The Soul of Seattle: Pike Place Market

Edible Skinny was lucky enough to be in Seattle a few weeks ago (for the burlesque conference BurlyCon as one of Kat’s other profession is creator of the burlesque YouTube channel Workin’ the Tease!) and was able to check out the iconic Pike Place Market.  

  

Pike Place Market, founded in 1907, is one of the country’s oldest farmers markets.  Encompassing nine acres in the heart of downtown Seattle, the Market’s historic arcade, winding alleys, stairways and lower levels offer a multisensory experience of sights, sounds, tastes, aromas and textures. 

Fostered within the Market are year round produce stalls featuring the abundant variety of fruits and vegetables sourced from within the state and around the globe.  More than 80 local Washington farmers sell at the Market, offering seasonal abundance from their orchards and fields such as Rainer cherries, Walla Walla sweet onions, and Honeycrisp apples!

Pike Place Market houses dozens of specialty food stores that carry everyday and exotic spices, ingredients and products for nearly any kind of edible adventure.  One fun stand within this realm is Pappardelle's, a Colorado-proud gourmet food company specializing in handcrafted, flavor-infused pastas, sauces & pesto.  Described as the “Michaelangelos of Pasta,” Pappardelle’s craftsmen have been shaping colorful, flavorful pasta dough into edible art since 1984.  Their stands boasted such exotic flavor choices as Garlic Chive Pappardelle, Porcini Mushroom Linguine, and Dark Chocolate Linguine.  

And Hello Dungeness crabs!!! (Kelly was quite jealous on this one!)  Pikes Place Market’s seafood stalls provide an abundance of fresh seafood from Pacific Northwest and Alaskan waters.  The company Pike Place Fish Market is renowned for their crew of fish mongers who underhand fish to each other much to the entertain customers both in person and online (as they have a live web cam for anyone who wants to watch virtually).   Or if someone you know needs a grand gesture to remember the magic of the Emerald City you can now send them Pike Place Fish Market eFishCard!

Pike Place Market is also home to the Original (love it or hate it) Starbucks.  Starbucks actually opened one block north on Virginia Street in 1971, but moved to Pikes Place Market in 1975 when that building was demolished.  In the beginning they only sold beans, but began selling espresso drinks in 1987 when Howard Schultz took over the company.  Today, the store has become a tourist attraction with its racy original logo (topless mermaids) and has the ridiculously long lines to prove it.  

So whatever your reason to visit, next time you’re in the Emerald City make sure to check out the “Soul of Seattle” at Pike Place Market.  

Steak 'n Shake Opens in Santa Monica Officially Making It Every LA Transplant's Dream: To Be Bi-Coastal

Edible Skinny was lucky enough to be invited to attend the Grand Opening of Steak ‘n Shake in Los Angeles (the restaurant’s first west coast location) on Monday night!  

Both us Thomas Gal’s (Kat & Kelly) have a long history with this now bicoastal chain as it was one of our mother’s favorites when we finally made it “south enough” during our annual Thomas Family road trip from New Jersey to Florida.  
 
For those West Coaster unaware of this 80 year old chain’s origins Steak ‘n Shake was founded in Normal, Illinois in 1934.  The “Steak” in Steak ‘n Shake comes from the word “Steakburger.”  To prove to his customers that the burgers were prime, founder Gus Belt would wheel in a barrel of round, sirloin, and T-bone steaks and would grind the meat burgers right in front of the guests.  And there was born the origin of their famous slogan, “In Sight It Must Be Right.”

And for the Veggie Potato Lover (read moi), Steak ‘n Shake had a bevy of hand cut French Fry choices.  You can select from an array including: Parmesan Cheese 'n Herbs, Salt 'n Vinegar or Sea Salt 'n Cracked Pepper (my personal favorite).
So here’s to life being French Fry delicious (without a 20 hour drive)!

Hot Temps, Alluvial Soils, and the Alexander Valley

The Thomas Gals in the AVV Wine Cave

 The next winery we hit on our Vines and Vinos Tour would also be our accommodations for the night (but that’s for another post coming up!) Alexander Valley Vineyards!

Dexter and the Barrels

I first met the peeps of Alexander Valley Vineyards at event in Santa Monica last year for the Sonoma Wine Road.  With a catchphrase of “Heaven Condensed.” the mission of the Wine Road is to increase awareness through education and marketing of three of Sonoma’s most buzzworthy AVAs (American Viticultural Area aka an appellation): Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Russian River Valley.  It was at this event held at a coastal sushi restaurant overlooking Pacific Ocean vistas I was introduced to the warm temperatures and alluvial soils of the Alexander Valley, through the gorgeous grapes of Alexander Valley Vineyards.

Located at the northern end of Sonoma County, the Alexander Valley is 22 miles long and varies in width from two to seven miles.  A prominent appellation known worldwide as the source of elegant, age worthy wines, the valley is best known for the world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that thrive from the valley floor all the way up the rolling hillsides and mountain ridges.   The alluvial soils (which means it is made up of materials that are left by the water of rivers, floods, etc…) of the region tend to impart a rich chocolates note on these rich and voluptuous Cabernets.  The gravelly soil the straddles the Russian River also encourage Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot to flourish.   Besides these staples the Alexander Valley is also home to Zinfandel and Rhone varieties, including Syrah and Viognier.

Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley was mostly prune orchards and pastures when, in 1962, Maggie and Harry Wetzel purchased a large portion of a homestead built by Cyrus Alexander in the 1840s, the valley’s nineteenth century namesake.  Here, in a rural community of family farms and ranches, the Wetzel family settled.  They raised livestock, cultivated gardens and restored Alexander’s original home making the center of the family life. 

Kelly in the Zen of Wine

With an eye to their neighbors in nearby Napa Valley, the Wetzel’s planted premium grape varieties, among the first in the area.  Then the family built a small winery and Hank Wetzel, oldest son of Maggie and Harry, produced Alexander Valley Vineyard’s first wine in 1975.   His wife Linda set up the books and managed the winery office.

AVV quickly established a reputation for estate grown wines with distinctive varietal character.  Acclaimed for crisp Chardonnay and luscious Cabernet Sauvignon.  Alexander Valley Vineyards brought recognition to the appellation and became a leading winery in Sonoma County.

Located on Highway 128, 6 miles from the sleep town of Healdsburg, the Wetzel Family Estate grows fourteen grapes varieties on diverse sites stretching from the banks of the Russian River up onto the hillsides   Each grape variety is matched to a specific soil type and exposure.  

Vineyard Manager Mark Houser and Winemaker Kevin Hart work as a team to maximize fruit flavor in the vineyard and to create balanced wines that capture the grapes varietal characteristics.  Barrel fermentation and aging take place in their AVV Wine Cave, which reaches deep into a hillside adjacent to the winery for a total of 25,000 square feet, where the cool constant temperature and high humidity are ideal for aging wine.   

Kelly and I toured the Wine Cave all the while AVV winery dog, Dexter the Pug, scampered from our legs to the wine barrels.  As Francis Krugar, Director of Hospitality of Alexander Valley Vineyards explained, “We don’t need air conditioning with the Wine Cave, the temperature is always around 60 degrees usually only shift a degree or two here or there.”

Dexter the Pug

Which is pretty impressive as the winery might have a 40-50 degree variance in temperature in a single day in the summertime.  It’s common in August for the thermometer to be at 60 degrees in the morning and by the afternoon have it hit the 100-110 degree (the Alexander Valley is the hottest appellation in Sonoma)!   

Though parties and lunches are few and far between, every year AVV has an annual 3-course meal in the Wine Cave to celebrate the new release of CYRUS, their flagship Bordeaux style blend named after Alexander Valley founder Cyrus on his birthday (March 15th), and features the cuisine of a favorite Sonoma County chef (this year it Peloton Catering).

Filling the Barrels!

2014 marks the family’s 52^nd year on the historic property and the winery’s 39^th anniversary.  The 3^rd generation of the Wetzel Family (most of whom live on the property) now produces 100,000 cases annually and was voted Sonoma’s Best Winery in 2011 by Bay Area wine lovers. 

Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot constitute over one-half of total production.  Other varietals include Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.  Proprietary wines include CYRUS, their limited production Bordeaux style blend, Gewurz, and their 3 voluptuous Zins: Temptation Zinfandel, Redemption Zinfandel, and Sin Zin.

We’ll go into highlights of these wines in our next post, but we first wanted you to get a taste for the world of Alexander ValleyVineyards!  

Binaural Beats and Basil Martinis at Riviera 31

A few weeks ago the Thomas Gals were invited to spend a Friday night at Riviera 31 at the Sofitel Los Angeles to check out the beats of the residency of Trinidad Senolia.  

 

Trinidad Senolia are the nom de musique of Garth Trinidad (KCRW DJ extraordinaire who has introduced the world to such artists as Little Dragon and Janelle Monae) and Mateo Senolia (pseudonym for novelist / screenwriter, Marcus J. Guillory).  

They are hosted by Xperiment USA (who presents live musical performances, DJs and burlesque six nights a week at the Sofitel).  On Friday nights Xperiment focuses on (House Disco Garage), a weekly musical celebration that takes guests on a deep, refreshing, and incredible journey of sounds for which Trinidad Senolia started their residency on January 24th. 

The vibe of Riviera 31 is a sophisticated cocktail lounge with a Mediterranean-style menu. The Hip Hipster clientele is matched by a red and black decor which takes visitors on a visual journey through the evocative history of the French Riviera through black and white photographs.  The venue's name, Riviera 31, reflects two states of geography: Riviera (South of France) and 31 (California, 31^st State). 

In terms of a symphony of beats in the mouth we found the options très délicieux!  

Kelly and I checked out the Provencale Flatbread (Vine ripened tomatoes, Sautéed onions, Mozzarella, and Torn Garden Basil) and for the Vegan in the group (read: Moi!) a Flight of Fries including Truffle, Sweet Potato and Parmesan Parsley served with Harissa (aka a Tunisian Hot Chili Pepper Paste), Pesto and Roasted Garlic Aiolis (Très Yumm!).

For libations both us Thomas Gals partook in the Strawberry Basil Martini.  Served Up and composed of Absolut Elyx Vodka, Muddled Strawberries, and Fresh Torn Basil (they use lots of that) this pristine drink, crafted by Chef Matthew Biancaniello, tasted like Italy in the summertime!  

So for binaural beats and Basil Martinis Riviera 31 is the place to be.