The Joy of Octopus and Memories of Pudding at the Bastille

Bastille Cafe and Bar
5307 Ballard Avenue NW
phone: 206.453.5014

I didn't actually sassy anyone at Bastille. I almost did. The timing wasn't right. I didn't want a bite of the neighbor table's food.

I just didn't.  I was perfectly happy with my octopus.

Grilled octopus with argan oil marinated chickpeas, preserved lemon and harissa

Having sampled only three dishes at Bastille, I have no place giving an overall assessment of the food, but I can say unequivocally, the grilled octopus is incredible. My little companion is more adventurous than most.  Here she is...examining and enjoying an octopus.

A Nod to Jewish and Muslim Foodways in Paris
Interestingly, and, in a rather ethnically inclusive gesture, this menu includes Parisian specialties that are not necessarily "French" in origin. Included are foods that have become native to Paris via Jewish and Muslim immigrant populations. For example, the Jewish section of the Marais in Paris is famous for its falafel and this is reflected in Bastille's tempting falafel with goat's milk yogurt (which I'd like to try on my next visit).

And we see a generous nod to Moroccan cuisine in the dish I am still dreaming about, the grilled octopus. Argan oil is produced in small batches, as far as I know, only in the southwest of Morocco. Of course, chickpeas, preserved lemon and harissa are ubiquitous in Moroccan cuisine.

Argan Oil Goats
I have personally seen the goats climbing argan trees just outside of Tafroute, Morocco. I never would have believed that goats climb trees unless I had seen it with my own eyes. Kitty Morse has a nice article in Saudi Aramco World that includes photos of argan trees and the goats that climb them, here. Traditional argan nut collection methods unconventional: the nuts are collected from the goat-expelled waste on the ground, but apparently, such traditional methods have since been replaced by direct-from-tree picking, by human hands. 

The Atmosphere at Bastille
Yes, as so many reviews say, Bastille is cacophonous, but it is also bustling. It's alive! The owners envisioned a neighborhood hang-out, Parisian style, and have succeeded. Adorning this beautiful space are fixtures and objets d'arte gathered locally and from France. The bar was packed. The tables in the dining section were almost all occupied on a brisk autumn Wednesday evening. Indeed, this was a neighborhood nexus of activity.

The non-Sassy
I did strike up a lovely discussion the neighboring table.  We discussed my food. We discussed their food. They took our pictures with my camera. We also discussed non-food related topics, such as public and private education in Seattle, and we even found friends we had in common.

The woman's silver sequins tank top hung seductively off her shoulders as she fingering her pink phone. I couldn't determine if her eyelashes were real. Her lean and fit husband, ordered sweet bread stew and a flat iron steak with marrow butter. Reports all good. I just didn't feel like sampling their food.

Duck and Greens
We also tried the duck leg confit with French lentils, bacon and Jerez sherry vinegar, which was rich and hearty. The sauteed kale and mustard greens with garlic was intensely lemony. 

My little companion wanted to try a dessert. We ordered a house-made ice cream and the special of the day: chocolate cognac trifle (chocolate cognac cake layered between whipped cream in a glass).

Both were wonderful, but the trifle brought back a flood of childhood memories. I hate to admit it (and I mean no disrespect to the trifle or its creator), but its flavor was reminiscent of a jello chocolate pudding and whipped cream trifle that my mother used to make. She layered whipped cream and chocolate jello pudding in tall wine glasses, then stocked them in the fridge covered in saran wrap. I savored every little bite while watching Tom & Jerry. 

Instant Jello Pudding Trifle
I couldn't stop thinking of this sensory bliss, so I had to make some jello pudding trifle at home.

First I whipped the whipping cream and added a little vanilla and sugar.

I wasn't sure if I should use the super instant Jell-O pudding (just add cold milk), or the Cook & Serve Jell-O (just boil a little with milk) variety, so I tried both.

The instant Jell-O flavor was what I remembered. It was much more chocolate-y. Both are a little too sweet, and not nearly as rich and delicious as Bastille's rendition.

I ditched the Cook & Serve version (I burned the bottom anyway) and layered the cold instant pudding alternately with the whipped cream. I used glass drinking glasses because I have only two pretty wine glasses and one of them was in use.

Be forewarned, the chocolate pudding contains red dye. After a day in the fridge, the whipped cream was tinged red.  But it all tasted great, nonetheless.  Now, go to Bastille and have some octopus and trifle.

Sassy Polish Gnocchi and Martinis

Last night I sassied Carolina! Pictured on the fork above is her last gnocchi. She wouldn't take no for an answer. More generous with her food and drink than any other stranger I have sassied, she offered to share everything with me - her wine, her last gnocchi, and even her chair.

Carolina and her husband invited me to join them the following weekend at Polish House for drinks and house-made sausage. I never made it to Polish House, but I hope to run into these two on another occasion. 

Later that evening, at Long (same ownership as Seattle's iconic Tamarind Tree), a gentleman with pink hair and offered me pork in coconut milk, bites of banana dessert and sips of a Manhattan cocktail. We chatted about restaurants, photography, iPhone apps, the Droid, and of course, food.

Our server (below) was patient and accommodating as we swapped food with our neighbors. I gave her my card. She wasn't sure whether to tear it up or give it back to me, or keep politely considering it....

Egg Whites in My Cocktails

In the past few weeks I've sampled cocktails at three lovely Seattle lounges: 

1. ART at the Four Seasons

2. Vessel 

3. Tavern Law

Each offers visually beautiful cocktails, some classic recipes and innovative concoctions.  The frothy egg whites gave me a thrill. 


 ART (At the Four Seasons)

99 Union St, Seattle 206-749-7000


I discovered the Pisco Sour at ART, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.  You can see the bitters  precisely inserted and swirled atop egg whites by the expert "mixologist." 

The classic recipe for a pisco sour consists of pisco (a brandy produced in Chile and Peru from distilled muscat grapes), lime juice, simple syrup, egg white and bitters. 

Here I am enjoying the snacks as I contemplated the next round. 

 

ART has nice snacks with a clean presentation.

 

I had the opportunity to sassy the mini burgers from the two men next to me at the bar, but I opted out. I did chat with them about the food, and they thought the mini-burger trio was "pretty good." Here we have a nice view of the last half eaten mini-burger. As you can see, I am not an indiscriminate about when I take bites of food from strangers. I usually don't consider sampling a fully picked-over dish, and yes, I always test the waters first, and assess the situation before diving in.

I ordered the classic potato gnocchi with truffles - a decadent, smoky, and smooth dish.

The veal schnitzel with white anchovies, capers, and duck egg was nice too - especially the anchovy-caper tapenade. After doing a little schnitzel research I learned that Scandinavian countries traditionally serve their veal schnitzel with anchovies and capers. I also discovered that schnitzel with fried egg is known as a Holstein Schnitzel. You can find the Emeril Legasse recipe here.  

On to the next place for egg whites in my cocktails...

Vessel
1312 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 652-0521

Vessel is an urban, sophisticated bar catering to the professional crowed, and for the most part, tonight's crowd was in their thirties to fifties.  A cool glass and iron, dim vibe and a complicated cocktail menu.

The Agricole Sour (below) was featured tonight. Instead of being distilled from molasses, agricole rum is distilled from fresh sugar cane juice. This recipe consisted of Neisson Agricole Blanc, dark falernum, egg white, lemon and lime juice, and bitters.

What is falernum? It's a rum, clove, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, and lime infusion. The cocktail was suprisingly dark and complex in flavor and not at all sweet. The frothy egg whites balanced and brightened this cocktail. Excellent. 

At Vessel, the cocktail menu is sometimes perplexing, but always interesting. I had to ask the server (who was extraordinarily patient and willing to explain every detail of every drink to me) all about falernum and agricole.

Since we are focusing now on the egg white category, I'm also going to point out the Marmalade Sour which also involves egg whites. You can check out images and the recipe on superstar mixologist, Jamie Boudreau's Spirits and Cocktails blog here.

The food menu at Vessel is limited to just a few tapas-sized items such as butternut squash tartlets, tuna tartar, and chorizo sausage with mustard. Here is an after-I-sassied-the-truffle-potato-chips-picture of the neighboring table.  The chips were greasy and heavy on the truffle oil. The ladies allowed me to try their chips, but they weren't chatty.  Most of the drinks at Vessel look amazing. The snow cone in the foreground above is the mint julep. I borrowed it from the table next to me, so I could take this picture.

Well, I hung out at the bar a little (the atmosphere was festive because of all the guest mixologists working in honor of the bar's third birthday) and I asked around about other dishes and did a little opinion survey on the potato chips.  An attractive woman at the bar, with a black leather jacket and a brand new very dark red manicure suggested that the potato chips that particular evening were unusually oily, but they were normally much tastier. 

On to the next egg white cocktails at....

Tavern Law
1406 12th Ave
Seattle (206) 322-9734


Tavern Law, has a "secret" upstairs - a second hidden bar inspired by the prohibition era speakeasy. Luckily, the drink and food menu compensate for the gimmicky theme. The cocktail menu is made up of a litany of period drinks from classic restaurants and bars. The revival of the speakeasy aesthetic and mood is a current trend in urban bars (from martinis served in tea cups or ceramic mugs, secret doors and sign-less entrances, to "old" wood and brick interiors). The New York Times even mentions Tavern Law in its recent piece on prohibition drinking and the recent re-birth of the faux speakeasy. In any case Tavern Law offers unusual cocktails and a knowledgeable and committed staff.

Below is Vessel's rendition of the Clover Club cocktail, first served at the famed New York Waldorf Astoria hotel in 1935. The Clover Club consists of gin, lemon, raspberry syrup and egg whites.

Other pretty cocktails at Vessel and an example of the hand-written food menu (bottom left hand corner):

The cocktail menu is printed, but the food menu changes daily and is hand-written on a blackboard or a slip of paper.

The service here goes above and beyond. It is outstanding. I was stubbornly annoyed by the shards of ice floating about in my Clover Club cocktail. They were interrupting the smooth egg whites, but before I could get too worked up about it, the mixologist passed by with his straining equipment and smoothed out my drink. For the next round, pisco sours with the house Pisco brandy at Tavern Law.

And here is the lovely bartender/mixologist , posing with the chalk board menu.

 

I look forward to returning to sample more cocktails at Tavern Law, ART and Vessel...and I especially look forward to another stunning Pisco Sour at ART.