Italy in Fremont - and Wine in Woodinville

I found it.

Long in search of a neighborhood Italian joint where I could savor my garlic-laden, carb-chocked, straight-talkin' favorites from the Mother Land, I stumbled on Pontevecchio. And I did not want to get up and leave.

With a decor leaving something to be desired but reminding me of some of the best random European cafes, this place dishes out hard-core Italian specialties, friendly service, and ample wine pours. I devoured a garlic spinach ravioli special (homemade, duh) filled with ricotta and topped with a Pinot Grigio, olive oil, butter and garlic heart-attack-in a gravy boat sauce. Freshly grated cheese blanketed the puffy pillows in motherly goodness. Hubbie ordered a Penne Alla'Amatriciana that was a wonderful kaleidoscope of green and red fantasy. Piping hot, full of herbs and flavor, and a lingering smell of garlic that I think is still with us 2 days later. But I don't give a crap. This place absolutely rocked and I am going back again and again and again.

The colorful spot right past the Fremont Bridge borders in cheesy kitsch (there's even Italian soccer posters from what looks like the 80's in the window) but chalk it up to authenticity and treat yourself to some of the best Italian food I've had in the US. Period. It's dubbed the "Place for Lovers" and I understand they even have opera nights each month.

This place is living proof that swanky Pottery Barn votives, fussy waiters and small portions do not a great dining experience make. I felt like I was in someone's house and we enjoyed the glimpse of Summer that God gave us on Saturday as we ate and sipped in the window of this joyful little find.

Sunday brought us to the Woodinville Wine Passport 2008, a festival of open winery's and lots of smiles in nearby Woodinville Wine Country. Skipping the typical pretty winery tasting rooms, we headed straight to the office parks that house many of the region's budding wineries. Tents were set up in parking lots, and office suites flung open their doors, revealing modest but lovely tasting room set-ups and barrels of wine being stored it what would pass for temp agency offices or something. Given the close proximity of most of the place in the office parks, you could gleefully hop from one to another in minutes. This was how we managed to hit about 12 wineries in 2 hours.

Top picks: Des Voigne's lovely Untitled (a happy accident) and Solea Cab; Covington Cellars Sangiovese and Viognier; and Arlington Road Cellars' Monolith. More to come on the wines and how to handle a tasting festival in my www.intowine.com monthly column.

We stopped in at some traditional wineries with full property and tasting rooms before we left Columbia nd Januik. Januik, while voted Winemaker of the Year or something from Seattle Magazine, was the worst, most commercial, "cattle-driving" wine tasting I've ever been to and not the greatest wine I've ever had - will not be back. Gray concrete, steel everywhere, and pourers who just poured and didn't share any knowledge or passion about the wine. Horrible.

I will take the passionate, friendly, talkative folks at the office parks any day. This was the true spirit of winemaking and wine culture full of passion, warmth and accessibility for anyone. Loved it.

Serious Pie and Quirky Qube

Last weekend was about celebrating a big account I just landed - and diving back into our culinary exploration of Seattle. Much like getting back on the horse with a lapsed exercise routine: you tend to go big your first time back and spend the next day or so nursing sore muscles, or in this case, eating light because you're still so damn full.

Friday night brought us to Qube, a Asian-French fusion of savory bites and hip decor. Running in to escape the drizzle and cold, we were greeted with an industrial space of soft lighting, quirky fixtures and accents of orange, steel gray and lime green. The adjacent bar with its wide couches and votives was nicely offset from the eating area. And in the center of the place lived a long, high communal dining table a la Asia de Cuba.

For the adventurous diner who wants to try a bit of everything, Qube offers 3-course "Qube sets" - each course consists of 3 sample dishes and each course stars a main ingredient. A vegetarian set, surf set and turf set is yours for the asking. Or you can mix and match among them to form your own masterpiece, which was our cup of tea. For me: the cauliflower, Pacific halibut and chocolate trios. Hubbie had artisan duck, organic squash and banana for his selections.

Artfully displayed, the dishes boasted ample-sized portions that left me sated and happy. My starter cauliflower trio featured creamy soup served over chanterelle and carmelized floret and truffle oil (like silk, only more fattening); fennel and nicoise salad; and Madras curry vinaigrette gratin with yucca root, fontina and toasted almonds. I would have eaten cauliflower every day of the week if I knew it could be this delicious. The gratin in particular was like a healthier play on mac and cheese.

Aside from a glitch where they got my husband's first course trio wrong and had to quickly whip up another one (which, due the dish complexities was not so quick) I was already a fan.

The halibut trio I ordered for my main surprised me with how generous the portions were. One came dressed in whit soy consomme, edamame and trumpet mushroom for a real Asian flair. Another was crusted in hazelnut and served over a roasted fennel puree and mission fig butter delight. And the third was paoched with citrusy goodness of tangelo and a dash of tarragon.

Saving a little room for my decadent dessert, I dived gleefully into my last trio: the dark chocolate. I salivate as I type what was included: a Qube 'Peanut Butter Cup', Gianduja Cake, with star anise caramel, toasted hazelnuts, and a unique Hot Chocolate "dipper" for a Lychee & cinnamon marshmallow (not your childhood s'mores, my friends).

My husband's dishes were equally delicious, although he found the ample portion of foie gras almost too much for one person. I have a girlfriend who would say there can never be too much foie gras, but there might be congressmen in Illinois who disagree.

Overall, I really enjoyed the taste, texture and smell of the whoe experience - simple unique ingredients in varying combinations without overdoing each individual dish with ego. Gordon Ramsay would be proud.


Our second treat last weekend was getting a taste of Tom Douglas' classic, Serious Pie. No, it's not dessert pie, it's pizza pie and it's fabulous. Wood-fired with the perfect melted blend of cheese, fresh mozzarelly and seasoned just right with basil and herbs. Mmmmmm.....the charming, casual wood tables and wine racks felt like a little European wine cellar was was perfect for an easy lunch. There are many varieties of pie and they cook them with perfect crunchy thin bliss of a crust. And the tomato sauce - the most difficult element for any pizza place to get right for this ex-New Yorker who knows from good pizza-- was delightfully sweet and thick with the right touch of spices. I'm sold.

Less exciting was our foray with friends on Sunday night to Ten Mercer. Great space and would love to go back for drinks or apps to this upscale eatery - the layout was similar to Jardiniere in SF if you've ever been. The food was good, but not great. I had a very heavy lobster risotto that was just too many flavors vying for attention. That seemed the theme - each dish was trying to hard and it just created an overcomplicated mess with all those fresh wonderful ingredients. Gordon Ramsay would NOT be proud of this one. If they pared down some of the dishes to let them shine naturally, they'd be much better off. But the company was great and the wine was yummy.

The weekend is almost upon us once again and we are significantly downshifting from last week's fall off the budget wagon. But another lunch trip to Serious Pie just might be in order. So sue me.

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 101

Check out this great "Wine Tasting Basics" primer on the WA State Wine Commission's website. As I've always advocated, you don't need to be an expert to enjoy wine - the joy of it is in the discovery and experimentation. This little basic primer is useful instruction for how to make the most of wine tasting. Saluti!

Tom Douglas, I Adore Thee

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!