Back in the kitchen I took the whole fish and stuffed the cavity with sweet onions (grown in my aunt’s friend’s garden), lemon slices, my aunt’s chives, and a little olive oil. The results were marvelous. Not only was the fish as fresh as can be, and the preparation simple but appropriate, but the flesh was a tasty-looking light salmon color. I wondered if color had been added, but then my uncle chimed in, not knowing what type of fish we were eating, that he used to catch golden trout in the Western Sierras and that it was a salmon colored fish he found in high elevations, but could never find at a market. After hearing his tale I was even more excited about my dinner find. Next time you venture into the busy shopping atmosphere that makes Pike Place what it is, I highly recommend you try something new, ask the fish monger what’s just come in, or just follow your eyes toward what looks freshest and most interesting. You never know what will come of it!

I had the fish mongers at Pike’s Place Fish Market leave the fish intact, rather than have them fillet it, and this head will be yummy fish broth for other uses later. (I’m tempted to do a fiery hot East Indian fish head curry that I recently learned, but not today)

The prettiest fish!!

It was done after about 35 minutes on 375-f oven, first 10 minutes were covered

A sauce of sauteed onion, a little whole milk, black pepper, toasted flour and fresh chives and parsley for the trout

zucchini with garlic and tomatoes (frozen from last summer’s harvest) were an ideal side dish

We had such a great time last Friday at the Portland book Launch at Land Gallery on North Mississippi. Portland made us feel so at home!

Daniel’s drawings were the show stopper – everyone loved recognizing their favorite spots around town and complimented his great architectural style. (Even though I’v watched him time and time again, I still can’t figure out how he gets the depth of space to come alive, and how he keeps track of all those lines, it is like he memorizes each building he draws!) His prints are still on sale at Land Gallery, so go pick one up if you didn’t get a chance to at the show.

We shared chocolate, coffee, and some wine, and met a lot of great Portlanders, plus travelers visiting from elsewhere. I was happy to sign a stack of books. Here are some pictures from the night in case you missed it:

Koi Fusion sounded to me like another cliche Chinese restaurant, the kind that isn’t cheap enough for regular grubbing, and isn’t open late enough for a post-show supper, but the kind that tries too hard to please people who know quite little about Chinese food. When I was told the Koi truck was right around the corner and that I couldn’t miss their Korean tacos I was even more confused. On this one, clearly the name wasn’t going to tell me a thing! Skipping the brew-ha-ha about fusion cuisine, and its many failings, I am happy to say this place was nothing of the sort. Their warm tacos, filled with Korean marinated meats and fresh slaw, plus house-made (truck-made, rather) kimchee if you ask nicely, make a joyful bite out of two very different culinary concepts. The pork was especially good, but the glazed shortrib taco was also a stand out. After trying Koi Fusion I started reading about it, and apparently I’m not the only one to be amazed and delighted, so did the New York Times and Gourmet Magazine. While we were chomping down on our $2 tacos Daniel reminded me of a truck we saw in LA with the same theme but didn’t have a chance to try. Korean fusion trend alert! Find this truck via their twitter feed: twitter.com/koifusionpdx

Grilled Cheese Grill
Not that I particularly need two grilled cheese sandwiches to act as my burger bun, but if that’s the hamburger your looking for, it will be made fresh for you (and not in your dreams) at this fanciful Alberta Street food cart. Taking up a yard space and a completely painted and renovated bus, which is even reminiscent of the namesake sandwich, Grilled Cheese Grill makes a lot of things you’d only image and wouldn’t dare concoct. I tried the toasted cinnamon raisin toast with baked brie and slices of crisp apple rather than going large with the aforementioned burger idea, but the menu has enough choices for every type of grilled cheese fantasy. Hooray! http://www.grilledcheesegrill.com/

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Nicole, the producer of the show “Better Portland” was really friendly and led me threw the waiting room doors to a sound stage where the weather was being read over a green screen. In this one big room there were at least four sets for various purposes including the news, and a counter top to film how-to demonstrations and recipes. Better Portland has a mix of in-studio and on-location interviews, plus a lot of good local know-how like demonstrating a homemade body scrub recipe from the owner of a new eco-friendly spa in town.

I came here to talk up my launch party and the new GrassRoutes Guide to Portland with Brooke, one of the lifestyle correspondents. We got mic-ed up and sat on high chairs in front of a number of cameras, loads of lights, and a teleprompter. I got to chat about the icons in the book that show how each business and activity gives back – like giving their employees health care, being vegetarian-friendly, composting, or using green cleaning agents at their facility.

The segment airs today at 1:45p, near the close of the hour-long 1p show. I can’t wait! It was such a blast to visit KPTV and to be a part of this cool program. See you all tonight at the launch!

Details: Land Gallery, North Mississippi Avenue, 6-8p, book signing, art by Daniel Laing (who illustrated the books), live music from Mo Mack, chocolate tasting from Pix Patisserie, and coffee from Stumptown!

Tags: beaverton, kptv, media, Portland, television
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It is amazing what one keystone business can do for an area – and the boom of small, independent businesses that make this ‘hood thrive may not have even moved here without The Mississippi doing the groundwork and changing people’s minds about this street.

Now the place is verifiably established, but the pizza is still worth seeking out, even though The Mississippi is now squeezed between two other tasty eateries, Muddy’s Cafe, and Por Que No. Using the freshest organic ingredients, the Florence is gobs of ricotta, tomatoes, and tender roasted garlic, or go meaty with Trouble – a double serving of cheese, sausage, and pepperoni perfect for a few friends to share. There are three or four pies each night that cater to picky vegans, but might as well entice meat eaters too – piled with veggies. The music is always the cherry on this Sunday – check the calendar for what tunes to expect. Last night Raina Rose and her trio performed to a full house – she’s an incredible local songstress who hails from Portland but has been living on the road for the last several years bringing her songs to audiences across the country. Her new self-produced album, When May Come, is a soulful slice of American songwriting, easy to swallow, but lingering with personal lyrics and odes to love, loneliness, home, and independence. You can buy it from here her.

Our Florence was gone before we knew it!

Here’s the info on the launch:

Land Gallery, 6p, Friday, July 30th
3925 N Mississipi Avenue
Get a first look at the brand new GrassRoutes Portland Guide, see the book illustrations larger than life on the walls, and enjoy coffee from Stumptown, chocolate from Pix and local tunes. Sweet!

Green Onion Pancakes

An appetizer, snack or side dish. Makes 4 pancakes
Ingredients:
3 C. and 2T flour
1 cup boiling water
4 T vegetable oil
1/3 cup cold water
4 tsp. salt (to taste)
4 T chopped green onions
vegetable oil for frying

1. In a large bowl, mix flour and boiling water. Let mixture rest for 5 min.
Add cold water, knead dough, and let rest for 15 minutes.

2. Divide dough into four equal portions.
FOR EACH PORTION: on a lightly floured board, roll dough out to a 10? circle; spread 1 T oil onto the round and then sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt (to taste), and 1 T green onions.

3. Roll the pancake up like a jelly roll, then coil into a snail shape.
This creates the layers that give the pancakes their wonderfully flaky texture.
(If planning ahead, the pancakes can now be wrapped in plastic
and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. For the rest of us, it’s on to the next step).

4. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough “snail” to a 9? round and fry in an oiled 9? non-stick pan until golden brown and crispy on both sides. A bit more oil may be brushed on before frying second side, to ensure a golden brown color. Cut pancake into eight pie-shaped wedges.

Seattle is known for its tapestry of live musics – the scene is rich with all sorts of talent. But there are also some righteous poets and painters in town, and at the Round events, which occur once a month, you can see them in action all at once. It is a live art experience that can’t be missed.

(Star Anna, image courtesy of KEXP’s Sound on the Sound)

Most of these performances take place at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center, just a few uphill blocks from the main drag of the so-called “center of the universe,” but this Sunday, July 18th, the Round takes over ZooTunes, a summer concert series at Phinney Ridges neighborhood’s Woodland Park Zoo. For a mere $15 you get zoo entrance and a seat for the picnic in view of the show. Hear Star Anna, Damian Jurado, Mark Pickerel, Gabe Archer of Pale Pacific, and more, poets Matt Gano, Elaina Ellis, plus Youth Speaks poets, and three live painters making art to the music.

There’s always something going on at Fremont Abbey Arts Center – for instance, 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 12 -1p you can stop by the great hall for a free brown bag lunch piano concert (or, if you are brown bag-less, go across the street and grab some grub from Paseo, yum).

August’s version of the Round is being taken over by GrassRoutes! Yup! I’ll be emceeing with the Abbey founder Nathan, celebrating the launch of the GrassRoutes Guide to Seattle with a preview from Bumbershoot bands People Eating People, The Tripwires, and poets Greg Bee and Katie from Youth Speaks! Also, there’s a barbecue before hand with a chocolate tasting and more… I’ll be blogging more about this event closer to the date, so check back for more details. I’ll be Tuesday evening, August 10th at 6:30 (Potluck BBQ) with doors at 8:30.

Can’t wait!

And it doesn’t sound to my like just another farmers market with stalls of organic this and homemade that – in fact the vendor list looks like a somewhat unique collage of conscientious foodies and farmers, and I’d be willing to bet the prices here won’t be as high as other FMs around town. Plus, and it’s a big plus, there are live cooking demos from a slew of local chefs, starting off with master pastry artist Lucy Damkoehler of Taste Restaurant (this is the lovely restaurant inside SAM – still looking forward to checking out the exhibit on Kurt Cobain, on through Sept 6 – they’d make a good pairing), followed by Chef Jeff Maxfield of SkyCity at the Needle on July 22 (admittedly I’ve never partaken of this edible twirlygig atop a famous elevator, pardon the cynicism), and Chef Daniel Newell of Restaurant Zoe, to mention a few.

There’s some overlap, of the delicious variety, from sister markets in Ballard, Georgetown, Madrona and Wallingford, but as I said, a lot of interesting new stuff from unexpected places. And I love the “What’s Fresh Now” section of the market’s blog, listing by category what is fresh and in season that’s available at the market in the coming week. On Thursday look out for fresh goat yogurt, spiced butter (that’s from a cow), fresh garbanzo beans (my new favorite movie snack, here’s a great easy recipe), dried red lava beans, and fun salad ingredients like purslane, baby beets, radishes and shelling peas. I can already see my plate coming to life in the most sustainable ways.

Find more Seattle Farmers Markets in my GrassRoutes Guide to Seattle.

Details: Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market (incredible sculptures to boot, and free to the public daily 30 minutes before sunrise through 30 minutes after sunset), 2901 Western Avenue, more info call 206.654.3100, market is Thursdays starting at 3:30, cooking demos start at 5:30-7:30.

Tilth has two very good meanings in the emerald city of Seattle. One, it’s the name of James Beard award-winner Maria Hines’ restaurant, and two, “Seattle Tilth” – a city-wide stronghold of gardens and sustainable living know how, namely the force behind Seattle’s famed P-Patches. They have so many amazing annual events that I created a special mini-calendar section in the GrassRoutes Guide to Seattle! The Annual Chicken Coop Tour just passed this Saturday, but there’s plenty to look forward to:

July 14 – Occidental Park (Occidental Ave S and S Main St), 12-1, $5
Container Herb Gardening class from A to Z

July 17 – Seattle Tilth Learning Center (4649 Sunnyside Ave N), 9-11a, $35
Fall and Winter Gardening class – learning how to get your gardens in shape for a long harvest into the colder months

July 22 – Cal Anderson Park (1635 11th Ave E), 5:30-7:30p, free
Composting for Apartment Dwellers class for people who want to recycle their food scraps but live in a smaller space

and there’s loads more classes filling up the exciting Seattle Tilth calendar (here)

September 12 – behind the Good Shepard Learning Center (see address above), 10a-5p, free
The Tilth Harvest Fair! Check out a bountiful organic farmers market, food presentations and demonstrations, and of course live tunes, plus more!