Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Fodder diversity? Yes, friend and organic-seed farmer Frank Morton, of "Wild Seed Farm," Oregon tells me, with the trend to eat clean, organic free-range chicken, his regional chicken ranch orders for organic Purslane and Chickweed seed has tripled in the past six months. Coming from a farming family, I understand how gratify- ing it is to live off the land and just how much work it really is. Today, while I might be heard speaking to a symposium of food writers with the theme, "trending the millennial," Frank Morton's information got me...
San Francisco musicians of the1960s, gathered together over the weekend at Benny Franklin's home in Pacific Heights, for our five-year reunion. Here we gather and talk, share photos, listen to old takes, play and sing for each before moving the party to Liverpool Lil's restaurant and Bar, for more cocktails, appetizers and a fresh seafood dinner. This is something you may not know about me. I originally started out as a musician who played the clubs during the San Francisco music scene of the 1960s and '70s. Yes, by day I cooked with some of...
This week is all about making sure the family pets' winter beds are lined correctly for those long winter naps. They make me laugh; sprawled out in front of the fire like a couple of limp furry pencils. I bought a set of cedar-chip stuffed cushions and my kitties love their newly appointed digs. I also replaced the heating element in the outdoor water bowl for the two "terrorists," who live in the neighborhood, who stop for a slurp on their evening run. Even though they scare the pudding out of the cats, what's not to love about two friendly, f...
This year it's a Cajun blackened Thanksgiving turkey dinner and although I know there are some people who wouldn't eat another green bean casserole, it's my job to give back this piece of American, to guests topped in homemade roasted onion rings. As far as I can remember, once a year my parents loaded us kids into the station wagon and we'd rive into Napa Valley to purchase two cases of wine. Both wines from the original Charles Krug winery; a pink Rose and a case of blonde Chablis. As I recall, these wines were chilled and served to...
Each year, I make my own door wreath of recycled materials collected throughout the year on treks across the Great Northwest. For instance, this year's wreath is to be composed of old grape vines clipped in spring from Pepper Ridge Winery. The twine from a visit to a Napa Cheese Maker. The grapes and leaves are from a discarded wine display found while attending last year's Aspen Winter Food Fest, and the satin ribbon, something I bought at a Dayton community yard sale. "Now, where's my scissors?" Over the weekend I sampled a new Bordeaux of...
This weekend, the wineries in our region and around the entire United States, opened their doors, treating folks to wines recently readied by nature for our fall and winter pleasure. It was wonderful to see people bellied-up, eyes trans-fixed, trying to identify the flavor profiles with each swirl and sip. For the wineries, the sight of happy customers walking away, elongated paper wine bags held under their arms, could only mean one thing -- a job well done. Flying Aprons Catering, fortunate to cater Saturday evening's Harvest Luminary at...
Broadway in Waitsburg? Yes, and an art colony thrives! I was fortunate to have a front-row seat in the historical Waitsburg Plaza Theatre Saturday night for the Markeeta Little Wolf concert, "The Bitch is Back!" The house was sold-out and what a show it was. Markeeta, the former mayor of Waitsburg, gave all who attended, a musical review to be remembered. I walked away thinking Markeeta's job will never be done in Waitsburg. This woman has such community spirit and has now successfully opened the door to all who only dream of hitting the...
Sitting in Vintage Cellars, Walla Walla, on a Wednesday evening among local merchants and wine makers, is an exciting event for anyone who wants easy conversation and loves good wine and wonderful brew. Right now, November's Fall Release is all the talk. Check out your newspapers for event happenings. For the Touchet Valley, Markeeta Little Wolf's concert is the talk; do you have your ticket? Friends and I are first meeting for a light dinner and cocktails at jimgermanbar and then attending the musical event. We'll scoot over to Anchor Bar...
I was in Berkeley, Calif., this weekend tasting wine in an unusual bottle shop; inside the Berkeley Municipal Utilities Pump House. Today, owner Peter Eastlake operates his, "Vintage Berkeley," inside the historical building. Vintage is a unique emporium, tacked with wines from around the world, all under $25 a bottle. The day I arrived at Vintage, Bay Area wine professional Eric Sothern of Breakaway Wine Company was giving visitors a taste of a Spanish Tempranillo. For the moment, anything imported goes against everything I stand for in the...
Here comes fall and the promise of change. Today I watched the leaves from my maple tree fall to the ground while "Gary Cooper," the gentleman kitty, stopped skittering around the yard just long enough to say, "welcome to my world," bat the catnip and lavender into oblivion and chase a squirrel into the pines! At our local wineries, Fall Release is nearing: November 4-6. But I am not waiting for the crowds, it's my cookbook editor's birthday, so I drove out to Pepper Bridge Winery, Walla Walla for a gift of wine. Winemaker, Jean Francois is...
On Saturday, I was putting away my garden tools, when up drove my long-time cooking collaborator and friend, Desi Kitchens, arriving from California. Desi is an excellent cook and also a lover of great wine. She and I together remind me of Simca and Julia Child, wandering the Parisian markets searching for the best in food and wine. She had stated in an email that when she arrived, we should go to Jim German's Bar, to Whoop Em Up Café and to Cavu Cellars. At "Whoopee," we ordered a barbecue platter that drooled down our arms in perfect...
Arriving home from a weekend away isn't always so happy. I found my neighbor had lost her beloved "Pearl," The Coon Cat. As the week progressed, I'd hear Sally outside calling randomly for her kitty, her best friend, and it became unnerving, bringing back memories of when my kitty, Shoes The Creek Kitty, disappeared. In the country, you have to realize there are all sorts of predators out and about, and it just might be that the Barn Owl's coo isn't as friendly as we thought! People who don't have pets or know what it is like to lose your best...
A rriving home from a weekend away isn't always so happy. I found my neighbor had lost her beloved "Pearl," The Coon Cat. As the week progressed, I'd hear Sally outside calling randomly for her kitty, her best friend, and it became unnerving, bringing back memories of when my kitty, Shoes The Creek Kitty, disappeared. In the country, you have to realize there are all sorts of predators out and about, and it just might be that the Barn Owl's coo isn't as friendly as we thought! People who don't have pets or know what it is like to lose your...
Last night, looking out over the front pines, I noticed the most unusual moon; a pie shape cut directly in half with rippling blue vines like a half wheel of gorgonzola cheese! I took my glass of wine out to the patio table and sat for what might be the last time for the season; have you noticed -- it's getting a little chilly in the evenings. Wine of the week: Cougar Crest '08 Viognier, created by Winemaker, Deborah Hansen. This estate bottle is considered a dry white but I find it to be soaked in oodles of semisweet properties; lush floral...
The small family farmers of our region are making way into Indian summer, preparing themselves for a good hefty second crop of corn, lettuces, early kale, pumpkins, beets and carrots. I was standing in the middle of Wild Bill's Patit Street Organic Farm today, admiring the rows of different leaf textures, deep burgundy lettuces, subtle green hues of sage, basil and floppy squash leafs. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a noisy blue jay landed on an adjacent fence post. I said to him, "hello, little dinosaur," and when I turned around to walk to the...
This past Saturday, I attended the opening of the long awaited Mace Mead Works in downtown Dayton. Upon entering the facility, you'll pass the glassed-in cellar room, racked in oak wine barrels. At first, I thought this was mead wine, but later found owner Reggie Mace' sucking up barrel tasting from his maiden red wine collection, listed on the brochure from his second label; The Mortal Vintner. This collection includes three rich reds, all 100 percent pure andunique,winesnamedcrazy-young,justlikeownerandwinemaker ReggieMace...
This weekend's winery happening occurred at Three Rivers Winery's Celebrity Crab and Salmon Feed. Three Rivers' Amy Locati and staff organized the event and yours truly, Chef Judith Henderson of Flying Aprons Catering of Dayton catered the colossal feed. During the sold-out event, the celebrity was none other than Captain Scott Campbell of the famous "Sea Brooke" fishing vessel, featured on the television program titled, The Deadliest Catch. He also netted the steamed king crab legs and claws and salmon for the feed from the deep waters of...
Greetings from California! Last night, a couple of friends and I met and dined at Henry's HI-Life in downtown San Jose. Henry's is an institution in Silicon Valley, known for its open pit grilled meats, friendly ambiance and the Italianate Board Commercial Building Henry's thrives in. We sat in the bar awaiting our table, sipping Margarita's from tall frozen pint glasses. Finally, our table was called and we were seated with our salads and appropriate dressings and ice waters with floating lemon, in front of us. The prime rib was good but the...
One of the perks of living with a wine professional is to visit my wine-loving vagabond on the road in California wine country. This week, I joined Wine Guy in Silicon Valley and we had lunch at one of his away-from-home haunts; the Los Gatos Brewing Company or "The Diners Pub," in historic Los Gatos Village. Los Gatos, is one of Santa Clara Valley's bedroom communities and best known for its quaint gift shops lined along cobble stoned streets, edged in manicured olive trees and lavender. It's also known for its pricy real-estate and fabulous...
A fter shopping at Klicker's for a bag of frozen Bing cherries, I decided to drive a bit further, out along Isaacs and visit Charles Smith Wines, home to the wine-marketing genius of Winemaker, Charles Smith. Over the summer, I attended a barbecue and shared a bottle of Smith's '08 Eve Chardonnay. Today, I was on a mission to find another bottle for a picnic with Wine Guy. This has become a summer event, to find a quiet spot on Wolf Fork Creek, Patit Valley, Dayton, for a picnic and share a bottle of "water-rapid" chilled wine. We just let...
Talking with a restaurateur in the town of Dayton today, about the behavior of some small town retailers who copy one another's ideas and seem to go about their merry way never realizing everyone in town is aware of their blunder. In the case of someone stealing another's menu ideas or successful product lines to serve in their own shops, it just shows a lack of respect for other retailers and one's own creativity. Have you perpetrators forgotten your own truth in the term, "culinary arts?" Back in 2002, no one in the entire Touchet Valley had...
Grandma Moses really knew a pastoral scene when she saw one, captivating America in the 1950s with her oil paintings depicting the American country way of life. Today, I thought I was seeing through Grandma Moses' eyes, barreling through the country side heading for Spokane, north on Highway 12. The one farm I really enjoy seeing each time I head north on this route, is the one on the left hand side of the road; tucked into its own minuscule valley, a lazy pond, weeping willows, Guernseys dotting the field with a red barn in the distance. When...
This weekend I catered and attended a friend's 60th birthday party. Filling the table with an array of appropriate wine tasting nibbles, everyone brought their own bottles of regional and local wines to share with one another. Somewhere in the first few sips of Balboa Winery's 09 Syrah, I pulled the wine guys arm and said, "Have you tasted this wine?" We were both floored being Syrah red wine lovers, and unsuspecting of this wineries vintage; superb in every way. Let me explain. Balboa winemaker/owner, Tom Glase is someone you can talk to....
I mentioned in last week's column, that after returning from my East Coast trip, I would let you know how the people of the East Coast are thinking about food and wine today: ORGANICALLY! Yes, even in the underbelly of wicked old Manhattan, roots tangled in every conceivable nationality, you'll see all natural, whole foods and regional seasonal everything. While recording a food and wine segment for CBS radio, a few of us took a break and ran across the street to grab a little bite from a "closet" cafeacute;. What is a closet cafeacute;? It's...
I am packed and ready to board a plane tomorrow for Long Island, New York, where I will participate in Tony Tantillo's Food and Wine Festival. I'll let you know how the other side of the U.S. is thinking about food and wine when I get back. How about the price of asparagus? Locals got the shaft when our very own asparagus industry moved to South America. Now, when regional consumers buy asparagus, we pay the high price to transport the vegetable back here and we pay a bundle for a bundle of this delectable vegetable. There is one asparagus...
