It’s the Cherry on Top!

 

Join us at TASTE as we celebrate one of the strongest cherry crops in recent years!  Within the week, Northwest cherries begin their peak of ripeness and will make their way to our door step so we can tantalize your TASTEbuds with this quintessential Northwest fruit!

Dinner 

Seared ling cod | sweet pea cake, green garlic, cherry & baby bok choy salad

$11 | 26

lunch | dinner

 

Dessert 

Almond milk tapioca pudding | cherries, basil sorbet, sweet croutons

$6 | 7

lunch | dinner

  

Libation

Cherry vanilla pop | vanilla infused local vodka Northwest cherry syrup, fizzy water

$8.50

Perfect summer wine discovered – Wilridge Pinot Grigio 2007 Yakima Valley

This delicious wine from Two Coyote Vineyard has a very “Italian” nose – full of minerals, clean fresh fruit and a touch of fresh coconut and just a hint of wood. On the palate there is tremendous earth – pebbles, dusty limestone - with the perfect citrus balance of fresh grapefruit rind and a bit of pine and ripe fig.

Wine tip:

Pinot Gris/Grigio is THE perfect all around wine and food pairer. This specific grape variety naturally has high levels of Purines and Pyrimidines that allows the wine to generally react well with salty, sweet, spicy, fatty and acidic foods. So when in doubt, choose Pinot Gris / Grigio and you are in for a safe bet and summer crowd pleaser!

What’s in the CSA Box?

We posted earlier about OSP becoming the drop-off spot for the Boistfort Valley Farm CSA. We’ve now started receiving our weekly “mystery” boxes of produce. Our second box included: bunch carrots, radishes, garlic, sugar snap peas, shelling peas, salad bowl lettuce, chives and strawberries. (The photo above is from a previous season, but you get the idea.)

We are very excited about the sugar snap peas and young tender garlic. You can try this recipe, which Boistfort was kind enough to include:

DILLED CARROT AND PEA POD SALAD

Adapted from The City Gardener’s Cookbook by Sasquatch Books (think seriously about purchasing this one-it’s recipes compiled from Seattle P-Patches).

3 cups baby carrots, halved or quartered depending on size
3 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
For the dressing:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup minced fresh dill
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste.

Steam carrots and peas until just tender, about 5 minutes. To make the dressing, mix lemon juice, dill, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over the carrots and peas and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate 6 hours or up to 2 days.

TASTE-y Changes at TASTE OSP Café

TASTE is pleased to announce a new summer hot dog menu in addition to our regular offerings at OSP.  Come on in and try our Dirty Dogs starting this Wednesday, June 24^th. 

DIRTY DOGS $6.50

pick a dog, add a topping and load on the standards

served on a columbia city bakery bun

 

DOGS 

-the classic, pork, bavarian meats

-organic beef sausage, skagit river ranch

-hot italian, organic pork, skagit river ranch

-the veggie, jumbo smart dog by light life

 

TOPPINGS 

(1 topping included, extra topping .75 each)

-braised sauerkraut from pleasant valley farms

-melted onions & mama lils peppers

-harissa spiced caramelized onions

-tomato & rosemary jam

 

STANDARDS 

(self serve)

-yellow mustard

-dijon mustard

-whole grain mustard

-organic ketchup

-sweet relish

-cilantro

-mayonnaise

- cream cheese

 

MAKE IT A BASKET $5 | add to any order

bottled water or canned soda | bag of chips |large homemade cookie

 

Don’t forget that you can enjoy our Dirty Dogs & other café offerings for one hour longer now.  Summer hours are Tuesday & Wednesday 11am to 3pm & Thursday through Sunday 10am to 4pm. 

Happy Pappy Day!

mini organic beef burgers & frites photo by Clare Barboza

Don’t forget Dad on Father’s Day this Sunday, June 21.  Engage his artistic side with a jaunt through the galleries (special discounts available) and then head down to TASTE to spoil him a bit more.  With specials on beer, burgers and pizza, dad will feel well taken care of without breaking the bank.

Buy 2 mini burgers, get 1 free  $9

mini organic beef burger & frites | cumin gouda, dijon aioli, pickled jalepeño

Special Items Just for Dad  $12

dad’s double meat pizza | uli’s sausage, smoked paprika salumi, arugula

All Day Happy Hour Draft Beer (12oz)  $3

Quarterly Art Series – Betty Merken

Betty Merken, Double Feature, Oil on Canvas, 40x72, 2009

SAM Gallery at TASTE Restaurant is pleased to present new paintings and monotypes by Seattle artist, Betty Merken, from June 16 – September 13, 2009. The work showcases Merken’s classical geometric proportions, with some idiosyncratic elements.

As an artist, Merken has learned to embrace the fact that the sources which inspire her work often contain elements of mystery. This series was born when the image of Good & Plenty movie candies popped into her head one day in her studio and would not let go. As Merken says, “Creating art, like going to the movies, is full of surprises and always contains an element of mystery. Until you’re in there, either in the studio or in the theatre, you never quite know what is going to happen.”

Betty’s Good-n-Plenty

TASTE bartenders took Betty Merken’s images of rose and white colored Good & Plenty candies and translated them into a delicious cocktail. Try Betty’s Good-n-Plenty at TASTE and celebrate her work and vision.

Makes 1 Cocktail

1 oz Shaker’s Rose Vodka
1 oz Cointreau liqueur
1/4 oz Lucid Absinthe
Splash Peychaud bitters

Lime twist for garnish

Fill cocktail shaker with ice
Add ingredients over ice
Shake vigorously for several minutes
Strain into chilled up glass
Garnish with twist of lime

Side Dish

TASTE Restaurant’s General Manager, Alex VanAmburg, speaks on the Farm to Glass cocktail on ‘Side Dish’ on KOMO 1000 radio. Click on this link to give it a listen.

Crème de la crème

This may sound cheesy, but we LOVE cheese. We love to make it (our May 17th TASTE of the NW Farm Dinner includes three house-made cheeses), we love to eat it, and we especially love to celebrate it at the fifth annual Seattle Cheese Festival.

 
And what better way to celebrate local, artisan cheese, than with some of the best wine in the Northwest. Come down to TASTE Restaurant to check out our latest Flight and Bites featuring wines by DeLille Cellars expertly paired with artisan cheeses and house-made accoutrements. Try one or two at $10 each or go for the gusto with all three at $26.

 

flight and bites  |  three wine tastes paired with three small bites       26

CRÈME DE LA CRÈME – FEATURING DELILLE CELLARS & NORTHWEST CHEESE

DeLille Cellars	Doyenne Métier	DeLille Cellars D2
Chaleur Estate Blanc	grenache-mourvèdre-syrah	merlot-cab-cab franc-pet verdot
sauvignon blanc-semillon	2006	2006
2006
brindisi	queso fresco	chèvre pate & truckle
pine nuts & brittle	lomo, arbequinia olives & oil	dried blueberries
willamette valley cheese co.	samish bay cheese	quillisascut & beecher’s cheese
individual pairing    10	individual pairing    10	individual pairing    10

Mother’s Day Special

Treat mom to a relaxing day at SAM. Enjoy a day in the galleries along with a special, three-course lunch at TASTE Restaurant and a free gift from SAM Shop with either of the two available packages. Tickets for both packages are available at the SAM admissions desk from May 3-10, for use on Sunday, May 10 only.

Life, Liberty and … Payback – $35 *
· Free admission for one on Mother’s Day
· Special three-course lunch at TASTE Restaurant
(see menu, below)
· Gift from SAM SHOP

Life, Liberty and … Even More – $100 *
· Free admission for one on Mother’s Day
· Special three-course lunch (see menu, below)
· Gift from SAM SHOP
· Family Membership for the rest of the year
· SAM Selected Works catalogue

* Seating for lunch is available on first-come, first-served basis. To reserve restaurant seating, contact Taste at 206.903.5291. Package price is for one visitor. Additional admissions tickets and meals for kids and other family members are regularly priced. Please remember that kids 12 and under always
receive free admission to SAM.

In addition to these special packages, SAM is offering free admission to SAM for ALL moms on Mother’s Day and a 20% discount on gift memberships, including a free copy of the SAM Selected Works catalog. Gift membership discount is applicable for Individual through Patron levels and for new memberships only. A full list of membership benefits can be found at seattleartmuseum.org.

MENU
Celebrate Mom at TASTE Restaurant  3 courses for $25

1st course
soup shot & chopped salad
l   puree of washington asparagus
|   organic greens, salumi, aged provolone, pickled hot peppers, dijon garlic vinaigrette

2nd course (choice of)
farm egg frittata   l   grilled mushrooms, samish bay cheeses, fresh spring herbs, local greens
cape cleare salmon   l   rutabaga gratin, watercress, grilled green garlic sauce

3rd course (choice of)
jones creek apple tart   l   peanut butter ice cream, spicy pickled apple, port jam
theo chocolate orbit cake   l   sweet curry ice cream, lime yogurt

BAMCO Supports Tomato Workers

There has been much controversy about the tomato industry in Florida. Bon Appetit Management Company, which operates TASTE Restaurant at SAM, is trying to help take on the abusive tomato growers and protect the workers. The story was reported by The Washington Post and in The Ethicurean.