I have a new site! What do you think? My awesome brother @thanithani did this for me and I am so freakin’ excited! SO excited. We’re still finalizing some things here and there but I love it. After over three years and 372 posts I’m so glad you’re here with me. Thank you.
Aside from the excitement of the redesign I had a rough week, and just as I started to feel sorry for myself I decided to hop the train down to Portland to visit my guy. Again I had the day to bop around and find some great food and sweets. It’s kind of obvious by my favorites below that sugar and shopping were precisely the therapy I needed to kick my ass back into gear.
I’m hoping these will help you seek out some fun the next time you’re able to sneak away to PDX. Kiss!
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Chocolate goodies from Cacao. This is what a $50 bag of gourmet chocolate looks like. The Claudio Corallo is my guy’s favorite, the big orange bar in the back is the Francois Pralus Barre Infernale Lait for mom and is the most decadent, buttery hazelnut chocolate bar ever. The jar is for me and is Askinosie (I’ve posted on his chocolate before) chocolate hazelnut spread. Seriously, worth every penny.
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Pebble Vases by Sugahara Glassworks, Japan. I got two of these in orange for mom on Mother’s Day and she loved them so much she asked about adding a few more. I stopped back by Canoe to grab a couple, and at $24 each it’s a great deal. They’re handcrafted by one of Japan’s oldest and most respected glass artisans and are meant to hold a single flower or blade of grass to symbolize the importance of a simple gesture.
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Ice cream flight at Salt & Straw. A farm-to-cone ice cream shop that’s a must-do in PDX. 17% butterfat, little air from the churn process, and is light on sugar so you can actually taste the ingredients. Front to back: Stumptown Coffee and Cacao Nibs, Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache, (local) Olive Oil, Banana with Spicy Monkey Caramel and Walnuts.
I had been preparing myself for a less than spring-y Spring this year, but as luck would have it we’ve been completely spoiled so far. I actually got to wear shorts and skirts for the past five days! I don’t remember Seattle being this generous last year, in fact I remember something like two straight weeks of rain at one point. My fingers are crossed that this lovely weather continues. Hoping you’ve gotten kissed by the sun as well.
Kiss!
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Summer dress for an impromptu al fresco brunch. Love the kimono style of this dress, complete with the sweetest drop-waist skirt. Too bad the skirt was so short the back of my legs looked very much like the stripes on the tablecloth, thanks to the picnic-style chairs. Ah, but who cares it was a gorgeous day, and my legs hadn’t seen the sun in for-ev-er.
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On The Radio Live (1983). I’ve unabashedly confessed my obsession over disco music a few times before, so of course I was really sad to hear that Donna Summer had passed away yesterday. She has always been, and will continue to be one of my all-time favorite artists. Here’s a sweet little performance to celebrate The Queen of Disco and her talents that went far beyond that title.
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I’ve been having a blast here lately! Really. Just so much fun. I hope you’re enjoying things as much as I am and I wanted to be sure send lots of love and thanks for coming here to visit me. I’m also quite an Instagrammer so if you’re looking for more pics of food, bubbly and the occasional shot of shoes and house stuff, find me there too @natirasu.
Kiss!
(Happy weekend to you and don’t forget about mom on Sunday.)
A decadent mid-week lunch & dessert & bubbly. You can see by my robot strength grip on the fork that I mean business with the Gateau Basque at Sitka & Spruce. (A huge and well-deserved congratulations is in order for Chef Matt Dillon and his new Best Chef Northwest James Beard award. There is no one in Seattle more deserving of this title.)
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A no-recipe spring potato salad. This was the highlight of my day off. Seriously, no recipe needed just boil 6 potatoes, toss in olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, scallion, spring onion, cornichons, capers, 2 boiled eggs, and 3 strips of bacon. (I think my guy also snuck some bacon fat into the olive oil, vinegar mixture. Do it!) My advice: don’t be shy with the olive oil and vinegar.
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A bit of bookshelf rearranging. Spring cleaning is underway but I always, somehow, get lost in my bookshelf. I could (and do) spend hours on it. (‘The Goodness of Garlic’ from Foodie Friend Brian, and my very favorite mug from @christinengo!)
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I love that Portland is just a few hours away; it’s such an easy jaunt from Seattle whether by train (my fave option) or car. For me, the food scene (overall) trumps Seattle any day, and really…it doesn’t hurt to do some tax-free shopping. I was lucky enough to tag along with my sweetheart at the last minute, so while he’s at work I’m able to get into some trouble on my own. I covered quite a few stops, but unfortunately some of the best shops don’t allow photos to be taken. I’ll throw together a little list once I finish exploring, so in the meantime here are some things you might want to check out the next time you have the chance to escape. Happy, happy weekend to you!
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The sweetest room key ever. Our hotel has me feeling all sorts of old-Hollywood glamourous. It’s a lot of fun, and the room is great. (I’ve heard some of the rooms can be quite small so be sure to ask about the types of rooms when you book.)
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The little touches at Little Bird. Solo lunch in a city that’s not your own can be so romantic. If it’s something new for you add a glass of bubbly and a magazine, then just sit back and watch. You learn a lot about the locals (and yourself too). By the way, don’t skip dessert at Little Bird. I mean it.
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The endless aisles at Powell’s Books. The most amazing maze of a bookstore. After floating through the cookbook section I did the same in puzzles and games. Leave it to me to buy a game (Big Boggle!) from a bookstore. This is a “must-do” in PDX.
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Filed under: My favorite things
Another week just flew by. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it here, but as I’m publishing my “Friday” posts I’m actually starting my Monday at the restaurant. It’s been a few months now that I’ve been able to have two days off, and after a year of craziness I’m just getting used to a weekend (of sorts) again. I know this isn’t an unfamiliar feeling to anyone though, so as many of you are moving into the weekend I say we toast to time away from work, e-mails, cell phones and days filled with all of your favorite things.
A vintage set of three hand-painted Japanese plates makes for the best snack time; my latest favorite accessory.
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Patiently waiting for these pickled cauliflower to be ready in just one more day. They were a gift from my guy before he left on a business trip and I think we’ll have the recipe perfected very soon (complete with an arsenal of spices)! And way in the back is my new cloth board for pinning.
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A final farewell to my neon satchel that served me so well this past year. I think it’s time to bid him adieu, and safely retire him to my closet. Maybe I can bring him out again in a few years, you never know.
Filed under: My favorite things
I’m still dreaming of the getaway to Lummi Island last weekend and since I’ve already posted the dinner pictures I wanted to be sure to share some bits from the rest of our stay. It’s most definitely a destination holiday but since The Willows Inn Restaurant and Chef Wetzel have been getting so much love lately I figured there would be some looking for a bit more about the island. Here goes….
Our backyard. We chose this sweet house on the beach on the east side of the island. Low tide made for great exploring but here I’m admiring it from afar…from the deck, in my jammies to be exact. When the tide came back in it almost came up to the tree line here, and we often heard a couple of otters splashing around.
Lazy night at home. As much as I love a swanky hotel, it was great to have the cabin. And to be honest, we had a hard time finding much information on the rooms at The Willows Inn. We’ll probably give it a go for one night next time, but if you’re interested in this lovely house (complete with a sauna!) let me know and I’ll pass on the contact information.
Pasta with poached egg before movie night. There’s something special about making dinner while on holiday. There aren’t any grocery stores on the island right now, so if you’re planning on cooking be sure to stock up in Bellingham before, there’s a great co-op that you can hit up.
Reading nook in the master bedroom. What a view to wake up to.
Sunset on the westside of the island, looking out on the San Juan Islands. This was the view from our dinner at The Willows.
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Filed under: My favorite things
Seattle’s trying so hard to give us a good spring and its efforts aren’t half bad. There’s been some schizo weather for sure, but we’ve had some gorgeous sunny days mixed in and I’ll take it! My weekend at the restaurant is going to be insane with all the happenings of convention season but for many of you it’s Easter weekend. Here’s to eggs benedict and chocolate. Happy brunching!
A quiet lunch in the window at Sitka & Spruce, complete with a vintage French postcard from my guy. Usually I check my mail on the way out and leave it in the mailbox. It was nice to have something worthy of taking with me.
Quite the vintage find. A fun 70′s print blouse paired with a J. Crew belt. I call this my Narnia shirt. See it?
Date night at home. Dinner and bubbly rose. Working our way through Cremants. I’ll let you know what we find.
Askinosie’s Malted Milky Dark Chocolate
It seems extra gloomy today, and even with the spring blossoms peeking out it’s one of those graze-on-an-entire-bar-of-chocolate kind of days. It’s actually perfect timing because we came across this awesome bar of Askinosie chocolate yesterday. My friends, this bar (a collaboration with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams) is uh-may-zing! The dark chocolate with malted milk makes this the perfect bar for milk chocolate lovers looking to enjoy dark chocolate without so much of the strong, chalky taste. The texture is also complete perfection, first the chocolate taste with just enough cocoa butter to make it creamy-not waxy.
For me, making enjoying the chocolate that much better is how they work. All of the chocolate is made in small batches using single-origin cacao beans (sourcing directly from the farmers), each of the cacao farmers has a stake in the profits, and interestingly enough, the cocoa butter is made in-house. Who’d have thought that’d an artisan chocolate maker actually making their own cocoa butter was a big deal…but it is! Askinosie is the first small batch chocolate maker in the U.S. to press their own cocoa butter.
Gorgeous chocolate and direct trade with farmer’s makes for a lovely (and meaningful) indulgence. Please, please, please give this a try so we can talk about how awesome this chocolate is!
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I just love being back! As usual, here’s a mini collection of a few faves that I’ve collected over the past few weeks. It’s always so exciting for me to see how even a collection of colorful farm eggs can make a day better. Whatever your little collections of happiness may be, I hope you all have a lovely, happy weekend ahead.
Organic farm eggs. My favorites are the pistachio hues, which coincidentally also have the brightest yolks.
Patrick Hruby’s Memory Game. Seriously a must-have for every game chest: so pretty and quite the brain exercise. Get it here $15.
A vintage Reed & Barton bowl. A new home for my keys from my favorite Etsy shop.
Filed under: My favorite things
It’s funny how life can get in the way sometimes. Like most people (I’m assuming) I’m behind on all things holiday, but even beyond that I seem to be lost somewhere between last April and whatever today is. I’ve managed to sneak in some pretty great stuff since our last Friday post, so here are a few of my most recent favorites.
The drinking chocolate flight at Cacao in Portland for my b-day getaway. Add it to your PDX to-do list!
Book Larder, a community cookbook store. (I love this store for more than just the cookbooks. I’ll show you what I mean later.)
My favorite autumn accessory has been the moccasins I snatched up in LA.
Parasols hanging at Boat Street Cafe. Add dinner here to your Seattle to-do list.
