Copper What?

Anybody out there like Salmon? If you're sitting there nodding your head then I guess this is just about your favorite time of year!

Any salmon aficionado knows that in May and June the Copper River salmon run, and it is known for being the best example of the breed.

I really can't say that I'm a die-hard fan of the Copper River salmon, in fact I've often said that the Copper River marketing folks are absolutely brilliant since they've created this amazing brand for a product that isn't really that different or special. This year I think I've changed my mind however.

Last night we had a small dinner party and since we've had enough great steaks and it is Copper River season we figured we'd try our hand at a Tom Douglas-themed meal.

If you haven't been, you really need to check out Tom's restaurant Etta's which is adjacent to Pike Place Market, and where he serves his best fish dishes.

We started out with an appetizer Emily invented. She took chunks of watermelon, drained them, then skewered them with toothpicks, added prosciutto, and a small chunk of Grana Padano cheese, then drizzled aged balsamic over them and nestled it all in a bed of watercress. **IMPORTANT** If you are going to do this, don't try to substitute some sort of Stella shrink-wrapped bullshit cheese either, you gotta have some really good cheese and the GP is the one. Tasty!

For dinner we had the Copper River of course, some little squashes, and Tom D's cornbread pudding hint: you don't have to use heavy cream. try 2%, your arteries will thank you.

Here's how I did the salmon:

-I bought about 2.5 pounds of Copper River Sockeye to feed six adults

-Portioned the fish in equal yet delightfully robust pieces

-Coated the pieces with Tom D's "rub with love" about two hours before grilling

-Soaked cedar planks for two hours before grilling

-Preheated the grill to 500

-Put the planks on the hot grill five minutes before touchdown

-Once the planks start smoking/smelling i pull them, oil the grill

-Sear the top of each salmon portion for about a minute

-Pull the fish off the grill, put the planks back on, then put the fish skin-down on the planks

-Close the lid, cook for eight minutes

-Pull the fish, put it on a large cookie sheet, and tent loosely with foil for a few minutes

The result was one of the best meals I've ever had...seriously! The flavors go together so nicely, and the Copper River was flaky, moist, flavorful, and has a little extra fatty goodness.

We paired the meal with a very nice Pinot Noir from New Zealand called Amisfield and it went perfectly with the meal. I highly recommend this wine, and it may very well be available at your local Costco!

To top off our "Tom D at home" experience we served the famous coconut cream pie from Dahlia Bakery and basked in our fullness.

So if you are interested in trying Copper River salmon, and you're not in a region where it is readily available, I suggest you look up our friends at Wild Alaska Salmon Company. Sara can ship you fresh salmon straight from Alaska overnight!

Cheers

What is BBQ 2U?

Do you love barbecue? or is it bar-b-que?
Any way you slice it, I like bbq. I like to eat it, cook it, even type it. It just feels good.
I've been enjoying some bbq lately and I imagine you're probably doing the same.
I thought I'd share some of my recent discoveries and favorite things about the big bbq season.

You know what? it turns out nobody likes chicken that's black and crispy on the outside and cold and salmonella-y on the inside. That's where slow cooking comes in!
I recently had a little dinner thing (or my wife did and I was a key contributor?) anyway we decided we'd go old school and have chicken...complete with bones and skin no less!
In anticipation of the event I broke out the trusty barbecue bible (thanks ian and julie for the fine wedding gift that i'm still using!) some great recipes and directions on cooking fast or slow.

I called my friend Matthew who happens to be a chef (the real deal) and an amazing barbecue-ist (heh) Matthew played Master Po to my Caine as I walked the earth searching for moist poultry and left me with this tidbit...use a subtle marinade of olive oil, rosemary, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Do not be shy about the oil. Do not salt and pepper until 30 minutes before cooking. do not baste with a sugary sauce until you are almost done cooking. All of this was very important advice indeed.

Have you tried cooking with a little smoke? no, i don't mean breaking out the phatty before you fire up the grill, i mean using wood chips or pellets to enhance the flavor of your meat while cooking! I tried some apple wood pellets and I was pretty pleased with the results.

So here's the blow by blow:

-Chicken pieces; breasts, legs, thighs etc
-marinate in olive oil, lemon zest, rosemary, red pepper flakes for as little as two or as much as 24 hours
-heat grill to medium, then turn off the section you will be cooking on (indirect method) leaving the other burner(s) on
-Salt and pepper the chicken before putting on the grill
-Place chicken on grill, turning occasionally. Cook for ~75 minutes at 325ish
-At the 55 minute mark bust out the bbq sauce. baste the bird every five minutes 'til done
-Remove pieces and place on a platter, loosely tented with foil
-Serve with some piping hot cornbread, potato salad with the skin left on/tossed with blue cheese, and some sort of greens

Some other recent barbecue victories:

1. Opah . Do not confuse this fish with the popular talk show host, its just not nice. Grilled this one up over the weekend. Its like a tuna steak that smells less like tuna. i really like it.
2. Scallops wrapped with bacon. This could not be easier. Get some bacon. wrap the biggest scallops you can find with it. secure it with a **wooden** toothpick (don't ask) and grill over medium heat for about 10 minutes. AMAZING
3. Northwest Exclusive steaks. Yeah, its kind of like saying "my kid is the cutest" but the reality is my steaks are better than yours. Check out the fathers day special which includes a couple killer, aged, prime ribeyes and a bottle of Stevens 424 red blend. I'd like to receive this little gift but since I'm only dad to a yellow lab and he doesn't have any money I don't think I'll be getting one.
4. Great bbq technology. Have you noticed what's going on with the grill these days? Its like some sort of bbq renaissance! If you don't have 62,000 BTUs and 830 inches of cooking area you are just not a player. For great value in grills, I like Vermont Castings which are available at your local Home Depot.

So there ya go, there's my early-season take on bbq. Now get out there and grill.

Go north young man

So you're looking for a fantastic meal eh? I'm not talking about your run of the mill, generic, faceless, uninspiring yet sufficient fare that is readily available in any town of size. I'm talking about the kind of meal that you can really dig into literally and figuratively.

For those of you who know me, you know I have a pretty big place in my heart reserved for Whistler. Two massive and very different mountains featuring the most amazing lift-serviced terrain on earth, which funnels you down into an array of pubs, clubs, spas, and of course restaurants.

I could probably write all day about my dining experiences in Whistler Village, but this entry is all about a little place you can't walk to from the lifts, the Rimrock Cafe
I have eaten at the Rimrock about a half dozen times. Not every visit has been "A+" but it has always been WAY better than average.

Last weekend after a long day of setting tile and moving furniture, Emily and I went to the Rimrock for a late dinner. They just happened to be running their off-season prix fixe promotion which pretty much means three courses for the price of an entree.

Here's the blow-by-blow for my favorite meal of spring 2007 (excludes anything cooked by my wife or enjoyed with my mother)

1. Wine list is fantastic. Washington, Oregon, BC, California, French, Italian, Spanish, Argentinian, Chilean, and of course that wonderful wine-producing commonwealth country Australia are all well represented. I really like the fact that they have interesting wines from $38 CAD/bottle through $500+. Regardless of your taste or specific situation they have a wine for you. I knew I'd be enjoying some sort of game so I went straight for an Aussie Cab from Pirramimma that blew Em and I away. A great big bomb of a cab with subtle yet firm tannins, big cherry/berry flavors that give way to a nice smooth finish.
2. So many great starter choices, and the list changes daily. I chose to start with an iceberg wedge salad topped with Gorgonzola, grilled pears, and candied/spiced pecans. Its like they know me!
3. Next I dove into the lobster and scallop ceviche. very simple preparation, lots of garlic, lime, cilantro, and of course super fresh fish. WOW
4. Then comes the real deal. This is why I go to the Rimrock....Mixed Grill! Lamb Chop, beef tenderloin (blue rare) and caribou. This is not for the faint of heart my friends, nor is it for anyone on a diet. While no single portion is large, the combination is pretty much deadly.
5. We finished up with the sticky pudding which I really can't describe very well, but its sticky, sweet, and absolutely worth the trip. I paired this course with a snifter of Armagnac (paying homage to Peter Morse if you're out there) which was clearly not in the same league as the one he shared with me a couple years back.

The service was exceptional, the vibe casual yet comfortable, and the company was perfect. Pretty hard not to love a meal like that.

So while Whistler remains a ski town for most, it deserves a trip in any season and those who visit during the off season will be rewarded with surprises like the Rimrock's seasonal promo.

Two mountain passes, kielbasa, and beers

Its official...spring has sprung.
This past weekend Emily and I made the obligatory trek to the middle of Washington state to dust off our little summer place, clean the boat, and soak up a little sunshine.
We left on Saturday around noon with no real plan other than grab a coffee and point the wagon east. Lacking any sort of real agenda we decided to travel over Stevens Pass via Hwy 2 then stop in Leavenworth for a late lunch.
The plan could not have been better! We were greeted with nice spring temperatures which ranged from the low 60s when we left to 70 degrees when we arrived at our final destination at Crescent Bar
The views along Hwy 2 are spectacular this time of year. The high peaks such as Mt Index are still snow-capped and seem to tower miles above the winding road. If you travel this route be sure to leave some time to stop, stare, and take a few pictures. I can't imagine a more beautiful place on earth than Washington in spring.
The rivers are running quite high right now and the amount of whitewater visible from the road is awesome to say the least.
a little less than two hours into our trip we reach the Bavarian-themed tourist village Leavenworth. Yes, it is cheesy. No, I wouldn't want to spend more than a day or two. But all the same I enjoy stopping in, checking out the sights, and grabbing a bite to eat.
Since we were traveling with our dog Fletch we really wanted to find someplace dog-friendly and preferably outdoors. Our prayers were answered when we walked into Munchenhaus a purveyor of German sausages and brew. This place is fantastic! Excellent Kielbasa, great German and American micros on tap, seven varieties of mustard, and a big vat of steaming sauerkraut at your disposal.
The seating is outdoors and features big communal picnic tables, some shade, some sun, and best of all they are dog friendly. My kinda spot.
We left Leavenworth around 4PM and made a beeline for Wenatchee where we planned to connect with one of the wineries we work with at Northwest Exclusive, CR Sandidge .
CRS was pouring wine at a new coffee and wine bar called Tastebuds in Wenatchee. Great little place with an emphasis on small plates of interesting food, coffee, and Northwest wine.
After this short stop we made our way up to Crescent Bar for the night, a little pub grub and some bad dancing before we called it a night.
On Sunday we did some Spring maintenance, went for a walk, then headed out to I-90 and decided we'd find a nice hike on the way home. There are so many trails along the I-90 corridor there's no way you can go wrong...right? Well, without a decent guidebook it is not necessarily easy to identify a good trail that is a) somewhat near the hwy and b) accessible in spring.
We spent some time exploring Lake Cle Elum and after driving quite a while, exploring several dead ends and running out of time we packed it up and headed home over Snoqualmie Pass.
The drive over Snoqualmie is not quite as dramatic as Stevens, but it is still pretty amazing and you can peg the cruise at 75 and get home fast.
If you haven't enjoyed Central Washington recently I highly recommend a spring road trip, you'll be glad you did it.

The Herbfarm vs. Austin, Texas

Over the past couple of weeks I've been on an absolute tear!
Emily and I went to Austin for a few days and fully loaded up on Tex-Mex and Margaritas.
If you haven't been, I highly recommend a trip to the lone star state's capital. Between the **truly** friendly nature of folks, the amazing food, and non-stop music, Austin is a phenomenal place to visit.
A few places you should check out if you go:
Gueros is pretty freakin cool. this south Congress Ave joint is packed with a very eclectic mix of folks and the energy is palpable. Margaritas are served in a tumbler with limes, tequila, and salt...that's it!
Shady Grove is a great spot for a lazy weekend brunch. In Austin, brunch includes many tex-mex options such as Migas and Huevos Rancheros. I went around 1:30 in the afternoon and 90% of the Shady Grove diners seemed to be just waking up...Good times. If you don't feel like brunch, try the brisket burrito
If you're out for a special meal, it would be hard to go wrong at Eddie V's We went with a large group and enjoyed top shelf service, dry-aged Prime steaks, and a fantastic wine list. No, its not unique to Austin...but if you need your steakhouse fix this is the place.
I really enjoy Austin's laid-back, chilled out, friendly southwest vibe and can't wait return!

About a week after returning from the southern swing I had a chance to take my Mom to the Herbfarm It was my second visit and her first. If you love food, wine, and celebrations then I suggest a trip to the Herb Farm is mandatory.
Dining at the Herbfarm is kind of the antithesis to eating Tex Mex in Austin...

1. Reservations: in Austin most restaurants seemed to prefer "walk in and wait". At the Herbfarm they ask you to call months in advance and put a deposit on your meal
2. Libations: Austin offers great margs and bottled beer...Herbfarm offers rose geranium infused cocktails and a 23,000 bottle wine cellar
3. Crowd: Austin draws UT coeds, funky musicians, and tech workers...Herbfarm draws food critics, surgeons, and tech workers
4. Food: Austin offers chipotle-laced dishes served with beans, rice, and tortillas...Herbfarm offers nine courses of preparations you've never heard of much less tried
5. Cost: Well, lets put it this way I could go to Austin for the weekend (airfare included) for the equivalent of dinner for two at the Herbfarm

So which one did I enjoy more? Both !

Its really kind of silly to even compare the experiences, but if you know me or have read my blog you know I am big on value. The one thing eating Tex Mex in Austin and going to the Herb Farm have in common is value. For twelve bucks you can spend an afternoon chatting with Austin locals and enjoying some amazing grub and a pint of beer. Or you can splurge on a very memorable experience at the Herbfarm where each member of the staff is the best at their role, each ingredient has been chosen on it's own merits, and each bite is better than the last. To some the latter may not seem like a great value, but if you really love food I think you'll get your money's worth.

Right now the Herb Farm is offering their "Chambers of the Sea" menu featuring an amazing array of Northwest seafood and wine, check it out.

Whirlwind tour

Since I last posted I've been on kind of a crazy journey!
It would take hours to provide the kind of detail I'd like to, so I think I'll create a bulleted list of the highlights of the last month in terms of food/wine

1. Birthday! My wife threw a fantastic little dinner party for me and a few friends on March 9. On the menu were five spice duck, a vertical pinot noir tasting, and pear tart from the Dahlia Lounge followed by some sloppy Guitar Hero. Great stuff indeed
2. Birthday! My wife followed up the amazing dinner party on Friday with a really fun dinner with friends at http://www.baroloseattle.com The space is great, I love the lighting, and the menu looks great. The food was just ok and the service kinda sucked. Luckily I was with great friends and it just didn't matter! If you're considering Barolo...point your car northwest and hit http://www.volterrarestaurant.com/ instead.
3. Vancouver. This is a very special city for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Emily and I were engaged there. We went up for a night on our way to Whistler and had a great time. Met with some old mobile game cronies and then hit http://www.cincin.net for a nice little dinner at the bar. No, its not the newest, trendiest, or most interesting choice in Vancouver...but it is always good and the service rocks. We started with the Gnocchi con cinghiale (red wine braised wild boar) then followed it up with a large helping of Gnocchi con cinghiale! The wine menu is great, both by the glass and by the bottle. We tried a couple different things but settled on a barbera that was just right with the boar. Next time you roll Robson, stop at the Cin Cin bar for some boar and barbera, you won't be disappointed
4. Whistler. We went up for a nice little vacation with a heavy maintenance component. Had to get our act together and make some improvements to the condo and so we did just that. Didn't get everything done we wanted, but we are well on track. While in Whistler we actually ate in more than out, but we had one noteworthy meal with our friends Rob And Missy at Elements. This PACKED little tapas joint isn't much from the outside, but on the inside its absolutely buzzing with energy and the food was phenomenal. Its an eclectic mix of small plates with Asian influence and Canadian sensibilities (ie: great and varied meat)
5. Orlando. Yes, that's right, Orlando. Went for the big mobile show CTIA and while the show itself was pretty stale, the fact that I can go to a party thrown by MTV, featuring Grandmaster Flash and hang out with everyone I've ever worked with is pretty freakin fantastic. Great to see Levin, Alex G, Drew, Kate, Jeff C, Golden, Flanders, Aunkur, Peachey, a bunch of old Jamdat folks, and so many others was a blast. I did have one good meal while in Orlando, and it did not occur in a theme park. Drew and Kate invited me to http://www.sambaroom.net/ which serves solid Latin-fusion cuisine and the atmosphere is really fun. I had the skirt steak and some great Argentinian wine, Bodega Norton Privada which was a cab, malbec, merlot blend....niiiiice
6. Scotland, Part I: long story short, I went to my sister's wedding in Northeastern Scotland. The wedding was followed by a great dinner/reception where they featured Angus beef which is from the Angus region of Scotland. Great meal followed by very bad dancing.
7. Scotland Part II: Stayed two nights in Edinburgh and enjoyed some local fare. I can't say i'm going to miss meat pies or haggis, but I tried them and they're ok. The liver with bacon I think I'll probably skip next time.
8. London: $40 for a greasy breakfast complete with cold toast, beans, and something puck-like they call pudding? Blech. Here's my advice for eating in London: if the meal is on someone else's dime, find the Timeout magazine, select a restaurant that is expensive and highly rated, and be prepared to be underwhelmed. If you are paying out of your own pocket think about having something less than traditional such as pizza...http://www.strada.co.uk/ serves solid if less than inspiring Italian fare, some decent pizza, and good wines by the glass without breaking the bank.

So now I'm back, jetlagged, and glad to be within the range of Pagliacci. Hope life is treating you right.

Twenty Five 4 Twenty Five

Does anyone else love the annual 25 for 25? If you aren't aware, one of the best deals in dining is happening right now in Seattle (and surrounding areas.)
http://www.nwsource.com/contests/restaurants/25for25_0307/

So basically its a chance to try out a restaurant you've been wanting to try, or enjoy a great deal on a meal at an old favorite. The menu is prix fixe and typically includes a variety of starters to choose from, 3-5 entrees , and a number of dessert items.
Although I have been to some restaurants that come up with a new and "cheaper" menu for this event, most seem to offer some of their favorites and don't cut corners.

Sunday my wife and I were heading downtown for a concert and stumbled across the ad for this year's 25 for 25 and decided we'd try and catch the blue hair special at Etta's.
We called and were lucky to snag a table at 5:15 AND confirmed that some of our favorite Tom Douglas items were on the menu.

Tom's "rubbed with love" salmon, cornbread pudding, and a wonderful endive and beet salad were my choices, followed by a brownie. My wife also opted for the salmon, but chose the short rib appetizer and the coconut cream pie.
The salmon was fantastic, and no they do not reduce the quantity or quality of food when you opt for the cheapo menu...great stuff. The cornbread pudding was decadent as usual, and both the salad and short ribs were wonderful.
The only minor disappointment was the brownie, but the massive slice of coconut cream pie made up for that (thanks for sharing hon.)

I have noticed sometimes this kind of promo can bring out the worst in both diners and servers; diners who abuse the opportunity to sample some great stuff at these restaurants sometimes fail to see the value provided, and servers fail to see the value in a customer who may not represent a huge bill tonight may fall in love with the restaurant and come back often if treated well.

Etta's delivered a top notch dining experience (again) and while we didn't spend a ton of money, we received exceptional service and made sure to tip our server well.
Next weekend I'm hoping to make a trip to the Barking Frog as they are taking part in the promo too. Last year the 'Frog included some special wines to celebrate the 25 for 25 which were both interesting AND discounted significantly. NICE!

If you are considering visiting one of the 25 participants, check out the site for the list of restaurants and book as early as possible. Most of them run the promotion Sunday-Thursday through March 31st, and serve a prix fixe lunch for $15 or dinner for $25.

My short list includes:

• Barking Frog
• Tulio
• Oceanaire
• Zoe
• Campagne

Which ones will you try?