This is just a drive-by posting. I came across this post about Northwest Cookbooks over on Seattle Library's Shelf Talk blog. The Tom Douglas book is in my library (thanks, mom!), but I haven't made anything from it yet.
In my opinion the next best thing to going to a place I like is eating food from that place. Or reading about the place. Or reading about eating the food from that place. Whatever. I like to travel, read and cook.
I have a collection of Northwest cookbooks, too. Here are three of my favorites:
Cafe Flora
Cafe Flora is one of the first restaurants Alex and I went to when we moved to Seattle. Our wonderfully cheerful real estate agent recommended it to us because it is a fully vegetarian restaurant and so were we at the time (fully vegetarian, not restaurants). It's in the Madison Park neighborhood, tucked between Lake Washington and the Arboretum. We used to go there for brunch quite often. Then the kids came along and cramped our dining out style, although they like Cafe Flora. We go there for Easter if we are in town, then we stroll through the Arboretum, looking at the cherry blossoms. We add on a trip to the Japanese Garden and look at koi and turtles. This year was particularly spectacular, as the weather was sunny and warm and the blooms were magnificent.
Shiro
This cookbook is part memoir, part cookbook. Shiro Kashibi came to Seattle in the 1960's to be a sushi chef and one day open a restaurant. He was ahead of his time, using local foods way, way, way before it was "the thing". I often tell my kids that I didn't even know what sushi was when I was their age, but it's one of their favorites. Apart from the sushi party we had with some friends in March, I have never attempted to make sushi. We bought the rice from a Sam's Sushi. Still, this book is so beautiful and interesting that I think you should read it. It's a lovely story. And you can still eat in his restaurant, which I haven't done yet, but I think I might very soon.
Ray's Boathouse
Ray's Boathouse is just down the street from our house, even closer if our house is our boat at Shilshole marina. We navigate by the iconic red neon lights R-A-Y-S. When we go, we get hugs from the manager. "Oh, good. You're back!" If you visit and you want to eat seafood, we'll take you there. It's like an extension of our dining room or our cockpit. Sit back, relax. Enjoy the drinks. Try the mussels. And in May, be sure to go in for Copper River King salmon.
One Other Thing
This is not a cookbook, but it is Northwest and it is about cooking. Cookus Interuptus is one of my favorite blogs ever, ever. Cynthia Lair is a nutrition professor at Bastyr University and an improv actress. How do you combine two such enormous and useful talents? Hilariously. Informatively. Oh, just go have a look for yourself. I dare you not to be tempted to cook something. P.S. This is my favorite episode.
Alright, this post got longer than I intended, but it was so fun to write! Hope you enjoy!
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