Dreams do come true! (w/ update at bottom)

About two years and a half years ago on a solo trip to Paris and Spain I found myself in Barcelona for several days. Needless to say Barcelona is one of the most amazing cities in the world. Colorful, vibrant, sensual, and oh yeah, the food is fucking amazing! I spent most mornings at the incredible La Boqueria market, a food lovers mecca and perhaps the greatest food market in the world. If you want it, it's here. Stalls packed cheek to jowl, a riot of noise, color, and edible energy. Just thinking about it makes me want to book my next trip. And of course there's Bar Pinotxo right inside the main entrance. I had read about Pinotxo in an airline magazine article by Barcelona based food and travel (and more) writer Jeff Koehler, who was a friend of one of my customers/friends, Jim, at the wine shack. In Jeff's article he mentioned being at Pinotxo and having a plate of their signature chickpeas and blood sausage (that's the precious in the pic at top left). Knowing good advice when I read it, my first morning in the city I made a beeline to the jammed counter at Pinotxo and ordered my own. It came to me, steaming and looking too delicious. I had one bite and experienced an immediate "Oh, my lord!" sort of moment. I was back every morning for more. One of the worst parts of leaving Barcelona was knowing I wouldn't be able to get another fix of my new food addiction until I came back, and who knows when that would be.

Fast forward two years later. Jim came into the wine shack talking about how his friend Jeff Koehler was coming to town. THAT Jeff Koehler?? I started talking with Jim about Pinotxo and The Legend Of The Chickpeas (he had also experienced their greatness) and we were conspiring to have Jeff get the recipe from the owners of Pinotxo. When Jeff arrived in town, they stopped by VINO, and he turned out to be one of the nicest people I could hope to meet. He said he would try and get the recipe, or at least recreate it in his own kitchen. In gratitude, and to perhaps grease the wheels, I grabbed a bottle Oregon pinot noir (I think it was a single vineyard St. Innocent, one of the finest expressions of local terroir you could drink), and handed it to him as a sort of pre-payment....or bribe. Then a week ago I received an email from Jeff saying he was close to recreating the dish. My heart started beating faster, my stomach began rumbling, and I've been on pins and needles. fork in hand, since. Then this morning The Message came. Success!! Christmas came two weeks early as Jeff said he posted the recipe on his blog. Now that I have my weekend plans laid out, I'm sharing with you so you can share with yours. Am I happy? You bet your ass I am!!! Click here for his post. I have to go now and search for blood sausage.............
**********************
UPDATE 12/13/08: This morning I received the following email from Jeff:
Hey Bruce,
Good luck with finding botifarra! You might find "morcilla" which is the version of blood sausage made in Spain (as opposed to Catalunya) but it often has rice or onions. Skip it if it has rice; onions might be OK. Often morcilla is loaded with anise. WIth the garbanzos, if you get them canned be sure to rinse them well, and simmer for a bit in lightly salted water to kill that canned taste. The only other tip, and perhaps all of these should have been in the recipe, is to use the best oil possible at the end to drizzle over. The other day in Pinotxo they used, I am 99% sure, unfiltered arbequina, which is a Catalan oil: fruity, aromatic, almost sweet. Something like picual (or most Andalusian blends, which has plenty of picual) is much sharper. That works fine. But the raisins, onions, the balsamic vinegar, and then a sweet oil all work towards the same goal somehow.

I am being particular not to say that it will ONLY work this way but rather as an ideal.

Jeff
************************
Here's a few more shots of La Boqueria to whet your appetites!
##### ##### #####
one year ago today @ E.D.T.: Punch Drunk!

The Comfort of Home

After almost two weeks in China the one thing I wanted eat more than anything when we got home was a nice, comforting roast chicken. Twelve days of eating things that while wildly satisfying. Except for the degradation and humiliation of the absolute garbage they call in-flight meal service on United Airlines. On our two long legs between SFO and China, the food was virtually inedible. By contrast, on a mere two hour hop from Shanghai to Hong Kong, we had an exceptionally satisfying Hindu meal on Cathay Pacific (pictured at right. It may not look like much in the photo, but it was delicious!). It seems domestic airlines are doing everything possible to make air travel an uncomfortable and trying experience.

In any event, due to various commitments and motivational impediments, I didn't get to my chicken until last night. now I think I make a pretty bad ass roast chicken on the grill. It really is as good as any chicken I've ever had out. But I was in the mood to try something different, so I checked on epicurious for some inspiration and came across this interesting sounding take that uses a mustard vinaigrette marinade. It was super easy to whip together, and I have to say the marinade that you stuffed under the skin and brushed on top really did keep the meat super moist, and imparted a very nice but not overpowering flavor, and the chopped fresh herbs that you sprinkle on top combined with the marinade to really intensify the flavor. Was it as good as my normal bird? Not quite, but for a change of pace and for a welcoming touch of soul satisfying comfort food, it worked pretty darn well!
*** *** *** *** ***
Roast Chicken with Mustard Vinaigrette
from epicurious
yield: Serves 4

ingredients:
For chicken:
1 6- to 7-pound roasting chicken
1 large shallot
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 fresh sage sprigs
1 cup Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

method:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat chicken dry. Season cavity with salt and pepper. Place shallot, 2 rosemary sprigs and 2 sage sprigs in cavity. Slide hand between chicken skin and meat over breast to form pockets. Spread 2 tablespoons vinaigrette under skin over breast meat. Tie legs together to hold shape; tuck wings under body. Place chicken in roasting pan. Brush 2 tablespoons vinaigrette over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and sage. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast chicken 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue roasting until juices run clear when chicken is pierced in thickest part of thigh, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Serve with remaining vinaigrette.
- - - - - - - -
Mustard Vinaigrette
yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

ingredients:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

method:
Mix mustard and vinegar in bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Mix in shallots and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover, chill. Bring to room temperature, mix before using.)
***********************

One year ago today: An amazingly fabulous pumpkin cake!

Success is but a bottle away.......

We're all looking for success. Here at the wine shack (aka VINO) I search the wine world for successful results to my customers drinking endeavors. Maybe it's my niche, but I find it work I enjoy and it's easy to get excited. But as I found out during my quick break last week, apparently there are a lot of travelers who need a little help, a bit of a boost to their workaday morale. It started when I committed the cardinal sin of running out of reading material while relaxing in Mexico. I worked my way through two books and Vanity Fair (guilty pleasure...I admit it) cover to cover. By the time I boarded the plane for home, I was reduced to rifling through the seatback in front of me in a desperate search for something to read. We all know what that means. The literary horror that is the in flight magazine, and of course SkyMall. After paging through the various SkyMall offerings that I hadn't realized would enhance my life...the X5 Hair Laser (below left), the FootSmart Bunion Regulator, a Flying Alarm Clock (below right), and how have I lived without the Million Germ Eliminating Travel Toothbrush Sanitizer...I came across "Successories". You know, those supposedly inspirational posters that say things like "Look within for strength" printed over a picture of a wave breaking on the shore, or "Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise", or my favorite "My boss doesn't think I'm a loser because I have this poster in my office". Okay, I made the last one up, but all I can conclude is that business travelers must be the most depressed, downtrodden, job hating group of people out there. I mean, if you have to resort to buying a poster with some pithy saying and hang it on the wall to get you motivated to work, maybe you should rethink your job requirements. But it has inspired me to start my own line of soul stirring posters: "Drink more, Care less", or "Moderation is for those who fear the unknown", and "An empty bottle is the result of a determined mind". Pretty good, huh? SkyMall here I come!

Been there, seen that!

Funny column here...for anyone who's ever flown on a commercial airline, we've all been in that same seat!

Then there's this hilarious parody, because we all know this is the way it really works out (click image to enlarge)....

Rewards and Escapes!

I'm all about the reward system, especially personal ones. So after busting ass at the wine shack through the holidays, it seemed exactly the time to bust out of town for a pre-New Year escape Sunday for a day and night of indulgence in Seattle. I knew it was going well when within an our of our arrival w and I had already purchased three pair of new shoes and were comfortably seated having glasses of French rosé bubbly at Café Campagne while waiting for our hotel room to be ready.
















I'm not sure how my shoe infatuation started, but friends are starting to spread vicious rumors about my edging up on shoe whore status. But this time I blame w, who spotted the clearance sale sign at Shoefly and dragged my not-so-reluctant and ready-to-be-newly-shod feet across the street. 40% off everything? I mean, come on, what could we do?! Two pairs for me and one pair for her, that's what! After that quick spending spree and a most satisfying lunch at Café Campagne, my favorite vacation lunch spot in town, we made our way back to the room at the Inn at El Gaucho. Located in the heart of the trendy-cool Belltown 'hood, this is a great, very comfortable small hotel. Plus we both thought our room (#9) with a view (that's the view out of our window at left) of Puget Sound was a great deal at a little under $200. Check it out and book at Seattle Super Saver for the best deal.

We wandered around the neighborhood, checked out Pike Pace until late afternoon, then walked up to Quinn's, the gastropub/hotspot recently opened by Restaurant Zoe owners Scott and heather Staples. We were coincidentally going to Zoe later for dinner, so it was fun to check out the other Staples venture. Quinn's is modeled on the Euro gastropub, meaning cozy, dark, with great food, beers, & whiskeys to soothe ones soul. I had tucked into a perfect Manhattan while w had a glass of fizzy prosecco. We snacked on a couple of exceptional apps: a plate of duck rillete surrounded by a spicy-smokey harissa sauce, and a cute little plate of meatball sliders....big yums to both!

Meatball sliders backed with duck rillette at Quinn's!










After that start, we were more than ready to ponder dinner, so a quick cab ride back to the hotel where we grabbed our dinner wine we brought with us (a stunning '95 Caprili Brunello di Montalcino Riserva), made a short four block walk to Restaurant Zoe, where we were warmly welcomed. I LOVE Zoe. I had been there a couple of years before and had a staggeringly good meal, and reading reviews of equal recent praise had me hungering for a return trip. Zoe has an exceptionally comfortable, perfectly lit dining room, ad provided the choice backdrop to settle in ad enjoy or cocktails, a couple of La Pommettes, their super-delish take on a classic French 75. After working our way through two starters, a salad, and our two entrees, I can happily report that they are still serving some of the best chow in town. Where to begin with the highlights...how does Crispy Kurobota Pork Belly Confit and a Grilled Spicy Octopus sound? Well, I can tell you how they tasted: fucking awesome! The pork belly (picture at right) was melt in your mouth tender, with some nice savory porky chew, and the octopus was a small tentacle grilled to perfection with a blood orange vinaigrette. We spit their Beet & Mushroom Salad which they thoughtfully put on two plates (without us asking!). It was amazing, beautifully composed with its base of quinoa topped with a mix of citrus, chopped mushrooms and beets and arugula with a thyme-shallot vinaigrette. Of course there was more to come, me being the boy who can't say no, or when, or stop, especially where food is concerned. So to table came w's plate of East Coast Sea Scallops with winter squash, smoked bacon, oyster mushrooms, and black lentils. This dish absolutely killed. A plate of perfectly balanced food perfection. One of the best plates of food either of us have had all year. Crazy!! I had their just right tender Braised Beef Short Rib, (which is seemingly on ever restaurant menu these days...with good reason, too, because it's usual really good!). This was good, except for the too prominent hit of horseradish which slightly overwhelmed the rest of the plate. When we mentioned this to our waitress, she agreed and said she'd mention it to the kitchen, which was nice to hear. After these two plates, w's eyes were starting roll back in her head, but how could we not order their hazelnut panna cotta? Fantastic! I had told out waitress when we ordered it that I couldn't decide between it and their tempting butterscotch custard, so that service angel, when she delivered our check, also brought a little bowl of the custard on the house. I love stuff like that!

Hey, it's the next day already. We had to leave early to get back to Portland and get ready for a New Year's do at our friends J&K's, but I had noticed some raves for a Vietnamese place called Green Leaf, which opened at 11. This seemed the perfect counterpoint to our night of indulgence at Zoe. We checked out, hopped in the car, made our way to the "International Zone" where a ton of Asian joints are, and had a fantastic lunch for so little money that it bordered on ridiculous. Absolutely a must stop, and don't you dare miss their appetizers of Ban Xeo, a Vietnamese pancake made with a coconut batter and filled with sprouts, pork & shrimp (or tofu), and eaten wrapped inside green leaf lettuce leaves;, and the Dao Hu Nuong (above), which looked like three grilled tofu popsicles accompanied by a great sweet & sour dipping sauce. I ordered the lemongrass shrimp which was good, but w again rocked the table with her dish of Bun Dac Biet, which is a combo vermicelli which she declared to be one of the best vermicelli she had ever had. High praise because vermicelli is how she grades her Vietnamese joints. This hit it hard! So good, complex, and satisfying. Stuffed again, our wallets lightened by only thirty bucks for all that goodness, we made our way back to PDX, again thanking the Gods of all that is edible for being able to have these incredible dining experiences...wow!!!