show is as enjoyable as the book is, this should be prime Tivo material.

Nigella Feasts is the delectable new series from the domestic goddess herself, Nigella Lawson one of the world’s most influential cooks and food writers. Prepare for a total immersion in Nigella’s food life and the delicious feasts she cooks for herself, friends, family—from big, special occasions to small, everyday pleasures. She'll also share an irresistible mix of easy recipes, tips and fuss-free ideas that make entertaining truly effortless.

Nigella Feasts premieres October 1 at 1pm/12c with episode Crowd Pleasers

Romantic Lunch: The List

As promised, for those of you listeners that missed the broadcast, live streaming or just could not find pen and paper in time here is the list of Seattle area restaurants for Tuesday's lunch (and a picnic idea), that Tom, Thierry and yours truly came up with earlier today on the Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen radio show.

All the restaurants mentioned range from casual Vietnamese to Seattle French inspired chic to the very grand, very posh. This list is only scratching the surface but it is a start.

Remember, even for lunch, all of these spots will very busy Tuesday. Best to call ahead and reserve a table or a two bar stools. BTW, the restaurants are listed in no particular order:

1. Flying Fish
2. Le Pichet
3. The Georgian
4. Tamarind Tree
5. Boat Street Kitchen
6. Café Campagne
7. Cold Water Grill

Take a picnic!:

For a personalized, casual yet utterly romantic lunch, shop the market for artisanal cheese, Washington wine, gourmet to go food, local chocolate and favorite noshy things and drive up to Volunteer Park, Discovery Park, the Victor Steinbrueck Park or any of our gorgeous green areas or local beaches and have a picnic.

Tom suggested purchasing something like a nice throw (wine glasses are another option) and make them a memento of your special, romantic lunch. 

Thierry suggested taking a picnic basket filled with your favorite things and get on the ferry to Bainbridge Island, have your lunch on board and then return on the ferry back to the city. What better backdrop than the city for your romantic rendezvous.

*And with the cooler weather we are enjoying, I say why not take a Thermos of a spicy and intense dark hot chocolate to sip on the way back while enjoying the fabulous view of our fair city?

Two more options:

Earth & Ocean- If short on time take advantage of the "W Quickie Lunch Menu-Three Courses $22.

Serafina- Special Valentine's menu. Few spaces left. Call 206.323.0807 for reservations.

More ideas? Feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment right here.

On romantic lunch spots, Tom, Thierry and Viv

In case you missed it, yours truly was a guest today on Tom Douglas's Seattle's Kitchen.

This time around the topic was romantic lunch options for next Tuesday.  A list of the places mentioned on the show will be posted tomorrow morning right here.

A lot of fun and many laughs were had and even a little Bugey Cerdon was poured. It was definitely great to be back. Thanks again to Tom, Thierry and Amy!

***You may listen to the remainder of the show (via live streaming) by clicking on this link

Julien Perry on Oh Chocolate!

Julien Perry of Komo 1000 News, a good friend of this blog, has chosen Oh Chocolate! for this week's Go Eat! audio report. The story is available on Komo 1000's website. If you have missed Julien's previous reports, this is your chance to catch up on some great eats around town.

And look at that delicious photo (giggles!) of Oh Chocolate's French Hot Chocolate! ;-D
 

On storing and sharing all your delicious looking pictures

Snap happy? As if wonderful Flickr was not enough, take a look at these two Seattle based companies that aim "to simplify the sharing of digital photos and other media over the Internet".

Vizrea's Beta is free (up to 50 MB), ready to use now and a great option for uploading, sharing and blogging your photos, especially those taken with camera phones and PDAs.

"Vizrea Snap is not only the best service around for camera phone users, it's a complete solution for all digital photos. Whether they're from a digital camera, scanner, or have just been sitting on a computer forever, Vizrea Snap makes everything you want to do sharing, organizing, printing, blogging - a snap. Start sharing with friends in only a couple of clicks and have your camera phone photos organized and shared automatically!"

As far as I can tell Smilebox's Beta is not yet ready for prime time but you can ask for an invite to be one of the first to use it.

Microsoft alums picture photo sharing made easy

Smilebox focuses on new creations using digital photos

On celebrating our team, licking our wounds and nibbling on 12th man cupcakes

I was driving on 520 this morning around 6:30 to drop some paperwork in Bellevue and drive down 405 to Renton for work.

Traffic was better than usual so I made it to the Rainier Avenue S exit in record time. With a whole hour before my first client I looked around for a place to hang out until 8.

The Starbucks on Grady Way was nearby and the only place opened that early. So I went in, ordered a latte, bought all the papers available and sat down to read.

Everyone around me was talking about the game. Lamenting the loss but also rejoicing in the fact that the team made it to the Superbowl.

It was while reading the P.I that I stumbled upon David Horsey's cartoons. Of all the commentary I've heard and read so far, I think he said it best in this morning's paper:

"Sadly, it was not to be. Final score: Pittsburg 21, Seattle 10. Still, Seahawks players and fans walked out of Ford Field with something incredibly valuable: a seat for a return flight to Seattle, that fantastic city on Puget Sound. The Steelers? They had to go back to plain old Pittsburg."

I almost had to reach for a Puffs. And take a look at the Cartoonist's view of fans (Seahawks vs. Steelers fans). Hilarious. I think at least in this scenario, we are definitely the winners.

Now that's the spirit, people!

Go Seahawks!

Win or loose, we love you!