My first stab at writing a restaurant ‘review’ was about West Seattle’s Spring Hill. Looking back on that post, it wasn’t one of my stronger posts and it didn’t do too well at talking about Spring Hill. Since then my voice and style has changed, so I’m going to take another stab about the place. This is because, over the course of the last year, Spring Hill has evolved and become an unbelievable restaurant that should be propped up with the other greats in Seattle. In short, they have become one of the best restaurants in town.

And it’s not just Spring Hill’s food. Which is unique, delicious, and a reflection of chef Mark Fuller’s vision and talent. If you’ve been paying attention (or are an obsessive food nerd like me) you’ll notice all of the cool stuff they’ve been up to. Which is why their status has vaulted in my mind. From trying out new things with their menus, to hosting great events, and surrounding themselves with unbelievable talent, Spring Hill has elevated their game and should be recognized for being aggressive with their business.

Here are three cool things about Spring Hill:

A thought has been bouncing around my head since a book signing at John Howie’s Sport Restaurant in lower Queen Anne; why is it that this chef, who has four very high-profile restaurants in the Seattle area, have absolutely no buzz?

I will admit, it’s been years since I’ve been to any of John Howie’s restaurants, so I can’t fairly comment on the food or experience. But something must be working. He has four restaurants; SeaStar in Bellevue, SeaStar Seattle, Sport Restaurant in lower Queen Anne, and the recently opened John Howie Steak at the Bravern in Bellevue. And these aren’t little neighborhood bistros. These are massive 20,000 square foot dining palaces, so he obviously has a formula that works. But with the opening of John Howie Steak, I wouldn’t have been tipped off to it, if it weren’t for the TV commercials. Commercials for local restaurants! Weird, but effective; it has me talking.

For me though, Chef Howie’s newly opened place still didn’t resonate with anticipation. Maybe it has something to do with a big part of fooders being in Seattle while he carved his niche in Bellevue, but from my perch, he doesn’t resonate to the local food community in the way that Tom Douglas, Ethan Stowell, Matt Dillon, or Tamara Murphy all have. When those folks open new places, the information is absorbed and shared ad nauseum. They become a part of conversation.

But this is not the case with any of Chef Howie’s spots. I think, if anything, it cuts to the differences between Seattle and Bellevue. The food culture (and culture in general) is different between Seattle and the Eastside. The divide that Lake Washington creates, drives a stake in similarities between the two areas. In fact, most Seattleites often think that the Eastside is a whole other state. Maybe this has something to do with why I know nothing about John Howie or any of his places. If I lived in Bellevue, would I follow his restaurants like I do Tom Douglas? I don’t know.

But lots of people have said really good things about his restaurants, that they are indeed some of the finest on the Eastside, that they’ve won handfuls of awards; so maybe I should visit them again, sometime soon. However, that would require me to cross that bridge. Which for most Seattleites is often a trek not taken.

One of the challenges of heading to the north end of the Seattle area is the lack of good restaurants. I grew up in Lynnwood, and I’ve spent plenty of time in areas like Edmonds, Mukilteo, and Mountlake Terrace. In fact, I still meet old friends from high school for food and drinks in the area, but trying to choose a great restaurant to meet up is always the tough part. Though, this is no longer the case. For a new foray into the restaurant scene has arrived. That place is Epulo Bistro.

I first heard of Epulo from my friends over at Cook Local. They mentioned trying out Epulo a bit after they officially opened. I didn’t even know about the place, so it was exciting to hear of something new. In the days following, Nancy Leson wrote about Epulo and provided more context and backstory to the crew behind the restaurant. This piqued my intrigue. I knew I had to visit soon

Here are the three cool things about Epulo Bistro:

Seattle, are you ready? On the day after Elvis’ birthday*, be prepared for your own version of gluttony with the second installment of the Mobile Chowdown.

After the massive, runaway success of the first Mobile Chowdown in the fall, the folks at Seattle Magazine, Suzuki+Chou Communimedia, and The Freehold Group, wanted to get the band back together for another go around. And with the volume of crowds that came for the Mobile Chowdown in October, there is obviously demand for street food in Seattle. And it’s great that there is an opportunity to try these food trucks at an event specifically built for street food.

With the winter hibernation that has kicked in, we have the opportunity to eat food from vendors like Marination, Veraci Pizza, Gert’s BBQ, El Camion, amongst others. And if you haven’t heard Marination was recently crowned as the best food cart in the country by Good Morning America. Now you’ll have a chance to try their Spam sliders and kimchee rice bowl.

Tips for when you go: arrive early, be patient, bring cash, and remember that for most of these places the food is made to order. Which means a wait is as much a part of the day as the food. So while waiting, enjoy the festivities and your fellow eaters.

See you at the Chowdown, I missed the last one, so I’m definitely looking forward to this one.

*For those that aren’t fans of the King, that means that the Mobile Chowdown is on January 9 from 11am-3pm in the same location as the first; 1616 W. Bertona in Interbay.

Photo from Bay Area Bites

On the heels of last week’s gift guide comes news that makes for one of the best gifts to the sweet tooth in your life: Momofuku Milk Bar is shipping their cookies and pies. As a result, a nation of food lover’s rejoice.

Momofuku Milk Bar is the dessert arm of Chef David Chang’s empire. Connected to Momofuku Ssam Bar in the East Village, it’s where pastry Chef Christina Tosi works her magic. And all of their treats are unique, innovative, and most of all delicious.

We were able to visit Ssam Bar and Milk Bar during a trip to NYC in October. We heard of the unusual concoctions that they make at Milk Bar, so our anticipation to try their stuff was high. They didn’t disappoint. And the cookies, oh the cookies. I’m a bit of a cookie freak and we ordered a half dozen cookies for the walk back to our hotel and to snack on for breakfast in the morning. My personal favorite was the appropriately named Compost Cookie. Made of a hodgepodge of ingredients that include potato chips, pretzels, coffee grounds, chocolate chips, graham crumbs, and butterscotch chips; this cookie is weird, tasty and interesting. Order this. And laugh gleefully when you get to enjoy it.

Now we have the ability to eat these at the ready. Thank you David Chang and Christina Tosi for opening up the Milk Bar doors to share their treats with fans across the country. Right now it’s the cookies and crack pie that they’ll be shipping. I don’t know how quickly they’ll ship before Christmas time; regardless, they will make an awesome gift for any season.

Word of warning though; shipping prices are notoriously expensive, so consider this before your order. I played around on the site and it can be very expensive. Couple this with keeping the cookies fresh, expedited service will drive the shipping cost up.

Click here to order.

Photo from Momofuku

I wanted to help spread the word on a noble goal for food and wine bloggers around the world. The program is called Menu for Hope and it’s objective is to raise donations to support the UN’s World Food Programme. Menu for Hope was started by Pim, of Chez Pim, and the level of contributed support and giving has been astounding. The program operates from December 14th to the 25th; i.e., this is the window of time to support and participate.

How can you help? Well, my friend Four Chickens has a nice succinct post that breaks down how to give to Menu for Hope. One of the cool things about this program is that, with your donation, in addition to helping the goals of the World Food Programme, you also have an opportunity to win some pretty cool raffle items. As in very awesome. Check out the list that Pim has provided. Or if you want to see the West Coast specific items, the delightful Gluten-free Girl has the scoop.

The Menu for Hope initiative ends on Christmas Day, so be sure to participate before then and check out the items that might tickle your fancy. Take pride in knowing that a little bit of giving increases tenfold to areas where food isn’t as bountiful as to what’s available stateside. I’ll be donating, hopefully you will too.

Go to the First Giving page to get started; after the jump is a rundown on how to donate from the Gluten-free Girl:

Tis the season for holiday shopping. Throughout the year, I’ve shared what I think has been interesting in the world of food. As the year closes and gift-giving is at the top of mind for most people, trying to find that perfect something for those near and dear to us can be challenging. Here are my suggestions on fun gifts for the food and wine aficionado on your list. Now let’s do our part to spur the economy!

First off, I want to list the items that I want someone to give to me. If anyone feels generous…

• Kitchen-Aid 90th Anniversary Stand Mixer

I think this thing is awesome. And only because of the candy apple red and glass bowl. As I’ve been delving into more and more baking (and wanting to make my own pasta), I’ve been yearning after a Kitchen-Aid for awhile. You will be mine, oh yes, you will be.

• Bob Kramer’s Meiji Knife by Shun

Having a great chef’s knife is key to working in a kitchen. Bob Kramer is one of the very best knifemakers in the world. He’s partnered with Shun to make knives and I’m taken with the beauty of their cutlery. This one in particular fits the bill for what I want out of a knife. Another wishlist item that I’d be thrilled to slice and dice with.

Now for a few more achievable gift items for those close to you; here are a few items worth looking into.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. A holiday that is centered around food. And this is the reason why I feel that Thanksgiving is pretty awesome. It’s the start of the holiday season, you’re around friends and family, and you can stuff yourself silly with food; all together it’s a winning combination. But amongst the volume of eating you’ll find yourself with a mountain of leftovers. Unless you can go through a 14 lb turkey, several side dishes, and pumpkin pie, chances are you’ll need to find something to do with them. Have no fear, David Chang has ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers. And they sound amazing.

David Chang is the brightest culinary star of the moment. An opinionated and supremely talented chef who has been a game changer in the restaurant world. His Momofuku restaurants are considered some of the best in New York and his style of food is utterly unique and blow-your-mind delicious. Recently, he and Peter Meehan released an amazing cookbook, Momofuku, that tells the story of Chef Chang and his restaurants. Needless to say, David Chang knows how to make enticingly tasty food.

Last year, I wrote a couple of short posts about Thanksgiving; one was about what wine to have with the dinner, the other was what to do with the leftovers. Chef Chang has taken what to do with those leftovers to another level. In a recent article in Food & Wine magazine, Peter Meehan did a short feature on what David Chang would do with Thanksgiving leftovers. And the results sound amazing. For example:

• Mashed-Potato Spring Rolls
• Turkey Cracklings
• Soy-Braised Turkey with Turkey Rice
• And more!

What’s really cool about some of these recipes is that they aren’t too ‘chefy,’ – recipes that are crazy complicated with obscure ingredients and technique most home cooks don’t have. Most of these recipes are straightforward and use the leftovers that stick around from Thanksgiving. I’m already looking forward to trying some of them.

Enjoy this Thanksgiving! Take in the moment, exhale, eat up, and most of all have fun!

Photo courtesy of Food & Wine

In the world of cooking, I’m always amazed at the ability of the chef. The culinary artists that can take ingredients, technique, and personal style to create something amazing and delicious. Their ability to elevate the food they work with is a big reason why I love food so much. We live in a chef culture where television networks create stars out of these folks; they become a part of pop culture, not just food culture. In some cases this is a good thing. Food fans will travel far and wide to experience their cooking. They’ll devour their food and their cookbooks. All of this I think is very cool. That is why I am completely taken with this food book; Coco. If you love food and chef culture, you will too.

The premise of the book is this; take 10 of the world’s true ‘masters’ in food, and have them pick 100 chefs that are emerging chefs worldwide. Coco: 10 World-Leading Maters choose 100 Contemporary Chefs comes to us from the folks at Phaidon. You may know them from their cookbooks like Silver Spoon, Pork & Sons, or 1080 Recipes, but their entire product line is excellent. I first discovered Coco on a recent trip to New York and stumbled upon Phaidon’s store in SoHo. This day happened to be their grand opening and much impulse shopping commenced. Coco was there and when I leafed through it, I instantly fell in love with the premise.

Here is a rundown of the 10 masters featured in the book:

• Ferran Adria
• Mario Batali
• Shannon Bennett
• Alain Ducasse
• Fergus Henderson
• Yoshihiro Murata
• Gordon Ramsey
• René Redzepi
• Alice Waters
• Jacky Yu

The format of Coco is to spend some time with each of the 100 selected chefs. There is a brief bio, some recipes, and one of the masters will espouse on their choice. What’s interesting is to find the theme that binds the choices of the masters. I love learning about food and the people that make it, so I enjoyed the write-ups. For instance, you could delve into what Mario Batali values; a sense of niches, an appreciation of history, and high standards.

What I like about Coco is that you can pick it up to leaf through a few pages at your leisure. It’s a weighty book that clocks in at over 400 pages (!), but flip through it, open it up randomly and read about a chef you’ve never heard of before. It also has the ability to be a good resource; traveling to the Bay Area? There are about five chefs doing their thing there. New Orleans? Always a great eating city and they have two representatives. Locally, Seattle is proudly represented by Kevin Davis and his Steelhead Diner. I’m a fan of the place and so is Chef Batali. You’ll find all sorts of interesting chefs and restaurants around the world, so when globetrotting strikes your palette will be ready.

One of the interesting tweaks about food lovers is that we acquire and accrue cookbooks voraciously. Chances are we never ‘read’ the entire thing. Most of the time they are used to impress our fellow food friends. But they always serve to inspire us. They give us ideas. Point us in a direction we may not have considered. And Coco is all of these things.

A thought that has been bouncing around my head has been on the subject of food magazines. I admit that I love the idea of them. Some are excellent. Some have ‘opportunities’. But after going through one recently, I reminded myself that there isn’t a perfect food magazine.

I’ll admit there are plenty out there that are very good. Food & Wine leaps to mind. Saveur is also excellent. Cook’s Illustrated is outstanding for information. And with the demise of Gourmet, our world of food writing becomes a bit darker. But none of these magazines are perfect.

One of my favorites, though, was Chow. But to my disappointment, the magazine stopped printing and moved to a web presence exclusively. Chow was the closest to my views and perspectives on the world of food. RIP Chow. Ultimately, I’m a sucker for food mags and grab them at the ready on impulse. And given the number of magazines in the market, it seems that publishers think that there is a niche worth filling too.

Why is it that there isn’t one that completely gets it? (Although to be fair, there isn’t really a perfect magazine for any industry, I just wish there was one for food). Some magazines hit it too heavy with recipes that aren’t realistic or empowering. Some have very poor levels of editing and photography (I really want to out the one mag that inspired this post, but I’m taking the high road, but trust me, they sucked). Others just don’t really get it. The world of food and wine is deep and organic. It moves naturally with a skittish flow. Trends come and go. The ultimate point for any great magazine is to tell a story that can inspire. A lot of today’s current magazines aim for this but don’t always hit the bullseye.

What my expectations are for the perfect food magazine is this; great writing, interesting recipes, innovative ideas, a good mix of irreverence, and all of it wrapped into one beautifully designed package that screams to be read. I don’t think this is too much to ask.

I suppose that in today’s gloomy print publishing world, the thought of a perfect food magazine is fleeting. I may be alone as this recent article by the LA Times Russ Parsons points out; magazines are becoming more niche and focused in their goals. Which is fine, but within those defined goals, I still want the right mix that speaks to me. In the end, I have hopes for that ideal mag and will continue to read and dip my toe into what the newsstand has in store for me.