Rant, Rattle and Roll: Stop Sign Chaos

Brace yourself. This might be unexpected news for many of you who know me well. I am pretty sure that, from a very early age - from the time I was 6 and grabbed the mike at my brother's confirmation party to belt out "Rhinestone Cowboy (twang, twang) - and up to and including the present, people may have briefly flirted with the idea that...well...I might be a drama queen.

I'm in my mid 30's now, so instead of being offended, I think I'm just going to embrace it.

In that spirit, I present a new little snippet on the Red Slice blog: Rant, Rattle and Roll. It's my way of offering a light sample of the "woe is me", put upon vibe my poor husband endures (and luckily, laughs at) on a daily basis. These episodes are often extinguished rather rapidly when I turn on the World News and realize my life is pretty damn good and I should shut up and count my blessings. Still, ya gotta admit: it IS fun to rant a little.

Today's rant: People who can't figure out 4-way stop signs.

I seem to recall this being a very important lesson when I took Driver's Ed. Whoever is at the stop sign goes first. If two of you get there at the exact same moment, you yield to the driver on the right. Simple. Done. Boom, Right?

Wrong. Put aside the "But what if all FOUR people get to the sign at the same time?" Slow down, Sparky: A) that ain't ever gonna happen and B) let's get the 2-car yielding down right first before we tackle the next level, shall we?

Did they take this question off the test? Is this a rule that was suddenly abolished during the dot.com boom? Why can't people get it right?!?! And I've got news for you, especially Mr. Schlobbo in the Hyundai in Queen Anne the other day: it's who gets to the sign first, not the fact that you were behind the first turning car before I got to my corner. You don't get to go right behind the guy in front of you just because he took so long. Sheesh. I bet you don't use turn signals either, but that's for another bedtime story.

Rant accomplished. Ok, now back to more important things like life, liberty and vodka tonics.

Cravin' That Mac and Cheese Action

My foodie friends from Indy came for a happy visit this weekend due to some work stuff so we hit the dining scene. They discovered some great spots we have yet to try on their own, but we did manage to take them to our neighborhood fave, Betty, which once again did not disappoint. And then Carrie and I bopped to lunch at Crave in Capitol Hill the day before she left. This is a spot about which I've read fab reviews, in the much beloved "gourmet comfort food" category. While I had been planning to dive into dinner there on my first visit, it was open and the menu looked amazing so we tried it out.

Nestled in a smal nook of a building that also houses an arts center and a pilates studio, Crave is like a mad chef's delighful playpen. It is grounded and earthy: no fluff, just yum. If you didn't know about the culinary delights tucked inside this itty bitty spot, you'd be tempted to write it off as a artsy Capitol Hill sandwich shop. But nooooooooo......trust me.

Aside from serving up brunches to die for (an omelette with duck confit and shitake mushrooms?!) Good Lord...), Crave delivers with the lunch crowd as well. We started with salads. Hers: the organic beet and arugula salad. Mine: the amazing spinach salad with red onions, pears, Cabrales bleu cheese and warm bacon vinaigrette. Heaven.

Speaking of bacon bliss, Carrie's main was a unique take on a grilled cheese sandwich; this one served with thick-cut bacon and Braeburn apples. Not your Mom's Wonder Bread and Kraft singles, that's for damn sure. I surrendered to the siren call of the Shiitake Mac & Cheese with New York sharp cheddar and fontina, parmesan, shiitakes, pasta shells & toppped with seasoned bread crumbs. The smaller of the two portions offered was just right with my glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I am really starting to wonder if my "last meal" will indeed be filet mignon cooked in butter and Roquefort or a mac and cheese like this. Maybe both. Why not.

Enough writing about this place. Get thee yonder hither with much haste. Or whatever. Just go!

Gourmet Comfort Food

Having fallen prey to the charms of Seattle's Restaurant Zoe long before being a resident, I couldn't resist checking out its sister joint, Quinn's Pub, in roughly hip Capitol Hill. Actually, that should be "brother" restaurant, since Zoe and Quinn are nods to owners Scott and Heather Staples' two children. Lucky kids. I bet they actually like eating their veggies.

With simple dark wood tables and chairs, a modern, warehouse space feel and a European gastropub menu, Quinn's is a great spot for a casually upscale Saturday date with your spouse. The open lively atmosphere still manages a cozy edge and is also perfect for a girls night out or first live meeting with your Match.com wink.

Lithe, tall 20-something waiters breeze by in jeans and t-shirts, lending a relaxed "not trying too hard" hipness to the place. But don't let the slacker vibe fool you. These guys know the ins and outs of the unique menu. Items like pear salad, rabbit pate, duck, house made sausage and Wagyu beef burgers adorn the simple yet innovative menu. Quinn's also features some interesting specialty cocktails as well as a cornucopia of domestic and some very unique world beers. Their wine list is yummilicious as well.

Hubbie and I opted for pear salads to start. served with frissee, endive and stilton. You gotta love the sharp bite of a bleu cheese with the sweet nectar of a soft pear. Drizzled with some sort of vinaigrette that neutralized the sharp contrasts, this salad was wiped clean off our plates.

For our mains, I was torn between the Spanish-style smoked hangar steak served with romesco cabarales (like a bleu cheese) and frites or the pork roulades served with squash risotto and mango. When in doubt, always ask the waiter which he recommends. Without hesitation, he gleefully suggested the pork. Hubbie ordered the 8 oz. Wagyu beef burger, served with cheddar, bacon and fries.

My pork was yumminess wrapped in yumminess served on a bed of squash risotto yumminess. The moist meat melted in my mouth and the sweet aspects of the squash and mango paired divinely. I am a huge fan of pork with any sort of fruit compote (the most notable being Peter Brady's favorite, pork chops and apple sauce) and this blend hit all the right notes. The burger was juicy and robust with a very large fresh bun and the fries were crisp and piping hot.

Pre-dinner cocktails included one whose name escapes me and is not on the website, but it had Vodka and some sort of lime kir. It was a subtle, lighter alternative to our traditional vodka tonics. I also had a glass of Sangiovese (again, recommended by our Abercrombie and Fitch model waiter) that was a classic companion to the pork dish.

Quinn's rocked as both a casual gourmet hangout or even a night out for two. It's not often you can find a place that does both extremely well. Do Scott and Heather have any more kids? If so, I can't wait to see what divine deliciousness pops up next.

Wine Pick: Hey Walla Walla

Sunday, I used my wino skills for good rather than evil at the 2nd Annual Bags and Bottles Event at the W Hotel Seattle, benefitting Gilda's Club. Gilda's Club is the charity started in honor of comedienne Gilda Radnor, who fought a long battle with cancer. They help cancer patients and their families during a very difficult time.

Bags and Bottles was a designer purse auction and wine tasting. Hundreds of gorgeous Prada's, Kate Spade's, and Gucci's lined tables like so many dead carcasses, circled by lusty fashionistas drunk on the thrill of landing one of them for $10. Attendees were asked to bring a gently used designer bag to the auction, and they also had new bags filled with goodies in the live auction as well.

Around the perimeter of the purse extravaganza were wine tasting stations from multiple Washington wineries. It was heaven. Highlights included Covington Cellars, DaMa Wines, Flying Trout, Animale, Airfield Estates and oh so many others.

And right before I left the event, I fell in love.

My girlfriend insisted I not leave before trying the Stella Maris. It was lovely, lush and creamy vanilla smooth on the finish for a Merlot/Cab blend (with just a hint of Petit Verdot). I find some of the WA wines need time to open up but this was just lovely. I could see hunkering down for a Law & Order marathon and Beecher's mac and cheese with this baby.

I'm still unclear which winery this is. The website leads me to Northstar Winery in Walla Walla, but the Stella is kind of hidden. Also, the card I got from the tasting table was from Chateau Ste. Michelle, so I think this might be an offshoot. Whatev. Just get me some more.

More Washington wine finds to come as I gear up for Woodinville Passport Weekend on April 12 and 13th. Oh, and I've covered some WA wines for those interested in past articles of my wine column, Red on Reds for IntoWine.com. Saluti!

Logos Gone Wild

Check out this great site that critiques reinvented logos for companies small and large. Very good insight into why and how certain brands are reinventing themselves or delving into new markets. Of particular note is the Rossignol brand shift and the horror show that is the new Animal Planet log (as a former employee of Discovery when they launched Animal Planet, this makes me feel like I've lost a favorite cousin to a cult or something). And don't miss the "How Not to Logo" ridiculousness that is the South Dakota State University logo redesign project. Let's just say never let too many cooks (or jackrabbits) into the kitchen - regardless of the fact that the end logo turned out pretty damn good. The lesson here is that this result happens in 1 out of 10 billion cases of logo by committee or contest.

PS: Did you know Discovery initally had the old logo design with the elephant's trunk facing down, but changed it when they found out that this meant bad luck in a particular culture (which one escapes me right now). Also the globe was part of that logo to associate it with the parent network, Discovery Channel and bring new viewers over.

"Law and Order" is Laced with Crack

Can someone please explain to me how the hell "L&O" lures you into it's greedy clutches, hypnotizes you for an hour, and renders your legs paralyzed, leaving you physically unable to divert your attention and get up from your coach for hours on end - even if you have babies crying or water boiling over on the stove?

When the natural disaster strikes, screw canned goods and jugs of water: I want an endless supply of "Law and Order" episodes - and that includes all said franchises of Criminal Intent, SVU or just the good ole' fashioned original (which BTW debuted in 1990 - that's eighteen years ago! Kids born when this baby hit the screen are now eligible to vote.) And I bet they're learned more about police procedure and constitutional law from this show than in any classroom.

Nothing is as powerful as a story, well-told and this hit factory is a testament to that fact. The show's original tagline was "The Story is Everything" and man, is that true. Through countless cast changes, save for the lovely and talented S. Epatha Merkerson as the hard-hitting, calm in the face of insanity Lt. Van Buren, this show is all about story. It subscribes to the fundamentals of strong plot development and follows the same formula in each show: Strong, surprising start reveals the crime and sucks you in immediately; police investigation leads them from one clue to the other until the criminal is (sometimes seemingly) caught and an arrest is made; DA's office readies their case and uncovers more clues and plot twists; and we end in court where justice is sometimes served, something not, or something extraordinary happens to twist things up.

The rotating bevy of beauties that have played ADA's over the years has had hits and misses. Hits: Angie Harmon, Jill Hennessey, current hottie-smartie Alana de la Garza. Misses: Elisabeth Rohm (My 7-year old nephew reads lines from a script with more believability.) And the police detectives have had their share of home runs and strike outs in their rotation as well: Jesse Martin, newcomer Jeremy Sisto, Mr. Big Chris Noth (who I'm so glad to see back on CI) lethal duo Mariska Hargitay and Chis Meloni from SVU, and the irreplaceable Jerry Orbach. But hopefully someone got fired (or is getting fired) over casting the wooden Milena Govich or the current talented but unbelievably miscast CI chick Alicia Witt. And my most recent twist of a surprise: Linus Roache as ADA Michael Cutter on the regular L&O - I HATED him on his first episode and thought his character (and, I have to admit, he as an actor) was tight, unemotional and arrogant. But I have come to just love his multi-faceted performance that reveals more of his personality in each episode we see.

The other amusing part of viewing hours upon hours of old L&O's? The shows are a veritable rite of passage for now more famous actors. I'm always amazed at who has passed through the police station or court on these shows - and I love it when I see the ones that do the rounds of ALL the shows in the franchise. One guy was a murderer in one episode and a recuring CSU technician in another. Neat! He gets to be on both sides of the law.

Oh, and for fun - shout out to the unsung hero of the franchise: The voice that brings us the iconic, "In the criminal justice system....." opening narration: a guy named Steven Zirnkilton. Is there anything more delicious than rain falling outside while you snuggle by the fire in a handmade quilt and hear that sultry voice that ends with: "These are there stories. (thonk thonk)" Mmmmmm.....24-hour marathon, here I come!

In my dreams of a parallel life as an actress, I would give my right arm to have a career that spanned 18 years on a brilliantly written, high-quality, expertly acted show and stay under the paparazzi radar. Thank you, Dick Wolf, for creating such a masterpiece that never panders and never forgets that the story is indeed everything.

SHOP '08: Inspiration on a Rainy Day

Yesterday I had the good fortune to be in a room with over 100 women for 8 hours - and I wanted to hear every one of their zany and inspirational stories. How often do you get to attend a conference where everyone in the room is an interesting person? Exactly.

I'm talking about SHOP '08, a conference for independent women business owners here in Seattle. Networking diva and my new best friend Melody Biringer brought together women who have launched everything from eco-boutiques to consulting businesses to crafts shops to catered meals on the go to production companies to design firms to spas to you name it. The day featured panels for each session, not just one speaker, which offered a triple play of content for each hour. I even got to moderate a panel in a pinch when the fabulous Kelley L. Moore, lifestyle editor, could not make it due to illness (I'm not one for questioning opportunities when they land at my feet - I just snatch them up). My panel was "How to Turn Your Passion into Profit" featuring gorgeous smarties Anne-Marie Faiola of Bramble Berry, Larisa Goldin of DreamClinic and Rachel Brandzel of Real Card Company. Other panel topics ranged from to "Capital with Confidence - Decreasing your costs and improving your bottom line to "Be True to Your Brand - Do you have a business soul?" to Building Your Brand" to HELP! Can you build me a website?" All of the panels were chock full of sage wisdom from women who bear the scars and want to save you the hassle.

I thoroughly enjoyed the branding discussion (brand diva that I like to think I am) and the focused point that "Brand is not just a logo." Amen, sisters. Founder Sharelle Klaus of Dry Soda has created a lifestyle brand that is elegant and cool - all from her dilemma of not being able to drink wine when she was pregnant. They are so fanatical about their luxury, sophisticated brand, they carefully choose the types of paper clips used in the office. I think I've totally found my people. Oh, and their Rhubarb soda zips along your tongue like a firefly on a hot summer night in Eastern Long Island. Now I know why the French Laundry serves Dry Soda (and why they won't let discount blue box chains of which we will not speak sell them and spoil the brand image - at least not yet.)

Overall, it was a great day of inspiration and wisdom that I will not soon forget - both for the content and the lively connections I made. This beats my old IT/Application Development/Data Warehousing trade shows I was forced to endure for so many years where attendees care more about which booth has better free giveaways than the actual content presented. Thanks Ladies!