Feria de San Fermín (in Cascadia)

In honor of the annual event in Pamplona, I whipped up a nice Spanish paella last night. As usual, I imbibed throughout the whole process and forgot the peas! Nonetheless, it turned out to be a fantastic dish - the color, aroma, and taste of saffron is one of my favorites.  So, too, is Rosé...

Last Night's Paella

No, we didn't have the traditional Albarino or a Rioja Blanco to compliment the dish, so we made due with this nice French (Rhône) Rosé.  We don't get too uptight about that kind of stuff - mixing countries of origin and cultures at the same time. We are American, after all, and, as such, are used to bastardizations borrowing the best from what any particular culture has to offer. (If mixed breed dogs are better, why can't the same theory be applied to food?)

The accompanying wine.

  

I say don't limit yourself! Leave all that pretentious BS at the door.  You just might get gored if you don't.

"This wine is too good for toast-drinking, my dear. You don't want to mix emotions up with a wine like that. You lose the taste."

- Chapter 7, The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway

A Seattle Icon of Epic Proportions

The Location: Lowell's, an iconic restaurant in Seattle's Pike Place Market.
The Inspiration: The Epic's "Fuzzy Photos from Great Bars."
This Afternoon's Drinks (at least a few of them):



"Mi Novia" (muy, muy caliente)




Douglas Fir Eau de Vie




Naughty Nellie Golden Ale

Whether you live in Seattle or not, The Pike Place Market should always be on your hit list.  Aside from the expected excellent seafood markets, bakeries, cheese mongers, cafes, etc., there are the unexpected things and places which really make it shine. Locals and tourists collide, mingle, smile at each other and it's all good. Shopkeepers are genuinely friendly and don't seem to be there just doin' another shift. We are all happy to be here. Lowell's is great because it has three floors of seating all with epic views of Elliott Bay, West Seattle, and the Olympic Mountain Range. Note well: the bar is on the second floor and the best time to go is any late afternoon.  Ask for Nick.



Hip Hip Chin Chin! Signing off for a week - Happy Fourth of July!

a Northwest Twist on a Classic Cocktail

First, let me say that it's really hard to beat a good London Dry gin, but in the spirit of keeping libations local, try this recipe:

2 oz. Washington Dry Gin (from Dry Fly Distilling out of Spokane, Washington)

Tonic water

Splash of Campari

Squeeze of lime (a germaphobe I know said not to throw the lime in your cocktail - it takes up room and it's full of bacteria!  I'll take my chances.)

Hemingway drank these while on safari in Africa, but he used Gordon's Gin. Source: "True at First Light" 

If you're in search of another local Cascadian favorite, check out Dry Soda for their all-natural, low calorie sodas. "Lavender" is the author's favorite because it reminds him of his prurience in Provence, but each of their flavors are unique and make excellent cocktail bastardizations mixers for gin, vodka, and tequila.

"In the sweet summahtime" Bob Seger, Night Moves

Nubuck Chuck and friends

Just as I sometimes enjoy indulging in the cheap value-based brand of Charles Shaw, a.k.a, "Two Buck Chuck," I also sometimes enjoy cladding myself in cheap value-based shoes and socks. (The only way I admit this is that I also must admit I overspend on shoes and socks regularly.)



the author in full office repose

The shoes, "Bass Brocktons" in taupe suede. $64.95 from an online seller. The socks, Macy's "Club Room" brand. About $15.00 for three pair. Oh and the pants, Brooks Brothers "Eight Wale Corduroys." I forget how much - $100 maybe? (Don't harsh the cords - it's 57°F/14°C right now in Pugetropolis for Pete's sake.)



a mere 30 miles from Portland, OR, USA

My toes chew through socks like Star Jones through a chicken wing, so I just can't justify having a drawer full of Thomas Pink's at $30.00 a pop. And slogging through the soggy streets of Cascadia is not kind to shoes of any make, let alone a nice pair of $225.00 walk-over bucks.  So yeah, I'm given to go cheap on some items and treat them like consumables, but this unprep philosophy allows me to fork over more greenbacks for the Barbour rain jacket or the 2007 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurene. Trade-offs.

(Prep vs. Pragmatism.  Prep 0  Prag 2) 

The Roanoke Inn Tavern

The Roanoke Inn Tavern is in Mercer Island, Washington. Mercer Island is an actual island in Lake Washington, between Seattle and Bellevue.  It consistently ranks amongst the highest in scholastic test scores and the wealthiest of zip codes for Washington state. These superlatives, however, are not the Cascadian prepster's only draw to Mercer Island. 



a full parking lot at lunch time

In a nutshell, another key reason is HISTORY. Preps of all sort love things steeped in lore and history and this fine establishment has both. First, the place has been around for about 100 years. It is rumored that it once hosted "dancing girls" and prohibition-era drinking (What establishment didn't host "dancing girls"?)  Reportedly, even Roosevelt (Teddy) had imbibed here and preps of all types just love Roosevelts.



Obligatory historical plaque



drink first, then order food

Second, it's a good value - good beer and liquor selections and good pub grub at a fair price. This is recognized by working stiffs and lay-abouts, alike. Perhaps it is this final reason - the diverse mix of clientele - that makes it such a great haunt for the Cascadian prep.  On any given afternoon, you are sure to find Jewish American Princesses swigging Stella Artois next to Presbyterian Proctologists.  In the back, you might find the latest Amazon.com billionaire playing darts with a contractor from the Millionaire's Club.  And Volvos and Acuras cohabitate the pea gravel parking lot in back.  Oh My!

   It's all good and it's all over at The Roanoke Inn Tavern. 



Color Coordination



self-aggrandizing style a la Maxminimus with a beer chaser



A [Cascadian] prep makes every attempt to be color coordinated, even when resources are slim and impairment is likely. Color coordination is as compulsory to the prep as is church-going on Christmas and Easter.

The [Boeing] Tailspin - a localized cocktail

The Pacific Northwest possesses rich aviation history and it just got richer with this localized version of an excellent gin-based cocktail. I used Cascade Mountain Gin out of Oregon as a "shout-out" to Southern Cascadia. This gin is deeply infused with juniper berries - maybe too much so. But after I mixed up this concoction, I really didn't care. One can see why it has the name that it does. A few of these and you wouldn't care if the jack screw malfunctioned on the 737 you unenthusiastically got on so that you could pedal your product in Pittsburgh.

The Tailspin

1 oz. Gin

1 oz. Green Chartreuse

1 oz. Sweet Vermouth

2-3 dashes of Campari or Orange bitters

Stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into your glass.



Sunday night mixology

The Sideboard (or liquor cabinet)

Perhaps no other affectation represents a person's life or life experiences better than that of their liquor cabinet.  Through its contents (or lack thereof), one may glean some insight into one's current or past struggles, religious leanings, educational background, level of interest in the liberal arts, in travel, in sport and fitness, etc.

So then what does a classic prep have in his or her sideboard?

• Several Single Malt Scotches
• Highland
• Speyside
• Island
• Lowland
• Islay
• Campbeltown
• Gin
• Plymouth, Gordon's London Dry, Hendrick's
• Dry Vermouth
• A few of the classic liqueurs, e.g., Campari, Cointreau, Pimm's No 1
• Mount Gay Rum
• Why? Because of their affiliation with US Sailing and the National Offshore One-design (NOOD) Regatta circuit



The elusive red Mt. Gay Rum hat

•  Classic bitters, i.e., Angostura Aromatic
• "The Savoy Cocktail Book" or "Mr. Boston: Official Bartender's Guide"

What does a Cascadian prep have in his or her sideboard?

• A few Scotches (single malt and blended)
• Bowmore, Cutty Sark (attracted to its nautical theme)
• Talisker (from the Isle of Skye, which, incidentally, is the name of the author's daughter)
• Small-batch Gin from a regional distillery, e.g., Dry Fly, Bend Distillery, Aviation
• Vermouth (French or Dry)
• Fernet-Branca (from a recent trip to Italy or Argentina)
• Cachaça (from a recent trip to Brazil)
• Crown Royal (from Duty Free at the US-Canada border crossing)
• A several liqueurs, e.g., Campari, Cointreau, Pimm's No 1, St. Germain, Liquore Strega 
• Homemade Limoncello using organic lemons (from a recipe found in a preppy publication)
• Bitters, e.g., Regan's Orange No. 6, Fee Bros.
• Classic cocktail recipes scratched on a napkin at The Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle, WA

the author's liquor cabinet


NB: The author realizes there could be several oversights in the lists above - brandy, for example, was not mentioned - so please provide feedback, if you would be so kind.