Traveling Feast

I’m in love.  Mocha love.

This comes from a guy who only orders coffee if it might go well with what I plan to eat.  It is a good thing I don’t live anywhere near Redmond WA or my wife might look at our VISA bill and begin to ask questions.

“What are all these charges at Kitanda Brazilian Bakery and Espresso?”

“Uh…”

“This isn’t like you.  Are you meeting someone?”

“Well… um…”

“What is it?  Tell me! There are 100s of dollars of unexplained charges here.”

“I’m too embarrassed.  I didn’t think it would go this far.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m in love… but wait… before you do anything rash.  It is only coffee.  Nothing more.  Delicious, beautiful Brazilian coffee, but that’s all.”

Counseling would probably be required.  Things would be rough for a while.  We’d make it.  I’d probably be drinking green tea again within a few months, but there would be times I would break down and cry.

Yet since I live in Spokane I hope to never need to have the imagined conversation above.  Our VISA bill won’t reflect daily charges at Kitanda and I won’t need to invent excuses to drive to Redmond day after day.  But you can be sure I’ll be back when I’m in the Seattle area and I suggest you do the same.

One sip and you just might be in love too.

Full Disclosure: I’m not a coffee aficionado.  I know plenty: Lea Greene, Daryl Geffken, Jake Reidt come to mind immediately.

Maybe I’ve hung back a bit because I so mercilessly made fun of my mom for her coffee addiction when I was in high school.  Or I maybe the taste of coffee itself never thrilled me without so much sugar it made more sense to order something else.  As the risk of being expelled from the Northwest, I’ll admit we still don’t brew a pot at home except when guests (or mom) comes over.  But after hanging out with enough people who are borderline fanatical about their coffee, I’m working to develop an appreciation for different roasts and blends if only not to embarrass myself in public.

This said, I met two friends at Caffe Delicio on North Monroe yesterday, and I suggest you go out of your way to try not only their coffee, but enjoy the space they’ve created.  I’ve driven by their double lane commuter establishment for years and never turned in.  Yesterday I parked and walked in only to be surprised and delighted by the design work inside.  I also appreciated the collection of unique mugs they use to serve customers who plan to drink their coffee at a table rather than in traffic.

Chef Anna Vogel is offering $25 Prix Fixe Dinners on the Luna Daily Fresh Sheet inspired by the communal dinners she remembers from childhood that were served each night during the grape harvest.  “Grape Picker Dinners” they are called and come with a choice of two small plates, an entree, and two options for dessert.

I stopped by Tuesday night to try the dinner along with the Vin du Jour that is offered alongside the Prix Fixe for $5 a glass.  Both the dinner and the wine were a delight.  I started with the Organic Roasted Beet Salad featuring greens from the restaurant garden fifty feet from the side door, and finished with a simple vanilla bean ice cream served in a martini glass and topped with grappa macerated concord grapes.  Yet on the food front it will be Vogel’s “Pork Ragu” that I’ll be dreaming about for a while.  She braises the pork in tomatoes and fennel along with plenty of bacon and serves the pork and the rich sauce over creamy parmesan polenta.  Think high caliber comfort food.

But the other star of the evening arrived in a glass: an 2007 Cotes du Rhone from Le Pas Du Meunier.

The menu noted that this particular Cotes du Rhone was only available with the Prix Fixe dinner, and I’d say it is worth ordering the dinner just to get the wine.  Of course the huge bonus is the great food, but the wine itself was quite satisfying even before the food arrive.  Drinking it felt like sipping the best of autumn in a glass.

DEFINTION: Cuvée – [KOO-vay] a word derived from the French “cuve” meaning “contents of a vat” that outside of France usually refers to a blended wine produced using a special (and often secret) formula.  A cuvée can be comprised of wines from different vineyards or different grape varieties.

This past week I discovered a great bottle of wine in the cool basement cupboard that masquerades as our wine cellar.  It was (or is) the 2005 “Sarah’s Blend” from Marquis Philips.

I didn’t buy it so I’m guessing it arrived as a gift from a friend over for dinner.  I would check for fingerprints and run the prints against my extensive database of chefs and foodies, but by now my own prints are all over the bottle.

The problem is that I’ve only been able to nurse this one bottle for a few nights, and now I’m down to the dregs.  I want more.  Thus the APB: All Points Bulletin.  If you happened to be the one who brought it over for dinner, let me know.  If you know where I might still find a few bottles from the 2005 vintage, let me know.

And since this is an APB I should include a description as well as a picture.  Here is how the the Wine Advocate describes this bottled beauty:

“One of my favorite Marquis Philips cuvees is the 2005 Sarah’s Blend, a concoction of 60% Shiraz, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc fermented in wood and aged in both new and one-year-old French and American oak. Its deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by aromas of flowers, spice box, blueberries, black currants, and smoky oak. Opulent, voluptuous, and full-bodied, with low acidity and sweet tannin, this is a blockbuster red that sells for a song. If you like fruit, flavor, and character, this is a big-time winner to drink over the next 3-4 years.”

St. Regis Travel Center Edition: Western Montana travel kitsch seems to lean heavily on huckleberries and outhouses for the local items, but a number of more generic items also caught my eye in the food-related kitsch category.  Weigh in with which of the items you think should take top honors.

Entry #1: “Chili Makins” that claim to not to contribute to global warm or ozone depletion.

Entry #2: Silicone bakeware with a conscience.  “Let them eat cake” takes on new meaning.

Entry #3: Ice cube nostagia for the early video game addict.

Entry #4: Possibly the strangest of the items in the expansive local huckleberry line-up.

Entry #5: For the butter challenged who appreciate single season, single action gadgets, comes the Butter Boy.  I believe it runs on ethanol.

Entry #6: When just a state-branded shot glass won’t do, go for the one with the miniature bear camped inside.

Entry #7: The Celene Dion soundtrack is optional.

And our final St. Regis Travel Center entry, #8: The moose-chugger bottle holder.

Your votes please.