neba neba

Really terrific soba by Kamonegi, a new pop-up soba operation in Seattle. Dense, chewy, toothsome noodles. Served with cucumber, grated Japanese mountain yam, pickled daikon and a runny, soft-boiled egg. All of LaV's favorite things.

Kamonegi also has a soba blog. That's pretty awesome.

goi cuon

Lav's fresh spring rolls. A great way to kick off the week.

a modern take on albacore

albacore coated with charred onion ash, paired with multiple textures of radish and seaweed. Castagna, Portland.

Orecchiette with braised bacon and summer vegetables

A simple supper for a gloriously warm summer evening on the patio.

Late supper

After a terrific free performance put on by the Seattle Chamber Music Society at Volunteer Park, we found ourselves enjoying a late supper with the fine folks at Artusi. Tripe and pork meatballs with a veal ragu. Meat+meat... Total insanity. Wonderful, wonderful insanity.

shrimp shack

Among the things that are quintessentially Northwest, there's a special place for Sweet D's Shrimp Shack. Run by the super-friendly husband and wife duo of Dieter and Laurel, this is a must stop if you're near Deception Pass on Highway 20.

A 5-lb bag of sweet coonstripes and an order of fresh wild cod and chips and you're set! Picnic tables, a live bluegrass band, and some amazing Skagit Valley strawberries for dessert complete the picture. Now if they could just serve beer and wine...

kouign amann

My favorite thing at Neil Robertson's tiny bakery, Crumble & Flake. Roughly translated to "butter bread", this treat is composed of thin layers of bread dough coated with butter and sugar. A Breton cake first invented in 1865 in the village of Douarnenez, Robertson's version elevates and refines this typically simply treat with atypical touches of detail--not the least of which is the deeply ambered paper-thin outer sugar layer, adding a beautiful burnt caramel note to the crispy-chewy buttery goodness.

Here's an interesting profile on C&F in the Economist.

Dessert?

Just another amazing night of sushi at Miyabi. It felt like everything was even better than their usual awesomeness. Albacore, toro, saba, iwashi (wow), mirugai, amaebi, uni, sockeye, and sawara. Perfect texture, perfect temperature... Totally hit it out of the park.

Fried shrimp heads from the amaebi--a great way to cap off the meal.

Fish tacos

One of LaV's new specialties, tonight's crispy fish tacos were the best she's made to date. Fresh sole fried with a panko crust... Add some sweet mango, corn and avocado salsa. Amazing.

Cheeseburger

Because some days are just made for a juicy burger and a glass of wine.

Oysters over the campfire

A first attempt at recreating the terrific grilled oysters from last weekend at Hog Island Oyster Co. in Tomales Bay.

Fresh pacific oysters from Claude's Live Crab Shack in Bremerton. Garlic, butter, lemon juice, parsley. Super hot coals courtesy of Belinda's mad campfire skills, Illahee State Park.

Prosciutto-wrapped opah

Getting home late on a weeknight, needing something quick and satisfying. Fresh opah filets from the market, wrapped in prosciutto, 3 minutes per side on a hot grill. With a salad of grilled peaches, corn, avocado and purslane.

油条 (yóutiáo)

The last three posts have all all been about grilling (yes, summer has arrived), so let's go a different direction for a moment, to the land of fried goodness.

On our quick trip back to the Bay Area for our niece's first birthday party, we had a chance to indulge in an old weekend tradition from by youth: yóutiáo (Chinese doughnuts) fresh from the fryer. The best yóutiáo are lightly crunchy on the outside, with soft, slightly elastic and airy interiors. When you get great yóutiáo, it's a magnificent combination of textures without feeling excessively greasy. Much like croissants, average-to-bad yóutiáo are abundant, but the best versions are elusive.

You can have them with rice porridge, but my favorite way to enjoy these golden batons of nutritional void is with a steaming bowl of sweetened soy milk. No wonder I was a big kid...

Oysters off the grill

It's hard to beat spending a sunny afternoon at Tomales Bay, downing some freshly shucked Sweetwater oysters at Hog Island. Add in some addictive barbequed oysters with a chipotle garlic butter for bonus bliss. Good times.

Grilled corn salad

Blistered and caramelized kernels off of a hot grill. Tossed with feta, mint, lime juice and zest. Supremely simple, bright and refreshing on a beautiful summer day.

Summer grilling

While the rest of the country is enveloped in a heat wave, we're struggling to break 70 degrees. But we'll take it! Summer in Seattle always officially begins July 5th, and this year will be no different, with a bit rain expected the next two days. No matter, we took to some serious grilling this weekend, including this monumental, beautiful double cut bone-in pork chop from Tails & Trotters. Brined with  cinnamon and star anise. Juicy, fatty and rich... a decadent meal for two.