Tag: WA

Friday Finds 6:21:13

This week’s Friday finds revolves a lot around family, as I spent last weekend in Seattle for Father’s Day:

1. La Bête, Seattle, WA

La Bête, Seattle, WA // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

We went to La Bête for brunch on Father’s Day, and wow, let me tell you, it was wonderful. Beautiful space, delicious food, great staff… everything about it was just lovely. I have also heard great things about dinner, so if you’re in the Seattle area, you should absolutely go to this spot.

2. Wine Tasting in Woodinville (specifically Ross Andrew)

Ross Andrew Winery // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Photo Credit Ross Andrew Winery

On Father’s Day, after brunch, we went wine tasting in Woodinville, WA. I’ve never been wine tasting before, but I must say I really enjoyed myself. When I get rich, I’ll go all the time, and I’ll buy all the wine. My favorite tasting room we visited was Ross Andrew – check out their Red Blend and their Meadow White Wine.

3. Apricots, peaches, and nectarines, oh my!

Broiled Apricots // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler

The stone fruits have arrived and I could not be more excited! I have made these super easy broiled apricots twice now, and I have a feeling I’ll be making them and variations on them many times this summer. Recipe coming soon! Other recipes to check out include this apricot and basil tart, this grilled peach crumble, and this nectarine galette.

4. Sayulita, Mexico

Sayulita, Mexico // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Photo Credit Ashley Gordon via National Geographic

My mom booked a place in Sayulita, Mexico in October, and Jonah and I will be joining her for a week (the week of my birthday! also the week of dia de los muertos!). We booked our tickets this week, and all I can think about is laying on the beach, drinking margaritas, and eating tamales. This would all be fine, if the trip weren’t 5 months away. Ah, the waiting game.

5. A Platter of Figs by David Tanis

A Platter of Figs by David Tanis // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler
Photo Credit Hamptons Magazine

I bought A Platter of Figs while up in Seattle, and the recipes look so lovely. David Tanis is a head chef at Chez Panisse, and has a lot of the same theories about food as Alice Waters and Tamar Adler – simple is good, you don’t need to have a specific recipe (he has lots of suggested variations accompanying his recipes), cooking and eating well are good, etc. What really caught my eye about the book was the photos and the pages. They aren’t glossy, and the photos are really rustic and beautiful. Take a look at it next time you’re at the bookstore.

Restaurant Review: Stopsky’s Deli

This past weekend I was in Bellevue (across the lake from Seattle) visiting my mom. For many years, Seattle has been lacking in delicious Jewish food. I know this because 1) I grew up in Seattle and we would always go try the new deli only to be disappointed and 2) I am a Jewish food connoisseur because I grew up helping my mother and grandmothers prepare food for Passover, Channukah, and Break Fast on Yom Kippur. There is nothing a Jew loves more than their food. But this past weekend, my mom suggested we go to Stopsky’s Delicatessen (Stopsky’s Deli), a new(ish) deli on Mercer Island. So we went.

Stopsky's Deli
Waiting to be seated. My mom might kill me for posting this, but hey, they all look so happy!

First, let me say, the wait on a Sunday morning was long. We waited about 45 minutes, and by the time we sat down I was crazy hungry (it didn’t help that I had gone to the gym to run about an hour and a half before we even left for breakfast). But I would say it was worth it. The menu has some Jewish classics and some Jew-infused breakfast standards. I settled on the Latkes Benedict, while my sister got the corned beef hash, mom got the cured fish plate, and David got a good old egg plate with latkes and “steak-on” (their kosher version of bacon).

Sadly, when the food arrived, we realized the waiter had mis-heard my order and brought me a pastrami sandwich. It was ok though because my actual order came quickly after they discovered their mistake and they even brought me an apology cookie (which made a perfect snack on the drive home to Portland). I was also ok with my food taking a little longer because by the time I got it I was so hungry that I was able to eat the whole thing. And I would have been sad if I hadn’t been able to because it was SO GOOD. Delicious lemony hollandaise sauce, really nice latkes (which are hard to do), and perfect thinly sliced pastrami. Yum.

Stopsky's Deli
Not my food. But the dish on the right is what my sister got.

So the food was great, the service was pretty good (they were very apologetic about bringing me the wrong food), and the space was very cool too. Lots of big windows to let in light, and the main wall in the dining area was covered in black and white pictures of Jews. Pretty great. If you’re in the area, I’d highly recommend it!