mary eats

Pair, in south Ravenna, is just adorable. Intimate, dimly lit, French country chic, beautiful but approachable servers, beautiful but approachable clientele, having dinner with a friend can feel oddly romantic.

Pair stands in the neat que of rustic northwest cuisine touting restaurants, and notes organic ingredients as a good student does.

But there at the bottom of the menu, a small squeak could not be ignored, “original mac and cheese still available.” This, of course peaked our curiosity and when we asked our server she replied, “We tried to take it off the menu and our regulars got really upset.” Well noted.

In addition to a beet gnocchi, we ordered a fava bean and arugula salad, and of course, the original mac and cheese.

A few bites into the meal were met with raw fava beans ( an ode to a classic Italian salad, but these favas weren’t ready to come out of their shell, mealy, chalky, and if I might add nasty on the digestive track) and beet gnocchi who’s flavor resembled dirt, but oh that mac and cheese! May I never eat anything again I can die happy! It was every thing mac and cheese should be, creamy, tender noodles, a light crust with parsley, both Lara and I looked bashfully at each other as we went for the last bite. Relishing over our favorite mac and cheese moments well after it was gone.

Lesson learned, read the small print on the menu.

Weather you support McCain or Obama, you can cook like your party with this round up of political cookbooks from Betty Hallock of The Los Angeles Times

 Ideas for the tomato bounty include LA Times story or take advice from Mark Bittman who last week created tomato jam in his column, the Minimalist.

This week Mark saves lavender from lemonade with savory recipes.

China discovers the fortune cookie by Jennifer 8. Lee of the New York Times.

Heriloom Cows in the New York Times.

Bar chef movement in full swing as reported by Julia Moleskin in the NY Times.

The next culinary school, California Sushi Academy.

Going beans for beans in the SF Gate.

SF Gate’s top 10 tools essential to the modern kitchen.

A cocktail of Olympian stature from Wall Street Journal libation columnist Eric Felten.

Beer Marketers turning their eyes towards women, not wholly unusual, but this time as consumers.

Hearts of Palm, demystified by the Wall Street Journal.

Pickles’ place in the restaurant and the home kitchen in the Washington Post

Don’t Call it a come back, The Washington Post reports that Jello-O is stepping up to the plate.

Pickles from Seattle’s Boat Street Café in the Seattle PI.

A workhorse of Korean cuisine, the buckwheat noodle in The Korea Times

Curious of Korean Cuisine explained in The Korea Times

Seoul’s answer to the Sunday, Pat Bing Su.

Artensial sea salt from Korea?

Kkan Ma Neul, or Vinegared Garlic, is soy sauce pickled whole cloves of garlic ready to eat from the package. Salty and sour, these flavor bombs are mellower version of their raw brother, but bring the acid ammo when sliced and added to sauteed greens or garnishing a steak. If you are feeling particularly sassy, forgo the olives and spear three on a pick, for your bloody Mary.

The package label is in Korean, with limited, and sometimes confusing English fine print. Here’s a hint: they’re usually found in the cooler of the produce section.

Kka Ma Neul runs between $2.50 and $3.00 and is available at Pal-Do World, three locations around the Sound, Including 17424 Highway 99 Lynnwood, WA 98037

Right now, as we speak, I’m headed out east to Quillisascut farm in Rice Washington for a week of seed to table farming, great food, brilliant bread and healthy dose of Eastern Washington sunshine (see if I can’t lock away a year’s worth of vitamin d). It is my last hurrah of school, this satellite classroom, set to sink in sustainability, preserving tradition, and furthering respect for our food and I couldn’t be more excited.

See you in a week!

Oh snap. Look who’s giving Shin Ramyeon a run for it’s money.

Top left. What banchan is this?

This side dish has been popping up the last three time I savored Korean fare. “Mujangachi” was what I could make out from my server. Is that the name of this dish? And how do you make it?

It is hard to approach a dish with an open mind when the service has you so fuming that you consider walking out of a restaurant before you’ve even ordered. And this Chef Rachel Yang, is my concern.

You are a genius. An absolute flavor genius. The way you infuse a Korean sense of balance in to your dishes inspires and delights. Especially to a couple who lived in Seoul for 4 years and ached for a bridge between the popularity of foreign restaurants and the local cuisine. Your wild boar bacon with roasted corn and pickled onions? A masterpiece. As was your short rib egg roll with jicama and mole sauce. Those perfectly tender morsels of short rib dressed with the smoky mole wrapped up like precious jewelry in a silk scarf was dynamite. I don’t even have words to describe the bison hanger steak and a chimichurri sauce except that it was by far one of the best bites I’ve had all year. Expertly cooked, rosy and tender in the middle with a beautifully browned crust dotted with salt and this slices of preserved garlic gets Joule my vote for best steak house (not to mention elevated the status of preserved garlic from bench to starter in my playbook).

 But the service? I’m dumbstruck.

After making a reservation we were given the absolute worst seat in the house, segregated in the very back. All throughout dinner I my gaze was met by the exposed wiring under the reach-in. We brought our own wine, nothing I’d save for an Open That Bottle Night, but we had pre-chilled it at home, here it was mishandled to the point where it sat out for 20 minutes before even getting in an ice bath (if you call filling an bucket with ice then trying to jam the bottle into it an ice bath- i’m thinking ice+water, or put the wine in first, then cover with ice). We sat for 20 minutes unattended to with those sitting well after us having their order taken at least 5 minutes before ours by a more attentive waiter, and after a sweltering wait, my husband had to finally ask a passing server to open out wine- which she did, soundlessly, no excuse, no apology.

As Joule is not white tablecloth, I can’t expect 5 star service. Joule was busy last Friday with a full house and at least one seating turnover while we were there. I’d like to think it was an off night. Perhaps your staff was stressed, or disorganized, or some other excuse that is logical to someone who works in the industry, but their complete lack of customer awareness had me seething. Rachael, your food is one of the most standout in our city, please inspire you servers to carry your passion for excellence into their service.

I greatly look forward to my next visit to Joule, this time though, I’m sitting at the counter.