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Indulge in Yakima Valley’s Red Wine & Chocolate

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:30:30 +0000

We happen to think that wine goes well with everything. However, it goes even better with all kinds of chocolate! From milk, dark, white, salted to cooked into your favorite dessert or cascading from a chocolate fountain – chocolate and red wine are a match made in heaven. The wineries of Yakima Valley will be pairing every kind of chocolate and showing you how to pair well, too, during their annual Red Wine & Chocolate weekend Feb. 18-19.

Just 150 miles from Seattle and Portland, the overnight or weekend trip is a perfectly themed Valentine’s Day gift for your special someone or plan the trip together. Wine Yakima Valley is your one and only stop to purchase passes for Red Wine & Chocolate while giving you access to discounts, exclusive pairings, library tastings, tours, and more all weekend long. The $30 Red Wine & Chocolate Premier Passes can be purchased in advance by end of day tomorrow, February 10, or for $35 at wineries during the event weekend.

Plan your trip with a breeze with the new mobile wine tour app. It’s easy to use and FREE!

For those event-goers on Twitter, check out the Sip & Click contest while bouncing from winery to winery. Simply snap a pic of your Red Wine & Chocolate experience, tweet it with where you’re at and the hashtag #yakimawine and you will be eligible to win amazing prizes including a gift certificate to Ummelina Spa, an estate tour at Terra Blanca, winemaker for a day at Two Mountain Winery, and a Wilridge Vineyard tour and a Cowiche Canyon hike or mountain bike. All you have to do is Sip and Click!

In advance of Red Wine & Chocolate, try your own hand at pairing with these helpful tips:

Let it melt – Taste the chocolate and allow it to melt on your tongue just prior to sipping wine.
Tannins don’t mix – Avoid wines and chocolates that are overly tannic in nature, which compete with each other and result in a muddled and flat combination.
Salted combinations – Buttery or sweet whites pair exceptionally well with salted milk chocolate.
Savory and smooth – Wines with savory notes, such as smoke, wood or meaty qualities, are outstanding when paired with chocolate with a smooth texture and similar savory notes, such as leather, cheese or smoke.
Bold similarities – Bold, full-bodied wines pair very well with chocolates that are hearty and rustic in texture with a similarly pronounced flavor.
Two of a kind – Wines or chocolate with similarly distinct notes, such as black pepper, can be mutually enhanced when paired together.
Beginners luck – The easiest method for a successful pairing is to select chocolates that contain berries, dried fruit or nuts.

Goldbergs’ Wins “Best Corned Beef Sandwich”

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:20:58 +0000

Ask the Jewish community what makes a great deli and you’ll probably get an array of opinions. Broaden that out even further by holding a “Best of Everything” poll and you’re in for some major poll tallying. However, once agreement is met you know you’ve got something worth talking about.

The Jewish Transcript recently held their annual “Best of Everything” reader awards and awarded one of the most opinionated food items, “Best Corned Beef Sandwich,” to Goldbergs’ Famous Delicatessen in Bellevue! That’s right, of all of the delis, restaurants and cafes in the area, Goldbergs’ cooks and piles on their corned beef like no other around. We are talking lip smacking, mouth-pleasing, want-to-go-back-for-more good. At just $11.99 (half sandwiches $8.75), THE BEST sandwich gets even better with delicious sides. You can also grab this award-winning corned beef from their deli counter to take home.

Goldbergs’ also offers corned beef and cabbage, pastrami sandwiches and about 265 other menu items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are partial to the reuben, too, pictured above – doesn’t that look delicious? Give it a try and tell us if it’s your best, too!

Visit here for a full listing of all category winners in the Jewish Transcript “Best of Everything” awards.

Planning your Valentine’s

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:16:03 +0000

Whether you’re coupled up, going solo or carousing with friends, we have dining, drinking and home-cooking ideas for you to spend this Valentine’s Day.

LIQUID LOVE
Fall under the spell of Love Potion Number 9 at Tini Bigs! Featured the entire week of Valentine’s, Tini Bigs offers their cocktail expertise for imbibing at the classic bar with a concoction of Woodford Reserve, Chambord, Champagne (of course!), and an orange twist served in a champagne flute. At just $9, make this your pre-dinner stop or sip the night away all week long.

Sing to your heart’s content at Hula Hula! Seattle’s best tiki karaoke bar invites you to belt out your favorite broken heart tune, lost in love ballad, or really put your heart on the line by serenading your date – we just can’t be responsible for any heckling you might endure!

DO IT YOURSELF
Celebrate Valentine’s Day the Argentinean way with Estancia Lucia’s delicious recipes. Grill your favorite seafood, chicken or steak and top it with their vibrant chimichurri sauce, enjoy meaty Arauco Olives for the perfect appetizer with cheese and bread, finish potatoes or vegetables with a drizzle of their Arauco Extra Virgin Olive Oil and for dessert top fresh vanilla ice cream with candied pumpkin for a sweet finish!
Find recipes and tips at Magic Road international

LEAVE IT TO THE PROS
Cafe Flora’s 20th annual Valentine’s dinner menu is a fun and flirty mix of the Seattle vegetarian landmark’s hearty and sustainable fare. Call now for reservations in Cafe Flora’s atrium, where a water feature and plants create a serene and romantic dining room. The prix fixe menu is $45.00 per person; reservations required.
First Course
Savory Embrace -Savory bok choy filling in a wonton pastry with a goat cheese crema, black bean chili sauce and candied kumquats. (available vegan & available gluten free)

Second Course
Light My Fire Salad – A sweet and spicy blend of fresh cresses, carrot and grilled jicama topped with star fruit and crispy fried leeks in a minted yuzu vinaigrette. (vegan & gluten free)

Third Course
Layers of Love - Macadamia nut encrusted filo stuffed with gingered shiitake mushrooms on grilled asparagus planks and a black and white sticky rice cake and a galangal butternut squash sauce. (vegan & available gluten free)

Fourth Course
Chocolate Cherry Jubilee – Chocolate pate sucree, cherry cremeux, caramel filling, mini truffles, black cherry Bordeaux reduction (vegan & gluten free)
OR
Fluffernutter – Crustless brioche, peanut butter mousse, white chocolate peanut praline, burnt meringue, marshmallow anglaise.

Make your Valentine’s heart-healthy with sustainable and organic cuisine with award-winning flavor at Tilth! Recently selected as one of the ten most sustainable restaurants in the country, Tilth is offering a four course Valentine’s Day feast with three options under each course for $85 (exclusive of tax and gratuity).
First Course
Dakota Beef Hanger Steak Tartare – quail egg, celery root, remoulade
Taylor Shellfish Oysters – mint jelly, salmon roe, mignonette
Full Circle Farm Beets – creme fraiche, tarragon, watercress

Second Course
Fraga Farms Goat Cheese Tart – caramelized onion, niçoise olive, white anchovy
Vancouver Island Scallops – parsnip, french breakfast radish, cured olive
Sylver Fishing Co. Spot Prawns – salsify, grapefruit, coral butter

Third Course
Seared Liberty Duck Breast – navel orange, sunchoke, lacinato kale
Roasted Lamb Loin – grilled leek, romesco, espelette
Carnaroli Risotto – oregon truffle, pecorino, pine nut

Fourth Course
Semolina Cake – fig streusel, pecan, port
Vanilla Bean Tapioca Pudding – anise shortbread, currant, fresh breeze cream
Theo Dark Chocolate Terrine - cranberry, almond praline, fluer de sel

Take your valentine to the mediterranean with Chef Maria Hines’ three-course mediterranean-inspired menu at Golden Beetle. Created with local, organic and wild ingredients, the three course menu for $37 will surely satisfy your valentine (price is per person; three options under each course; exclusive of tax and gratuity).
First Course
Baby Spinach Salad – apple, kasseri cheese, sumac vinaigrette
Grilled Halloumi Cheese – roasted beet, arugula, herb vinaigrette
Jerusalem Artichoke Soup – white truffle oil

Main Course
St. Jude’s Grape Leaf wrapped Albacore Tuna - white bean, fennel, urfa pepper
Wild Boar Shank Tagine – apricot, couscous, toasted walnut
Mushroom Ravioli – yogurt sauce, ricotta, pinenuts

Dessert
Chocolate Truffle Torte – rose scented pistachio ice cream
Caramel Pots de Crème – orange flower water, cardamom, sesame cookie
Black Walnut Baklava – phyllo dough, honey, cinnamon creme fraiche

Red Wine + Chocolate on Fox12 Oregon

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:30:12 +0000

Wine Yakima Valley’s Red Wine & Chocolate weekend is just around the corner! Desert Wind Winery owner Greg Fries stopped by Fox12’s MORE Good Day Oregon to provide viewers with red wine and chocolate pairing tips and chat about the event weekend.

Red Wine & Chocolate is February 18-19 and guests can make the most of their weekend with the Premier Pass. For just $30 they get access to over 40 wineries with tasting fees waived, wine and chocolate pairings, special reserve tastings, tours, music and more! Buy your pass online before February 10 to receive it in the mail, otherwise you can purchase on the day of at select locations for $35.

Don’t forget to bring your own wine glass and enjoy! Navigate your trip with Wine Yakima Valley’s Mobile Wine Tour and map out your weekend in minutes.

TOURING IN WINE COUNTRY? NOW THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:44:08 +0000

Wine Yakima Valley Launches Mobile Wine App and 52 Weeks of Wine Blog

Wine Yakima Valley, the marketing organization for Yakima Valley winemakers and wineries, has announced two new ways to enhance the Washington wine experience: Mobile Wine Tour and 52 Weeks of Wine blog.

The Mobile Wine Tour app will take iPhone and Android wine enthusiasts on a virual turn-by-turn tour of the wineries of Yakima Valley. In addition to touring the wineries, users are also be able to see recommended hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, shopping and entertainment in the Yakima Valley to complete the trip. Plan your visit to the tastings rooms with this free and easy-to-use app, accessed with a QR code through wineyakimavalley.org.

Want to learn even more about Yakima wine? The new 52 Weeks of Wine blog will showcase informative blog posts every week in 2012. The blog will offer readers first-hand posts from wineries, growers and winemakers in the Yakima Valley, guest bloggers, event previews and more. Wineries and growers will give useful information including Yakima Valley AVA’s, new varietals, drinking wines at their peak and tasting room events. Guest bloggers will include chefs with advice for wine and food pairings as well as wine writers and experts that will showcase the Yakima Valley’s growth over the years, how the wine differs from other regions and more.

Upcoming posts include Kana, Cote Bonneville and details on the Feb. 18-19 Red Wine & Chocolate weekend event. Check out the first three posts of the year and return weekly for more insider information at http://wineeyak.wordpress.com/.

Both the blog and app are free through wineyakimavalley.org.

Tini Bigs Celebrates 15 Years of Craft Cocktails

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:27:35 +0000

As one of the early shakers on the Seattle cocktail scene, Tini Bigs has birthed some of the city’s most creative cocktails and well-known, talented bartenders who poured them. While trendy bars have come and gone, Tini Bigs’ classic and retro cocktails have given way to national and industry recognition through the years. Tini Bigs is commemorating their cocktails, bartenders and loyal guests on January 22 with their famous 10 oz. martinis for just $5.

These aren’t just any martinis. Proprietor Keith Robbins is bringing back the most popular cocktails from each of the 15 years and some of the bartenders that poured them! That’s right, relive your Jolly Tini (green apple martini) days, taste the Smokey Bigs Martini again for the first time, and remember the award-winning John Wayne (Tini’s manhattan version). Check out the full list from Seattle Met’s insightful story interlaced with some of the Tini’s history or revisit some of those cocktails trends with Seattle magazine.

We look forward to toasting 15 years with you at Tini Bigs on January 22 at 6 p.m.!

Journey Magazine Gets Fresh with Maria Hines

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:55:16 +0000

Even chefs make New Year’s resolutions, but when you’re talking to Maria Hines of Tilth and Golden Beetle, a healthy lifestyle is second nature. Maria recently sat down with Journey Magazine to chat about her success, how she cooks at two restaurants with such different cuisines (and does them well!), and how a healthy lifestyle goes from her restaurant kitchens to her own personal choices in food. Maria also dishes a bit on her future plans! Read it all here.

Her included frittata recipe will get you on the right foot for your own New Year’s resolution.

HULA HULA YOUR WAY TO THE 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:43:36 +0000

Celebrating five years as Seattle’s best tiki karaoke bar, Hula Hula will be throwing itself a birthday party and inviting new and loyal guests to commemorate the night on stage. The anniversary event will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 4-10 p.m., with festivities continuing until close.

The evening will also mark the launch of Hula Hula’s live internet streaming karaoke with a special, inaugural contest that encourages performances and internet viewing of contestants from 7-9 p.m. All performances will be viewable at www.hulahula.org. Online spectators and guests at Hula Hula will vote from 9-9:30 p.m. on Hula Hula’s Facebook or via Twitter for their favorite performance. The winner will be announced at 10 p.m.

From 4 to 10 p.m., all food and drinks will be $5. Regularly $9-$22, popular tiki drinks include: “Classic” Mai Tai, Planters Punch, Blue Hawaiian and Volcano Bowl.

Hula Hula has been known for its karaoke scene since opening in Dec. 2006. Karaoke is offered seven nights a week led by the crowd-pleasing and self-professed Karaoke Geek, KJ Mikey, who masterfully operates the state-of-the-art karaoke sound system as guests belt out their favorite renditions of Journey, Rolling Stones, Jimmy Buffet, Johnny Cash and more.

Hula Hula is located at 1st and Denny at 106 1st Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109. Call (206) 284.5003 or visit online at www.hulahula.org, www.Facebook.com/hula-hula, Twitter @HulaHulaSeattle.

2012 Wine Tasting with Wine Yakima Valley’s Annual Premier Pass

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:02:42 +0000

Wine enthusiasts can get the most out of their 2012 wine tasting with Wine Yakima Valley’s Annual Premier Pass, on sale now through January 2. This is the pass for anyone that enjoys wine tasting getaways and also enjoys doing so at a great deal!

This is how it works, purchase your pass online here, before January 2, 2012 and gain access to special wine discounts, exclusive tastings, tours, and other specially accessed wine focused events and promotions during three prime wine tasting weekends in 2012. The events kick off with Red Wine & Chocolate on Feb. 18-19, continues with Spring Barrel Tasting April 27-29 and then pass holders can learn about harvest with Catch the Crush October 13-14.

The pass is a steal at $92, which is a 20% savings over purchasing the three event passes separately. Enjoy Yakima Valley wine in 2012 and be smart while doing! You’ll also be supporting nearly 50 wineries and grape growers in the Yakima Valley, just 150 miles from Seattle, Portland and Spokane.

For more information and to purchase the Annual Premier Passes, visit Wine Yakima Valley’s website at www.wineyakimavalley.org.

Cafe Flora Celebrates the New Year

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:21:29 +0000

Cafe Flora is celebrating the New Year in two delicious ways!

First, end 2011 with a beautiful four-course dinner in Cafe Flora’s atrium on December 31st. Cost is $45 per person, reservations required and run 5-10 p.m. Add wine pairings for each course or sip on signature cocktails and bubbly to ring in 2012!

On January 1st start the New Year with a hearty vegetarian brunch buffet including a variety of house-made Bloody Mary’s! It’s the only buffet Cafe Flora offers all year. Cost is $25 per person, $12.50 for kids under 12, reservations required for large parties only, brunch offered from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Call 206-325-9100 for reservations or visit CafeFlora.com

Key
V – Can be made Vegan
GF – Can be made or is Gluten Free

New Year’s Eve Dinner Menu – Dec 31st
1st course
Celery Root soup with truffle oil and a petite celery & parsley leaf salad

2nd course
Gougere stuffed with garlicky escarole and roasted root vegetables. Served with black trumpet mushrooms over a Jerusalem artichoke sauce
Or
Persimmon and quinoa gyoza with quince cake, sautéed wild mushroom, rapini, and a ginger carrot sauce (v,gf)

3rd course
Red wine poached pear with frisee salad, champagne vinaigrette and toasted Marcona almonds (v,gf)

4th course
Lucky Orange Cake
Citrus, almond and olive oil cake, honey balsamic roasted figs, goat milk ice cream with a cateja ribbon

New Year’s Day Brunch Buffet Menu – Jan 1st
Starters:
Fresh fruit platter (v)
Candied orange espresso coffee cake (v) and Cinnamon sugar doughnuts (v)
with cranberry jam and spiced mascarpone

Salads:
Caesar- crispy romaine, fried capers, parmesan, caesar dressing (v,gf)
Winter slaw- cabbage, apples, fennel, almonds tossed in a champagne cider creme fraîche (gf)
Kale- Wilted kale, roasted beets, crunchy red onion, fresh pomegranate seeds in a cayenne orange cumin vinaigrette (v,gf)
Grilled vegetable platter- assorted grilled vegetables, balsamic reduction, gorgonzola crumbles

Entrees:
Root vegetable latkes- Root vegetable latkes, spicy applesauce, chive sour cream (v,gf)
Forager scramble- Eggs or tofu scrambled with roasted butternut and delicata squash, crimini mushrooms, seasonal foraged winter mushrooms, and fresh sage (v,gf)
Bread pudding french toast- Cubed brioche baked in rich custard, topped with rum raisins and salted maple caramel
Spanish Fritatta- Potato, spinach and onion fritatta topped with olive tapenade, smoked tomato coulis and shaved manchego

Sides:
Roasted potatoes (v,gf)
Cheesy grits (gf)
Collard greens (v,gf)
HoppinJohn stew (v,gf)