Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli (Week Night Dinner)

When I first moved to Seattle, as a going-away present, my dear friend Christy gave me a gift certificate to a random Seattle restaurant she found online. She’d never been to the Emerald City, and she had no idea which part of Seattle I was moving to. Additionally, I have no idea how she stumbled upon this particular restaurant because they had only been open like a week. Literally. The gift certificate was a meticulously hand-written menu and voucher on a note card – they were so new that they didn’t have actual printed certificates.

Where you ask? Ocho. This was absolutely hysterical because initially I lived in a condo exactly 2 blocks from the place. And to make the story even crazier, the owner lived on my floor!

So on my first visit to Ocho, we rolled in, sat at the bar and told the bar tender to start bringing us whatever was delicious. After basically eating my way through practically the entire Spanish tapas menu, I was 100% smitten. The food is garlicy and fiery, the ambiance is sultry and seductive, the music is eclectic, and the drinks are stiff. *Swoon* I love it there. Attention Men of Seattle: if you want to woo a girl, take her to Ocho.

Two of my favorite dishes there are the Gambas al Ajillo (spicy garlic prawns), and the Broccoli and Escarole with garlic and pine nuts. Ok, so you can’t come near me for at least 3 days afterward because of the garlic, but it’s well worth it. I have taken friends to Ocho who don’t even like broccoli, and they left as transformed believers.

Well I can’t think of a better combo than shrimp and broccoli, so when I hit my own kitchen in an effort to recreate, I combine the two dishes. I don’t claim to have nailed it, (I have no idea what they use at Ocho; there’s a good chance it’s crack) but this is a decent likeness.

If you must go try the real thing for yourself, Ocho is on Market Street in Ballard. I have actually resisted even mentioning the place out loud because the last thing I need is more Ocho fans like me. A girl needs to be able to get a seat at the bar, ya know? In the meantime, give this recipe a whirl. Just make sure you feed it to your significant other/roommate. Otherwise you and your garlic breath will be banished from the living room. Enjoy!

**Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe**

Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli
Serves: 3 – 4
Time to prepare: 20 minutes

1 1/2pound broccolini or broccoli raab, cut into small florets, stems chopped into 1 inch slices
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
5 – 6 large cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts

Pre-heat the broiler to high.

In a saute pan (not non-stick), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a large knife, and add to the oil, along with the crushed red pepper. Infuse the oil over medium-low heat while trimming the broccoli and preparing the shrimp.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the broccoli for 30 seconds, just until vibrant green. Drain and stop the cooking by running under cold water or plunging into a bowl of ice water.

Remove 2 tablespoons of the oil and spoon over the broccoli. Toss to coat. Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, season with sea salt and place under the broiler about 6” from the flame to lightly brown – about 5 minutes, tossing once. Watch the broccoli closely. You want a little browning on the edges, but don’t let it burn. Remove from the oven when finished.

Meanwhile, add the shrimp to the pan, turn the heat to high, and toss to coat. Season lightly with sea salt. You want the edges to carmelize a bit, so don’t stir the shrimp constantly – cook on one side for a few minutes, then flip. Cook until the shrimp is pink and cooked, about 4 minutes.

Add the broccoli, along with the pine nuts to the pan, and toss to mix and coat. Remove the garlic cloves and discard. Check for seasoning, and serve.

Honore Artisan Bakery (Restaurant Review)

I’ve been battling a cold recently, but the weather in Seattle has been just gorgeous this week – sunny and blustery. Maybe there is an autumn here after all! Still feeling a little under the weather, I contemplated yesterday how best to kick this bug in the butt. I came up with two options: go for a nice, long run; or go to Honore Bakery for macaroons. I think we all know which option prevailed.

Unfortunately, fate sometimes doesn’t cooperate. I walked the mile or so to the bakery, only to find that it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Perhaps the run was the better option.

So I tried again today, figuring that after walking to the bakery twice, I really had earned those macaroons. They were worth every step!

Honore Artisan Bakery opened up last summer and has been hot on everyone’s list since. It’s on 70th off 15th in Ballard, part of the micro-neighborhood where Delancey and A Caprice Kitchen also reside. They’re well known for their macaroons, though they bake up a wide variety of pastries on-site.

The case is filled with gorgeous delectables, and the chalk board outlines a long laundry list of various gourmet warm beverages. And while I could have seriously eaten one of each, I zeroed in on the infamous macaroons – available in about a dozen different flavors. Each was a vibrant, original color – pink, purple, and yellow; they look like easter eggs all lined up after the big hunt.

But let’s be rational here. I need an excuse to come back, so I settled on three to start: a chocolate (recently named best texture in a cookie by Seattle Magazine), a hazelnut, and a raspberry.  These little gems are sandwich-cookie style, with perfectly rounded meringue cookie outters and creamy, decadent inners.

The hazelnut had flicks of ground up hazelnut in the cookie and filling. The chocolate was intensely dark, with just enough sweet. But the real standout was the raspberry. Fuschia in color, I was skeptical at first. But the instant the macaroon hits your tongue, you’re overcome with the feeling of picking fresh raspberries and eating them right off the bush. The filling was a smooth, creamy raspberry with hints of chocolate. Sooo delicious. I would enthusiastically encourage the Easter Bunny to shop here.

Having eaten my fair share of cookies over the years, I can tell you that these are worth the walk/drive/train/flight. Their hard meringue shell gives way to a silky, soft interior that really does melt into the filling. They’re so light and airy, it’s amazing how much flavor is packed into each bite. I can’t wait to stroll back over to Honore and sample more of their treats.

Honore Artisan Bakery
1413 NW 70th St, Seattle, Wa 98127
Open: Wed-Fri. 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM, and Sat-Sun. 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Phone: (206) 706-4035

Parfait Ice Cream (Restaurant Review)

My brother’s birthday is the 4^th of July, and we used to have epic family picnics complete with hot dogs, softball, kites, fireworks, and an American flag sheet cake with sparklers in lieu of candles. Living out in the boonies, we were surrounded by distant firework displays, and at the end of the night, we’d all climb up onto the split-rail fence and watch an Imax-esque show. I suspect Norman Rockwell may have been hiding in the bushes conducting research.

But the very best part was the homemade peach ice cream that was churning away in a rock salt ice cream maker in the garage. I’m pretty sure it was electric because I don’t remember being enslaved as ice cream-churning child labor. I do distinctly remember crouching next to the humming contraption and peeking over my tube sock-capped knees into the bowl to check the painfully slow progress.

I come from a long lineage of ice cream eaters – we Winners take our ice cream pretty seriously. I’ve had a lot of ice cream since, but I’m not sure that any of it stacks up to that homemade peach. You just can’t go wrong freezing uber-fresh peaches dripping with sticky sweet nectar and raw whole milk that came straight from the cow that afternoon. But thanks to a vibrant ice cream-loving clique in Seattle, we have some pretty legit choices. And one of them just parked outside my doorstep.

Parfait is a roving ice cream truck that scoops up handmade ice cream made in small batches from local, organic ingredients. Their weekly schedule recently added a Sunday afternoon stop in Old Ballard, and SM and I are cashing in on this opportunity to get our ice cream fix.

SM went straight for a 2-scoop cone. He settled with the Fresh Mint Stracciatella. One lick and you suddenly know what mint chocolate chip is supposed to taste like. It smells like freshly rubbed mint leaves instead of like mint toothpaste; it’s an aroma that’s strangely intoxicating and soothing at the same time. Dark chocolate flakes pepper the ice cream, rich and complex, and they melt right on your tongue. It is heavenly.

I am a little more of an ice cream purist; I’d forego the cone and enjoy the ice cream on its own. (Though Parfait’s cones are downright delicious and taste just like a freshly baked Christmas Pizzelle cookie.) I got a scoop of the Madagascar Vanilla Bean and a scoop of the Dagoba Chocolate. (Dagoba is a NW chocolatier.)  I love tasting vanilla ice creams because when they’re done right, vanilla is far from a plain. This vanilla tasted exotic and dark. Parfait melts chocolate right into the custard, and when you take a spoonful, it tastes like a dark chocolate bar sitting right on your tongue. Being the devout choc-aholic that I am, this is right up my alley. Despite these intense flavors, all the ice cream we tasted had a wonderfully light texture. It was almost like you could feel the tiny pockets of frozen air popping on your tongue.

Only one word to describe it: Mmm!

It’s actually challenging to eat copious amounts of Parfait’s ice cream because the flavors are so fierce that they almost overwhelm taste buds dulled by a lifetime of boring Breyer’s ice cream. But don’t worry, I finished my 2 scoops. And maybe licked the bowl.

Parfait Organic Artisan Ice Cream

Thursdays: Queen Anne Farmers Market 3:00 – 7:00 PM (W. Crocket Street at Queen Anne Avenue N)
Fridays: Queen Anne 3:00 – 7:00 PM. In front of Caffè Fiorè on the corner of W. Galer and 3rd Avenue W.
Saturdays: Sunset Hill 1:00 – 5:00 PM. In front of Caffè Fiorè on the corner of NW 85th Street and 32nd Avenue NW.
Sundays: Old Ballard 1:00 – 5:00 PM. In front of Caffè Fiorè 5405 Leary Avenue NW.

Wasabi Bistro Sushi (Restaurant Review)

Just a quick note about a (literally) beautiful dinner we had last week at Wasabi Bistro – a trendy little sushi joint down in Belltown. There’s no shortage of excellent sushi in Seattle, and the Wasabi Bistro delivers reliably good fish. It’s probably not the best sushi restaurant in Seattle, but the plates were gorgeous.

We had an selection of nigiri and a roll or two, and the fish was all fresh with good texture. The larger-than-normal portions were a pleasant surprise – though the prices are a little high, so the generous portions helped improve the value.  The 2^nd Ave Roll was delicious. I don’t usually order tempura, but this roll looked like it would be tasty – and it was. Shrimp tempura with cucumber, avocado, spicy mayo, and tobiko topped with spicy tuna. Like the nigiri, the rolls were on the big side. Big rolls are a catch-22. You can never have too much sushi, but I have yet to master eating a huge piece of sushi without making a mess.

The highlight of the evening was the gorgeous plate decorations. The carrot pictured above is sliced and twisted from one small slice of the vegetable. Really some beautiful knife work! I meticulously unfolded it with aspirations of recreating it when I got home, but we all know that probably will never happen.

A restaurant is only as good as the answer to that most important question: would you go back? Sure, we’ve been to Wasabi Bistro a few times, and will most probably be back at some point for their happy hour. Fresh fish, great cocktails, hip ambiance (plus free edamame!) all make Wasabi Bistro a reliably decent sushi pick.

Wasabi Bistro
2311 Second Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 441-6044
Monday – Friday, 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM, 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Saturday & Sunday, 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM

So much good sushi… so little time. Here are some of our other favorite Seattle sushi restaurant picks:

Chiso (Fremont)
3520 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, Washington 98103

Moshi Moshi (Ballard)
5324 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107-4060

Kisaku (Greenlake – Tangletown)
2101 N. 55th St. #100, Seattle, WA  98103

Mashiko (West Seattle)
4725 California SW Seattle WA 98116

Umi (Belltown)
2230 First Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Oh… Delancey. (Restaurant Review)

Dear Santa, I have been a very good girl this year. I’ve waited patiently – oh so patiently – for Delancey to open up. I even waited a few weeks for them to work the kinks out and for the initial craze to subside because I had such ridiculously absurd aspirations for this place that I wanted to give it every opportunity to shine.

And I am not at all exaggerating when I say that when we did finally go to this new Ballard hot-spot, I was about as excited as a kid coming down the stairs on Christmas morning.

Delancey is a wood-fire pizza restaurant opened by Brandon Pettit his wife and Molly Wizenberg. I think the restaurant was so anticipated by Seattleites everywhere because we all feel like we sort of know Molly and Brandon – he twittered the restaurant-opening process, and she writes the wonderfully poetic Orangette food blog. Hers is the kind of food writing that makes you want to grab a cup of coffee and start a virtual conversation about food. Plus Molly is a red(ish) head, so she gets extra points for that.

We went with another couple, and between the four of us I was able to taste almost everything on the menu (which, let’s face is, is the real reason to go out with other people). I had the Billy’s Greens salad – lovely mixed greens with radishes, crumbled grana, and a light vinaigrette. SM had the Billy’s Tomatoes salad with fresh sweet corn, shallots, olive oil and vinegar. Apparently Billy is the farmer who supplies many of Delancey’s ingredients. Billy is the man. It’s amazing how produce actually has flavor when it doesn’t come out of a plastic bag. The tomatoes were the deepest, richest red you’ve ever seen and despite my aversion to raw tomatoes, I instantly wanted to eat them. (Before you go crazy, I know, I know. It’s absurd. I have tried really really hard to like raw tomatoes, it’s just not going to happen.)

And then the pizzas started arriving. They bring them out as they are finished, and I WIN – my pizza comes out first. This is a pretty mean trick for SM and our friends – they are left sitting at the table staring at my gorgeous pizza. However, it’s an even meaner trick on me because it came straight from the oven to the table, and the cheese and sauce are actually molten hot. So we had to just sit there. All of us. Staring at this gorgeous pizza, waiting to dig in.

I burned the crap out of my mouth.

I suppose it’s the price you pay for getting your pizza first. I think it served as sufficient warning to the rest of the table. You can tell I was so anxious to take a bite that I couldn’t even wait the 2 seconds it takes to snap a picture. Sorry, you’ll have to use your imagination to envision the full pie.

I selected the Padron pizza, with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, padron chilies and shaved grana cheese.  The padrons were roasted and deliciously hot, delivering a punch about mid-chew. But the heat subsided quickly and you were left with that wonderfully familiar tomato and mozzarella combo and a deliciously light, chewy crust. The shaved grana cheese was nutty and a wonderful balance to the heat of the chilies.

I also stole bites of the pepperoni, the Brooklyn (fresh and aged mozzarella with red sauce and basil), and a white pizza with olive oil, mozzarella and thyme. Each was uniquely different, and all had the wonderful crust that I’m sure Brandon and Molly have been working on for months. And probably dreaming about for years.

For dessert we sampled the peaches in wine – a wonderfully simple dessert of some beautiful peach slices soaked in fruity white wine. They came in a lovely little bell jar, and the waitress was kind enough in passing to suggest drinking the left over wine. Good thing – I was eyeing it but holding back after my earlier lack of table etiquette. But after her permission – I slurped it right down.

There are lots of great pizza places in Seattle, even right in Ballard. I think the thing that makes Delancey different is the ingredients. While others are building flavor by mixing together all sorts of crazy toppings, Delancey is using really simple ingredients to bring huge flavor. For me, it works. The salad is a great example – it’s easy to forget what lettuce and radishes actually taste like. Particularly with the over-processing and over-sugaring of many foods, our taste buds are out of practice.  But each of the dishes on the Delancey menu highlight one, beautifully whole, rich ingredient. And then you remember why simple food done right is oh so good.

Delancey
1415 NW 70^th Street, Seattle (Ballard)
Open: Wednesday – Sunday, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM (or until they run out of dough)
Reservations available for parties of 6 or more
Phone: 206.838.1960
www.delanceyseattle.com