FoodTrek: Cuba Sunday Supper with Ventana

It seems like no one eats at the table, family-style anymore! Well, not nobody, but when you go out to eat, you're given your own private table, you have your private experience, and  if you have the most wonderful meal imagined, it's like it only stays within your own personal bubble. Half the enjoyment of food is sharing it with others and being able to exchange thoughts, comments and even personal memories that flavors often stir up. Belltown neighborhood restaurant Ventana is stirring things up on their own with their Sunday Supper events, serving a large family-style meal to a dozen or so guests. Recently, they created a Cuban themed dinner that got the whole table talking -- and eating!

Cuban themed Sunday Dinner at Ventana - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Ventana's one of those great neighborhood restaurants that feels like a local hidden gem -- it's in a prime spot and not overrun with tourists, the menu is always changing with the seasons so you know everything's fresh, and it's seriously got one of the most stunning views of the Sound, especially as the sun sets and the light literally changes every few minutes. Throughout the course of a summer dinner, the light changes from  bright afternoon sun, to that "golden hour" glow when the light puts a patina on everything, and then a dusky shade that's a mixture of the fading sun and the glow of candles on the table finally being able to cast their light. Hint, hint to Mr. Wasabi -- aren't we overdue for a proper Date Night?

Sunday Dinner meals introduced by Chef Conrad - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Executive Chef Joseph Conrad presented the three course dinner, personally introducing the menu items and describing the inspiration behind the meal. For the Cuban themed dinner, the purpose was authenticity. No squeeze bottle flourishes, spun sugar-caged presentations -- this family style dinner was meant to represent just that, a meal that a family in Cuba would be enjoying after a long, busy day. These were comfort foods, the same way we tuck into a plate of meat loaf and mashed potatoes on a Sunday dinner with family. It was a dinner meant to evoke feelings of home, loved ones and happy memories.

I  should have worn my elastic waistband pants - so much food! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The first course included wonderfully savory curls of chicharrones -- beautiful crackle-surfaced, fried strips of fatty pork. It went well with the bright-flavored pineapple and creamy avocado salad, a very simple collection of cool tossed greens to balance out the crunch of the chicharrones. I wished I hadn't indulged so much with the addictive chicharrones, as the second course was, in a word, epic. Roasted corn on the cob with lime and parmesan, with a pimente espellete; massive Cuban sandwich with butter-soft braised pork, peppers, ham, melted cheese, compressed between a soft baguette; a heaping platter of escabeche, a traditional fish stew, this one using large chunks of swordfish in a spiced, flavored oil and tossed with pickled vegetables. So. Much. Food. For reals. And it was so wonderfully flavorful and hearty. I wished I could somehow extend my stomach to take in more of it, especially the escabeche, with the fantastic mixture of spice and briny notes of the pickled vegetables. I enjoyed being able to switch from using utensils to just handling the food, with the sandwich and the corn; everything was tactile and unfussy.

There's always room for dessert. Always. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

But Wasabi, get to the good stuff -- what about dessert?! My only regret was not having enough room for seconds. A pristine pyramid of sugar-dusted Cuban cinnamon sugar cookies came out, along with slices of sugar-glazed Cuban rum cake. The cookies reminded me of Christmas, when my mother would make shortbread covered in powdered sugar -- both decorative and a keen way of knowing if anyone snuck a cookie or two before dinner, as powdered sugar tells no lies. The cake was lovely -- sweet, buttery cornmeal batter, baked to a perfectly tender texture. The top was soaked in a sugary rum syrup that set into a slight crust, so it had a nice chew to every bite. Friends at the table made the best call ever -- they ordered tall glasses of ice-cold milk to go with their dessert. Brilliant, and again, food's ability to evoke childhood memories comes out. At this point the sun had nearly set, so the light was hitting the cake, making the glazed fruit glow like stained glass window panes. I need to say that we had no less than three photographers at the table, myself included, so the cameras were snapping like mad.

Back to the main point of having dinner family-style. You get to talk to people and you definitely get to meet new folks over tasty food, and that is fun times because everyone's happy and enjoying themselves. I was lucky to share a table with several friendly new faces who were very understanding of the snapping of food pictures. I was also very lucky to sit next to the amazing Valentina Vitols, who is both an exuberant soul and an incredibly talented photographer. Originally from Caracas, she explained how the cuisine in Cuba has similar flavors and usage of ingredients, and the meal was like a lovely whisper from home. This is what makes family style dinners so satisfying, as you interact with the people as much as the food.

If you missed Ventana's July Sunday Supper, don't fret, the next one is set for August 22nd, 6pm, with a Northern Italy theme, which I know will be as flavorful and boisterous as this last dinner event. If you're looking for a delicious way to spend a Sunday night, get your reservations set and prepare your appetites!

FoodTrek: Belltown Dinner and Drinks With Ventana and Rob Roy

It was a day of celebration last week, as the grey skies magically parted and this strange, brightly-glowing orb appeared out of the newly-cleared blue skies... oh yeah, I remember what that is -- THE SUN! The Magic 8 Ball said All Signs Point to Yes and Seattle pulled out all the stops on this red letter day, as it happened to be the monthly meeting of LUPEC Seattle, which also means, it's the Wasabi Prime Magical Mystical Edible Drinkable Neighborhood Tour, which included a visit to Belltown's Ventana for an enriching meal and conversation with their talented chef, Joseph Conrad, and craft cocktails at the retro awesomeness that is Rob Roy, to finish off the night with the LUPEC ladies.

Rob Roy in Seattle - where awesome cocktails live. Photo by Wasabi Prime

For March, this Magical Mystical Edible Drinkable Tour was centered around the Belltown neighborhood, which sits not far from the Space Needle, for those unfamiliar with the Seattle area. Generally a bit of a yuppie haven, with its scattering of new condo buildings filled with young professionals and the latest cool sushi bar that will most likely change its name five times in the span of a year, there is the occasional oasis of calm that offers a relaxing cocktail and a fresh bite to eat. Along the north end of First Avenue, aptly named and situated in the perfect spot to catch all the light of even the most dreary of days is Ventana. I was fortunate to be invited to talk with Executive Chef Joseph Conrad and sample some of the items on their menu.

Comforting gnocchi with a rich mushroom and crab soup, thanks to Chef Joseph Conrad - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Greeted by Manager Armin Moloudzadeh, he artfully poured one of the signature cocktails, the Pom Pom, a pomegranate themed drink that uses prosecco to make the fresh pom seeds dance in the light. Walking through the restaurant, the space was literally aglow with the light of the afternoon sun. The large windows overlooking the Sound make Ventana one of the most picturesque places to enjoy a meal, and a prime spot to watch the sun sink down and count the stars as the evening skies appear. Since it was cocktail hour, I was able to take a photo of their take on the dirty martini, the Dirty Parisian, using spicy cornichons to add a savory kick. Something noteworthy about their drink menus is that they feature Chef Conrad's own artisanal flavored sea salts, Secret Stash Sea Salts, on cocktails like the Sultry Dog (their version of a Salty Dog), and the house bacon Bloody Mary, featuring the infamous Bakon Vodka. Spread along the rim of these drinks, the distinct flavors of chipotle and chorizo are infused in the different sea salts, adding a flavorful kick to the cocktails. Made in small batches right in Ventana, Chef Conrad's gourmet sea salts are incorporated in the food and drinks on the menu as well as used across Seattle in other restaurants and bars.

Who's dirty? The Dirty Parisian with spicy cornichons, guilty as charged - Photo by Wasabi Prime

This attention to ingredients is a focus Chef Conrad places upon all the menu items at Ventana. We discussed at length the importance of freshness in food and letting the seasons dictate how a menu is continually developed; he has a clear objective to not only create good food, but to educate diners over the value of self-awareness when it comes to eating. The menu at Ventana is regularly updated every three weeks and the ingredients are seventy-five percent local, taking advantage of the rich variety of resources in the Pacific Northwest region. They are taking their devotion to locavore dining to the next level, as starting on March 18th, every Thursday they will be serving a special market fresh dinner, where every week will be different. Channeling the bedazzled power of Iron Chef's Chairman Kaga and his secret ingredient challenge, the dinner menu for Thursday nights will be unknown even to the kitchen until they see whatever the freshest items are in the Market that morning. Performing an edible waltz and allowing the seasons to lead, this places valuable trust in the kitchen team to craft a meal using only the freshest ingredients -- it's a dining movement that will hopefully only continue to catch on.

The menu at Ventana is a who's-who of local ingredients as well as popular favorites. Different creatures of both land and sea meet up with market-fresh greens and earthy mycological delights. I sampled a rich maitake mushroom soup with hunks of dungeoness crab, topped with an elegant crab flavored foam. The sweetness of the crab and the creamy, ruddy flavors of the mushroom were a nice balance, a bit like a Pacific Northwest answer to a traditional lobster bisque. Signs of a sunny spring may be here early, but cold weather favorites like the pecorino and potato gnocchi with sweet caramelized turnip, crispy ribbons of pork trotter, in a foie gras brodo make one happy for a return of rainy comfort-food days. Richly flavored dishes like these make Ventana a lovely choice for occasion dining and the flavors have a familiarity so the food remains approachable with an easy willingness for patrons to sample new things. Chef Conrad went into detail over a whimsical addition to the happy hour menu, describing house made pork shoulder sausages in fresh baked buns, dressed with exotic fare like kimchee and wasabi mustard (you had me at wasabi). Look out, gourmet hamburger/slider trend -- artisanal kimchee wasabi hot dogs are just around the corner!

The view from Ventana is stunning... and delicious. Photos by Wasabi Prime

As the sun slipped away in the fading light, I departed the light-filled space of Ventana, destined to return soon, and walked to the cozy mood lighting of neighborhood bar, Rob Roy to join the March gathering of LUPEC (Ladies United in the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails). Located up one street on Second Avenue, it's been one of the new craft cocktail darlings of Seattle, with owners Zane Harris and Anu Apte at the helm, garnering a lot of local and national attention, as their cocktail mixing talent is Epic. Keeping with the ecclectic interiors that include a stuffed and mounted javelina head, Rob Roy is like a hipster-friendly Playboy era lounge, with its black leather couches, tufted paneling and its signature slate wall behind the bar. It's a place that could have easily attracted the likes of the late Hunter S. Thompson, going on an all-day cocktail binge, getting smashed, and most likely firing a few rounds into the javelina head before muttering something about Bat Country. In a word, Rob Roy is awesome.

If you post an invite on Facebook and have Goldfish crackers, they will come. Photo by Wasabi Prime

The March gathering of the Seattle LUPEC chapter had the distinction of being sponsored by the good folks at Domaine de Canton, an aromatic ginger flavored liqueur with hints of vanilla in cognac. The bottle design is quite unique and people have no doubt seen it alongside other popular specialty liqueurs like St. Germain or Creme de Violette. But how to serve such a uniquely-flavored spirit? The Masters of the Cocktail Universe at Rob Roy, Anu and Zane, waved their Hawthorne strainers in the air and shouted I Have the Power, creating a special menu of drinks for the LUPEC meeting, featuring Canton. The drinks were the following: the Canton "Negroni" (Canton, Campari, fresh orange juice, dry vermouth, on the rocks), Ginger Persuasion (Canton, Aquavit, lavender honey, strawberries, bitters, sparkling pinot noir, up), Canton Swizzle (Canton, Dark Rum, Pineapple, Orange, Lime, Falernum, crushed ice), and To LUPEC With Love, Bryn Lumsden (Canton, Rye, fresh lemon juice, maraschino, egg whites, fernet, up).

Shaking things up with Canton at Rob Roy - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The cocktails were perfumed with the Canton ginger flavor, playing nicely with the citrus hints in all the drinks. I tend to prefer less-sweet cocktails, but all the creations for LUPEC were perfectly balanced creations, keeping the flavors true to the nature of the different ingredients and playing with textures like the creamy egg white foam or the little fizz of the sparkling pinot noir. I find that the things I enjoy are less a single flavor or type of drink, and just learning to simply say, I want a good cocktail, and being blessed with talented bartenders who understand what it means to make a well-balanced drink.

I got a beverage here, man! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Both Ventana and Rob Roy have a similar benefit, in that they are places where you can feel comfortable walking in and letting the people in the kitchen or behind the bar lead you towards the right decision. Whether it's letting the seasons determine what fresh ingredients are at their peak, or giving the mixologist carte blanche with preparing your drink, it's a nice feeling to know your palette is so well taken care of and yet another reason to be thankful for yet another great food and drink neighborhood like Belltown.

Much Wasabi Thanks to the whole team at Ventana and Tamara Wilson PR for extending the invitation to visit for dinner and not only bend everyone's ear, but break it off from chatting with you guys for such a spell -- what a great treat that was! As always, super-duper thanks with a drink umbrella on top to Rob Roy for hosting, the ladies of LUPEC and MC/Queen Bee Wendy Miller for organizing another great meetup. Looking forward to April!