Dahlia Lounge

The summer may be coming to a rapid close in Seattle, but our fall line-up of educational tasting series Little Tastes of the Dahlia is giving us something to look forward to.   (See details below.)  For reservations, please contact Dennis Jensen at 206-682-4142 or email dennis@tomdouglas.com.  Each event is $25 plus tax and gratuity. Seating is festival style.

Eastern European Dumplings and Beer
Wednesday, September 12^th, 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Tom’s love of the rich and rustic fare of Czechoslovakia is no secret.  He has a whole chapter dedicated to the lusty dishes inspired by his mentor, friend and master of Czech soul food, Peter Cipra (Labuznik), in his cookbook TOM’S BIG DINNERS.  A favorite are the bread dumplings Tom first experienced at Peter’s restaurant; light, fluffy and perfect for mopping up the last bit of slow-roasted pork gravy on your plate.   Along with Tom’s co-writer Shelley Lance, we’ll savor three varieties of delicious dumplings and learn the perfect technique for making each.  Mark Marzano of Deschutes Brewery, our neighbors to the south in Bend, OR, will also be here to lead us in a tasting of the perfect accompaniment for the evening…Lager and Ale.

Heritage Turkeys
Wednesday, October 10^th,   5:30pm – 7:00pm

Think all turkeys are the same?  Think again, Butterball fans!  Paul Dye, owner of Paul’s Pastured Poultry in eastern WA helps us get us ready for Thanksgiving Day.  He’ll be talking turkey about raising and conserving some amazing breeds of heritage birds still left on the planet. We’ll taste and explore “Bourbon Reds,” “Narragansetts” and gorgeous “White Hollands” and even learn some great gravy tricks from Tom.  Along the way we’ll taste some delicious and affordable wines (all under $25) to compliment whichever bird you chose for your holiday feast. 

Caviar and Vodka
Wednesday, November 7^th, 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Caviar and Vodka…doesn’t get more luxurious than that.  Lucky for us, we have our friends at the Seattle Caviar Company to guide us though this exclusive tasting and primer of American caviars.  From Montana Paddle Fish to Idaho White Sturgeon, we’ll discuss the benefits of buying caviars locally and how their flavors can rival those found even in the Caspian Sea.   We’ll taste classic accompaniments, sip iced vodkas, learn proper presentations and leave you feeling like a true caviar connoisseur. 

Dateline:  Prosser, WA (Middle of the beautiful Yakima Valley and Wine Country)

There comes a time in every man’s life that you have to own a farm….BS.  But I do and for the first time we are serving some of the plentiful desert harvest at the restaurants.   Peas, beans, eggplant, cipollini onions, melons, peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes are some of this first season’s bounty.    We did fall prey however, to some of nature’s clever elements.  The Lambert cherries just a day from being picked for Jackie’s fabulous brandied cherries were lost to the ravenous Starlings.  This is the country after all.

Apricots have been picked, pureed and frozen for fall’s roast pork.  Goat horn and red sweet peppers are being sliced, diced and combined with summer chanterelles, capers, anchovies and garlic for a harvest season peperonata.  Yum!

Never thought I’d see the day when I would be stooped over in the 95 degree heat picking green beans from bushy shrubs and presenting them at our joints. (Fortunately for me, I’ve got my in-laws Jim and Sharon to do most of the dirty work while I’m back in Seattle!)   I’ve always been the buyer (and still am) from earthy types at our restaurant back doors.  This is so not me.  But here I am. 

Go figure.

September 2^nd through 30th
Lola

During the month of September, Lola is joining some of the city’s most up-and-coming bars, lounges and nightspots offering up a taste of New Urban Drinks!  Slip into our lounge or patio from 4:30pm to 12:00am and enjoy your choice of one drink and two small dishes at the very appetizing price of $15.  This special menu is available Sunday through Thursday evenings (excluding Labor Day, September 3rd) during the month of September.

Harvest Celebration Farm Tour

For the past seven years, the Harvest Celebration Farm Tour has brought thousands of people out to King County Farms.  This tour provides farmers the opportunity to share their knowledge and our chefs the chance to get their hands on the freshest produce possible (they actually do the picking!)  Palace Kitchen chef Sean Hartley is returning once again to the fields of Jubilee Farm to get his hands dirty harvesting and offering tastes of his Washington Apple Salad with Cougar Cheddar Gold and Holmquist Hazelnuts a classic Palace Kitchen dish that makes the most of Fall's most delicious treat, the apple.  To get a sneak peak at Sean’s recipe and to give it a whirl at home, click here!  For additional information and farm tour schedule, click here.

Pike Place Market
Daily, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Haven’t been to the Pike Place Market in a while?  Need a refresher on why an estimated 10 million visitors browse the market each year?   Savor Seattle Food Tour offers a two hour walking food tour through Pike Place Market, Seattle’s most celebrated culinary landmark.   The tours run daily from 10:00am – 12:00pm.  Go behind the scenes to experience some of tour guide and creator Angela Shen’s favorite market spots (and enjoy a complimentary Coco Pie Bite at Etta's while on your journey.) Participants taste locally made foods and beverages and meet the exceptional people that give the market life.  Please visit their website for more information or to make a reservation.

It's been 9 years since our compost program started at our restaurants, and we're so proud of it.  Back then we were limited to just "clean" organic matter such as veggies, bread crusts…no meat!  But now that technology has caught up to our needs, we can compost anything from the rinds from freshly squeezed lemons to oyster shells to the bones we use to make our stocks.   Even our compost bags are made out of corn.  Our compost makin' scraps are picked up twice weekly by Cedar Grove Compost who then turns all these nutrient rich bits and pieces into garden-growing compost for parks all over the city.  Think about that the next time you don't take that doggy bag home!

To learn more about composting in our area (and find a delicious Corn and Blueberry Salad recipe from Tom) please click here.

Pike Place Market
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007, 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Etta's, along with and many other delicious restaurants in and around the Pike Place Market, welcomes you to sample our fare at Feast at the Market, a tasting event to benefit Pike Market Medical Clinic.   The Feast kicks off at registration where each guest receives a book of tickets, one ticket for each of the participating restaurants. Visit the restaurants of your choice in the order you like. (Etta's Chef Chris Schwartz will be dishing Dungeness crab cocktail, cucumber, green papaya and mint. Delish!)  You’ll be seated at each, and served a dish specially prepared for the event. The evening wraps up with a coffee and dessert tasting in the lobby of the Seattle Athletic Club.  For more details and to register, click here. 

Go here to print out a copy of Chef Sean Hartley's Washington Apple Salad with Cougar Cheddar Gold and Holmquist Hazelnuts (of the Palace Kitchen).

If you're interested in previous recipes and issues of the Seattle Kitchen Newsletter, go here to view the most-recent archives.