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Island Ambassador

Christina Orchid's eponymous restaurant on Orcas Island, housed on the upper level of a converted gas station, is one of those iconic spots in the Pacific Northwest. Christina herself is an icon, a living legend, a national treasure. And now there's a splendid cookbook that brings Christina's generous and creative spirit into own kitchens.

Book-signing party yesterday at Dahlia Lounge. Yummy oysters with cassis granita mignonette, chanterelle chive toasts, wild blackberry crema. Recipes in the book, along with charming stories about island life. Go buy it! Photos, by Michael Skott, are mouthwatering. Great work by Sasquatch Books, which upped the press run when editor Gary Luke realized what a gem he was getting.

More photos from the book-signing party:

Left: Amelia Hard, former owner-chef of Portland's esteemed Genoa restaurant; Gary Luke, the cookbook's editor; with Christina. Right: Randy Finley of Mount Baker Vineyards, who produces "house" wines for Christina's restaurant: a fragrant viognier and a luscious syrah.

'79 Pichon-Lalande Party

What a grand Harvest Dinner last night, for members of the International Wine & Food Society! Held in the stately Georgian Room of Seattle's Fairmont Olympic Hotel, it featured 8 exquisite courses, 8 superb wines, including a stunning Bordeaux from Château Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande. Not just any old bottle, mind you, but a rare 1979 impériale donated by Seattle branch president Michael de Maar.

Sommelier Joseph Linder begins by cutting the capsule on the impériale, which holds the equivalent of 8 bottles of wine. The cork is almost two inches across, and everyone is relieved when it emerges from the neck in one piece.

Now comes another crucial step: decanting. [By the way, the New York Times had an article about opening an impériale of Château Lafite-Rothschild in Wednesday's paper. Worth looking at!] Toward the end, Joseph decants over a candle, so he can be sure none of the wine's sediment gets into the carafe. Now we're good to go.

Back in the kitchen, executive sous-chef Patrick Doré, a Canadian veteran of hotel kitchens, and Georgian Room sous-chef Brian Doherty are ready to start sending out artfully composed plates.

Here they come: a truffle-crusted terrine of duck liver, accompanied by a Beaumes-de-Venise. A tuna tartare topped with seared foie gras, accompanied by a Chablis Grand Cru. A tartelet of morel mushrooms accompanied by a Beaune Clos des Mouches from Drouhin, a combination that would have been the evening's high point ... except that the Bordeaux was still ahead.

Time has come for the Pièce de Résistance, the Main Event, the Big Kahuna: grilled tenderloin of veal with crisp morels ... and, of course, the 1979 Pichon-Lalande.

There's more: a cheese course, two desserts ... two more wines and a final glass of champagne in the bar. What a wonderful evening, what a privilege to enjoy the work of such talented chefs and dedicated dining room staff. Our thanks to them all.

What's such a great wine like, 25 years after harvest? The color, first of all, is remarkable, clear and bright garnet; the bouquet is earthy [mushrooms, a touch of cigar-box]. In the mouth, it's silky-smooth, with subtle hints of violets. It's undeniably French, unmistakably Bordeaux, typically Pauillac, and uniquely Pichon.

The taste of the Pichon lingers for hours. How humbling to recognize, once again, that the fruits of a vineyard in France can produce such pleasure for three dozen people, a quarter century later, halfway around the world.

One store at a time

Photographs of unknown faces in the window of your neighborhood wine shop, a glowing tube suspended above some upright barrels promoting wines from obscure corners of Tuscany, hand-lettered signs extolling wines made by three sisters. You'd expect merchandising like this from Budweiser or Gallo ... not from a new Seattle-based importer called Small Vineyards, LLC.

And how did this display end up at Belltown's Seattle Cellars?

Small Vineyards is almost evangelical in its commitment to the wineries it represents. And because it doesn't have huge volumes of wine to sell, it puts its marketing effort into selected locations.

Does it work? You bet it does, says Seattle Cellars owner Dave Woods. His sales of Small Vineyards bottles have tripled, up to $350 a week, a very respectable number for a neighborhood wine shop.

Back in charge

After three years of exile in a corporate cave, Washington's oldest fine-wine distributor, P & S, is back with one of the state's savviest wine guys, Bill Schallert, at the helm. Schallert actually owned the firm outright some 30 years ago and has stuck with it through a series of mergers and buyouts.

The P & S portfolio includes the Nickel & Nickel line of single-vineyard wines from California ... a winery that's doing a great job of respecting the minute differences of soil and climate from one vineyard to the next, just like they do in Burgundy. Fewer bottles per label, more distinctive wines. What a concept!

Indecision 2004

Election Update: chicken-or-salmon Donkeys 60%, beef-or-snapper Elephants 40%. Now we know.

Earlier post:

Belltown's prestigious Cascadia, where Al Gore's been seen to dine when he's in town, doesn't shy from controversy. This election season, it's a $25 "Race to the White House" dinner ... with a twist. Three courses, one vote. The Discerning Dem side of the menu features Boston Clam Chowder and grilled salmon with Heinz ketchup; the Refined Republican column puts Florida citrus dressing on the salad and Texas beef short ribs on the entree plate.

Dessert is bipartisan genius: ribbons of red, white and blue sauces leading to a molded, white-chocolate White House with a piece of dark chocolate cake inside. Chef Kerry Sear, a native of England, hence not an eligible candidate, reports that the other Kerry is leading; he'll announce results on election night.

Over Easy in the Big Easy

By popular request, a repost from a couple-three years ago. Cornichon's very first dispatch, as I recall, recently enhanced now with more links and photos.

Wednesday

Mid-afternoon: G & I arrive from Seattle, cab from airport to Maison Dupuy, built around verdant courtyard w pool, hot tub. Unpack. Walk through French Quarter. Bourbon Street livelier, less stately than expected it to be. Bars offering 3-for-1 Happy Hour. All 3 in same glass. Actually a plastic cup, like beer at ball park. Back home, would just call this stiff drink. Early revelers seem quite happy.

Oysters at Acme. Waddell literally shucks [oysters] & jives [how y'all doin' sweetheart]. Starts us off with a dozen, and somewhere after two or three [dozen] we signal a halt. Munch on soda crackers dipped in red sauce. Drank wine, should have had beer, but didn't know yet about Abita.

Back to Maison Dupuy for nap & swim.

Dinner: Tujague's, set up by Carey, who knows everybody in New Orleans. Owner Steve Latter greets us, seats us, and waiter says "You won't see a menu, folks, it's all been taken care of." Call this the menu dégustation of N'awlins. Start w Abita Amber that Glenda spots on drinks menu. Wonderful. Then a bottle Santa Margherita pinot grigio. Food starts coming. Shrimp w white & red remoulades. Then gumbo w andouille sausage, shrimp. World's tenderest beef brisket topped w red horseradish sauce. Combo plate: crawfish over fresh noodles, prawns in white sauce w andouille over rice, friend chicken w garlic potatoes, extraordinary filet mignon. Dessert at last: a bread pudding w bourbon sauce.

Music: free ferry from dock outside casino, across Mississippi to Algiers neighborhood. Walk past modest, well-kept houses along levee to Old Point Bar. G & I are oldest people in room by maybe 20 years. More Abita while listening to exciting combo, George Porter on guitar, Johnny V. on drums. After set ends, notice that Johnny can't stand by himself. But boy, can he coax sounds from those drums ! Cab back to hotel.

Thursday

If you go to bed at 1:30, you don't wake up till almost 9, right ? Wrong. More like 10:30. At 11 or so, walk past Pat O'Brien's. Famous bar where Hurricane was invented. Not ready for full Hurricane treatment, though. Drink New Orleans Fizz ... basically a Ramos Fizz without the egg white. Nobody makes Ramos Fizz anymore. Salmonella. Fizz goes down like milkshake.

Breakfast: café au lait and order of beignets at Café du Monde. Starbucks no match for this. For one thing, live jazz from trio on sidewalk. For another, hot, puffy, sugar-dusted beignets. Coffee laced w chicory. Almost forgot: an orange juice, too, to wash down my pharmaceuticals.

Lunch: Walk along Decatur to Canal, zigzag up to Mother's. What a spot ! Nondescript brick building on fringe of warehouse district. No mother in sight, but evidence of contented eaters. Line up along counter, place order, take ticket over to cash register. Order cup of gumbo [for comparison purposes], cup of red beans & rice [to see what the fuss is about], Ferdi special [Mother's specialty, a po'boy filled with baked ham, roast beef and débris -- drippings from roast, pronounced day-bree, and delicious], Barq's [root beer]. Also compare three hot sauces on each table. G buys souvenir T-shirt, as present for me.

Back to hotel. While G takes nap, I go to hotel gym, spend half hour on elliptical trainer, then pool & hot tub. Gotta hurry now so we can get to dinner.

Dinner: Lilette, out on Magazine street. Corner building w high, pressed-tin ceiling. Tile floor, Burgundy walls. Order Negroni, lethal combination of Campari, Cinzano and gin. Chef John Harris named one of top ten in country by Food & Wine magazine. Bottle of Marques de Careres, rosé from Rioja. Order four appetizers. Chef's specialty is Croutini w truffles, marrow, mushrooms. Lovely sliced beets w goat cheese, walnuts. Veal cheek w mixed greens in horseradish vinaigrette, meat as sweet & tender as last night's brisket. Also warm crab salad w shavings of artichoke heart. Desserts: baked figs; goat cheese quenelles w poached pear & pistachios. Interesting: three of six dishes feature cheese & nuts.

Music [1]: cab to Rock & Bowl. Yup, music AND bowling. . Pair of rental bowling shoes on bar. Time for another Abita before music starts. Zydeco band tunes up. Zydeco music sort of funky [washboard one of the instruments], zydeco dance a sort of shuffling two-step. Very satisfying to see older folks [our own age] dancing. Young, old, white, black, large, small ... patrons pair up for a dance, go on to another partner. Men ask women, women invite men. People of all shades dancing together. Gratifying harmony.

Music [2]: cab back to Magazine St. to catch Soul Rebels, premier brass band, at Bon Temps Roule. Centerpiece is big dude, Lamar, must weigh 350. Didn't realize how much noise a brass band can make, especially with tuba and Lamar on drums ! More Abita. Cab driver gives us sightseeing tour of Garden-District-by-night enroute home.

Friday

Breakfast: Brennan's, venerable NOLA establishment. G smart, orders mimosa. Ask for a Sazerac, said to be invented @ Brennan's. Inventor should be shot. Tastes antiseptic [herbsaint, an absinthe-type of liqueur], bourbon ... G gets baked apple, beautiful. After berries in cream, I get Eggs Hussarde, w poached eggs, hollandaise, canadian bacon, holland rusks. Eggs with egg sauce, probably inspiration for Egg McMuffin. G gets Bananas Foster, another Brennan's invention, w vanilla ice cream, flambéed bananas, whiskey sauce.

Afternoon: Plantation tour. Minivan up Mississippi River to first plantation, Laura. Built by Creole family, run by women. Beautiful house, multi-colored, shaded by huge oak trees. Slave cabins out back, then fields of sugar cane, relics of life over 150 years ago. On to Oak Alley, framed by 14 live oaks. More traditional, white-painted mansion, with tour guides in period costume. Life of ease [& shame?] for some, torment & drudgery for others. Feels bizarre, eating chicken sandwich & fruit salad @ gift shop.

Dinner: Galatoire's. Another venerable NOLA institution. Room could be Seattle's beloved old Brasserie Pittsbourg w marble floors, high ceilings, white tablecloths. Formal yet personal service, as it should be. One of few places w dress code. Everyone in jacket, tie. [Guys, anyway.] Tanqueray martini comes in huge glass. Does Galatoire's Bourbon Street location suggest a three-fer ? Seems like it. G picks Louis Latour 1999 Chardonnay, Vin du Pays d'Ardèche, splendid choice. Grand Goutté appetizer: shrimp w red remoulade, crawfish, crabmeat. Nice start. Oops ... balance of notes lost. Remember enjoying the meal, however. Crabmeat Sardou ? Good coffee.

Music: Walk down to warehouse district to Howlin' Wolf, where another brass band is playing: Rebirth. Get barman to make me a stinger, except no brandy. OK then, Irish whiskey and white crème de menthe. Tastes less like toothpaste, more like peppermint Bailey's. Good sounds from bandstand. Frazier brothers, on tuba and drums, lead the way.

Saturday

Breakfast: On the way to Decatur St., stop at Pat O'Brien's, this time for Hurricanes. Sit in shaded courtyard next to splashing fountain. Breeze and water keep courtyard cool. Move under umbrella when rain starts. Order two Hurricanes. Waitress whispers something salacious in G's ear. Never did find out what.

Lunch: On Decatur at Central Grocery, Italian deli with attitude. What, you expect these guys to have their own website? Get serious. They're serious ... about mufulettas. Huge sandwich on round loaf of bread, stuffed with meat, cheese and secret "olive salad." Absolutely delicious. And of course needs a couple of Abita Ambers to do it justice.

Afternoon: picked up by Kaufmans [senior], parents of son David's writing partner Carla. [Whole family has same initials, CMK. Even named their clothing company CMK Designs. Lamentable lack of imagination, tempered only by astonishing hospitality. City's leading epicureans and music aficionados.] Sightseeing drive, then drinks at Columns on St. Charles. Two New Orleans fizzes. Carl K. asks for top shelf tequila, switches to Abita Amber when only choice is Cuervo Gold. Oh dear.

Dinner: with Kaufmans at Feelings in the Faubourg Marigny. Decent tequila at last !! With Abita Amber as chaser, of course. Crab cake appetizer, spicy shrimp main course, bite of Dianna's peanut butter pie for dessert. Chateau Loudenne white, Chateau Larose Trintaudon red ... have managed to avoid domestic wines so far. Lovely atmosphere, charming waiter, lots to drink.

Music: No parking at Ritz Carleton, so we miss the jazz trumpeter in the lounge. Instead, we brave the traffic along St. Peter. Carl lets us out @ Preservation Hall, where we pay $5 and go down archway into room filled w 100 or so people, most of them standing. No food, no drink, just music. Seven guys on chairs, wearing white shirts, playing trumpet, trombone, sax, clarinet, tuba, snare drums and piano. Sign announces $$ for requests: $2 for traditional, $10 for "Saints." Music is traditional, quiet, disciplined, professional ... and wonderfully moving.

Sunday

Breakfast: Walk along Dauphine to Canal, hop on St. Charles St. streetcar. Fare $1.25, and don't call it a trolley. That's San Francisco. This is Nawlins, and it's a Streetcar, baby. Ride past Garden District mansions, Loyola & Tulane campuses, Audubon park, all the way to the levee at Riverbend. Wait in line to get inside Camellia Grill, then wait on plastic-covered couch until two counter seats open up. Looks like archetype of "greasy spoon" diner. Wrong. Skipped the famous waffles in favor of chili omelet, extra cheese, extra onions. Huge concoction arrives shortly, smothered with chili beans, surrounded by fries. Surprise is that it's amazingly light and positively delicious. Irresistible, in fact.

Afternoon: ride part of way on St. Charles St. streetcar, walk along Magazine St., return to hotel for swim. Us Seattleites do enjoy our moments in the pool.

Dinner: Arnaud's, another New Orleans institution. Another high-ceilinged room, 15 chandeliers, 15 ceiling fans. Tanqueray martini about half the size of Galatoire's, maybe they haven't heard of the cocktail hour three-fer. Chateau Greysac falls a bit short. Oysters Bienville, created here, are good, although finding the oyster under mound of mushroom duxelles proves a challenge. Shrimp Arnaud is just shrimp with red sauce. Crab cakes w Creole sauce are good [crab cakes] but blah [sauce]. Arnaud puffy potatoes pretty good; served with enough béarnaise sauce to drag down a riverboat. Creamed spinach OK, but I make equally interesting at home. G's filet mignon, on other hand, is fantastic. Tender, juicy ... Captain serves café brulôt to two Japanese visitors at next table, sloshes coffee down side of cups. Pours wine for us, sloshes down side of bottle. Why doesn't captain have napkin, when there are two dozen on nearby empty tables ? Wait in lobby for G to return from rest room; hostess doesn't look up from her magazine, not even when I say goodbye & head for door. Step back inside, march assertively to desk, ask her whether she actually gets paid to read magazines. No answer, only titters from other hostesses. Harrumph.

Music: our last night. Decide to go back to Preservation Hall. Young Japanese woman sits in on drums for one number, really gets into it. Apparently Harry Connick Jr. got his start here when he was 12, sitting in on piano. Good idea, old pros jamming with young hopefuls. Last song, final set: the Saints finally Come Marching In. Couldn't be better.

Monday

Time to go. Favorite memories: oysters at Acme ... brisket at Tujagues ... Ferdi's special po'boy at Mother's ... breakfast baked apple at Brennan's ... breakfast omelet at Camellia's ... swimming in courtyard pool at Maison Dupuy ... zydeco at Rock & Bowl ... jazz at Preservation Hall ... riding the St. Charles Street trolley, er, streetcar ... beignets at Café du Monde ... just being at Galatoire's ... sitting outside at The Columns ... slugging back the tequilas with Carl at Feelings, ... drinking Abita Amber everywhere ...

Carl's son Carey meets up with us at airport, directs me to café where I might still be able to get a decent oyster po'boy, but we rush past it on way to gate. Fly back to Seattle, determined to return. Gotta try the [fried] oyster po'boy @ Felix's or Uglesich's, duck breast sandwich @ Bayona, jambalaya, étouffé, filé ... so many flavors, so little time.

To blow or not to blow

I'll keep this up for a while, anyway, until the suspense is over. Here's a live link to the US Forest Service volcano-cam. Below is what it looked like at noon Monday, Oct. 11th ... and a few days earlier.