A TRIP TO SEATTLE

WITT's Christmas party had to be postponed because of 'the storm' so it was held Friday (1/12) in Bellevue - dinner terrible. It was held at an Italian chain that I'd not heard of before, Maggiano's Little Italy. Only one dish passable they served a hot artichoke dip that was tasty.

But, on Saturday we went to Pike Place Market and The Spanish Table and spent the kid's inheritance!! What fun.

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
1600 Pike Place (across st.)
Blank Slate Tapenade cheese - a soft, fresh farmer's cheese with a mixture of gr/blk/kalamata olives, garlice and lots of herbs and spices.
6 oz. / $5.75 (have brochure) Beecherscheese.com
What a wonderful selection of cheeses - first stop so had to watch the sheckles and bot only one (the tapenade), but they also had a Blank Slate Honey. It was a hard choice.

La Buona Tavola
(truffle Café Specialty Foods)
1524 pike Place (across st.)
TruffleCafe.com
Three Pack-
Truffle & Salt
Mushroom-truffle pate
Acacia Honey & Truffle

Trader Joe’s
Belletoile - Brie Triple Cream - wonderful
Castello Blue – real creamy/delicious
Tortellini w/pesto filling – 1 lb. (had for dinner when we got home mixed with a little capers, kalamatas, parm and some of the Sun Dried Tomato Bruschetta.)
Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper soup (2) (had a cup of this also for dinner, very good flavor! sprinkled with goat cheese)
Creamy Corn & Roasted Red Pepper Soup (1)
Spinach & Chive linguine – 8 oz.
Sun Dried Tomato Bruschetta
Rst’d Red Pepper Artichoke Tapenade
7 bottles wine –
Bears’ Lair Cab - $4.99 (Napa)Falcon Ridge Lodi Zin ’04 - $5.99
1-877-994-4616
Chariot Gypsy ’03 Red -7.99 (American Canyon, CA)
Barefoot Zin (Modesto) – 4.99 Barefootwine.com
Trader Joe’s Chilean Collection, Merlot – 3.49 Central Valley, CA
Haywood ’03 Merlot - $4.99 (Geyserville) haywoodwinery.com
Montepulciano D’Abruzzo ’05, Denominazione di Origine Controllata
Italian – 4.99

The Spanish Table – Food & Wine from Spain & Portugal
(Matiz Catalan) Squid Ink Pasta – Fideo
La Hacienda De Ybarra - Pimientos del Piquillo de Lodosa
(piquino peppers)
AlCaparras Capers ( big hummers)
Two Temranillo wines –
Campo Viejo, Crianza ’03, Rioja $9.99
Legaris Crianza, Ribera Del Cuero ’03 – $16.99 (Owner recommended) had with dinner tonight - great temprnello
Spanish Style Aurelia’s Chorizo, 6 oz. - $9.99
Redondo Iglesias – Dry cured Serrano Ham/
18 mos old.

Delaurenti Specialty FoodWine Store in Pike place
Fennel Crackers
Talatta Filetti di Aciughe, all’olio’di oliva – Anchovies $6.99
Bresola from Uruaguay – ¾ lb.
1 end piece $1.50/9.99 lb.
¼ lb. $5.76/ 23.99 lb.

Trying to work all of these goodies into a 'healthy regime' in eating for the next couple months will be hard! But, a good challenge.