Eat All About It

A few readers have asked about the new Homegrown Sandwiches in Fremont using cured meats from The Swinery on their sandwiches. Wasn’t the whole controversy with Culinary Communion and The Swinery that owner Gabriel Claycamp didn’t have a Swinery permit yet from Public Health - Seattle and King County?

I called Homegrown today to inquire, and was told the Swinery products were off the menu. 

“We had been told that the paperwork was in order for (The Swinery), and then we found out otherwise, so we decided to stop carrying their stuff,” said Brad Gillis, who owns Homegrown with Ben Friedman.

I checked in with the health department, and was told that its staff had told Homegrown the meat was not from an approved source.

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I’m selfishly sad to report that pastry chef extraordinaire Neil Robertson has left Canlis. I’ve loved what he was doing there.

Neil wrote: “It was a complicated and painful decision, but what it really came down to was my inability to find a sustainable balance between the job and personal life. My time there was hugely rewarding, and the Canlis family could not have been more supportive.”

He’ll be traveling to Japan for a few weeks in May. After that, I hope we’ll get to enjoy his work somewhere else in our town.

Stone-Buhr flour, which has long advertised that it uses wheat grown in the Northwest, went one better in January: Its “Find The Farmer” website now lets buyers see exactly which farms grew the wheat for each separate bag of flour. Stone-Buhr owner Josh Dorf blogged that he was inspired by the writings of Michael Pollan.

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Ethan Stowell's StarChefs crudo (recipe below)/Photos by David Dickey

Seattle’s “Rising Star” chefs got a chance this week to collectively show off the dishes that won them the honor from StarChefs, the online magazine that’s been called the industry’s Gourmet. Here’s the tough part, though:

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The New York Times has discovered the fatty, old-style pleasures of the Mangalitsa, featuring the fascinating Hungarian pigs in a full-fledged feature. While we simply flew to Spokane to discourse on the Mangalitsa’s unique qualities and conundrums last year, after sampling the meat at the University District Farmers Market, the Grey Lady reported straight from the hog’s mouth, with a reporter in Hungary. The Times also talked to Heath Putnam of Spokane’s Wooly Pigs, the Mangalitsa’s zealous American champion, and looked at how restaurants like The Herbfarm and French Laundry are using Putnam’s pigs.

Passing by this drive-through coffee stand in Mountlake Terrace, my uncaffeinated mind couldn’t imagine what its new sign might mean. “Family Friendly”? Were they handing out crayons with the cappucinos? Mini punch cards for hot cocoa?

Turns out it was meant to repel all the aggrieved men who were pulling in after seeing the stand’s name — Luscious Latte — expecting bikinis or lingerie on their baristas. (The unhappy customers hadn’t referenced the Seattle Bikini Barista site first, apparently.) My barista was wearing a sweatshirt, looked very comfortable, and made a drink that was entirely decent.

Ethan Stowell’s band of merry competitors, having worked their way through chili, hot wings, and other challenges, are participating in a “Battle of the Lasagna” at Union on April 19. Thirteen professional and amateur cooks will compete that night for the title of “Lasagna Champion of Seattle” (because I don’t know anyone else in town who’s going to challenge them on that), plus a chance to raise money for a good cause.

Where do you come in? For $50, all benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, you get all the lasagna you can eat, plus salad, garlic bread, and beer — and a scorecard to vote for Best in Show.

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It’s time again for Seattle Magazine’s annual “Best Restaurants” guide, and this one features “restaurants that stand the test of time” (think an all-local version of this) as well as hot newcomers.I don’t need to tell you about Maneki or Red Mill or Cafe Juanita, so — I hate to be so food porn about it, but let’s jump to the hot part.

Spinasse was named best new restaurant of the year. I’m not exactly surprised,  but I feel lonely — because I’ve never heard another person report a similar experience — to say Spinasse rated as my own biggest disappointment in a restaurant this year.  On my single, long-awaited trip, I found overcooked tajarin and unbearable noise. Still, the magazine’s description of sensational, toothsome, “confoundingly delicious” pastas makes me want to give it another try.

The Corson Building shared the prime double-spread, taking the title of  ”best dinner for all the senses.” No argument from me.  

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This wheaty, crusty, no-knead sandwich bread looks beautiful and tastes quite good.

Still, I don’t think I’m going to make it again. The no-knead craze has had a good run, but — I’m calling it — by my oven clock its time is done.
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A sukiyaki feast in full swing. (David Dickey photos)

Several weeks ago, we got a note from our friend Eric. It began:

“Real sukiyaki is something to behold. Like shabu-shabu, the raw ingredients (thin sliced beef, napa cabbage, shiitake, tofu, shirataki noodles) are brought to the table and the cooking happens on a hot plate right in front of you. The large shallow pot has a simmering sweet-salty sauce. After cooking in the sauce, you dip each bite in your own bowl of beaten raw egg. This is key, as it cools the food down and adds delicious richness.

I bring this up because I’ve been talking to Taichi Kitamura of Chiso and Kappo about doing a traditional sukiyaki dinner.” (more…)