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26 days ago
Yesterday was an absolutely picture-perfect autumn day here in Seattle! Sunny, warm if you were in the sun, with the leaves in full color. I took the opportunity to do the end of the year pots-on-the-deck cleanup including the pots of herbs and peppers I'd been growing all summer. At this time of year being able to do that work when it's not raining is a real bonus! Being tender annuals most of the herbs were ready to go, although for a moment I entertained thoughts of trying to get the basil to hold on just a little longer! I quickly reminded myself of other years' experiments and how the results were more trouble than they were worth. I decided it really was time to let go. One plant I had a really hard time with, though, was my Corno di Toro pepper. Corno di Toro is a sweet, mild Italian pepper. Although technically it's in the bell pepper family it's not as strongly flavored as the bell peppers you find in the grocery store and it can be used in lots of ...28 days ago
Okay, I really can't keep track of all the restaurant promotions that are now offered! I don't say this in a bad way, I think most of the promotions are good both for consumers and restaurants. Consumers get a deal and are able to try new places at bargain prices (or return to those they love); restaurants get the opportunity to bring in more traffic and (hopefully) attract repeat business. The newest offering in this line of promotions is one called 4for48, 4 courses for $48. A higher price-point than most of the promotions but it offers an additional course and includes locations that normally don't participate in the other offers. It runs throughout November, Sunday - Thursday evenings, with the exception of Thanksgiving. There are only thirteen restaurants participating including Lark, Le Gourmand and Crush. You can check the 4for48 website for the full list and information about each restaurant, including links to their website. In theory, the actual ...29 days ago
If you've spent anytime in Little Italy in New York, you'll know that it is slowly disappearing, being consumed by the surrounding Chinatown. But there are still a few hold-out businesses anchoring the heart of Little Italy around Mulberry and Mott streets. One of these businesses is Ferrara, a bakery and cafe. I'm attracted to this place for many reasons, not the least being that my Grandmother's maiden name was Ferrara. I have no idea if she was related to these Ferraras but I'm sure there is a very good chance. When her family first emigrated to America they made their home in New York, and most still live in the area. Only my grandparents eventually moved to the west coast. And Ferrara was established about the same time my Grandmother's family landed in New York. So I like to believe there is a connection. In addition to the idea that I'm possibly related to the proprietors are the attractions of the gelato and pastry cases. There are two ...29 days ago
The last time I was in New York I had dinner at craft. The dinner was part of an event and there was a ton of food. And while the dishes felt a little disconnected they were all good. In addition, the space was warm and welcoming. I liked it a lot and decided that the next time I was in New York I'd try it out under more normal circumstances. On this most recent trip I didn't have enough time to do all I would have liked and so I wasn't going to make it back to craft. However, I did have an opportunity to visit craftbar for a quick cocktail one evening. Craftbar is quite different than craft in the way it looks and feels. Instead of warm, glowing wood and interesting lighting, craft has hard surfaces. A cement bar, dark chairs and floor. The bar was very dark and the dining area seemed to be lit by spotlights. The whole place felt incongruent to me. The dining room didn't feel like it belonged with the bar; the bar seemed casual, the dining room more formal; ...33 days ago
Saturday night found M2 and me outside the Theo auditorium waiting for the doors to open to Café Nordo, a traveling dinner and show. When the doors opened we were the only patrons outside the venue so the fanfare prepared by the actors/servers fell just a little flat, although we appreciated it. Once checked in we settled into the waiting area with a glass of champagne and watched the other guests arrive. The auditorium space has one area sectioned off with fabric panels forming a roughly shaped dining room. An irregular pattern of Oriental rugs lines the floor further defining the space, and several dining room tables, each able to seat 8 to 10 people, rims the edges of the "room". After a few minutes in the ante area we were ushered to our table by Wyandotte, our server for the evening. Each of the server/actors is named for a breed of chicken (Cochin, Silkie Bantam, Andalusio, Rosecomb) as this dinner is all about chicken. More ...
