Culinary Council Recap: Holiday Recipes by Nancy Silverton and Tom Douglas at Macy’s

December 16, 2013 by 4 Comments

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me with compensation for this post about Macy’s Culinary Council. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

The Macy’s Culinary Council includes some of the country’s most esteemed chefs, who then travel to various Macy’s everywhere as cooking ambassadors. This past weekend, I was able to take a “cooking lesson” from Nancy Silverton (Los Angeles chef famously of La Brea Bakery and also Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza) and our own Northwest celebrity chef, Tom Douglas (of the Seattle restaurant empire- seriously, I love them all, Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery, Palace Kitchen, Serious Pie, Serious Biscuit, Lola, Brave Horse Tavern and more- 15 restaurants and counting!).
Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, doesn't drink white wine (thus the glass of red) and also approves of having red towels in your holiday kitchen Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013
Nancy Silverton doesn’t drink white wine (thus the glass of red) and also approves of having red towels in your holiday kitchen / Mr Crab Cakes, aka Chef Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy’s at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013

Together, Nancy and Tom at the Macy’s Washington Square hosted a cooking demo featuring a few of their favorite holiday recipes. Here’s my Culinary Council recap of that event for you!
Culinary Council Recap: Favorite holiday recipes shared by Tom Douglas and Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council members, at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013 Culinary Council Recap: Favorite holiday recipes shared by Tom Douglas and Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council members, at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013

Courtesy of Nancy Silverton

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  • Breadsticks with Truffle Butter and Prosciutto
    No exact recipe for this, just guidelines, to taste, and 4 ingredients: unsalted butter, truffle salt, breadsticks and prosciutto. Nancy emphasized when you are using just a few simple ingredients, buy the best of each of the ingredients you can. She’s not a fan of white truffle oil because of the chemicals used. But she loves black truffle salt, which is what she utilized (Ritrovo Truffle & Salt with non-salted butter) to create the truffle butter. Spread it on breadsticks. It’s your choice whether you utilize extra pizza dough like she does at her restaurants (they serve these breadsticks on their charcuterie platter I believe) or make or buy them. Finally, wrap prosciutto around and you’re done. Easy and done in 5 minutes! She cautions that if it is warm to not prepare these too far ahead of time. Also make sure you leave a “handle” at the end of the breadstick for holding!
    Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, starts off with a recipe of Breadsticks with Truffle Butter and Prosciutto, and emphasizes when you are using just a few simple ingredients, buy the best of each of the ingredients you can Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, starts off with a recipe of Breadsticks with Truffle Butter and Prosciutto, simple to put together in just 5 minutes Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, starts off with a recipe of Breadsticks with Truffle Butter and Prosciutto, simple to put together in just 5 minutes Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, starts off with a recipe of Breadsticks with Truffle Butter and Prosciutto, simple to put together in just 5 minutes Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, starts off with a recipe of Breadsticks with Truffle Butter and Prosciutto, simple to put together in just 5 minutes Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, starts off with a recipe of Breadsticks with Truffle Butter and Prosciutto, simple to put together in just 5 minutes
  • Burrata with Caviar
    It turns out Burrata is quite the trend in LA right now. As a big cheese lover, I’m all about this dish with its big hunk of burrata. Nancy believes the holiday are a great excuse for extravagance and getting some high quality ingredients. Besides acquiring 16 ounces of fresh burrata to make 4 servings, make sure that your caviar (you’ll be using 4 tablespoons of caviar, a tablespoon per serving) is sustainable and domestically farmed. The accompaniments you see here, 1/4 cup each of finely chopped fresh chives, parsley, onion, and finally the last topping of all the servings with 1 grated hard-cooked egg via microplane, all are quite traditional for caviar. The twist is with the presence of creamy silky burrata instead of say toast points adding extra indulgence. Nancy’s very particular with her eggs, and gave her formula for perfectly cooked eggs. First, bring the water to boil in salted water. The purpose of the salt is not for flavor, but in case an egg cracks it will seal the whites in. Once the water is boiling, place your eggs and leave for exactly 5 minutes. Then let the eggs and hot water cool to room temperature. She likes her eggs where the yolk is just set (and definitely no green- she would just be insulted!), so to use eggs for grating she adds another minute. Nancy even educated Tom on getting the best finely chopped minced onion- she uses an un-petal technique where she cuts each large layer of onion (after quartering it) individually for smaller pieces!
    Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, preparing to plate her recipe for Burrata with Caviar Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, preparing to plate her recipe for Burrata with Caviar Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, shared my favorite recipe of the 6 that event, the Burrata with Caviar Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, shared my favorite recipe of the 6 that event, the Burrata with Caviar
  • Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
    Nancy called Tom into service into shaving the 4 pounds of brussels sprouts with the mandolin. Then she advised us to massage our winter greens to bring out more flavor. She also told us to use fingers to distribute her dressing created from 1 cup of fresh mint leaves, 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, and then season with salt and more lemon juice as desired. Nancy is a big fan of carefully balancing each bite of the salad to have a good combination of ALL the salad ingredients, which you get by mixing by hands. She also adores microplane; she used one for grating the egg earlier with the burrata, and with a coarse microplane she grated a thin layer of pecorino romano (the recipe calls for 6 ounces) over the plate and then divided the Brussels sprouts salad into mounds on top of that cheese. She pointed out that there is something improved about the mouthfeel by compacting the salad into easy mouthfuls as she gently flattened the mound to make an even circle, grated more cheese, and topped the plate with toasted chopped almonds (1 cup worth for this 4 serving recipe). Then she finished the salad with a drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lemon, and coarse cracked black pepper.
    Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, calls Tom Douglas into her service on the mandoline for the Brussels Sprouts for the Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad Culinary Council Recap: Tom watches on as Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, creates her Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, massaging the winter greens of her Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, is a big fan of the microplane Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, is a big fan of the microplane as she grates a little pile of pecorino where she will plate the Brussels Sprouts Salad Culinary Council Recap: Culinary Council Recap: Nancy Silverton, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013

Courtesy of Tom Douglas

  • Mom’s Crab Dip on Russet Potato Chips, from Toms Big Dinners (HarperCollins Publishers, 11/1/2003)
    There was a charming moment as Tom shook the Martha Stewart spatula at the audience, telling us it is up to each one of us to carry forward our family recipes. Then he began sharing his mom’s Crab Dip on Russet Potato Chips. He also unabashedly admitted these homemade potato chips we were enjoying were an upgrade- he usually serves them at home just with Ritz Crackers, so any chip or cracker of our liking will do. He also noted that it is important to add that expensive ingredient of crab last and prepare all the rest of the sauce separately, and keep the crabmeat cold as long as you can.
    Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, shakes a Martha Stewart spatula at the audience, telling us it is up to each one of us to carry forward our family recipes before sharing his mom's Crab Dip on Russet Potato Chips Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, sharing his Mom's Crab Dip on Russet Potato Chips... admits he usually uses Ritz crackers Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, sharing his Mom's Crab Dip on Russet Potato Chips 9Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, sharing his Mom's Crab Dip on Russet Potato Chips
  • Fennel Rubbed Steamed Salmon (link to image with recipe)
    Tom imparted his wisdom about sustainably sourcing fish, and gave tips on how to purchase fish to make sure it is fresh. Although he only shared one recipe in writing, he demo’d two ways of cooking the salmon, one steamed with the rub as you see below, and the other was more of a saute with a fennel sauce and topping. He strongly advocated for the use of an instant read digital thermometer for the fish in order to make sure you don’t dry it out- all you need is for it to get to 125 degrees F and you’re looking at a perfectly cooked fish. He also notes that heat rises, so it’s ok to turn off the heat as the salmon will be still cooking. Did you know Tom also has on his staff a chief vegetable officer?
    Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, talks about the importance of sustainable sourcing and how to purchase your salmon Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, plating his Fennel Rubbed Steamed Salmon Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, demos his Fennel Rubbed Steamed Salmon recipe Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, demos his Fennel Rubbed Steamed Salmon recipe Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, shared a Fennel Rubbed Steamed Salmon recipe Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, shared a Fennel Rubbed Steamed Salmon recipe
  • Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Crackly Crust, from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook (HarperCollins Publishers, 10/23/2012)
    Time ran out for the demo of these cookies, but the recipe was shared, and we still got to sample it, giving us a very sweet end
    Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, and this Chocolate Truffle Cookie with Crackly Crust

Thanks to Food in Bloom Catering, who helped produce samples of each of the recipes from Nancy and Tom, everyone in the audience was able to try a sample of all 6 dishes. I was quite impressed by the level of service in taking the care to plate each individual sample beautifully, and for plates they used the stylishly sustainable VerTerra Dinnerware and were quick yet thorough in passing out samples, retrieving the garbage, and making sure we all had napkins and if we wished, refills on the Columbia Crest Pinot Gris.

To learn more about the Macy’s Culinary Council and upcoming events, check out macys.com/culinarycouncil, or follow them on Twitter @culinarycouncil  For some example recipe shared by the Council, check out their Pinterest Page, Macy’s Culinary Council

Culinary Council Recap: Hand comparisons of Nancy Silverton and Tom Douglas, Culinary Council members at Macy's Washington Square Dec 14 - important point in always checking knife feel in your hand and the weighting when knife shopping
Hand comparisons of Nancy Silverton and Tom Douglas, Culinary Council members at Macy’s Washington Square Dec 14 – important point in always checking knife feel in your hand and the weighting when knife shopping

Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, shared two salmon recipes Culinary Council Recap: Tom Douglas, Culinary Council member at the Macy's at Washington Square Dec 14, 2013, shared two salmon recipes
Full plates of the two kinds of salmon cooking Tom Douglas shared with us at Macy’s.

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Macy’s Culinary Council in Portland: Dec 14 at Washington Square Mall

December 10, 2013 by 3 Comments

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me with compensation for this post about Macy’s Culinary Council. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

Did you know Macy’s has an entire division dedicated to highlighting and promoting cooking demos? Macy’s has gathered a group of some of the country’s most esteemed chefs to create the Macy’s Culinary Council, which include an impressive lineup of chef luminaries such as Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Todd English, Cat Cora, Michelle Bernstein, Rick Bayless, Ming Tsai, Takashi Yagihashi, Tom Douglas and the list just goes on and on!

The members of the Macy’s Culinary Council travel to various Macy’s everywhere as ambassadors and to teach everyone how to be more involved with food, cook better with demonstrations so we can see tips and tricks firsthand, and just talking about food and sharing their culinary advice with all of us home cooks. The Macy’s Culinary Council had their 10th Anniversary just a couple months ago. Can you believe it, 10 years?!

I’ve been aware of the Culinary Council from when I lived in Chicago- the Macy’s downtown on State Street is a huge flagship store, and although it took some getting used to when it took over what was previously the Marshall Field’s, eventually Macy’s found its way into my heart and won my trust. I admit that since moving to Portland, I haven’t been attending any in store events after putting together my bridal registry (now 4 years ago!).  I’ve only benefited from afar, from recipes the Culinary Council has shared and normal shopping trips. But I’m getting back into it!

This coming Saturday the 14th, the Macy’s Culinary Council is in Portland! Both Nancy Silverton (famously of La Brea Bakery and also  in LA Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza) and our own Northwest celebrity chef, Tom Douglas (of the Seattle restaurant empire- seriously, I love them all, Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery, Palace Kitchen, Serious Pie, Serious Biscuit, Lola, Brave Horse Tavern and more- I’ve been to most of his restaurants!) will be in Portland!

Macy's Culinary Council member Nancy Silverton Macy's Culinary Council member Tom Douglas (of the Seattle restaurant empire- seriously, I love them all, Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery, Palace Kitchen, Serious Pie, Serious Biscuit, Lola, Brave Horse Tavern and more

Tom and Nancy (can I call them so familiarly? 😀 ) will be collaborating at the Macy’s Washington Square at 2 pm at the Housewares at the Macy’s Washington Square, hosting a cooking demo featuring their favorite holiday recipes!

I plan to be there. First of all, to swoon over Tom Douglas and Nancy Silverton and soak up whatever they are imparting to the audience.

In addition, with a purchase of $35* or more in the Home department, you can receive a $10 Macy’s Gift Card**, a special holiday gift and either Tom Douglas’ cookbook The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook, or Nancy Silverton’s cookbook The Mozza Cookbook which the chefs will sign following the demonstration (they will only do signings after the demo). With a purchase of $70* or more in the Home department, receive two $10 Macy’s Gift Cards**, two special holiday gifts, and both The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook, and The Mozza Cookbook.

*One per customer, while supplies last, while time permits.  Seating is first come, first served. Purchase must be made  December 14, 2013 at Macy’s Washington Square
**Macy’s gift card valid Dec 14-21.

How nice is that? I already have some holiday shopping to do, and besides learning from Tom and Nancy I can come back with a gift for myself thanks to gift cards and autographed cookbooks! I particularly have my eye on Tom’s, since I have had the doughnuts that Giada De Laurentiis called the “best thing I ever ate” AND the biscuits from Serious Biscuit and would definitely want to try the recipes. The Tom Douglas’ Dahlia Bakery Donuts are Fried to Order and come with Marscarpone and Strawberry Jam. They are light and pillowy and slighty warm, almost like beignets, but dusted more lightly with brown sugar and perfect for dipping into the fruity and sweet of strawberry and creamy of cheese. And, the biscuit you see just speaks for itself.
Tom Douglas' Dahlia Bakery Donuts, Fried to Order and come with Marscarpone and Strawberry Jam. They are light and pillowy and slighty warm, almost like beignets, but dusted more lightly with brown sugar and perfect for dipping into the fruity and sweet of strawberry and creamy of cheese Tom Douglas does it again. Serious Buttermilk Biscuit and Tabasco black pepper gravy (both soothing me with its creaminess and making my tongue tingle with every bite). I added a smothering of Beecher's cheddar to mine. Here you can see the chicken in its extreme crispness holding up to the drench of spicy gravy

The Details: 2 PM @ Macy’s Washington Square, Housewares, Level 2. Reservations are required as space is limited. To reserve your spot visit: https://macyschefswsq.eventbrite.com

To learn more about the Macy’s Culinary Council and upcoming events, check out macys.com/culinarycouncil, or follow them on Twitter @culinarycouncil  For some example recipe shared by the Council, check out their Pinterest Page, Macy’s Culinary Council

Hope to see you there- or check back next week for my recap!

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Brave Horse Tavern & Serious Biscuit, Spur in Seattle

March 25, 2012 by 1 Comment

I happen to be a fan of of the Tom Douglas Restaurants empire- at this point I’ve experienced the output of four of his twelve restaurants. I’ve tried Serious Pie pizza for lunch (delivered to the office I was visiting), the doughnuts of Dahlia Bakery, happy hour at Palace Kitchen, and a breakfast at Serious Biscuit. For another visit to Seattle recently, I revisited one place while increasing my total by visiting a new Tom Douglas concept. As before, I was not disappointed- it is quite dependable.

Previous eatings: doughnuts at Dahlia Bakery. Also, at Serious Biscuit, the fried chicken with Buttermilk Biscuit and tabasco black pepper gravy (both soothing me with its creaminess and making my tongue tingle with every bite). I added a smothering of Beecher’s cheddar to mine, and that boneless hunk o chicken was juicy and extremely crispy, holding up to the generous drenching of gravy.

This time, I went to Brave Horse Tavern for their all day Sunday happy hour, and also for Serious Biscuit in the morning for a second breakfast visit. At Brave Horse Tavern, I tried their hand made pretzel with 3 of their spreads: beer cheddar fondue, sour cream and crispy onion, and smoked peanut butter and bacon. While half the table liked it the traditional way with the mustard on the table, I was a fan of the smoked peanut butter and bacon. The other two were ok but didn’t leave much of an impression beyond that. On the other hand, it was a much different atmosphere at Brave horse then I had seen at the others which had been a bit more of an urban modernity feel. Brave Horse Tavern had a much more casual open feel, including big open tables like you would expect in Lucky Lab here in Portland or a brauhaus in Germany. Not sure whether it was because it was all day Sunday happy hour or not, but the other patrons leaned more towards late 20s to mid 30s and had a flirty vibe of comraderie and outgoing energy.

For breakfast the next day, I went with the other choice that had tempted me my first visit: their biscuit with truffled frittata,tomato caper relish, arugula  and I ordered that same  tabasco black pepper gravy on the side… wow, it came in a big mug for me to dunk my forkfuls. I don’t like their biscuits enough to have them plain without gravy- they still seem a little dry and hard on the outside instead of flakey (although the inside is moist), probably because they aren’t oven fresh, making it an ok but not particularly special. But, put that biscuit with all that other wonderful stuff they offer together though and I ate every single bite and stayed full and satisfied for most of the rest of the day. Just like the last time, this is a knife and fork kind of meal.

Between these two visits to Tom Douglas restaurants was a fabulous dinner at Spur Gastropub. At first, when our table of 7 received our initial small plates of the Castlefranco Radicchio Salad with candied pecan, blue cheese, and sorrel and the Winter Beet Salad they have with buttermilk, caraway, and arugula, we were unimpressed, though at least the beet salad had a little surprise with the beet powder to add a bit of grit texture.The Slow Cooked Pork Cheeks with white bean, leek and guanciale or the Veal Sweetbreads with braised greens, squash and apple also were not memorable.

However, we were delighted with other dishes. The Sockeye Salmon Crostini ($4 each) with mascarpone, caper, and pickled shallot was a wonderful combination though only worth $1 per bite, if you nibbled. Yeah, these tasted wonderful but if you have to order 2-3 dishes per person and these dishes are already the price of a normal entree at a restaurant, your bill adds up- probably $50 a person along not counting drinks or dessert. Don’t come in super hungry and wanting to get full quickly- you want to come to mostly converse and nibble your dinner as you go.

Each of these, and every single dish actually, was plated beautifully… too bad the extremely dark lighting of the restaurant made it difficult to appreciate (and capture). Some pin lighting just in the middle of the table to spotlight the food but still leave everyone in romatic candelight would have been a better compromise instead of having everyone peer at their food. Just by luck, later in the evening I happened to accidentally set my camera to “action” setting which ended up with the more intake of what light there was towards the end of these pictures- but those are definitely brighter then it was actually looking down at our table.

Our favorite dishes, and I could have eaten it just all by myself (it was a dish that disappeared in minutes as we passed it around the table family style) included the Black Truffle Gnocchi  with baby turnip, parmesan, and greens that melted too quickly in decadance on your tongue, as did the perfectly cooked Wagyu Sirloin with rutabaga, pear and mustard. The Merguez Sausage with chick pea, harissa and tender herbs offered a bit of spark with its spicyness. The Pork Belly Sliders topped with celery root, apple and smoke (hey, that’s what the menu lists) on soft buttery brioche also went down quite easily- we somehow found the room even as we were already getting filled up because it was so tasty. The Tagliatelle with duck egg, oyster mushroom and pine nut was an ok dish that is evidently popular and a regualr on the menu, but since it followed after the Black Truffle Gnocchi it couldn’t quite measure up to that previous dish.

The three desserts were ordered were all good in different ways. The Parsnip, Banana, Coconut, sponge cake, crumble, ice cream was a tropical light respite from the dinner but I thought needed something else to balance it like a small touch of earthiness, maybe mint? I appreciated the play of textures here though. Meanwhile the Chocolate, Pistachio, Pear, sorbet, pudding cake, praline dessert offered the rich chocolate luxury. Finally, the Passion Fruit, Grapefruit, Fromage Blanc, custard, sorbet, streusel dessert plate cleansed and refreshed.

I would definitely try Spur again- the ones that were a hit were amazing, while others were meh- so I might do a little research next time to see what people highlight in reviews next time I visit. And, I’ll come when it doesn’t get dark so quickly so I can appreciate my food. I would also go with a group: the small plates concept they have going here is playful and modern, which tastewise sometimes paid off handsomely, and sometimes not in anything but posing as cool looking. So you want to up your chances of getting something great by ordering a lot of dishes- and also see my earlier comment about the price and pace.

I’m not sure why it’s called a gastropub since their trendy cocktail list offered some interesting concoctions but there wasn’t as much to choose from beer-wise, and the setup definitely is more of a cocktail and place then beer. Thankfully, this also meant the service was much smoother and polished then I might expect at a gastropub- thanks Jared! Overall, I would like to support their continue experimentation and pushing of the boundaries.

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Seattle Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

October 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

A lunch at Matt’s in the Market was a delectable fresh halibut sandwich with a salad which was a special of the day- our table got the last two sandwiches they had to offer during our lunch at noon. The fish was delicate and tender, fortunately the crusty but doughy bun held it together. The sandwich was accompanied by what was dubbed a simple green salad but with its touch of toasted pumpkin seeds, crumbled bleu cheese, and roasted garlic dressing was a blockbuster of bold flavors to contrast the gentleness of the fish sandwich. The space was very clean with mostly sunshine and woods and open air (including the open kitchen) to highlight the simplicity but hustle and bustle of this Pike Place Market space.

Dinner at Poppy was something I had looked forward to- so often that I had visited the website to torture myself with what I would order several times before the final arrival at the restaurant in the trendy Capital Hill neighborhood. The restaurant presents its entrees in the style of Indian thalis, which are meals served on a tray in which multiple small portions are plated in individual bowls and plates or compartments, almost like a mix between bento boxes and tapas but which are intended to be eaten in any order and whatever mix you wish. There usually is at least one portion which includes a dhal (soup or thin stew), basic vegetable side, a creamy curd or yogurty side (which balances any heat from the typically curry main), a small pickled relishy acid offering, naan or crispy pappadum for carbs (Indian bread), and a rich main.

At Poppy you can select from 7 item or 10 item thalis. Since I was insisting we have the eggplant fries with sea salt and honey which were so raved about on their Yelp reviews and we wanted the dessert thali (a variation of the same idea with multiple small sweets collected in a tray) we edited ourselves to the 7 item entrees. The eggplant fries were a good balance of the crispness from the battered outside but melt in your mouth on the inside, with just a touch of salt and honey to balance the frying treatment. I also started with my first cocktail (I had three… so maybe I ordered as many drinks as the cost of my entree), what was called the “Tomato Trap: ripe tomato, aquavit, lemon, lovage”. The cocktail was a disappointment- I was expecting a stronger tomato profile, and it was nothing compared to the amazing sangritas I had at Teardrop Lounge.

Sorry for the dark lighting- there is only so much you can do without a flash. For the next course my beverage was the “Papi Delicious:  tequila, curacao, red bell pepper, jalapenos, lime, mint” which again, disappointed me with its weak pepper and jalapeno body- the Calapooia Chili beer, an amber ale with fresh Anaheim, Serrano, and Jalapeno peppers had taken better advantage of the cool and heat combination then this drink did and that was a beer, so sadness.

I did love my entree- maybe not all the offerings within it, but overall I would definitely love to give Poppy another try. I went with the fish 7-item thali, which included neah bay salmon with a lemon hollandaise sauce on lentils, pumpkin vanilla soup, carrot leek and salad, roasted squash, corn and basil spoonbread, plum-shiso pickle and nigella poppy naan.

The standouts here were the creamy spoonbread- definitely an inspiration for a future autumn or Thanksgiving dish, and the salmon with the lentils was a good play of the lightness of the fish and light handed hollandaise with the texture of the lentils. The pumpkin vanilla soup was wonderful to start with, but the vanilla became stronger and stronger as consumed so I tried to balance it with the naan and pickles and no longer enjoy it by spoonfuls. The naan was ok but nothing special- plenty of naan I’ve had is superior- and the same with the one note roasted squash. The salad was the worst- it had a taste like it had been sitting in Tupperware so long it had taken in the taste of the plastic container.

Dessert started out with a cocktail that was the best of the three that evening: “Lemon Verbena Drop: lemon vodka, lemon verbena, limoncello, lemon juice”. This was fresh and tart without being overwhelming sweet or sour like most lemon drops are: the use of lemon verbena and limoncello instead of just lemon juice and sugar gives it a good zing, with the lemon verbena tempering the lemon acid while also upping how refreshing it is both on the palate and aroma.

The Dessert Thali: we were offered a choice of one dessert choice, one ice cream choice, plus the other thali assortments would include lavender shortbread, nutter-butter squares, passion fruit pâtes de fruit, and salted caramel truffle. For the dessert choice we went with coffee-avocado ice cream sandwich with mocha rum dipping sauce, and for the ice cream we went with the Guiness buttercrunch.

The best of the tray were the nutter butter squares in its intensity, followed by the ice cream sandwich. The Guiness buttercrunch didn’t have the Guiness taste to it really, only the buttercrunch gave it some interesting texture and malty flavor. The chocolate ginger cookie was actually quite good and chewy- I wish I had thought to tear it up and mix it with the ice cream but in that kind of martini presentation there isn’t really room for that but that would have really elevated the dish in flavor. The salted caramel truffle was mostly mocha with not enough salt or caramel to balance the heaviness of the chocolate. The lavendar shortbread had too much lavendar and was remiscent of soap, sorry.

The hangover breakfast the next day was at Serious Biscuit, just a block or so away as the Halloween party that caused our hangover. Tom Douglas really does have an empire of food establishments in Seattle, but I can’t say I don’t like this eithers, even though I really hate his website with its difficulty in finding menus and confusing navigation and more space given to the icon/typography of the restaurant then evoking the feel of the restaurant or its food. Still. We both couldn’t resist fried chicken with our Serious Buttermilk Biscuit and tabasco black pepper gravy (both soothing me with its creaminess and making my tongue tingle with every bite). I added a smothering of Beecher’s cheddar to mine, while my peer went with “the Zach” which embellished hers with egg and bacon. That boneless hunk o chicken was juicy and extremely crispy, holding up to the generous drenching of spicy gravy.

Thank you to my coworker for a serious adventure to and at and from Seattle. Although our work relationship started out a little bristly, now we know it’s because we are both so awesome . I can’t believe even though I had my camera and captured our eatings and drinkings that I didn’t take a photo of us in our pizza and beer costumes- thanks for being more clever with your camera. I’m so proud that we didn’t leave the party until 2am…

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