Just about a week ago, I enjoyed my very first oysters of the season at the new Bar Campagne in the Pike Place Market. The bar features a simple, and more lengthy menu than before, with items such as Fried Oysters with Lemon-Caper Aïoli (which I can attest to are plump, crispy, and perfectly fried), Baked Tuna and Anchovy Toast, and Bagna Cauda (fresh veggies with warm anchovy dip).

The briny beauties as crisp and clean as breathing fresh sea air

We stopped by for a nosh and a nip (or three) after a “Tea-up” (tweeting event with tea) at The Perennial Tea Room in honor of the fourth annual Northwest Tea Festival, which runs Saturday, October 2, and Sunday, October 3, in the Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center.

Julee Rosanoff (foreground), who has co-owned The Perennial Tea Room in the Pike Place Market along with business partner Sue Zuege since 1989 and is one of the founding members of the Northwest Tea Festival, talks tea while Anna Li of The Essential Baking Company looks on

It was a truly educational and fun event where we learned that all forms of tea (green, black, oolong) are produced from the same plant (Camellia sinensis). The tastes of tea range from buttery to new-mown grass to fruity to malty–even chocolate!

Two tasty tea breads from The Essential Baking Company, a locally owned artisan bakery

We also learned that The Essential Baking Company was chosen to be the festival’s official food vendor. The locally owned artisan bakery will dish up soups, salads, sandwiches, pastries, and a new product launched especially for the festival–tea cakes–in the Northwest Tea Festival’s Tea Garden Café in the Olympic Room. We were among the first people to try the organic cakes in enticing flavors of Blueberry Orange, Lemon Raspberry, and Carrot Pineapple. . .all moist, full-flavored, and not too sweet. . .just perfect for that morning, afternoon, or evening cuppa!

No to fear. Even if you can’t be among the estimated 2,000 tea aficionados to attend this year’s festival, you can try the tea cakes at The Essential Bakery Cafés in Wallingford, Madison Valley, and Georgetown beginning this weekend.

Extra-virgin martinis, a four-course menu, and a decadent dessert duo are just some of the highlights of The New American Olive Oil dinner that is coming to the Seattle Art Museum’s TASTE Restaurant on Saturday, October 2.

This very special evening commences with a reception during which guests will enjoy an olive-oil cocktail dubbed the Extra Virgin Martini. Created by TASTE mixologist Duncan Chase, it’s a clever combo of craft spirits and dehydrated olive-oil powder (to avoid oil slicks on top of the cocktail).

The dinner menu, a collaboration between Fran Gage, author of “The New American Olive Oil” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2009); Danielle Custer, director of TASTE Restaurant; and TASTE executive chef Craig Hetherington, is made up of recipes from Gage’s cookbook and Hetherington’s original creations. All feature a specific type of California extra virgin olive oil.

Sponsored by Les Dames d’Escoffier, Seattle Chapter in partnership with TASTE Restaurant and San Francisco Dame Fran Gage, The New American Olive Oil dinner takes place at TASTE Restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum on Saturday, October 2, starting at 6 p.m.

On the menu? Lamb and Bulgur-Wheat Meatballs, Foraged Chanterelles with Poached Farm Egg, Fresh Ricotta Gnocchi, and Fish Stew.

And let’s not forget dessert. TASTE executive pastry chef Lucy Damkoehler plans to pair Olive-Oil Ice Cream with Grape & Rosemary Focaccia and Beecher’s Honey Blank Slate cheese. Gage’s offering? Almost Flourless Chocolate Cake.

With olive oil generously donated by the California Olive Oil Producers and wines by Seattle Dame Susan Neel (McCrea Cellars Grenache and White Grenache), the evening promises to be both lively and educational.

Cut-off date for reservations is fast approaching. . .Monday, September 27. Reservations can be made by calling TASTE at 206.903.5291 or e-mailing tasterestaurant@tastesam.com.

Schedule of events for The New American Olive Oil Workshop, Book Signing, and Dinner taking place on Saturday, October 2, 2010, includes:

3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., The New American Olive Oil Workshop: Dame Fran Gage presents a workshop and olive-oil tasting of California extra-virgin olive oils at SAM’s Alvord Boardroom, $45 per person.

4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., The New American Olive Oil Book Signing: Book Signing with Dame Fran Gage at TASTE. Free to attend; books for sale (for $29.95 plus tax) at TASTE.

6:00 p.m. to 8:30, The New American Olive Oil Four-Course Tasting and Dinner: The four-course California extra-virgin olive oil-themed dinner features Gage’s and Hetherington’s recipes and takes place at TASTE, $85 per person, tax and tip inclusive.

SAM is located at 1300 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101. The entrance for SAM is on First Avenue and Union Street; entrance for TASTE Restaurant is on First Avenue between Union and University Streets.

Partial proceeds from each ticket sold will go to Les Dames d’Escoffier, Seattle Chapter to help provide educational opportunities for women in Washington State pursuing careers in the culinary arts, beverage, and hospitality industries; support community outreach programs; and promote sustainable-agriculture projects.

About Fran Gage: Fran Gage tastes olive oil for the California Olive Oil Council, for two University of California taste panels, and judges olive-oil competitions, including the prestigious Los Angeles International Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Competition. Her latest book, The New American Olive Oil (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2009, $29.95) includes profiles of artisan producers and 75 recipes. www.frangage.com

About TASTE Restaurant: TASTE Restaurant nourishes its community of guests with great food made from the best local ingredients in an inviting atmosphere while minimizing the impact on our environment. To see menus and learn more about TASTE, visit the restaurant’s blog at http://tastesamblog.wordpress.com or visit www.tastesam.com.

About Les Dames d’Escoffier, Seattle Chapter: Les Dames d’Escoffier, Seattle Chapter, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization, is an invitational society of professional women of high achievement in the fields of food, beverages, and hospitality. Its mission is educational and philanthropic, and it provides and supports opportunities in these areas. During its 21-year history, the organization has disbursed in excess of $275,000.

Doesn’t this dish just make you proud of the Pacific Northwest?

It’s the Whole Roasted Dungeness Crab with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus from Shuckers seafood restaurant. Worth every penny of its $37 price tag, it also merits a Dish of the Day award

Now that summer has finally arrived in Seattle, it’s time to try Tulio Ristorante chef Walter Pisano’s summer-dessert menu for grownups: housemade gelato and sorbetto imbued with Italian spirits such as Prosecco, Sambuca, and Limoncello (my fave).

The special dessert treats are available through Labor Day, so don’t delay!

To whet your appetite, here are some details of what chef Walter is dishing up:

Prosecco float: honey gelato, Italian honey cream, prosecco

Sambuca sundae: vanilla gelato, sambuca, toasted fennel praline

Lemon on lemon: limoncello over lemon sorbet, fresh mint

Amaretto split: vanilla gelato, amaretto, spiced candied marcona

Espresso grappa: espresso-infused grappa over triple chocolate gelato, chocolate covered espresso bean

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. You just can’t beat the little “jewel/joule” box of a restaurant in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle–Joule.

Here are some shots from a dinner we had there this spring. Pictured above is the Chicken Salad–light and lovely pieces of chicken breast mixed with Bibb lettuce, grapefruit segments, and a spicy dressing. This would have made the perfect entrée.

But we’re glad we didn’t stop there, for the Zucchini Basil Pancake with Shrimp and Soy Mustard Sauce was a revelation. . .similar to a Vietnamese Crepe but more dense and eggy.

Whenever we eat at Joule and it’s available, Spencer has the Whole Branzino with Zucchini + Salted Shrimp Fricasse.

While I almost always opt for the Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes, Roasted Lemon, and Chili Broth.

I’ll post an update later on next week of our latest find there. . .

Party hardy along the cobblestones at the Pike Place Market’s 14th annual Sunset Supper on Friday, August 14!

Enjoy one of the city’s most magical evenings as more than 50 of Seattle’s top restaurants, wineries, breweries, and food merchants transform the Pike Place Market’s Main Arcade into one big party under the stars.

Guests will enjoy sample-sized portions of their favorite dishes created by some of Seattle’s finest chefs, plus enjoy tastings of local wines and beverages. Proceeds from Sunset Supper support the Market’s four human service agencies–the Senior Center, Child Care & Preschool, Medical Clinic, and the Downtown Food Bank. Together, these agencies assist nearly 10,000 local people in need each year.

The Pink Door’s famous lasagna is among the samples being served at Pike Place Market’s 14th Annual Sunset Supper
Details:

WHEN: Friday August 14th, 2010

7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

WHERE: Pike Place Market Main Arcade
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 774-5254

Kerry Sear, executive chef at ART Restaurant & Lounge, is known about town for his amazing sliders—vegetarian, beef, and salmon—that he originated while still chef/owner of Cascadia restaurant and now serves during ART’s super-popular (and incredibly reasonably priced) happy-hour (Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.).

But during our recent remodel, when the offer of dinner at the new Bin on the Lake (BotL—get it?) followed by an overnight stay at the Woodmark Hotel on Kirkland’s Carillon Point was especially welcome, the media types around the table all agreed we had found a worthy contender.

Executive Chef Scott Lents’ amazing Scallops P.L.T. (layered with prosciutto, Bibb lettuce, and cured tomato and served on puffy, fluffy, housemade brioche buns gently kissed with garlic aïoli and topped by a leaf of fresh basil) are a revelation. The plumpest, most prime Diver sea–its edges wrapped in a fine layer of prosciutto, was seared and caramelized to golden-brown perfection. Non-pork eaters (such a yours truly) can ask for the P.L.T. without the P, no problemo.

We enjoyed the P.L.T. almost as much on a subsequent visit, and our table mate (who had never experienced them, but had enjoyed chef Kerry’s iteration) agreed they were grand.

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.

Good news for gluten-intolerant customers!

Due to a recent health crisis–discovering she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS)–Jackie Roberts, owner and founder of the long-running Pink Door restaurant in the Pike Place Market, has re-examined her menu and wine list. She now offers gluten-free options along with a lengthy carte of biodynamic and organic wines.

Spaghetti (Quinoa) Primavera features green garlic, spring peas, fava beans, spring mushrooms, spinach, fresh herbs, and nubbins of goat cheese to make it creamy, all for $17

“I’ve been on a sabbatical of sorts (health crisis) and wanted to be sure you knew about the new gluten-free pasta on our menu,” she wrote in an e-mail. “Also, in my own personal quest for healthier eating/drinking,  I have printed a ‘key’ in the form of a sun to denote the massive collection of organic, biodynamic, and sustainably farmed wines that are on our 150-bottle list. I am quite proud of this. When I’m dining out, I notice there are no quality organics on most restaurants’ lists (or if there are, the staff is not knowledgeable about them).”

Jackie has spent hours testing every wheat-free pasta from Italy, San Francisco, and Seattle to serve at The Pink Door. What Roberts has unveiled (and is proving very popular at the restaurant) is not just a substitute, but a gluten-free dish made from quinoa that is truly delicious and bursting with the freshness of spring.

Spaghetti Primavera is a wonderful alternative for people who are gluten intolerant or simply want to enjoy a healthy option over traditional wheat-based pasta dishes.

As many of us are trying to eat more consciously, choosing local, seasonal, and sustainable foods to add to our healthy diets, wine drinkers are also beginning to ask where the grapes in the bottle are sourced and how they are grown.

Enter the long-running (28 years!) Pink Door restaurant in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, which is highlighting a whopping half of its 129-bottle wine list with a coded sun asterisk to denote sustainably farmed, organic, or biodynamic wine producers!

This collection has been developed over several years and is proving to be the central theme of The Pink Door’s wine program.

Here are just a few of the sustainably farmed or biodynamically grown wines to note:

· Semillon/Sauvignon/Muscadel 2008 Buty; Columbia Valley
· Grenache 2006 Quivira; Wine Creek Ranch; Sonoma
· Pinot Gris Reserve 2008 Cooper Mountain; Willamette Valley, Oregon
· La Segreta Bianco 2007 Grecanico/Chardonnay/Viognier; Planeta; Sicilia
· Barolo 2005 Vietti; Castiglione; Piemonte
· Teroldego Rotaliano 2007 Foradori; Trentino

Thanks to Pink Door founder/owner Jackie Roberts (a.k.a., “La Padrona”) for her forward-thinking commitment to sustainable wine drinking and making it easier for all of us to make sensible choices.