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  • Indulge in Yakima Valley’s Red Wine & Chocolate 02.09.12



    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.

    TAGS: Mobile Wine Tour App, pairing tips, Premier Pass, Red Wine & Chocolate, Sip & Click, Terra Blanca, Two Mountain Winery, Ummelina Spa, Valentine's Day, Wilridge, Wine Yakima Valley

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  • Planning your Valentine’s 02.03.12



    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

    TAGS: Cafe Flora, Estancia Lucia, Golden Beetle, Hula Hula, Magic Road International, Tilth, Tini Bigs, Valentine's Day

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