Ceci n’est pas une nacho

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

I don’t often patronize chains, but occasionally co-workers talk me into it. “It’s El Torito Grill, not El Torito.” The place appeared to be a Wolfgang Puck-inspired El Torito with a long bar and hard liquor. OK, fine. I could go for some nachos anyways.

I got up to answer my cell phone and when I returned, my friend had a strange look on his face and said, “They don’t have nachos.” So I looked at the menu and I saw “The Mexican Platter”

Chicken and shrimp taquitos, steak nachos, cheese quesadilla, chipotle barbecue ribs, tomatillo-avocado sauce and red pepper dip. 12.99

I called the server over.

“Aren’t these nachos on this platter?”

“No.”

“It says Steak Nachos”

“yes, but they aren’t nachos”

“how are they not nachos?

“They are not made with tortilla chips. They are made with tortillas”

“You mean you cut a tortilla up and deep fry it?”

“Yes”

“OK. That’s how you make a tortilla chip”

“No. It is not a tortilla chip”

“That’s OK. Can you just bring me that? On whatever it is?”

“Well, it is not like what you think of as nachos. Each chip has the individual beans and cheese and steak on it.”

“OK, could you bring me the menu item that is beans and cheese and steak individually placed on deep fried tortilla pieces?”

“Certainly madame. More iced tea?”

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Mariachi Night

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

I spend so much time as an observer, taking pictures and documenting events of other people’s communities, sometimes it is nice to get a reminder that I am part of a community too.

For my mom’s birthday the family got together for the local church’s Mariachi Night. The church I grew up in, where I went to school. The steps I sat on when I had detention. For 20 bucks you got a taco plate, a few drink tickets and lots of family fun.

I like watching them make the carne asada

And then I like eating it.

Later we realized you could get additional tacos and beers for a dollar each and that made it a much better deal. I noticed they hadn’t punched my nephew’s ticket, and I said, “Hey, you could get another plate.” He turned it over and showed me the reverse side

Then there was the entertainment. Ballet Folkloriko was a lot of stomping and big colorful butterfly skirts when I was younger, but I am seeing more and more of these simple flirty dances lately

It’s too dark to see the lasso, but at least you can hear the mariachis

The mechanical bull was a popular attraction for the kids. Why is it so funny to see a little kid fall down? We should all be ashamed of ourselves.

But the important thing is that my mom had a good time.

Posted in Festivals | 2 Comments

Jazz at Jitlada for Gina

Posted on October 10, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Everybody loves Jazz, proprietress of one of the best Thai restaurants in Los Angeles. This video shows her endless charm. Here she discusses the proper foods for new mothers while Sinosoul figures out how to program her I-Phone to Twitter, hence the seemingly odd exclamation of “OK, I know how to follow people now” at the end.

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Tea at the Langham: Hats off to London

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

I like my tea with bubbles

Last June The Langham Huntingtom Hotel and Spa held its Anniversary Tea Celebration. They “turned back the clocks to 1865” OK. I didn’t know clocks told years. Maybe that’s the third hand. Anyways, back in 1865 The Langham served up the first tea to none other than the Prince of Wales. For this anniversary event, the afternoon tea was priced at 1 shilling, or 15 cents.

So a certain friend posted a story about this tea at the time and it started a flame war! About afternoon tea! Comments included such amazing accusations as that we received “pecuniary remuneration”. Pecuniary? Really? And it had the most amazing riposte retitle ever, “This Tea Was So Stupendously Enjoyable That I Jizzed in My Pants, and I Guarantee You Will Too.”

I love the grounds at the Langham, previously the Ritz. I imagine men from Masterpiece Theater playing badminton in their white wool sweaters.

Traditional Tea

Your choice of tea

VerbenaMint Chrysanthemum
English Breakfast, Earl Grey Passion, Vanilla Bean, Earl Grey

The vanilla bean tea was stellar. Serves piping hot on its own little teapot table, the pots was constantly replaced and refilled to keep the temperature right.

Caribbean Shrimp with Watercress Pesto on Herb Bread

Cucumber with Citrus Mint Cream on Sourdough, Hearts of Palm and Grapefruit

Prosciutto di Parma with Herb Burrata Cream on Squaw with Cantaloupe Caviar and Micro Greens

Egg with Herb Garlic Mousse on Potato Peppercorn with American Caviar

Smoked Salmon Profiteroles with Caramelized Shallot, Caper Cream, Dill Sprig and Lemon Zest

Menus are so damned detailed I expect them to start adding “15 grains of freshly milled pepper and 20 grains of sea salt” one day.

OK, so… some of the items on the tea trays had clearly been prepped the day before. The items made the same day were fresh and delicious and wonderful. But then the other half were dried out and old. It was a shame. It could have been a perfect tea.

The Caribbean shrimp was nice, but the shrimp had been cooked and shelled too soon. It was a nice take on the traditional cucumber sandwich and we were very pleased with it. The prosciutto and egg sandwiches were fine, but the herbed cream an mousses on them were fantastic. It would have been nicer to just have little finger sandwiches filled with mousse. I did not eat the salmon. I almost never do.

Pain Turn Cookie
Lemon Raspberry Tart
Almond Financier
French Macaroons
Creme Brulee Tart
Passion Fruit Gateau
Milk Chocolate Citrus Torte

The pain turn cookie, French macaroon and especially the almond financier were just perfect. Nicely baked. But the tarts had rock-hard shells, and the chocolate torte had been made so long before the chocolate had gummed up. Lesson of the day: make less menu items and make them all fresh.

The gateau was that exact same gateau you see on every upscale buffet table from your last cruise to your cousin’s wedding. The sponge cake was sponge-y and the mousse was nice enough. It was fresh and it was moist.

Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Bread
Scones with Devonshire Cream

Sorry, the scones were not working for me. I didn’t touch them after an exploratory bite. The scones were D R Y. I didn’t eat them, but my friend seemed happy to have any vehicle for Devonshire Cream, which makes her swoon.

So, really, the champagne and tea and about half of the sandwiches and sweets were nice. Not bad for 15 cents. Just to sit there was worth it, really, the place is so lovely.

It sucks being an out-of-work actor in LA because you end up being a footman for the Ladies Who Lunch

“The Langham Hotel and Spa in Pasadena offers afternoon tea Thursdays through Sundays in their gorgeous lobby Lounge.”

My friend also stated that she wanted to swim naked in the Devonshire cream. Now that is worth 15 cents!

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Kiki Maraschino’s Time Space Continuum

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Ok, let me explain the Kiki Maraschino Time Continuum. When I am blogging about a trip, I like to finish the trip blogs before moving on. Some of these trips take weeks to write up and meanwhile the world keeps spinning.

But I don’t want to interrupt the flow and have you dear readers jumping all over the globe. So I often backdate posts because I believe there will come that fantasy day when I catch up on all of my posts and am blogging real time. The posts dated 3 weeks ago were written last night. And they could cover any event up to 3 months ago.

Today is October 23rd. In June of 2009 I attended the upcoming tea. But I am going to backdate it to somewhere around October 5th since one day I will catch up on all of my posts and need those open dates. Otherwise I would be writing in the future, which would really be confusing.

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Vancouver: Ricky’s

Posted on October 4, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

We did stop at a chain diner for breakfast. Ricky’s diner has “evolved into one of Western Canada’s premiere, mid-scale family restaurants. And we’ve achieved this by offering a delectably impressive menu selection in a comfortably modern environment…”

I had to try the breakfast of 3 eggs, 7 perogies and Bavarian sausage with toast. Bavarian sausage is kind of like Polish sausage. The perogies were really delicious for a chain. Perogies are seriously underrated, The Southland needs a really good perogie place.

I think my nephew got “The Works” omelette – Ham, Portobello and button mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and 3 cheeses, topped with a slice of bacon

No one went for the super-Canadian “benny” their version of an eggs benedict. Back bacon, eh? “With two strips of maple bacon and sliced tomato” It should come with a Molsons.

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The Meat Shop

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

The trip back over the border was unremarkable, except for happening upon the Meat Shop, which totally blew my mind. It was conveniently located next to the tanning salon. Wrong kind of meat.

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Vancouver: Wasabi Ice Cream

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

When I like something I cannot get enough of it. So after finding out that there was a shop serving wasabi gelato I was all over it. La Casa Gelato serves over 200 flavors of gelato, and has been for 20 years. They actually have over 500 flavors, but keep 218 in rotation at all times. They started out in 1982 serving pizza and ice cream, but soon focused solely on gelato. Owner Vince Misceo insists on real eggs, cream, and “no air”.

They are ready with ample sample spoons. As the owner acknowledges, they bring customers in with the wasabi and sell them the chocolate. The unusual flavors tend to go wayyyy out there. Corn, vinegar, radicchio, blue cheese, and dandelion just to name a few. The curry ice cream was hot enough to leave a burning sensation on my tongue. Way more than the wasabi did. But strawberry-jalapeno is the only one that tore my face right off.

In addition to spicy and savory flavors, La Casa Gelato has a huge selection of Asian flavors, including many fruits you have never seen in this form before. Lychee, starfruit, red bean, taro, jackfruit, black bean, Oh, and I LOVE durian, which my nephew thinks is insane. It tastes a little like skunk, and a little like the scent they add to natural gas. But lurking under all of that weirdness is the most delicious, dark, satisfying flavor. There is a reason people eat it.

I ended up getting a double cone of lavendar and Hedgehog.

Oh, and you can get ice cream cakes! I can’t wait for my wasabi birthday cake!

PS I just had to include this shot

Posted in Canada, Vancouver | 2 Comments

Vancouver: Obey Jonathan Gold at any Cost

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Whenever I visit an aquarium they always have a gigantic King Crab. Part of me is standing there thinking about the wonders of nature, and part of me is thinking, “If not for these guards, buddy, it would be you, me, and a pound of melted butter.

When I sent out a general Facebook request for Vancouver restaurant suggestions, none other than Jonathan Gold recommended Sun Sui Wah. Now, that is a recommendation to heed. If Jonathan Gold picked something up off the sidewalk and told me to eat it I probably would – no matter what Lux Interior said.

Sun Sui Wah started out in Hong Kong and became famous there for their squab. During the 80s they opened up two locations in Canada – one in Vancouver, and one in Richmond. The restaurant is set up for banquet facilities with a bride’s changing room, and as the website says, “A party of twenty! No problem!”

When we arrived at the restaurant, they were indeed hosting a wedding reception. We had to park a few blocks away since the ample parking was taken up by wedding guests.

The bride in red

At this point my mom was ready to bail. But they offered us a corner crammed up against the seafood tanks, and Justin was down for the adventure. I was tempted to ask them to just bring us the same food as the wedding guests.

But the thing to have here is the Alaska King Crab.

Alaska King Crab
Indigenous to the deep clear waters of Alaska and free from pollutants, the Alaska King Crab is truly King of the sea with tender juicy sweet meat.

Following my family’s Chinese restaurant tradition, everyone at the table gets to order one dish. My mom ordered chicken/lettuce wraps (Ants Climbing Tree), which was a familiar and comforting dish. But I was saving my appetite.

and my nephew ordered the squab.

The Famous Roasted Squab
The famous roasted squab, a signature dish marinated with a secret blend of seasoning and spices to bring out the best flavors, roasted till crispy with tender juiced meat. One taste and it becomes habit forming. Although the squab is a delicacy more familiar to the Asian culture, now everyone is discovering its’ delicious taste and health values.

I split the squab with him. The skin was crispy and laquered, the meat was juicy and tender without the gaminess I had expected.

Really, we should have only ordered one thing. It was an insane amount of food. But damn it, I was there to have crab and God help me I was gonna have crab. I asked for the smallest crab. They brought a live one out for our inspection, and in spite of it frightening nearby diners, I nodded my approval.

My nephew warned, “Ummmm….auntie….” because he knew how much meat was in that monster. I had no idea. I had eaten 8 crab legs in one sitting before at the local crab shack, so this would be easy. And dammit, a Pulitzer Prize winner wanted me to eat this crab! If Gabriel Garcia-Marquez wanted me to eat this crab, who would I be to question him?

They offered me the crab two ways, so I chose steamed with garlic and cooked with curry. By now my mom was practically rolling her eyes at the insanity. But I was on a mission – a crab mission.

Try to imagine the most delicious seafood you have ever tasted – fresh, intense and clean. Now multiply it by a thousand. The first course was not as buttery as I expected, and the garlic was intense, but the meat was so sweet, so succulent…the perfect crab. I must admit, the crab legs seemed endless – each leg was split into four, and it became a test of fortitude.

When the second course of curried crab arrived, my nephew just shook his head. I was on my own. The creamy, rich sauce was a nice follow-up to the intense garlic. It was smooth and flavorful. My mom stared at me with a mixture of disapproval and horror.

When the bill arrived, I snatched it up as fast as I could. As we left, my mom muttered, “That crab probably cost you 200 dollars.” When I got the credit card bill in USD, it came out to 80 dollars. And it was worth every cent.

Posted in Canada, Vancouver | 1 Comment

Vancouver Friday and Sat: Family

Posted on September 20, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

I have always loved visiting Granville Island ever since my Auntie Heather used to haul Starbucks coffee beans across the border to sell in her little coffee store. It also helped that she sold Smarties by weight and had a barrel of Smarties in the shop. I was excited to show Justin the cool warehouse market, which was similar to Pike Place.

Unfortunately, Granville Island has expanded ridiculously. I heard that inside the warehouse, it is still a cool mix of bakeries and fish markets, but we never made it that far. Parking was impossible, and the whole area was a mass of cheap gift shops and chain restaurants ala TG McFunsters. We gave up – so much for butter tarts.

We had a nice dinner at Aunt Heather’s. She cooked enough for 3 meals. I was polite and did not photograph at the dinner table.

Saturday we had a small family reunion. My mom had 14 brothers and sisters, so I have 72 first cousins on her side. This was definitely a small get-together. My mom’s sister came down from north Vancouver Island and her brother came from Kelowna. We had a nice lunch in the hotel restaurant by the harbour.

It was your typical American/Canadian fare – salads, sliders, burgers.

Most of the family ordered the taco salad

I did get into the ahi sliders, mostly because of the wasabi mayonnaise. I am seriously obsessed with wasabi.

Really, people go to unbelievable lengths to humor me and my food photography

Sticky Toffee Pudding, one of the wonders of British colonies

This is a gooseberry

As I was changing out lenses, a cousin impulsively hugged me, and my lens went flying. What is up with Canada and my camera lenses? Canada hates my camera! I was so traumatized I didn’t go out partying with my cousin’s women’s hockey team that night. And that’s not a drinking party to miss.

My Uncle Pat was a prison guard, and scared the hell out of us growing up. I don’t think I saw him smile until I was in my 20s. He does have a nice smile.

The three closest siblings, Auntie Loretta, Uncle John and Mom

My Auntie Loretta is an amazing cook. I have been making her recipes for years.

AUNTIE LORETTA’S MACARONI SALAD

2 cups macaroni
1/2 cup diced ham
1/2 cup diced cheddar cheese
1 stalk celery, diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1.2 teaspoon black pepper

(she adds 1/2 green pepper, diced and 1 teaspoon salt, which I leave out. The ham makes it salty enough for me)

Cook macaroni in saled water for 7 minutes. Drain. Run cold water over macaroni until it is cold.

Mix remaining ingredients into macaroni. Add more mayonnaise as desired.

Allow flavors to blend several hours before serving.

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Vancouver: The Elbow Room

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

The last time I was in Vancouver, I had so much fun with the Elbow Room’s wacky waitstaff I had to go back. Plus, my nephew is a burger fan and they make what is known as the best burger in Van.

The elbow room is a local institution at 560 Davie Street, a cute little cafe that is sparse but comfy. The real attraction, besides the food is the amazing staff that you can’t help but love.

The Elbow Room was started in 1983 by Patrick Savoie, an ex-teacher and Brian Searle, an insurance adjuster. It’s original location, at 720 Jervis Street, was located in the first mayor of Vancouver’s house, and was declared a heritage building. At first Bryan did dishes and Patrick cooked. We had one employee, Vera McKee, who waited tables…We now have 52 seats, a staff of 10-12 and abusing customers from all over Canada, the US and the world.

They do have some crazy-ass burgers. Check these out

Tom Select Burger
Topped with bacon, pineapple, peach slices and camembert cheese.

Trucker Burger
Mushroom, baby shrimp, bacon avocado, a fried egg and cheddar cheese

The Chad Lowe
(For the meat lover, a.k.a. ‘ The F ‘ ing Kidding Burger ‘ )
Two 8 oz patties, sautéed mushrooms and red onions, bacon, pepperoni, B.B.Q. and HP sauce.

But being the princess I am, I ordered

Princess Burger
Bacon, sliced avocado, feta and camembert cheese.

Thick, juicy, feta-y…truly a great burger. We also split an amazing fresh banana-blueberry shake

We had room to split one more thing. Now, if you don’t finish your food at The Elbow Room you get a spanking. You can sometimes talk them into accepting a donation to A Loving Spoonful, but they really do try for that spanking. One way to avoid a spanking is to bring a college boy because 1. They can finish any plate of food 2. They are more tempting spanking bait 3. They are probably used to that kind of thing what with the hazing and such. OK here is a sample of the menu. Guess which treat we ordered?

A. Savoury Pancake
Bacon, Cheese, Sausage or a Combination

B. Banana Walnut French Toast (No Jenny Craig here)
Made with pound cake. It’s delicious and very rich.
Add Bacon, Sausage or Ham? $2.75
Add Blackberries,Blueberries,Strawberries,Banana,or Raspberries $2.00

C. Evelyn Hilderbrant
A large cinnamon bun, grilled as French toast.

D. Administrative Assistant
Banana, green apple slices, and orange wedges, with a blueberry yogurt and Muffin (cranberry bran or Blueberry Peach). No eggs. No meat. Nothing to clog your precious arteries.

That is correct, sir! C – a French-toasted cinnamon bun. Woohoo! Halfway through our burger, we were confronted by our wild-haired waitress, “What’s the matter with your french toast?”

“Nothing. We’re eating in courses.”

“Yeah, that’s our dessert.”

“Ohhh dessert! Well, dessert!” She ran off and returned with a giant can of Reddi-whip. “Now it’s dessert!”

Posted in Vancouver | 2 Comments

Vancouver: Japadog!!!!

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Friday Justin and I were super-excited because we were going to JAPADOG! The greatest hot dog cart in the world! There are three locations – one on Pender and Burrard (menu), the one we hit in front of The Sutton Place Hotel, and Japadogs has just opened a third location Coal Habour Community Centre.

The line stretched for an entire block, and the wait was long, but the crowd was patient and convivial. They knew there was something wonderful waiting at the end of that line.

There is a regular menu, then each stand has a special menu. The standard menu includes turkey and veggie “smokies”, bratwurst, and all beef dogs. Since my visit, they have started offering kurobuta (black hog) dogs. Specialty menus at different stands vary. There are four special options at this stand: Terimayo, Oroshi, Misomayo and Okonomi.

The Terimayo is an all-beef dog with teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, fried onions and nori (seaweed). This is their best-seller. The teriyaki flavor was overpowering. We expected the nori to be the overwhelming flavor, but the teriyaki made it almost impossible to taste.

The Oroshi (Daikon) is made with a special soy sauce, grated radish and green onion on a bratwurst. I chose to add wasabi mayonnaise to mine. The sausage was of the highest quality, delicious with a lovely meaty texture. The wasabi mayonnaise was so spectacular I became obsessed with wasabi for days.

The other choices we did not try were still exciting – the Misomayo is oddly enough made with Miso and Japanese Mayo. It was my first choice, but it was sold out. The other is Okonomi (based on a popular Japanese pancake and translates to “what you want”): Special sauce, Japanese Mayo, Fried cabbage, dried bonito flakes. (a review of Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise)

I allowed Google toolbar to translate the Japanese-language story of Japadogs. Computers will never replace human translators because they don’t understand context, so they can’t make proper word choices. This one doesn’t seem to do grammar either.

From what I gather, the Japanese founder dreamed of overseas crepe stands and opened crepe stands in New York. While vacationing in Vancouver, he and his wife decided to open the creperies there – and name them Japadog. Sooo, so much for computer translation. Here is the rest of the story straight from the site via Google translation:

In Vancouver, you can meet a lot of people, luck, 2005 May OPEN. OPEN Initially, I was not decided upon the name of the store. For some time, had become increasingly called JAPA DOG.

Initially, Japanese style, but I did not have much popular gradually in the course of one year one year and continued, it began to be popular items.
Of course, the contracting out of everyone of us (including sales only one a month), but also a visionary and it did not work the menu. Every day, we are prototyping in various ways.

During lunch and evening, you may be side by side. Away to keep you waiting, I’m sorry all the time. That I strive to provide as soon as possible, the limitations of the truly “Darn, and I hasten” in my mind is always crying.

But we don’t mind being side by side, because Japadogs is a thing of wonder. I wish I could tell this visionary how much we love them and maybe it will stop his mind from crying.

Posted in Vancouver | 5 Comments

Seattle Thurs: Surprise! It’s the Pike!

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

After the bakery, we wandered through Pike Place. The parking gods were with us. Look at the amazing spot we got for our black rented SUV!

A trip to Pike as always, included a stop at Beecher’s.

Flagship cheese on the move

Picked up a pretzel I think at 3 Girls Bakery – maybe Auntie Em’s…it’s all ablur of foodstuffs swirling around my head

We also stopped off at Pike Chowder where we tried a sampler of seafood chowders. The basic clam chowder was the best.

Kids are so adorable

We got some pierogie at Cafe Yarmarka for the road, which was lucky because Justin was starving after his exams

Plus the border crossing took forever, so our picnic basket of collected treats was really needed. By the time we got to our gorgeous room at the Vancouver Westin Bayshore, I was happy to just order room service and a movie while Justin and mom went out for dinner with Uncle John.

And maybe just one of their freakishly giant beers afterwards.

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Seattle Thursday: Hey Macrina!

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

Thursday we had the entire morning and afternoon before we were scheduled to pick up my nephew Justin. At my friend Wathana’s recomendation, we went looking for the Macrina Bakery. It was only blocks from our hotel. It really was a fantastic location. We picked up some pastries for the road.

Macrina has a wide selection of breads, all formed by hand, including

Macrina Casera
“Of This House”
1.5 lb Loaf ~ $3.55
This bread is leavened with a natural wild starter made from organic grapes, coarse whole wheat and unbleached flours. Designed for any meal. It has a mild sour flavor.

Giuseppe
1.5 lb Loaf ~ $3.55 • 2.5 oz Roll ~ $0.65
1.75 lb Sliced Loaf ~ $4.15
8 oz Panini ~ $1.65
Our classic, crusty Italian loaf. Leavened with biga (traditional sponge starter) and unbleached flour. Lighter in salt and perfect for dipping in your favorite olive oil.

Olivetta
1 lb Loaf ~ $4.05 • 2.5 oz Roll ~ $0.65
Similar in texture to our focaccia, this moist and savory loaf is packed with whole green olives and fresh oregano. Baked on semolina and brushed with extra virgin olive oil.

and the fascinating

Vollkorn
1.25 lb Loaf ~ $4.05 • 2.5 oz Roll ~ $0.65
A German-style, 6-grain seed bread. This beautiful loaf is leavened with a beer starter and sweetened with a touch of honey and molasses. Its braided design makes it perfect for breaking with friends.

Their antique pastry case has been offering up goodies since 1993. Like the Roly-Poly, “our homage to the classic cinnamon roll, enhanced with coconut, raisins and walnuts”.

Macrina’s Fresh Fruit Coffeecake

For September, we are featuring our Fresh Fruit Coffeecake. To make the best possible cake, use freshly picked berries at the height of their growing season. Usually, berries are at their best in September. Pick blackberries, raspberries, blueberries or huckleberries (perfect in mid-September) and toss them in the batter.

Makes 1 bundt cake

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups ripe fruit (whole berries or fruit cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
Edible flowers and powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Oil a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and toss with your hands to combine. Remove 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and set bowl aside.

In a separate medium bowl, combine fruit and the reserved 1/4 cup of flour mixture. Toss until fruit is evenly coated and set aside. Tossing the fruit in flour helps keep it from sinking to the bottom of the coffeecake – a true disaster!

Combine butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment for 5 to 8 minutes on medium speed. The mixture will become smooth and pale in color. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure the first egg is fully mixed into the batter before adding the other. After the second egg is incorporated, add vanilla extract and mix for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for another 30 seconds to make sure all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Alternately add small amounts of flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter mixing with a wooden spoon just until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold in the flour coated fruit making sure the fruit is evenly distributed through the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared Bundt pan filling two-thirds of the pan.

Bake on the center rack of the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Check the center of the coffeecake with a skewer. It will come out clean when the cake is done. Let cool in a pan for 45 minutes.

Loosen the sides of the cake with a sharp knife. Place a serving plate upside-down on top of the cooled Bundt pan and invert the pan to remove the cake.

This delicious coffeecake is perfect just the way it is, but I like to jazz up the presentation with a few fresh, edible flowers and a dusting of powdered sugar.

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Seattle: Connect Four at Buckleys

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Kiki Maraschino

For dinner Wednesday the historic MGM/Loews building and warm lights drew us over to Buckley’s in Belltown. Half of the restaurant/pub is a sports bar with an umm, enthusiastic clientele. One person on UrbanSpoon said that the glow from the rows and rows of flat screens made them feel like they were in the supermarket refrigerator aisle.

Luckily for us there is a cozy restaurant area with tall-backed wooden booths, one of my favorite seating arrangements. I feel like I’m in my own private club compartment.

Reading over the pub’s accolades, I am kind of confused by the fact that Buckey’s won “The best Guinness in Seattle”. Umm, they are brewing Guinness in Seattle? They have the best supplier? They can slow pour like a pro?

We started with the meatloaf sliders. They were OK. I think burgers are really only the proper slider filling. An interesting idea, but didn’t quite fly.

Then we split the fish and chips. All I remember is that the fish was good, but the fries were cold.

OK, so Buckleys is not the place to go for fine dining. But if you are with a group of friends and want to get hammered, eat bar food and play a bunch of fun games, the comfy booths are stocked with retro board games that make for a fun night.

Look how EXCITED these kids are to play Connect Four. They are downright HYSTERICAL

Can I just say that my mom kicks ass at Connect Four. It’s like that Donkey Kong guy.

Of course, every game has its cheaters and sharks, and you best take heed to this warning inside the game cover:

Posted in seattle | 1 Comment