Nosh Pit

Culinary Clips: Probing Seattle’s Love of Poutine Part II

“It’s like a savory bomb in your stomach,” says Chris Howell, head chef at Smith.

Posted by: Abby Tracy on Sep 14, 2011 at 12:46PM 0 Comments

Our poutine probe began in Fremont, where a line cook at Uneeda burger shared his theory on Seattle’s curious fascination with the Canuck concoction, in which gravy and cheese curds cover piles of French fries.

Now we head to Smith, a Linda Derschang joint on 15th Avenue East that has been serving up poutine since its earliest days. There, head chef Chris Howell schooled us on the proper execution for superior poutine, the popularity of which, he says, comes down to simple human appetite. “People love cheese, people love fries. It’s never going to stop.”

Behold:

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cheap Eats, Linda Derschang, Culinary Clips, Poutine

Meatless Monday Comes to Seattle

Good for us, good for the planet…we’re lovin’ it.

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Nov 15, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Seattle food + booze impresario Linda Derschang has announced that two of her restaurants, Oddfellows Cafe + Bar and Smith will go meatless on Mondays, starting November 29.

And by meatless, they mean that on Mondays Oddfellows chef Thomas Schultz and Smith Chef Chris Howell will serve their regular menus, but offer vegetarian-only specials.

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The focus of the campaign is to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free meals. The goal is to help reduce meat consumption by 15% to improve personal health and the health of the planet, and restaurants are beginning to sign on, all over the country.

Seattle cookbook author Kim O’Donnel (The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook), will join Derschang and Schultz at Oddfellows on November 29 to kick off the program. She’ll sign copies of her book from 6pm to 8pm while Schultz prepares recipes out of it.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Linda Derschang, Oddfellows, Smith, Meatless, Vegetarian, Kim O'Donnel

Chef Thomas Schultz Joins Oddfellows Cafe + Bar

Here’s hoping he brought his Place Pigalle recipes with him.

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Nov 03, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Oddfellows has hired a new chef, reports the busiest impresario in the biz, owner Linda Derschang.

Thomas Schultz joined Oddfellows in September after eight years as chef at the inimitable Place PIgalle. There he was a steady performer, a noble interpreter of French classics, and a maestro of seafood. He’s just now solidifying his new menu, which includes some tweaked Oddfellows classics along with duck leg cassoulet, deviled eggs with capers, and oxtail osso buco with polenta.

Yum.

Pay special attention to his Pernod cream mussels, which if they’re one-tenth as good as his Steamed Mussels Pigalle should be a showstopper.

So the dinner menu’s all rolled out, with the day menu to follow late this month.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Linda Derschang, Oddfellows, Place Pigalle, Thomas Schultz

Taste of the Town: Linda Derschang

Want to get in good with Cap Hill’s coolest lady? Then stock up on cookies and Dick’s cheeseburgers.

Posted by: Caitlin King on Mar 09, 2010 at 08:50AM 1 Comments

Fierce. Linda Derschang shows Amsterdam what Seattle style looks like.

Linda Derschang first gave Hill dwellers a place to party when she opened Linda’s in 1994, and since she’s followed up with other hot spots like Smith and Oddfellows. Though she’s often jetting off to hang in her NYC apartment with dog Jack, home is still where the Hill is—you’re likely to find Derschang sipping coffee at the Pine St Stumptown or sneaking into the Oddfellows cookie stash.

What is your favorite cookbook?
Here’s a short list: Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin; A16 Food and Wine by Nate Appleman; Momofuku by David Chang; and Pork and Sons by Stephane Reynaud. I have quite a large collection for someone that rarely cooks. Perhaps that’s why I typically choose cookbooks with gorgeous photographs.

When you have out-of-town guests, what restaurants do you take them to?
Spinasse, Café Presse, Corson Building, and Cantinetta are my current faves.

What is your guilty food pleasure?
Cookies! In New York I love the compost cookies from Milk Bar. In Seattle I can’t stay away from the Oddfellows cookies, which is convenient as I’m there quite a bit.

Where is your go-to place for cheap eats?
It’s a tie between Rancho Bravo Tacos and Skillet. And I do love to go to Dick’s for a cheeseburger and a Diet Coke every so often. It’s so old-school Seattle.

What’s your favorite book?
I love to read (and only the old fashioned way—no Kindle for me) so it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I just finished, and absolutely loved, Patti Smith’s memoir, Just Kids. Also, I’m a huge Christopher Isherwood fan and am about to start A Single Man. I loved Tom Ford’s film so much.

What is your staple drink?
Usually a Manhattan made with rye, but that will probably change with warm weather to an Americano or a Tom Collins. With no alcohol involved, I always love an Arnold Palmer. Say that three times fast.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Capitol Hill, Taste of the Town, Linda Derschang