indulgence

[ironymaiden]

i had a conversation recently with scarlettina about giving gifts of experiences rather than things. i'm all in favor of it, whether i'm treating myself or others. there have been less experiences in August than i would like due to the move. still...

C and i took time out last week to spend some time with the visiting buhrger and indulge our Crow addiction. good times.
appetizers: manchego cheese wrapped in grape leaves with ratatouille, and a selection of cured meats (from Salumi).
the manchego was the semi-soft rather than the hard, therefore mild. the plate just happened to have three portions and an excellent mouth-feel, but i have to admit that i was more interested in the savory eggplant on the side than the cheese event. (the ratatouille was particularly yummy on the standard bread.)
C can't resist the cured meat plate. it's an artful arrangement of translucently thin slices of three sorts of pork, with a light drizzle of olive oil. even the prosciutto wasn't overly salty, and my favorite of the three (name eludes me) included slices of whole peppercorn.

entrees: C had a steak and bleu cheese salad, i had the catch of the day, and buhrger went for the chicken wrapped in prosciutto.

steak and bleu cheese...there's a reason it's a classic.
the fish was halibut with roasted peppers and tapenade. the fish was beautifully done, i just wished i liked olives more so that i could be definitive about the tapenade. i was really in it for dessert anyway.
that chicken dish is the one item i've never seen go off the (short, rotating) menu in over a year. it's there because it's a reliable hit; moist and a little salty, with jus and green beans.
i can't speak for buhrger, but we were all members of the Clean Plate Club™.

dessert: lemon cake, three sorbets, triple chocolate mousse (those in the know can guess who had the chocolate)
i love their dessert presentation; the dishes included edible flowers, handmade paper, and a sharp wedge of hazlenut cookie. i was surprised how much i appreciated the strawberry-rose sorbet (the others were melon and lemon verbena); Crow is the only place i've ever had a floral dessert that didn't taste like perfume to me. the mousse is molded in a little tower, with three clearly-defined layers, and as i remember the white section has a touch of Grand Marnier.

is it wrong that i have a Crow tag?

meanwhile, everyone who has raved about Lush is absolutely right. now writersweekend isn't the only reason to go to Bellevue. (but why is ours in a stupid suburban mall when it's in a funky neighborhood in the other cities i know?!? Lush Ballard. Lush Fremont. Lush Capitol Hill. Lush near-but-not-in the Market. c'mon, people.) the bubble bar i tried Saturday night is the best. bubblebath. ever. oh, and C and i are totally hooked on this stuff after long days of standing and carrying heavy things. i wish it wasn't so gorram expensive; that makes it a treat rather than an everyday sort of pleasure.

Comments

[solcita.livejournal.com]

Pied de Pepper is lovely stuff. Rich and I adore it too.

[ironymaiden]

okay, actually Pied de Pepper may become an everyday thing, but i can't afford to have as many bubblebaths as i'd like :)

[butterflydrming.livejournal.com]

You should try a Floating Island some time. It looks like a muffin.

The salesgirl at the Portland store told me it would be in Pioneer Square, or somewhere downtown. It got my hopes up. The wench.