Wednesday, May 14, 2014

BEER AND FOOD EVENT: Bacon and Beer Classic




Do you like bacon? How about Beer? What about some live music? Now what if I said you could enjoy all three at Safeco Field? Pretty cool, huh?! Well this Saturday Safeco Field will host the first Bacon and Beer Classic! 

Date: Saturday, May 17, 2014
Times: Session 1 (12-4pm) and Session 2 (6-10pm)
Place: Safeco Field - 1250 1st Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98134


The Beer and Bacon Classic features 50+ chefs dishing out bacon-inspired tastes! Below is a partial list of the restaurants who will be at the event. Check out a complete list on the Bacon and Beer Classic website.

                    


              


                    



                    


                    

                    

                   

                     




100+ craft breweries will be pouring some of their best beers! Below is a partial list of breweries. Check out a complete list on the Bacon and Beer Classic website.

                    

                    

                    

                   

                    


                     

                    

                   


                    




Live music will be provided by:







There will also be some food demos and beer school!


Be sure to try out some of the interactive games!

Download the Bacon and Beer Classic Mobile App to get a complete festival schedule, map, beers on tap and restaurant exhibitors!

     

Sunday, May 11, 2014

FOOD REVIEW: Loulay Kitchen and Bar

Loulay sign above kitchen.

It was my birthday recently and for my Birthday dinner, my friends took me out to eat at Loulay Kitchen and Bar, Thierry Rautureau's newest restaurant in downtown Seattle. I'm a big fan of Chef Rautureau's other restaurant, Luc in Madison Valley, so I was excited to try out his latest restaurant. Loulay is named for chef Thierry Rautureau's hometown of Saint Hilaire de Loulay in France. The restaurant is located at Sixth and Union on the Sheraton Hotel block.

Huge mirror and lights at Loulay.
The interior of the restaurant is very spacious. There is seating at the chef's counter, similar to Chef Rautureau's other restaurant, Luc. There are high-backed booths and tables in the main dining area on the first level, as well as, a 24-seat bar area. There is a balcony area that gives a perfect bird's-eye-view of the kitchen and main dining area. There is also a mezzanine level that seats about 30 diners and can be used for private parties.

View of dining area from balcony at Loulay.

I loved the energy of the restaurant. All areas were full of diners enjoying their food and wine. I can easily see Loulay becoming one of my favorite Seattle restaurants.

Amuse Bouche of Ceviche on toasted baguette.
Almost as soon as we sat down in our booth, we were greeted by Chef Thierry Rautureau himself! Thierry is well-known to visit with guests at his restaurants. He loves to chat with his patrons and get to know them. I've had the pleasure of talking to Chef Rautureau at Luc, and I was very pleased to see him yet again at Loulay. He mentioned that everything on the menu was delicious, and after looking it over, I agree, it all sounded very good.

Appetizers of Beet Salad, Duck Sliders, and Crab Beignets.
For a started, we were treated to an Amuse Bouche of Ceviche on a toasted baguette. It was the perfect little starter to what would be a most enjoyable dining experience. For our appetizers, we ordered the Beet Salad, Duck Sliders, and the Crab Beignets. All of which were spot-on and delicious.

Lamb and Polenta

For my main course, I chose the Lamb and Polenta. As expected, I was not disappointed. The lamb was tender and the delicious sauce gave the dish so much flavor.

Beignets with sour apples, malt ice cream, and caramel.

For dessert, we ordered the Beignets with sour apples, malt ice cream and caramel. The powdered beignets were reminiscent of the ones I've tried at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. 

Chocolate Truffle Cake with a praline bar, lemon cremeux, roasted white chocolate ice milk.
I also ordered the Chocolate Truffle Cake. It was complete with a praline bar, lemon cremeux and roasted white chocolate ice milk. This dessert was the perfect finish to an amazing night of delicious food.

It was a pleasure meeting The Chef in the Hat, Thierry Rautureau.
Chef Rautureau was nice enough to take a picture with us. He is an amazing Chef and I wish him all the best with Loulay. I will definitely be back for many visits.

Loulay Kitchen & Bar on Urbanspoon
Loulay Kitchen & Bar

Thursday, May 1, 2014

FOOD EVENT: Mobile Food Rodeo Over Two Days!



This edition of the Mobile Food Rodeo is two days, in two neighborhoods, and features over 60 food trucks! This Food Truck event is so big that one day and one neighborhood wasn't enough to handle it. The food truck festivities begin Saturday, May 3rd from 5-11pm in the International District, and they continue Sunday, May 4th from 11am-7pm in Fremont.

Both days will feature the Taco Libre Showdown. Twenty five Seattle taco trucks face off for your votes. The Showdown will also feature live mariachi, luchador wrestling by Lucha Libre Volcanica and live entertainment.

You can't have a big Food Truck event without some good drinks, right? Well this year's event will have a beer garden with margaritas and beer. Check out more information on the Mobile Food Rodeo at their official website. Below is a listing of all the Food Trucks for each day. Go out and get some good food!

Saturday's Food Truck Line-Up - International District
Anchorhead Coffee
Jemil's Big Easy
BeanFish
Hallava Falafel
Trophy Cupcakes
Papa Bois
Skillet
Crisp Creperie
Nosh
Maximus/Minimus
Soda Jerk
The Ultimate Melt
Chubbs Food Truck
Street Donuts
Thai-u-up
Outside The Box
Napkin Friends
Off the Rez Truck
Tokyo Dog
Falafel Salam
Pel Meni Dumpling Tzar
Ben & Jerry's
Evolution Revolution
Bumbu Truck
Six Strawberries Artisan Ice Pops
Barking Frog
Kona Ice

Sunday's Food Truck Line-Up - Fremont
Anchorhead Coffee
Jemil's Big Easy
BeanFish
Hallava Falafel
Papa Bois
Skillet
Crisp Creperie
Nosh
Maximus/Minimus
Soda Jerk
The Ultimate Melt
Chubbs Food Truck
Thai-u-up
Off the Rez Truck
Tokyo Dog
Falafel Salam
Pel Meni Dumpling Tzar
Ben & Jerry's
Kona Ice
How Pickle Got Out of A Jam
Charlie's Bun's N' Stuff
Waffle Wagon
Now Make Me A Sandwich Food Truck
My Sweet lil Cakes
Marination
Athena's Food Truck
Plum Food Truck
Contigo Modern Mexican
Poke to the Max
BoxNature Sushi
Lumpia World
Motofish Coffee
Fish Basket
Brown Bag Baguette
Caravan Crepes
Where Ya At Matt
My Chef Lynn
Barking Frog
Veraci Pizza
Ohana
Street Treats
Holy Cow
The Grilled Cheese Experience
Mad Dawg's Hot Dogs
Ezell's Famous Chicken
Snout & Co.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

WINE: Trinity Oaks Wine - One Bottle One Tree



Earth Day was yesterday, so I thought I would highlight a winery from California that has been doing good for the environment for years. Trinity Oaks plants a tree for every bottle it sells. Since July 1, 2008, they have planted well over 10 million trees with the help of Trees for the Future organization.



Check out Trinity Oaks wines at their website. They offer a Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Savignon, and Chardonnay.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

FOOD REVIEW: Skillet Diner's Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Skillet Diner's Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Friday night I tried the grilled pork tenderloin at Skillet Diner in Ballard. It was delicious! It is herb crusted and comes with parsnip puree, cider demi, scapes, and white bean ratatouille. The pork itself was very tender and juicy. The flavors of the puree, demi and ratatouille were a perfect combination with the pork tenderloin. I was surprised by the large serving I received. I could have easily saved half to take home for lunch the next day, but it was so tasty I couldn't stop eating. This dish could easily be shared between two people, but I was a pig and ate it all myself. No regrets! I must also comment on the excellent service we received. We had 12 in our party, and our server was amazing! A must try are the made-to-order doughnut holes. You get 6 per order, and they come out piping hot!

Skillet Diner on Urbanspoon
Skillet Diner - Ballard