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Friday, February 10, 2012

Now Open on Capitol Hill: Regent Cafe & Bakery

Posted by on Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 4:30 PM

Fancy cakes! Thats one of the owners on the right.
  • Kelly O
  • Fancy cakes! That's one of the owners on the right.

Regent Cafe & Bakery opened yesterday kitty-corner from Artusi (that's the corner bar for Spinasse), where an Online Coffee Company used to be.

The original Redmond location of Regent is such a favorite of software developers that it got mentioned in Valve Software's Portal. The new Capitol Hill branch has brightly lit cases of cakes (green tea mousse!), pastries (chocolate croissant, fruit tarts), and other baked goods, as well as coffee, bubble tea, a full Chinese menu with a sit-down dining area, and a slick bar.

The people there are extremely nice, and I ate a criminally buttery, caramelized-topped sticky-bun-thing that is now going to be calling to me all day, every day. If their chow fun is good, that'll be lunch 19 times a week. And they say they're going to stay open late on the weekends, so yay for that.

Afrikando Afrikando Chef Returns to Rainier

Posted by on Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 2:33 PM

Jacques Saar at Afrikando Afrikando in 2008.
  • Kelly O
  • Jacques Saar at Afrikando Afrikando in 2008.

Our friend Jill says there's a sign in front of Banadir, the Somali place on Rainier close to downtown Columbia City, that says the chef from beloved, departed Afrikando Afrikando—Jacques Saar—is coming to cook there. Presumably he'll be making his awesome Senegalese food. Right now they're doing a little remodeling. So, neat neat!

On an unrelated note, Jill also says, "I am deeply satisfied with the fried dill pickles and the cod at Five Fish Bistro."

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Even More Delicious Ways to Eat Your Oatmeal

Posted by on Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 12:42 PM

This is Citizens oatmeal, waiting for you to make it beautiful.
  • MS
  • This is Citizen's oatmeal, waiting for you to make it beautiful.
In this week's paper I took a break from gushing about desserts to I write a 1,000-plus-word love letter to oatmeal. As I mentioned, there are a number of places in Seattle to get a really good bowl of oatmeal, but the best way to get oatmeal is to just make it yourself, at home, on a lazy morning where you can take the time to craft the perfect breakfast with all your favorite fruits, spices, and/or nuts.

Still not convinced that oatmeal can be amazing? Commenters have been posting their favorite ways to serve it—using everything from red currants to chai tea to a shot of whiskey.

SpookyCats says: "You will get an even better flavor from rolled oats if you toast them lightly in the pan before you add liquid. Cook on low heat just until you can smell their goodness. Yummy."

SteamDawn says: "Snowy morning oatmeal nirvana: Snoqualmie Falls Lodge rolled oats, cooked NOT in water but in home-made Darjeeling Chai tea (thanks to Kelly Brainard for the recipe!)."

spammy says: While in the Aran Islands of Ireland, our host served us oatmeal with a side of cream. She asked if we wanted to add some honey from her brother's hive. "Yes, please!" Then she added, "would you like a shot of whiskey too?" Who could turn that down? Your oatmeal will never be the same.

And not a fan of the sweet stuff? Commenter jp has a suggestion: "Oatmeal can even be delicious when served all savory-like. My favorite way to make it is with butter, salt, pepper, a little cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of capers. Yum!"

I may never eat cold cereal again.

How do you take your oatmeal? Share your suggestions here!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Americans™, Now with 60 Percent Less Trans Fat!

Posted by on Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 10:06 AM

Great news for health-conscious vampires:

The intense battle that public health advocates have waged against trans fats appears to be working: A new report shows that since 2000, levels of trans fats in Americans’ bloodstreams have plummeted nearly 60 percent.

My God, public policy like sensible food labeling can work to help change behavior for the best! Who knew?

Sure, outright trans fat bans, like that imposed on restaurants in King County and other municipalities, have played a role in lowering Americans' consumption of trans fat. But the biggest change has come at the supermarket, where food manufacturers, embarrassed to list trans fat on their labels, have been steadily replacing them with less unhealthy fats.

That said, this trend has slowed in recent years. So maybe it's time for the FDA to impose the total ban that health advocates have been asking for.

In Which Megan Seling Makes You Want to Eat Oatmeal

Posted by on Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 6:45 AM

I'm not an oatmeal-hater, but I have never once in my life thought, "I'd like to eat some oatmeal." That is, UNTIL THIS AWESOME ARTICLE BY MEGAN SELING hit my eyeballs.

Read it and see if it doesn't propel you immediately in oatmeal's direction.

HATERS MAY HATE But admit it: Macrina's oatmeal looks great.
  • Kelly O
  • HATERS MAY HATE But admit it: Macrina's oatmeal looks great.

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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Now Open: New Places for Stuffing Faces

Posted by on Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 1:52 PM

Look—it's tons more new Seattle restaurants and bars! Currently, we can recommend going to Five Fish Bistro and eating the Peacemaker, which is a po'boy with deep-fried oysters (with not-too-heavy cornmeal breading), bacon, and cheddar cheese. (The lore of the name is that this is the sandwich that drunk guys who stayed out late in New Orleans would bring home to their wives to make the peace.) It is all put on the right kind of roll, and the results are fairly gigantic and very good. Five Fish Bistro is also having a grand-opening party with free snacks today from 4 to 8 p.m. Anyways...

Maono: Chef Mark Fullers family on Kauai back in the day.
  • Ma'ono
  • Ma'ono: Chef Mark Fuller's family on Kauai back in the day.

· MA'ONO FRIED CHICKEN & WHISKY in West Seattle: In Hawaiian, "ono" means "delicious," and "ma" is a prefix that means going toward, facing, or making. Ma'ono in West Seattle is the reincarnation of the great Spring Hill, meaning now you can get chef (and Kauai native) Mark Fuller's extremely popular fried chicken (formerly just Mondays) and awesome saimin (formerly just brunch) every night. The new menu also has lots of "mid-Pacific-inspired" dishes that look very delicious-making.

· OFF THE REZ on the road: Off the Rez is a food truck serving fry bread (naked or with honey, or cinnamon sugar, or homemade lemon curd...), Indian tacos (chili verde, 10-hour-smoked pulled pork, etc.), quinoa succotash, and more...

MORE MORE MORE > > >

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Coming Soon to a Shipping Container Near You: Pizza and Beer!

Posted by on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 1:34 PM

At Rainier and Weller this spring (hopefully), it's a walk-up shipping-container pizza window with fenced-in outdoor seating and beer, plus music, movies, and maybe bocce ball. Central District News has the (yay!) story.

Also on CD News: The mayor and city council and Pete Holmes tell the liquor board to leave Central Cinema alone.

And: Help catch a bike thief!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Shut Down AGAIN! Goldy and Tom Douglas' Favorite, 663 Bistro

Posted by on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 9:13 AM

663 Bistro in the I.D. made it almost a full year since its last closure by the health department (which was for "Potentially hazardous foods (PHF) at unsafe temperatures / Inadequate facilities to control temperature of PHF / Foods not protected from cross contamination / Handwashing sinks unavailable / Toxic chemicals improperly stored/labeled").

You'll recall that 663 Bistro is Goldy's favorite I.D. bbq spot, and that it made Seattle Metropolitan's gigantic list of Seattle's best Asian restaurants last February, which noted:

Who’s here Seattle celeb chef Tom Douglas [a.k.a. T-Doug], for one. Adores the joint.

The latest 663 Bistro shutdown is for:

· Potentially hazardous foods at unsafe temperatures
· Handwashing facilities unavailable and not working
· Toxic items not properly stored (stored above food)

Um, not so bad? You can check for 663's reopening over here. Good morning!

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Man Bites Dog: "Needs More Salt"

Posted by on Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 9:12 AM

By now you've probably heard about the three mushroom pickers, who, after lost in the woods for six days, were so hungry they almost ate their dog:

Dan Conne said Sunday from his hospital bed in Gold Beach that he and his wife and son spent the nights huddled in a hollow log with nothing to eat, and considered sacrificing their pit bull, Jesse, for food.

"She's that good a dog, she'd have done it, too," Conne said.

Well, you know, nearly anything slow cooked with onions is delicious. But, it's not like they were entirely without food.

Dan Conne said he tried to eat a hedgehog mushroom while in the forest but found it "nasty."

So, um, they got lost in the woods collecting edible hedgehog and black trumpet mushrooms for resale, but rather than eat those to survive, they considered eating their dog, because they found the mushrooms too "nasty"...?

To be clear, they lacked the tools or skills to start a fire, but they'd rather eat dog sashimi over raw mushrooms.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Remember World Pizza in Belltown?

Posted by on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 3:45 PM

chow-click-3.jpg

That space is a Starbucks now (sad trombone).

But World Pizza is back (and so is their famous pie with roasted red potatoes with garlic, rosemary, and Gorgonzola!).

It's in the I.D. now.

Charles Mudede muses on the old and the new (and people get celebratory in comments). Also: photo of cute baby named Daphne!

Off The Rez on the Street This Saturday Night

Posted by on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 2:59 PM

Off The Rez is a new food truck serving frybread (naked or with honey, or cinnamon sugar, or homemade lemon curd...), Indian tacos (chili verde, 10-hour-smoked pulled pork, etc.), quinoa succotash, and more, inspired by co-owner Mark McConnell's mother's childhood growing up on the Blackfeet Reservation.

Donovan MacInnis (formerly a sous chef at Portalis) is cooking, and the truck is named Big Chief, after Mark's uncle James Lefferson.

Off The Rez debuts on the street this Saturday night, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. next to Big Mario's on Pike. After that, they'll be open for lunch next Wednesday in South Lake Union at Harrison and Boren from 11 a.m to 2 p.m., with more locations coming soon.

Big Chief, ready to go.
  • Mark McConnell
  • Big Chief, ready to go.

Today in I, Anonymous: The Drunk Guy Slice

Posted by on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 2:36 PM

Submitted minutes ago to I, Anonymous:

You gave me the “drunk guy slice” of pizza: bloated dough bubbles, burnt dick cheese and a few gnarly slivers of mystery meat that probably rolled out of your sister’s pussy after you fucked her this morning. What’s wrong with your life, pizza-Nazi? Do you need a hug? These arms of mine can thaw the icicles off of a polar bear’s asshole. And don’t forget my sweet chin beard, dude. You ruined my whole night with your petty bullshit, do you know that?

Black Velvet: David Lynch Brand Coffee

Posted by on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 1:45 PM

It's not called Black Velvet (booooo!), but this seems to be real:

Coffee's never been scarier (you can use that, David Lynch! And "Black Velvet"!). He's got light (not blonde), medium, and dark roast.

Rosebud's Replacement

Posted by on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 12:49 PM

The space that used to be the Rosebud Restaurant and Bar, my favorite drinking hole for so many years (I finished two scripts there), is going to filled by this...

MHM_1120202113122.jpeg

I only hope they open the outdoor area in the back. I miss that leafy tree in the back. I also miss the bathrooms. However, I very much doubt they will repeat the Rosebud by playing jazz from the moment that means everything to me: 1947 to 1969.

How Do You Like Your Beans?

Posted by on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 11:34 AM

Screen_shot_2012-02-02_at_11.30.36_AM.png

I like my coffee beans medium-roast, though it doesn't seem like something to get all wound up about. But a paper's got to fill pages/use up pixels, right? However, while they surely test-marketed the hell out of it, calling lighter-roasted coffee beans "blonde" seems stupid. Such beans are nowhere near blonde-colored, and it's impossible to know whether they have more fun.

Starbucks chose the term "blonde" because "light" can "infer that something has been removed" or might confuse consumers who think of light coffee as having milk added, a spokeswoman says.

Oh, the poor confused consumer!!!

The American Animal

Posted by on Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 8:28 AM

During Super Bowl Sunday...

...Americans will be eating chicken wings—more than 1.25 billion of them over the weekend. That's four wings for every man, woman and child in the U.S., according to the National Chicken Council. Wings are three times more likely to be eaten on game day than any other time of year.

An estimated 4.4 million pizzas will be ordered from Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza and Papa John's on Sunday. Pizza Hut says 80% of its pizzas will likely have pepperoni, the most common topping no matter the time of year. Domino's Pizza will have 50 computer experts on hand to watch over the online ordering system.


The Super Bowl is also "the largest single event for carrots." And yet we still want more economic growth in this country. The problem is always slow economic growth. Obama will not be reelected if the economy is standing still. The stunning thing about America is that many of its citizens do not know it is the end of the road. The problem is not growth but the bizarre concentration of so much of its socially generated wealth in a few hands. Poverty is not even real in this country; poverty is fabricated and imposed. The real is actually Romney; the illusion is the person waiting at a food bank or sleeping on the street or being evicted from a home or being drowned by hospital bills. This society's greatest trick has been to make its wealth seem unreal. Poverty turns out to be the American dream.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Only Organic Thing I Care About

Posted by on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 12:44 PM

Picture_3.png

Bananas.

Monday, January 30, 2012

New Bills Would Basically Make The Jungle Illegal

Posted by on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 1:22 PM

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If you've spent any time on the internet, you've happened across undercover slaughterhouse footage. Now, states are working to make those videos illegal:

For decades, animal activists have gone undercover to take jobs inside large-scale livestock farms in order to document conditions for farm animals that they say are routinely inhumane. Their hidden camera footage has resulted in criminal charges against owners and workers, plant shutdowns, and after one at a California slaughterhouse in 2008, the largest meat recall in U.S. history.

But these images could soon be made illegal. Legislation pending in five states — Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and New York — would criminalize the actions of activists who covertly film farms. Proponents of the various pieces legislation say that their proposed laws would lead to beneficial consequences, including the protection of such farms from potential terrorist infiltration (preserving the integrity of the food supply) and espionage; the prevention of images that mislead consumers; as well as regulating the job application process to circumvent potential employees from lying in order to be hired.

Look, this is bullshit. In the United States, we have a long, proud history of infiltrating the places that make our food. Journalists like Upton Sinclair have proven time and again that this kind of infiltration is absolutely necessary. Without the fear of being caught, can you imagine what kind of awful stuff farms will get up to? And cloaking the bills in the War on Terror is especially terrible—we learned back in 2002 to treat every bill with anti-terrorist language in it as suspicious. This is an assault on the freedom of press, and we should all stand with PETA, the Humane Society, and other organizations that make use of this type of footage.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Thousands of Tacos Visited Upon Racist-y Mayor

Posted by on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 1:01 PM

That mayor who said that racist-y thing—when asked about his support for Latino rights, he responded he “might have some tacos” for dinner—has gotten more than 2000 tacos delivered to his office in protest. (Doesn't that seem like more of a reward than a punishment?) Another report notes:

The taco onslaught has only just begun: activists have pledged to send one more for each person who texts the word “taco” to 69866.

Not sure how that works—text the word "taco" at your own risk. Here the mayor fumblingly expands upon the apology he issued:

What do we have to say to get a tanker of poutine over here?

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

"I Might Have Tacos"

Posted by on Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 12:25 PM

East Haven Connecticut Mayor Joe Maturo is under fire after four of his police officers were arrested, accused of illegally targeting Latinos with unlawful traffic stops, searches and seizures, and even physical abuse. So how does the mayor respond to a TV reporter's question about what he plans to do for the Latino community?

"I might have tacos when I go home, I'm not quite sure yet," Maturo told WPIX reporter Mario Diaz.

Ten percent of East Haven's population is Latino, 100 percent of whom will likely support Maturo's opponent in the next election.

[Slogtip Al]

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Damn You, Food Nazis!

Posted by on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 5:03 PM

Admittedly, I'm not too familiar with Oklahoman cuisine, but I hadn't realized this was much of a problem:

STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 53rd Legislature (2012)

SENATE BILL 1418 By: Shortey

AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to food; prohibiting the manufacture or sale of food or products which use aborted human fetuses;

Not that Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey (a Republican, of course) has any indication that anybody has any plans to use aborted human fetuses in the manufacture of food products, though, you know, come to think of it, anything slow cooked with onions....

[Slogtip Iris]

Chris Daw and Drinks for Lumberjacks at C.C. Attle's

Posted by on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 11:16 AM

chow-bio-160.jpg
Have you been to the new C.C. Attle's spot? Sarah Galvin has! And she interviewed the bar's own Chris Daw about the new space, the new menu, and the giant lumberjack statue named Dirk:

So your old space is being torn down to make way for the "hyper-efficient" Bullitt Center, which will supposedly be the "greenest commercial building in the world." Did you move to Olive because you feared being forced to incorporate compost into your drinks?

The Bullitts were good to us and offered a lease extension. But I think it might have been so radically different, it would have driven away our clientele. We've really tried to honor our old space in the new location. Lots of people loved our old deck, which we've tried to replicate here.

You said you're changing your menu. What possible way could your selection of giant burgers and fried things be improved upon?

We're adding a chicken burger and a veggie burger. Our cocktails will still be more cluck for your buck!

Keep reading!

Monday, January 23, 2012

SHAME ON YOU, KANSAS

Posted by on Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 11:52 AM

...and Arizona, and Utah, and Nebraskathis is just reprehensible.

Friday, January 20, 2012

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: The Cupcake Royale Deathcake Is Back

Posted by on Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 4:25 PM

20111213_Deathcake_0483.jpg
  • cupcakeroyale.com
Valentine's Day is just around the corner which means it's also time for the Deathcake! Crammed with as much chocolate as is physically possible to fit into a baked good, the Deathcake is the best thing that has ever come out of Cupcake Royale's kitchen (I've gushed about it before).

This year's edition is a little different, though. While it still has Theo Chocolate and Stumptown Espresso ganache (YUM), it also comes with a sprinkle of fleur de sel (fancy salt!) and is available as a cute (but deadly!) babycake with a tiny little red heart on top.

One Deathcake will cost you $3 and a three-pack (which can be shipped anywhere in the U.S.) is $8.99. They're available now through February 14th.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Winter Gardening in the Mild Pacific Northwest

Posted by on Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 4:33 PM

Think maybe I waited too long to harvest all that kale and collards?
  • Goldy | The Stranger
  • Think maybe I waited too long to harvest all that kale and collards?

You know all that stuff I wrote about the joys of winter vegetable gardening in our mild maritime Pacific Northwest climate. Yeah... well... not so much.

I haven't had the nerve to peek inside the plastic cold frame protecting my lettuce—don't want to compromise the insulation—but I'm pretty sure I won't have edible leaves when they thaw out. As for the mustard, collards, and kale, well, we'll see.

"Save yourselves: go vegan."

Posted by on Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 11:55 AM

Over on this post about antivegan Paula Deen, commenter What Now? directs our attention to "The Evidence for a Vegan Diet" in the Atlantic, in which the author seeks to:

...offer a personal counter-narrative to the increasingly popular and decidedly dour "I'm a recovering vegan" storyline. Perhaps inspired by Lierre Kieth's The Vegetarian Myth, a book that chronicles the author's losing battle with a plant-based diet, bloggers have clogged foodie networks with angst-ridden accounts of fatigue, sickness, hair loss, anxiety, diminished sex drive, and mental breakdown after quitting animal products. The problem with these accounts, as far as I can tell, is that those who made the vegan leap (and I praise them for doing it) did so without doing due diligence on the details of intelligent veganism. Someone can live on potato chips, pot, and cherry soda and call himself a vegan. Many recidivists have evidently tried to do just that.

What Now adds: "I also admired vegans for a long time. Five years ago I tried a one-month vegan challenge. I've never looked back :D."

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Open for Snowtimes Fortification!

Posted by on Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 3:38 PM

In Belltown, open right now with hot food and strong drink and a bigass Reznor pumping out the heat, it's the Innkeeper, and it's brand new from the good people who brought us Black Bottle.

Here's a review. (Hint: You can't go wrong with bears and cheese!)

Its the Innkeeper, where Marcos Supper Club used to be.
  • Kelly O
  • It's the Innkeeper, where Marco's Supper Club used to be.

Paula Deen, Diabetes Profit Queen

Posted by on Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 2:28 PM

Only a few weeks ago, I was blissfully unaware of her existence. Now she is everywhere (but at least she's getting called on her monstrosity).

"The year was 1969, and even the people who made commercials for the International House of Pancakes were on acid."

Posted by on Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 11:03 AM

So writes Metafilter about this from-the-vaults IHOP commercial (which might make you want to revisit acid, but not revisit IHOP.)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

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Monday, January 16, 2012

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Thursday, January 12, 2012

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Stop Laughing

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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

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Monday, January 9, 2012

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Offered Without Comment

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Friday, January 6, 2012

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

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Burgers of Des Moines

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Burgers of Des Moines

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