Gastrolust

“Yeah, right.”

That’s what I said when I heard that Dahlia Lounge was cooking up congee for brunch.

Monkey bread? Makes sense. Eggs Benedict? Elegant. But congee? Can it be any good?

In a word: Yes. I often complain about the quality of Chinese food in Seattle, so it’s sort of strange that Chef Tom Douglas is the one to get it right. (But maybe not. He loves Asian food.) Those five dollar bowls of congee in the International District aren’t bad, so it’s fair to expect more from a fourteen dollar bowl.

Douglas delivers. Everything’s made in-house except for the Chinese doughnut (oily, but providing crispy goodness in contrast to the creamy congee). This bowl’s got grilled prawns, poached egg, and green onions, but what really ups the ante is the fermented black bean sauce. Trust me. The sauce adds incredible depth and flavor to the soup.

This is not a dumbed down food bowl. In contrast to many restaurants which insist on leaving out “foreign” ingredients it fears its customers might not like, Dahlia Lounge pays homage to authenticity, turning congee into comfort food that somehow feels right at home next to that monkey bread and eggs Benedict.

Three Asian chefs make our belly ache for more

Said “doctor, ain’t there nothin’ I can take?”
I said “Doctor, to relieve this belly ache,”
I said “Doctor, ain’t there nothin’ I can take?”
I said “Doctor, to relieve this belly ache.”
Now lemme get this straight,

You put de lime in de coconut, you drank ‘em bot’ up,
You put de lime in de coconut, you drank ‘em bot’ up,
You put de lime in de coconut, you drank ‘em bot’up,
You put de lime in de coconut, you call your doctor, woke ‘im up,

“Coconut”
from Nilsson Schmilsson
by Harry Nilsso

Aside from izakayas (April 2008), I’ve yet to bring Asian restaurants into the Dish-Off challenge. So when Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut” came up as a possible song title for the challenge, I knew this was an opportunity. And when chefs from Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants rushed to participate, exotic dishes like opor ayam, yum hua plee, and bo tai chanh weren’t far behind.

At a homey Ravenna bungalow called Julia’s Indonesian Kitchen, Chef Julia Suparman serves up sticky-rice filled with lemongrass chicken that’s bathed in coconut gravy (lemper), and a limey, chicken turmeric soup with bean thread noodles (soto ayam) to start my meal. But it’s the wonderfully coarse, lime-spiked peanut sauce on the gado-gado salad that makes me realize why UW students flock here for home-cooking.

I’m sold when I get tumpeng: a cone of coconut-lime rice flanked by a pair of curries. Rudy Tanumihardja, Julia’s husband, tells me the conical shape is ceremonial. The guest of honor traditionally cuts the “mountain peak” to start service. The chicken curry (opor ayam, from Java) is subtle; the coconut overshadows the citrus flavor of the kaffir lime leaves. I prefer the beef slow-cooked in red curry (rendang, from Sumatra) for its better balance of lime and coconut, as well as herbal elements like cinnamon, basil, and ground chili. Watching me add hearty amounts of homemade chili sauce, Rudy summons Julia to break out a Thai bird pepper concoction laced with garlic. They admire how well I can handle the additional heat, playfully proposing that I must be Sumatran, people who are known for being hot-headed, and not Javanese, people who are more mellow. We laugh, and I feel at home in this family-run restaurant.

Downtown at the fancy food corner of 1st and Union is Thoa’s, where Chef Thoa Nguyen sends out a martini glass, but instead of liquid refreshment there’s a dose of poisson cru. It’s like ceviche, but the ahi marinates in lime just long enough to turn the outside opaque, then the coconut coats the fish to smooth out the flavor; it’s a good showcase of the theme ingredients. In another fish course, I’m impressed how well coconut milk caramelizes (bringing together chili paste, shallots, lemongrass, cilantro and lime juice) in the herbed lime-coconut swordfish; the cold rice noodles are a nice offset to the warm fish.

The highlight of the meal is bo tai chanh: Vietnamese “carpaccio” tossed in lime juice. The beef’s got great zing, with garlic oil packing additional punch (as does culantro, rice paddy herb, and Bird’s eye chili). Roasted peanuts, roasted shallots, and fried garlic also play their parts. Thoa explains that this is a tough dish to prepare, as it’s completely made-to-order; chefs must slice the tenderloin very, very thin and find the right balance of all the flavors, including fresh herbs. I don’t usually think of beef as refreshing, but this is light and satisfying. Thoa tells me she loves cooking with meat, and those who’ve had her Vietnamese version of steak frites testify to her skills.

May looks like a Thai temple (of food) dropped down on the main drag of Wallingford. Chef May Chaleoy brought teak walls and furnishings from Thailand for an authentic feel. Courses like tom ka (like the better-known tom yum soup featuring chicken and galangal root, but with coconut milk to take out some of the sourness) and how mouk talay (seafood red curry cooked in a fresh young coconut shell) are beautifully presented with ornamental dishes, pots, and utensils. Both dishes, by the way, are delicious.

May is the one restaurant to put lime and coconut in every dish, as well as in a welcoming young coconut lime drink (nam pa plow). Standouts include my starter of deep fried Siamese watercress (yum pak boong smeared with coconut cream). I crave crispy vegetables, and the accompanying lime-coconut dressing compels me to lick the bowl. Another dish I don’t see in any of Seattle’s six million Thai restaurants is banana blossom salad (yum hua plee). The interior flower pieces are steamed in coconut milk, tossed with finely chopped shrimp and pork, and served back in the exterior flower. A palm sugar-lime dressing adds a balanced, sweet and sour finish. These two dishes make me re-think the meaning of the Thai word “yum.” (It actually means “salad.”) As I look around the dining room, I see that the banana blossoms are part of what makes diners marvel at May’s tableside-prepared pad Thai.

All three restaurants serve up desserts that suit the theme. Julia’s coconut-lime sponge cake (bika ambon) is squishy and soft in spots, reminiscent of a canele, while Thoa’s cassava cake (made with grated cassava and coconut milk) is a dense delight topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and mango syrup. But my favorite is May’s crème brulee served with toasted coconut flakes and three spoons of kaffir lime leaf-flavored pineapple confit—all on a gorgeous, elongated wooden tray.

In choosing this month’s (Put the Lime in the) “Coconut” participants, I realize I didn’t just choose three Southeast Asian restaurants, but I got three female immigrants (Julia from Jakarta, Thoa from Hanoi, and May from Bangkok) who have come to America and proudly stamped their names on these restaurants. These culinary artists, largely self-taught, invite us to experience their native countries through their countries’ cuisines. You can find them in their kitchen chopping vegetables, slicing meats, grinding spices, and mashing up pastes to please their customers and make their businesses succeed. I admire and respect these women for their courage and their cooking. All three chefs are winners, so I declare this “Coconut” Dish-Off a tie. In that spirit, starting next month, Dish-Off will compare and contrast two participants’ efforts in non-competitive fashion—though watch for a year-end playoff to determine the overall “top chef.”

The menus

Julia’s Indonesian Kitchen

• Lemper (sticky rice filled with lemongrass chicken)
• Soto ayam (chicken in turmeric soup served with bean thread noodles and cut, boiled eggs)
• Gado-gado (green leaves, cabbage, fried tofu, potatoes, and eggs simmered in peanut sauce dressing)
• Rendang (slow-cooked beef in red curry) and opor ayam (chicken in white coconut curry) with rice
• Bika ambon (Indonesian coconut-lime sponge cake)

Thoa’s

• Poisson cru (raw fish cooked with lime juice and mixed with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers and coconut milk)
• Bo tai chanh (”Vietnamese carpaccio” tossed in lime juice and garlic oil - served over tomato, cucumber, culantro, rice paddy herbs and birds-eye chile)
• Herbed lime-coconut swordfish with rice noodles and nuoc mam
• Cassava cake

May

• Yum pak boong (crispy Siamese watercress with spicy lime-coconut dressing)
• Tom ka (lemongrass, kaffir leaf and galangal root in spicy lime soup with coconut milk, fresh oyster mushrooms, cilantro and chicken)
• Yum hua plee (flower of banana leaf steamed in coconut milk and tossed with finely chopped shrimp and pork - served with palm sugar dressing)
• Haw mouk talay (red curry with seafood cooked in a fresh young coconut shell)
• May’s creme brulee (with toasted coconut and kaffir lime leaf-flavored pineapple confit)

All photos in the post by Rina Jordan. (Click to enlarge them.)

Here are photos of the other dishes from this Dish-Off.

Note: Dish-Off reviews are based on announced visits. Restaurants get guidelines and choose what to serve according to the month’s theme.

Here are the photos (taken by me) of the rest of the dishes from the “Coconut” Dish-Off in June’s issue of Sound magazine.

You can find the full report, include menus, here.

Click to enlarge any of the photos.

This Seattlest writer knows this site is about appreciation of Seattle. We love it here, for sure.

But part of what we love is its proximity to Vancouver, as we’ve discussed before. And to that we must add its proximity to Portland.

Dishin’ disappeared for a week because we were on a feeding frenzy down south. In just a few days, we hit Ping, Bluehour, Biwa, Ken’s Artisan Bakery, Ten 01, Departure, Andina, Broder, Nostrana, Sahagun, Pix, Pok Pok, the amazing Saturday Farmers Market (Pine Street Biscuits, Two Tarts, Tastebud, and more), Tanuki, Beast, Voodoo Doughnut, and Kenny & Zuke’s. Oh—and a few other snacky places.

All this to say that we’re ready for some Seattle comfort food, which might mean a bowl of wontons and/or sui kau at Canton Noodle House. Last time we were there, we were taking a look at a townhouse nearby and talking with the owners about the neighborhood. There have been the predictable drug-related issues, but the nice couple perseveres and tries to stay positive.

For a few bucks at Canton Noodle House, you get a nice bowl of soup. Decent broth, slurpable noodles, and tasty wontons. The soup’s on par with the other places in the International District.

By the way, we passed on the townhouse. And while Portland tempts us, we take comfort that we still love Seattle more—at least for now. And that we have comfort food from Canton to help us digest our dégustation of the fine fare of both of our fair cities.

Cross-posted on Seattlest, where “we” = me. Stay tuned for reports on all those Portland restaurants as time allows.

Lack of posts this week, but no lack of eating. We’ve been in Portland for five days, enjoying a real feeding frenzy. I’ll have photos and more sometime soon on our experiences at: Ping, Bluehour, Biwa, Ken’s Artisan Bakery, Ten 01, Departure, Andina, Broder, Nostrana, Teardrop, Pok Pok, Tanuki, Beast, and more - including the Portland Farmers Market and some sweets.

Off to Beast now…and maybe one more meal before returning to Seattle!

I feel fortunate to meet so many fantastic chefs and to experience their fabulous cooking. To date, I don’t tire of the numerous opportunities to dine out, as going to a new restaurant is still an exciting adventure. I wonder: Will it be one to find fault with, prompting a negative review? Or will it be a winner—perhaps even a standout for the quality of the food, or the overall experience.

My meal last month at Naoe, just north of Miami, was one of the standouts.

I knew I’d have a chance for one dinner in the Miami area during a drive from Key West to Boca Raton (stay tuned for reviews of meals in those two locations), so I scouted the Chowhound, eGullet and Mouthfuls message boards for ideas. A few posts about the relatively new Naoe shared information that piqued my interest:

• Kevin Cory is the only one in the kitchen; his business card reads “executive chef, general manager, & dishwasher”
• there are only 17 seats in the entire restaurant
• the only menu is for the drinks
• the only food choice is a $26 kaiseki-style bento box, followed by an omakase offering of sushi

Oh—and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.

So I made a reservation, as this isn’t a “simply stroll in” type of restaurant. After my GPS and I finally found the place (Naoe is in a strip mall of mostly Russian businesses, as Sunny Isles has a large Russian population—there’s even a karaoke joint next door), the two of us sat at the counter (where there are five seats—this in addition to tables for two, four or six), and then waited and watched.

Expect to do that. And enjoy it, perhaps over some sake brewed by Chef Cory’s family in Japan. (They also brew their own soy sauce.) Watching Cory is worth the price of admission. Take in his intensity. Smell the dashi. Watch the precise knifework. You’ll hardly know an hour’s likely gone by before he’s assembling your bento. And when you get it (a box with four compartments, plus soup), you’ll find the most delicate of dishes, with varying tastes and textures, symbolic of fine Japanese food. Here’s what ours contained:

• organic carrot egg-tofu, jyunsai and mitsuba clear soup
• simmered whiting and okra jelly with shiso and simmered lotus root
• sake simmered Scottish salmon on organic tofu
• deep fried whole gizzard shad bones & parsnip
• simmered firefly squid and live scallop mantle with marinated fava beans and rice vinegar sauce
• blanched sea bream sashimi on wasabi leaves & wasabi flowers
• steamed bamboo rice with rice bran pickled daikon

From soup to rice, it was all spectacular. I loved the specificity of serving the scallop mantle (the thin tissue layer surrounding the body, where the scallop’s 60 or so bright blue eyes are located), the use of wasabi leaves and flowers, and the chef’s recent discovery of parsnips (which tasted oh-so-good alongside the fried fish bones). This is exotic fare elegantly prepared.

(When your main criticism of a restaurant is that it should play an iPod or other music system instead of broadcasting a radio station during dinner, you’re in for excellent eating. But I should be kind in criticizing media. I obviously have a lot to learn about videotaping! I’ll actually be trading my Flip Mino for a Creative Vado, as I think the Flip is too tight, and can’t capture the action well.)

After this, the wooden boards come out. Push yours toward Cory if you’d like some sushi. It’s omakase, so you’re at the mercy of the chef, but his choices are masterful. Much of the fish is flown in from Tsukiji, so it’s high quality. As is the preparation. We both had a few nigiri:

• Scottish salmon belly nigirizushi
• bigfin reef squid (head and fin) nigirizushi with orange soy sauce
• horse mackerel nigirizushi with grated ginger

Check out my YouTube video, which demonstrates Cory’s technique (he’s quiet and confident) and the finished product. The sushi’s pricey, but again, this is high quality product. I especially enjoyed the chance to compare the parts of the squid; as expected, I liked the taste of the head just a little bit more than the fin.

The meal ended with slices of cantaloupe bathing in sweet rice vinegar fish sauce. Refreshing, and fitting for the meal. A special meal. One worth seeking out, and unlike anything I’ve experienced in Seattle. In fact, you’d probably have to hunt carefully to enjoy such an experience in Tokyo. If you find yourself in the Miami area, I highly recommend it, as Naoe is well worth the hunt.

I should have seen it coming.

The folks at Fresh Bistro, the new West Seattle restaurant from Herban Feast, throw fresh into all that they prepare. We took our fresh lemon and vanilla bean-infused Gin & Yang (get it?) drink to our dining room table, where Chef Dalis Chea sent a bunch of plates enhanced by fruits and vegetables—with varying degrees of success.

First up were shiso-crusted honey pecan prawns with green mango slaw and sriracha foam. I laugh whenever I see honey walnut prawns on menus of restaurants that claim to serve authentic Chinese food, and shudder when I think of the mayonnaise, condensed milk, and other creamy sauces I’ve seen served with the shrimp. And yet they can be a guilty pleasure. The slaw was a good counterpoint in this dish, though I wish there was more heat from the sriracha.

I should say that I’m not sold on the “foam phenomenon” in restaurants, as I’m not quite sure of the point. And sometimes I feel the same about the “flanification” of vegetables. A green olive and pecorino-crusted halibut was okay (as long as I’m lamenting certain foods, it’s as good a time as any to say that I find halibut a bit boring, which is sad since it’s served so much this time of the year), but while I liked the roasted tomatoes and other vegetables, the spinach flan was a fail for me. Beautiful color, for sure, but as with many foamed ingredients, flavor was lost.

Still, points for trying, and same for a couple of crisped dishes. The “Bellies Up” asparagus came with nice flavor from pickled red onions, shaved fennel, dill, and preserved lemons, but while I like the idea of deep frying the salmon bellies, salmon is a fish I prefer not battered. Likewise for the crispy veal marrow in the oxtail bourguignon plate. The joy of the marrow was lost once battered and fried—and it was simply too oily. But I liked trying it, and otherwise appreciated the meaty dish freshened up with baby carrots, parsnip puree, frizzled chervil, and appropriately and amazingly crispy chips.

As vegetables were the strength of the meal, it’s no surprise that my favorite dish was the “Beets Me” salad. Just as I’m an advocate of using the whole animal, here we got the greens on one side, the fleshy roots on the other, and a glass of golden beet gazpacho to boot.

But the big surprise came at dessert. All those vegetables should have been the telltale sign that there’d be a twist at the end of the meal. And there was. Pastry Chef Maya Barber Kurose’s dessert was unmistakably creme brulee, but I did a double-take when I saw that it was topped with tomato, basil, and some balsamic vinegar. A salad dessert? A dessert salad? Either way, it worked me—as I don’t always want my dessert too sweet. Others might. Fresh Bistro is touting itself as serving internationally inspired, locally sourced bistro cuisine. Expect a tossed salad of ingredients in any of their menu selections. And maybe a few surprises.

One day ago, I ate tongue and tripe tacos at a taco truck in north Seattle. That’s typical of the food I most love: simple and flavorful.

One month ago, thanks to Keren Brown, this restaurant reviewer had the good fortune of meeting famed restaurant reviewer Ruth Reichl at Olivar in Seattle. (The photos here, taken by Rina Jordan, capture some moments from that meeting and event.) Taken with her confidence, I introduced myself by saying, “You’re meeting the country’s only professional sex educator who’s also a restaurant reviewer.” She laughed and said, “That’s interesting.” I know it’s interesting, and am trying to figure out how to bring those worlds together.

One year ago, I was conceptualizing Gastrolust and preparing to launch the website. (I’d been blogging for Seattlest for some time, was just about to post my first entry to Examiner, and was in my first year of writing the monthly Dish-Off column for Sound magazine.) According to Urbanspoon, I’ve posted reviews of 237 restaurants so far this first year. Wow.

And I’ve got lots of restaurant reviews in the queue, including one of Naoe in Miami - one of my most interesting and delicious meals of 2009 to date.

This is also a time of reflection for me, as I try to figure out what direction I’d like to take this blog in the year(s) to follow. I’ll be immersed in food and food thoughts the next two weeks, as I head to Yakima tomorrow for a few days of cherry immersion, and then go to Portland next week to explore the restaurant scene in that food-fascinating city. As I consider my writing goals, I’ll be thinking about what would make this blog interesting for Ruth Reichl - or any of my readers.

(Click photos to enlarge)

Watch out, Portland! Mobile food is moving up in Seattle.

Until recently, you’d have to drive away from downtown Seattle to find a food truck, with most being taco trucks on the edges of the city. (I ate tongue and tripe tacos at one yesterday while heading home from Shoreline.) But now, a not-so-little pig has come to market: Maximus / Minimus is at the southeast corner of 2nd and Pike.

This eye-catching wonder is the brainchild of Kurt Beecher Dammeier, the man behind Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. His co-workers loved the pulled pork sandwiches he made them for lunch, and suddenly the concept came about, resulting in a pig-shaped truck often parked just outside of Dammeier’s office.

The name refers to the flavor profiles, with Maximus meaning savory and spicy, and Minimus meaning tangy and sweet. On the positive side, lapsang souchong tea contributes a welcome smokiness to the sandwich ($5.46). But beyond smokiness, I love heat, so I’m a bit disappointed that I can’t discern much difference between the maximus and the minimus sauces. Carry a bottle of hot sauce with you if an “extra hurt” order isn’t anywhere near making you scream out your culinary safe word.

As for the rest of the menu, I do like the beets as part of the vegetable chips ($4.55, or $2.28 as a side to a sandwich), and the slaw (also available in maximus or minimus flavors) is serviceable ($2.73, or $1.37 with the sandwich). Drinks ($1.82) are fun; I prefer the tart ginger lemonade (the maximus drink) over the hibiscus nectar (the minimus drink), which is floral and sweet. There’s a vegetarian sandwich available, though it seems silly to me to pony up to a pig only to be pork-free.

Then again, Dammeier loves the veggie sandwich, though he says the ability to have a pulled pork sandwich for lunch everyday was the inspiration behind Maximus / Minimus. Can a man live by pulled pork alone? Can pulled pork alone make a business thrive? With his track record of success, I wouldn’t bet against Dammeier. He can certainly diversify the menu down the line, and he also has plans to take the show on the road, parading the pig to different neighborhoods and showing up at special events. (Stay in touch by following Maximus / Minimus on Twitter.)

“McDonald’s soft-serve.”

Harsh words, but that’s how two of my food-writing friends described what they ate at Old School Frozen Custard, which just opened on Capitol Hill.

Good timing on the opening, as the weather’s been warm and sunny—which puts so many in the mood for a cold, sweet treat. But what will the demand be like after the summer, I wonder? In my former state of Vermont, almost all of the creemee stands would close once foliage season ended.

In a city that’s embracing frozen desserts like ice cream and gelato, custard’s got a chance. Smoothness and creaminess are part of its appeal. But it also needs to taste good. Comparing the standards at Old School, the vanilla is better than the chocolate, as the egg yolk shines through, adding its richness. But both pale in comparison to what I’ve had in other parts of the country, particularly that dairy-loving state of Wisconsin, where Kopp’s is my cream of the crop. So light, creamy, and flavorful—with a very chocolately chocolate.

Even the Culver’s chain, based in Wisconsin, offers a scoop that bests Old School’s. And that always comes after a filling ButterBurger and a side of crinkle-cut fries. Both of which, incidentally, are about the same quality as McDonald’s.