Check out my interview with Yelp. If you don’t already use yelp you absolutely should. It is essential for navigating your way not only around Seattle’s culinary scene, but for all sorts of businesses from boutiques to blow outs. I love the community of regular readers, writing honest reviews of the places they love, and loath.

This past week I attended a super fun event at Ivar’s Salmon House on Seattle’s Lake Union…. Cocktails and Crafts! It was a last minute fun thing consisting of making our own totem poles or Ivar’s Bobble Heads into crazy crafty works of … art?? At least I like to think so!
    
The table was laden with trinkets, glue guns and feathers. We were also encouraged to bring our own adornments. I eagerly dipped into my craft drawers pulling out pearls, found starfish, singing scallop shells and other goofy garnishments. As we created, we sipped wine and nibbled on Oysters on the Half Shell with Pink Peppercorn Mignonette and heard about the restaurants American Indian art collection and shared Ivar stories.
As the evening moved on and our glue guns were blaring we dined on lightly smoke-kissed, first of the season Spring Chinook Salmon and Asparagus served with Old School Maltaise Sauce. Yum! Maltaise sauce is an orange enhanced variation on hollandaise and is fantastic with asparagus … and salmon - rarely seen these days, I was thrilled to see it again in this perfect pairing!

And it’s not just cool cocktail party’s this Seattle Classics doing - they are also hosting “Salmon in the Classroom” — cultural storytelling of salmon in the NW for Washington kindergartners.  Wow — that would be a cool school day.

So if Ivar’s Salmon House has been off your radar - come give them a visit - it’s a Seattle Institution that serves salmon up …wild and proud.

I have been working diligantly for the past few months on a new book - Sips & Apps , a cocktail book with appetizer recipes. Cocktails have been part of my passion for years and I am so excited to finally be putting out a book featuring my favorite recipes. Today I am at Angie Norwood Browne’s photography studio.

When laying out the books shots we basically make a big map on the walls with all the chapters and then tape up the different shots. This enables us to see the overall “big picticture” and how the book is laid out - what color themes are happening etc. This crude looking wall of photos will soon morf into a cohesive design.

Here at Angies tables are laden with a zillion different types of glassware, the kitchen is overflowing with plates, props, and bottles of liquor. Back at the Food Studios office Ann Manly our in-house editor is working furiously copy editing the book and removing my “multiple uses” of the words Great, Refreshing, Falvor and Fun– not an easy job! Stay tuned for more book …….

My friend Cynthia Nims and I go way, way, way back. She hired me for some of my first writing assignments when she was the editor at Simply Seafood way back when. And in 2001, together, we wrote the Best Places Seattle Cookbook.” Cynthia is always, and I mean always cooking. As a contributor to magazines like Sunset and Cooking Light, as well as writing cookbooks of her own, she is constantly throwing dinner parties to test her recipes. Most recently however, was the 2^nd annual “Open the Bottle Night,” Inspired by the Wall Street Journal article, by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, Cynthia and husband Bob asked the 12 guests to bring a reserved bottle of wine waiting in the wings for their time to shine. Some of these things were really old! I’m talking from the 60’s!

With that, Cynthia set a fantastic 8 course meal, including a delectable carrot thyme soufflé, and elegant duxelles egg custard in egg cups. My husband John and I made the salad course – it was a warm salad with duck confit, from my mushroom stash: tiny morel mushrooms that I had sautéed and frozen last spring, green lentils, red cabbage, goat cheese and hazelnuts with a sherry vinaigrette and oh so good with a 92,93 and 94 flight of Chinook Merlots.

But the piece de resistance was an incredibly delicious lamb that I am still thinking about today accompanied with a 1966 Chateau De Pez, St Estephe and 1962 Chateau De Camensac Grand Cru Classé, Haut Medoc- wow, what a fantastic pairing! Here’s the evenings menu:

Cynthia Nims and Bob Burns
2^nd Annual Open That Bottle Night
February 23^rd 2008

Menu

Juana Palo Cortoda Jerez Xeres Sherry

I love Seattle, my home for most all my life, but wow, sometimes the rain can drive you crazy. Thankfully, I had a mid winter escape to Miami. I’d never visited Miami before, but wow, what a place. The art deco hotels, the people, the food, the beach, and the sun! I loved it.

My reason for visiting Florida’s most popular city was that I was a speaker at the annual Cheers conference. Where I spoke on creative cocktails and bar trends. (Though my background is as a chef – I have been creating cocktails and signature drink menus for NW restaurants as well as many national restaurants, bars and hotels for the last 15 years. To me it’s the same as cooking – but just with liquid.)

While in Miami I got to dine around at some fantastic restaurants. My dinner favorite being Prime 112 . Delicious but pricey! On their bar they serve footed glasses filled with crunchy strips of bacon for bar snacks – pretty fun. Appetizers all range in the $25 arena. Four pieces of truffle deviled eggs with a tiny touch of caviar on top – yes a whopping $26.

China Grill’s Thai Shrimp Cake with Cactus Mango Salsa and Black Mole Vinaigrette
Miami is definitely someplace that I want to visit again – I’ll just need to fatten my wallet before going!

My dearest friend Michelle threw a birthday for her adorable maltese, Coco Chanel, a couple of weekends ago and let me tell you, it was div-a-rific.

I’m serious; it was a party both foodies and dog would drool for. And they did! First of all it was held in Michelle and husband Don’s new event space next to their restaurant Volterra, here in Ballard known as the Drawing Room. Old brick combines with beautiful art and giant chandeliers making for a fantastic and beautiful space- I adore it. 

Though there was great food for the 2 legged guests – the pups had quite the spread catered by Dining Dog Café– it included  mini quiches and personalized cakes all served up on paper plate lined gold chargers. And for the doggie treat table I helped decorate individual to- go doggie bags that guests then could fill with the most adorable quiches, cannoli, cupcakes, and doggie biscuits made by Kool Dog Kafe.