A Seattle Classic! Ray’s is celebrating its 35th Anniversary. And for those of us that know how hard the restaurant business is – that is quite a statement!

Most recently I had dinner at Ray’s with my husband John. It was a super beautiful sunny Friday evening and the place was packed! We started with the Ray’s ultra martini – made with my friend Ryan’s Aviation Gin distilled in Portland and garnished with a delicious piece of house hard-smoked salmon –wow!

Then moving on to salads we had the Boat House Salad: a classic combination of butter lettuce, point reyes farmstead blue cheese, dried NW cranberries and almonds– drizzled with a raspberry thyme vinaigrette. Our other salad was the Dungeness Crab Salad, loaded with chunks of delicious crab and sprinkled with peanuts – a tasty and light combination.

For our entrees John had the Smoked Sable Fish with a “chowder”  of corn, potato and chef Peters housemade smokey bacon – WOW– this dish is one of the best preparations of Black Cod I have ever had – it was a knock out. I, being in a lighter eating mode, enjoyed the grilled Wild White King Salmon beautifully cooked and served with a bing cherry puree – nice and light! I asked not to be temped with the sexy potatoes that it was paired with, and instead had local pea pods and asparagus as my accompaniment – the whole dish was perfectly prepared and really d’lish!

And service too was stellar. Tiffany, our server, was fantastic. It was the kind of crisp efficient service I almost had though was a thing of the past these days. Thank you Tiffany for making our dinner even better.

And to General Manager extraordinaire “Moe” and her team – congratulations on your anniversary – Ray’s is and deserves to be a true Seattle icon!

Here’s to another 35 years and I hope to be there.

To get the most out of your summer grilling follow these tips from Ray’s Executive Chef Peter Birk

1. Hot fire, but not too hot – you should be able to hold your hand a few inches above the grill for a couple of seconds
2. Clean, well oiled grill
3. Enjoy what you’re doing – don’t stress about over or undercooking – if you worry to much, your food will show it

Recipe for Teriyaki Coho Salmon courtesy of Ray’s Boat House

Note: Requires at least 4 hours marinating time

4 6-ounce wild coho salmon fillets, skin on
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, ginger, green onions and brown sugar, and mix well. The marinade should be made a day in advance and refrigerated to allow flavors to blend. In a shallow glass baking dish, cover salmon fillets with marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, according to how strong a flavor you prefer.

Heat grill to medium-high heat.  Place fillets flesh side down on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes. Turn over and cook just until the center of the fillet becomes opaque, about 3 additional minutes. Total grilling time is approximately 6 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Serve with steamed rice.

This marinade is excellent for other kinds of fish, as well as chicken and meats.

Joining us on our trip to Las Vegas was Food Writer extraordinaire Cynthia Nims and her husband Bob. It was a whirlwind trip of shows, cocktialing and dining!

We did a few lunches and “late” night breakfasts at the Grand Lux Cafe which is always a reliable and tasty mainstay at now both the Venetian and the Palazzo hotels. And did a bit of a show marathon: seeing both Elton John and Bette Midler. And they were amazing – though I enjoyed Elton John the most … it brought back junior high memories  of listening to records in the basement …..yes, I still love that Yellow Brick Road album! (By the way fellow chef friend Bradly Ogden’s restaurant is a great pre or post show dinner or Lux bar snack option – located at Caesars across from the Colosseum)

But on to more dining. It was time to head to old downtown Vegas to go back in time and have a totally retro experience. We ventured to the 4 Queens Casino and checked out Hugo’s Celler — a total throw back in time!

Joining us was chef Charles Ramseyer (previously of Ray’s Restaurant in Seattle for years and now Western Regional Executive Chef for China Grill Management and living in Vegas) and his partner Lisa. Ok – Cynthia had been here before and I had been pre-warned of the super fun kitchyness of it all — but I was not prepared for the most retro bar snack I have ever seen – yes folks it was crocks of Chicken Liver Pate, Pimento Olive Cheese Spread, served with none other than Ritz Crackers and heart shaped water crackers. Might I say ….. a fetching partner for a perfectly chilled gin martini.

We moved to the dining room into our ultra plushy giant booth and started off with tableside salads: each garnished with what ever your hearts desire from the salad cart — anchovies, artichokes, nuts, croutons, palm hearts…. the list goes on. Our entrees included, of course, veal chops and fillet mignon with old-school bordelaise sauce….

And yes our charming waiter was a throw back in time too — he used to work at Fullers Restaurant in Seattle (the nationally acclaimed restaurant where I cut my teeth as a chef in the mid 80’s- now defunct). It was nice to experience formal old-style crisp service with attention to detail!

It was great catching up with friends, hearing from Charles and Lisa how life in Vegas is and just for a few hours pretending we were all living in 1958 – with no worries, a great cocktail and a great steak — and of course all crowned off with chocolate dipped strawberries and a rose for the ladies!

After a night of staying up way to late John and I trekked over to our ” healthy and needing something nutritious” mainstay– the Canyon Ranch Spa Cafe in the Venetian Hotel. We always eat there at least a couple of times whenever we visit Las Vegas. John loves their Thai French Toast with reduced tangerine juice and ginger syrup and house-made lean chicken sausage. I usually opt for their perfectly made egg white omelet with mushrooms, spinach, organic white cheddar and fresh herbs — yes it is good!

Vegas is a great place to visit – you can dine at nationally acclaimed restaurants, see shows, do a little gambling and have a LOT of fun all in just one little/big city. We can’t wait to go back.

I’m just back from a fabulous trip to Las Vegas where we stayed at the new posh Palazzo hotel -sister to the Venetian. All rooms are beautiful luxurious suites, with swanky bathrooms and soaps and bath products that smell so good … I almost wanted to eat them!

Speaking of eating, our first night my husband and I dined at Morels restaurant right off the lobby of the Palazzo. The dining room is punctuated with Tiffany blue accents, a touch reminiscent of Prime at the Bellagio. Outdoor seating over the strip- is great for people watching, if it wasn’t 108 degrees!! We opted for cool refuge of air conditioned inside dining. The menu dubbed ” french steakhouse & bistro” had plenty of tantalizing choices and for an upscale Vegas restaurant I thought the prices were quite good.

Excellent for sipping, we started with perfectly-made old classics. Tanqueray Ten Martini, ultra-chilled with blue cheese stuffed olives and a Woodford Manhattan with house brandied cherries. Not wanting to spoil our appetite, we passed on appetizers but they had some fun selections; from Classic Cheese Fondue, $10 per guest, to Halibut Ceviche with roasted piquillo peppers, tomato and jalapeno water $16.

To start off, I had the Summer Baby Spinach Salad, with made in-house duck prosciutto, heirloom tomatoes, haricot vert, golden beets and aged goat’s cheese $15.
 

John had the Summer Heirloom Tomato Salad, with oh so fashionable burratta cheese, wild arugula, in-house pickled onions, EVOO and grapemust geduction, $15. Both salads were quite nice.

For my entree I had the “melt in your mouth good” 18-Hour Red Wine Braised Beef Shortrib with morel mushroom cassoulet (morels had to show up somewhere!), summer asparagus and crisp onion rings, $38. John opted for the 16-oz Kansas City Steak, $46, grilled to perfection and served with a yummy au poive demi.

Our super charming waiter insisted (and glad he did!) we have the Truffle Creamed Summer Corn Gratin with roasted jalapenos and Parmesan cheese, $8. It was fantastic – full of flavor but not too spicy – just sexy and decadent!

That was it for us — no dessert – we were stuffed. Morels is a fantastic addition to a wonderful hotel. We’ll be back.

Morels
Located in the Palazzo Hotel
Las Vegas
Interior: Beautiful and tasteful
Service: Professional, crisp and attentive
Food: Delicious
Price: Reasonable for fine dining in Vegas

Women, Wine and Shopping – what could be better!

Saturday night was a great event!
A chance for women to gather, sip some fabulous wines, including  a signature cocktail I created for the event, the French Peach Fizz, pick up some great tips on easy entertaining, and shop via table scapes from local businesses. Thank you to all the ladies who attended and to Bellevue Square:The Bellevue Collection for putting on such a great event. Here is a the recipe for the signiture cocktail I featured at the event:

French Peach Fizz
This cocktail is so spring-summery! The anise scent of fresh tarragon plays well with the flavor of peach – a splash of champagne adds just the right je ne sais quoi.

Makes 1 cocktail

1 sprig fresh tarragon
1 1/2 ounce Absolut APeach Vodka
1 1/2 ounce Dish D’Lish® Lemon & Lime Sour Cocktailor™ (available at Metropolitan Markets and at www.kathycasey.com)
Splash of champagne- we used a dry sparkling rose
Garnish: sprig of fresh tarragon

Procedure:
Tear and drop tarragon into shaker glass.
Fill cocktail shaker with ice.
Measure in vodka and Dish D’Lish Lemon & Lime Sour Cocktailor.
Cap and shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass. Top with a splash of champagne.
Garnish with fresh tarragon.  Recipe © 2008 Kathy Casey – Dish D’Lish

Summer Picnic Recipes – as heard on KOMO Radio
Oven-Baked Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Bruschetta Tomato Topping
New Century Overnight Layered Salad
Curried Orzo Spinach Salad

You can pack up a picnic basket for a day at the beach or take theses dishes over to a friend’s house when you’re asked to “bring something.” All the recipes are easy and tasty. And another appealing feature is that they’re intended to be eaten chilled or at “room temp,” that is, slightly tempered from their ice-cold storage temperatures. The weather’s hot—you want the food cold! So, don’t forget to slip in plenty of ice packs.

Foods which will be eaten chilled should generally be seasoned a bit more highly than food which will be served hot. So, for my Oven-Baked Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Bruschetta Tomato Topping, I’ve incorporated tangy Dijon mustard—and be sure to use a really high-quality, full-flavored Parmesan. With its crunchy, savory crust, the chicken breast, thinly sliced, is wonderful atop nutty arugula then topped in turn with juicy bruschetta-style tomatoes.

You can make the components in advance—then separately pack up the arugula, the chilled chicken, and the topping ingredients in plastic containers in a cooler or insulated bag. Tuck a small cutting board and good knife in with your non-refrigerated items, then slice the chicken when you assemble the dish on site.

Big flavors are especially good to meld into summer salads, and a pasta version is always a sure bet. My Curried Orzo Spinach Salad, with exotic pistachios and sweet-tart apricots would be a fine partner to grilled lamb, chicken, or salmon.

This pasta salad is at its best when tossed together an hour or two in advance and is still tasty up to 24 hours later, but I wouldn’t make it farther ahead than that. The secrets to delicious pasta salads are bold flavors, correctly cooked pasta, and combining the ingredients just early enough to let the flavors “marry.” If the various components are mixed too soon, the salad may “bland out.” The salt in the dressing can leach moisture from the vegetables and the salad may become bland and watery. Or, even more often in my experience, the pasta absorbs most of the dressing and a dry, flavorless salad results.

And you can never go wrong with a great potato salad. My recipe for Mediterranean Red Potato Salad with Feta Vinaigrette is big flavored but lighter than traditional mayo based salad.
 

Whether you pick several of these dishes to build a picnic menu or just choose a favorite to carry along to a friend’s pot luck barbecue, these recipes offer you a scrumptious selection of palatable portables for any summer soiree.

Oven-Baked Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Bruschetta Tomato Topping

You can bake the chicken the day before serving, then slice and serve the chilled chicken with the fresh tomato topping.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves
1 1/4 cups shredded, high-quality Parmesan cheese

Bruschetta Topping
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped vine-ripe tomatoes (about 2 medium tomatoes)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

1 bunch fresh arugula, washed and spun dry

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk Dijon and melted butter together in a medium bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place chicken breasts on cheese, then dab the pieces around so the bottom surfaces pick up all the cheese. Repeat with remaining Parmesan, pressing the other sides of the chicken breasts into the cheese, so both sides are nicely coated.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, lay out chicken pieces, spaced apart. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan. Then refrigerate until ready to serve.

To assemble the topping and serve the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine all the bruschetta ingredients. Slice the chilled chicken in 1/2-inch diagonal slices against the grain, being careful not to disturb the Parmesan coating. Arrange the arugula on a large platter and top with sliced chicken. Spoon the bruschetta topping down the center of the chicken. Garnish by sprinkling with a little shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese if desired. © 2004 Kathy Casey Food Studios®

 
Curried Orzo Spinach Salad

Makes 8 – 12 servings

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/3 cup sour cream or yogurt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound (about 2 cups) dry orzo pasta
1 bunch fresh spinach, cleaned and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced small
1 large red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 cup tiny-diced red onions
3/4 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup small-diced dried apricots

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, curry powder, hot sauce, garlic, sour cream, oil, and black pepper. Reserve.

Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions or until al dente. Drain but do not rinse. While pasta is still fairly warm, toss it with the reserved dressing. Let mixture totally cool, then toss in remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate if made ahead. Salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance. © 2004 Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Mediterranean Red Potato Salad with Feta Vinaigrette
Makes 8 cups

2 pounds red potatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup halved pitted calamata olives
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1 small green pepper, diced
1/2 cup tiny-diced red onion
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup crumbled cheese)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Steam potatoes until very tender, about 12 – 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl make the dressing by whisking together the vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, oregano, salt and pepper.

When potatoes are still warm, toss them with the dressing and set aside until cool, then stir in the remaining ingredients.
© 2008 Kathy Casey Food Studios®

We’ve Always Had Paris…And Provence: A Scrapbook of Our Life in France

Patricia and Walter Wells

Who hasn’t dreamt of a life in France. Long mornings, lingering over a frothy cappuccino and the flakiest pain au chocolate. Strolling along the Champs Elysées, an afternoon lollygagging in the left bank, and fabulous meal made from the freshest meats and produce to cap off the day. American’s have and always will be captivated by a life in France, and with Patricia and Walter Well’s New Book “We’ve Always Had Paris…And Provence,” we can life out life in France, at least vicariously through the expatriate pair.

Patricia Wells is a well known French culinary expert with many books under her name, and contributor to The International Herald Tribune, Food and Wine, and other culinary magazines. The first chapter starts off with a take from Walter then Patricia. Less “He said, She said.” The two finish stories as lovers finish each other’s sentences, seamlessly. You practically expect to see a picture of the two smooching at the end of each chapter, instead, mouth watering recipes.

 Check out three of Seattle’s coolest small spots for great casual dining.

Skillet: Think gourmet farmer’s market when you think of what Skillet has to offer. A “kobe” style burger with pungent camberloza cheese and smoky bacon jam tempts, while a spring farro salad dotted with Washington asparagus, arugula, and shaven pecorino appeal to a lighter side.

Locations: Check website. Hours: Breakfast 9AM-10:30AM, Lunch 11ishAM-2PM.

Lunchbox Laboratory:

Burgers, Fires, and Shakes, oh my! This Ballard gem serves up comfort food re-vamped and better than ever. Burgers are composed out of beef, buffalo, chicken or lamb and topped with a variety of sauces, from basil aioli to super garlic sauce (with about 13 others to choose from). The chalkboard menu also sports super sides, mac & blue cheese and sweet potato fries, and out of this world shakes and malts.

Location: 7302 15th AVE NW, Seattle, WA 98107. Hours: Mon, Wed-Sat 11AM-8PM, Sun 9AM-6PM.

Pike Street Fish Fry:

Fresh fish, seasonal vegetables, and a bubbling vat of frying oil is what you get at the new Pike Street Fish Fry. Start off with fried asparagus spears and dip them into horseradish aioli. Nibble on crisp fried oysters plunked in a salsa verde. Sandwiches embody freshly grilled fish, snuggled in tight with pickled cabbage. The space is small, and you will most likely be standing to imbibe and snack; dining in the spirit of street food doesn’t get better than this.

Location: 925 E. Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122. Hours: 5PM-Late

Grab your gal pals and pencil in Women, Wine & Shopping event at the Bellevue Westin Grand Ballroom on Saturday evening, May 31st! It is going to be a super fun evening with wines from several wineries, including a Columbia Winery Viognier that is super yummy, and a signature cocktail by moi, created just for the event.

I’m going to be delivering a presentation on easy entertaining; menu ideas, tips on what makes a great party, menus, cocktails, wines and more. The summer months ahead will being about plenty of opportunity to put my tips to good use. The event also features gorgeous tablescapes in a variety of party themes for your peruse.

Hope to see you there!

Lisiten to the Women, Wine and Shopping promo here.