Sexy Italian in Seattle

And I do mean sexy...mood lighting, low music, Victorian building with lots of window seats, and most importantly, amazing food.  If I lived in Seattle, I would be as big as a house from eating at Al Boccalino...

I can't say enough about how fantastic my experience was here. Beautiful, artfully done food made with fresh ingredients and minimal fuss; knowledgeable, friendly, yet unobtrusive service; and a cozy hideaway feel right in the heart of Pioneer Square, which is no easy feat. 


The menu is "al fresco", which means you roll the dice on what's fresh and available that day.  I love the adventure of an ever-changing menu, anyway--the best test of a kitchen is to let them do their thing unimpeded, I think.  But even the more cautious diners in my party were pleasantly surprised that just about everything offered that night (and it wasn't a skimpy menu) sounded amazing.  Our patient server had to come back twice before we were ready to commit to our entrees.  The gnocchi was delicate (?!) and perfectly dressed in a tomato sauce that tasted and looked like freshly pureed tomatoes with herbs and olive oil.  The lemon-dill salmon was mid-rare and beautiful.  The mussels in tomato-saffron broth had us all swooning. And the wild mushroom ravioli tossed with homemade pesto hit the spot.  Oh, and did I mention all pastas and desserts are homemade on-sight? 


I know I keep raving about the restaurants in Seattle, but it's because there are so many great places.  And Al Boccalino might be the best I've tried yet.  

Fish and Chips, baby!

• I visited Alaska a couple of weeks ago expecting to find all kinds of creative new uses for seafood.  I didn't find any.  What I did find was a whole bunch of smoked salmon and tasty fish and chips.  (BTW, Hangar on the Wharf, while touristy as hell, really does know what they're doing.)  Now I'm back in Colorado, where people have only had access to acceptable fish with which to cook for about a decade, and I am starting to miss the beautiful simplicity of a nice batch of crisp, fried cod and potatoes.  Ironically, this is the "seafood" I grew up on in Chicago, as well.  It seems that no matter where I go, people recognize that this is it.  Do whatever exotic things you want to your seafood--it might not ever get better than this.  

• 
  
• Easy Fish and Chips

Serves 6-8

• 4 medium russet potatoes
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs chopped rosemary
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold beer
• 1/2 cup cold water 
• Vegetable or canola oil, to deep-fry
• 8 small fish fillets (I prefer cod)
• Lemon wedges or malt vinegar, to serve
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 450°C. Cut unpeeled potatoes into thin wedges. Place potato in a medium bowl with olive oil and rosemary. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and gently toss to combine. Arrange potato on two greased oven trays. Bake, swapping tray positions halfway through cooking, for 35 minutes or until brown and crisp.
• 
  
• Meanwhile, sift flour into a medium bowl. Use a whisk to gradually whisk in beer and enough water to form a batter the consistency of thickened cream. Whisk until smooth. Set aside for 20 minutes to rest.
• 
  
• Place enough oil in a large, deep saucepan or wok to create a depth of 5 inches. Place over medium heat until you see faint wisps of smoke. Dip one fish fillet in batter and carefully lower into hot oil. If it sizzles and fries, you're ready to go.  Do not overcrowd skillet; cook two or three at a time.  Cook, turning occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat in three more batches with remaining batter and fish, reheating oil between batches.
• 
  
• Serve with lemon wedges.

There is such a thing as too much fancy...

Enjoy this funny article ripping restaurants' cumbersome websites to shreds!

Cocktail Time!

I love the idea of combining flavorful alcohol with fresh ingredients from the garden, and I wanted to come up with something creative by myself.  It seemed beyond my amateur palate's abilities at first, but once you start experimenting, you figure it out.  This one uses very common household ingredients but seems all fancy and gourmet or whatever.  I've already had two, so shut up.

Blueberry Tonic

Makes 2 drinks

¼ cup blueberries (fresh or thawed)

2 tablespoons sugar

4 oz. gin

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons lime juice

Tonic water (optional)

Place basil leave and sugar in a cocktail shaker and muddle with a wooden spoon.  Add blueberries and crush fruit into herb mixture.  Add the gin, lime juice, and plenty of ice and shaker vigorously to incorporate.  Strain into 2 old fashioned or Tom Collins glasses over ice and top with tonic water.

I hope that the lovely cartoonist Natalie Dee
won't mind being associated with this post.