Bellevue, Washington—Tom Cottrell, owner and wine director of Grand Cru Wine Bar is offering an unprecedented wine tasting on Sunday, September 13, 2009, 3 PM to 6 PM in the Grand Cru Wine Bar. The cost of the tasting is $59 per person, all inclusive.  This tasting rivals any other tasting Tom has hosted during his 35 year career. 

At the industry-style wine tasting, co-sponsored by Vineyards Brands a total of 40 wines will be poured, featuring sought-after wines from France, Italy and Spain.  The scheduled line-up will include some well-priced 2006 Burgundies, pre-fall release 2007 Burgundies, 2004 Caprazo Brunello, ultra premium 2006 Dona Paula wines of Argentina, and a Burgundy centric line-up that includes Grand Crus from Mongeard-Mugneret and Vincent Girardin. 

Scheduled Producers:

Beaucastel (Chateauneuf du Pape)

Mongeard-Mugneret (Burgundy)

Vincent Girardin (Burgundy)

Louis Michel (Chablis)

Domaine Weinbach (Alsace)

Jean-Marc Boillot (Burgundy)

Thierry Matrot (Burgundy)

Domaine Bruno Clair (Burgundy)

Domaine Henri Gouges (Burgundy)

Domaine Ponsot (Burgundy)

Tenuto Caparzo (Tuscany)

Warre’s (Port)

Dona Paula (Argentina) 

“Here is an opportunity to taste like an industry insider and make buying decisions without distraction”, Cottrell points out.  

Grand Cru wine shop and restaurant/bar are located in the heart of downtown Bellevue on the street level of the TEN20 Tower.  They are within walking distance to Bellevue Square and Bellevue’s financial district.  

Space will be limited to 50 guests. For reservations and information call (425) 455-4363 or email Steve Walker at steve@grandcru-wineshop.com.

Grand Cru is open six evenings a week from 4 PM – 11 PM Monday-Thursday, 4 PM – Midnight Friday and Saturday and closed on Sunday.  For happy hour we feature half priced wines by the glass and half priced small plates.  All night long on Monday, Tuesday – Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close.

Years ago I wrote about tomatoes, pleading for more people to join me on the Tomato Police. Well, things have certainly improved—so all you tomato-ripening deputies have been doing a good job!

Are you wondering what I am talking about? For a time it was common practice for chefs, restaurateurs and home cooks to—gasp—refrigerate their tomatoes!!! But that is not routine these days.

More vine-ripe varieties are available at the grocery store now—in fact they are almost commonplace. And, in season, we see tomatoes everywhere—from farmers markets to grocery stores—touting local delights! Look for yellow pear and yellow plum; teeny tiny, red currant tomatoes the size of peas; Lemon Boy, the color of its name; Green Zebra; and red-and-yellow-striped Tigerella. And don’t miss the large, purple, beefsteak variety. There is definitely a large assortment to choose from.

If you have a bit of a green thumb, Sweet 100’s are super-easy to grow in flower beds or in pots on the deck. My friend Joani calls them yard candy!

Tomatoes have a plethora of uses—straight from the garden, eaten like a peach; made into relishes, salsas, homemade ketchups … I’ve even seen them used in cakes. Now, I don’t know about that!

And since not all our tomatoes have reached their fully ripe color by the end of the season, I have grown to love them picked green, sliced, coated in a little cornmeal and fried.

And you just can’t have enough salads in the summer! My recipe for Super Summer Tomato Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Blue Cheese and Sundried Tomato Herb Vinaigrette is a true tomato-lover’s fest. It’s dressed with a piquant, sundried-tomato-enhanced vinaigrette for a double tomato whammy.

For those of you with way too many tomatoes, try my recipe for Toss in the Pot Tomato Sauce that is easily frozen.

Here’s a few recent fun tomato posts from my Twitter Friends:

Melissa from @Dinette66 is doing: Sharlyn melon w/ serrano, Halibut w/ curried corn chowder & tomato jam, ricotta gnocchi w/ spicy chic sausage, basil, sweet 100’s!

@qafarmersmarket Love the gazpachos (galzpachos!) by @chefreinvented and @ChefRobinL www.qafma.org/recipes

@lornalee how fun! I’ve been slicing, sprinkle of Secret Stash chorizo salt, pepper, good olive oil. Simpler the better w/ heirlooms!

If you would like to share your tomato comments too, tweet to me at @kathycaseychef

Here’s to lots more tomatoes while the season’s ripe! ©2009 by Kathy Casey

Super Summer Tomato Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Blue Cheese and Sundried Tomato Herb Vinaigrette

Serves 4 — Makes 1 cup vinaigrette

4 medium or 2 very large heirloom tomatoes, preferably Green Zebra, Mr. Stripy or Tigerella, about 1 1/2 pounds total

1 1/2 cups gourmet greens

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup assorted red or yellow currant or tiny teardrop tomatoes, cut in half or kept whole if very tiny

Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp finely chopped sundried tomatoes packed in oil

1 1/2 tsp finely minced garlic

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh chives

1 tsp minced fresh thyme

To make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl mix together the sundried tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and red wine vinegar. Then gradually whisk in the olive oil. Stir in herbs and refrigerate until needed.

To assemble the salad: Cut the tomatoes into nice fat slices, about 1/3 inch thick. Divide between 4 large salad or dinner plates. Drizzle each salad with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. (Be sure to whisk together well before each use.) Then scatter gourmet greens across the tomatoes. Next, scatter the blue cheese over the salads and then the tiny tomatoes. Drizzle each salad with about 1 tablespoon more of the dressing and pass any extra if desired. Serve immediately.

Extra dressing can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Recipe © 2009 by Kathy Casey.

Toss in the Pot Tomato Sauce

Makes 7 cups

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

12 cloves garlic

2 small onions, chopped

2 red bell peppers, cored and cut up in large pieces (optional)

1/4 tsp red chili flakes (use less if you like less spice)

1/2 cup red wine

4 lb fresh tomatoes, cored and cut in half

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 – 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

2 tsp kosher salt (adjust seasoning more or less as desired)

In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add garlic, onions, bell pepper and chili flakes. Slowly sauté for about 5 minutes, add the wine and let cook about one-half minute more, then add the tomatoes and basil leaves. Bring to a slow simmer and cook for about 1 – 1 1/2 hours while you go about your business. Every once in awhile, go by and stir it. (If making a doubled batch, you may need to simmer the sauce an extra 20 to 30 minutes or so.)

Once sauce is nicely reduced, then set it off the stove to cool. When reasonably cool, puree in batches in blender. If desired, blend in the final olive oil after sauce is totally pureed. Season with salt, adding more or less to taste. If freezing sauce, place in freezer containers, label, date and freeze until needed.

Chef’s notes and other options: Sauté some chopped mushrooms with the onions, or try adding other fresh herbs such as a little fresh thyme leaves, oregano and marjoram for an herby sauce. For a Southwest flavor, add a little jalapeño and some coriander and cumin seeds in the sautéing process. Or just use your imagination and create your own signature base sauce. Recipe © 2009 by Kathy Casey.

Keren Brown is back to her wild food ideas again!  This time the creative mind behind “FranticFoodie” and July’s foodie networking event, “Foodportunity,”* is teaming up with Foodista.com to bring you, FoodSnap!

This day-long workshop will show you the professional ropes with the behind-the-scenes feel of food photography.  The event will be held at the Georgetown Studios (the old and still majestic Rainier Brewery) and hosted by award-winning photographer and Olympus Visionary, Lou Manna.

Lou will demonstrate how to work with each specific light source and small white cards to create delicious and tantalizing photographs with a simple point-and-shoot camera.  And let me tell you, point-and-shoots are tricky enough when you’re trying to get the perfect shot!

Groups of participants will have the opportunity to try their hand at food photography with the help of Lou Manna and Washington State’s own food photographers and stylists, including Rina Jordan and Charity Burggraaf.

Many sponsors, including Emily’s Chocolates, Wink Cupcakes, and Red Ticking, will be there to provide the photographers and stylists materials for their shots. 

Yours truly will be there dishing up a signature FoodSnap! gelee (edible cocktail) cocktail for additional photo inspiration (and it’s tasty too!) and a glimpse into cocktail photography.

There’ll even be a photography contest immediately following the workshop!

Tickets are limited to only 75 participants and can be purchased from BrownPaperTickets.  Get yours now and we’ll have fun shooting food together!

*Side note: I had a great time meeting all of food bloggers and tweeters at Foodportunity!  It was hilarious to read the live Twitter feed and to see what everyone had to say about all the yummy food samples available.

Click here to check out my 2 part Amazon “al Dente” blog for a great luau party menu for 8!

When produce is at its peak in the summer, why not preserve the flavor and stretch out the time a little on the season’s goodness? But what do you do with those abundant fruits and vegetables?

A lot of people love homemade put-up goods but are too intimidated by the procedure to can them by the traditional water-bath method. I, too, love to stock up goodies, but like many of you I’m too crunched on time.

Though I love to can jams, preserves and chutneys, a lot of time I will make things that I can dry, freeze or refrigerate. Refrigerated items may not last as long as something processed but you can still enjoy the fruits of your labor for at least a couple of months past the season. At work we do mass-production jamming—making a few hundred jars in a day—but at home often it’s just easier for preserves, jams, purees and fruit syrups to be frozen and pickled goods refrigerated.

I also love to dry things. Years ago, I started playing around with flavored sugars, such as the recipe for Fragrant Rose Sugar. I’ve always had old rose varieties in our yard, which we never spray. No, they aren’t the most perfect roses—but do they ever smell beautiful, rich, sweet and perfumey… and TASTE luscious! So I tried drying the petals in sugar then blending the mixture to an aromatic powdered sugar. Wow! It worked like a charm and the sugar tastes heavenly sprinkled on fresh berries or, in the winter when you need a bit of summer, put in sugar cookies that call for powdered sugar. I also love to make fragrant sugar with lavender, lemon verbena and rosemary (All pretty tasty in cocktails or to rim glasses with!).

You can also use this method with fresh herbs and salt. Try making a basil and thyme salt, or how about one with thinly sliced, tiny fresh hot peppers and a bit of oregano for a spicy Mexican version.

And the best part is … flavored sugars and salts don’t even heat up the kitchen!

Fruit vinegars are also super-easy to make, and they last for a LONG time. The Berry Delicious Vinegar—sweet ripe berries infused in white wine vinegar—makes the most beautiful vinaigrette. Just whisk together 1 part vinegar to 3 parts light olive oil, add a little finely chopped shallot and some salt and pepper, and there you have it—the perfect foil for tender garden greens.

My recipe for quick and easy, slightly hot, Sweet, Sour & Spicy Melon Balls—with their hint of mint and basil—pairs with some thinly sliced prosciutto and a great loaf of bread. Presto! A nice light supper or d’lish appetizer for a hot day.

And who doesn’t love homemade pickles? My recipe for Quick Summer Garden Pickles is fast and easy. Clean, quart jars are packed with a mixture of vegetables, then a brine is boiled and quickly poured into the veggie-packed jars. Just quickly screw on the lid, let sit until cooled to room temperature then refrigerate. In just two days you have delicious pickles to bring to a picnic or enjoy at a backyard BBQ. The only tears you will shed when making these are the ones that may form if you get too big a whiff of the boiling vinegar brine. Be forewarned: the pungent, wafting aroma may cause the neighbors to come begging for some of your pickles.

And, no, I didn’t forget about jam. I’ll be writing a whole story on that, but I did whip up a recipe for no-peel Spiced Nectarine Jam. Made with a bit of brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice, this is great on morning toast or bagels. You can even toss it with a few fresh, sliced peaches, nectarines or cherries, add a dash of dark rum and serve over vanilla ice cream for a quickie dessert.

So try to take a little time to preserve the flavors of summer. It’s not that hard … you’ll be glad you did when the skies turn gray.

© Kathy Casey – blogging at Dishing with Kathy Casey

Follow me on Twitter @kathycaseychef

For a great book to help you get started, check out Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide by Carla Emery & Lorene Edwards Forkner, Sasquatch Books.

QUICK SUMMER GARDEN PICKLES

Makes 4 quarts

These quick and easy refrigerator pickles are a great way to use up your garden’s bounty. Cauliflower is also a tasty addition.

Vegetable Mixture:

7 cups (about 2 lb.) 3/4″-sliced pickling cucumbers

2 1/2 cups (3/4 lb.) 1/2″-thick-slant-cut carrots

2 medium jalapeño peppers, sliced in rings

1 1/2 cups (6 oz. wt.) 1 1/2″ chunks yellow or white onion

1 1/2 cups (6 oz. wt.) 1 1/2″ chunks red onion

2 cups (8 oz. wt.) 1″ chunks red bell peppers (substitute some hot peppers or some of your other favorite peppers if desired)

2 cups (3/4 lb.) 1/2″- to 3/4″-sliced yellow zucchini or yellow squash

Pickling Brine:

2 cups white distilled vinegar

2 cups cider vinegar

1 3/4 cups water

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons pickling spice

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Place all vegetables in a large bowl and toss together to mix colors. Divide vegetables among four clean, regular-mouth, 1-quart canning jars, packing vegetables in tight. Set jars on a dish towel in a draft-free place in the kitchen.

Place the pickling brine ingredients in a non-aluminum saucepan over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil and then immediately ladle pickling brine into filled jars, filling to 1/2″ from the top. Be sure to cover the vegetables with liquid and distribute spices evenly. Using a nonmetallic tool, such as a wooden chopstick, quickly but carefully release air bubbles, then add more brine if needed. Wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Immediately cover jar with lid and tighten. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 – 2 hours, then refrigerate. Let pickle for at least 2 days before eating. Pickles will last for up to 2 months, refrigerated. © Kathy Casey – blogging at Dishing with Kathy Casey

SWEET, SOUR & SPICY MELON BALLS

Makes 3 pints

These are great with prosciutto, pates or grilled meats or poultry. Also excellent as an accompaniment to spicy Indian food or vegetarian curry dishes.

3 cups cantaloupe balls or other orange-fleshed melons (see Chef’s Notes)

3 cups honeydew melon balls

3 large sprigs fresh basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

3/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Toss melon balls together. Fill three 1-pint, wide-mouth jars with the melon balls, tucking a basil sprig into each jar.

In a non-aluminum saucepan, combine all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

When mixture is cool, evenly pour over the jars of melon balls, filling to top and being sure to cover the fruit completely. Using a nonmetallic tool, such as a wooden chopstick, carefully release air bubbles, then add more liquid if needed. Wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Cover with lids and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating. The melon balls will keep for about 2 – 3 weeks, refrigerated.

Chef’s Notes: Use ripe but firm melons. To make melon balls: Cut melon in half and scoop out seeds. With a melon-ball gadget, scoop out balls. (I use a large-size baller.) © Kathy Casey – blogging at Dishing with Kathy Casey

BERRY DELICIOUS VINEGAR

Makes about 3 cups

Vinegar will keep about 1 year at room temperature, or you can store it refrigerated if you want the color to stay red longer. If stored at room temperature, the red color will “brown out” a bit—but the flavor will still be d’lish. You can also use other seasonal fruits with this recipe and/or add herbs or spices. The sugar and salt can be omitted for just a straight fruit vinegar. Some flavor combinations that I have enjoyed are peach-tarragon, cherry-star anise (you don’t need to pit the cherries, just squish them) and pear-cardamom.

1 1/2 cups marionberries, blackberries or raspberries (or use a combination of any fresh berries)

3 cups white wine vinegar or white distilled vinegar

6 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Place berries in a stainless steel bowl or pot or a glass cooking pot. Give them a little mash to break them up slightly with a potato masher. (Or you can make the recipe in large glass canning jars that will take the heat.)

In a stainless steel saucepan, heat vinegar, sugar and salt until just boiling. Remove from heat and pour over berries.

Let cool. Cover and allow to stand for at least 48 hours unrefrigerated or up to 7 days in refrigerator. Then strain through a cheesecloth or coffee filter-lined strainer. (If straining through coffee filters, strain first through a mesh strainer then through the coffee filter-lined strainer.) With a ladle or wooden spoon, lightly push through any extra juice. Discard the solids. Bring strained vinegar to a boil again and then fill clean wine bottles or decorative bottles with HOT vinegar. Cap and cool.

Chef’s Notes: This recipe can be multiplied several times. © Kathy Casey – blogging at Dishing with Kathy Casey

FRAGRANT ROSE SUGAR

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 cup tightly packed UNSPRAYED fragrant rose petals

1 1/2 cups sugar

A few drops rose water (optional)

In a large glass baking pan (13”x9”) or large bowl, mix together the sugar and rose petals. Cover bowl half-way with plastic wrap. Let sit in a dry place for 2 days, stirring every day. Then toss, remove plastic, cover with paper towels, and let sit for about 4 – 5 more days or until petals and sugar are dry, stirring every day or so. If sugar has stuck to bottom of bowl, gently tap bowl on counter to loosen.

In a blender or very clean-of-smells coffee grinder or food processor, process petals and sugar in small batches till sugar is powdered and no bits or lumps remain. (If using a blender, process the sugar in about 3 batches. If sugar has a hard time getting going in blender, shake blender cup with lid on and blend on high. You may need to shake it a couple of times before it gets going.)

Place sugar in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and keep in a cool dry place for up to a year. This is a lovely gift to package in smaller jars with beautiful handmade labels.

Chef’s Notes: This sugar is delicious sprinkled on fresh berries, or used in shortbread cookies that call for powdered sugar. It is also terrific in homemade lemonade. Be sure to use unsprayed rose petals. © Kathy Casey – blogging at Dishing with Kathy Casey

ROSEMARY SUGAR

Makes 1 cup

2 – 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped

1 cup superfine or baker’s sugar

Mix the rosemary and sugar together, and spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet. Set in a warm dry place for about 4 days, until the rosemary is completely dried. Process in a food processor or spice grinder until finely ground. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 months at room temperature. © Kathy Casey – blogging at Dishing with Kathy Casey

RIBBONS OF ROASTED PEPPERS IN HERB OIL

Makes 5 half-pint jars

When ready to serve, just mix in chopped, pitted kalamata olives and top with shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty, rustic Italian bread. The peppers are also delicious tossed with pasta.

3 lb. assorted, colorful sweet and hot peppers

1 1/2 cups olive oil

6 tablespoons balsamic, red wine or sherry vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons minced, mixed fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Roast peppers over a hot grill or coals, over a gas flame, under a broiler, or in a 500-degree oven, turning often until skin is totally blistered and charred black. Immediately place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam skins loose. Let cool until peppers can be handled, about 15 – 20 minutes. Slip skin off, seed and slice peppers into long, 1/4”-wide strips.

Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Toss in peppers, coating well. Divide peppers evenly into 5 half-pint jars or plastic freezer containers, topping each one with the extra herb oil. Label and freeze for up to 1 year or store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. © Kathy Casey – blogging at Dishing with Kathy Casey

SPICED NECTARINE JAM

Makes 6 1/2 – 7 half-pint jars

Select ripe, juicy nectarines for this recipe. For variety, you can also add other interesting things to this jam, such as 1 teaspoon rose water and a big pinch of ground cardamom for a more “exotic” preserve.

5 cups sugar

1/2 cup packed, light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

6 cups chopped, skin-on, ripe nectarines (Purchase about 3 lb.)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 box MCP pectin

1/2 teaspoon butter

Sterilize 7 half-pint jars and keep them in hot water until ready to drain and fill. Prepare lids and rings according to manufacturer’s instructions. Place a dish towel in a non-drafty area.

Measure out sugars and spices and mix together in a large bowl.

In a 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed, stainless steel or enameled pot, combine fruit, lemon juice, pectin and butter. Stir thoroughly. Place over medium-high to high heat and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.

When at a rolling boil, add sugar mixture and stir in well. Stirring constantly, return mixture to a full rolling boil and boil 6 minutes while continuing to stir. Reduce heat if necessary but be sure to maintain a full rolling boil.

Remove from heat and quickly ladle boiling jam into drained jars allowing for 1/4” headspace. Wipe top edges and threads of jars with clean, damp cloth. Follow water-bath canning instructions (load jars into a jar rack using the handles and be sure water comes up over the tops of jars at least by 1 inch. Water must be rapidly boiling. Start the timer when water returns to a full rolling boil – cover with lid and process for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool on towels. Check to see that all lids are sealed – and refrigerate any that are not.

© Kathy Casey – blogging at Dishing with Kathy Casey

I made my recipe for Grilled Chicken with Sunny Day Orzo on the KING 5 morning news. If you missed it, you can still check it out here!

Check out this article by Gary Regan in the San Francisco Chronicle featuring Sips & Apps and my Green-Eyed Daiquiri!

 By Guest blogger, Erwin: The Foodie Intern

Maybe I should admit a couple of things first.  I am a newbie when it comes to anything culinary.  Outside of the Food Network Channel (God bless those programs!), I haven’t really set foot into the technical/creative sphere of the kitchen.  Yes, I’ve made a sandwich or two or some other quick dish.  It doesn’t really fall into the same league as what Iron Chef Bobby Flay or Chef Tyler Florence can do.  Receiving an internship with celebrity chef and mistress of mixology, Kathy Casey, I didn’t know what to expect.

The foodie world by itself is amazing and I am more and more intrigued each day.  Granted I don’t work in the kitchen, I do get to work in front of a computer and look up all things foodie.  I can’t say more than enough about how insanely diverse this world is.  I have to sometimes catch myself and stop drooling after I look up FoodBuzz recipes and blogs or shake myself out of a daydream while something is cooking up in the Food Studios.

But I digress.

A couple of weeks back, Kathy brought her Chef team Cameo McRoberts, Travis Childers, and myself to watch a sneak preview of the new Julie & Julia movie.  As I’ve said, I consider myself to still be a newbie to the food world.  Again, I didn’t know what to expect.

The movie is a blend of two true stories: Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia and Julia Child’s memoirs’ My Life in France.  The movie follows our two young heroines at two different periods of time. 

Julie Powell works in a post-9/11 world behind a cubicle and drowned in the sorrows of insurance claims.  A could-have-been novelist, she’s reached a pivoting point where she doesn’t know what to do.  Comforted by the thought of cooking, she comes up with a plan: to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 365 days.

Julia and Paul Child have just moved to Paris, France where Paul has been stationed in the U.S. Embassy.  In this pre-McCarthy era, the Childs are loving the French life.  Julia, never steady hanging out at home, enrolls in a culinary school.  Looking always for a new adventure and fresh from graduating culinary school, Julia and her friends decide to put together a cook book.

I won’t give away too many details of the movie, but I loved it.  This newbie loved every aspect of the movie from beginning to end.  The character development with the two female leads is genuine and heart-felt.  Meryl Streep and Amy Adams do both Julia Child and Julie Powell justice, respectively.  It does follow within the romantic-comedy genre, but as a guy, I still loved the movie.  The movie’s flow will keep you pulled in with Julia’s amusing quirks and Julie’s sheer determination.  It’s a great look into two people whose lives parallel each other well.

Take it from me, even if I am from a food newbie.

–MisterE