On a recent Saturday, as it was gettin’ toward noon, I was hankerin’ for some water views and a good seafood salad, so we hauled it over to Chinook’s at Fisherman’s Terminal for a Dungeness Crab and Bay Shrimp Salad, a special of the day. It more than fit the bill. . .plenty of succulent shrimp and salty-sweet crab with a good, garlic-y Caesar dressing.

Which more than qualifies Chinook’s seafood salad as our Dish of the Day.

We’ve been very remiss in writing about our friend Naomi Kakiuchi’s dyn-o-mite cooking classes that she offers through her company, NuCulinary.

Here’s a shot of the hands-on sushi-making class I attended and loved. Naomi is at the end of the table in the neon-green chef’s coat, with yours truly in the right foreground.

Class that evening was taught by “sushi whore” himself, Chef Hajime Sato, who owns and operates Mashiko in West Seattle and offers an instructional sushi-making-at-home DVD.

Naomi’s extraordinary spring roll recipe and wine-pairing suggestions will make for some simple summer supping and sipping.

Fresh Spring Shrimp Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

Wine Varietals: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris

Makes 8

These simple Thai spring rolls need no cooking, just a few newly sprouted herbs and vegetables, rice wrappers, and small cooked prawns from your fish counter. Make the dipping sauce and you have a roll-your-own appetizer in just 30 minutes. Serve with a crisp Sauvingon Blanc or Pinot Gris as their slight sweetness pairs nicely with the vinegar and chili in the dipping sauce.

16 small cooked prawns
2 ounces dried mung bean vermicelli
2 cups hot water
8 dried rice paper wrappers
16 fresh Thai basil leaves
1 cup fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 medium carrot, cut short julienne
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup cold water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 small red chili, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

1. Soak vermicelli in hot water 10 minutes and drain.

2. To make the rolls: Dip rice paper wrapper into lukewarm water until softened and place on work surface. Put in 2 shrimp, 2 basil leaves, coriander, carrot strips, lime rind and vermicelli. Spoon on chili sauce.

3. Fold in two sides and roll up. Place on serving dish, sprinkle with cold water to keep moist, and cover with plastic wrap.

4. To make the Dipping Sauce: Place cold water in small bowl; add sugar, stir until dissolved. Stir in fish sauce, vinegar, chili and coriander leaves.

In early May, on a cold winter’s night that should have been more spring-like, after a rather disappointing cheese-focused event where the cubes were small and the wine pours even smaller, we took our chances without a reservation and were lucky enough to get into Restaurant Zoe, one of our long-standing favorite restos in Belltown.

The Dungeness Crab Salad with Brioche Crouton, Green Asparagus, and Ramp Pistou (not to mention the green olives that weren’t mentioned on the menu, but definitely added intrigue to this already intriguing salad) lifted our spirits and excited our palates with the promise of spring weather to come (which has still been slow to reach our region, even though Memorial Day has now passed).

This early taste of spring on a cold, cruel evening more than qualifies Restaurant Zoe’s Dungeness Crab Salad as our Dish of the Day.

If one picture is worth 1,000 words, then this photo of Cactus’s excellent Spiced Caesar with Grilled Chicken Salad with cojita croutons, black beans, roasted corn, and lots of beautifully grilled chicken takes the cake.

We snapped it one Saturday at lunch at the glorious West Seattle branch of the Cactus trio of restos, overlooking Alki Beach. Margaritas were strong and refreshing, just what we needed that cool spring day.

A couple of weeks ago, before a movie at the Harvard Exit on Capitol Hill, we stopped in for dinner at Olivar, the popular Spanish-French bistro located in the historic Loveless Building right across the street from the theater.

Every dish from the Baby Lettuces with Butternut Squash and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds to the Sea Scallops with Roasted Cauliflower, Pine Nuts, Currants, and Fresno Chile Oil was outstanding, but it was one of the ever-changing daily specials–the Mussels with Salsa Verde–that really won my heart. Tarragon was the herb du jour/del día featured in a light broth that might have been thickened with tangy crème fraîche rather than weighted down with heavy cream.

Coincidentally, a few days later, a press release showed up in my in box, touting three-course, $25 “Taxpayer Special” dinners offered at Olivar three nights a week.

“Everyone can use a little help these days,” says chef/owner, Philippe Thomelin.

Amen.

The prix-fixe menu will run through April on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. (As of April 1, Olivar will be closed on Mondays.) The $25 “Taxpayer Special” will also be available during Sunday brunch hours.

Here’s a sample menu:

Baby Lettuce with Roasted Butternut Squash, Sage Vinaigrette & Pumpkin Seeds

or

Nettle Soup with Wild Rice, Hazelnut & Cranberry

or

Serrano Ham Tarte Fine with Caramelized Onion & Aged Mahon

—

Pimiento Relleno a lo Pobre (Stuffed Anaheim pepper with braised pork, potato & fried egg)

or

Grilled Squid with Housemade Harissa & Crusted Vegetable Galette

or

Roasted Quail Stuffed with Mushroom, Sage & Polenta

–

Chocolate & Almond Pithiviers

or

Rhubarb & Apple Crumble with Vanilla English Custard

Years ago, during the five years I served as food editor at Seattle Homes & Lifestyles magazine, I wrote an article entitled, “Seattle’s Top-10 Restaurant Dishes.” Among my top picks was the yummy Mussels Pigalle served at Place Pigalle in the Pike Place Market.

Here’s what I had to say back then:

“The idea for steamed mussels dressed with bacon-rich balsamic vinaigrette was inspired almost 25 years ago, long before balsamic vinegar became a household staple and mussels became a commonly ordered item in Seattle. I figured this unusual dish was discovered by Place Pigalle owner Bill Frank while wandering the backroads of France. WRONG! Back in 1982, Frank and then-chef Connie Miller Cheifetz were trying to incorporate the philosophy of the restaurant (which Frank describes as “unusual preparations of good raw products without being off the wall”) into a new appetizer. Frank also appreciates dishes that combine meat or animal components with seafood, which is where the rather offbeat (albeit brilliant) idea of pairing bacon and mussels was born. In today’s version, plump mussels are placed lip to lip like upright soldiers in a pristine porcelain ramekin, then topped with a thick balsamic vinaigrette laden with chunks of celery, shallots, and chewy lardons (bacon bits). Don’t be embarrassed to sop up the vinaigrette; luckily, Frank supplies tangy sourdough rolls, strategically suited for dipping.”

And here’s what I say now:

“I’m glad to report that when Lluvia and Seth Walker bought Place Pigalle from Bill Frank several years ago, they kept the Mussels Pigalle, along with other signature dishes such as Calamari Dijonnaise and the Chocolate Pot de Crème on their menu, while adding new favorites. Here’s a recent photo of the mussels served in all their glory.

And still, I’m happy to report, among Seattle’s Top-10 dishes.

A post-holiday meal in early January at Cafe Juanita turned up many outstanding dishes. But I was most taken by one intriguing appetizer: Alaskan King Crab with Poco Carretto Green Apple Sorbetto and Crab Butter Powder. Cafe Juanita chef/owner and fellow Seattle Dame, Holly Smith, served the dish at the James Beard Foundation Gala Awards dinner last May, and it’s been a popular item on Cafe Juanita’s menu ever since.

(An aside. Poco Carretto Gelato is Smith’s latest brainchild. The authentic Italian dessert made its debut in June 2008 at the Fremont Farmers Market. Sorbets and gelatos that bear the Poco Carretto name, which translates as “little cart” in Italian, contain only the finest local, organic ingredients.)

Anyway, I’m afraid this romantic, venerable, dimly lit restaurant in Kirkland isn’t the best place to try to take plate shots. And since the picture above doesn’t begin to do justice to the ephemeral dish, I hope to make amends with my words.

Imagine, if you will, a cool scoop of sweet/tart apple sherbet draped with several salty/sweet fingers of king crab. Next comes a generous sprinkle of crab butter powder, the essence of crab. Dive–all-at-once, ice-cream-sundae-like–into the dish’s creamy/soft texture and buttery/briny taste to experience true Pacific Northwest cuisine!

These thoughts from chef Holly (as reprinted from jbfnotes, the James Beard Foundation member newsletter) , “This combination is tried and true. My twist is to make a green-apple sorbetto with as much acidity as I can leave in the apples, and then give it a drizzle of fruity Ligurian olive oil, Maldon salt, and top this with fresh chilled Alaskan king crab and crab butter powder.”

Every now and then, usually in the winter months, when the weather is typically Northwest (gray, gray, and more gray), I get a hankerin’ for Place Pigalle’s Oyster Stew.

This outstanding version of the genre has been on the menu at the venerable Pike Place Market hideaway for god knows how long–I’d bet ever since former bartender Bill Frank took over the famous biker bar in 1982. Whenever it was, I hope new owners (at least by Pike Place Market standards) Seth and Lluvia Walker  NEVER take it off!

Somehow, its creamy smoothness is totally imbued with über amounts of oyster nectar. A coupla perfectly poached oysters lurk within. I always add pieces of broken-up bread (soft inside part only, no crust) to sop up the sensual soup and make it last longer.

One cup, along with the Roasted Beet Salad, is all I can rationalize, although I’d drink vat loads if the calorie count and sat-fat levels were lower. Which more than qualifies Place Pigalle’s Oyster Stew as my Dish of the Day.

Every now and then, I just crave a real, perfectly crafted French omelet. And Cafe Campagne’s Omelet Choisy, a French-style rolled omelet flavored with herbs and filled with escarole and chèvre, always fills the bill. Here it is photographed in all its plumped-with-escarole-and-goat-cheese and studded-with-herb goodness.

It’s normally served with housemade chicken-and-pork sausage and roasted potatoes. But I prefer a simple green salad, dressing on the side myself. Along with a pairing of pink grapefruit juice, Omelet Choisy more than qualifies as my Dish of the Day.

Happy to report that Julie Andrés, chef/owner, and Julia Bandy, sommelier, are doing a wonderful job at La Medusa in Seattle’s booming Columbia City neighborhood. Julie A.’s menu offers heartfelt and delectable seasonal food; Julia B.’s wine list is well thought out and reasonably priced.

Earlier this fall, we enjoyed an appetizer of Grilled Sardines (big ones!) perfectly cooked and seasoned with nothing more than chopped garlic, good sea salt, lemon juice, and fresh parsley. They paired perfectly with Julia B.’s suggested wine: a bottle of 2005 Chiarandà Chardonnay from Sicily.

Here is the dynamic duo doing its dance on the plate. Which more than qualifies La Medusa’s Grilled Sardines as our Dish of the Day.