Rome Menu Comes to Coastal Kitchen

“But Rome isn’t on the coast!” We are already expecting to here from all our customers. Really guys, it is like 5 miles. It is nearly on the coast and their food is Coastally inspired, as you’ll see on our menu. The first tasting was yesterday and it was delicious. There were a few classics–Linguine con Vongole e pommodori–that is Linguine with clams, and a few amazing treats–like house cured fish. Some of the dishes were takes on the classics like our Wild Boar Amatriciana, which is made with slow-rendered boar bacon, and others were our own inventions, inspired by the food of the area, like the Halibut Spinaci. What dishes wowed the crowd, though, you ask?

This was the Calamari Fra Diavolo. Literally “brother devil squid”. It is just lightly grilled and served cold, so it has a texture similar to al dente noodles, it was mixed with Mama Lil’s peppers and kalamata olives for a spicy, salty kick. It was a perfect spring appetizer–I bet it would match perfectly with a hefeweizen or other light beer.

In a rare twist of fate, the platter turned out to be the staff’s favorite dish. Packed full of tasty dishes there is no reason it shouldn’t normally be, but this is the first time I remember that happening. Which is cool, because it was a truly great dish.

A wonderful spring medley, this platter has an artichoke up top, filled with lemon pepper aioli, moving clockwise is mussels with orange gremolata, white wine sauce and fresh fennel. Next up is swordfish saltimbocca–meaning it is topped with prosciutto and sage butter. The pasta there is artichoke ravioli with fresh tomato and basil, roasted asparagus with roasted portobello mushrooms and finally roasted lame and potatoes, with creamy polenta in the center. Each flavor was perfectly done, and it all melded together wonderfully. This is made for two people two share, so don’t be intimidated by the size. Just grab a friend and order up.

The Rome menu will begin at Coastal Kitchen on April 23rd.

Peru Menu Tasting at Coastal Kitchen

So I could be a little biased, given that I lived in Peru for a while. And given that I pushed very hard for them to do this menu (Peruvian food? Really? Peruvian seafood? They asked). But I got to go to the tasting and it really was as good as I had hoped for. As has been pointed out, our rotating menus are not trying to be expertly faithful to the cuisines they feature, but rather to do food which evokes the essence of the area. Chef John did a terrific job of this, I was hit with waves of nostalgia as I dug into the ‘papa relleno’–a potato mashed and mixed with meat, then fried–appetizer. Other dishes were further from the fold, but all were excellently prepared and had me very excited for January 23rd, when the menu will begin.

Chef John went daring on this menu and served up a terrific “Pulpo al yerbe” octopus appetizer, but the staff favorite on the appetizers was hands down the peruvian cebiche.

A big mound of fresh albacore, tossed in a lime and cilantro marinade, it was served flanked by avocado as well as house made yam and purple potato chips. Delicious, fresh tasting, it was a huge hit with the staff.

Moving on to the the entrees, there were delicious tamales, potatos huancaina and other dishes which reminded me of my time in Peru, but there was one that made me giggle with delight as I remembered sitting around in dive-y chifas in Lima. Luckily the rest of the staff giggled too, them with delight at the tastiness of the dish. Again, a hands down winner with the staff.

A bed of our flavorful ‘Peruvian Rice’ is topped with steak, sauteed with onions and tomatoes in a classic Peruvian dish, inspired by the many Chinese immigrants and served everywhere in Peru. The sauce is soy, garlic and ginger and is quite tasty. Its topped with shoestring potatos.

It was a very tasty tasting and I can’t wait for it to start on January 23rd, so get your last Basque meals in and get ready for Peru.

An introduction to Basque Cuisine at Coastal Kitchen

As I mentioned yesterday, I had the lovely opportunity to attend the tasting for Coastal Kitchen’s upcoming menu of Basque Cuisine. As with all our menus, the chefs have extensively researched the cuisine, from its origin and evolution to its application today, then interpreted it into dishes that are in keeping with the culinary theories of Coastal Kitchen. By which I mean to say, if you are looking for the exact dish that is served in Basque country, you might not find it here, but if you would love to sample the flavors of this amazing and unique culinary district from the comfort of a familiar restaurant, this is the place.

That said, the first dish we tasted was in keeping with how a traditional fish would be served. I’m reticent to post a photo, since I know this sort of thing makes people squemish, but it is two sardines, served whole (head on and everything) atop black pepper crackers and olive tapenade. I found it delicious, and not at all intimidating, but I respect the thoughts of others and will not post this picture. General Manager Madison gave us a lesson on how to eat a whole sardine without getting bones: You take your fork and start at the spine, then comb down to the belly–you end up with all the meat and no bones. It worked well.

The favorite appetizer of the staff was the clams: Manila clams steamed with dry cured ham and served with baguette. It was terrific and we used every last bit of baugette to soak up the sauce, and I even saw Nicole head for the broth with her spoon by the end!

Another favorite also involved the dipping of tasty baugettes: bacalao brandade, a house cured salt cod (thanks to Chef John Mehl) mized with potatoes to make almost a fluffy mashed potato mixture, then topped with Idiazabal cheese, a traditional Basque cheese with a texture almost like parmesan, but a nuttier flavor.

The platter came out next, and if you have tried these before, let me tell you, they have been redone. In an effort to make them more appealing to the eye and a little more filling, we have changed the format a bit. Here is a picture of the new platter.

You can see we have started with a base of white beans, which were creamy with a touch of sweetness from honey, then added a large swordfish steak on top. The veggies come in the form of saffron fennel in the front here, and the green beans at the back. There is also a pile of clams on top, which are sauteed with the chorizo that is also present. A smattering of parsley garlic oil really brings the whole dish together in a way that differs from the previous platter.

 The favorite entree was pretty widely varied, from the Pistachio Ono to the Tempranillo Pork (which came with the cutest mini carrots I’ve ever seen), but I always like to post the prettiest, so here is the Cena de Bosque. This meal has two delicious mushroom tarts, with a layer of asparagus in the middle (though that may change with the seasons). The whole thing is topped with a blackberry reduction.

 

Upcoming Tastings and Menus

So I meant to put this up a little while ago to give you some time to get jazzed about the upcoming menus that I will post tastings of as they come, but alas, here I am posting, and then tomorrow I will head to Coastal Kitchen’s tasting, but that just means you only have a day or two to wait for the pretty pictures and delicious descriptions.

Tomorrow I am heading to Coastal to taste the menu featuring foods from the Basque region of Europe. If you are unfamiliar, the Basque are a unique people living in a mountainous region of Spain and France (their area stradles the border). With the Sea to one side and a fertile valley to the other, Spain to one side and France to another, the Basque cuisine draws from a number of different sources for culinary inspiration. I can’t wait to taste what chef John Mehl (formerly of Atlas Foods) has come up with for us.

 Next week, I will be zipping across town to check out the New Orleans menu at the 5 Spot. General Manager Dave has been working his butt off getting this menu not only up and running, but also totally integrated with a number of philanthropic events. If you have ever wanted to donate money in a unique and exciting way to help out Katrina victims and re-enliven this oh so lively city, Dave will have many ways for you to do that.

Two weeks after that I will be off to West Seattle to explore my own families culinary heritage at the tasting for Endolyne Joe’s Brooklyn menu. With a mother who grew up on Eastern Parkway, I have eaten my fair share of knishes and brisket in my life and can’t wait to taste the versions chef Janel comes up with.

Looking forward to supplying all of you out in blog land with pictures and descriptions to get your mouths watering. Questions? comments? suggestions? Leave ‘em for us!

Sunset Supper Recap

For those of you who didn’t justify the $75 enterance fee to Sunset Supper, you might understand why it was easy for others by the end of this post. Given that all the food and beverages are donated, all of your ticket price is going directly to benefit the Market Foundation, which funds the Senior Center, Childcare, Clinic and Foodbank–and you thought it was just some people selling food.

After the Pike Place Market closed on Friday, Coastal Kitchen, the Hi-Life and Atlas Foods as well as 65 other establishments set up tables of food and drink for event goers. With decorations by artist Molly Norris Curtis, the three Chow booths were getting admiration even before the food began for being the most festive booths.

The Ahi tuna looked beautiful at Coastal Kitchen’s booth, seared on the outside, a beautiful pink on the inside, it sat on top of a crunchy slice of green cucumber, with the bright red charmoula on top. They were served on convenient little one bite spoons that made everything easy to grab.

The Sangriatinis at the Hi-Life were another crowd favorite, especially after sous-chef Janae’s description, “if Sangria and a martini had a baby…” Over at Atlas they were serving up huge platefuls of albacore tuna poke. Tuna seemed to be a common theme at the event, but as Atlas chef John pointed out, ours was the biggest! It was also delicious, with a crunchy slaw underneath to add texture to the fish.

As the night ran on and the food was grabbed away by the excited customers, CHOW did some wandering to find out what else was being served. Duck and tuna seemed to be the stars of the night, with one stall even serving duck bacon. The dishes ranged from the simple, like Beecher’s world famous Mac & Cheese, to the upscale, like the Hunt Club’s smoked salmon terrine with paddlefish caviar (yes, it was amazing). The night was great, CHOW got to see lots of people enjoying the foods of Coastal Kitchen, the Hi-Life and Atlas Foods. We hope that next year you can justify putting your dining dollars towards this amazing fundraiser.

Cookin’ for Casablanca

Yesterday was the first tasting for the upcoming Casablanca menu for Coastal Kitchen. Having been a huge port country, we learned that Morroccan food comes from a variety of influences, including the Berbers, Arabs, French and Spanish. Thus there were familiar ingredients and even a few dishes tht might be like something you’ve seen before. The favorite appetizer was by far the pan-seared Kasseri cheese, topped with a terrific peach chutney.

The appetizers in general were big hits with others being salt cod fritters with lemon coriander aioli and preserved lemon and cucumber relish and the sauteed mussels dish. The new salad was also a big hit, with the shaved kasseri cheese playing off the dried apricots on sumac spiced almonds on top of spinach, frisee and baby arugula dressed in orange honey vinaigrette.

Then we moved on to the entrees, and the platter for two came out, chock full of shrimp and tuna and chicken and the amazing underdog stunner, the artichoke carrot citrus salad. I personally enjoyed the sole, made fish and chips style but with a falafel coating replacing the usual dredge, but the overwhelming staff favorite was the grilled yellowtail. Lying on a simple bed of basmati rice, this dish is brought together by the amazing charmoula sauce on it (see ‘Sunset Supper’ entry for what charmoula is). With a side of glazed root vegetables, this dish has everything you could want from your fish.

Sunset Supper Dishes Getting Prepared

If you don’t know what the Sunset Supper is, take a quick refresher here, but prepare to be hungry! This fantastic celebration, happening August 10th,  supports the many great causes housed at the Pike Place market: The Senior center, day care, medical center, and more. This year being the centennial celebration, you know all the dishes will have to be even tastier than last year. Coastal Kitchen has already come up with its plan for what to serve, Ahi tuna with charmoula. Unsure what charmoula is? The Encyclopedia of Food Knowledge (a.k.a. Anthony, our Executive Chef) describes it as a spicy, colorful Middle-Eastern relish. So prepare your toungues and buy your tickets today! (helpful hint: they are only $75 if you buy them before the 23rd of July.

Next Coastal Kitchen Travel Destination

Even though we are just getting around to trying each and every dish on the Jamaica menu here at Coastal Kitchen, I have just learned that the kitchen staff are hard at work preparing for the fall menu, featuring the food, wine and decor of Casablanca. Having only seen the movies, I’ll have to wait for the tasting to let you know about Chef Nate’s delicacies and GM Madison’s tales of culture and her decorations.