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| Northwest Wine Fan Recent Adventures |
| Northwest Wine Fan visits Sazerac in Seattle and Red Star Tavern and Roast House in Portland... |
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| Our trip to Seattle in April was highlighted by our visit to Sazerac and our stay at the adjoining Monaco Hotel. We had the winning bid last year at the Sagebrush Classic Feast for this package that included a night's stay at the Monaco (a Kimpton property) in a suite and dinner for two at Sazerac. |
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| Sazerac |
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| 1101 Fourth Ave. Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: 206-624-7755 Executive Chef: Jason McClure www.sazeracrestaurant.com |
| A memorable evening was spent with Executive Chef Jason McClure and staff sampling their fare. Jason asked if we would just like to relax and put ourselves in his hands, which we of course jumped at the opportunity to do. We started with the classic Sazerac (see sidebar) cocktail. We had brought a special bottle of Sineann Pinot Noir Resonance Vineyard for dinner (saving some for Jason and our servers of course). And then we enjoyed an assortment of small plates. Highlights included: Satsuma Oysters on the half shell with a Cucumber Mignonette, a wonderful Duck Rillette with Cognac Cherries and Crouton, an Oozing St. Andre & Toast, and Baby Organic lettuces with Lemon Vinaigrette. Entrees included a fabulous Smoked Oregon Quail served on greens and a plate of Weathervane Scallops that melted in the mouth. For dessert we were treated to Ooey Gooey (Wow) and a Warm Gingerbread with fresh fruits! (see picture below). |
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| Classic Sazerac Cocktail Recipe Crushed Ice 1 Teaspoon Absinthe, Pernod or Herbsaint Ice Cubes 1 Teaspoon sugar or simple syrup, or, 1 sugar cube 1 1/2 ounce rye whiskey 3 dashed Peychaud's bitters 1 lemon peel twist |
| Chill an old fashioned glass by filling with crushed ice, refrigerate or freeze for at least 30 minutes. Add the Herbsaint, absinthe, or Pernod to the glass; swirl it around to coat the entire sides and bottom of the glass. Discard the excess. In a cocktail shaker, add 4 or 5 small ice cubes, sugar, rye whiskey and bitters. Shake gently for about 30 seconds; strain into the old-fashioned glass. Twist lemon peel over the drink and then place in the drink. Makes 1 serving. |
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| The wine list has about 30 selections by the glass with prices starting at $7.00 and wine flights that include 3 wines (2oz pours) for around $11.00. Did we mention the great looking bar? We highly recommend making Sazerac a dining stop when in Seattle. The food was great, service impeccable and the ambience enjoyable. That and being attached to the Monaco Hotel made our stay pleasurable. |
| Jason McClure was once again at Sagebrush Classic Feast in Bend this year. This time he teamed up with fellow Restaurateur Thomas Dunklin of Red Star Tavern in Portland. Read more about Thomas below... |
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| Red Star Tavern and Roast House |
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| 503 Southwest Alder Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-222-0005 Executive Chef: Thomas Dunklin www.redstartavern.com |
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| We met Thomas at the Sagebrush Classic Feast. He and Jason from Sazerac teamed up to serve House-made Charcuterie. It was delectable! Fare at Sagebrush included gems such as Wild Boar coppa, sopressata, rabbit/chicken liver terrine, Andouille sausage, and a Boudin & duck liver mousse. This along with the suggested beer pairing of Black Butte Porter was a big hit! |
| Restaurant Tip: Although not all agree on this I always try to ask our servers name and address them by name. I feel it makes my dining experience more pleasurable. |
| The Red Star Cocktail Recipe Ok! So we were not able to get the exact proportions, but here it is as we know it... Stoli Vanil Vodka Raspberry Liqueur Triple Sec Lemon Juice So, we guess you just have to go to Red Star to try this unique and quenching cocktail! |
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| Of course we called Thomas at his famous Portland restaurant and made reservations for a Monday evening dinner that included myself, Carolyn and our daughter Meagan. Although Thomas was not there that evening his sous chef Matthew Howard cooked for us and was flawless in the kitchen! Our small plate highlights for dinner included: |
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| Plate of Charcuterie w/ pickled vegetables and olive selection, an ethereal Heirloom beet salad w/ walnuts, Goat Cheese and bitter greens. We then enjoyed a selection of oysters on the half shell served with salsa. This next dish may sound odd, but was one of our favorites...Fried Chickpeas. Delectable! We finished the evening with a King Salmon served on a green pea puree accompanied by a lemon aioli. We could have gone on forever, but home beckoned us. We highly recommend Red Star and more importantly, we felt comfortable in both of these restaurants leaving our dining pleasure to these extraordinary chefs. Try it sometime. It's definitely outside the box dining not knowing what will show up at the table, but both Red Star and Sazerac prove that it is a dining adventure worth taking! |
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| As a post script to this adventure, we would like to direct you to John Gottberg Anderson's August 17, 2008 article in the Bend Bulletin where he mentions the Hotel Monaco in Seattle and Sazerac. As his article articulates, there are many things to do while in Seattle, visiting Pike Place Market, going to a Mariners game and the like. There are so many things to do in Seattle and Portland and we applaud the Bulletin's coverage of fine food, travel and leisure. Our emphasis will remain mostly on food and wine adventures as that is our passion and our calling. Enjoy! |
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