Nosh Pit

Cafe Juanita Chef Holly Smith returns to the Iron Chef franchise, celebrates with a special dinner.

Reserve now to secure one of 20 seats at the April 11 dinner.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 12, 2010 at 02:52PM 0 Comments

Next Iron Chef vet Holly Smith returns to the franchise on April 11, battling it out with the big boys on Iron Chef America.

Café Juanita chef and owner Holly Smith, who competed on the second season of The Next Iron Chef, is set to return to the franchise: Her Iron Chef America bout will air on Sunday, April 11 at 9pm.

I watched Smith go down on the first show, and it just went to show me that how one fares on a cooking reality show is no reflection of his or her talents. Her restaurant is wonderful. If for whatever reason you haven’t been there, go. It’s this tranquil little place in Kirkland surrounded by trees and filled with beautifully simple Northern Italian food plus knockout Italian wines. It exudes food-focused modesty and warmth and yet feels highend and detail-focused enough to befit all special occasions. Plus, the staff knows its stuff but is cool about it.

Café Juanita is having a special Iron Chef spring dinner in the restaurant’s private dining room on April 11. It’s $150 per person with wine parings, and begins at 6:30pm. There are only 20 seats, so reserve right away. The restaurant is offering another special dinner, on April 10, to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Call Cafe Juanita for details.

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Tags: Reality TV, Celebrity Chefs

Friday Nigh Specials: March 12

Here’s to Washington Wine Month!

Posted by: Kaitlin Nunn on Mar 12, 2010 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

Get swept away in the charm of Boat Street Café.

March is Washington Wine Month, and three local restaurants are offering tasty pairing suggestions tonight. Here’s to great wine!

At Ravenna’s Pair, good things come in twos. Try the pan-seared Qualicum Beach scallops, sweet potato purée, crispy parsnips, and red wine jus, $14, with a dry riesling or Sancerre. Or, order the fried Alaskan black cod with grilled endive, shisito peppers, cauliflower purée, and fennel gastrique, $14.50, and wash it down with Chablis or a local chardonnay.

Portalis Wine Bar in Ballard is pouring a glass of the medium-bodied, velvety Owen Roe 2006 Sharecroppers Cabernet Sauvignon, $8, and pairing it with peppered New York steak au poivre with spinach gratin and brandy mushrooms, $18. During happy hour (4-6pm), take $2 off all food-and-drink pairings.

Make your way to where Belltown, Queen Anne, and the waterfront collide to sample Boat Street Café ’s braised lamb shank served on butter-fried Parisian nettle gnocchi, with reduced braising wine, $28. The recommended pairing is a glass of Chateau Chabiran, Bordeaux Superieur, France 2006, $9.

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Tags: Wine, Special Dinners

Post Introduces Lunch Menu

Starting Friday, the Post Alley bar opens at 11:30am.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Mar 11, 2010 at 05:00PM 0 Comments

“I hear there’s lunch in here.”

Though it’s rather cavelike and more of a bunker than a daytime retreat…yay for a new downtown lunch spot! Starting March 12 Post Restaurant and Lounge will open its doors for the noon-hour crowd. The Post Alley boite plans to serve lunch daily 11:30am-4pm.

All your typical midday fare is there on the menu: sandwiches (ham on sourdough, turkey bocadillo, roast beef and swiss), salads, and soup, as well as some heftier options, like beef and chicken burgers, hand-tossed pizzas, and Manny’s Ale fish ’n chips. Those looking to really extend the lunch hour can order dessert. All items are priced $5–$8.

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Tags: Lunch

Upcoming Guest Chef Nights at Farestart

Every Thursday a chef cooks up a three-course meal for a cause. And you get to eat it.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 11, 2010 at 03:47PM 0 Comments

You know Farestart, the nonprofit that trains the homeless and disadvantaged in the ways of the professional kitchen.

Just want to make sure you also know and haven’t forgotten about its Thursday night Guest Chef series, when a local chef comes in and cooks with the staff-in-training.

Each three-course meal costs $24.95 per person, you can reserve up to six weeks in advance. Jason Franey of Canlis is cooking tonight, that dinner is sold out. Next week, however, Sabrina Tinsley of La Spiga will control the kitchen and there’s still space. After that it is Alvin Binuya of Ponti Seafood Grill on 3/35.

Future Farestart guest chef nights to get excited about: Dalis Chea of Fresh Bistro cooks on 4/08, and Volunteer Park Cafe’s Ericka Burke will be behind the line on 5/06.

See full schedule here.

[ Photo source]

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Tags: Chefs, Special Dinners

Two New Specialty Shops Set to Open in the Melrose Project

First-time business owners bring artisanal touches to the urban marketplace.

Posted by: Tiffany Wan on Mar 11, 2010 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

An architectural rendering of the Melrose Project, located between Pike and Pine Streets on Capitol Hill.

In the coming weeks look for two new storefronts at the Melrose Project on Capitol Hill.

Sheri LaVigne will finally open cheese shop Calf and Kid after flaky financial backers bowed out last summer. Expect to find local offerings from Black Sheep Creamery, Blue Rose Dairy, Mt. Townsend Creamery, and more, as well as a variety of cheese accompaniments (olives, pâté, crackers) and fresh bread. LaVigne plans to work with Homegrown (a soon-to-be fellow Melrose Project merchant) to offer a daily sandwich featuring cheese from Calf and Kid.

“There’s great cheese counters in other grocery stores,” she said, “but in my store it’s going to be an incredible amount of expertise from myself and the other employees behind the counter.”

Bonus: Sampling is highly encouraged. LaVigne is shooting for an early-to-mid April opening.

Though Marigold and Mint will primarily function as a flower shop, owner Katherine Anderson, a Harvard-educated landscape architect, will also carry a selection of seasonal produce—lettuce, carrots, pears, plums, broccoli, and kale— from Oxbow Farm, which is located south of Duvall.

She also plans to operate a produce delivery service between May and October. (Note half-portion orders will be offered.) During the off-season, Anderson will stock starter vegetable plants, like heirloom tomatoes, and she hopes to grow edible flowers and sell them to bartenders and chefs. Marigold and Mint will have a soft opening April 1.

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Tags: Openings, Capitol Hill, Cheese, Locavore News, Grocery Shopping