I was nearly through my meal at Staple and Fancy in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood when I met chef Ethan Stowell for the first time last fall.  Friends with my dining companion, spirits man Rocky Yeh, Stowell stopped by our table that evening after returning from a catering, weary but friendly. General chitchat commenced, shifting from off-site events to restaurant to-dos, when Rocky inquired as to how Ethan and his wife, Angela, were faring. “We’re doing ok,” Stowell replied with a sigh. “We’re coming up on the due date, so we’re going …

I was still eating like a Midwesterner when I moved across the country to Seattle nearly fifteen years ago. Fresh from college – and college fare – I was fierce about my love of chain restaurants and comfort foods. Even in a culinary mecca like the Emerald City, I still clung to my fried mozzarella, my uninspired food service salads, my burgers of questionable meat. A food and wine event, with bites like lamb meatballs, foie gras, and duck sliders, would’ve made my skin crawl. I was the epitome of …

Oh, how I wish I could make it to every luxurious food, wine, and spirits event there is. Flying to and fro – Europe, Asia, Australia – eating, traveling, writing. It took Bourdain a few years to finally get to that point, and it’ll take me a few years to get to that point, too, so until then, I’ll just wrap up pleasant little posts on my favorites so that the rest of you can imbibe and gallivant to your heart’s content. Or at least dream about it with me.
We …

Before I venture away to the warm, sandy beaches of Miami   for the 2011 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I certainly wanted to note two big announcements that happened in the culinary universe last week.
First, the James Beard semifinalists were announced. While the national list is extensive, I wanted to recognize all of the fantastic Pacific Northwest nominees:

Staple & Fancy Mercantile, Seattle (Best New Restaurant)
Holly Smith, Cafe Juanita, Kirkland (Outstanding Chef)
Jerry Traunfeld, Poppy, Seattle (Outstanding Chef)
Higgins Restaurant & Bar, Portland (Outstanding Restaurant)
Ken Forkish, Ken’s Artisan Bakery, Portland …

Like many, I’ve been increasingly intrigued by the ongoing saga of street food. Growing at mind-boggling rates, mobile vendors have sprung up in cities across America, leaving city and state lawmakers scratching their heads and scrambling to enact new regulations, while traditional restaurateurs are left baffled at how to manage the customer ebb and flow due to this increasingly popular sector of the culinary world.
I’ve been most curious about the inter-industry vibes, of course. The ever-evolving, ongoing dynamics of brick and mortar chefs vs. mobile chefs. At first, I had …

In my days in the restaurant industry, I’ve worn many different hats. Donning a suit and tie as a Food and Beverage Director was a bit more cumbersome than the weathered jeans and sport coat attire of a General Manager. As a career barman, I’ve worn a variety of getups behind the stick. But I’ve never worn a fedora…
Most bars, especially those housed in a restaurant setting, establish guidelines for employee dress. “The encouragement of staff members to personalize their style within those guidelines,” remarks Rocky Yeh, of Seattle cocktail …

This year’s Best New Chefs dinner was certainly the big event of the weekend at the 2010 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Last year’s evening of culinary stars was one of my favorite experiences, so I made sure to arrive early this year for plenty of photos and pre-mob food tasting. I also made sure to wear my comfortable shoes.
The showcase of Food & Wine’s 2010 Best New Chefs was held at the regal Aspen Meadows Resort, the same venue as last year’s event. As the sun set against …

The latest issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller features a review on chef Gordon Ramsay’s first Australian location, which is surprisingly two restaurant concepts in one spot. With a development price tag of nearly $300 million, Ramsay’s maze and maze grill opened in Melbourne in mid-April to mixed reviews.
According to the GT article, maze, the more formal of the two dining rooms, delivers dishes that are “all about exact cooking, clean flavours and precise presentation”, with Australian favorites making their way to the menu.
The Aussie flag is raised over dessert with …

Welcome 2010! Joining a long list of fellow revelers, you might be staring at this column through blurry eyes and dull head pain. Pull yourself together and get thee to one of my picks below to turn that frown upside down. And best wishes for this new year.
1) Portland’s St. Honoré Boulangerie. Celebrating the French Epiphany, the Stumptown bakery is offering a traditional la Galette des Rois, or the Kings’ Cake, a delicious puff pastry is filled with frangipane, a blend of almond and custard cream. The pastry is only available …

Chef Thomas Keller is running a little late. The back bar at Seattle’s Bastille restaurant is bustling, awaiting the arrival of the evening’s guest of honor. While the kitchen prepares a delicious array of bites from the chef’s latest cookbook, ad hoc at home, a crowd of media types mingles about, noshing on lobster rolls (page 84) and crab cakes (page 83).
When Keller finally makes his appearance, he arrives able and ready, offering his thoughts on the cookbook and its namesake, ad hoc, his casual dining location in Yountville, California.
The …

Strolling into a West Seattle restaurant on a dreary November afternoon, the man himself enters nearly unnoticed. Revered in writeups and showered with culinary awards, Chef David Chang remains a humble cook, without entourage, without fanfare, and generally in a friendly state. All despite his rock star status.
Local journalists and food writers trail in one by one for the media reception, while glasses of prosecco and lychee are passed about. Chang shifts uneasily from one foot to the other in his black Converse, the glass of water in his hand …

Thanks Jennifer, this was a real treat for me.  And playing the part of a legit foodie with a refined palate was no small feat.  So many amazing chefs were on deck, it was hard to control my enthusiasm.
The Stage: A breezy, sunlit day atop Rainier Square in downtown Seattle.
The Cast: Elite chefs from the Seattle food scene including Chef Robin Leventhal, Executive Chef of Crave and contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef Season 6, and Chef Ryan Tateishi of the mythically exclusive Canlis.
The Cause: Hosted by the Seattle Chefs Collaborative, …

Foodies in the Pacific Northwest know Chef Tom Douglas. Recognized for all of his delicious Seattle-area restaurants (and corresponding cookbooks), the James Beard award winner is also involved in local events like Teatro ZinZanni and Bumbershoot, as well as a weekly radio show with Chef in the Hat Thierry Rautureau.
In addition to his culinary accomplishments, I had been told by many in the industry that Douglas was a great guy to work with – both as a peer and as a boss. I sat down with the master chef and …

While the rain poured down around us, I had a chance to sit in on the ‘F is for Food’ event at this weekend’s Bumbershoot. The festival, which features local and national artists, always includes a wonderful lineup of book types, and this year’s schedule was no exception. To kick off Saturday’s literary events, author Kathleen Flinn, of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, and Pacific Northwest chef and restaurateur, Tom Douglas, talked culinary school, food memories, and their favorites, from cooking at home to local eateries. Both …

Yayhoo! It’s finally fall! As we head into this holiday weekend, I’m thinking football, comfort food, and fabulous upcoming foodie events. This season, I’ll have a chance to talk with some of the best in the industry!
Here are the five food events I’m looking forward to the most:
1) Tomorrow’s “F is for Food” event with Chefs Tom Douglas and Kathleen Flinn. As part of this weekend’s Bumbershoot, Seattle’s major music and arts fest, Kathleen Flinn, author of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, and chef/restaurateur Tom Douglas will …