Matters of Taste

Memorable Morsels....My Favorite Foods of 2009

All the world loves a list. And food lovers especially love lists of good things to eat and drink. Here, in no particular order, are my most delicious food discoveries of 2009.

 

I had never heard of BARLEY RISOTTO before I stumbled upon it at a tiny mountain inn in the Villnöss valley of northern Italy. We had been hiking for several hours in the shadows of the Dolomite mountains when the weather turned blustery. We stopped for lunch in the GeislerAlm, a chalet that looked like Heidi should be peeking out the window, where we were treated to this unforgettable “risotto” made with barley, onions, garlic, multi-colored confetti of bell peppers, gorgonzola cheese and ribbons of arugula. A beer and a slab of apple strudel with whipped cream further fortified us for the rest of the day’s hike.

 

I have a tendency to fuss the most over chef Sean O’Toole’s dessert of BRETON SHORTCAKE, Oregon huckleberries and fresh ginger ice cream. And, indeed, this dessert of  lemon-spritzed berries and slightly undercooked Sablee Breton (instead of making little cookies with the dough, O’Toole makes a loaf, then sautes each slice in butter) was amazing. But  the rest of our dinner at  the new Bardessono hotel in Napa was equally impressive and one of top favorites of the year: Alaskan halibut with whole Brussels sprouts sauteed with julienne of  young ginger and Meyer lemon skin, and moistened with Perigord truffle vinaigrette; and roasted pork loin with a warm bean salad, buttery, nutty La Ratte potatoes and a glossy mustard sauce.

At Sapphire Laguna in Laguna Beach, CREME BRULEE often comes as a tantalizing trio (pictured here). During a holiday lunch on the restaurant’s sunny, flower-festooned terrace, chef Azmin Ghahreman‘s threesome included delectable orange-chocolate, fresh strawberry, and, my favorite, Chai Tea crème brulee. Sweet and sassy, with a crackly sugar crust, it was an exciting modern riff on an old classic.

Elegant. Ethereal. That’s the GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE at Skopik & Lohn in Vienna, Austria. I’m guessing the trick is the whipped cream that’s folded in, though the fresh local goat cheese and gingered red bell pepper chutney certainly deserve credit too.  

TUNA TARTARE is like the little black cocktail dress. Dress it up, dress it down, it’s always in style. My favorite in 2009 was at Market, Del Mar where chef Carl Schroeder accessorized the silken cubes with minted farmers market apples, diced chilies, ginger-spiked aioli and curry vinaigrette.

 Three months after my first-ever CRUISE experience -- on the Seabourn Spirit -- I’m still in awe of chef Bjoern Wassmuth’s (left) performance. Crispy corn-crusted prawns with fennel slaw and romesco sauce;  red carrot and curry potage with shrimp dumpings; warm ricotta and potato ravioli in truffle butter; chilled  corn and lemongrass soup with lobster salad and spicy shrimp oil; swordfish Sicilian style with  chili, capers, olives and basil...and much more. Each dish was picture-perfect and served by an attractive and amiable staff.

The menu at Fig in Santa Monica’s Fairmont Miramar Hotel calls it SPINACH RISOTTO. I call it Spectacular.The first sensation was butter.  Sweet, creamy, luxurious, remarkably rich.
Next came the intoxicating aroma of anise…and the flavor, too, in wisps of fresh tarragon.
Then there was one perfect spring pea…a tiny carrot that tasted like it had just been pulled from the garden…a baby mushroom as smooth as, well, a baby’s cheek…two lithe asparagus spears, one green, one white. And, finally, rice.  Each grain of Carnaroli cooked a point and imbued with all the summer flavors playing together on the plate. 

The world's going bonkers over BOURBON these days.  And anyone who tastes the Kentucky Tuxedo concocted by bartender David Nelson at Spur Gastropub in Seattle will be happy to jump on the bandwagon. A marriage of Bulleit Bourbon, Sherry, homemade lavender syrup and homemade orange bitters, is smooth and elegant, with a come-hither aroma and layers of flavor.

Every June, German and Austrian restaurants become a raucous celebration of WHITE ASPARAGUS. At Glacis Beisl in Vienna, Austria the pale, slender stalks even end up in dessert – as three plump clouds of mousse (right) floating on a rich, condensed sauce of berry coulis accented with aged balsamic vinegar.  A shower of powdered sugar and a few ripe strawberries and raspberries completed the fascinating sweet-vegetal creation. 

Deftly sauteed SCALLOPS, at Seattle’s new Anchovies & Olives restaurant, were sublime on their own, nothing short of genius when garnished with roasted nubbins of eggplant, cauliflower, pine nuts and red bell pepper puree. And that was just one of the many dishes that knocked my socks off at the newest eatery from super-chef Ethan Stowell.

BURRATA -- This voluptuous mass of mozzarella and fresh cream, dreamed up a century ago by some dairy farmers in Puglia, Italy, took the foodie world by storm in 2009.

• At Bottega in Napa Valley, it was accompanied by butter-blessed cubes of roasted butternut squash mingled with chewy bits of mushroom and soft, golden shallot shards, and moistened with a subtle brown butter vinaigrette. Oh, yes, balsamic caviar – made by reducing the vinegar, “jell-ing” it, and dicing it into weensy baubles -- crowned the creation.

• The creamy-dreamy cheese gets yet another stamp in its passport when young Boston chef Will Gilson dusts it with Za’atar, drizzles it with lemon oil and teams it with a sassy spiced date puree. Za”atar is a popular spice in the Middle East where it usually consists of dried thyme, oregano, sumac and cumin, all crushed together with toasted sesame seeds and salt. Gilson is chef-owner of Garden in the Cellar near Harvard Square, Cambridge.

• Warm Burrata with Beets and Crushed Marcona Almonds won me over at Scampo in Boston where celeb chef Lydia Shire also pairs the cheese with pistachios and a hot leek tart, and makes a memorable BLT, too.

 

TRES LECHE CAKE, from the A. R. Valentien kitchen of Torrey Pines Lodge Executive Chef Jeff Jackson, is a sublime creation of sponge cake soaked in condensed milk, whole milk and heavy cream. A popular dish on the potluck and church-social circuit, this traditional Latin American dessert (translation: three milks) is often soggy, overly sweet and piled high with frosting. But this version, by pastry chef John Harmeyer, is an elegant, individual, dome-shaped package with a deliriously smooth, moist texture and a rich, caramelized creamy taste. Topped with cinnamon-scented whipped cream and tangy pomegranate seeds, it’s served with a fresh quince-apple puree and a weensy poached apple.

Not every great dish of 2009 was at a restaurant; some were in my own kitchen.  I loved the FETTUCCINE with Summer Corn, Bacon, and Shiitake Mushrooms  from New York City chef Andrew Carmellini’s new book “Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food.” The recipe is an easy, elegant, supremely satisfying creation that screams “summer” while offering the high-level comfort-quotient of winter foods.

 

 LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT

• Broccoli rabe, sauted with EVOO and teamed with crisp polenta croutons at Scampo, Boston.

• Fresh baby corn, still in their husks, were roasted and spritzed with citrusy yuzu-butter. Roasted cauliflower rosettes had a sweet subtle, lightly caramelized flavor accentuated by a barely-there sauce of pureed jalapenos, garlic, Japanese vinegar and discreet grapeseed oil. I went to NOBU San Diego to feast on the restaurant’s signature miso-marinated black cod, but I found myself spellbound by the elegance and effortlessness of these two simple vegetable dishes from the brick oven.

• There are a lot of good reasons to visit Cambridge, Massachusetts. But only one of them involves oatmeal, crystallized ginger, plump sun-dried cherries, toasted walnuts and pecans. That would be the oatmeal cookie at Hi-Rise Bread Company.

• At Chez Papa Resto in San Francisco, chef David Bazirgan does all the big things right. But somehow it’s the little things -- pommes frites with spunky aïoli  and a decadent potato & fennel gratin Dauphinois – that bowled me.

• What can you say about a spiedini with crusty grilled hunks of rustic house-baked bread and fresh creamy mozzarella, all drenched with an in-your-face anchovy-herb olive oil?  More, please?  At Tin Table, Seattle.

 

Seattle Celebrates the Golden Age of Cocktails

Becherovka.  Sounds to me like a dance done at Slavic weddings.  Or maybe a primitive music instrument.

But in fact, Becherovka is a prized alcoholic drink, made in Karlovy Vary (aka Karlsbad) in the Czech Republic, from anise seed, cinnamon and a secret mash of 32 herbs. It’s showing up a lot these days at upscale bars such as Tavern Law, the popular new bar/lounge/speakeasy in Seattle.

Billed as a digestif in its homeland (meaning it aids digestion after a heavy dinner), the liquor has a lively, herbaceous flavor and a soft golden color. Czechs usually drink the stuff straight up over ice, but on occasion they enjoy a popular drink of Becherovka and tonic water that’s called a “beton.” Since that translates into English as “concrete,” I’m not rushing out to try it.

A far more palatable choice is Tavern Law’s “Eastern Waterfront,” a fragrant mingling of gin, Peychaud’s Bitters, Martini & Rossi white vermouth and Becherovka. It’s one of the many fascinating cocktails dreamed up by the eatery’s talented bartender/mixologist David Nelson (pictured here). On the same night that he splashed Becherovka into my son Nicholas’ cocktail, Nelson swirled together for me two types of rum (Rhum Agricole and blackstrap), allspice liqueur, lime juice, Chartreuse  and Demerara sugar. Though it didn’t have a name yet, the “work-in-progress” was an aromatic and warmly satisfying cocktail, perfect for sipping while the rain drummed the sidewalks in front of the atmospheric new saloon.

(Since that night, Nelson has christened the drink “The Indecent Monk,” a reference to the French monastery where the liqueur was originally produced and the green-brown color of the monks’ robes.)

 

Tavern Law is the baby sister of Spur Gastropub, one of Seattle’s trend-setting bistros. (This year Food & Wine magazine called it one of the country’s best gastropubs.) Open just since early fall, the Tavern is part of the nostalgia-driven “speakeasy” mini-craze afoot in the country. (A New York Times article earlier this year wrote of the hidden doors, darkened stairwells and pre-Prohibition brews.) From the sidewalk, there’s just an easily-missed façade, with tall frosted glass windows and a non-descript door. But step inside and you’re enveloped in instant warmth and quiet energy, thanks to dark paneled walls, a long, curvy vintage bar, soft lighting and a spirited buzz from patrons who are drinking and having fun as opposed to drinking to have fun.  (A Seattle Times restaurant reviewer called Tavern Law “a thinking drinker’s watering hole.”)

If this room were the whole operation, I’d be satisfied. But, in keeping with the speakeasy “theme,” there’s also a “secret” upstairs room, accessed through an old bank vault door (call for entry on an antique phone) and up a darkened staircase.

However, this is not just a Disneyland-with-Dewar’s. Tavern Law offers an exceptional array of  handmade cocktails (using Nelson’s fresh squeezed juices and housemade syrups, tinctures and bitters), and a small but stellar menu of cod fritters, braised short ribs, baby beet salad, truffled risotto and the like, from the dynamic duo of Brian McCracken and Dana Tough, who also man the stoves at Spur. (This photo of a classic Julep is by Kristin Zwiers.)

A quick word about its name. Tavern Law is a nod to the Pioneer Inn and Tavern Law, passed by Congress in 1832, which allowed inns and saloons to serve alcoholic beverages without requiring customers to rent a room for the night, effectively legalizing drinking. The “Golden Age” of cocktails came to an abrupt end in 1919 when the Volstead Act outlawed the production and possession of alcoholic beverages.

Seattle’s Tavern Law successfully invokes the glory days of American bartending while also offering the best food, drink, talent and know-how of the new millennium.

It's located at 1406 12th Avenue, Seattle; 206.322.9734.

Wake Up and Drink the (Best) Coffee

This week’s Wall Street Journal featured a front-page (Marketplace) story about yet another David taking on the Starbucks Goliath. Italian coffee maker Illy-Caffe, a household word in Italy for decades, has announced plans to join forces with independent cafes across the U.S. in an effort to splash its name around amongst the coffee cognoscenti.

The story in a coffee bean shell: Illy signs an agreement with your favorite local café to provide them with espresso machines, cups, recipes and intensive training. In return, the café agrees to use only Illy Caffe for three years and broadcast that fact to the world via signs, logo gear and patio umbrellas.

 The WSJ muses that Illy’s efforts may seem “odd” given the fact that Starbucks has been closing stores and lowering prices on some drinks. Moreover, “There has also been a surge in lower-priced coffee competition from McDonald’s Corp. and Dunkin’ Brands,” the article continues. “On the other hand, world coffee consumption has been growing for the past five years, partly because young people are drinking more of it outside the home.”

I say hip-hip-hooray for Illy Caffe. I don’t know how successful this move will be from a financial standpoint, but I do know that consumers will be drinking far better coffee because of it. Much as I love the consistency of Starbucks products (a latte is a latte is a latte) and the fact that they provide espresso drinks in cities and towns formerly ruled by cheap drip coffee, I find Starbucks coffee mediocre. Moreover, I’m all in favor of giving local coffee shops and cafes a boost in business, something that, presumably, will happen if they join the Illy program.

I became an Illy fan years ago. Until then, I was a diehard whole bean person, intent of getting beans locally roasted and grinding them myself each morning. I still respect that approach, but I find that Illy produces a better shot of espresso than many locally roasted coffee and upscale purveyors such as Peet's and Tully's. It’s also easier to purchase (available in many supermarkets); and more convenient since you can have an unopened, vacuum-sealed can on hand for emergencies.

And, while we’re on the subject of a cup of joe.

 A few weeks ago, I was sitting at a wobbly sidewalk table in front of Sant' Eustachio Caffe in Rome, just a stone’s throw from the Pantheon. Like the name Illy, Sant' Eustchio is synonymous with coffee-taken-very-seriously. The company has been around since the 1930s and the café has always been wildly popular with locals and savvy tourists alike. (This photo is from a terrific Web site called RonInRome.com...don't leave for Rome without checking it out. In fact, don't drink another cappuccino without reading Ron's primer on the perfect cup of Italian coffee.)

We sat in the warm sunshine of a bright October day and sipped our intoxicatingly fragrant, smooth, intensely flavored cappuccinos and watched the non-stop show that is any Italian piazza. Inside the café, people stood four-deep at the stand-up bar, belting back thimblesful of espresso before hopping onto Vespas and into Smart Cars and zooming away.

While Illy is a vast world-wide operation these days, Sant Eustachio is still more of an artisan affair, with beans roasted in the back of the Rome café, and a far less extensive export operation. Both coffees cost somewhere between $13 and $15 for a can that weighs about 8.5 ounces. Sant’ Eustachio is available from Gustiamo.com, a sophisticated yet user-friendly Web site peddling hand-selected Italian food products. It’s also available at Amazon.com, but shopping at Amazon isn't nearly as delectable an experience as browsing Gustiamo.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I Did on My (Late-Summer) Vacation

 Anyone who looks at the date of my last post might think I’ve been loafing. Not so.

In fact, the last three weeks have been a whirlwind of  eating and drinking, interviewing and reviewing, cooking and cruising (on the Seaborn Spirit), touring (did you know they found 35 bakeries and 82 carbonized loaves of bread in the ruins of Pompeii?), taking classes (including one by Seabourn chef Björn  Wassmuth, whose elegant take on the lemon tart is pictured here), testing recipes, and tasting…everything from seasonal mushrooms, olive oils and quinoa to thirty-minute pasta dishes, Champagne cocktails and inexpensive Merlots from the Friuli-Venezia area

I’ll be sharing all of this and more in the coming days.

 

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That's the Spirit!

Of all the issues that actually get people worked up these days – automaker bail-outs, Adam Lambert, Gitmo, Manny Ramirez – vodka seems one of the silliest. But the liquor that the Wall Street Journal calls “overexposed, overmarketed and overpoured” does seem to lubricate a lively exchange of opinions.

On the one side are the cocktail purists who call vodka “passé.” This contingent asserts that the spirit is inherently flavorless and brings only a boozy wallop to the table. Moreover, they say, the industry has taken one of the cheapest and most easily made liquors and duped consumers into paying big bucks with a highly polished marketing campaign.

On the other side are those folks who can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. Clearly this side is winning the war in terms of numbers: Vodka’s been the leading category of distilled spirits since the ‘90s.  It’s easy to see why vodka aficionados defend their choice. The “Miss Congeniality” of any bar scene, vodka is the ultimate mixer, capable of being teamed with just about any beverage. Moreover, the ladies-who-lurch on “Sex and the City” turned Cosmo-drinking into a high-status sport.

However, there are signs that vodka’s popularity may have peaked. In Food & Wine magazine’s annual drinks book, “Cocktails ’09,” vodka is démodé. Dedicated to showcasing the fashionable quaffs in the country’s bars, the book is a collection of about 150 cocktails designed by top mixologists around the U.S.   Whereas vodka was king in the 2005 book, only ten recipes in the new book call for the spirit. (The book’s available on Amazon.com for $10.) As Wall Street Journal “Drinks” columnist Eric Felton recently said in one of his columns:

“It’s a though there were finally the realization that making cocktails with vodka is like making paella with instant rice – it can be done, of course, but it doesn’t exactly burnish one’s culinary bona fides.”

I’m planted firmly in the “Why waste the calories and the brain cells on something so boring” camp. However, I did discover a flavored vodka recently that deserves a second sip. Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka is a beautiful, rosy-red liquor with an appealing fresh fruit flavor. Perhaps because the alcohol content is slightly lower than most vodkas (70 percent), the fruity essence seems more pronounced.

 A bit tart, a bit sweet, it’s terrific in a vodka tonic (with lime wedge) or vodka sonic (tonic and club soda) and even better dripped into a glass of sparkling wine (Italian prosecco’s my choice). My mother flipped over the Pomegranate Cosmopolitan that I made her on Mother’s Day.

The Van Gogh PR machine also suggests a PomPom made with pomegranate vodka, POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and a splash of water. It’s a bit over the top for my tastes, but it does contain a supposedly healthy dose of the anti-oxidants that deflect cancer, increase blow flow,  and slow prostate cancer. Can’t blame a guy for trying to stay healthy.

Mocha Match: Starbucks 1 -- McJo 0

Please pardon any typos in today’s post.

My fingers are flying over the keyboard. My brain is in overdrive. And my heart is racing.

This morning I set out to single-handedly settle the Starbucks-McDonald’s coffee war.

And now, two hot mochas, two hot lattes, two iced mochas and two iced lattes later, I have an opinion….and a bad case of the shakes.

Most folks who read my blog (or read, past tense, my articles in The San Diego Union-Tribune) know that I’m passionate about coffee and savvy enough to know that Seattle’s Caffe Umbria and Italy’s Illy coffee are the standard bearers. But I’m also pragmatic and I do appreciate Starbucks consistency and ubiquitousness (though I’m not crazy about the bitter, over-roasted taste of  its coffee). 

Like most journalists, I also love, every so often, to act the iconoclast and shake up readers with unexpected opinions.

That’s why when I walked into my local McDonald’s McCafe this morning – face to face with Miss California and “The Donald” on a huge hanging TV screen – I was actually kinda rooting for McJo.

Didn’t happen.

I sipped all the hot coffee drinks side by side, while very hot, and later at room temperature (which is when a coffee’s flavor is actually more pronounced).

Starbucks’ latte had a significantly deeper, more layered flavor than the McDonald’s latte which tasted mostly “dark” and slightly burnt. I felt that the Starbucks coffee had a livelier flavor that “sang” good morning to me, whereas, in comparison, the McDonald’s just half-heartedly nudged me into the day. 

Moreover, I was disappointed in the McDonald’s one-size fits all approach. The large signs proclaiming “Made To Order”  are lying. The chain uses a press-here machine similar to those used in many airports and convenience stores. You want a medium latte, you get it the way the machine wants to make it. Want only one shot of espresso in that instead of two?? Want heavy foam or no foam at all?? Don’t waste your breath.

In addition, the chocolate syrup in the McD mocha is more about sugar than about cocoa flavor and the McDonald’s mocha drink is, indeed, a lot sweeter than the Starbucks version. The whipped cream on the Mickey D comes from a ReddiWip can; Starbucks uses real whipping cream in a canister. Not only can you taste the difference right away, but after a couple minutes the real stuff is still there and the Reddi Wip is but a slimy memory.

The iced versions of latte and mocha were more of the same. Flat flavor and too much sugar in the McDonald’s drinks, decent coffee and chocolate flavor in the Starbucks.

Lastly, a note about value. To all those folks out there thinking that they’ll hit the Golden Arches to save money: Think again. A medium McD latte was $2.89;  a medium (grande) Starbucks latte was $3.25.  There’s even less difference in the prices of iced drinks.

Bottom line: If you’re cruising through the backroads of America, you’ll find the new McDonald’s coffee drinks a lot better than what was there before. But, dollar for dollar,, in an area where you have a choice, Starbucks is the place to satisfy that caffeine craving.

For Cinco de Mayo: A Bold Cold One

There’s not a whole lot of good news coming out of Mexico these days. But with Cinco de Mayo just around the clock, this seems like a good time to toast the country that gave us chocolate, Frida Kahlo and Spring Break, Cancun-style, and to wish it well in coming days.

What better drink to do this than the Michelada, a refreshing brew of blond beer, lime juice and hot sauce.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, writer Eric Felten declares that this south-of-the-border drink “has yet to really break out…” meaning that New Yorkers haven’t embraced it yet. But in the Southwest it’s a familiar face – served on the rocks in a pint glass at backyard barbecues and beach picnics. And the big boys – Bud and Miller --have already gotten into the act with Budweiser Chelada and Miller Chill.

At its simplest, the Michelada is beer and lime juice in a salt-rimmed glass (photo from the WSJ). But, as Felton says, the drink is in a “state of evolutionary perambulation,” with different regions of Mexico and different bars in, say, San Diego juggling flavors and adding flair.

You can follow the basic recipe here, and spend the extra time on mashing a few avocados. Or you can get crazy and improvise with stuff like Clamato juice, Maggi seasoning, cumin or black pepper, but I’d advise against all such actions.

Felton says he’s partial to using a dark Mexican beer like Negra Modelo because it stands up to the ice cubes better. But I’m in the camp that goes for a lager such as Corona or, my favorite, Dos Equis Green.

THE MICHELADA

12 ounces beer
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 dashes Worcestershire (in my opinion, optional)
2 dashes Mexico hot sauce (ideally Cholula)

Combine ingredients over ice in a salt-rimmed highball glass or pint glass and stir. Avoid watering down the beer with too much ice or small cubes that melt quickly. For an extra kick, try a mixture of coarse salt and Chef Merito “Salt, Lemon and Chili” seasoning mix (available on supermarket spice racks) on the rim.

Starbucks Hoping for "Instant" Hit

Over the weekend, I walked by the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market here in Seattle. You would have thought that Madonna was barista-of-the-day…or at the very least that they were giving away free Frappuccinos. The sidewalk was jammed with people waiting to get inside and taking photos of each other like they were at the Statue of Liberty or the White House. 

We all know they weren’t there for the coffee.  Even Starbucks fans acknowledge that it’s not a particularly good cup of coffee…slightly burnt tasting and overall, undistinguished. 

In fact, the folks on Pike Place were there for the history, the hype, the joy of hanging out with the Goliath of the caffeine world.

Part of that hype and history these days is store closings and employee layoffs. Part of it is desperation measures designed to attract new customers and hang onto old customers questioning their pricey latte habit
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That’s where the VIA instant coffee comes in.  The buck-a-pop VIA instant coffee.

Talk about a “Hail Mary" pass.

I don’t get why any java connoisseur would settle for instant coffee when A. it takes just a couple minutes to crank up a Mr. Coffee two-cupper or B., on the road, there's likely a coffee shop within a couple blocks. Nor do I understand  why any non java connoisseur would shell out  a buck a packet for something that’s not really going to taste that much better to them than what they’re already drinking at McDonald’s?

(That said, I did find the Italian Roast Extra Bold pretty tasty and will keep a pack in my glove compartment for the very rare occasion that A. or B. is not applicable.)

Last year, when Starbucks’ former chief executive  Howard Schultz re-took the reins, there seemed to be a lot of talk about going back to the basics. I figured that meant focusing on the product that got them into the party…namely coffee.

Instead, a peek into the cases at a Seattle Starbucks this morning revealed an entire menu of breakfast sandwiches, ciabatta “panini,” egg McMuffin-like numbers, even an eggy “wrap” forpetessake.  And oatmeal? Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great alternative to the artery-clogging fast food that’s out there. (OK. So it’s not Irish steel-cut or Bob’s Red Mill Organic. It’s nutritious and, with dried fruit and nuts, very satisfying.)  But is it a fast train out of the doldrums for the Starbucks brand? I doubt it.

I wish Starbucks well. And I will continue to contribute to their bottom line whenever I’m traveling. The presence of Starbucks counters in airports and along the I-70 in Utah and Colorado has brightened up many a travel day for me.

But while I’m in Seattle this week, I’ll luxuriate in the finest espresso and espresso drinks, intoxicatingly fragrant, richly flavored and supremely satisfying… at two of my favorite haunts:

Caffe Umbria on Occidental Avenue near Pioneer Square. An atmospheric café where serious coffee lovers relax and contemplate the picture-perfect latte in front of them. Umbria sells its beans throughout the Northwest. 

And Caffe Migliore on downtown’s Fourth Avenue, a tiny, bright café in a modern office building, where a charming team treats each customer and each drink with great care. "Migliore" is Italian for "best," and that's what I'd call the mocha (made with unsweetened chocolate) and artfully swirled latte that I'm drinking each morning.

A New Look at "Red Hots"

The whiskey and bourbon purists out there are going to howl…but I’m here to tell you that the wacky-sounding “Red Hot” cocktail on the very cool Web site “Playing With Fire And Water” is deee-licious.

First you grind a handful of red hot cinnamon candies in a coffee or spice grinder and spread the crumbs on a large plate. (You can use a food processor but I found that the smaller grinders made a finer “dust.”)

Then, rub the rim of a martini glass with a cut piece of  fresh ginger root. (Or you can squeeze some juice from a chunk of ginger and dip the glass in that.) Dip the glass rim into the pulverized red hot candies.

In a shaker, shake your favorite bourbon (Maker’s Mark, Bulleit, Pappy Van Winkle, whatever) with ice and strain into the glass.

It’s amazing how the flavors play together, and how the ginger and cinnamon bring out the best in the bourbon.

But Playing With Fire and Water doesn’t stop there.

The site also includes a recipe for Ginger Bread Bourbon that involves soaking a hunk of brioche in a glass jar with bourbon, cloves, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and slices of fresh ginger root.  You let the concoction sit for about three days, then strain it.

Fans of playing with fire (as well as fans of “shots” of all flavors) then proceed to step 2. Rub the rim of a shot glass with a piece of peeled ginger. Dip the rim into the crushed Red Hots.

“Gently warm Ginger Bread Bourbon. Pour into shot glass. Ignite. Don't do anything silly like try to drink it while its on fire.”

With all the freezing temperatures and record snowfalls barreling across the country, I think  these cocktails are just what the weatherman ordered.

Going Bonkers Over Bourbon

When it comes to cocktails these days, bourbon is the star of the show, with restaurants and bars across the country hyping their bourbon fantasies.

***A chic Manhattan made with Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in Las Vegas.

***The “Frick” cocktail at Vessel in Seattle – bourbon, Cinzano Rosso, peach bitters and dried fig.

***An Old-Fashioned made with bacon-infused bourbon, maple syrup and Angostura Bitters at the hip PDT cocktail lounge in New York City’s East Village.

***Maker’s Mark infused with caramelized Turkish figs. At City-Bar in Boston.

But nothing I’ve tasted – and I do try to get around the trendy bars of any city I find myself in -- can beat the "Kentucky Tuxedo" concocted by bartender David Nelson at Spur Gastropub in Seattle. This marriage of Bulleit Bourbon, Sherry, lavender syrup and homemade orange bitters, is smooth and elegant, with a come-hither aroma and layers of flavor.(Photo by Kristin Zwiers for Spur.)

(Bulleit Bourbon was developed by Tom Bulleit in 1987 using the “recipe” of his ancestors who journeyed from new Orleans to Kentucky in 1830. It’s made from “soft limestone water” that’s supposedly found only in the Bluegrass region of the state, corn, barley, malt and rye.)

Bartender Nelson (photo below by Barbie Hull for Spur), who’s been working in restaurants since he started flipping burgers at the age of 15, is a real presence at Spur. Folks gather around the bar to watch him work and talk about his art (which includes hand-making his own bitters and syrups).

His cocktail menu includes such temptations as the Lover’s Lock (Aperol, grapefruit juice and Absinthe), Gentleman’s Lemonade (Gentleman Jack, lemon and honey) and the Cara Carina (Cara Cara (orange-scented) bourbon, Punt e Mes, Chartreuse and blood orange bitters).

Nelson’s passion is part and parcel of the artisanal mixology craze that prizes fresh squeezed seasonal fruit juices, homemade infusions, even housemade mixers like tonic water. And versatile bourbon, a constant presence behind the bar for a couple hundred years, is an ideal fit in drinks that balance classic tastes with newfangled presentations.

By the way, there’s great stuff to eat at Spur, too.  The menu’s Pork Belly Sliders with heirloom apples, mustard and bourbon, are famed in Seattle. The slow-cooked butterfish with fennel and brown butter is very special, too. And I wrote an earlier post about the Sockeye Salmon Crostini that leaves every diner wide-eyed and at a loss for words.

Coming Up:

Now that I’m fixating on bourbon… This weekend, I plan to try a cocktail that I just discovered on a Web site called Playing with Fire and Water. It’s called a “Red Hot” and involves fresh ginger root and pulverized red hot candies. Come back next week for the verdict.