food
We recently spent a crisp, fall weekend in the Columbia River Gorge, which lies on the border between Washington and Oregon. As we took in the stunning views, tasting wine and peeking behind the scenes of Maryhill Winery, we quickly realized that a winery might just be the perfect activity to discover the essence of a place. Wine, after all, is more than just crushed grapes. It is the warm sun that ripens, the earth that influences its flavors, and the many hands of the people who harvest and tinker with the grapes until it reaches the final product, a bottle of wine. And while you're at its source, you might as well take a taste. And taste we did, and as we discovered which wines suited us, we also discovered the place from which they came.
Not too long ago, we began our love affair with Louisiana, not in Louisiana itself, but at home in Seattle at a little food truck called Where Ya at Matt. We spent months on a diet rich in red beans, grits, fried shrimp and beignets, which made us crave it directly from its source. Luckily, a ridiculously cheap rental car deal led Austin and I to pay a visit to Louisiana this past spring. We set out on a week-long tasting adventure across the state, and while the foods that follow are now familiar friends, we imagined you might need a bit of a Cajun crash course.
Bend, Oregon may not be on your radar, but if you're a beer lover, spirit drinker or coffee aficionado it should be. In just a quick 48 hours, I had sipped three local beers, tasted locally made vodka and gin, and learned the art of coffee cupping. For those of us who like to drink, Bend may just as well be called the sipping capital of the world.
New Orleans' culinary tradition is legendary. Spicy, flavorful and slightly intoxicating, just like the city itself. One man who carries on this culinary tradition is Donald Link, who just recently won a James Beard award for his restaurant, Cochon. Blending traditional New Orleanian fare with a modern culinary trends, Link has created new and exciting ways for the uninitiated and initiated, alike, to discover Cajun cuisine. On our recent trip to New Orleans, we headed straight to Cochon, but then turned to corner to discover its little brother, Butcher, tucked just down the street. A relaxed informal lunch spot, Butcher focuses on charcuterie and provided us a peek into what's new in New Orleans cuisine.
Markets are my favorite place to explore when I travel. The sights, the sounds and the smells; it can be intoxicating. On Granville Island on Vancouver, BC, the Public Market is a feast for your senses.
Granville Island, a former industrial island just south of downtown Vancouver, is a bit of an oasis in the middle of the city. You could drive or take the bus over, but we opted to take a long, appetite-building morning walk from our apartment rental and then hopped on the aquabus to get across the water.
When I first visited St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I expected to sample seafood, fresh fruit, and standard resort fare. What I found instead was a varied and diverse mix of Caribbean and American influences throughout the island. From a local brewery to fishermen’s grub and on top of all that, a cavalry of mainland culinary school grads that feed the island, St. Croix has a varied food culture to sample.
Thomas Bakery and Deli is an unassuming spot near Sunny Isle Shopping Center (at the junction of Rt. 66 and Rt. 70.) I stopped by for a snack and a steady stream of locals coming and going with bags full of baked goods proved to be a good sign. My favorite was a shared hunk of their butter bread which was soft and still warm from the oven. I also tried a typical Caribbean dish, a pate. A flakey pastry is filled with vegetables or meat, in this case saltfish or dried, salted cod. It was, obviously, salty and a bit spicy.
why: A Southern-style chicken sandwich with a modern twist. Loved the fennel seeds in the crust,the thinly sliced kale on top, and the jalapeno aioli for a tiny bit of heat. Find this food truck or head to their newly opened diner on Capitol Hill.
During the summer in the South it's tough to get through the day. The sun, the brutal beast that she is, is really messing with your mojo. It's hot, like really hot, so hot that your brain stops working and there's no relief in sight. If you happen to be in New Orleans during the summer, you might spot a mass of locals perched on a bench and enjoying an icy treat that is a surefire way to beat the heat. Known in New Orleans as the snowball* this cup of shaved ice with syrup isn't a dessert, it's a survival skill.
*Admittedly, the proper spelling of snowball in this case is snoball, but I can't bring myself to spell it that way unless it's a proper noun.
Juicy, sweet, delicious. A ripe cherry can be a foodies dream. For eight to ten weeks in the summer, Eastern Washington abounds with them. From dark, sumptuous Bings to sun-kissed Rainiers and countless other lesser-known varieties, there is a cherry for everyone. If you're someone who travels for food and are a fan of the cherry, you may want to plan your next trip to Seattle and it's environs. Just make sure it's between June and August, and you'll be sure to find your cherry bliss.
why: Fried savory goodness topped with sweet and spicy Southern speciality. You want to eat it because it's two Southern traditions melded into one and that is just AWESOME.
