Starchy bliss...

Last night we were treated to dinner by Morgan's cohort M and his special lady friend V. We had intentions of hitting a cabaret place downtown, but found it was bingo night and made alternate plans to finally grace the threshold of Bizzarro. I'm not quite sure why we haven't been there before, it's been on the list for a while, I think we just always ended up lazy or busy or craving something else. Plus everything I've read has indicated a long wait for a table, which I'm not a fan of. Now having gone once, I would seriously consider quitting my job to clean toilets there if it meant I could eat their table scraps on a daily basis.

The food was simply divine, there's not much of a better way to put it. I'm a big fan of a good bowl of pasta, and Bizzarro delivers in spades. At 9:00 p.m. they were out of the wild boar and one other special, but still serving up the pappardelle with white truffle butter. I probably would have gone for the boar had it been available, much as I'm a lover of truffles. See, I've had a couple of truffle dishes in the past that have tossed me into the abyss of a serious foodgasm, but I've also had several truffle dishes that have fallen fairly flat. I think that there are a lot of chefs out there trying to ride that single ingredient as though it will carry the whole dish, and it just doesn't work. The truffle lovin' at Bizzarro, however, is perfect. The sauce was one that I would like to bathe in; rich and buttery with a vague herb-y undertone, and absolutely packed with truffle flavor. More often than not I came across a fat slice of the juicy little fungi in my forkful, which was oddly comforting, like they weren't messing around when they say truffle.

Not that one exceptional dish is enough to totally win me over though. The thing that really got me with this place is that every little detail counted. The rosemary bread was fresh and delicious and probably made on site, the oil and balsamic for dipping was of a quality and combination that I've yet to encounter elsewhere. The clams in white wine appetizer was light, full of flavor and complemented by the wine while leaving the clams plenty of room to shine. Morgan had the bolognese which was exactly as it should be; meaty and hearty without being too heavy, and with a touch of cinnamon. Even the espresso was served while the crema was still thick (which never happens in restaurants, in my experience). We downed a couple of bottles of rich, unassuming organic red that I can't remember the name of, and that was that.

I'm not sure whether the boisterous greeting we received by proprietor and head chef Mike Easton sweetened the pot for us. It was nice to feel special and have the head cheese pour our wine (we used to roll bread together in Albuquerque), but I feel confident that I would have been just as impressed had I not known he had anything to do with the place. New Year's resolution #32: eat the entire menu at Bizzarro.

Perfect Rainy Day meal

It's the day after a rough Christmas, it's raining and cold and icky outside, and I found the perfect recipe to perk us both up on this dark and stormy night. Pork chops with stewed with cabbage, apples and beer. The onions sauteeing in the browned chop remains and a tablespoon of dijon beer mustard was enough to make us both salivate, but the addition of the crunchy cabbage and tart fuji apples really brought the whole plate together. Very hot, steamy and filling but not quite so heavy as the meat and potatoes I always crave this time of year.

I'm anxiously awaiting my 5 days off over the new year, the majority of which will be spent trying out some of the scrumptious things I've been reading about on other food blogs about town. Of course I'll share everything...

Nebulous meat

Last weekend we clamored our hungry bellies up to Pam's Kitchen for some Trinidadian/Carribbean food, highly recommended by the Seattle Weekly. I should preface this by saying that I love the food section of the Seattle Weekly. This paper has turned me on to some great restaurants that I may never have had the inkling to check out on my own. That being said, food reviews are always hit and miss, and well, I've got high standards.

The "thing" at Pam's is roti, a shriveled up, tastier version of Naan in my opinion. It's floury and light, reminiscent of the homemade tortillas made on site at The Frontier in Albuquerque. The menu is sparse, to say the least, offering 4 choices of flavored meat with which to fill your roti, and two vegetarian options. We ordered the chicken and the lamb. I'm always a sucker for lamb - it tastes just as good as they are cute!

We also ordered a couple of sorrels, a drink that tastes very much like Oregon chai mix and looks like beet juice. It was delicious. Each dish is served in a small dish, half filled with the meat of your choice, and half with a side of potatoes and garbanzo beans cooked with seemingly generic sweet curry. The chicken was very tasty, the lamb divine and impressive for not being stringy and/or chewy and tough as lamb can often be, even in the best of marinades. The homemade hot sauce really pulled the whole meal together, amplifying the savory flavor of the meat while adding that nice kick that I always desire from, well, most food, regardless of origin. We were both surprisingly stuffed from the small plates of food, yet I had that feeling like I'd had a lot of tasty things going on in my mouth but it wasn't completely satisfying. The meal was cheap ($29 with tip), and I think everyone should try it once, but I doubt I'll be rushing back for more.

Biscochitos

This was round two last night. Approximately 5 dozen of the sinfully buttery, spiced little cookies will find their way into the mouths of our friends and family. The previous batch went into the mail to all of our out-of-towners yesterday afternoon. They were paired with truffles, both dark and white. I'll write more about them later.