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A month into being a Seattleite and I think I have found a new god. Tom Douglas. Every city has it's chef and restauranteur of note, and I can't believe I found one so quickly (although I know there are more out there in the Emerald City and I shall find you, oh yes, I shall.....)
We had already hit the Palace Kitchen a few weeks ago for lovely cocktails and gourmet comfort food. And I got a crush. But now that we've had our second date at Dahlia Lounge, I really think this could go somewhere. Amongst lush purple and red fabrics, amber lighting and plush booths, Dahlia dishes out Asian and Indian-inspired cuisine with a touch of whimsy.
We attended with a group of friends and it was a great place to bring an out-of-towner since it was bit adventurous, but also somewhat classic. Dahlia offers little tastes from the sea bar - 2 to 3 bite portions of their aquatic lovelies, and we sampled the Dungeness crab, chili paste, tempura crispies. It was refined with a bit of punch and went down very smoothly. Just the right consistency for crab meat. In addition, we tried the shrimp and scallion potstickers with black vinegar and soy dipping sauce - perfectly golden brown cripsy without being too overdone or greasy. And a good bite of shrimp - no wimps here. Finally, we rounded out appys with the curried vegetable samosas, served with three toppings: avocado with jicama, honey mango, and cilantro yogurt. These were just lovely. Sample all three toppings with a single bite and you are in prime Indian food heaven.
Our entrees spanned from sauteéd Alaskan halibut with Full Circle Farm cranberry beans, warm string bean salad, bacon, tomato vinegar (devine, light, and sauteed to a lovely golden brown) to the Washington beef strip loin, served with buttered sweet corn, pickled peppers, Beechers cheddar dumplings, grilled scallions. We had seafood lovers and haters at the table and Dahlia was a great choice. They did both exquisitely well with lots of creativity but not too much weirdness. I felt like this was a great example of the culinary creativity that exists on the Seattle food scene. I described it recently to someone as a town that is not content to be a copycat food city like NY or SF but to carve out it's own niche to delight it's bold, eager denizens.
Can't wait to eat my way through the other Douglas establishments. Bring it!
This weekend brought more culinary exploration. Hubbie and I tucked into a Friday night dinner at Tango, at the foot of Capitol Hill (click on their website with the sound up just to get a litle dose of Ritmo Latino). This hot tapas spot was recommended via a food writer friend of a beloved food writer friend and was touted as "better tapas than Zarzuela's" in SF's Russian Hill area. Which, by the way, if you have not been and live in the San Fran Bay Area, log off and run like the wind. So I thought it best to check out this claim for myself.
Stunning modern glass architectural windows, exposed brick and iron accessories warm up what could be a very cold industrial space. It's like quaint Spanish taverna meets Dwell. Although the Seattle Metro Magazine's describing it as "Antonio Banderas' bedroom" frightens me. We had a reservation via Open Table but went much earlier due to my need for a Friday evening cocktail. The host was amiable and tried to seat us early, so we killed time at the bar and ordered a Queso Fundido, which was a delicious fondue blend of baked Majon and Idiazabel cheeses with herbs, smoked venison sausage, apples, crostini. I was surprised by how much I liked the venison sausage: spicy and dense, it was lovely. While the cheese was delicious, it was a tad on the greasy side.
The place was jumping but then cleared out after we got seated for dinner - must be a theatre crowd. But it still had plenty of buzz to make for an enjoyable night out. We tucked into the Ensalada Verde, which consisted of organic mixed greens, tomato, grilled hearts of palm, topped by a lemon-pumpkin seed vinaigrette. It was delicious. We had ordered a salad with heirloom tomatoes, which we thought was odd to still be on the menu this late in the year and, sure enough, they were out of it.
I dove into three Oysters del Mercado, a selection of Northwest oysters, which I have to say tasted a bit fishy to me and were drowned in salt. But we very much enjoyed our Croquetas de Papas, which were Crispy horseradish-potato croquettes served alongside smoked tomato jam, and Cotija cheese. MmmMMM! This is what Tater Tots want to be when they grow up and inherit large sums of money. These were so delicately crispy on the outside and supple on the inside....delish.
The main dish was the Puerco Asado: Marinated grilled pork loin served with hot berry compota, roasted corn and mashed yams. Oh my gosh, this was gorgeous. Perfectly grilled and moist, the jammy berry topping made it melt in your mouth. Wonderful dish. We cleaned the plate.
I tried a Spanish Red Wine special Tempranillo which was good, but grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me a round a little bit. Too strong for an appetizer choice. For dinner, I had the Rioja (not sure which one) and it was just the right choice for our pork dish. And for dessert? I opted for the Valencia Canutos: Orange spiked cannolis filled with espresso mousse and served with fun chocolate dipped candied orangettes. If only I had paired with with a lovely brut champagne, it would have been perfect. This was delicious and "light" if you can use that word to describe a decadent dessert.
The tapas were all good sizes meant for realistic sharing. I didn't get the chance to sample the impressive cheeses or ceviche, but I have not been to a restaurant for a while where there were too many options I wanted to try, so this was a good thing. While not quite as up to snuff as Zarzuela's, it held it's own quite well and was a perfect out on the town dinner spot. A return visit to Tango to try the other delights is definitely in order for this tiny dancer.
Being a stranger in a strange land requires one to be adventurous, curious, and eager to learn. But most of all, it requires moxie. As a Seattle newcomer, I can't wait around for people to come find me - I have to make the first move.
And with that in mind, I arranged to meet a friend of a friend on a "blind friend date" of sorts at a lovely spot she recommended, The Sitting Room. This casual bar/cafe feels like it got swept up in Dorothy's cyclone from Paris or Prague and landed right here in lower Queen Anne. Amber-red lighting, random art and bric-a-brac, and an array of both wooden bistro tables and comfy wing chairs set the stage for one of the best places I can think of for meeting up with friends - and actually being able to hear each other talk.The Sitting Room is located right next to On the Boards, which boasts visionary and comtemporary artistic performances; thus, a stream of both artistic and neigborhood folks create a relaxed vibe that is not a pick up scene, nor a snoozefest. It just felt good to there. One of those places where you immediately feel comfortable bellying up to the bar, even if you are alone and waiting for someone you've never met before. I was not feeling particularly beverage bold, so I ordered a Grey Goose and Tonic (my standard) and it was served with love and an adorable lime twist. They also offer some specialty cocktails made with goodies like cucumber and pomegranate that sounded refreshing and intriguing I was feeling a bit peckish, as my Scottish husband would say, so I opted for the bruschetta special of chevre and mision figs, drizzled with a red wine reduction and topped with walnuts. It was lovely and the bread was just crispy enough to hold the chevre without wounding the roof of your mouth. The Sitting Room also offers a full menu for those who don't want to leave this oasis after Happy Hour. I could easily whittle away a Friday or Saturday night with friends here, especially ones who might be visiting and require extensive quality catch-up time.
The new friend I made is a theatre compadre who grew up with a fellow actor I knew in SF. She is heavily involved with Annex Theatre and they are in the midst of a unique production called "I Feel Fine" running until November 10. It is a collaborative performance collage centered around a party at the end of the world. View the production pics on their site - looks like quite the colorful apocalyptic party!
Readers, allow me to exchange my sassy hat for my marketing hat once again, as I am wont (or is it 'want'?) to do. The past few weeks in the glam life of enterprise software has been like the Great Land Grab of the 1800's. Aside from numerous acquisitions that have occured in drips and drabs the past year, most recently SAP buys Business Objects for $6.8 Billion to take out the largest independent Business Intelligence play. Oracle responds by bidding $6.7 for BEA to further imprison their customers with a middleware story - and gets rejected by them, even though major stockholder and puppet master Carl Icahn wants this baby to sell (how will this one end?) And SAP still has bullets left in its holster to make a bid for Yasu, a little known business rules engine player. For the down-lo on the first two, just catch the more entertaining round up here at my beloved Performance Guys site.
Paris and Nicole. Britney and Christina. Angelina and Jen. Facebook and MySpace. Larry and...everyone not named Carl? Kids, grab your popcorn and cherry Icee, sit back and enjoy the catfights. But what does it all mean?
One, it means major consolidation of enterprise software categories. The past few years have seen big league ERP vendors meld with CRM vendors meld with Database vendors to provide uber-infrastuctures that address substantial components of the technology stack. With dollars behind them, these "borgs" just keep getting bigger and bigger by acquiring ready-made customer bases. I won't pretend to go into all the techno-babble about EAI, ESB, CPM, etc. Dashboards, analytics, process management, and performance management are the belles of the ball these days - which is good for my company, BPM leader Savvion. Suffice it to say, these gigantors like Oracle, IBM, SAP, etc. want to eventually own your company's entire stack.
Two, it means major shifts in what is considered innovative, nice to have vs. critical business systems. Customers are now demanding more sophistication and agility around their technology infrastructure to meet real business objectives for real business people.
Three (and my favorite), it means major "Melrose Place"-style drama is back in Silicon Valley, baby, YEAH! Who will be left standing? In my opinion, this coincides nicely with the new micro-bubble that has been brewing in the Valley after the long, slow hangover recovery from the dot.com bust. The Tums have kicked in and, even though you said you'd never do it again, it's time to re-commence drinking!
Tons of little start-ups have popped up again, trying to capitalize on Web 2.0, social networking, user generated content (insert favorite buzzword here). Don't believe me? Check out my friend Sean's company Stirr: : a network to hook up entrepreneurs with VC funders and other resources in the Bay Area. Here's a list of alumni presenters - haven't seen company names like those since 1999. Party. Of course, right on this upswing, I have to move to Seattle but that's for another post. Anyway, the void created by the big guys gobbling each other up, means another vaccum of innovation and bleeding-edge technology, which means - hello, Stirr. The field is once again prime for planting after years of laying dormant since our beloved Pets.com's Sock Puppet died.... Ah, the circle of life.
For those of you who are like, "What the...?" maybe this will help you relate: Checking out Yahoo! Finance each day has become just as exciting for me these days as guiltily indulging in Us Magazine at the nail salon.
What, what is that flutter in my chest? Oh, I giddily feel the bubble growing in the streets once again in the Valley. Time for the gloves to come off, ladies and gentlemen. It's dark, back corner booth wheeling and dealing time. It's business plans over seared ahi at Sushi Groove SOMA. It's launch party come-backs at Vessel or Swig, complete with scandalous drunken hookups. It's beer Friday's, exposed brick office lofts, and Herman Miller Aeron chairs. It's daily catered lunches of curry, pasta and weird lo meins for developers who never see natural light for days on end. And most of all - could it be? What is that? Is that a lavishly produced, way too expensive, blow the entire marketing budget Super Bowl ad I see on the horizon?! Tune in to see who will make the next move. Meow!
Getting into this casual, rainy Autumn vibe that is Seattle is agreeing with me. Last night, my hubbie and I did the nice little 10 minute walk to Fremont so he could show me Norm's Eatery and Alehouse. We were greeted by a friendly barman, and guests drinking and chatting with their dogs in tow. Yes, Norm's allows you to bring your dogs which is a plus for this neighborhood. I'm sure we will appreciate this much more after we get a dog (still contemplating which breed but leaning heavily toward a rescue mutt for kindness reasons) but really, people were very disciplined with their little friends. No running around barking, no snatching of food dropping off other people's tables. It was quite amusing- as I looked around, it was like being in a coffee shop with a bunch of moms and newborns. Some were holding their dogs on their laps, others were fussing with their dogs on the floor, while others cooed over their friends companions. And the dogs were a lot less tantrum-prone than babies so I say, "Bring 'em on!"The decor was funky, full of canine inspired art - of every breed. Everything from vintage posters, to cartoons, to lifelike statues of Golden Retrievers filling every wall and crevice. I assumed Norm was the name of the founder's dog and I think an Internet search has confirmed this. Our casual Tuesday night meal was just delicious for bar food. We split the side Ale House Salad, topped with hazelnuts, gorgonzola, crispy onions and a Sherry vinaigrette. Just lovely. I'm very picky about pub salads, as sometimes they contain waxy bagged lettuce but this was fresh, crisp and sophisticated. I then dove into the Panko-crusted fish and chips with some of the most perfect fries I've ever had. Exactly the right crispness and seasoned with something wonderful. Mmmmm.My husband had an avocado burger and said it was really good. I tend to judge pub food by the burger standard and he said it fit the bill. The Oktoberfest I washed everything down with was smooth and not too heavy - a nice compliment to the fish. Coming from someone who does not normally drink beer, this is high praise.The place was not that full, which was nice and it didn't seem too cold because of it. I've read posts on Yelp that said it is a pain when crowded. But for us, it was the perfect weeknight respite and I found the staff to be very friendly. Overall, when we do finally get a dog, I think we'll be stopping into Norm's more often.
Randy Pausch is a computer science and virtual reality professor at Carnegie Mellon and gave one of the most amazing lectures I've ever seen. It's chock full of golden nuggets to remember in our work and personal lives. Randy, who pioneered an experiential Master's program for entertainment technology, delivers a lecture on achieving your childhood dreams - it is also the last lecture he is giving, as he has been diagnosed with 3-6 months to live. It's not sappy at all - this guy is fearless - but it is an amazing collection of stories and lessons told by a very funny and gifted storyteller. 
The energy, humor, rock-solid advice for working with and leading people, and poignancy of this lecture is great. One of my many favorite lessons is that brick walls exist in life to separate the people who want something really, really badly from those who will only half-heartedly make an attempt. I love this idea and, as you probably can, can think of 100 different ways this has been true for me.
The lecture video is in 4 parts, each about 18 min long, so you may have to come back to it or run it in the background. Randy also has links to video and transcript on his home page. And there are parts that go into innovative courses he helped create at CMU. But I promise it is worth it since each part has some amazing stories and lessons from which we could all stand to learn. How's this for a little Friday inspiration?!
Thank you Randy - for touching so many people with one speech. I know it was meant for your kids, but if there was ever any doubt to the legacy you will be leaving, which is already full to the brim with contributions to your students and to the world - have no fear. You have made a difference.
Hello from the Pacific Northwest! Guess what? It's raining. No, really.I'm excited to finally be in Seattle after months of anticipation. I'm less excited about the move in process. Everything went swimmingly, except for the sofa which would not make the turn into the living room. So it needs to be rigged over our balcony (thank god we have one). For now, it's resting comfortably in our garage. Should get moved today.I'm embarking on a new adventure of working from home and also being completely carless. While this did not phase me at all in SF, right now, I have no idea where anything is or the bus schedule. But I did find an adorable coffee "hut" 2 blocks away with a barista who knows everyone's name and drink selection. And I walked to Fremont for lunch yesterday and found Baja Fresh and the grocery store. Little steps, little steps.We're so looking forward to discovering all the new places to eat, drink and play around our new city. It smells like autumn here, with the trees starting to turn, the lush dampness on the ground, and the crisp chill in the air. We've already discovered a great Sushi/Japanese spot in Queen Anne. More to explore as the weeks and month progress.
A month into being a Seattleite and I think I have found a new god. Tom Douglas. Every city has it's chef and restauranteur of note, and I can't believe I found one so quickly (although I know there are more out there in the Emerald City and I shall find you, oh yes, I shall.....)
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