Internal temp. External joy.

If you find yourself overcooking or undercooking food, might I suggest this snazzy little tool? Yes, it's a bit spendy, but isn't your dining enjoyment worth it? I learned about Thermoworks' Thermapen while reading Cook's Illustrated. As Cook's is apt to do, they rate what they think works the best in the kitchen. Fine by me if someone else does the research. But this little wonder can instantly read internal temps of food, which is really the only way to know if things are done. Take solace in that there are tools to help us avoid grey, dry meat that leaves us grasping for the ladle to spoon on more sauce.

Here is a nice little breakdown for knowing temps.

And they come in an array of colors! I have the orange one.

Sprung for Spring Hill

In the last few years, West Seattle has started to shed its sleepy reputation and evolved into a distinct and vibrant neighborhood. Nowhere is that more noticeable than along the Junction; home to some of West Seattle's best restaurants and shops to check out. Spring Hill is a welcome addition to the strip.

Located at California and Oregon (funny cross streets... maybe call it Jefferson Junction?), Spring Hill comes to us from Mark Fuller and his wife Marjorie. Mark's a graduate of the renowned Culinary Institute of America and served as the head chef at Tom Douglas' Dahlia Lounge. Mark moved on to open Spring Hill to showcase his take on the haul that the Pacific Northwest and all points north could provide. With glowing recent reviews, a visit to Spring Hill was on the docket.

The theme of the menu is geared towards all the great stuff that is available to us locally. Shellfish from Washington, beef from Oregon, fish from Alaska, all are meant to utilize the bounty of our local farmers and fishermen. Armed with this knowledge, we were excited and curious from the local buzz, we looked forward to our dinner at Spring Hill.

The small dishes we started with were the bread & butter and the beef hot & cold. Warm, fresh rolls with a butter spiked with sea salt. Sounds basic and simple, but the taste is anything but. Too bad it wasn't on the house. The beef steak hot & cold was a fun idea; hot side is a grilled piece of ribeye with a strong, smoky flavor; the cold side is raw steak tartare and it's explosion of beefy flavor. All in all, off to a nice start.

The next dish that came to us were a pair of Kushi oysters and Olympia oysters. We love oysters, which is funny, because growing up I couldn't stand them. Now? Give me more. Both oysters were small in size, but that's not a bad thing with oysters; with the potential for so much flavor, don't hold the size against them. We knew Olympia from our experience having them from Mashiko's down the street, and they delivered their briny goodness. Kushi we knew less about, but it's already vaulted to our favorite bivalve. The brine is nice, but the finish is where it's at; creamy, buttery, and awesome. If you see these on a menu, order them.

The Manila clams were excellent as well. In the dish was diced pork belly and lemon mayo. The olive oil grilled bread was a nice touch and great for dipping. The key to any good clam or mussel dish is the broth. And this one was great. A bit of spice and great flavor from all the ingredients. Two courses down, main course to go.

Out came the trout. The trout was nice; soft, sweet and subtle flavor. The skin was nice and crisp too. Don't be afraid to have fish skin! However the highlight of the dish wasn't the fish (although quite good), it was the spaetzle. They call it 'crispy little dumplings'. And it was awesome. This was a nice dish, get a good-sized portion of fish and the dumplings.

I love duck. It's sweet, juicy and full of flavor; it's something I'll always order if I see it on a menu. Spring Hill does the bird justice. It's a duck breast that's been sliced and is suitably undercooked, perfect for duck. The brightness of the orange mustard sauce was a nice touch. Great flavor and perfectly prepared. And the quinoa biscuit that comes with it? Genius! This was really good. Luckily you get a side of duck with it.

As for dessert? Sadly, wasn't able to partake in dessert this evening. With a couple of courses already, a bottle of Lange Pinot Noir and a fair share of starch, we limped across the finish line. but the race was definitely worth it.

If you find yourself looking to have a great dinner, make a date to go check out Mark Fuller's talent on full display at Spring Hill. I have no doubt that it will evolve into one of the finest restaurants in Seattle and is the fountainhead for the neighborhood. Much as Canlis represents the best of Queen Anne, Cafe Juanita to Kirkland, Sitka & Spruce to Eastlake; Spring Hill will represent the best of West Seattle.

Photo courtesy of Ross Mantle and The Seattle Times

A taste of the Caribbean in the land of the Scandinavian

As mentioned on the excellent MyBallard blog, Paseo has recently opened along Shilshole. If you're familiar with the Paseo location in Fremont you know how popular this place can be. It's great to know that there is a second location in Seattle to get your fill on Paseo's sublime Midnight Cuban sandwich, and other goodies like their chicken and prawns.

Go now! You'll love it! Couple of tips; grab lots of napkins, things can get messy. And bring cash. The prices are great, so twenty or thirty bucks should be good for two. Also, don't be disappointed if down the road, they'll be closed when they'd normally be open. The folks at Paseo Fremont like to take vacations. And they close early when they run out of food. Which is often.

Comfort Food Science Fair

In Ballard along 15th is a food spot that brings some of the most decadent and tasty burgers and comfort food in the city. The spot is Lunchbox Laboratory. And we are thankful for Scott Simpson and Allegra Waggener bringing it to us. Our tastebuds appreciate it.

The main draw at Lunchbox Laboratory is burgers; from making it your way or trying their 'daily experiments' the options are limitless. There is an array of meats, cheese, extras, sauces, and more to choose from. Scott's Daily Experiments are not to be missed. They are combinations that the chef has concocted that go well together; the names are rad too. Definitely try the Dork! It's ground pork and duck and the two distinct flavors work really well together. The veggie could either be a falafel/quinoa blend or a portabello mushroom. Just go and try it; you'll love the burgers.

The Lab also has great dinner and brunch options. Because comfort food is Chef Simpson's specialty you'll find one of the better Mac 'n Cheese in town. And the biscuits and gravy for brunch are awesome. And we can't forget the shakes and drinks. The flavors for the shakes are so, so good; nutella, Boston cream pie, and green tea sit next to the standards. And the sodas are stuff you wouldn't find at any burger place. Dublin Dr. Pepper and Mexican coke are available.

Lunchbox Laboratory is a very unique place that is an assault on all your senses! In a good way of course. From the food to the decor to the sassy service, the experience at the Lab is something else. And bring your appetite, you'll be full in no time. You'll love every minute of it.

Eats in August

Seattle's food scene is one of the best in the country. I don't have much proof to that statement, but I don't really think I'm going out on a limb with it. From our restaurants to the local ingredients and Washington wine, we have a distinct culture of food here that should to be explored and appreciated. And along those lines are some really cool events in the coming weeks that Seattle foodies would be proud of.

In the batter's box is Pike Place Market's Sunset Supper. This event happens on Friday, August 15th from 7:30 to 11pm. After the market closes, some of our finest restaurants in Seattle occupy the stands in the market to do their thing. What's also cool is that it benefits the Market Foundation. Prices are $85 or $125, and get your tickets here. Bring your appetite! Seattlest had a great write up on the event, check it out.

On deck is the Pig & Pipes event in Ballard on August 23. On that particular Saturday, the Olde Pequliar will be hosting this really cool event. As the name implies there will be two roasted pigs on the menu and the pipes portion will be coming from the bagpipes. Holla. This event will be supporting Seattle's Bravest, a charity to support the Seattle Fire Department. I found out about it on Nancy Leson's wonderful All You Can Eat blog. The event is $15, there'll be drink specials, and doors open at noon. As before bring your appetite.

Waiting in the dugout is the Incredible Feast. We went last year and had an awesome time. It's in Phinney Ridge where their Farmer's Market normally occurs, at 67th and Phinney. This event spotlights local farmers, and some of our finest local restaurants will be using the farmer's bounty in their offerings. The Incredible Feast has been going for a few years now, and was started by Brasa's own Tamara Murphy. She wanted to make sure that local farmers got their due and this event is the result. It'll be on Sunday, August 24 from 4:30 to 7:30, and it's $65. Get tickets here. I don't need to say it, but may as well; bring your appetite.

Happy eating and hope to see you getting full at one of these!

C is for Cookie

Much like the Cookie Monster, I too, have an insatiable appetite for cookies. And the recent chocolate chip cookie article that my friend Ana posted from the New York Times made me revisit some old recipes and think of cookies in a new light.

The article mentioned all sorts of great tips on how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie. From size, to resting the dough, to sprinkling sea salt, and what type of chocolate, I knew I had to make some with these things in mind.

There are tons of great recipes out there and our friends at Accidental Hedonist have one that is super easy which I'll use on occasion. I've also grown to really like this one from Paula Deen. I figure if anyone knows how to make a truly decadent and tasty cookie it would be Paula. And she delivers.

If you don't have time to bake your own, luckily in Seattle we have two places that make some awesome chocolate chip cookies. Cow Chip and Il Fornaio. But why stop at just Seattle? Il Fornaio's are everywhere and Cow Chip will ship!

In the immortal words of the Cookie Monster; "Me want cookie!"

Bite of Seattle

Along with the Northwest Folklife Festival in May and Bumbershoot in September, the Bite of Seattle is part of the triumvirate of community events at Seattle Center. The Bite hits the good folks of Seattle in July and it's the city's crowning achievement of food, gluttony, excess, and awesomeness. The Bite has always been one of my favorite events, and as I've gotten older I've grown to appreciate it even more.

The beauty of nostalgia has deepened the colors for me when it comes to the Bite. When I was younger my family would always go and I loved it! In my mind, Seattle Center was this huge massive grounds, there were food vendors everywhere, it wasn't anywhere near as crowded as it is now, and we would be there until the sun would set. It's a little different now, mostly in that it's super crowded and there are really only about four dozen food vendors there

The vibe at the Bite has definitely changed in recent years. Is that bad? No, if anything it's different, and the glow of my memory only enhances my appreciation of the event. It's a chance for many to wear their 'Bite outfit' they've been saving all summer. It's a chance to walk around with friends and feel important. And you can eat till your more full than you could imagine.

My favorite thing to eat when I was younger were the Filet Mignon sandwiches from Metropolitan Grill. I loved those things. These were one of the things I most looked forward to as I got out of school. Sadly, The Met no longer participates in the Bite, but scores of other great places offer new discoveries.

What are some of your favorite foods at the Bite of Seattle? Is it the roasted corn? Funnel Cakes? Shiskaberries? No matter what, all of these are the right choice!

Cooking Tip #1

In my relentless quest to hold in as much information as possible and share it with the world comes this great tip for grilling. I learned it from Cook's Illustrated. The tip is this; buy an aluminum foil roasting pan to superheat your grill.

When grilling, you want to get those brilliant grill marks on what you're cooking. Either having those diamond marks or parallel lines, the key is having the grates loaded with enough heat they cause a tight sear on what you're cooking. This tip helps that process.

Use an aluminum foil pan you'd get at the market to cover the burners where you plan on cooking. This creates a cover over the burners and the grates, where the heat goes back into the grates. This superheating creates an instant sear onto whatever you're cooking. It's super helpful and I've used it all the time while I've grilled. Try it with pineapple or steaks. Or anything.

After about 5-10 minutes of preheating it should be ready. Because the grill is so hot it'll sear instantly and release easily, so you don't need to oil the grill.

Enjoy this tip and happy grilling!

Celebrity Roast

I love roast chicken. Love it. What's not to love; rich flavor, moist meat, basically everything you love about chicken is amplified. Great in its simplicity, but like most things that are simple can be incredibly challenging. Cook too long, you get cardboard. Cook too short, hello food poisoning. But that middle point of perfection is one of the best things you'll ever eat. Roast chicken is the star of the show at any dinner.

Some interesting notes on roast chicken:

Le Pichet/Cafe Presse

Listed both as they are sister restaurants, but they are slightly different, mostly in the experience. Le Pichet is whimsical, playful, with an old world energy, while Cafe Presse is energetic, urban, vibrant. The feel at both places pass onto the dining experience. When you order their chicken expect to wait an hour. It's worth it. The chicken will be quartered off for you and you'll get a healthy portion of fries at Cafe Presse and Le Pichet will have some veggies and maybe polenta to accompany it. And for dessert definitely make sure to order the Chocolat Chaud. It's so good it's not even on the menu. Another insider tip from your friend Frank.

Heston Blumenthal Search for Roast Chicken Perfection

In the molecular gastronomy world there are a gaggle of renowned chefs doing their thing. Folks such as Wylie Dufresne, Grant Achatz, Ferran Adria (I'll be writing more about him soon...) and more, Heston Blumenthal is doing his thing at his renowned restaurant, The Fat Duck. What's unique about his roast chicken is that he cooks his for about 4-6 hours at 60 degrees Celsius. You read that right. 60 Celsius (about 140 Fahrenheit) how is this possible you ask? Doesn't the internal temperature of chicken need to be 165? Conventionally speaking, yes. But molecular gastronomy is about breaking walls of food through science and technique. What Chef Blumenthal does is keep the chicken roasting at 60 continuously, as in there isn't waves to the temperature. His ovens pump over those four hours at a steady temp. For our pedestrian ovens, the heat fluctuates and reaches an average that achieves that temperature. Tricky. And yes, I want to try it.

Costco Rotisserie Chicken

The seasoned rotisserie chicken at Costco is unbelievable. And it's only five bucks! It's super flavorful and will yield at least a couple of meals out of it. You can also use the bones and scrap meat to make broth. Another great thing that Costco does with their chicken at the end of the day is make soup and chicken salad. Great way to reuse the meat. The tricky thing with going to Costco is that the trip will easily cost you $100 in the end. This is also known as The Costco Effect. An example; one time we were at Costco to grab water. That's it water. But as we're walking past the butcher counter I mention that people were waiting for the chicken. So that peaked our interest. As we wait for the next round of chicken to be ready we decide to mosey over to the books and DVDs. That wait ended up costing us another $100.

But back to the chicken, since it's rotisserie, it rotates on a spit and self-bastes to stay moist. The chicken is always perfectly cooked and seasoned and will make you want to eat it then and there. When you grab yours, make sure to grab a plastic bag to put it in, careful as it may leak. Also, the trussing they use is a bit tricky to take off when you're ready to eat, so make sure to cut it away and pull it off, the wings are the tricky part.

There you have it; my soliloquy to the glory of roast chicken. Trust me, I could go on even more, but we'll save that for another post.

Oh yeah, wine pairings. Because of it's richness, something with a nice bit of acidity would be great to have with it. For whites, a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc or Washington Riesling would be perfect. And don't exclude reds as the bold flavors of roast chicken could stand up to some reds. French Beaujolais or Oregon Pinot Noir, even Washington Cab would make a great match.

Whole buncha good food

Tucked away in the back of the Westlake Whole Foods is a food gem. If you're into getting good food for cheap prices. Walk past the produce and in front of the butcher and fish counters lies the SeaSmoke Cafe.

I must admit in my first few visits to Whole Foods I didn't know what to make of the cafe. There was a grill, a range, seating, pretty much a tiny 8-seat restaurant. But I used to always walk by it. Then my friend Jen, extolled its virtues. She gushed praise and talked about how much she loved grabbing lunch or dinner there. She described the experience; go to the fish or butcher areas, grab the serving you want and the SeaSmoke cook will make it to order. Seems simple enough, but I still never tried it; chalking it up to a weird idea that I couldn't really understand.

One day, we gave it a shot and now we are fans. Basically, everything Jen mentioned is spot on. You ask for whatever you like at the counters and bring it to the cooks. Choose your sides and you're rolling. One time, we grabbed a lamb loin chop and a calamari steak. You pay for the precooked weight of the food. For the two items; seven bucks. Sides are $2.99 for two. So in total two entrees along with two sides each only set us back $14.19. Holy smokes is that a deal.

You can try out anything; ribeye, crab cakes, dover sole, chicken sausage, kabobs, they'll make anything! And again it's affordable and made to order.

Trust me you should visit. Others around Seattle know about this foodie hideway.

Getting the most from a roast.

This past weekend, a bunch of us went down to Seattle Wine Outlet for their Salmon Roast. This was the second year that it's been going on, but the first for us. And it was awesome.

Richard Kinssies hosted this event at their Interbay location and provided free Copper River salmon off the grill. Elegantly dressed with salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary; wrapped in foil, it was perfectly cooked off of the grill. And it was free! Top this off with the roasted garlic, wine tastings, cheese, and a fun atmosphere it made for the perfect summertime lunch.

What's great about the Seattle Wine Outlet besides the super cheap prices on wine (seriously, they are awesome) is that they have these really great informal classes (as mentioned in a previous post) and super cool events like this Salmon Roast. Earlier in the year they hosted a pig roast that was equally awesome. They bought a ton of roasted and bbq pork from the finest purveyor of pork in Seattle; Kau Kau. And that was free too!

Keep an eye out for other events at the Seattle Wine Outlet, a great chance to learn about wine at great prices and have some great food with fun people. In fact, why not just sign up for the newsletter?