On The Table

Cultural Cascades                                                                                  

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ON THE TABLE

Wine Region of the Year. . . the birthplace of gourmet coffee. . . a long love affair with the microbrew. . . fresh seasonal offerings of arugula, hazelnuts, pears, cheese, and seafood found at local farmers markets. . . award winning chefs and vintners. . . On the Table experiences that can only be found in the Cultural Cascades.

ON THE TABLE IN SEATTLE

• Salmon, Shellfish and Geoducks – Local seafood consultant Jon Rowley says, “People who don’t love oysters never fully embrace life.” A daunting mantra perhaps, but many first-time visitors have become immediate converts, sampling fresh oysters and other local catches at an array of seafood standards such as Emmett Watson’s Oyster Bar, Elliott’s Oyster House, Waterfront Seafood Grill, Etta's and Flying Fish. Don’t leave town without ordering Seattle’s signature salmon at least once. Geoduck, a conspicuously large mollusk, is less prevalent on restaurant menus but is a popular photo opportunity at the Pike Place Market.
• Happy 100th Birthday, Pike Place Market – The “heart of the city” celebrates its centennial year in 2007.  Located just blocks from the city’s top hotels, restaurants, theaters, art museum, symphony and other cultural institutions, the market is the oldest continually-operated farmers market in the country (since 1907), occupying a 9 acre national historic district.  Wander on your own or take a guided tour for a look at the market’s inner workings.  Pike Place Fish will pack fresh salmon to go in airline-approved, leak-proof containers.  Market Spice will tempt you with tea.  More than 100 produce vendors offer the best of what’s in season.  Just watch out for those flying fish while you’re distracted by the sights and sounds.
• Washington Wines  – With more than 460 wineries and 350 growers cultivating 30,000-plus acres, Washington State is second only to California in US premium wine production. Numerous accolades include being named “Wine Region of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2001, the first American region to receive this award. Seattle is a hub for tasting, with noted wine shops, cozy and chic wine bars and gourmet restaurants throughout downtown and many neighborhoods. With more than 80 wineries in and around the Puget Sound area it is possible to tour and taste for many days in the Seattle and Woodinville regions. Want expert advice for your visits? Washington Wine Tours specializes in unique guided tours of Washington’s vineyards and wineries. 
• Progressive Coffee Tasting – Seattle started the gourmet coffee craze more than 25 years ago. Today it serves espresso drinks on nearly every street corner and offers visitors the finer points of coffee culture.  Visit top downtown coffee bars, including Monorail Espresso (the city’s first independent coffee cart), Café Lladro (a thriving independent group of coffee bars) and the original Starbucks retail store in the Pike Place Market.  Meet the proprietors and some of the city’s top baristas to hear how the gourmet coffee craze began, how it has flourished, and where it may go in the future.
• Cooking Light names Seattle "Best City in America"– As announced in January 2007, Cooking Light magazine has honored Seattle in the top spot in a survey of the Best Cities in America that encompass the finest in healthful cuisine and lifestyle.  Ratings were based on a number of objective criteria, including healthfulness and exercise data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), restaurant ratings from the James Beard Foundation and the Zagat Survey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farmers’ market listings, and parks and recreation data from the Trust for Public Land.  Cheers and happy dining!

ON THE TABLE IN PORTLAND

• Microbreweries – Portland’s love affair with beer stretches back to 1888, when local brewer Henry Weinhard offered to pump beer from his brewery (via Portland’s fire hoses) through the pipes of the Skidmore Fountain to celebrate its unveiling.  City leaders, fearing that residents might poke holes in Portland’s only set of fire hoses and help themselves to the beer a bit early, vetoed this generous plan.  Today, with microbreweries and brewpubs scattered about the city, Portland is often referred to as the “epicenter of America’s craft brewing movement.”
• Pear-in-the-Bottle Brandy – Just how does Steven McCarthy squeeze those perfectly shaped pears into his bottles of award-winning brandy?  Visit his family’s fruit orchards in spring and you’ll see volunteers, family members and friends tying hundreds of bottles over blossoms on the McCarthy family’s pear trees.  Only a tiny fraction of these blooms will ripen into fruit deemed acceptable for McCarthy’s Clear Creek Pear Brandy.  Clear Creek’s tasting room, located in fashionable Northwest Portland, is open by appointment for tours and tastings.
• Willamette Valley Wine Country – With its unhurried approach to winemaking, Portland’s nearby Willamette Valley Wine Country has been called the laid-back counterpart to California’s wine regions.  In fact, the January 2002 issue of Gourmet magazine heralded Portland as “the next Napa” and “the Burgundy of America, rich in produce, laden with seafood and blessed with fabulous wines.”  Pinot noir, Oregon’s signature grape, is grown in abundance around the Portland area.
• Chef for a Day – If your last culinary adventure could be officially classified a disaster, Portland can help.  Two cooking schools offer classes that allow visitors to experiment and learn under the guidance of a master chef.  In Portland’s hip Pearl District, In Good Taste – a cooking school/store – offers a seemingly endless menu of classes taught year-round by local, regional and national chefs.  In the comfy Westmoreland neighborhood, fans of Caprial and John Pence, owners of Caprial’s Bistro in Portland and hosts of the PBS television series Caprial & John’s Kitchen, will rejoice that cooking classes are now being offered in the teaching kitchen that doubles as the set for Caprial and John’s nationally televised cooking program.  Classes are taught by both the Pences and a cadre of top-notch guest chefs.
• Wild Mushrooms, Marionberries and Hazelnuts – Did you know that the Willamette Valley outside Portland produces more than 99 percent of the hazelnuts grown in the United States; that one of our local chefs specializes in hunting and serving wild mushrooms; or that Oregon invented the perfect berry for tarts and cobblers?  Perhaps you’d like to trade recipes with a fifth-generation Oregonian/chef whose family started out in the oyster harvesting business or swap tales with a local restaurateur who grows his own herbs.  Whatever your interest, we’ve got you covered.

ON THE TABLE IN VANCOUVER, BC

• Asian Influences – Even if you’re eating French, Italian or Pacific Northwest cuisine, more than likely you’ll find Asian influences have made their way to your table.  Miso glaze on Sable Fish (Alaskan Black Cod) garnished with soy beans, nori (seaweed) flecked gourmet bread, chilled premium sake to start your meal. With the third largest Chinatown in North America and a very diverse mix of Asian cultures in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver’s multicultural mix meet in the flavours on your plate. The best part – with such a huge array of restaurants to choose from - there’s something for every budget, palate and neighborhood.

• BC Wines – A visit to Vancouver’s cuisine scene would be incomplete without a sampling of British Columbia’s fine wines, proudly served at many local restaurants. The Okanagan Valley, home to BC's best wine, is quietly transforming itself into a formidable wine-country. With nearly 65 producers today, vineyards are being planted and replanted at a hectic pace. While early wines were distinctly Germanic in style, the new British Columbia wines are much different. Among the whites, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are as fashionable as Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. The reds are an even bigger story, led by Merlot, some fine Meritage blends, Pinot Noir and even Syrah.
  

• Seafood – Vancouver menus everywhere are serving up fresh, local seafood.  Prawns, scallops, crab, clams, mussels, oysters, wild salmon, halibut, sablefish, ahi tuna, lobster – you name it, we’ve got it. If you want it raw, half-cooked, blackened, baked, steamed, grilled or even blow torched – you will find a restaurant or 10 – that will satisfy your every seafood desire.  Innovative chefs paired with unparalleled local ingredients represent a mix of cultures including Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, North American and much more.  Try C Restaurant for some of the most innovative seafood you’ll ever have.
  

• Tapas – Many of Vancouver’s hottest lounges & restaurants are adopting this Spanish custom with great success. From cutting edge Chinese at Wild Rice to fresh local ingredients of Brix & Lumiere’s Tasting Bar, to the global palate of Ginger Sixty Two,  tapas are the ideal way to sample your way around a menu – with small but sharable portions of beautifully presented and truly delicious food.
  

• Yaletown – Everything old is new again in the reconverted warehouse district.  Newly hip, historic, brick warehouses mix with stylish glass condos and gourmet grocers along a stunning seawall to produce Vancouver’s hottest neighborhood.  Complete with dozens of innovative, delicious and exciting restaurants, Yaletown is where it’s at.  See and be seen enjoying dazzling seafood towers at Blue Water Café, authentic Italian cuisine at Cioppino’s, or sample a flight of microbrewed beer and gourmet pizza at Yaletown Brewing Co.

ON THE TABLE IN EUGENE

• The King of Oregon Wine – Oregon’s wines are appearing on menus around the world and King Estate represents an unparalleled commitment to producing wines of truly exceptional quality. King Estate’s beautiful 820-acres are crowned by a majestic, state-of-the-art winery crafted in the style of a grand European chateau. The unmatched view from this winery makes the perfect setting to sip an award-winning pinot noir or pinot gris.
  

• Chocolate Salmon? – Fenton & Lee Confections create art from chocolate with three fabulous dinner plates. Dine on a milk chocolate “salmon” accompanied by white chocolate “peas” and “carrots” or a creamy caramel dipped in chocolate masquerading as a drumstick next to white chocolate “mashed potatoes” and coconut “coleslaw.” These creative all-chocolate dishes (even the plate and fork are edible!) make the perfect gift or visit their shop to see the meals made before your eyes.  
  

• Villa Evenings – Specially designed for groups of twelve or more, nothing compares to the dining experience at Villa Evenings. In the heart of an eighty acre vineyard, surrounded by century-old apple orchards and rolling hills, located in the private vineyard home of Robin and Danuta Pfeiffer, Villa Evenings is a unique cooking and dinner club for social events. As a group, bond over themed menus like The Wine Country Dinner, The Perfect Pie Afternoon or Cooking for Guys Who Want to Impress Women as you assist in the preparation of a five course dinner or an afternoon of appetizers. When the meal is complete, savor your delicious meal accompanied by a selection of Oregon wines.
• Marché – Marché takes its name from the French word for market - a word that describes their location in the bustling Fifth Street Public Market and their philosophy of cooking. Their creative menu is based on the foods you find at farmers' market - fresh, seasonal and regional. They are committed to using only those ingredients that are at their best so their menu evolves as the seasons change. Their culinary technique is French-based - intensely flavored and simply but beautifully presented.

ON THE TABLE IN TACOMA

• Almond Roca – Brown & Haley’s best-known confection was created in 1914 by two Tacoma men who experimented with butter toffee, chocolate and diced almonds to produce the world-famous candy.  The company went on to create the popular Mountain Bars and European-style Belgium Cremes and Selections chocolates. Today the company is still family-owned and headed by third-generation Mark T. Haley. Visitors can satisfy their sweet tooth at Brown & Haley’s warehouse outlet in Tacoma.
• Farmers’ Markets – With Pierce County’s agricultural heritage, Farmers’ Markets overflow with farm-fresh produce, flowers and locally made specialty items such as cheeses, breads, honey, nuts and jams and jellies. Many also feature ethnic food vendors, making the market a great place for a tasty and inexpensive lunch.  Visitors can explore Farmers Markets from June into September in Tacoma’s downtown and Proctor District, University Place, Lakewood, Puyallup and Gig Harbor.
• “Restaurant Row” – Tacoma’s Old Town District, where the city was officially founded in 1864, offers an interesting variety of restaurants, all perched along Ruston Way overlooking Commencement Bay.  Each enjoys the same spectacular views of the bay and ships further out in Puget Sound. The restaurants range from casual eateries to fine dining, grilled burgers to succulent seafood, Northwest cuisine to Italian. There’s even a brew pub and casino in the mix!
• Microbreweries & Brew Pubs –Engine House No. 9 started it all, opening as a restaurant in a 1907-vintage firehouse 30 years ago and then debuting the county’s first microbrewery in 1992.  Others followed: Harmon Pub & Brewery in downtown Tacoma; The Ram Bighorn Brewing Co. & Restaurants in Tacoma, Lakewood and Puyallup; and The Power House in Puyallup.

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Revised June 2004