The Restaurant: “We don’t have any specials tonight because you are looking at our ‘fresh sheet,’” Lindsey Norton quipped about the menu I was poring over at Cafe Parco, Madison Park’s latest addition.
The Rías Baixas, located on Spain’s Costa de Mariscos in the southern part of the Galicia region, is a kindred geographical spirit to the Pacific Northwest. Which is to say, it rains there — a lot. Luckily, the resilient, en vogue Mediterranean variety of Albariño handles the dampness quite nicely. The grape has no trouble growing — or even flourishing — in the misty, cool coastal terrain that is much like our own.
The Restaurant: In a way, Flying Fish began the great relocation to South Lake Union. Many followed Chef and Owner Christine Keff’s Belltown restaurant to the newly gentrified Amazon City, including MistralKitchen and several Tom Douglas eateries. Now, Flying Fish is SLU’s only fine seafood eatery — complete with
There’s a lot of pressure put on the grape Dolcetto. It’s two siblings are practically gods in the wine appellation of Piedmont in northwestern Italy; Nebbiolo reigns in the Barolo and Barbaresco regions, while Barbera holds court in the towns of Asti and Alba.
It’s pronounced exactly how you think it is — Gru-ner Velt-LEEN-er. The German rolls off your tongue, thanks to the Germanic roots of our English language. Grüner Veltliner is arguably one of the most food-friendly white wines out here, as well as a great value — sometimes sold at ridiculously low prices. Thought you’d like that one, Mr. Debt Ceiling.
A nostalgic bartender told me he pined for the good ol’ days of liquor libations — as he eloquently put it, for the “lost art of the cocktail.” That is, instead of the ostentatious, flamboyant refreshments that alcoholic drinks have become.
Eastlake is full of “neighborhood joints.” From the Zoo Tavern’s billiards and live music to Serafina’s Sunday brunches and cooking classes to the new addition of Little Water Cantina and their mint-flourishing star-gazer patio, the restaurants are cozy and familiar, the bartenders remember names and life seems a little bit slower on this side of the lake.
Lettie Teague, former executive wine editor of Food & Wine Magazine and current wine columnist of the Wall Street Journal, doesn’t like Prosecco.
Teague is a firm believer in some wines only being consumed where they are from to fully understand the experience. Prosecco, she stated in a recent column, is high on this list.
When faced with the dilemma of an extensive and enticing bill of fare, a foodie must weigh her menu decision based upon the beverage at hand. In other words, what booze is in your glass and what culinary goodness will match it?
I easily tire of wine whiners: those who claim to despise a varietal solely based on the name, even though there’s no way they’ve
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