Seattle Bon Vivant

Wine, on the move...

Minolta Instant Pro/Expired Spectra film (11/07)

I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

For the past week we have been packing away for the move. Music, films and books were first. The pantry followed.

Yesterday was wine day.

The better part of the afternoon went to cataloging the stock, rediscovering bottles I had forgotten all about, taking photos for insurance purposes and realizing that, as soon as we are settled at the new place, there is some serious drinking to be done.

Now, for those of you fellow wine enthusiasts, which wines have you been loving recently?

Reader's Choice: Seattle Bon Vivant awarded Best Local Food Blog by Seattle Magazine

It's taken me a whole month to finally talk about it (tooting my own horn is not my bag)  but I could not let the year end without acknowledging the honor of having my blog Seattle Bon Vivant awarded Best Local Food Blog in Seattle Magazine's Best of 2007 (December) issue. 

This is not only an incredible surprise (to say that I haven't posted much this year would be an understatement) and great honor (Seattle Magazine, come on!) but what makes it most meaningful to me is that the selection was made not by a group of editors at the corporate office, but by the readers of the magazine. How incredibly sweet is that?

The funniest thing: I even got my own decal to display in my place of business. Ha! Where to put it, I wonder? :)

Anyway, heartfelt thanks to Seattle Magazine but especially to you dear readers, who have been along for the ride these past four years. It means more to me than you'll ever know and I'm so grateful.

Heads up fellow downtowners: Whole Foods opens tomorrow!

For the past two years, here at Seattle Bon Vivant, we've been following the construction--with the accompanying gradual disappearance of most of our Lake Union view--of the new Whole Foods, the first major downtown grocery store "in generations".

And finally, as of tomorrow at 8am, no more schlepping to Ravenna, no more driving in traffic to Queen Anne, Capitol Hill or Fremont. As of tomorrow, Seattle gets its fourth Whole Foods store and our neighborhood finally gets what we have been patiently waiting for and in desperate need of: our very own supermarket, our very own Whole Foods no less, 45,000 square feet of deliciousness.

A quick walk away, morning, noon or evening, to supply us with organic produce--in particular, but also cheese, wine and other goodies-- once our neighborhood farmers markets close shop for the season.

Personally, I can't wait! Welcome to the neighborhood!

Whole Foods Market
2200 Westlake
(corner of Westlake Ave. & Denny Way)
Seattle, Washington 98101

A Whole-hearted welcome to the 'hood

Downtown gets its own big grocery

Coffee & Photographs

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 11 Sep '06.

"In my view you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it." Emile Zola

Starting tomorrow, when you stop by Motore Coffee for an espresso or a latte, you'll be able to take a peek at some pictures by yours truly (and some others by Mr. C).

La Isla Del Encanto
A trip to Puerto Rico by Viv & Mr. C
through October 13th, 2006

Motore Coffee

1904 9th Avenue
Seattle, Washington
206-388-2803
(corner of 9th & Stewart)
Monday-Friday 6am-8pm
Saturday 7am to 4pm
Closed Sunday

Over my morning coffee, looking back, five years ago

Like every other work week morning, I had set up my alarm clock to 7:00am.

It was always the same spiel. Press snooze button, with eyes closed try to find the clicker on my bedside table, turn on the morning news and listen from under the covers, while Mr.C made the coffee. To let sound and smell slowly finish the job of getting me out of bed to start the day.

Only that morning, they were talking about awful, inconceivable things that made no sense to my ears or to my heart. So instead of playing wake up for the next 20 minutes I propped myself up, opened my eyes, looked and listened.

Five years later I still hear those voices, reporting what was happening back east. And I still grieve for the city where I was born and every day I think about it a little.

But on days like today, every September 11th of every year since--when I take the day off from work to stay home, close to my loved ones--I think about it, a lot.

"Without End Event: Visual art, spoken word, music and public meditation will observe 9/11 and the 100th anniversary of the first nonviolence campaign launched by Mohandas Gandhi in 1906. Westlake Plaza Park, Fourth Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle. Today, Monday September 11th, 2006 at 5 p.m." Seattle Times

On absence and gratitude

I've written this post a thousand times over. In my head most of them, on draft a few others. But I could never hit the publish now button.

In the beginning it was just impossible for me to write without bursting into tears. Days, weeks and even months later it was just impossible to even start at all.

So I stopped writing because the words were not coming. Only the thoughts were happening. Many of them, at the same time, choking me up.

Back in May, a few days after I wrote about the Monastrell (four months ago yesterday) I got on a plane to be with my mother, who had called a few days before to tell me that the results from her tests were back and that yes, she had cancer.