Blogger Introduces Menu Item

Today there is a review of Cafe Flora in the Seattle PI. I heard great things about the place from food blogger Michael Natkin of Herbivoracious. He has taken a break from his computer job to do an internship at Cafe Flora. Last time I saw him he told me that he had actually invented something on the menu, Winter Green Dumplings in Shiitake Broth. In the review today, the dumplings got a graceful and delightful review, The green dumplings managed to pull off a bit of Italian-Asian fusion, as ricotta-filled won tons floated in a lovely shiitake mushroom broth. A shower of Parmesan and lemon zest provided a dramatic finishing flourish.
Just proof that dreams can come true! If I were him I would put on my bathing suit and immerse myself in the broth, with dumplings as pillows of course. Is he allowed to do that?

When Food Obsessed Crazies Get Together- Seattle Food Blogger Dinner

After two weeks of planning the day finally arrived. The Food Blogger Dinner was an extensive menu of foodies all under the roof of Quinn's, the restopub created by the owners of Zoe, Chef Scott Staples and his wife Heather.
Some of the foodies had to cancel because there is a terrible flu going around. All I can say is that the round up was nothing short of the perfect amuse bouche. A combination of blogalicious flavors and lots of amazing bouche action, in other words: excessive foodie chatter.

The Menu:

Italian: Candace Dempsey from Italian woman at the table is proof that food bloggers can be great friends even before they actually meet. We have become close merely by reading each other's blogs and she gave me a beautiful present, a huge amount of Tunisian saffron leaving me feeling like a queen holding a stash of gold. Candace is currently teaching a food writing course online,
a great opportunity to get a bite of her expertise. You can also find her in The Seattle PI, right next to my Frantic Foodie blog.

Vegetables: What would a dinner be without the best choice of seasonal vegetables.
Michael Natkin from Herbivoracious knows how to turn vegetables into a meal with motivating dishes and story-telling pictures.
His glorification of vegetarianism actually motivated me to create my birthday dinner without an ounce of meat.

Cornichon. What would life be without the saltiness of a Cornichon. Ronald Holden of Cornichon needs no introduction.You can find him in Seattlest and in Delicious City as well.
Don't expect Ronald to hold back if he doesn't like your food, pity is not his thing. He speaks out with plenty of sarcasm and manages to write about virtually every food related event around.

SEX: Ha, I got your attention. You can count on Jay Friedman for an original take on sex education comparing women to crock pots(slow cooking) and men to microwave ovens(heat up fast)in the sexual arousement area. You can catch his food writing in Seattlest. Decadent!

Menu:
Now what is a restaurant without a menu. Katrin Rippel specializes in menu translation and other cultural issues associated with food. She has worked as a chef in restaurants and knows the food world from behind the scenes.

The Gastrognome:What would an event be without someone to eat and tell? Naomi Bishop tells is like it is on her blog, Gastrognome where her keen palate shows through. She also works as a Marketing Coordinator at Chow Foods.



Food Writing: Now comes Anne Beckham, writer and editor at Antioch University. She wooed us with her food stories especially the one where she got to travel to Jordan. That is where her friendship with Candace started and I have one word to say. Lucky!

Stick a Fork in it: Rachel Belle is a reporter who also co-hosts Stick a Fork in it, where she reviews food in a unique, comical and interesting way. You can download the shows online. Now you know why it took me so long to post this.

We also had a gift exchange where people got interesting second-hand cookbooks, hand made chocolates by Katrin herself and some other foodie products.

Quinn's was the perfect choice for the dinner. The place had a positive vibe, a kind of bistro meets chic lacking the pretentiousness sometimes found at places with great food. I ordered the 8.oz snake river farms wagyu beef burger with cheddar, bacon and fries. I ordered this after reading on food forums that this is a a generous pick. I was ridiculously hungry. It sure was. The burger was tender and the bun! Oh my, the bun! It was kind of sweet, a combination between a brioche and a doughnut. There were lots of fries. One fellow foodie remarked that all he could see were fries from across the table. That's because I devoured the hamburger, buddy.
My hubby ordered the cheese plate, the rabbit pate and the pear salad, endive, frise, green beans and stilton. Everything tasted marvelous. I am already planning my next visit. I am curious to see the Quinnesque take on a Sloppy Joe(Yes, Ronald) and fish and chips.
The prices were quite reasonable which you can see on the menu.

The next blogger event will be in a few weeks so if you want to be invited, this is the time to send me an email. I got so many emails from people the night of the event which was too late. Kerenlovestocook@gmail.com

For another take on the dinner Herbivoracious.

Quinn's
1001 East Pike Street
206 325 7711

Food Bloggers Are Here to Stay

I came across this article in Serious Eats about a blogger who became a food critic.
I know many people are getting chills up their spine as we speak. A lot of people don't like the blog world. They might feel threatened, feel that it's not fair or are just not able to connect with this nonchalent style of writing. For me blogging is my life. I sit down almost everyday to write and on the days that I don't I feel gulty, sad, distant. I feel like I am being a bad girlfriend. Blogging makes me feel complete. It has opened up my world to a life of words. It has taught me to write again, even if some may not consider it writing. It is practice. It is like sharpening your brain everyday. Elderly people should blog so they can stop the again process.
Blogging has introduced me to so many people. I have a whole bunch of blog friends.
People I can turn to when I am down. People that live in other continents. People that are food obsessed like me. People that speak languages that I will never understand.
I am part of a blogging community and no one can take that from me.