Ines Patisserie

Tucked behind the butcher shop is a the perfect place for a sweet little treat. Found by luck, courtesy of a recommendation one January eve. Added to the notepad, recovered just in time to impress my girl on the way home from camp.

Day 1 – Darn. Closed.

Repeat :: Day 2 – Enjoyed an apple tart. Devoured a bright, fresh macaroon.

Repeat :: Day 3 – Savored every last morsel of the pain au chocolat on the drive to camp

Repeat :: Day 4 – Another round of dessert. A slice of cake. Croissants for a road trip snack. Another round of macaroons to share with the cousins.

Looking forward to another visit for Bastille Bash Madison Valley Street Festival.

The location:

2909 East Madison Street | Seattle WA 98112

2009 Tempranillo

The winery:

Moonstone Cellars – a gem uncovered on the main street of Cambria during our Central Coast excursion.

The bottle:

2009 Tempranillo

As soon as my nose smelled the fruit and vanilla and pepper of this glass, I was transported back to that February day tasting this Tempranillo. I am typically a Tempranillo fan, but this one takes my “like” to a new level.

I WANT MORE! Whose idea was it to only bring home one bottle? Now the wine cellar is empty.

The winemakers notes:

Ebullient red berry, profuse plum, coriaceous quintessence dissolving river-like to molten vanilla, the “noble grape” of Spain enchants with a penchant for frivolous amusement.  Mated with a paradisiacal pepper-and-pancetta Basque stew, this is sure to be the sensation of the soiree. Serve cool after decanting.

 

Brag Dinner by Chef Bill

The resident chef hasn’t prepared a multi-course feast in a while, so his fingers are itching and his brain is twitching to build a menu for our weekend guests.

Primo…a onion tart with goat cheese crumbled on top
Excellent for breakfast the next day…or lunch…or snack
Paired with a bottle “Farm Girl” from Smasne Cellars
Recipe courtesy of Paley’s Place

Secondi…Ricotta gnocchi with crab in a lovely lemon sauce
Refreshing and delicious, tastes like summer
Another delightful Paley’s recipe.

And the main course…
From the private recipe collection of the Chef
Pork loin on top of a pairing of sauces, red pepper and ancho chile, pile of grilled veggies
Paired with a bottle of the fabulous “Prisoner“, another wonderful creation of Orin Swift Cellars

And we finished with dessert
A final Paley-inspired option: Huckleberry Kuchen with Cassis-Huckleberry Sauce and Creme Fraiche
Huckleberries replaced by raspberries. Yum.
Paired with whatever sip we wanted to revisit from the previous courses

As you can see, Chef Bill likes to impress my friends. Maybe he is trying to make sure if I ever complain about him to them, they will not commiserate with me.

Silver Oak Turns 40

Let’s celebrate!

My most favorite, fabulous winery (bummer to find out that I am older than their vines). That doesn’t stop my desire to celebrate at their Tower Tour! Even better is the celebration is less than 5 minutes from my office.

The menu and pairings:

PANCETTA-WRAPPED PRAWNS
scallion pesto
2009 Twomey Sauvignon Blanc

COPPER RIVER KING SALMON
sautéed mushrooms, micro greens
2006 Twomey Merlot

LAMB LOLLIPOPS
dijon-herb crust, white bean puree, sautéed spinach, rosemary demi glace
2007 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

PRIME NEW YORK STRIP
whole roasted, grilled vegetable napoleon, shallot demi glace
2007 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
raspberry coulis and fresh raspberries

Every course was fabulous. Fabulous flavors in each morsel. Fabulous wines to pair with each bite. Would love to join the Silver Oak crew on another stop on their Tower Tour!

Definitions from 6th Grade

Sixth grades wraps up with great experimentation with new uses of the English language. Most of you are probably thinking of your own experiences getting comfortable with “adult language”. However, I am dedicating this post to the double digit definitions of a different sort:

Poop sack – The bundle of hair that most women (and many girls) tie on top of their head when they are too lazy to do their hair. Generally takes a hair band or two and looks like it took 10 seconds to do.

Hairy Pickles – The male classmate definition of their anatomy. They like to talk about the amount of hair growing on it.

Intravaginal cream – The face cream of a classmate includes a warning on the tube – “Not for intravaginal use.” Now when she doesn’t care of someone – or their actions – she refers to them as intravaginal cream.

 

The Twelfth Celebration

In the middle of the a swim meet, a birthday happens.  And during a three-day, out-of-town swim meet it is not easy to make a birthday girl feel special.

Luckily, her cousin’s team hosts the meet. Which means at least she is surrounded by family. And her swim friends. And the announcers wish her Happy Birthday before a race. And this year, we planned a delicious meal. One that travels well. A GREEK FEAST

• Hummus with a bowl of pita, cucumbers and tomatoes for dipping
• Taziki for drowning the gyro, or dipping in the vegetables
• Greek salad with lots and lots of feta
• Mediterranean potato salad that is so light and refreshing
• Lamb gyros, a great pita sandwich

It was all yum!