Gastrolust

Food exploring and reporting

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Entries from December 2010

The Mein Man: Ringing in the New Year with Toshikoshi Soba at Maneki

December 29th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Dish: Soba ten-zaru (”tempura on the side”)
Place: Maneki
Price: $7.95
On the tray: A tangle of cold soba (made from buckwheat flour) topped with strips of dried nori (seaweed) sits on the zaru, which is a slotted bamboo tray.
Supporting cast: A plate with four pieces of tempura: shrimp, zucchini, carrot, and cod. Also a [...]

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Tags: Japanese · noodles

Sexy Feast: Inside BuiltBurger’s Beignets: Don’t Ask, I’ll Tell

December 24th, 2010 · No Comments

At BuiltBurger, you don’t want fries with that.
BuiltBurger recently opened a Financial District (bordering on Pioneer Square) restaurant which prepares hamburger patties that they’d previously only sold frozen, albeit nationally. Reach the counter and you’ll realize the challenge of figuring out which of the BuiltBurgers to order, and then selecting one [...]

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Tags: Sexy Feast

The Reveal of Revel and Its Urban Street Food in Fremont

December 17th, 2010 · No Comments

It’s been quite a year for Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, the chef duo from Joule, which just celebrated its third anniversary. 2010 started with the couple’s appearance on Iron Chef America. In the summer, they had a baby. And now, as the year comes to a close, they have another baby: [...]

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Tags: Fusion

Sexy Feast: Peeking Behind the Fig Leaf at Fran’s Chocolates

December 17th, 2010 · No Comments

This is the season of lists, and when people ask me what a food writer recommends as a great gift, I think of Fran’s Chocolates. While Fran Bigelow’s gray and smoked salted caramels get much of the (well-deserved) attention, her double chocolate figs have me swooning even more.
This delicacy is made with [...]

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Tags: Sexy Feast · sweets

Escape from Seattle: Vancouver Island’s Sooke Harbour House

December 13th, 2010 · 2 Comments

Food and wine pairing is a fabulous thing, but perhaps even better: a culinary experience combined with a world-class inn stay.
I sang the praises of the Inn at Langley and Cave B Inn in the past. How many superlatives can I sling about Sooke Harbour House, my third and final stop in my Escape from [...]

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Tags: beyond Seattle

Sexy Feast: Anytime’s the Right Time for Dutch, Baby

December 12th, 2010 · No Comments

Dutch, baby! That’s what I wanted to scream when my partner and I met up with friends for brunch last weekend at Tilikum Place Café.
This hidden gem in the shadow of the Space Needle offers two types of Dutch babies. The sweet offering was banana with an option of candied walnuts. The savory [...]

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Tags: Sexy Feast · brunch

Escape from Seattle: North of Victoria to the Cowichan Valley

December 4th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Recall that in my previous “Escape” report about Victoria, I mentioned how a bottle of balsamic vinegar tempted me to return to Vancouver Island for some culinary adventures. Sadly, I was fighting a cold during this trip to the island, so I continued my journey, I had to consolidate my efforts. [...]

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Tags: beyond Seattle

Sexy Feast: Tongue-on-Tongue Action at La Bête

December 3rd, 2010 · No Comments

Last Sexy Feast, I wrote about how the taste receptors on the tongue play second fiddle to the aroma receptors in the nose, which is why smell is an important part of both sex and food.
Today, let’s talk about tongue.
I love tongue, whether slow-cooked and chopped as part of a soft lengua taco, or [...]

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Tags: Sexy Feast