Entre Nous.

Happy Halloween!

Pantone 144

 

[Halloween inspiration via Pinterest]

Saved

  
Had a delightful autumn weekend in Seattle, filled with crisp fall weather but blue skies. The excursion was planned around a viewing of the musical, Saving Aimee, at the glorious 5th Avenue Theatre. There, a Kathie Lee Gifford sighting took place, she being seated mere rows in front of us. If you aren't familiar with Aimee Semple McPherson, the title character of the play and the most famous woman you've never heard of, consider this; “Before Bakker, before Swaggart, before Robertson, there was Aimee Semple McPherson, the first media superstar evangelist. Her spectacular fall from grace is a real-life story tangled with scandalous love affairs and a tabloid-frenzied trial.” Pique your interest? It did mine. Aimee even made her way into the lyrics of Hooray for Hollywood, "Hooray for Hollywood! Where you're terrific if you're even good! Where anyone at all from Shirley Temple to Aimee Semple is equally understood." The play was captivating, how could it not be? True stories are always more intriguing than fiction.

Why don't you...

 

The dish

Had an epicurean experience recently at what was once the hidden gem of the San Juan islands. The most spectacular meal of my life thus far, without a doubt.  The restaurant was recently mentioned in a Wall Street Journal article titled, What's the Next Big Restaurant?, and at the beginning of the year was featured in a New York Times article titled, 10 Restaurants Worth a Plane Ride. The tiny isle the size of Manhattan with a population of 800 is definitely on the radar of those in search of incredible food. Pretty amazing that it's in my own backyard.

 

Here's a glimpse at the prix fixe menu featured the evening I dined:

Smoked reef net sockeye salmon [see visual]
Potato chip with homemade sauerkraut and black cod
Farm basket with her emulsion (and hazelnut crumbs as edible "dirt")
Kale toast with black truffle puree and rye crumble (out of this world)
Shigoku oysters and sorrel with tapioca

Butter clams with dill and horseradish

Squid with kohlrabi and seaweed

Nettles farm hen's egg with late summer vegetables

Slow roasted duck breast with grilled onions (absolutely amazing)

Blackberries with pine ice cream and oats

Accompanied by both a wine and juice pairing, if you so desire. Which I did.