walla walla, part 2

i have some pictures from parts of this week, i promise. things are looking pretty boring on this page!

had an invigorating bike ride to the roastery EVERY morning of the trip, besides the sundays when they are closed. sooo good. and i got to make some of my own americanos! nice to get behind that pretty machine! took my book with me everyday, thinking i'd sit quietly and read. but this being a great hub of activity, it turned into a wonderful social hour, or two. on to the rest of the week:

monday enjoyed soup at home. made THE MOST PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE EVER. because that is what i do. for dipping, tomato basil soup.

tuesday was katherine's birthday. great excuse for dinner at saffron. we had kobe beef cheeks, patatas bravas, and pulpo a la fiera: grilled octopus dredged in pimento/paprika/warm red heat powder. for dinner i shared "pillows of heaven in a forest full of elk" or the best, lightest then dense-without-being-heavy, melt in your mouth gnocchi with chestnuts, mushrooms, green olives and elk ragu. and shared flatbread with bacon and some other stuff on it. i think cheddar cheese, washington apples. sensory overload after the gnocchi. ben gave me a few bites of lamb. the details are fuzzy.

wednesday. hmm. i am trying to remember what i ate on wednesday and i just can't.

thursday back to brasserie 4 for a dinner date. ate pretty minimally, as this night i just wanted to talk with two of my most favorite people. enjoyed frenchy fries, a pureed brussel sprout soup and the conversation.

friday i got caught in the rain on my way to lunch at sweet basil. on the bike. in the cold. never quite recovered, so headed to pho sho for dinner. the house special with meatballs, thin slices of beef, steamy broth, noodles and lots of sriracha had me feeling warm and toasty. this is my favorite place to eat alone with a book. and i got some reading time in.

saturday and sunday we did some home cookin'. as you can imagine, i started itching for some cooking time... so more about the rest of the week later!

walla walla! part 1

been eating real good out here, don't you worry about a thing.

felt super adventurous to leave the seattle airport during my layover. rode the bus to the market and walked around. got coffee and an amazing cookie. people watching and rain. then back and onto a small plane with charles smith (food and wine winemaker of the year!), kyle mclachlan (twin peaks!) and a bunch of tourists. picked a good weekend.

arrived friday night and was eating bun at pho sho about an hour later. a cold vietnamese salad with lots of fresh greens, sprouts, basil and cilantro. fried tofu and a peanut sauce.

saturday morning rode my favorite bike out to the walla walla roastery. had a perfect cappucino. their coffee has always given me the most powerful sensation: a tingle, almost poprocks sort of physicality to the taste. and then a rushing current that i can feel in my body. electric espresso!

that evening, we ate at brasserie four, which opened right before i left. it was great then and now seems more mature and comfortable in its own skin. chicken pate with apples, figs, honey and pickled onions. apparently i was moaning. for dinner, duck confit pizza. really great crust, fried egg on top, etc. more moaning!

sunday morning i went back to b4 for an americano. they use stumptown and it was amazing. a perfect bar for waking up and reading the paper. later, since the tourists were gone, we felt free to head out to waitsburg to whoop em up hollow cafe and jimgermanbar. this whole experience was so highly anticipated, that i really couldn't help but think that i was blowing it out of proportion. with the early sunset, it was already dark for the ride. really great moon and blazing stars. i miss you stars!

at the whoop: fried catfish. a big pile of greens, beans and rice. just like the first time i ever ate there. then to jgb and had jim make me something. i couldn't decide, it was overwhelming to walk into a space that i have spent so much time thinking about. soon i had a cocktail. barolo chinato. a perfect choice, knowing that i love those digestif flavors. haunting and refreshing, leaving memories. and i am pretty sure it is only tuesday?

north carolina

hey y'all. not much cooking going on lately, which is fine- because in north carolina last weekend, i got to eat out, the whole time! highlights:

*izzy's for coffee.. they use counter culture beans, which i knew to be good after seriously tasting their stuff at the SCAA (coffee nerd convention) in atlanta this spring. hit their downtown asheville location twice in one day, then the one in west asheville (on a different day). both exactly the right size and feel. big fan.

*had breakfast with the band at early girl cafe. this brunch cast a spell on me. i can't stop thinking of biscuits. had a perfectly simple egg biscuit with fruit. it is nice when it is exactly right and there is no fuss.

*had porter on tap at a bar with sausages and pretzels. cincinnati, they had porter on tap at every bar we went to. get hip or you might lose me.

*an amazing breakfast in the car, picked up in durham at this bakery/restaurant with an impossible name. i have no idea how to say it, but i guess you just sound it out? guglhumf? i got a mini quiche with roasted vegetables and an almond croissant. total breakfast of champions. the bread looked so incredible. maybe next time. (ps- kit, if you read this, i thought of you the whole time i was in your neck of the woods... but it was short and sweet!)

*dinner at tupelo honey, back in asheville. i knew it would be great. enjoyed a glass of wine for a more tame evening- a chilean carmenere for rinsing down goat cheese grits, fried okra, pinto beans and a fresh salsa all in one bowl. and more BISCUITS! with a blueberry jam.

*and after that, i needed something sweet and totally overordered at the french broad chocolate shop. a local cheese plate, some truffles (you know, strawberry balsamic, indian kufi, mole negro, etc) and a press of tea. saved most for snacks the next day...

*lunched after a tour of the biltmore at the mellow mushroom. great pizza and a smoked porter before hitting the road.