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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 of a sushi [...]

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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 [...]

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Note (11/22/10): Din Tai Fung has opened in Seattle. See my challenge to them here, included updated ratings of xiao long bao. 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. [...]

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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 adjusting our eyes to [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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“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 [...]

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