Memento: Southern

Tonight was Memento time again - our bi-monthly supper club potluck. This was the first time hosting the group for Linda & Nancy, at their beautiful home in West Seattle. Celebrating Linda's roots, the theme (revealed at the last Memento) was 'Southern', with two mandatory, classic Southern ingredients picked at random for each course.



Linda & Nancy started us off with their plate, celebrating Black Eyed Peas & Cheddar Cheese. They did so in the form of two deviled eggs and two fritters. The first egg was a smokey pimento cheese deviled egg with chorizo, and the second was a Sriracha deviled egg with pancetta. Alongside them on the plate were two black eyed pea fritters (Johnny cakes?) with porcetta. And of course there was a big punch bowl full of delicious Southern Comfort punch that Linda whipped up soon after Dan & I arrived. Everyone agreed that Linda's deviled eggs were the best they'd had.



Next up, Carolyn & David payed homage to Tomatoes & Cornmeal. Their inspiration came from comfort food - specifically their son Logan's favorite: tomato soup and grilled cheese. A delicious tomato bisque soup with a beautiful swirl of cream shared the plate with three cornbread cubes, one with a decadent topping of melted cheddar cheese - which makes me want to top every batch of cornbread I make in the future with cheddar cheese.



Another queue I'll be taking from this Memento is a square, rather than long rectangular table arrangement. It was wonderful to be able to talk with everyone around the table, and a peak under the tablecloth revealed it was simply two folding tables side-by-side. It also would increase tablespace for dishes for events like Thanksgiving.



Our third course was created by Lizzie to feature the seasonal flavors of Sweet Potato & Pumpkin. First was a green salad with red onion and goat cheese, using roasted sweet potatoes as a perfect replacement for croutons, and a little crunch courtesy of pumpkin seeds.



Alongside the green salad was a 4 oz mason jar filled with what's known in the South as a 'congealed' salad. Not the most appetizing name, but it's essentially a gelatin salad. This one was sweet potato, with a smoother texture courtesy of the sweet potato. It was topped with whipped cream and pecans. Despite the name, it turned out to be absolutely delicious, tasting like Thanksgiving.



Dan & I supplied the fourth course, inspired by Rice & Molasses. We stole a page from Marcy & James' playbook and merged Southern Italian food (specifically Sicily) with American Southern food, creating an Arancini di Riso.



Neither of us had heard of them before they became the dish du jour on the Halloween episode of Top Chef, and Dan quickly thought of using that as our rice component, then stuffing it with molasses baked beans.

Using Food Network's recipe as a jumping off point, we made and cooled a batch of simple risotto first, then combined it with parmesan and eggs and rolled it into balls. We pushed a little bit of red kidney beans (cooked with some vegetable stock and molasses) into the center and chilled them. Ultimately, they were rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried at 350 degrees F until golden brown.

Dan made a peach sauce with Sriracha (a happy accident that this ingredient popped up again) to top the arancini, which was very good. Spicy and sweet.



I also made an agar-agar aspic of collard greens & shiitake mushrooms with vegetable stock spiked with liquid smoke and soy sauce to take the place of pork products so commonly cooked with collards. I warmed it to 140 degrees F still in the silicon molds, submerged in our Sous Vide Supreme. Unlike gelatin, which melts when reheated, agar-agar never unsets. I unfortunately didn't get the collards completely encased, so my cubes fell apart a little, but I think still tasted good.

Dan also revived his cocktail from last year's Oscar's - a combination of ginger ale, bourbon, peach nectar, and campari.



Highlighting Peaches & Greens, Marcy & James served the penultimate course. An epic pork meatloaf topped with yummy peach chutney. It rested on a bed of collard greens. Although we repeated collards in our course (planned based on theirs), the two shared little in common. Where ours were cooked down, Marcy & James still had a crispness to them, and they didn't shy away from cooking them in some bacon.



Rounding things out, Anna & Jason put a Seattle-meets-the-South take on Buttermilk & Brown Sugar.



First came out cream and sugar, then cappuccino cups of Americano coffee. Although the South is more about tea than coffee (as Anna pointed out), going with an Americano seemed appropriately Southern, it it's own way. And Linda & Nancy had sweet tea on hand, of course.



Finally, they revealed mini bundt cakes of buttermilk pound cake filled with a cinnamon struesel - their wonderful Southern take on coffee cake - paired with roasted granny smith apples. The cake was designed to share, so everyone shuffled to sit next to their spouse, which proved very good timing.



Carolyn & David passed out the invitations to our next event, which they'll be hosting.



The invite for our February get-together, arrived in suitably Willy Wonka fashion, a la the golden ticket. The theme will simply be 'Chocolate' - which their kids ask for each time they're hosting. Dan & I should have a challenge, given we have the traditionally salad course.



The night also ended with a surprise gift for David, several months in the making. David loves skulls, doesn't drink, but adores those Crystal Skull vodka bottles. He has a small one, but Anna & Jason bought a big bottle and were gracious enough to drink it. They passed the bottle to me on Halloween, to let me get creative with it. I filled it with water and Glycerin(to make the water more viscous) and a few colors of Martha Stewart Glitterthen put it on a Multi-Color LED Light Base.

 
 

Food Truck Friday - The Grilled Cheese Experience

I'm once again bridging time with my Food Truck Friday post. I first visited The Grilled Cheese Experience back in September, but finally made it back this month.







Back then, I went for the Super Deluxe ($10) - a very crispy, very buttery grilled cheese sandwich with smoked chipotle cheddar cheese, bacon, greens, sun-dried tomatoes and avocado. I found it a little on the greasy side, which I realize now may be due to the Parmesan Sourdough bread. The flavors were outstanding, though.







This time, I opted for the Bluesy Girl ($10) (despite feeling a little emasculated when ordering it). This one features smoked Jack cheese paired with smoked chicken, Gorgonzola, caramelized onions and greens, served on a bacon-crusted bread. I didn't experience the same greasiness as my previous visit, and was happy that the blue cheese didn't overwhelm all the other great ingredients inside the sandwich... nor did it turn my tongue numb, which some blue cheese does to me. (Anyone else have that issue?) As you can see from the picture, they included a free 'shot' of their tomato basil soup on the side - which proved challenging to transport back to the office without spilling while also wrangling my 55lb dog.







The next time I visit The Grilled Cheese Experience I've got to remember one of the additional add-ons they offer. I tasted a bite of a sandwich once that had it (thanks to my pal Clover Honey), and it's super decadent. What add-on could I be talking about? Mac & Cheese. Yes. Mac & Cheese ON a grilled cheese sandwich. Ridiculous? Genius? You make the call. I may opt for their $6 basic grilled cheese plus the mac & cheese ($2) to enjoy the purity of it. We'll see.

Cal's American Kitchen Grand Opening

It being date night, Dan came over to South Lake Union to hang out until I got off work.  Our original plan was take Hilo to Norm's in Fremont - a well known dog-friendly bar.  While walking around the neighborhood, however, Dan stumbled on the Grand Opening of Cal's American Kitchen - and texted me to meet him there.

I'm officially off sugar and booze for the month (again), so didn't get to indulge in any of the fun sounding cocktails on their menu (which I'll be back for next month).  Instead, I got an iced tea.  It came in a frosty metal cup - just like the ones I used to use to make milk shakes at Baskin-Robbins.  (Yes, I was a soda jerk for a year in college.)  I don't know if it was form or function, but it seemed to keep the drink colder.



 The full restaurant wasn't yet open, but the Happy Hour menu was available and had some yummy sounding items.  Dan & I went for a sampling of four of their (very reasonably priced) happy hour offerings.



First to the table were my favorite of everything we tried:  Cheese Puffs.  I had no idea what to expect, but was completely delighted when a plate of savory profiteroles showed up on a plate next to a beer cheese fondue sauce.  The profiteroles (cream puffs minus the cream) were perfect for dipping after being torn in half, creating a little spoon.  I had a hard time not eating the whole plate myself.



Next to arrive was the simply named 'Cauliflower' - which was just that, baked with cheese (according to our attentive, friendly server, the same beer cheese sauce).  The cauliflower was cooked really nicely - not raw but not mushy.  Just right.  And enough of a nod toward a vegetable so we wouldn't feel guilty.




Their take on steak tartare, "American Tartare" showed up next, paired with crisp potato chips.  The beef seemed shaved, not chopped, as (I'm told) tartare should be, and was mixed with capers and other deliciousness.



Last but definitely not least were the "Tots in the Style of Tater".  Perfectly crispy and golden brown, with a bbq spice mix on them, and a smokey dipping sauce on the side.  The sauce was yummy, but I couldn't help but dip my tots in the beer cheese sauce.



Although our menu choices were a bit heavy (potatoes always make me feel so full!), we enjoyed them thoroughly and can't wait to try the full menu in the restaurant.  The atmosphere was nice (similar to Brave Horse, a little more country club than club house, but still a contemporary palette of browns, blacks and metals), the staff were great, the food was excellent, and the prices ($3-5 per happy hour item) were extremely competitive.  The place was packed by the time we left, which was no surprise.  Now Dan's going to have another choice of a place to wait for me while I finish up work (he gets off work much earlier than I do, since he gets up at 4:30am these days).

Goodbye Lunch @ Flying Fish

Today was the last day for my office mate, who scored a job at one of the biggest and best law firms in Seattle. To send her off properly, a bunch joined her for lunch at Flying Fish.



I sipped a hibiscus drink called Aqua d' Jamiaca, which was a little strong in flavor (it wasn't alcoholic, but could've used something to water it down a bit.)



For my lunch, I went with a sandwich billed as a Chicken Banh Mi - the Vietnamese sandwiches that many folks at my company became positively addicted to while we worked in the International District. This, however, was not anything like the banh mi I love. It was served on ciabatta bread, slathered in so much mayo that my hands became covered every time I took a bite, and the ingredients fell all over the place when I tried to eat it. Good banh mi are often considered such because of the amazing baguettes with which they are made - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, denoting the French influence on Vietnamese cuisine. The baguette is sliced only part way through, creating a perfect pocket to safely house the tasty filling, held in place with just a light spread of mayo. Ciabatta was too dense, and being sliced in half didn't hold anything in place - which may have explained the extra mayo as an attempt to cement the filling to the bread. The sandwich also looked a little lonely on the plate.

That said, maybe I would've enjoyed my lunch more if our server wasn't so obviously having a bad day, and visibly frustrated with our table for not giving him all our attention when he wanted it. The restaurant is fairly loud at lunch, so I think our group of 8 didn't all hear him ask about drinks - creating some confusion.



I wasn't the only one who ordered the "banh mi", and the other folks seemed to enjoy it - though one smartly asked for no mayo. But the two people that REALLY enjoyed their lunch were the two that got the Kobe burger. It came with fries and looked delicious.

Lured Back to Verve

The folks at Verve know the power of social networking - and lured us back in tonight with a Facebook post about a new menu item: Lamb Burgers.



There was no question what we wanted - both ordering the lamb burger. It came with red onion, lettuce and tomato, and topped with goat cheese and a chutney. And like the beef burger, it was paired with perfectly cooked fingerling potatoes (which I'll be mimicking soon).



To share, we order the Spring Veggies - a perfect pairing with the super seasonal lamb. Asparagus, kale, young artichokes, baby bok choy, and some tasty mushrooms all cooked to the point of being bright and flavorful.

Pimento Cheese Memories @ Brave Horse Tavern

Dan & I decided to forgo the farmers market today (we're well stocked and really need to burn through some frozen meats), so we skipped ahead to Date Night. Dan met me after work at a restaurant I walk by every day - since it's practically underneath my office: Brave Horse Tavern.



After having a beer and a cider, we decided to order some food - and burgers were on the menu again.

So that I don't backslide too far in my weight loss, I decided to go with the Black Bean and Green Chile burger... then top it with pimento cheese spread and avocado. I'm fairly sure pimento cheese is a southern thing, but I'm sure glad that it's making an appearance in Seattle. I don't think I'd had pimento cheese in 8 years - since a short trip to Lexington, Kentucky for work.



In fact, it was the night I returned from that work trip that Dan & I went to a party together at a friend's house on Queen Anne, and he surprised me with a kiss when we were alone for a moment in the kitchen. The rest, as they say, is history - and eight years later we're enjoying a date night out, before heading back to the home we've made together in Seward Park to check on our chickens and give our cat some love.



Dan ordered the slow cooked pork shoulder sandwich with some fries (that we shared). He made note of how perfect the Dahlia Workshop buns they use are - and I realized I hadn't noticed the bun - which (in my opinion) is just about perfect for a burger. Too often, burgers are put on buns that are bready, dense, and overwhelm the subtleties of a good burger. Tom Douglas' crew knows better - putting their burgers and pulled pork on soft, airy buns that let the toppings shine.



I overheard the folks next to us make a joke that everyone in the restaurant was from the same company - and the blue badges hanging from many a neck (mine included) seemed like a strong testament to that. It definitely seems like it's going to be a great spot for a team lunch or an after work happy-hour. And I'm eager to give the shuffleboard tables a spin.