For now, I just wanted to give a one month’s heads-up that the Seattle Edible Book Festival is returning for its fifth year on April 10. Check out this posting from last year for more information, or go directly to the festival website. Judging will be in five different categories, and yours truly will be the judge looking for the “Most Drop-Dead Gorgeous” entry. Pictured, above, is the category winner last year: Ellen Zeigler’s “Farmers Almanac.” I look forward to viewing – and eventually eating – everyone’s words.

Some excellent selections in the list. Seattle’s even represented – by Tom Douglas’ Serious Pie. I generally like my pizza, well, a little less “dressed,” but the quality’s great, and you can’t beat the happy hour special of $5 for a half-pie. Hard to argue with the inclusion of Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. I’ve enjoyed a couple of delicious pies there. But, of course, I was thrilled to see Di Fara make the list. I try to go anytime I’m near Brooklyn, which isn’t often enough to taste the terrific pies that Domenico De Marco has been making for decades – and for who knows how much longer.

“On the verge of bein’ obscene” is how Prince describes his babe’s body in this 1982 classic; it’s also an apt description of the song itself. On the surface, “Little Red Corvette” sounds like it’s about a car, but it is filled with not-so-hidden sexual references. Chef Savuthy “T” Dye of Urbane, who suggested this song after participating in last month’s Dish-Off, envisioned the use of aphrodisiacal foods, but adds that since the song is about a woman going too fast (and a man who wants her to slow down), this month’s chefs might “move in a different direction, concentrating on the words ‘fast’ and ‘slow’—maybe doing a gourmet take on fast food, or a combination of fast and slow foods on the same plate.” How will two Wallingford chefs get down and dirty in making a main dish that would please a Prince—or at least T and me?

Avila: Swordfish and Puttanesca Sauce

When told of the song, Chef Alex Pitts and his team at Avila thought “fast cars and fast women” and immediately wanted to serve something that moves fast in the wild, settling on swordfish. “Since it’s predatory, it’s perfect for the song,” Pitts says. The fish is well-chosen, and well-cooked. As for the sauce with a name (as we saw in October, when Branzino prepared it) that means “of a whore,” restaurant owner Jared Carpenter explains delicately: “Prince is basically talking about a woman who—what’s the best way to put it—enjoys life.” This modern take on puttanesca sauce is colorful and delightful, featuring (Tuscan) Controne beans, Castelvetrano olives, cherry tomatoes and yellow peppers. A polenta cone finishes the dish, which looks as good as it tastes. I especially like the olives, a noted aphrodisiac.

Cantinetta: Pork Three Ways

Cantinetta chef Brian Cartenuto is quite the character, as is easy to discern from his “Bachelor in the Kitchen” blog. This challenge was right up his alley. When he brings the pork-filled plate, he announces, “The song is not only about sex, but it’s actually all about vaginas.” As I wonder whether this will be suitable for publication, he adds, “When I think about vaginas, I think about ‘porking,’ and since no one likes to do it in just one position, I present to you ‘Pork Three Ways.’” On one side, braised pork belly, crisped in pork fat, on a bed of shaved Brussels sprouts with pancetta; on the other, a pork and shrimp “shumai”—actually more like sausage on a stick—served with stone-ground mustard, and kohlrabi and grapefruit salad. Cartenuto is a crazy chef cooking crazily good food.

Photos by Rina Jordan. (Click to enlarge them.)

Note: Dish-Off reviews are based on announced visits. Restaurants get guidelines and choose what to serve according to the month’s song.

“Hey, we’re out to lunch,” we thought, “And that guy knows food.” So we went in, and we had what he had been having.

From the first column of the menu, we had the bibimbap. This isn’t the higher-end, stone bowl variety. (It’s all plasticware.) For seven bucks, you get a decent bowl of rice, topped with vegetables and beef, though you can substitute calamari, chicken, tofu, or other items for the beef and save some money in the process. Squiggles of gochujang on top make this a perfectly serviceable red bowl.

The menu board lists udon, meat bowls, garden bowls, tempura bowls, cooked fish bowls, and fresh fish bowls. But for our other choice, we went to the spicy bowl column and ordered the one called Red Tuna. As Matthew wrote, it’s like chirashi-zushi, with raw fish atop sushi rice, but this version contains cauliflower and a few other vegetables that, in some way, distract from the fish-and-rice combination – though they certain add freshness and color. Also spiked with hot sauce, this is a bold bowl that costs just slightly more than the bibimbap.

Yeah, you can certainly find better bowls of these Asian dishes further afield from downtown. But if you work in the area, Red Bowls offers a quick and convenient place to pick up some satisfying ethnic eats that will break up the sandwich blues. Eat in or take out – these red bowls travel well and taste good.

A Mont Blanc is a little cake made with a meringue or sponge base, covered with whipped cream and a piping of pureed chestnuts that provides a noodle-like “hairstyle” topping. As popular as the dessert is in Paris and elsewhere in Europe, Mont Blanc is practically everyone in Japan, whose people love the subtle sweetness and the flavor of chestnut.

So when my partner and I caught wind of a new Japanese bakery in Bellevue that makes Mont Blanc, we had to go. Fumie’s Gold is a bit challenging to find, but this postage stamp-sized bakery is sweet indeed. Fumie Kumagai is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and stocks her small showcase with a small sampling of treats. Bellevue’s Asian community seems to have caught on to her schedule, as it can be like a gold rush to get Mont Blanc before they sell out. We had to settle for a cream puff our first visit, but Kumagai held a Mont Blanc for our return the next day. It’s basically a to-go shop, so we devoured our dessert in the car. Quite good, but room for improvement. Based on what she told us, we’d like to see Kumagai cash out of Costco and invest in higher quality ingredients. And while the Japanese generally compliment a dessert by saying, “That’s good…it’s not too sweet,” even my Japanese companion/critic commented that both the cream puff and the Mont Blanc could have been sweeter.

That said, this is a sweet spot worth checking out, especially if you’re hitting Bellevue for its booming food scene.

Everyone loves crepes, or so it seems in Seattle. Hiding behind the boom of cupcakeries in the city, look around and you’ll see a boomlet of creperies sprouting up here and there in various neighborhoods. Mobatta has a couple of shops in downtown Seattle, while also making appearances at events like the Bite of Seattle. There’s an extensive menu offering both sweet and savory toppings, getting as fancy as the Northwest Salmon crepe that comes with mozzarella, spinach, onion, tomato, red peppers and lemon juice. We actually like the simplicity of a crepe with powdered sugar, and perhaps a little butter for added fat. Crepes are comfort food, soft and cuddly and easy to cram into the mouth.

A good waffle, on the other hand, should be crisp and bite-able. With this Seattlest writer’s bio boasting ownership of four waffle irons, it was high time to high-tail it over to Sweet Iron to check out their waffles. Sweet Iron begins with a brioche yeast dough, and the workers claim that the addition of pearl sugar is what creates caramelized goodness. The store strives for sustainability, supporting local farmers and going organic whenever possible. We enjoyed a brie and basil waffle, adding a bit of bacon for extra fatty crunch. Good stuff, though as with the crepe, we find ourselves falling for the classic waffle. Simple and yet sophisticated, it brings back happy memories of walking through the streets of Belgium with a sweet treat in our hands.

Both Mobatta and Sweet Iron offer fun, grab-n-go (or eat-in) snacks in sweet and savory varieties. Is one better than the other? In the end, it might be a matter of texture preference. We give the edge to the waffle, but you won’t go wrong with either.

This was long overdue. Following my recent foray to Flying Squirrel, I was ready. With a group of six people, we’d be able to sample six pizzas – and a whole lot more.

Pre-pizza, it’s nice to have some nibbles, and as compared to the throwaway salads of other pizza joints, Delancey’s starters are solid. Of the three starters, I liked the radicchio best, as it had a rich, roasted flavor. The preserved lemon gave it further dimension, but the dish was undersalted. Similarly, the beet and grapefruit salad (a wonderful combination) was simply crying out for more salt, which would have really brought the flavors to the forefront. The carpaccio was my least favorite of the starters, as I’ve had others in the area (Trellis’ comes to mind) that make this meat-lover sing and salivate more.

At this point, I was really salivating at the thought of the pizzas about to make their approach. With six coming, I made a conscious effort to try to evaluate each one carefully in the midst of any chaos at the table. As reflected in the starters, Brandon Pettit seems to be trying to let quality ingredients shine, whether the platform is a plate or a pie. And with the pies, it’s the crust itself that shines, as it’s thin and crisp and full of slightly salty deliciousness – when done right. Unfortunately, one crust was a little softer than I like, while some of the others were a little too charred. This may well reflect a personal preference against a “burnt” taste, but I’ve also heard this criticism from others.

Margherita pizza

Still, for Seattle, this is top tier pizza. Upon first bite, the Romana was my favorite, with the anchovy and olive giving up briny goodness, and the garlic and chile oil adding welcome bite.  But in the long run, and typical for me, the Margherita was my favorite, as it allowed the brightness of the tomato sauce and the freshness of the melted mozzarella to beguile my tastebuds.

If I can add one more criticism, it’s that I wish there was a little more mozzarella on the pizzas. As I devoured some of the chocolate chip cookie in front of me, I realized that my joy in eating it (I prefer this type of chocolate chip cookie more) stemmed from a desire for some missing fat. For that reason, I craved the cookie to a point of underappreciation of the roasted pear and the Meyer lemon budino – both of which I nevertheless enjoyed sampling. But then I also thought about the $3.50 price of the single cookie, and realized that for a starter, Margherita pizza (the least expensive, at $12) and cookie, the tab is already pushing $25, excluding drink, tax and tip. This isn’t an indictment of Delancey, but for a pizza dinner, that best be a hit-it-out-of-the-ballpark pizza.

It might be for some, though I’d probably give the  edge to Flying Squirrel (by a squirrel’s hair). Delancey offers a more interesting atmosphere, but the price you pay here is more noise and a frequently long wait. For those willing to make the drive, I’ll say that Seattle’s lucky to have Flying Squirrel on the south side and Delancey on the north side as great pizza options. For me, I’ll likely wait to travel further. Okay, I’m stubborn; I prefer to hold out for bagels  from New York, dim sum from Richmond (B.C.) or Los Angeles, and xiao long bao  from New York, Richmond, or Taipei. And pizza from Brooklyn, where DiFara can have a bizarre wait of its own, and little ambiance other than a view of the counter and the interminably old pizza-maker practicing his craft on the other side, but a pizza that makes me sing and salivate most.

Squeezeburgers are cheese-filled burgers of beauty that you can get at the Squeeze Inn in Sacramento. Smashburgers are more mundane burgers available at an ever-expanding chain of restaurants mostly in the heart of America. To be fair, the burgers aren’t bad, built from 100% Angus beef that are “smashed” on the grill and made to order, and the egg bun is a nice touch. I also appreciate that Smashburger offers a customized burger for each state; the Idaho Smashburger comes with, naturally, potatoes – in the form of chips in the sandwich. I sampled the classic Smashburger, opting for my potatoes (fried) on the side. At five bucks plus another $1.50 for the fries, my meal was fine for fast food, but not compelling enough for a return visit. Based on previous burger experience, I’ll hope that Burgerville (Fresh. Local. Sustainable.) makes it up to Seattle before Smashburger (Smash. Sizzle. Savor.) does.

Note: No camera this trip!

I’ve liked this farm-to-table restaurant, located at the Heathman Hotel in Kirkland, for a long time. Chef Brian Scheehser maintains a farm just a few miles from the restaurant, so you’ll want to pay extra attention to nearly all the fruits and vegetables mentioned on the menu. Produce is not an afterthought in Scheehser’s kitchen.

One recent evening, I enjoyed the veal osso bucco, a hearty portion of tender meat – and whatever I could manage to get out of the center of the large bone. (Ask for a few thin slices of bread on which to spread the marrow.) The roasted onions and charred tomatoes added smokiness and brightness to the dish.

Even better was the striped bass with lobster jus, which my dining companion proclaimed the best non-sushi fish dish she’d ever eaten. (That’s quite a compliment coming from her.) The fish was perfectly seared and cooked, and the broth that Scheehser brought to the table to pour over the fish was oceany yet delicate. As much as I enjoyed the squash soup I ordered, I wanted to tip the bowl of lobster broth to my mouth – but my companion beat me to it.

Well, actually, even better than these two tremendous entrees and the rest of the dinner at Trellis (including some superb wine pairings, and some intriguing non-alcoholic drinks as well) was knowing that we could retreat to our room in the hotel after the meal. That’s where we’d spend the night and start the next day with breakfast in bed, highlighted by a plate of corned beef hash (with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce) and a side of bread with orange-tomato marmalade – which made me again think of the magic of Scheehser’s garden.

And for all that, and previous experiences, I’m pleased to add Trellis to my list (right side of the blog) of favorite local restaurants.

This month’s Dish-Off features Urbane, a glistening restaurant in the new Hyatt at Olive 8 hotel, and Volunteer Park Cafe, a neighborhood meeting place in a building that’s more than one hundred years old. Moreover, it’s a chef’s battle of the sexes, as Urbane’s Savuthy “T” Dye and VPC’s Ericka Burke must each create one dish interpreting Peter Gabriel’s “Blood of Eden,” a song chosen for this month’s Dish-Off by CityArts’ Best Chef of 2009, Kerry Sear. Sear noted the song’s gorgeous melody, though its melancholy message, like much of the 1992 album Us on which it is found, seems to reflect Gabriel’s failed relationship and divorce. “I’ll be interested to see how chefs interpret the gender messages,” he told City Arts.

Urbane: Rabbit Three Ways

“I did a rather straightforward, literal interpretation of the song,” T explains, playing on “blood” and “Eden.” He really wanted to prepare snake for the Eden theme, but instead chose rabbit because of their prevalence in gardens, and their free-spirit nature. A delightful rabbit crépinette sits on a salad of apple and quince—both believed by different camps to be the forbidden fruit of Eden. Next to that is rabbit loin with luscious potato puree, surrounded by a rich rabbit reduction sauce of liver and blood, in tribute to the theme. Finally, reflecting T’s free spirit, there’s a crown rack of rabbit (as always, the meat closest to the bone is well worth the fuss) atop offal bread pudding, with scattered rabbit kidneys and hearts. It’s my favorite part of the plate—my “moment of bliss,” as Gabriel sings.

Volunteer Park Cafe: Seafood Two Ways

For her dish, Burke looked deep into the song and interpreted it as “the struggle for unity,” she says, “is a battle to reach one another in the face of the natural ebb and flow in any relationship.” I sense this struggle in her seafood presentation. “Men are hot and women are cold,” Burke asserts. She captures this idea with two separate and seemingly distant components on the plate: the pan-seared halibut and Louisiana prawns with saffron béarnaise is male, while the chilled white anchovies with lentil salad, Kushi oysters and tobiko is female. But upon closer look, “unions” of twos are evident; the prawns are intertwined, as are the anchovies—which frame and support the lentil salad and the pair of oysters. Furthermore, the hot and cold components complement each other well, giving me hope for unity while also being thoroughly delicious.

Photos by Rina Jordan. (Click to enlarge them.)

Note: Dish-Off reviews are based on announced visits. Restaurants get guidelines and choose what to serve according to the month’s song.