Geoffrey Smith

FRESH BRITISH COLUMBIA SCALLOPS ARRIVE AT MONSOON EAST

If you love fresh seafood, step into Monsoon restaurants for a fresh shellfish treat.  These delicious raw delights from the cold waters of British Columbia are sliced extraordinarily thin, served with a coconut cilantro sauce and topped with Monsoon’s special “Saigon salt”.

SAIGON SLIDERS FOR LUNCH AND HAPPY HOUR AT MONSOON EAST

You know about hamburger sliders made with beef, but now at Monsoon East you can try the ultimate Vietnamese sandwich.  Saigon Sliders are made with Nem Nuong, a delectable pork and shrimp sausage, and dressed with Hoisin sauce, pickled daikon, carrots and cabbage.  These addictive sandwiches are available at Happy Hour for $5 each and at lunch with a salad for $9.50.

Geoffrey Smith

Please join Monsoon East for what is sure to be a fabulous showing of food and wine from one of the State’s finest wineries, Matthews Cellars, on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 6 p.m.

Chef Nathan Crave along with chef/owners Eric and Sophie Banh will create the ultimate fall dinner perfectly paired with wines from Matthews Cellars.  Tickets are $99 per person inclusive and can be purchased at Brownpapertickets.com.

Matthews Cellars Wine Dinner Menu:

Amuse- Kumomoto Oyster with Smoked Dill Compressed Cucumber

1^st course- Seared Sea Scallop, Yuzu, Tonnemaker Farms Century Pear

Champagne

2^nd course- Grilled Idaho Trout, Roasted Sweet Corn, Full Circle Farms Potato, Wild Arugula, Red Pepper Aioli

Stillwater Creek Sauvignon Blanc

3^rd course- 72 hour Short Rib, Potato Gnocchi, Shaved Fennel, Orange and Chicory

Columbia Valley Claret

4^th course- Grilled Beef Tongue, Buttermilk, Honeycrisp Apple and Celery leaf

Columbia Valley Red Wine

5th- Mangalitsa Pork Belly, Fried Quail Egg, Mâché, Fresh Syrah Berry Condiment

Columbia Valley Syrah

Dessert- Halloween trio- Milk Chocolate “Crunch” Bar, Caramel Corn Panna Cotta, “Sour Patch” Concord Grape Jelly

With many diners looking for big values combined with great food when selecting their happy hour destinations, the new and notable Bastille Café & Bar in Ballard is stepping-up their game.  Beginning October 15, 2009, Bastille will be offering 5 classic best sellers for $5 per item.  The dishes are available at both the Bastille Bar and the Back Bar 7 days a week from 4:30pm-6:00pm and again during late night from 10:00pm-1:00am, Sundays–Thursdays.

Chef Shannon Galusha, alongside Chef de Cuisine Jason Stoneburner, will be preparing 5 delicious, café-influenced items that will make the perfect accompaniment to the restaurant’s creative cocktail, wine and beer lists.

5 FOR $5

• Grilled Lamb Burger (Sesame bun, harissa aioli, arugula, pickled shallots & frites)

• Mussels (Beer, leeks & thyme)

• Falafel (Goat’s milk yoghurt, tahini, house-made harissa & seasonal condiments)

• Croque Monsieur (Parisian ham, Gruyère, & sauce Mornay)

• Macaroni Gratin (Artisanal pasta ‘mac & cheese’)

Bastille Café & Bar is located at 5307 Ballard Avenue in Seattle and is open 7 days a week from 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm., with dinner service beginning at 5:30 pm.  Brunch is served on Sundays from 10:00 am-3:00 pm, and late-night dining is available until 1:00 am. (206) 453-5014.

The next wine dinner at Spinasse will features the wines of Luciano Sandrone, from Piedmont, Italy.

From WineAnorak.com:  “Luciano Sandrone is one of the leading producers in Barolo. Although he makes wines in quite a modern style, it would be unfair to characterize him simply as a modernizer: while his wines, which see around 10% new oak, are made in a style that makes them easy to appreciate in their youth, they still possess plenty of structure and power that makes them good candidates for long aging.”

Join us on October 19 at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $89 per person + tax & gratuity and includes six courses paired with six great wines.

For reservations call (206) 251-7673.