Gastrolust

Trellis probably tops my list of the most underrated restaurants in the Seattle area. It’s low-key, it’s in a hotel (the Heathman), and it’s in Kirkland. No wonder I’m always answering the “Trellis…never heard of it…where is it?” question.
This is a gem of a restaurant. Go on a Sunday or Monday, and [...]

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I remain admittedly ambivalent about cupcakes.
When they’re really good they can be a guilty pleasure, but when you’re paying about three dollars a pop for a dollop of frosting on a sometimes forgettable base of cake, I’d rather put that money toward a banh mi or a noodle bowl.
Still, I recently ventured to New York [...]

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brown butter sponge. cider. ice cream.
Perhaps you recognize the format (three supporting ingredients. all lower case. all followed by a period.) and know that this week’s Sexy Feast is about to feature Spur Gastropub. The dish is an “Apples & Caramel” dessert, and like just about all of Spur’s dishes, it’s got a [...]

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2010 was a big year for food writing for me.
Book-wise, I was pleased to be a co-editor/author for the Fearless Critic Seattle Restaurant Guide.
Magazine-wise, I’ve brought my worlds of food and sex together in writing the regular “Hot Plate” feature for Edible Seattle. I’ve also contributed to Northwest Palate magazine, and look for an article [...]

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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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Everywhere I go these days, people are talking about a new palace of pleasure that’s opened in Ballard.
So I went. And I swear: Going to D’Ambrosio Gelato is like paying a visit to a popular brothel.
A very popular brothel. What I’d heard was true: There’s typically a line of people trying to get in, while [...]

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With Seattle Restaurant Week starting today, I’ve been thinking about why three courses for $25 ($15 for places doing a lunch deal) is attractive to most people, but somewhat unappealing to me. Part of it is that I’m eating out all the time, and a promotion like this means a fixed menu, larger crowds, and [...]

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Many will be mystified when they see this mass of “string” in the bakery. Some think it looks like a little mop head, absentmindedly shoved in the showcase. I, admittedly, was mistaken the first time I saw a Mont Blanc. It was at a Tokyo bakery, in the shadow of Mount Fuji. How is a [...]

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In some ways, this is a downtown battle of batters and preparation. But in a bigger sense, this is a battle between Le Mont Saint-Michel and Liege, as we compare Mobatta’s crepes and Sweet Iron’s waffles.
Everyone loves crepes, or so it seems in Seattle. Hiding behind the boom of cupcakeries in the city, look around [...]

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Here in Seattle, we need another cupcake maker like we need another food blogger. (Seriously, who isn’t a food blogger these days?) I admit it: I’ve been pretty cynical about the whole cupcake scene. Apparently, I’m not the only one. When I posted to Twitter, Facebook, and some food message boards asking advice about cupcakes, [...]

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