Hello!
I hope you had a fantastic holiday. I had a lovely and delicious long weekend with friends and family. No snow, but that's not to be expected here! Instead we had some rain. I know, you must be surprised.
My announcement is that over the coming weeks, Cowen Park Kitchen will be revamped and moved to its own URL, www.cowenparkkitchen.com! Note: currently redirects back here. To avoid endless loops, hold off for the moment. Until then, please stay tuned for interim posts! Hurrah!
Starting with: a short showcase on a few products that I think you might enjoy. I realize the season of buying may be winding down, but perhaps you have in-laws still in town, or some holiday gift-cards to utilize? Returned gifts with credit (shhh)? All these things are delicious. Promise.
Please note again that I have no endorsement with these companies; I recommend them to you out of my own interest and tasting experience.
Here we go!
1. My absolute favorite local coffee, Seven Coffee Roasters. You better believe I'm a discerning and picky coffee consumer—I am a proud Seattle dweller, after all! Beyond that, I worked briefly as a barista and have worked with other Seattle roasts in restaurants (sometimes incorporating them into dessert items). But ultimately, I just drink a lot of coffee. And I am not talking the "three triple vanilla sugar-free latte" per day drinking; I usually like my coffee or espresso black or lightly splashed with milk: nothing can hide in that arrangement! So, enough bantering and bragging on my part, those guys at Seven know what they're doing, and they do it amazingly. Besides that, venues that offer their beans are awesome too. Apologies to non-Seattle dwellers; this is one thing you are just missing out on. For advice on where to find places that serve Seven, leave a comment.
2. Eight Bells Winery. While beer is my first love, I also enjoy wine. That's a silly thing to say. I also love wine. I've been exploring and attending tastings more frequently and ran across this charming very small craft-winery. Again, Seattle-based, Washington products, small-scale, it's a pattern here. Eight Bells holds tastings once a week in their tiny entry lobby back behind a building through a "secret" walkway (okay, it has a sign, but it's way cooler to call it secret). I wandered in and was given a friendly tour of the fermenting wine. Which is all well and good, but also, it turns out they do great work. The label I picked above was an amazing bottle of wine. It was joyously imbibed alongside walnut and sausage stuffed acorn squash. I'm not usually a lover of Sangiovese, but this was smooth and rotund, rich and charismatic, and also other nonsense words that get applied to wine. In a nutshell: check them out if you can. Wine that tastes like where you live, and where it was produced (and grown) is an unbeatable experience. All snobbery aside. Do it.
3. Double Salt licorice. It's definitely an acquired taste. I've been nibbling (well, chewing) on what I think is most likely Gustaf's brand. Let me back up. These are flavored with Ammonia salts, not sodium alone, which produces a strange fizzy or pokey feeling in your mouth. Scandinavia adores these, and uses the same flavors to flavor liquors, cookies, cakes—an endless array, or so I have heard. They taste salt-like, anise-y, and are solidly chewy but not sticky. If you're not already a black (ahem, real) licorice fan, you will want to skip these. Or better yet, try anyway. Adventure! Hey taste-buds, wake up! I can't eat many of these, but they definitely are entertaining. And worth a try.
That's all for today. Drop me a line if you try any of these!
I hope you had a fantastic holiday. I had a lovely and delicious long weekend with friends and family. No snow, but that's not to be expected here! Instead we had some rain. I know, you must be surprised.
My announcement is that over the coming weeks, Cowen Park Kitchen will be revamped and moved to its own URL, www.cowenparkkitchen.com! Note: currently redirects back here. To avoid endless loops, hold off for the moment. Until then, please stay tuned for interim posts! Hurrah!
Starting with: a short showcase on a few products that I think you might enjoy. I realize the season of buying may be winding down, but perhaps you have in-laws still in town, or some holiday gift-cards to utilize? Returned gifts with credit (shhh)? All these things are delicious. Promise.
Please note again that I have no endorsement with these companies; I recommend them to you out of my own interest and tasting experience.
Here we go!
1. My absolute favorite local coffee, Seven Coffee Roasters. You better believe I'm a discerning and picky coffee consumer—I am a proud Seattle dweller, after all! Beyond that, I worked briefly as a barista and have worked with other Seattle roasts in restaurants (sometimes incorporating them into dessert items). But ultimately, I just drink a lot of coffee. And I am not talking the "three triple vanilla sugar-free latte" per day drinking; I usually like my coffee or espresso black or lightly splashed with milk: nothing can hide in that arrangement! So, enough bantering and bragging on my part, those guys at Seven know what they're doing, and they do it amazingly. Besides that, venues that offer their beans are awesome too. Apologies to non-Seattle dwellers; this is one thing you are just missing out on. For advice on where to find places that serve Seven, leave a comment.
2. Eight Bells Winery. While beer is my first love, I also enjoy wine. That's a silly thing to say. I also love wine. I've been exploring and attending tastings more frequently and ran across this charming very small craft-winery. Again, Seattle-based, Washington products, small-scale, it's a pattern here. Eight Bells holds tastings once a week in their tiny entry lobby back behind a building through a "secret" walkway (okay, it has a sign, but it's way cooler to call it secret). I wandered in and was given a friendly tour of the fermenting wine. Which is all well and good, but also, it turns out they do great work. The label I picked above was an amazing bottle of wine. It was joyously imbibed alongside walnut and sausage stuffed acorn squash. I'm not usually a lover of Sangiovese, but this was smooth and rotund, rich and charismatic, and also other nonsense words that get applied to wine. In a nutshell: check them out if you can. Wine that tastes like where you live, and where it was produced (and grown) is an unbeatable experience. All snobbery aside. Do it.
3. Double Salt licorice. It's definitely an acquired taste. I've been nibbling (well, chewing) on what I think is most likely Gustaf's brand. Let me back up. These are flavored with Ammonia salts, not sodium alone, which produces a strange fizzy or pokey feeling in your mouth. Scandinavia adores these, and uses the same flavors to flavor liquors, cookies, cakes—an endless array, or so I have heard. They taste salt-like, anise-y, and are solidly chewy but not sticky. If you're not already a black (ahem, real) licorice fan, you will want to skip these. Or better yet, try anyway. Adventure! Hey taste-buds, wake up! I can't eat many of these, but they definitely are entertaining. And worth a try.
4. Taza Chocolate Mexicano. I was gifted a selection of these bars for Christmas, though I'd sampled a few previously. They are really unique chocolate bars. If you have ever experienced Mexican hot chocolate discs, you should go for these. The Cacao is ground on hand-carved stone mills, which gives a granular, sandy texture. They are not like a smooth, milky European or American style chocolate. Aside from having to get used to the texture and sweetness level, I'm thrilled to taste these. The deep richness of real cocoa is unforgettable. The discs and bars come in interesting flavors like above, Salt and Pepper, Guajillo Chile, and Ginger. Note: these are rather expensive. So perhaps try one disc before springing for all flavors. But their mere intensity makes them last a very long time, which is my ideal arrangement. And if you're a dark chocolate lover, try to find the single-origin super-dark—I think it's 87% and 100% delicious.
That's all for today. Drop me a line if you try any of these!
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