Russell's Restaurant Review

At this Holiday Season we finally took the time to visit Russell's in Bothell, WA, which had been recommended by our daughter (in-law). Well, Christmas came early for us because this restaurant in a rather obscure office park setting in a renovating barn produced an extraordinary and rather unique dining experience! The chef is Russell Lowell www.russelllowell.com and whomever was managing the kitchen is just kicking out amazing results.  We started with the Harvest Salad and moved onto Sea Scallops and Rack of Lamb for our entrees and they were over the top good. Best Rack I have had in recent memory :) As you all know Scallops have to be seared fast and never over-cooked and these were just right on the mark. Also important, they have a great wine selection that is not marked up above what full retail would be so that is an added bonus: we had the Stag's Leap 2009 Fay Cabernet and that paired just right with our selections.They have an extensive menu and special features so we plan to return soon and further update this review. To your health and to your enjoyment, this is RJKirk, Enjoy!

Volterra at Kirkland Restaurant Review!

We had the opportunity to visit the new Volterra at Kirkland Restaurant opening a few weeks ago courtesy of our local www.opentable.com representative. We think the owners Michelle and Chef Don have done just a tremendous job here. For a soft opening the kitchen was dead on good and the service was delightful! There were a few local celebreties, some of which we are fortunate to know, there the same evening and the atmosphere was vibrant and warm. The entres we enjoyed are shown in the video and it was great to share some Italian cooking secrets with Chef Don; this truly gracious man had been around and it really show in the quality of the offerings. Michelle and Iva did such a great job of greeting guest and making everyone feel welcomed and important. Our service was Sylvester style and done with both grace and enthusiasm. As you know we do not review many restaurants and are always searching for great ones; Volterra is on the list!  http://volterrakirkland.com/ For those of you who were paying close attention to the video, the pictures and videos were taken a week apart because the first night we only had iPhones so Lauren Roberts brought her big gun on the second visit. By the way we also appreciate the fact that their wine list is reasonable and we found a new gem that is featured on the video. This is RJKirk with Cafe 1853, Enjoy!

Seafood Pasta!!!

Hi Everyone, it's been awhile since our last video production but we could not wait to bring you this one!  Over the years, we have prepared Seafood Pasta in various different combinations and renderings, but for our taste this is the best ever.  The motivation for this dish came from some less than stellar restaurant experiences while traveling on the Oregon Coast, but we had rented a house with good cooking facilities, managed to locate some really great seafood in Cannon Beach at http://ecolaseafoods.com/ , had a few mouths to feed so got into it for a dinner and loved the results. As you watch the video pay particular attention to the infusion and reduction techniques, the fact we cooked the prawns and halibut separately and please do one thing for us, taste the sauce as you go along to get it the way you want it. We made this with half and half in Oregon and duplicated in our kitchen with cream, liked the 1st version because it was lighter on the palate. Locally we get our seafood from www.geminifish.com Put as much seafood in this as your wallet can afford; this version has Louisiana Gulf Prawns, Alaska Halibut, Manila Clams and lot's of Dungeness Crab.  The sauce on this is killer due to the vine ripened tomatoes, seasonings, white wine, a little butter and lemon at the end.  To your health, this is RJ Kirk @ Cafe 1853, Enjoy!

Copper River King w Fresh Garden Greens

Cafe 1853 has been involved in numerous summer activities which has slowed down the frequency of our posts, but here we are back again with one of our summer spectaculars! This dish is just as pleasing to the eyes as it is to the palate and yes, that is a perfectly grilled piece of Copper River salmon over garden to table edible flowers and baby greens.  The flowers are Nasturtiums & Violets (you guess which is which) and herbs are from our patio and the baby lettuce from a friends garden : fresh and organic either that day or within minutes of serving. Great little link on edible flowers http://www.wildthymefarm.com/permflowers2.html Top it if off simply with your best olive oil and balsamic with a little pepper and there you have it.  The salmon was done simply  on the grill with red & black pepper, salt and garlic powder.  You can look in our posts for how to have salmon come out perfect every time, its easy once you get the temperature and timing down. For you health freaks out there, it does not get any better than this and works for Paleo also. Oh, almost forgot the Copper River King is from www.geminifish.com stuff just amazing. To your health big time on this one, this is RJ Kirk @ Cafe 1853, Enjoy!

English Pea & Ham Pasta!!

English Peas are in season right now, so don't miss using them in various recipes; this in one of our favorites. Although the peas and ham are the stars of the show, what really makes this dish is the sauce; one which we have worked for some time on to get just the right balance.  As with most sauces, it is not a cook by numbers type of thing: rather it is art,working the sequence of ingredients correctly in the pan and perhaps most of all seasoning it to your personal taste.  In this dish the shallots, garlic and tomatoes are present at the start with wine, cream, butter and lemon added in that order along the way.  Pay particular attention to the deglaze and reduction sequence and you will be well rewarded. Most of the ingredients came from www.pccnaturalmarkets.com but the unique pasta came from www.wholefoodsmarket.com. This dish will stand up to even the biggest red wine but also pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc. This is RJ Kirk @ Cafe 1853, Enjoy!.

Bolognese Sauce: Truly Exceptional!!

We spent the better part of a decade learning how to create a truly exceptional and authentic Bolognese sauce.  Finally the results are good enough to publish! Our standard for excellence was Cook at Saint Helena, CA; we believe this is a very close representation.  All of the ingredients are from scratch and organic; there are absolutely no canned ingredients whatsoever. Be patient and do this as described and you will be at least part Italian! The video is mostly self explanatory, but here are a few additional hints:1) You can speed up the Marinara Sauce by using the "garlic infused olive oil" (olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper 2) One thing you must not do, use any canned, non fresh tomatoes sauce of any kind, this will guarantee partial destruction of this recipe! 3) Do not skip or alter any of the ingredients; for instance if you were to use only lean ground beef, you will have a beef/meat sauce, not Bolognese, etc. 4) The proportions and taking the time to do the reduction is essential; no short cuts, thus the ingredients follow in some detail. All of the ingredients were acquired from Whole Foods of Bellevue, WA www.wholefoods.com All ingredients are organic.
The Stars (in order of appearance): Pancetta (5 slices chopped), Onion (1 large), Garlic (8 cloves), Carrots (2 minced), Celery (2 stalks minced), Lean Ground Beef (1 lb), Ground Veal (1 lb), Ground Pork (1/2 lb), Salt/Pepper/Red Pepper/Garlic Powder (Massaged into Meat and additional to taste), Red Wine Vinegar (4 splashes).
Supporting Cast: Marinara Sauce: Vine Ripened Tomatoes (8 medium), Salt/Pepper/Red Pepper/Italian Herbs (to taste). Parsley (as garnish to visual appeal). Ricotta (to appeal and taste).

Outpost Wines on Howell Mountain Napa Valley

Outpost Wines is located on Howell Mountain at 2200 feet, high above the Napa Valley. Those of you that have had the opportunity to taste and enjoy wines produced from this area know that some of best Cabernet grapes in the world are grown and harvested there due to unique soil and weather conditions. Outpost wines are produced from 42 acres of estate grapes and a quote from Kathy (Owner with her Husband) says it best: "The wine is produced in the Vineyard"! The setting and view from their property is nothing short of spectacular. Our tour and tasting was "down home", intimate, totally relaxing and enjoyable. Their winemaker is Thomas Rivers Brown and his talent is displayed in the results; wines of exceptional quality, character and subtle balance, exhibiting bright berries, caramel, tobacco (ok, that's an inadequate attempt) that words cannot adequately express. We have enjoyed many wines from Napa and this is quite simply amongst the very best.
Here is a small excerpt from their website that was insightful: "Under Thomas' expert guidance, Outpost grapes are harvested late in the season - by hand, at dawn - to preserve the full intensity and distinctive spicy character of the mountain fruit. The grapes are processed with as little manipulation as possible. Grapes from each block within the vineyard are fermented separately so that our winemaking team can be very selective about the lots that comprise the final blend. Wines are neither fined nor filtered allowing for the full expression of the vintages' potential". You really should have a further look at www.outpostwines.com There are many interesting facts about their history and commitment to organic vineyard management and sustainability that we are sure you will appreciate. This is RJ Kirk @ Cafe 1853, Cheers!