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.

The Pink Door has created an authentic Italian dessert in honor of the bounty of the season, as well as the recent National-Can It-Forward Day at Pike Place Market.

Ball Canning Company’s Canning Across America event showcased some of Seattle’s favorite chefs demonstrating  popular summer canning recipes, including a mixed-berry jam, dill pickles, canned tomatoes, and more with viewers asking questions and sharing tips via live streaming video. An excerpt can be viewed here:  http://bit.ly/mRl3YT

The Pink  Door’s pastry chef (and Pike Place Market native) Kelsey Angell created a delicious Mixed Berry Crostata, inspired by freshly canned mixed berry jam, prepared by local canning expert and gluten-free baker Jeanne Sauvage.

“Crostata is a typical Italian dessert made with jam. The ‘pasta frolla’ or pie dough is spread with the jam and topped with a lattice crust. We are modifying it by adding Northwest blackberries, blueberries, and currants on top of the jam. So the final masterpiece is half Italian Crostata and half a traditional American Pie–just like me!” explains Jackie Roberts, founder of The Pink Door.

You can try your hand with the recipe below (courtesy of The Pink Door), or enjoy it at venerable Pike Place Market restaurant for $8.00.

Mixed Berry Crostata

One 9-inch Tart pan with a removable bottom

Pasta Frolla:

3 Cups All-Purpose flour, Unbleached

1 cup Super fine Sugar (Bakers sugar)

1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

1 Lemon, zest and chop or use a micro-plane

1/2 pound unsalted butter, diced

2 egg yolks

1 egg, whole

Filling:

1 Jar Ball Canning Company Mixed berry Jam

2 baskets mixed berries, such as…currants, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries

Mix dry ingredients, cut in the butter until walnut pieces size.

Add the eggs, and mix just until incorporated.

Divide 2/3rds and 1/3rd . Form into a round flat disc shape between two pieces of wax paper or plastic. Let rest for 1 hour.

Roll each circle, The larger goes into the tart shell, the smaller gets cut into strips to form lattice over the top of the berries.

Fill the unbaked shell w/ 1 jar of mixed berry jam and cover w/ berries mixture.

Lattice over top. Brush w/ egg wash. Sprinkle w/ turbanato sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbly.

Let rest to room temp. serve!

One of my favorites dishes–something that I get a fierce craving for from time to time–is the vegetarian chili at the Steelhead Diner in the Pike Place Market.

Here’s a gorgeous cup of Alex’s Vegetable Chili, the thick, spicy stew topped with a melt of oooey, gooey Pepperjack cheese; a BIG dollop of sour cream; cilantro; and pico de gallo; and accompanied by a rakish raft of crispy cracker.

For being so warm, comforting, and downright satisfying, Steelhead Diner’s vegetarian chili more than deserves my Dish of the Day.

Our long-time friend and colleague, Jackie Roberts, owner of the venerable Pink Door restaurant in the Pike Place Market, and her chef, Steve Smrstik, have recently become avid beekeepers.

In an effort to raise awareness about the peril of the honeybee, Roberts and Smrstik will present the documentary,  “The Vanishing of  The Honeybees,” followed by conversation led by local “Beeks” (beekeepers)  from Seattle’s Urban Bee Project.com on Sunday, August 7, at 6 p.m.

“Our food chain is in peril as the honeybees are perishing,” Roberts told me. “We started this past spring with one hive in our backyard. The colony multiplied very rapidly and formed a ‘swarm,’ and right before our eyes 6,000 bees flew onto a branch 30-feet-high in our neighbor’s  back yard. It was quite thrilling!

“Our hope in showing this documentary is to help educate and raise awareness about the dire situation of the honeybee and what we can all do about it as urban dwellers. Many people do not realize that without the honeybee we would not be able to enjoy many of the foods we eat. Our front-yard vegetable garden is lushly thriving thanks in great part to our phenomenal friends, the honeybees.”

Attendees are asked to donate $5.00 to attend the viewing and join the conversation. The Pink Door will be serving complimentary antipasti.

So mark your calendars now for Sunday evening, August 7. Local honeybees, beekeepers, and the entire food chain will thank you!

Every now and again I get a craving for a particular food. Sometimes it’s Oysters on the Half Shell (which I attribute to low iron and magnesium counts). Other times it’s a good Salmon Caesar Salad. Sometimes (hate to admit it), it’s Southern Fried Chicken.

A few weeks ago, craving the city’s best Salmon Burger, I started my quest.

We began our search at the venerable Virginia Inn in the Pike Place Market, which has always been known for their crab cakes. The Inn’s burger,  pictured above, is made of ground salmon, basil-pesto aïoli, and a blanket of Swiss cheese atop. A bit gummy, okay flavor, but nothing to write home about.

We found the next contender at Chinook’s in Fishermen’s Terminal, a restaurant that has been featured previously in our Dish of the Day. This was an actual sockeye salmon fillet, simply grilled, on a plain bun with the fixings shown above. Pretty lackluster and ho-hum, sadly.

Finally, I found my favorite Salmon Burger at Ray’s Boathouse, a place we’ve written about in this blog and in “Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining.”

We enjoyed our salmon upstairs in the casual Ray’s Cafe upstairs. This was a well-seasoned, flavorful, perfectly grilled specimen on a good bun.

The description from the menu reads, “Fresh salmon ground and seasoned at Ray’s, spinach leaves, and tarragon-shallot mayonnaise.” The lovely side salad that I asked for instead of fries enhanced the flavor of the sandwich.

With picture-postcard views of Shilshole Bay outside our window-side seats and a couple of glasses of freshly brewed iced tea, we savored the joys of living in the Pacific Northwest as I enjoyed Seattle’s best Salmon Burger.

It’s a rite of passage in the Northwest. . .and a sign of spring and summer soon to come. . . when the Pike Place Market’s famous Pink Door Restaurant offers up its Everything Green Salad.

It’s a tasty combo of fava beans, English peas, asparagus, pistachios, and bibb lettuce served with creamy tarragon dressing.

I order a side of Dungeness Crab meat and–whoosh–this becomes a main-dish salad.

Just for good measure, here’s a shot of PD’s Antipasti Platter, one of the most colorful and beautiful about town.

The platter includes prosciutto, tuscan bean salad, mozzarella, tapanada, grilled seasonal vegetables, salami, and more.

But since I don’t do the charcuterie thing, I order mine with extra veggies and cheese. Delish!

Either of these treats more than deserve being crowned with today’s Dish of the Day.

On a gorgeous spring Saturday, when we struck out from home hungry and in search of the perfect lunch/brunch, we stopped in at Steelhead Diner for some sustenance before a bunch of errands and chores.

Now I’ve always been a BIG fan of Alex’s Vegetable Chili, served with pico de gallo, melted pepperjack cheese, and cilantro sour cream.

But casting out for something a bit more meaty, this day I opted instead for a cup of the Diner’s Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, a hearty concoction redolent with chipotle and assorted other peppers and teaming with chicken chunks and coins of Hempler’s Smoked Andouille Sausage.

Now I don’t even eat pork, but it was not much of an inconvenience to pick out the piggy parts and enjoy the rest.

An accompanying Golden Beet Salad with Watercress, Toasted Walnuts, Oregonzola & Toasted Black Mustard Seed Vinaigrette completed my meal on a healthy note. The vinaigrette was a joyous surprise of flavors–I never would have guessed its main ingredient if I hadn’t looked back at the menu.

Great work, Chef Anthony (Polizzi)! You’ve just won our Dish(es) of the Day award!

A gorgeous appetizer offered up at Il Bistro in the Pike Place Market was one of the most satisfying treatments of fresh asparagus I’ve ever eaten.

I’m guessing the handful of stalks were first lightly steamed or blanched, then sautéed quickly in good olive oil with capers and a hint of garlic. Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and a coddled egg made for the perfect toothsome touches.

Signs of spring continued with a dish of perfectly floured and seasoned, then sautéed, halibut. The fish is normally served atop mashed potatoes, but I asked for, and was graciously served, a side of spaghetti in marinara sauce instead. Buonissimo!

With asparagus and halibut back on the menu, can Copper River salmon be far behind?!?!

Remember the holidays? They seem like such a long time ago. We’ve even seen Valentine’s Day come and go. Times flies when you’re having fun, etc.

But one meal we enjoyed in December still sticks in my mind. We enjoyed it right after we returned from our Carmel and San Francisco getaway/food-and-wine fest/decadent dalliance.

Since we overindulged so much during those glorious nine days, the moment we returned to Seattle I knew it was time to get back to my usual, more sensible diet.

As often happens when we return from and an eat-and-drink fest, I craved The Pike Pub’s Spinach Salad with an Oven-Roasted Wild Salmon Fillet. It’s a healthy combination of the freshest baby spinach leaves, a perfectly cooked piece of wild salmon (medium-rare in the middle), slivered almonds, a sprinkling of real Parmigiano-Reggiano, and hard-boiled eggs.

It’s usually tossed with low-cal Honey-Mustard Dressing. Good girl that I was and am, I always ask for my dressing on the side so I can drizzle, dip, and dab to my heart’s content.

It’s served with a freshly baked Spent-Grain Roll, which, by meal’s end, helped me scrape up every last piece of spinach and salmon from my plate.

My better half ordered his favorite, the Pub’s perfectly battered and air-fried Halibut and Chips. As good as I was trying to be diet-wise that day, I really love it when he orders this dish cuz I can steal a good, browned corner of one of the fish fillets and a few fries, and thereby get my crunch and potato fix for the week.

During our meal, we enjoyed catching up with the Pike Pub’s effusive founders and owners–Rose Ann and Charles Finkel–one of the most fun couples we know.

We realized that, as much as we love California, it felt great to be home. . .

Which more than qualifies The Pike Pub’s Spinach Salmon Salad and Halibut and Chips as our Dishes of the Day.

Back when it was still summer time in Seattle, back when the sun was shining and you could eat outside without freezing to death or getting blown into Puget Sound, we enjoyed a Saturday lunch at Tom Douglas’s latest eatery–Seatown Snack Bar. It’s located just across the street from the venerable Pike & Western Wine Shop at the corner of Virginia and Western overlooking Victor Steinbrueck Park and right next door to Tom’s long-running Etta’s Seafood.

Since our visit, Seatown has been renamed Seatown Seabar & Rotisserie to better mirror its mission–as a place for a drink and a nosh or even full meal, with a handy rotisserie serving take-out mains and sides next door. It’s also had a bit of a menu overhaul; luckily, the dishes we ordered are still on the menu.

Here’s the Seatown Sampler, replete with tastes of all six types of seafood featured in the Smoked Seafood section of the menu. We especially liked the Westport Black Cod with Nectarine Miso–silky, slightly sweet, and a bit salty. Less desirable was the Willapa Bay Oysters with Fennel Relish and Tobiko (mea culpa: I’m not a fan of smoked oysters in general and this one was really smoky).

Spencer ordered the Northwest Free-Range Chicken Dinner from the Entrée Plates section of the menu. It came with Dripping Potatoes and Garlic Rapini and proved to be a sizable chunk o’ chix. And who could ever resist a dish with a name like “dripping potatoes!”

We loved the whimsical murals in the ladies’ room. Made me want to tango with the merrily dancing crabs!

And we would have loved to have ordered a scoop of Concord Grape Sorbet, which sounded cool and refreshing and very Northwest to boot, but we had to get on with our Saturday afternoon errands. Next time!