The Romans are leaving, which means more time to TASTE.

This weekend, May 10th and 11th, TASTE restaurant and the Seattle Art Museum will be open for 35 hours straight, when SAM gives folks one last chance to see the Roman Art exhibit before they ship her back to the Louvre. The restaurant will cook around the clock, adding an extended happy hour menu after the usual lunch and dinner service on Saturday, followed by a late-night menu from midnight to 4 a.m., then an early morning menu until lunch rolls around again on Sunday. We’ll head over around 3:30 a.m., when those killer frites with rosemary and remoulade are still available, then hit the museum’s “marathon weekend”� mid-stride. If all that marble makes us hungry again, we’ll go back downstairs just before dawn for TASTE pastry chef Elise Fineberg’s spring frittata with sweet peas and Quillisascut chevre.

TASTE ‘Marathon’ Hours & Menus:

SATURDAY
10 am to 11 am: Pastries
11 am to 3 pm: Lunch menu
3 pm to 12 am: Happy Hour / Bar menu
5 pm to 10 pm: Dinner Menu

SUNDAY
12 am to 4 am: Late night menu
4 am to 11 am: Early morning / Pastry menu
11 am to 3 pm: Lunch menu
3 pm to 9 pm: Happy Hour / Bar menu / Dinner menu

TASTE “Marathon”�, 10 a.m. May 10th to 9 p.m. May 11th. 1300 First Ave., 903-5291, DOWNTOWN.

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

Burmese Food Fundraiser This Saturday

According to this article in yesterday's Seattle P-I, the Washington State Buddhist Association will be holding a Burmese food fair this Saturday in Shoreline, and some of the funds raised will go to disaster relief. Not only may this be a rare chance to try ginger salad or mohinga, but you can provide some much-needed money to help out with what appears to have been Katrina to the 10th degree.

Shoreline Senior Activity Center
18560 First Ave. N.E., Shoreline
Saturday, May 10
4 p.m.-9 p.m.

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

Mycological Maynia

Image: http://www.extremescience.com/biggestlivingthing.htm

Did you know that an enormous fungal colony spans nearly ten square kilometers in Eastern Oregon's Blue Mountains? This species, Armillaria ostoyae, whose fruiting bodies are commonly known as honey mushroom, might — if the colony is considered one entity — be the largest organism on the planet. How is this possible, you ask, and might there be a similar mycological behemoth lurking in the Cascades?

Here's a chance to consult the experts at this all-day, all-mushroom event, sponsored by the Puget Sound Mycological Society. You can sample fungi soups, learn how to cultivate your own edible mushrooms, make spore prints, and take a lesson in turning these ancient organisms into homemade crayons (!), which your kids will probably love.

Sunday, May 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Burke Museum, 17th Ave. N.E. and N.E. 45th St., 543-5590, $8.

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

Gelato, gratis!

Gelatiamo, the cute Italian gelato shop downtown, is celebrating May Day (and the completion of its recent renovation) today with free gelato from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

I was there yesterday (of course!), and after a thorough sampling, I can report that hazelnut was my favorite, followed closely by pistachio and the dark chocolate.

Gelatiamo, 1400 Third Ave., 467-9563, DOWNTOWN.

I

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

Hops, Scotch...Tequila?

Aw, go with it. This weekend marks the 2nd Annual Hopscotch Spring Beer & Scotch Festival ...now, with tequila! Over 50 beers, along with an optional scotch and tequila tasting, make for one great weekend. A little peek at what you can expect...

Kona's Wailua Wheat is a lip smacking surprise, and don't miss the Lagunitas Lucky 13 (14, actually) or the Dogfish Head Aprihop. And if you haven't tried the Lazy Boy Porter yet, add it to your dance card here. I'm gunning for the Laughing Buddha Beers, one of which uses Pandan leaves. There will also be a taste of the second annual Reunion beer, an organic Red Rye whose proceeds go toward Myeloma and Bone Cancer research (more on the cause HERE). All in all, the line up is quite varied.

The tequila tasting may not fit in with the name, but six tasters totaling a snifter's worth of top shelf agave for $15 bucks extra is a cheap way to try high end tequila (including the 1942 Don Julio). The Scotch tasting is $10, and for a mere $30, you can plug into a scotch tasting seminar with a Master of Scotch, and 11-1/4 tastings of some really amazing stuff. Never got scotch? Oh you will after that little class. I did the class last year, and I can vouch for the selection and the easy way in which the information is imparted by the Master.


Hopscotch Spring Beer & Scotch Festival
Fremont Studios (155 N. 35th Street)
Friday - 5pm to midnight
Saturday - 1pm to midnight
$20 ADVANCED general admission, $25 at the door
(includes cup and 6 beer tastes)
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the website.

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

Ponti Seafood Grill French Wine Dinner

Image: pontigrill.com

A six-course meal, focusing on Northwest seafood and produce, with each course paired to a French wine. Hosted by executive chef Josh Green and wine steward Darrell Statema, the menu includes arctic King crab nori medallions, beet and horseradish cured gravlax, morel risotto and English pea puree, and to finish, apple tart tatin.

Wednesday, April 30, 6:30 p.m.
$125 plus tax and tip. Reservations required.
Ponti Seafood Grill3014 3rd Ave N., Seattle
(206) 284-3000

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

Extreme Gardening Workshop: How to Grow a 500lb. Pumpkin!

http://pumpkinmania.blogspot.com/search/label/World%27s%20Heaviest%20Pumpkin

A class for those who want to brag, come October, that they’ve got the biggest squash around. Led by Stuart Shim of the Pumpkinmania! Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off and Contest, this workshop will provide full instructions on the proper care and feeding of potential contest-winning cultivars. All participants walk away with an envelope of Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds.

Saturday, April 26, 11a.m.-noon
Molbak’s
13625 NE 175th St.
Woodinville, WA 98072
(425) 483-5000

For more foodie events, check here.

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

New Orleans: Tourists Giving Back, Farther To Go

some things are exactly the same...

Last week, I attended the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference in New Orleans, my favorite city. My last visit to NOLA was pre-hurricane, and I was curious to get a general sense of the city’s recovery. The Garden District, downtown, and French Quarter give the impression that all is fine, but these neighborhoods sit on high ground, and weren’t as effected devastated as areas like the Lower Ninth Ward.

Small signs of squelched prosperity are all around. An empty upscale bakery that looks like it was vacated in the night stands just near one of the city’s top restaurants. I’m warned from a few of my go to places, as they’ve changed hands in the last few years. Rue Royal’s galleries and boutiques have many lonely, empty spaces peppered in between them, and I can actually get a sunny table at Café du Monde in the afternoon. Everywhere you stand in the French Quarter, “For Rent”� and “For Sale”� signs surround you, even on Brad and Angie’s block. I asked everyone I met about the city’s recovery, and at first I was afraid I’d get the “everything’s all better”� gloss over, me being a tourist and all. I was really surprised how open and honest everyone was with me, though I don’t know why. This is New Orleans and the people are incredible here.

Continue reading "New Orleans: Tourists Giving Back, Farther To Go"

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

Bama-Tini vs. Clin-Tini

The problem: You just can't get enough of the Democratic primary. You watch and you read all hours of the day, but can't kick the habit long enough to, say, grab a drink with friends.

The solution: Two martinis from Tini Bigs that let you continue the discussion right through the part of the day your friends relish as politics-free. When you order a Bama-Tini or a Clin-Tini, your vote goes up for whichever candidate you choose.

The drinks themselves?

From a recent press release:

In order to ensure absolute impartiality, these martinis are the exact same recipe (Tuaca, Finlandia Vodka, cranberry juice and a touch of sweet and sour) offered at the same price ($9), with two different names. What it’s called when ordered determines how votes are tallied on the large chalkboard mounted over the bar: One drink = one vote.

As it stands now, Obama is in the lead by 14 “votes.”� Only time will tell how accurately the “Tini tally”� reflects the delegate count when the Democratic Convention rolls around in August.

Tini Bigs, 100 Denny Way, 284-0931, BELLTOWN.

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)

Nell's Chef Tribute Dinner Honors Elizabeth David

James Beard referred to Elizabeth David (1913-92) as "the greatest food writer we have." David has been credited with bringing French, Italian, and Mediterranean cuisines to England. She penned many books in her adventure-filled life, always providing a cultural context for the recipes. Tonight's six-course menu leans French, featuring escargot, white bean and sorrel soup, oxtails with black olives, and lemon brown-sugar cake with brown-bread ice cream.

Nell's Restaurant
6804 E. Green Lake Dr. N.
Seattle, WA 98115

Wednesday, April 23, 6:15 p.m.
$80, plus tax and tip.
For reservations, call (206) 524-4044 or visit here.

Topics: Events

Permalink | Comments (0)