We’ve all heard of and enjoyed Alaskan king crab legs and claws. But how many of us have heard of Alaskan King crab TAILS?

I certainly hadn’t until I received a press release from the good folks at Elliott’s Oyster House & Restaurant in Seattle that informed me that although King crab tails are a rarity in restaurants, they are featured on Elliott’s Oyster House’s lunch and dinner menus this month.

Elliott’s executive chef Robert Spaulding describes the texture of crab tails as “somewhat like shrimp and the sweet taste of crab.”Although with the striated strips of flesh and mild taste, crab tails reminded me more of a cross between skate and monkfish.

A quick Google search turned up the following description of where crab tails actually come from: “King crabs have ‘tails,’ or abdomens, that are distinctive, being fan-shaped and tucked underneath the rear of the shell. Female king crab’s abdomen or ‘tail’ is very wide, covering a portion of each basal leg segment. Embryos are brooded under this tail on adults. Male king crabs have triangular shaped ‘tails’ which are only one third the size of females.”

In chef Robert’s preparation, which is served as an appetizer, three meaty crab-tail medallions are marinated with chili sauce, garlic, and shallots. They are then expertly grilled, with the perfect amount of char around the edges. Served with Jicama-Chayote Slaw and Chili-Lime Beurre-Blanc sauce, the Spicy Grilled King Crab Medallions, the generous serving (which was plenty for my entrée) is a steal at just $13.

And the good news is that “the tails are available as long as the frozen stock lasts, often into late summer or early fall,” according to chef Robert. “Fresh are generally not available as they are taken off at the processing plants and frozen.”

Cheers to today’s lesson in Northwest seafood!

Photo courtesy of Elliott’s Oyster House

It’s never too late to update your calendar with key dates of all the fun events that take place each year at the “soul of Seattle,” a.k.a., the Pike Place Market.

Daffodil Day, Friday, March 18, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: The Market community and volunteers take to downtown-Seattle street corners to pass out thousands of locally grown daffodils and celebrate the arrival of spring.

Care for the Market Luncheon, Monday, May 16: Join Market supporters as they gather together to raise money for all the ongoing good work of the Pike Place Market Foundation.

Sunset Supper, Friday, August 19: The best bash of the year as the city’s key chefs and restaurateurs hit the pavers to cook at sunset while lucky party-goers sip, sup, and dance under the stars.

Last weekend will go down as one of the worst in recent memory, since early Saturday morning I fell and cut the base of my pinky finger on the sharp metal edge of a heavy-duty tape dispenser.

It was a pretty deep gash, but I toughed it out for four hours (even enjoying the always-amazing Oyster Stew and Beet and Arugula Salad at Place Pigalle) before the throbbing pain became too much.

Figuring we would not overload the United States health-care system, we opted not to go to our local emergency room, but rather to a nearby Urgent Care Clinic.

There, the doctor suggested he glue the wound back together versus stitches. Sounded good to me, as I hate needles or anything having to do with the sight of blood.

About an hour later, we were back on the street and ready to pick up our day, more or less where we had left off.

Things didn’t go well that night, as we could see blood coming out from underneath the bandages. The pain intensified.

First thing Sunday morning, I was all ready to go back to Urgent Care and get them to fix me up (again).

“No you won’t!” Spencer said. “We’re going to a real ER this time!”

And so we did.

Once there, a very nice doctor, originally from northern England so he had a pleasing Scots-like accent that reminded me of Scotty from the Star Trek television series, said the finger never should have been glued.

After several minutes of irrigation with warm saline solution (which felt wonderful!), he gave me two shots down the nerves in my finger (which hurt like hell!).

Next, he draped the wound with a blue cloth with a hole in the center,  then inserted four stitches made from blue nylon (or whatever stitches are made of).

He said I’d need to be in a splint for about a week, to stabilize my pinky and keep the stitches from pulling out.

So I am now doing all my typing with a splint and four stitches. NOT easy, and so other than for my blogs and articles, I’m sticking to lowercase as it’s too hard to shift.

I found out that Martha Stewart recently had to go to the emergency room for stitches, too, after her dog accidentally butted her in the lip, resulting in a bad split. Here are her gruesome photos, which certainly rival mine.

Get well and heal up soon, Martha!

Meanwhile, I will try to do the same. Splint off on Sunday; stitches out next Tuesday, if I last that long, sigh.

Seattleites eagerly await the months of March and November, when it’s easy to experience the best dining the city has to offer, with the return of Dine Around Seattle®.

Now in its tenth year, Dine Around Seattle® will be satisfying cravings throughout the Emerald City with prix-fixe dinners for $30 and prix-fixe lunches for $15.00 (before tax, tip, and beverages) at some of Seattle’s most delicious establishments.

Each restaurant will offer their Dine Around Seattle menu Sundays through Thursdays, now through March 31.

Follow the latest breaking news on the Dine Around Seattle promotioin on Twitter @dinearoundsea and Facebook #dinearoundseattle.

March’s participating restaurants include:

35th Street Bistro

ART Restaurant and Lounge

Barking Frog

Barrio Bellevue

Barrio Seattle

Barolo Ristorante

Beach Café

Bin on the Lake

Blue Acre Seafood

Café Campagne

Chandler’s Crabhouse

Chez Shea

Cutter’s Bayhouse

Earth & Ocean

Eva

Hunger

Hunt Club

Lecosho

Lot 3

Mamma Melina

McCormick’s Fish House & Bar

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant Downtown Seattle

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant Bellevue

Monsoon East

Monsoon Seattle

Nishino

Palisade Waterfront Restaurant

Palomino Bellevue

Palomino Seattle

Ponti Seafood Grill

Purple Café Bellevue

Ray’s Boathouse

Salty’s Alki

Salty’s Redondo Beach

Shuckers

Spazzo Italian Grill & Wine Bar

Stanford’s Northgate

Stanford’s Southcenter

Steelhead Diner

Stumbling Goat Bar and Bistro

Szmania’s

Toulouse Petit Kitchen & Lounge

Urbane

A recent press release came with the happy news that The Art Institute Portfolio Restaurant is just about to celebrate its tenth anniversary celebration and that the public is cordially invited to join the students, staff, and faculty in celebrating the restaurant’s big day.

Portfolio serves as an educational dining lab for students from The International Culinary School at AiS. Classical cuisine and white-linen service are de rigeuer here. Last summer, we enjoyed a multi-course meal and perfectly paired wine, thanks to long-time restaurant manager, Dieter Schaefer.

Under Dieter’s direction, upper-level students will create, prepare, and serve several four-course menus to choose from. Wines from Washington’s Willis Hall Winery will be matched to your menu choices.

This event is your opportunity to experience for yourself the outstanding cuisine, unique environment, and lovely Elliott Bay views of one of Seattle’s outstanding culinary institutes.

Event Specifics:

Wednesday through Friday, March 9 to 11, 2011.

Seatings daily at 5:30 and 6:00 pm.

The Art Institute’s Portfolio Restaurant

2600 Alaskan Way, Seattle WA  98121

Dinner with Wine $39, without Wine $29.

Reservations required by phone 206-239-2363.

Info @ WineDieter@cs.com.

Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley wine country

Dungeness Crab and Pine Nut Lasagne

Variety: Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris

Serves 8

This recipe comes from Nick’s Italian Café, which sits behind a modest storefront on the main drag in downtown McMinnville in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It’s so versatile you can pair it with Pinot Gris or Noir—or order a bottle of both and see which suits you better!

8 cloves garlic, peeled

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

10 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1/2 pound white mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour

4 cups hot whole milk

3/4 pound fresh or dried lasagne noodles

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

9 to 12 ounces Dungeness crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage and patted dry on paper towels to remove excess liquid

1/4 cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

3/4 cup pine nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the garlic cloves in the center of a medium piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with the oil, fold the foil into a packet, and roast for 45 minutes, or until the garlic is soft. Mash the garlic into a paste and set aside.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 1/2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk and simmer gently, stirring often and reducing the heat if needed, until the sauce is as thick as heavy cream, 30 to 35 minutes.

4. About 15 minutes before the béchamel is finished cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fresh lasagne noodles and cook until barely tender, 3 to 4 minutes. If using dried noodles, cook as the package directs. Drain and separate the noodles and set aside.

5. To finish the sauce, stir in the garlic paste, lemon zest, and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and cover the surface of the béchamel sauce with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

6. To assemble the lasagne, grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with the 1 teaspoon butter. Line the bottom of the dish with one third of the lasagne noodles. Scatter the crab over the noodles, spread one-third of the béchamel on top, then sprinkle with half the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano cheeses. Cover with another one-third of the noodles, scatter the reserved mushrooms on top, add dollops of ricotta (use all the ricotta), and spread another one-third the béchamel on top. Cover with the remaining noodles, spread the remaining béchamel on top, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheeses, and scatter the pine nuts on top.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown on top. Allow to rest for 10 minutes (so the lasagne can set up), then slice and serve.

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.

Scenes from our 2010 our small fundraising event, La Dolce Vita, held at the Women’s University Club

Last November, I became president of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Seattle Chapter, an invitational organization of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality whose mission is education, advocacy, and philanthropy.

Every other year, Les Dames, Seattle undertakes a major fundraising auction, with a smaller fundraising event in alternating years.

This year’s auction, entitled, Drink { Dine } Dash: An Evening of Great Taste, takes place on Thursday evening, March 31, at the Women’s University Club in downtown Seattle.

Drink {Dine} Dash promises to be an evening full of great food (a four-course meal created by our chef and restaurateur members), accompanied by fine wines (many donated or produced by our own members), and capped off by the famous Dessert Dash (a race for your favorite Dames-made dessert).

Tickets cost $125 per person. Please buy early, as the popular event is always a sell out!

Graham Kerr and fellow panelists at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show 2011

My latest article for The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine features a story about Graham Kerr, a.k.a. The Galloping Gourmet, who lives in a small community outside of Seattle.

Graham Kerr, a.k.a., The Galloping Gourmet, being interviewed at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show 2011

He planted a kitchen garden and, by so doing, hopes to change the world (again) thanks to his latest book: “Growing at the Speed of Life: A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden” (Perigee, $27).

(Second photograph courtesy of Amy Muzyka-McGuire)

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.

My latest Seattle Times article for Pacific Northwest magazine features a love story about local cocktail king A.J. Rathbun.

He and wife Natalie, and their two 80-pound dogs, Sookie and Rory, set out for Italy last fall, and will be back stateside in April.

Meanwhile, they’re enjoying la dolce vita in a rented villa in Italy.

Here’s their story and a recipe for a Spanish-Cava-based cocktail called “The Very Vernalagnia.”

Cin cin to lovers everywhere!