We enjoyed our entire recent meal at Tango Restaurant & Lounge, so it’s really unfair to single out one dish as the Dish of the Day.

But the Gambas Picantes (Spicy Shrimp) were truly outstanding. . .my small-plate portion a steal at $7.00.

The Spicy Shrimp actually served as my entrée after our appetizers that included Piquillo Rellenos (albacore tuna-stuffed red–piquillo–peppers). The piquillo peppers are smoked over oak, which imparts a lovely mild flavor.

Sautéed Calamari with fire-roasted tomatoes, poblanos, red peppers, cilantro, and lime juice was super succulent and full of flavor from the variety of peppers.

Instead of salad (gotta get those greens among all this protein!), we opted for a small order of Tango’s toothsome Green Beans & Harissa, pan-roasted  with tomatoes, pinenuts, and harissa, a soulful Moroccan spice mix.

A bottle of Viña Ardanza Reserve Rioja–old stuff from 2001!–was well worth every penny of its $80 price tag. We liked the wine so much, we ordered a case for future drinking pleasure.

Salmon Gravlax from Place Pigalle in the Pike Place Market

I know I should probably remain impartial and not go on the record as saying that salmon is my favorite fish. And, to go even one step farther–that salmon is one of my favorite foods.

I take my salmon in any form, be it grilled, smoked, en rillette, or gravlax-style. Sometimes I’ll even have a Salmon Niçoise Salad for lunch, then salmon as my entrée at dinner!

I had the salmon gravlax for lunch at Place Pigalle in the Pike Place Market a couple of weeks ago, and loved it. I was dining with two of my favorite people in the world–Lorelle Del Matto and Martha Marino–whom I refer to as my two sisters or “sises.”

Both my sises are registered dietitians. Closet nutritionist that I am (I’ve known calorie counts of many food since my teenage years), I love to hear them talk about their profession.

Lorelle is also a recipe developer extraordinaire (who’s helped test recipes for several of my books over the years), owner of Food Savvy with Lorelle Del Matto, and blogger. Martha is Director of Nutrition Affairs at the Washington State Dairy Council.

I am so proud of my two sises and documented our long-standing friendship for The Seattle Times in an article entitled, Holiday Food Traditions in the Heart of Seattle, last December. Our lunches (scheduled every two months or so) serve as a cheap form of therapy for the three of us.

Anyway, back to the salmon gravlax above which had been lightly cured and thick-cut. I asked for it to be served on a bed of greens so it could work like a main-dish salad; accompaniments included large caper berries, baby gherkins, and whipped cream cheese.

All of which more than qualifies Place Pigalle’s Salmon Gravlax for our our Dish of the Day award.

Editor’s Note: Turns out our very pleasant and knowledgeable server was herself a well-known blogger–Kelly Doscher–or The Food-Minded Mama. Kelly won blog-of-the-month award from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution last October. Gotta love the Seattle food world!

Photograph by Braiden Rex-Johnson

Any friend of Graham Kerr’s, author of numerous cookbooks and his latest work, “Growing at the Speed of Life: A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden” (not to mention the former Galloping Gourmet) is a friend of mine.

So when Los Angeles-based chef Nathan Lyon reached out to me upon Graham’s recommendation, I knew I was in for something great!

“Great Food Starts Fresh,” is Nathan’s beautifully written and produced book detailing the best ways to use fresh produce–everything we all so happily snap up at our local farmers’ markets, through our Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions, or even at our local health-food and grocery stores.

I loved the lengthy section toward the front of this 344-page tome on How to Choose and Store Seasonal Produce, everything from Apples to Winter Squash. Sections on Kitchen Tools and Kitchen Staples will also come in handy as you embrace cooking with the seasons.

I was drawn to many of Nathan’s recipes, including Pan-Roasted Halibut with Salsa Verde and Asparagus (perfect for this time of year with the fresh halibut season just starting), Crostini alla Puttanesca (with a spicy sauce you can use on grilled bread or pasta), Shrimp with Cheddar Grits and Chorizo (‘nuf said!), and Sweet Potato Waffles with Honey Butter.

But the chef’s recipe for Raw Kale Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts, and Cranberries really caught my eye as something simultaneously super-healthy while still a bit indulgent thanks to the addition of all these nutrition-packed goodies: pine nuts, toasted walnuts, toasted almonds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), dried cranberries, fresh orange segments, and crumbled feta cheese.

You can purchase Nathan’s book on his website for $35, a “great” (food) investment in healthful eating with the seasons.

Raw Kale Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts, and Cranberries

 Yield: 4 servings

 For the Salad:

1 bunch curly kale

¼ cup pine nuts

¼ cup toasted walnuts, chopped roughly

¼ cup toasted almonds, chopped roughly

¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

½ cup dried cranberries, preferably unsweetened

3 large oranges

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Vinaigrette:

1 medium shallot, peeled and diced finely (3 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from the oranges)

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Strip the tender leaves from the tough stems of the kale; discard the stems. Rinse and dry the leaves, then roll them up and slice into thin strips. You should have approximately 5 packed cups of kale ribbons.

2. Cut the peel and pith off the oranges, then segment them by cutting between the dividers. Discard any seeds, but reserve the juice for the vinaigrette.

3. In a medium container with a tight fitting lid, combine the vinaigrette ingredients, close the lid tightly, and shake well to combine. Or, whisk to combine the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

4. Add the kale, nuts, seeds, cranberries, orange segments, and crumbled feta to a large serving bowl. Drizzle half the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adding more vinaigrette if needed.

5. Wonder aloud why you didn’t make this salad sooner, then serve.

Cook’s Hint: Other optional ingredients that go wonderfully in kale salads are sunflower seeds, diced avocado, and diced apples.

Mexico Restaurant’s Butter Lettuce Wraps with Chicken

After a busy morning of shopping or before an early-afternoon movie, one of our favorite places for a Saturday or Sunday lunch is at Mexico Cantina y Cocina in downtown Seattle’s Pacific Place shopping center.

I almost always order the low-carb, high-protein appetizer–Butter Lettuce Wraps with Chicken. You can also get them with shrimp, Ahi tuna, or salmon, but the perfectly grilled chicken continues to call me like a siren’s song.

It’s served with a plethora of fresh, raw vegetables, including jicama sticks (yummy crunch!), carrot slivers, cucumber slices, watercress leaves (with their peppery bite!), and bean sprouts (which I don’t eat because I’m scared of possible contamination no matter how much the kitchen rinses them!).

And don’t forget the smooth and oh-so-satisfying guacamole, the fresh and bracing salsa verde, plus the two dipping sauces–tomatillo and mango!

There’s also a slightly thick in texture, dense in flavor salsa that is served with the complimentary basket of chips. Although we now forego chips and tortillas due to our low-carb/high-protein lifestyle, Spencer still asks for the salsa and pours a hefty amount onto whatever he’s having (often the Tijuana Chicken Caesar).

I’ve written about other favorites on Mexico’s menu in my Northwest Notes blog. In fact, the restaurant’s Ensalada à la Evelyne–fresh organic greens with pepita-crusted provolone, roasted artichoke hearts , fire-grilled chicken, sliced plum tomatoes, cotija cheese, and sliced avocado–won Dish of the Day in 2009.

For continuing to offer fresh, clean, well-prepared food, especially my current favorite–Butter Lettuce Wraps–I award Mexico Cantina y Cocina my Dish of the Day.

I’ve been having a ball researching an article on Michael Mina’s RN74 downtown Seattle restaurant for Wine Press Northwest’s Spring issue. The restaurant opened last June, and is the sister restaurant to the first RN74 in San Francisco.

The Ahi Tuna Tartare is one of Michael Mina’s signature dishes among his 19 restaurants in major cities spread across the country–Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Miami, and Detroit, among others.

Served tableside, the waiter gently massages a quail egg yolk into a mass of the most perfect Ahi tuna chunks studded with toasted pine nuts, very finely diced Scotch Bonnet peppers and Asian pear, a hint of fresh mint, and the dense, unmistakable aroma and flavor of Asian sesame oil.

As chef Mina says, “The right tableside preparation creates a memory. For example, we deconstructed the Ahi Tuna Tartare years ago, and it has become one of our signature dishes. We mix the tuna, pear, Scotch bonnet peppers, sesame oil, and a quail’s egg yolk tableside. However, you can’t overdo this–you can’t do too many things tableside if it means other guests’ food is getting cold or if it interferes with the larger experience. Remember, it’s all about balance.”

“Balance” is important as Mina devises his dishes with “four basic elements: spice, sweetness, acidity, and richness.”

For creating such a perfect balance, and such a memorable appetizer, RN74′s Ahi Tuna Tartare more than deserves our Dish of the Day.

Last week I met a local marketing expert/publicist to talk about some possible freelance work. We met at ART Restaurant & Lounge, not only because it’s one of my favorite places in Seattle, but because it’s also very conveniently located right across the courtyard from our downtown condo.

I’d just gulped down a Balance Bar, half a big Fuji apple, and glass of low-fat milk, so didn’t want anything to eat.

The young publicist, however, had skipped lunch due to her heavy workload. So I suggested she try chef Kerry Sear’s legendary mini burgers.

She chose both salmon and veggie, and raved about the curry and cumin spices in the latter.

I loved the whimsical long plate the burgers were served on–printed with a french fry background. Adorable!

Even more adorable was the mini bottle of ketchup that accompanied the burgers.

For both taste and presentation, ART’s mini burgers deserve our Dish of the Day.

Place Pigalle, a venerable restaurant in the Pike Place Market with heart-stopping views of Elliott Bay and a proper French bistro vibe has always been one of our favorite places for both Saturday lunch (Oyster Stew and Beet and Goat-Cheese Salad!) or an any-day-of-the week dinner.

Over the holidays, when both of us had a touch of the “crud” that was going around Seattle, and I simply didn’t feel like exerting the energy to make dinner, we stopped by around six p.m. for a cocktail to cheer ourselves up, with the hope that they might be able to squeeze us in for a bite to eat.

A drink at Place Pigalle is always a treat, not only because the bar is so well stocked and wine list so full and interesting, but because the bartendress there is very knowledgeable and personable, not to mention generous with her samples. This time she let me try Cardamom Bitters made by Seattle-based Scrappy’s, which reminded me of Scandinavian Christmas cookies and glögg, and made me lament how underused cardamom is in American cooking.

My entrée choice of Seared Scallops with Almond Purée and Braised Fennel took me to new heights, a simple-sounding dish that perfectly merged earth (a musky purée of almonds) with ocean (the plump, briny scallops). Braised fennel created the perfect anise-y, crunchy note, while a few orange segments and spinach leaves provided visual color and contrast and an acidic note.

Bravo, Place Pigalle. You heartily deserve our Dish of the Day!

Just for fun, here is Place Pigalle’s Oyster Stew.

It’s been another great year of wining and dining both around the Pacific Northwest, but in other parts of the United States and Canada.

So I thought it’d be fun to throw up photos of some of my favorite dishes from 2011. Herein are the “winners” on that list in no particular order.

The Seafood Skewer served tableside on Holland America’s m.s. Eurodam.

ART Shrimp Cocktail in downtown Seattle’s Four Seasons Hotel

Shuckers Crab Louie in the Fairmont Hotel in Seattle

Antipasti Plate at The Pink Door in the Pike Place Market

Roasted Beet Salad with Grilled Salmon at Purple Cafe & Wine Bar in Woodinville, Washington

Vietnamese Crepe at Bambuza Vietnamese Cuisine in downtown Seattle (now under new ownership with a new name–920 Pike)

Roasted Chicken Caesar Salad with Cheddar Dressing at Dominion Square Taverne in downtown Montreal, Canada

Crab Tails at Elliott’s’ Oyster Bar and Restaurant in downtown Seattle

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad at Place Pigalle in the Pike Place Market

The Abalone Appetizer at The Oyster Bar along the Chuckanut Drive north of Seattle

The Everything Green Salad with Dungeness Crab at The Pink Door in the Pike Place Market

Grilled Oysters with Cheese at The Inn at Semiahmoo in Blaine, Washington

Octopus and Beans at Lecosho on the Harbor Steps in downtown Seattle

Smoked Salmon Appetizer and Side Salad at Luc in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood

Shrimp and Grits at Joule in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood

Tuna Bowl at Revel in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood

And, just for a bit of final fun:

The Fried Mars Bar with Vanilla-Bean Ice Cream at Garde Manger in the Old City section of Montreal, Canada

We are so happy to revisit these amazing Blue Mussels served at Voilà Bistro in Madison Valley.

The Blue Cheese Mussels at Voilà Bistrot in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood never fail to please, especially when paired with a hearty California Zin. Here’s the before dish (above).

And the after. . .nothing is left but artfully arranged shells! You’ll find the recipe for Blue Cheese Mussels in Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining, where Voilà Bistrot chef/owner Laurent Gabrel suggests pairing them with a good-quality Washington-State Merlot.

On one of the last sunny summer Saturdays in Seattle, Spencer and I decided to walk along Alki Beach to soak up a few rays and get our daily dose of Vitamin D.

But before setting out, we had lunch at Cactus restaurant, which faces the beach and is like a little mini-vacation in and of itself.

Here’s my gorgeous Mexican Chop-Chop Salad taken with my iPhone4 in “normal” mode. . .

And looking even more seductive, sexy, and sublime with the Hipstamatic app.

The satisfying salad is described on the menu as, “Chile–lime marinated grilled natural chicken breast, mixed greens, queso blanco, verduras, olives, pepitas, pico de gallo, roasted corn, and chipotle–balsamic vinaigrette.”

For it’s simple beauty and hearty taste, Cactus’s Chop-Chop Salad deserves my Dish of the Day.