Nothing beats a cup of Red (Manhattan-Style) Clam Chowder. And one of the richest and most satisfying versions I’ve yet found about town is served up at Elliott’s Oyster House, perfectly perched along the Seattle Waterfront.

The picture-perfect Spinach Salad with Alder-Smoked Salmon that includes crumbled house-smoked salmon,toasted slivered almonds, Jack cheese, chopped egg, button mushrooms, and tomato in a caper vinaigrette.

Whenever I eat this combo, I feel satiated, yet somehow virtuous (spinach, veggies, salmon, and lots of lycophene–good for the heart!–from the soup’s hearty tomato-based broth).

Which more than qualifies Elliott’s Soup and Salad as our Dish of the Day.

One of our favorite places to eat–whether for Happy Hour goodies such as Salmon Sliders and Shrimp Cocktail or delectable dinner options such as Spice-Rubbed Salmon with Lobster-Poached Mashed Potatoes–is our next-door neighbor just across the courtyard–ART Restaurant & Lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle.

Jelle Vandenbrouck, new restaurant chef at ART Restaurant & Lounge

On a recent visit to the main dining room, we were thrilled to meet the new restaurant chef, Jelle Vandenbroucke, who will work alongside Kerry Sear, executive chef and director of food & beverage, will continue to oversee Four Seasons Hotel Seattle’s ART Restaurant & Lounge, special events, weddings and in-room dining.

From Michelin one-star restaurants Hertog Jan in Bruges, Belgium, and Mulberry Restaurant in Charlton House, Shepton Mallet, UK, to most recently, the Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche and Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village,Vandenbroucke brings years of experience at Michelin-star rated restaurants and a fresh creative flair to ART where he will continue to cultivate the restaurant’s urban Northwest cuisine.

Early last month, Vandenbroucke introduced a new menu with dishes such as Sunchoke Bisque with a Goat-Cheese Spring Roll and Chive Purée or a Pike XXXXX Stout, Pork Cheeks with Coffee Powder and Three-Way Belgian Endive to start. Entrée dishes include Alaskan Weathervane Scallops with Fava-Bean Cassoulet, Sweet-Pea Foam, and Carrot Purée or Pan-Seared Halibut with Fiddlehead Ferns, Spring Morel Mushrooms, and Asparagus.

Jelle attributes his success to professional mentors and chefs along the way. Having cooked in kitchens in Europe, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jelle prepared his first meal at the age of 12, before entering culinary school and becoming a classically French-trained chef.

“I’m really looking forward to working alongside Kerry and getting to know all the local foragers and producers to put my own stamp on the menu,” said Vandenbroucke. When asked which dish most represents him, Vandenbroucke said, “Fish Cooked en Papillote [in parchment paper]. It is plain-looking from the outside, but when you take the time to open it, it is full of positive surprises.

Cheers to lots of “positive surprises,” and “welcome” to Chef Jelle Vandenbroucke.

Photo courtesy of ART Restaurant & Lounge

A press release from our friends at Watershed Communications in Portland, including Lota LaMontagne and Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival (PIWFF) founder Lisa Donoughe, shared the following news:

“At this year’s Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival (PIWFF) where the Grand Tasting takes place Saturday, May 14, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. at The Bison Building (419 NE 10th Ave, Portland), Indie winemaker alumni are taking center stage and pouring their wines, including Oregon’s highly lauded 2008 vintage.

“Returning winemakers will be joined by new wineries (some releasing their first-ever vintages at the festival) that are selected at a blind tasting organized in collaboration with Cole Danehower, author of “Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest,” published by Timber Press.

“Now in its seventh year, PIWFF 2011 will feature an all-star line-up of wineries that participated in the festival from 2005 – 2010, mixed with officially selected new wineries, set alongside Portland’s top chefs in a cool industrial space.

“PIWFF is a once-a-year opportunity to mingle with wineries that have been integral in building the craft winemaking movement in Oregon… and more importantly, to taste and buy their hard-to-find wines direct in one stop. Think of a quality-controlled, winemaker farmers market.

“Since the competition and festival began in 2005, we’ve seen many of our undiscovered wineries earn top scores from major wine media and grow into some of Oregon’s most talked about wine brands,” Donoughe said. “With Oregon’s 2008 vintage being touted as one of the state’s best ever, we thought it would be valuable to invite all alumni back (first-come, first-served!) to show off their best stuff.”

“Past PIWFF chef partners have included local chef luminaries such as James Beard nominated chef Cathy Whims of Nostrana and chef/butcher Adam Sappington of The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar. Just as the winemakers are on site to pour their wines, so too are the chefs to prepare and serve their food.”

Details:

The PIWFF Grand Tasting takes place Saturday, May 14, 2011 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. at The Bison Building (419 NE 10th Ave, Portland).

Tickets are on sale now for $75, and $125 for VIP early entry (1 p.m.). General-admission tickets include a commemorative festival tasting glass, pours from all wineries, and food from top Oregon chefs who share the same craftsmanship and values as the artisan wineries.

A complete list of participating wineries and chefs is now online.

My latest Northwest Edge post for Amazon.com’s Al Dente blog features a review of San Francisco author and friend Laura Werlin’s latest book, “Grilled Cheese, Please!: 50 Scrumptiously Cheesy Recipes,” along with her recipe for Hog Island Grilled Cheese sandwiches. Yum!

Cooking a recipe or three from Laura’s book would be a good lead-in to the Seattle Cheese Festival at the Pike Place Market, May 14 and 15.

We’re embarrassed to admit it’s been a full two months since we had our first tantalizing taste of a fabulous new tequila that’s just been introduced to Washington State and elsewhere throughout the country–Familia Camarena Tequila–at downtown Seattle’s tony Alexis Hotel.

But more than a tasting, this event was billed as a “Home Mixology Happy Hour,” where my fellow journalists and I got to mix it up, as it were, by making our own cocktail.

Each cocktail showcased one of Familia Camarena’s two grades of Tequila–Silver (unaged) and Reposado (aged two months in new and used American oak), made from 100-percent blue agave.

Both are expertly crafted by the Camarenas, a family that’s been in the tequila business in Mexico since the early 1700s, opened its first distillery in 1938, and bottled its first tequila almost 75 years ago.

Today, the family’s pure, smooth (very!), easy-drinking spirits are stylishly packaged and very reasonably priced at $20 for a 750-milliliter bottle.

Just this week I learned that one of the well-crafted cocktails we mixed that heady evening–Copa de Arandas–won the Chairman’s Trophy as the best original tequila cocktail of 2011 at the nationally recognized Ultimate Cocktail Competition held in New York City.

With Cinco de Mayo fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to share the award-winning recipe with you. It will make the perfect party sipper for the big day. . .something that stretches geographical boundaries and taste buds beyond the more-common Margarita.

Copa de Arandas

2 ounces Camarena Silver Tequila

1/2 ounce Blanc (white) Vermouth

1/2 ounce Sweet Vermouth

1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 ounce Italian Amaro

3 ounces ginger ale

Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

1. Combine the Tequila, Blanc Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth, lemon juice and Italian Amaro in a highball glass. Mix well.

2. Fill the glass to the brim with ice.

3. Top with ginger ale, and stir gently with a bar spoon. Garnish with mint.

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!

Scandinavian Salmon

Varietal: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Melon

Serves 6 to 8

I was skeptical when the owners of Panther Creek Cellars in Oregon’s Willamette Valley suggested Scandinavian Salmon could be paired with Pinot Noir, but the earthiness of the dill and in the fish (be sure to use wild salmon not farm-raised!) works well with similar notes in the wine. Pinot Gris and sparkling wine are other suggested pairings, although Melon—the same grape as France’s Muscadet, also known as Melon de Bourgogne—is a more intriguing possibility. According to the winery’s Web site, “The dry, yet fruity wine finds a passionate following among lovers of shellfish and seafood. In the nose of this varietal you’ll often find pear, citrus, and peaches. On the palate, it’s richly textured, with flavors of pear, peach, and apricot, and just a touch of sea salt.” The wine’s slight salinity helps it pair perfectly with seafood, especially the Northwest’s own native fish, salmon.

1 English cucumber

3 pounds wild salmon fillet, rinsed, drained, and patted dry

2 lemons, very thinly sliced

1 large bunch of dill

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. With a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber in long strokes and save the skins. Cut the cucumbers into thin rounds and reserve.

3. Line a large baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, placing one sheet of foil crosswise across the baking sheet, allowing enough excess foil on both sides to be folded across the fish. Run another sheet of foil lengthwise, again allowing enough excess foil to fold over the fish. Place the salmon skin side down in the center of the foil. Cover the fish with the cucumber skins, placing the white portion of the skins toward the fish.

4. Cover the cucumber skins with half of the lemon slices and top with half of the dill. Bring the ends of the lengthwise foil up around the top and bottom of the fish, fold neatly to seal the fish, then repeat with the other ends of foil until the fish, cucumber, lemon, and dill are completely enclosed.

5. Place the baking sheet on the center oven rack, and cook 50 to 55 minutes, or until the fish is opaque throughout, depending on the thickness of the fish and the desired doneness. Remove the packet from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Open the foil carefully to allow the steam to escape. Scrape off and discard the cucumber skins, lemon, and dill. Using a long, thin spatula, position the side edge of the spatula against the fat layer between the salmon flesh and skin. Move the spatula through the fat layer so that the flesh comes away from the skin. Transfer the salmon to a large serving plate and discard the skin and foil.

6. Just before serving, season the salmon to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the reserved cucumber slices and the remaining lemon slices and dill, and serve family style.

Cook’s Hint: If desired, the salmon can also be cooked on a gas grill over medium heat.

Recipe reprinted from “Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia” (Wiley, 2007, $34.95) by Braiden Rex-Johnson.

My latest Northwest Edge column for the for the spring issue of Wine Press Northwest features URBAN enoteca, a totally cool new “wine center” just south of downtown Seattle.

A couple of months ago, I started to become interested in plastic cameras, inexpensive cameras that offer unusual effects when you take pictures with them.

I was going to get a Holga or a set of Lensbaby lenses that diffuse the light, produce light leaks and color shifts, and shoot off center.

But, recent convert to Apple’s amazing iPhone4 that I am, instead I discovered an app called Hipstamatic that automatically creates these rather wonky images.

At first I thought I’d use the Hipstamatic iPhone app only to take photos in my other life. But one Saturday afternoon, over lunch at Bambuza Vietnamese Cuisine in downtown Seattle, I started playing around on some food shots.

Here’s one of the first ones I took. A simple shot of our tea cups and pot, striking against the vivid grains of the bamboo tabletop. And you just gotta love the 1960s-era ivory edges!

Below is my Vietnamese Crepe taken in a lot of natural light with the regular iPhone4 camera.

Same photo taken with the Hipstamatic! I love the way the crumpled napkin in my lap becomes part of the photo. . .like some sort of weird white sculptural element.

Over dinner at Vito’s on First Hill that evening, I took a photo of my Angel Hair Pasta with Calamari using the regular camera.

And the Hipstamatic, which created a warm and romantic shot, like something from another era.

Sunday evening, during dinner at the ever-romantic and long-running Andaluca in the Mayflower Park Hotel, I couldn’t resist playing around with the Hipstamatic once again.

Here’s a shot of our wine bottle and glass. . .love the frayed edges and rich, warm, crimson tones created by the seemingly magical Hipstamatic app.

I’m continuing to experiment with this very HIP(stamatic) app, and will post more food shots from time to time, so please stay tuned!

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?!?!