Seattle Bon Vivant

EoMEoTE #5: Hard boiled eggs, toast sticks & Salumi Hot Sopressata

A little morning breakfast and my entry to the latest EoMEoTE--which I still giggle about every time I see the hilarious acronym--created by fellow bloggers Anthony and Jeanne and hosted by Jo of The Passionate Cook.

A couple free range, organic eggs that were simply hard boiled and sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and Casina Rossa Truffle & Salt. A side of Buttermilk toast sliced into sticks and some delicious Hot Sopressata from my favorite cured meats purveyor, Armandino Batali of Salumi Cured Meats, here in downtown Seattle.

A cup of strong Illy coffee with cream and sugar and I'm ready to face the day.

In Seattle, Rhubarb Season Is Here!

I absolutely love Rhubarb! It is a well known fact around these parts that I travel for it and will cook with it until there are no more ruby stalks left at local farmers market.

Now, thanks to our warmer than usual weather, Rhubarb season in Seattle will be upon us earlier than last year and I couldn't be happier.

The following are a few tasty rhubarb bits to get you in the mood...Just remember boys and girls, rhubarb is for eating, not for hitting. ;-)

The Rhubarb Compendium: For everything you need to know about this most underappreciated vegetable.

Rhubarb hunts a place beyond the pie:A sidelined crop recasts itself in the modern world: Did you know that Washington is the biggest rhubarb growing state in the country? This is a wonderful article written by journalist and Seattle blogger Jon Bonné of Amuse-Bouche

Home Cake Decorating Supply Co.

For the past week or so, Megan, the very crafty Seattleite behind Not Martha has been working on making the cutest and tiniest cupcakes I've ever seen.

In one of her cupcake posts she mentioned visiting a Seattle cake baking supply store another blogger had recommended to her.

Since I had never heard of this shop, earlier today, with an hour to kill between clients, I drove to North Seattle to check it out.

Home Cake Decorating Supply Co. is a family owned business, in operation since 1960. You won't find a posh location or building, clever merchandising or fancy displays à la Sur La Table, City Kitchens or Williams Sonoma.

This store's key to success seems to be keeping prices low by embracing a little mess and doing without frills in a quiet North Seattle neighborhood.

Upon first look, I must admit to being a little put off by the apparent disorganization--there is a method to their madness--and stacks and stacks of stuff in all directions.

However, soon enough I realized that the Easter season had only just ended a couple days earlier. And since the shop is closed on Sundays and Mondays, this was what Home Cake looked like after a holiday weekend and baking shopping frenzy.

Soon enough I got over the mess, embraced the madness and became mesmerized by the overwhelming selection. There were cupcake tins in all colors and sizes, beautiful ribbons, silicone molds, French cake, madeleine and tart pans, flavorings,  sanding, coarse, colored and superfine sugars.

And talking about cupcakes, the cute and very colorful sprinkles selection alone--I especially loved the über tiny pink piggies, bunnies and hearts--will have you squealing and giggling out loud.

There were all kinds of chocolate and hard candy molds, the most fragrant almond paste, food coloring in a rainbow of shades, sugar flowers (the Johnny jump-ups and tiny pansies are gorgeous), icing tips galore and all sorts of baggies and boxes for packaging home made confections and baked goods.

Greg Atkinson on eggs

Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Magazine's Taste column (written by Greg Atkinson) is one of my Sunday morning coffee reads and my favorite column of the magazine.

Yesterday's topic was eggs with a throw back to Northwest author Betty MacDonald's memoir The Egg & I and the Ma and Pa Kettle characters.

Cute story with a yummy recipe for Egg Salad Sandwiches that will send you running to Pike Place Market Creamery for fresh Araucana, goose and quail eggs to play in your kitchen with.

On Portland, Oregon & Foie Gras

Yahoo News is reporting this morning how some Portland area restaurants such as Hurley's are already removing foie gras from their menus. Oregon and states such as New York, Illinois and Massachusetts are considering legislation similar to that of California, that would make it a criminal act even to possess the fattened duck liver delicacy.

The Gourmet Shops of Paris

Three weeks ago, while shopping at Virgin Records Champs Elysées I came upon a fabulous discovery. The Gourmet Shops of Paris caught my eye like no other book I've seen on the topic of food purveyors in Paris in recent years.

The writing was lovely and animated, the photography utterly glorious and mouth-watering. The vendors selected by the author were not only top notch but included many of my very own favorites that we keep going back to over and over and over again, some of which I've mentioned on this blog.

Between the fact that it was closing time (midnight) and the high cost of the book in Euros (around 50 USD) I figured I could wait until returning to Seattle to place an order for the English version at 50% off the retail at amazon.com.

Imagine my disappointment when once in Seattle I realized, upon searching for the book on the web that it was available only as a pre-order from amazon with a US publishing date of March 29th. So, I pre-ordered the book and forgot all about it.

This morning, however, amazon sent a note confirming shipment. It should arrive in a few days.

This is a book I really think all of you Paris lovers, foodies and Francophiles alike will absolutely love. It truly is an indispensable guide for your next trip to the food capital of the world and a lovely book to keep on your coffee table--or give to a friend--not to mention a visually enticing and delectable incentive to go back to Paris.

On Paris Tea Salons

Today's Miami Herald has a great little story on some of Paris tea salons. The article has an *accompanying bonnes adresses list of the author's (Joyce White) favorite spots that include not only some of the usual suspects and my personal favorites--Ladurée, Mariage Frères and Dalloyau-- but also a few other lesser known salons.

*a less than a minute free registration is required

A bit of Seattle in New York City

Coming this summer to Spring Street in SoHo, the first  Sur La Table to open in Manhattan.

The Merry Widow at PNB

A reminder that this is the last weekend to catch PNB's The Merry Widow at McCaw Hall. I have not seen it yet but will be there tonight for the 7:30 performance.

This is a fabulous ballet--with a choreography by Ronald Hynd, of the Royal Ballet-- that has quickly become a Seattle favorite after its PNB and U.S. premiere in 2002 that still continues to receive enthusiastic reviews.

It is also one of the last three productions under the direction of retiring and beloved PNB Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell. Plenty of good seats can still be had at great prices. Do not miss it!

Bird, Nest & Eggs Chocolate Cupcake

Never mind that I had a freshly baked batch of dark chocolate cupcakes for Maki's IMBB. Look what I found at Dahlia while shopping for lunch yesterday afternoon! Isn't this one of the cutest cupcakes you ever saw?

A chubby and wobbly little peep-like mother bird made out of marshmallow, complete with nest (chocolate icing and coconut flakes tossed in cocoa powder.) and three adorable eggs (made out of icing) in Martha's favorite shade of blue green that just begged to be taken home.

And no, just in case you are wondering, I haven't had the heart to eat it (them) yet. :-)