Seattle Bon Vivant

On not cooking for dinner...

Sometimes you are too tired to cook for one and can't be bothered going to a restaurant. Sometimes the best dinner is a mishmash of favorite noshie things from the market or in this case from Whole Foods.

Things I keep going back for: their mini samosas, coconut rice, chicken tikka masala, cholay chicken, mango chutney. Notice a pattern? Or it can be a cold Asian noodle salad. Maybe Caribbean Roasted chicken, ripe plantains and grilled vegetables. Perhaps Brisket and ginger mashed yams.

Add a good friend to talk with. A bottle of wine is not that bad either. Dinner is served.

So, what do you crave for on evenings like these?

Nectarine Tart

Hasselblad 500 C/M and expired Kodak Portra 400VC

Not just any tart. A nectarine tart. Made with Washington fruit. Organic fruit. From Wapato. The fruit was delivered by the farmer. Nectarines so fragrant you'll want to bring them to your nose and take a whiff no different that when shopping for perfume.

It was served with an apricot coulis-type sauce (not pictured). I had mine with a tall glass of Harney & Sons Paris. Tea, iced. As dessert. After having a fantastic BLT. While it was 87 degrees outside. Heaven.

Local nectarines are available at farmers markets all over the city right now. Go get some today and bake you own tart. But if a hot oven is not your idea of fun on a summer day, just go to Sweet & Savory tomorrow morning and have a slice, or two.

Sweet & Savory
206. 325. 2900
1418 31st Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144

Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon

Chocolate, in all its forms, has always been my weakness. Give me a good chocolate bar, a great chocolate cupcake or a fantastic cup of chocolat chaud and I'm in heaven.

And today, I feel like jumping up and down with the prospect of attending the Seattle Chocolate Salon, the first major chocolate show in the Northwest. It will be held today, Sunday, July 13th, 2008 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle's waterfront, from 11am to 5pm.

Just imagine, table after table full of samples from some of the best chocolatiers from Seattle and the country: Amano Artisan Chocolate, Cocoa Chai, Theo Chocolate, Fiori Chocolatiers, Posh Chocolate, Dilettante Chocolates, Oh! Chocolate. The list goes on and on.

Among the activities planned for the day are chocolate tastings and demos, chef and author talks, a chocolate spa and television interviews by the good people of Taste TV

Additionally, I've been kindly invited to be one of a fantastically diverse, interesting and very accomplished Salon Awards Tasting Panel, a group of us tasting chocolate to our hearts content and scoring the delicious goods. The awards will be handed by the end of the afternoon. Its going to be an absolutely delectable task. :)

So if you are a fellow chocoholic or simply want to have a grand old time tasting scrumptious treats and perhaps learning a thing or two, why not come over to the Chocolate Salon later today and join in the fun. Tickets at the door are $20 for adults, $10 for children and kids under 6 get in free.

Seattle Chocolate Salon
Bell Harbor Conference Center
2211 Alaskan Way, Pier 66
Seattle, WA 98121
206.441.6666