Duck and Rabbit and other goodies, oh my!
Aug. 30th, 2010 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaunthieIt's been quite the week for eating. I'm no foodie, but I do appreciate good food - and wow, have I had some extraordinary meals the last few days!
For a variety of reasons, I wasn't able to celebrate my birthday with the family. They offered to take me out to dinner when our schedules/travel schedules worked out, which wound up being last Thursday. For the occasion, we went to an old-Seattle tradition that I'd only been to once before, and that was a catered event and not their usual menu: Canlis.
OMG. There's a reason why they're still there and going strong after 59 years (and in defiance of a tricky-to-get-to-location). Well, several reasons, actually. The view. The service, which was possibly the BEST I've ever encountered, bar none. (Have you ever been to a place where not only did each and every member of the staff you interacted with (and there were many) were unfailingly attentive, friendly, and knowlegable? How about a place where the staff is so perceptive that in a packed restaurant, they not only noticed when you were about to leave the table, they signled the valet so that your car was being brought around just as you reached the front door? Yeah. They're that good.) And the food...oh, the food! Extraordinary. Every mouthful a delight. And all this, and they compensated for the varying food allergies at the table on the fly, deliciously and without fuss. Just amazing. The house salad alone is a poem. The duck...I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to describe the duck, it was that good. And the amuse-bouches...one before the meal, one after dessert... Creative, tasty, and perfect.
Now this was NOT cheap, as you might imagine. But I've been to more expensive places, and not seen anywhere near this level of quality of food or of service. It was an amazing treat and I can't thank my family enough. I'll definitely go back.
I hosted a writing event on Friday evening for some members of my writing group. I wanted a simple, easy-to-prep, goes-well-with-strong-flavored-beverages appetizer to serve. I also happen to own an electric fondue pot from the 1970's, which I rarely use. I decided this was the perfect excuse to indulge in trying my hand at Welsh Rabbit.
For those of you who don't know, Welsh Rabbit does not involve bunnies. It involves cheese, and beer, and mustard, and some other things. Think cheese fondue with a kick, and you're on the right track. I think that mine came out quite well, all things considered. I served it with potatoes and broccoli and cauliflower and bread slices to dip/dunk in it, and it went over very well.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
monkeybard brought yet another test bake of her fabulous Mexican Chocolate Shortbread - also a huge YUM! jenboo brought some local whiskey, which was also a hit. A great evening, and productive, too. Yay!
Saturday saw a surprise birthday party for InterPlanetJanet at an Italian restaurant I'd never been to. I can't say anything about their regular menu, as this was a special catered menu for a party of...dunno, 40? 50? Lots of people. Anyway, if their regular menu is as nice as their catered one, it's definitely a lovely place. It was a great party, although I realized yet again that my ability to properly socialize in a room of over 15 people is pretty pathetic. I had a great time, but I largely stayed in my corner. I really must learn to socialize better.
Hurrah! My aunt came to town yesterday, and we had a great family dinner at my parents' place. My folks' new barbeque has a rotisserie attachment, so Mom did lamb. Droooool! It came out beautifully. I provided roasted potatoes and steamed green beans, my sister grilled peaches for dessert, and we all talked for hours. Plusfisherbear got Mom's computer configured for backups while I did some cooking and cleaning. A lovely evening!
Truly an epic four days of friends, family, socializing, and amazing food. I'm very lucky. :-)
For a variety of reasons, I wasn't able to celebrate my birthday with the family. They offered to take me out to dinner when our schedules/travel schedules worked out, which wound up being last Thursday. For the occasion, we went to an old-Seattle tradition that I'd only been to once before, and that was a catered event and not their usual menu: Canlis.
OMG. There's a reason why they're still there and going strong after 59 years (and in defiance of a tricky-to-get-to-location). Well, several reasons, actually. The view. The service, which was possibly the BEST I've ever encountered, bar none. (Have you ever been to a place where not only did each and every member of the staff you interacted with (and there were many) were unfailingly attentive, friendly, and knowlegable? How about a place where the staff is so perceptive that in a packed restaurant, they not only noticed when you were about to leave the table, they signled the valet so that your car was being brought around just as you reached the front door? Yeah. They're that good.) And the food...oh, the food! Extraordinary. Every mouthful a delight. And all this, and they compensated for the varying food allergies at the table on the fly, deliciously and without fuss. Just amazing. The house salad alone is a poem. The duck...I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to describe the duck, it was that good. And the amuse-bouches...one before the meal, one after dessert... Creative, tasty, and perfect.
Now this was NOT cheap, as you might imagine. But I've been to more expensive places, and not seen anywhere near this level of quality of food or of service. It was an amazing treat and I can't thank my family enough. I'll definitely go back.
I hosted a writing event on Friday evening for some members of my writing group. I wanted a simple, easy-to-prep, goes-well-with-strong-flavored-beverages appetizer to serve. I also happen to own an electric fondue pot from the 1970's, which I rarely use. I decided this was the perfect excuse to indulge in trying my hand at Welsh Rabbit.
For those of you who don't know, Welsh Rabbit does not involve bunnies. It involves cheese, and beer, and mustard, and some other things. Think cheese fondue with a kick, and you're on the right track. I think that mine came out quite well, all things considered. I served it with potatoes and broccoli and cauliflower and bread slices to dip/dunk in it, and it went over very well.
monkeybard brought yet another test bake of her fabulous Mexican Chocolate Shortbread - also a huge YUM! jenboo brought some local whiskey, which was also a hit. A great evening, and productive, too. Yay!Saturday saw a surprise birthday party for InterPlanetJanet at an Italian restaurant I'd never been to. I can't say anything about their regular menu, as this was a special catered menu for a party of...dunno, 40? 50? Lots of people. Anyway, if their regular menu is as nice as their catered one, it's definitely a lovely place. It was a great party, although I realized yet again that my ability to properly socialize in a room of over 15 people is pretty pathetic. I had a great time, but I largely stayed in my corner. I really must learn to socialize better.
Hurrah! My aunt came to town yesterday, and we had a great family dinner at my parents' place. My folks' new barbeque has a rotisserie attachment, so Mom did lamb. Droooool! It came out beautifully. I provided roasted potatoes and steamed green beans, my sister grilled peaches for dessert, and we all talked for hours. Plus
fisherbear got Mom's computer configured for backups while I did some cooking and cleaning. A lovely evening!Truly an epic four days of friends, family, socializing, and amazing food. I'm very lucky. :-)
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Date: 2010-09-01 12:06 am (UTC)