Nosh Pit

Nosh Pit Weekly Planner: Memorial Day Edition

This week: free burgers, free ice cream, an upcoming Skelly and the Bean event, and a Seattlecentric cookbook signing.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on May 21, 2012 at 11:30AM 0 Comments

Memorial Day and National Burger Day are officially one in the same this year.

WEDNESDAY May 23
Whole Food Veggie Happy Hour Benefit
For one day only: dodge the accidental $20 hot food bar trip; there will be a $6 vegetarian dinner from 5 to 7 at the Westlake Whole Foods. Baked artichokes, asparagus, and corn fritters are on the menu, and all the food sales go to Forterra, a northwest conservation group.

SATURDAY May 26
Mischief Distillery at Tulalip
Tulalip Casino Resort is bringing the Fremont craft distiller out for the summer launch party of the patio at the Mpulse Lounge. Though the letter “i” apparently won’t be in attendance, the founder of Mischief will. The $30 ticket gets you an afternoon of live music, giveaways, liquor-laced snacks, drinks, and…mischief.

Revelry at Col Solare
The first of the summer’s Auction of Washington Wine events takes place at Col Solare winery on Saturday. Aside from the beautiful scenery and 21 winemakers planned to pour at the event there’s an even better reason to make this the highlight of your Memorial weekend getaway: it’ll be raising money for uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

MONDAY May 28 (Memorial Day)
Free Burgers at Li’l Woody’s
The 28th is doing double holiday duty his year: Memorial Day and National Hamburger Day. Actually, there’s some serious debate about the true day o’ the burger, whether it’s May or July 28. The Capitol Hill burger joint is celebrating the May date with free burgers for all from 2 to 5.

Free Scoops for Vets
Old School Frozen Custard is keeping its Memorial celebration, well, old school, and honoring the veterans who the holiday is actually for with free scoops for those who’ve served.

Sidetrack Distillery Feast
The berry liqueur–making crew out at Lazy River Farm is putting on a big Memorial Day party. Food, beer, wine, and sips of Sidetrack are all on the docket. The party starts at 2:30.

Raw, Vegan Potluck
Mayonnaise-y potato salad and a juicy burger not your thing? Those who aren’t taking advantage of Memorial Day as a day to indulge in an entire week’s worth of fat and sugar are meeting up at Discovery Park for a potluck. Drums and durian, that um…pungent fruit, are encouraged.

TUESDAY May 29
African Feast at Skelly and the Bean
From Morocco all the way down to South Africa in four courses for just $40 bucks. Arrive at Skelly and the Bean at 5 for drinks, and dinner begins at 6.

Seattle Cookbooks at Elliott Bay Book Co.
Seattle-o-rama at Elliott Bay. Molly Moon (of… Molly Moon’s), Mark Klebeck (of Top Pot Doughnuts), and Jess Thomson (of Pike Place Market Recipes) will all be at the bookstore signing their books from 5 to 6:30. And there’s promise of samples from all the mouth-watering books…

May Corner Table at Cafe Presse
This month’s Corner Table dinner is a benefit for Green Plate Special, the Central District nonprofit that teaches kids from primarily low-income families how to garden and cook. The Corner table menu will be put together by Laura Dewell, head of Green Plate, and the dinner is $55 with wine pairings. Call Cafe Presse to save your spot at the 6:30 dinner.

BEYOND
July 26 This year marks the third anniversary of the popular event Feast on the Farm. Ethan Stowell cooks, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready jams, and diners get to ride tractors around the farm before sitting down to a salmon-safe, local-food dinner under the sky. Tickets went on sale May 10, and you’d better act fast to get a spot on that tractor.

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Tags: Hamburgers, Molly Moon's, Cafe Presse, Whole Foods, Ethan Stowell, Elliott Bay Book Co, Microdistilleries, Free Food, Top Pot, Washington Wines, Cookbooks, Benefit Dinners, Wine, Wineries, Skelly and the Bean

Nosh Pit Weekly Planner

Boozy weekend: scotch abounds at John Howie and Hop Scotch, cask beer fest, and Taste Washington.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Mar 26, 2012 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

Two chances for a taste of Glenmorangie this week. Photo courtesty of the Glenmorangie website.

THURSDAY March 29
Spirited Dining at John Howie
Two important men in the world of scotch will be at John Howie this Thursday; the master brand manager and master distiller from Glenmorangie. Each of the courses in the five-course dinner will be accompanied by a carefully chosen Glenmorangie spirit. (And some Scottish accents too, we hope.) The $125 dinner begins at 6:30.

SATURDAY March 31
Taste Washington
More than 200 wineries and dozens of chefs will be at the CenturyLink Event Center this weekend for two days of tastings. Saturday’s highlight: the Canlis Food and Wine Pairing Seminar. Sunday’s: Tom Douglas on the chef stage. Tickets run from $75 to $125, and include as many samplings as you can get your hands on. Careful, large-scale wine tasting can be dangerous, read up on survival strategies first.

Hop Scotch Beer and Scotch Festival
Taste beer, scotch, wine and other spirits in this two-day fundraiser for the Seattle International Film Festival. Tickets run from $15 to $30, and there are optional seminars to take part in to further your scotch knowledge.

Edible Book Festival
Both literary puns and cake abound at the seventh annual competition of homemade edible books. Some of last year’s winners: Un Berryable Lighness of Being and Lord of the Fries. (I like S’More and Peace and Don Quichote in particular.) The event begins at noon with viewing and voting, and the cakes will be eaten at two. If you’re a brilliantly nerdy baker, register your entry by midnight Wednesday, March 28.

Washington Cask Beer Festival
The Brewers Guild will convene at the Seattle Center to share, taste, and discuss more than 70 cask-conditioned beers. The celebration of brewers’ creativity (a favorite in the beer community) is divided into two sessions, one from noon to 4 and one from 5:30 to 9:30—both cost $35 in advance, $40 at the door.

MONDAY April 2
Kids Spring Break Camp
The Kirkland Sur La Table is willing to take your kids off your hands for three days. They’ll learn kitchen fundamentals for the first two days, then get down to what cooking is really all about on Wednesday with a competition. The $120 price tag is worth it just for what they’ll learn to make at home: cornflake crusted chicken fingers, caramel cheesecake bites, and homemade pretzels… (Also, an interesting adult class on Monday—Great Recipes of Seattle. Learn to make the Canlis salad and Dahlia coconut cream pie, among other legends.)

BEYOND
April 5 Savor SLU The SLU Discovery Center will host a variety of restaurants for a sampling of the neighborhood’s offerings on Thursday night at 5. The $35 ticket includes a glass of wine and bites from places like Cuoco and Lunchbox Laboratory.

April 15 Musical Plates, Seattle’s most raucous food tour, is hitting the streets again, this time with the band OK Sweetheart. Guests will be guided around the city to some of the most popular tables, with live music every step of the way. Tickets are $60 before April 6, $75 after, and the event runs for four hours.

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Tags: South Lake Union, Weekly Food Planner, Beer Tastings in Seattle, Canlis, Cafe Presse, Cask Beer, Festivals, Washington Wines, Taste Washington, Food Events and Festivals, Tom Douglas, Wine Tastings, Beer, Wine, Weekly Planner

Nosh Pit Weekly Planner

Skillet eats, crab at the Corson Building, Check, Please! airs, and clam-digging season begins.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Mar 05, 2012 at 01:00PM 0 Comments

Dungeness crab extravaganza at the Corson Building on Thursday.

WEDNESDAY March 7

Giving Grill for Whole Planet Foundation
Shrimp po’boys for a good cause at the Westlake Whole Foods. A sandwich, chips, and a drink can be yours for a $5 donation, which goes to Whole Foods’ foundation supporting microfinance and microenterprise in developing nations.

THURSDAY March 8

Cast Iron Skillet, Big Flavors
Seattle-based mother-daughter team Sharon Kramis and Julie Kramis Hearne will be at the Book Larder, illuminating the world of the cast iron skillet with their book Cast Iron Skillet Big Flavors. The free event begins at 6:30 and promises skillet-prepared samples.

Dungeness Dinner
The Corson Building, the communal dining destination by Matt Dillon of Sitka and Spruce, is hosting a Dungeness crab dinner. The crustacean-centric feast costs $40.

Skillet Heirloom Pig Event
The Skillet crew received an entire Tamworth pig this weekend courtesy of Vashon butcher Farmstead Meatsmith. Hence both diner and truck(s) are planning a pig-centric menu items to use this noble animal in its entirety. A special Heirloom Pig tasting menu starts today at 5pm at the diner, running $55 for the meal, or $85 paired with local wines. The famous waffle will be dressed up for the event: braised and glazed pork belly with a bacon caramel waffle. The mobile version of Skillet will also have a special pork banh mi from 11 to 2.

Mushroom Identification Class Series
Puget Sound Mycological Society’s four-part class series for beginner mushroom enthusiasts begins on Thursday at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture. The classes will cover collecting and, more importantly, identifying poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms.

Crab and Prawn Boil at Salty’s
The Salty chefs at the Alki Beach and Redondo Beach locations will be boiling up pounds upon pounds of crab and prawns, and $35 gets you in on the action. The restaurant recommends making reservations for the meal, the price of which includes a pound and a half of seafood plus bread, chowder, salad, and a pint of hefeweizen.

Check, Please!
The show dedicated to everyone’s favorite activity, discussing and/or debating local restaurants, led by local food personality Amy Penningon airs today at 7 on KCTS 9.

SATURDAY March 10

Razor Clam Season
The clam-digging season is tentatively set to start on Saturday, as long as toxin tests and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife declare the clams safe to eat. Digs are planned to coincide with morning low tides, and the WDFW website has specific locations and times listed.

SUNDAY March 11

Cochon 555
Worth the trip: the fourth annual pig fest may not be happening in Seattle, but it’s on in Portland. Five Portland chefs will be preparing a pork heavy menu (accompanied by five winemakers) for a culinary competition and massive snout-to-tail meal, all in the name of promoting sustainable pig farming practices. Tickets range from $125 to $250, and past menus have included everything from pig skin beignets to root beer floats made with smoked fatback gelato.

MONDAY March 12

Walla Walla Wine
Washington Wine Month continues with a bevy of Walla Walla wines coming west to Seattle for the day. Sodo Park (don’t worry, it’s actually inside) will host dozens of wineries for a tasting. The event is open to the public from 6 to 9, and tickets are $40.

BEYOND

March 14 Pi Day at Pie from noon to 314, hand pies are (can you guess?) $3.14 and mini pies are 3 for…$3.14.

March 14 Colorful be-hatted chef Thierry Rautureau will be leading a lamb butchery demo in the Rover’s kitchen. A front row seat and a 3-course lunch with wine for $125.

March 27 Cafe Presse is hosting its second communal dinner, part of the 12th Avenue restaurant’s new Corner Table series that is becoming a monthly fixture. Four courses for $24, $39 with wine.

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Tags: Tastings and Classes, Rover's, Tavolata, Weekly Planner, Weekly Food Planner, Book Larder, Cafe Presse, Seattle Food Events, Sunday Suppers, Wine Tastings, Wine, Walla Walla Wines

Neighborhood Food News: Globetrotting Mondays at La Bête, Late-Night Cheese at Art

Plus: A Super Bowl Facebook competition at Skillet, Raclette at Cafe Presse, and Valentine’s Day plans.

Posted by: Anne Larkin on Feb 01, 2012 at 09:45AM 0 Comments

TASTE at SAM has a new Polynesian-inspired menu to go along with the Gauguin exhibit. Photo courtesy of the SAM website

CAPITOL HILL
Skillet is celebrating the Super Bowl with a Facebook competition. Help them get to 10,000 likes and suddenly become the most popular person on the block with a Skillet-catered party this Sunday. If the restaurant and food truck empire achieves 8,000 likes, it opens up a drawing for dinner for two at the diner, while 9,000 likes means dinner for four.

Mondays are going international at La Bête. The two chefs at the helm of the French-influenced restaurant have started a series of global Monday night menus—they’ll be exploring India through March, then on to Eastern Europe, Mexico, Japan, Italy…

Raclette, the perfect warm dish for a cold February evening, is back at Café Presse. Loosen your belt and prepare for some bubbling melted chalet cheese with potatoes, salami, and two kinds of ham.

DOWNTOWN
The new late night happy hour at Four Seasons restaurant Art starts today, reports Eater Seattle. The insane spread of cheese and antipasti that lures crowds in the early evening resumes once again between 9 and 11. The all-you-can-eat spread runs $7, with discounted wine selections to boot.

SAM’s Taste restaurant has developed a Parisian-inspired, Polynesian-based, Northwest-leaning menu to complement the Gauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise exhibit, on display through April 29. A good example of this three-pronged inspiration: seared scallops with ginger and pine.

Boka is joining the dollar oyster club. Sunday through Thursday, 9:30 to close, stop in for $1 oysters and $5 glasses of sparkling wine.

EASTLAKE
To make sure all their pals working a restaurant industry schedule can make it in, owners Rene Gutierrez and Charles Walpole have extended the hours of Blind Pig Bistro. Walpole and new arrival Matt Fortner will be in the kitchen Monday through Saturday, beginning February 6.

PHINNEY RIDGE
418 Public House is now family friendly, till 8 o’clock at least, ways the PhinneyWood blog. The restaurant is now open to those under 21 until 8 pm, and has a new kids menu too.

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
We’ve rounded up some Valentine’s Day dinners from around the city. Your guide to everything from chocolate cherry jubilee to caramelized shallot consomme with braised oxtail is right over here.

Don’t forget—Savor Seattle’s foodie hunt begins today. A puzzle and a prize a day, leading up to the grand prize at the end of the month: a tour for two through every Tom Douglas restaurant.

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Tags: Valentine's Day, Contests, Skillet, Spring Hill, Fried Chicken, Neighborhood Food News Roundup, Cafe Presse, La Bete, Ma'Ono Fried Chicken and Whisky

Raclette Returns at Cafe Presse

The cheesy French dish is the ultimate winter warmer.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Jan 26, 2012 at 10:30AM 3 Comments

It doesn’t get much better than this. Photo courtesy Jim Drohman.

Raclette is a cheese you eat in the winter. It is cultivated in the French Alps in late summer, when the cows’ milk is at its best (read: fattiest), then matures four to six months before it’s ripe, right around the holidays. Consume the “chalet cheese” elsewhere in the year and you’re either having stale goods or something improperly aged. For these reasons, raclette surfaces only seasonally at Cafe Presse.

To be clear, we’re not talking about some cheese plate on the starter menu. Raclette also refers to a traditional French Savoie meal in which the eponymous dairy is melted then scraped onto cuts of meat and warmed potatoes. Often this happens with a table-side grill (like this) where diners cook the ingredients at their leisure using individual trays. It makes for a most fun dining experience—and a most pleasing winter splurge.

But at Presse that set-up is logistically not possible, so the chefs lay the cheese in a cast-iron skillet, cook it in the oven for four or five minutes, then finish it under the broiler. The result: a perfectly melty spread for the accompanying hams—two kinds—steamed spuds, and salami.

Though raclette is one of owner Jim Drohman’s most requested plates (thanks in part to some TV crushing), he won’t budge on the matter of freshness. “The heart of the dish is the quality of the ingredients.”

Raclette resurfaced at Presse earlier this month as a special, but as of the 24th it’s on the menu daily. A five ounce serving of cheese, plus the proteins, will cost you $16. (Downtowners, find a similar preparation at Drohman’s other restaurant, Le Pichet.) Vegetarians can sub the meats for winter fruits and walnuts. Order both versions and you’ve got quite the nice combo, suggests Drohman.

Right now there’s plenty of cheese to go around—Drohman guesses the raclette will be on the menu through early spring—but once it’s gone, you won’t see it for many moons. Act accordingly.

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Tags: Cheese, Comfort Food, Cafe Presse, On the Menu, Jim Drohman