July 8-12

It's like summer camp... with wine.
Five days of culinary challenges, visiting chefs and foodie field trips await.

Each day brings a new gastronomic challenge.

Get daily personal instruction from our team of professional chefs and cooks on a smattering of foods and flavors. From Tom Douglas teaching his Iron Chef recipes to a Summer preserving demonstration on jamming your favorite fruits and pickling your favorite vegetables, Culinary Summer Camp is a hit! Our diverse curriculum offers a unique way to discover all the hidden cooking skills you never knew you had. For a complete itinerary, please click here.

When and Where: July 8th - 12th 2007. Summer Camp home base will be in the Palace Ballroom at 2100 Fifth Avenue.

Cost: $1995 plus tax per person.
Class space is very limited and will be filled on a first come first served basis. Fees include meals and tastes throughout the day (dinner not included), transportation for field trips, recipe books and take-home-treats. No one under 16, please.

Registration: To reserve your spot (25% deposit needed at time of reservation) please email sarahf@tomdouglas.com or call 206.448.2001. For a complete itinerary, please click here.

Tom and Thierry Rautureau are cookin' in the kitchen at Rovers this summer to celebrate Rover's 20th year anniversary. That's right - 2 chefs, 1 kitchen. Should make for an interesting and delicious evening!

To inquire about space at the June dinner, call Rover's restaurant at 206-325-7442 or visit Rovers website.

I'm excited to announce a fun new concept we will be trying at the Palace Ballroom this July 8^th - 12^th.  The Tom Douglas Culinary Summer Camp(TDSCC) will be a rare chance for me to go in depth and share my culinary style and passion for food like never before.  I have given a few cooking classes over the years, but usually they are in 2-3 hours snippets with only a layer or two of depth possible.  This time, we will spend five days together covering the gamut -  from cocktail apps to fine pastry;  Chinese BBQ to urban edibles;  each day surrounded with food, beverages, and fun.  I look forward to showing off my home kitchen of which I'm very proud - not because it's fancy, but because it works and has my favorite ingredient - the patina of a lifetime of cooking.

Other notes on recent dining deliciousness -

Portland - The Blue Hour is still hot, hot, hot.  And from the same team 23 Hoyt, kind of an upscale French bistro.  Loved the duck with turnips and peas, and the endive, Roquefort salad with hazelnuts.  

Cinncinati - Boca Restaurant in Hyde Park - a sweet spot in a surprisingly pretty city built on seven hills overlooking the Ohio River.  Try the guanciale & kale pasta - delicious!  Or the perfectly cooked osso buco, even though it lacked a marrow bone.

Chicago - Once again, I sing the praises of Avec.  I literally order everything on the menu - bring an appetite!

Cheers ~ Tom Douglas

Our head bread baker, Gwen Grande just returned from a Multigrain Baking course at the San Francisco Baking Institute where she learned dozens of ways to incorporate whole grains into our breads. This month, be sure to check out the Golden Wheat bread, Dahlia Bakery 's special loaf through May. Made from a "hard white whole wheat" it has a lighter texture than a traditional whole wheat loaf and is a bit sweeter in flavor. Grab a Bakers Dozen Punch Card when you're there and soon you'll be on your way to a complimentary loaf!

Think you've got the secret to the best pizza flavors? We'd love to know about it. Starting this Spring, come in to Serious Pie and let us know what YOU think would make the best pizza topping. If your savory combination is chosen by our Serious Pie Chef Team as the tastiest pie, we will run your pizza... that's right, YOUR PIZZA as a house special for a week. You pick the topping, you pick the name, we'll do the baking. For more information, visit Serious Pie at 316 Virginia Street.

Join Chef Chris Schwarz of Etta's to celebrate a sunny day in the Pike Place Market this June. They're closing the streets and rolling out the red carpet on this, the Centennial year of the historical and food-packed Pike Place. Chris will demonstrate his tips and tricks for cooking the perfect fish from 1-2pm. Joining him on the demo stage are fellow chefs from 94 Stewart and Volterra - it's an afternoon you won't want to miss!

For the month of May, get out there and have some Urban Eats at several new restaurants around town. Lola will be offering a three course menu for $30 from Sunday through Thursday. Come down for a tasty mix of dolmades, kebabs and loukoumathes to name a few. Other participating restaurants are newcomers Crush, Steelhead Diner and Dinette. It's a great opportunity to get out there and hit the town. For more information and for a complete list of participating restaurants, visit here.

Just in time for barbeque season, our Rub with Love Spice Rub team will be out in Woodinville at the Washington Wine Highway over Memorial Day weekend serving up some herb-y eats. We now have twelve distinctive spice rub flavors to choose from - including Tom's current favorite for flank steak, Exotic Mushroom - for all of your summer grilling. This long weekend provides the perfect atmosphere for tasting, learning and buying both local wines and foods. For tickets and more information, check out the Washington Wine Highway website.

Treat your mother like royalty this year and dine out for a long lazy dinner. Chef Sean Hartley has designed a pretty petal-inspired meal, just for moms.

Goat Cheese and Lavender Fondue
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Rotisserie Cornish Hens, Herbs de Provence
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Rhubarb Hibiscus Float

Each mom gets a floral treat for home, too!

Slender pink stalks of rhubarb in the market are one of the first signs of spring, and pastry chef Garrett Melkonian has been busy putting rhubarb pies, galettes, and crostadas on our dessert menus. Here's a version you can make it home. Serve these little hand-formed pies warm (you can reheat them if you baked them ahead), topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream.