Gastrolust

Imagine your menu for the evening:

Chilled cauliflower and leek soup with salsa verde from Serafina
Kobe-style beef salad with arugula, parmesan and balsamic vinaigrette from Chez Shea
Grilled lamb burger with balsamic onions, roasted red peppers and aioli from Café Campagne

Hungry?
You can have all this and much, much more (we had a sneak peek at the menu) [...]

[Read more →]

Bummed by bumper-to-bumperdom, Seattlest recently jumped off I-5 and onto Route 99 for a journey north. Late for an appointment, we now had limited time for a much-needed snack. We wanted it quick, cheap, and crisp. Yes, we had a crispy craving (not to be confused with a Krispy Kreme).
Aurora Avenue was serving up lots [...]

[Read more →]

Last week, this bon vivant (of sorts) attended the opening party of bin vivant, located in Kirkland’s Woodmark Hotel—right on the shores of Lake Washington. The restaurant’s been designed to take advantage of its setting; especially at this time of the year, it’s nice to sit by the water (the patio is particularly compelling) and [...]

[Read more →]

Seattlest already gave you the scoop on the opening of Olivar. So what about the food?
Chef Philippe Thomelin chatted with us while preparing some of his favorite dishes. We discussed how the Tortilla Española (potato omelet with caramelized onion) is a gauge of his skills, much like tamagoyaki is a test [...]

[Read more →]

Last week, recall, I went to Sichuanese Cuisine at my favorite food corner in Seattle (12th and Jackson, in Little Saigon). This week I decided to venture to the shopping center diagonally across the street for a quick lunch at Lemongrass.
When I think quick, I think soup. Vietnamese soup is not just quick and economical, [...]

[Read more →]

I’m distracted. I’m realizing it’s been far too long since I’ve had some good dumplings—especially xiao long bao.
Xiao long bao are delicious soup dumplings that are, sadly, hard to find in Seattle. Oh, we’ve got a few places that try to make them, but they’re terrible. The wrappers are too tough, the soup leaks out, [...]

[Read more →]

For a first visit to El Gaucho, everything went pretty much as expected. We went right at the opening (note: during the 5 p.m.-6 p.m. “Power Hour,” food from the bar menu is half-price when you sit at the bar or in the piano lounge) and spent the first ten minutes [...]

[Read more →]

No fresh pasta, sea urchin, or kimchi on a first date? No shared plates? Yikes.
This Guardian article on how, where, and what to eat for a first date makes a few noteworthy points (like avoiding places with mariachi bands), but it ultimately sounds more punishing than pleasure-enhancing. I’m not so concerned about specific food items [...]

[Read more →]

On the heels of judging Guest Chef on the Waterfront and the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon, I’ll be judging an interesting cooking competition coming up this Saturday on the Eastside.
INCREDELICIOUS 2008 is a fundraiser for EKAL Seattle, which works to improve literacy and to educate tribal children in India. The organizers tell me that [...]

[Read more →]

“Ant On The Tree.” That’s what my dining companion, minutes into his first visit to Sichuanese Cuisine, said he wanted for lunch. He didn’t know what it was, but he liked the name.
Ahead of the upcoming Olympics, the Chinese government has been working to rename restaurant dishes so that visitors have a better idea of [...]

[Read more →]