Love: The Portland and Seattle restaurant scenes. Really good food and lots of places with the industrial-yet-warm, sophisticated-but-informal design that I always like (and that so few San Francisco places nail, in my opinion.) Worth checking out: Seattle gastropub Quinn's, and Portland's Clyde Commons, Olympic Provisions, and the modern locavore steakhouse/butcher shop Laurelhurst Market.
Like: Public places where kids (and adults) can cool off on hot summer days: the wading pools in a number of Seattle parks, and the waterfall wall at Jamison Square in Portland.
Discovery: Salmon is the Northwest's fish. And star chef Grant Achatz's recipe for perfect pan-seared salmon (from GQ, of course - see List 13) will never let you down: Heat 2 T olive oil in a saute pan over high heat. Season 2 1.5" thick skinless salmon filets liberally with kosher salt. When the oil begins to smoke, add the fish and shake gently for second so they won't stick. Cook for 6 minutes without moving the fish, turning the heat down to Medium after the first 4 minutes. Flip and cook 2 more minutes on the second side. I like to put a spoonful of pesto on top.
Obsession: With apologies to Sub Pop, Twin Peaks will always be the Pacific Northwest's greatest contribution to popular culture. Watch it again (or for the first time if you missed it) - it casts its spell within 5 minutes and completely holds up after all these years.
Complaint: Why don't we have a Powell's Books in San Francisco? It's the best bookstore ever (so big you need a map), and the Bay Area deserves one too. I always try to give Powell's my online book buying business, because if the lights were ever to go out in "The City of Books," it would be a tragedy of epic proportions.
sadly, olympic provisions was after my time, but i've heard so many good things about it i think i might have to make a trip back to pdx just for that. instead of making a powell's in sf, how about creating a book lovers travel agency that goes to, and only to, portland?
ReplyDelete