Gastrolust

Five hours and $500 for dinner for two? Does that include getting high? Yes, on herbs. Earlier this month, The Herbfarm invited us to experience “A Menu for an Autumn Sketchbook.” Dinner at The Herbfarm is an experience—a single seating, nine course (with six matched wines) affair based on an often-changing theme to take advantage [...]

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In 1998, with my love of both riding and eating animals (not at the same time, nor the same animal) hitting its crescendo, I traveled to Ireland to do the Ring of Kerry on horseback and to study at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Cooking school in Ireland? Hard to imagine, I know, especially when Irish [...]

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Yeah, yeah, yeah… we’ve bawled a bunch about the blahness of Queen Anne cuisine, from the “exotic” Chinoise at the top of the hill to the “exotic” Racha at the bottom of the hill. So we lowered our expectations a bit to try some good ol’ American food at Floyd’s Place, which reviewers consistently Yelped [...]

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In the past month, I’ve been lucky enough to eat at such places as Rover’s, The Herbfarm, Inn at Langley, and Crush. As much as I enjoy these fine dining experiences, I’m not pretentious; I can be just as happy, if not more, at a hole-in-the-wall joint in the International District. Such restaurants typically have [...]

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What’s amazing about Whidbey is that it’s oh-so-close to Seattle, and yet seemingly far, far away. Time it right, and you can get to the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal in just 30 minutes. Then a relaxing 20 minutes on the boat and you’re bound for the breathe-easy life of this bucolic island—one of the largest in [...]

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Uwajimaya. This wonderful grocery store makes me think of sushi, noodles, Beard Papa…and burgers? Yes, burgers. As you hit the checkout lane, check out the snacks across from most of the registers. You just might find a box of Everyburger, made by a company called Bourbon. They look like burgers, but these are actually coin-sized [...]

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Canlis just held a champagne-enhanced press conference, finally ending overnight speculation in announcing the hiring of Jason Franey as their new executive chef. According to brothers Brian and Mark Canlis, there’s “no more qualified chef to be part of what we’re doing here” than 31-year-old Franey, who will be leaving his position as sous chef [...]

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A bottle of red, a bottle of white Whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight I’ll meet you anytime you want In our Italian Restaurant. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I admit it: I saw Billy Joel in concert recently. The Piano Man’s still got it. His music, like a good plate of pasta, is familiar [...]

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Our country is in restaurant danger. In many parts of America, pizza is Pizza Hut, Mexican food is Taco Bell, and chicken is Kentucky-fried. YUM. That’s not praise, but the stock symbol of Tricon Global Restaurants, which represents that trio and is trying to reintroduce Taco Bell into Mexico after failure the first time. (Will [...]

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A couple of months ago I made note of the banh mi at Spring Roll House, one of the many Vietnamese delis where you can get delicious sandwiches on the cheap to eat at home or office—or, like me, in the car. The place is a bit tricky to find and it’s in an area [...]

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