FoodTrek: Enjoying a Slice o' Heaven in Steveston...and Wanting Seconds

You hear stories from people describing the riches and plentiful nature that is north of the Border. Streets of gold, milk and honey, the whole ball of wax. Oh, what -- you think I'm talking about people making a run for the US Border? Heck no -- I'm talking about the real El Norte, Canada, and more specifically the seaside village of Steveston within the city of Richmond in BC. Picturesque waterfront, a rich seafaring history and all the comfort foods of home (including tasty Poutine). Welcome your new emigre-to-be, Steveston, the Prime wants to make a run for the border and settle on your shores!

Welcome... to Jurassic BBQ Park, at Hog Shack in Steveston - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Is it scary that I'm letting a giant platter of meat be the opener to this post? Well, take a breath, count to three, and think of warm fuzzy puppies to calm your meat anxiety/excitement. Of all the delightfully delicious discoveries one can make in Canada, a good barbecue joint is probably the last thing you'd think of stumbling across. The Hog Shack Cook House is right near Fisherman's Wharf in Steveston, serving up farm critters over ocean dwellers -- pork and beef ribs, beef brisket, chicken, all smoked in-house and done in the Kansas City-style of BBQ, with a slow-cooked smoke flavor, a tomato-molasses based sauce, and generally a little more evenly balanced between sweet and spice. It wouldn't be fair to say there's no seafood on the menu -- they do offer calamari and local prawns, but come on, you're here for BBQ. Invertebrates have nothing on mammals -- Darwinian deliciousness rules. The beef rib "Dino Bones" are epic caveman food, named aptly because they look like someone took the Flinstones' pet, Dino, out for a long walk into a smoker and doused him in BBQ sauce. The real secret treat are the burnt ends from their smoked brisket. It's pretty much that -- the carbon-encrusted nuggets of flavor that usually flavor side dishes like baked beans, but Hog Shack periodically Tweets that the burnt ends are available to order and the thundering hooves you hear is the crowd of people converging on this place to get a plateful of the off-the-menu treat. They're very adventurous souls, putting whatever temps their curiosity into the smoker -- you can get smoked cubes of Spam, which will pretty much rock your world. Another off-the-menu carnivorous delight are the pulled pork pancakes. Shreds of soft pork, soaked in the house BBQ sauce, covering a stack of sweet, fluffy pancakes. Kaboom. Congrats, Hog Shack, you just blew my mind.

Eat, drink, be merry. Repeat. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

They're also big beer nerds, which I can appreciate. They have the benefit of being right in the heart of Pacific Northwest craft brew Beertopia, with the lion's share of good beers to offer, but they know how to pick beers that go well with intensely-flavored meals, so they offer interesting things like the Hitachino Nest White Beer, a Japanese beer done in the Belgian Wit style, a lightly citrus-flavored brew with a little spice of cardamom, and it probably has one of the cutest beer labels I've seen in a while. Owls make things better. This is just a simple fact that you're going to have to accept. You don't see Harry Potter walking around with a cormorant, do you? Owls = Better.

Rocanini rocks my coffee socks - Photos by Wasabi Prime

You need a breather after all that protein. And very likely a nap, but if you take on the Rambo attitude of eating with all-American gusto, you'll sleep when you're dead, soldier, so find the quickest way to get a kickstart of caffeine to keep the food momentum going. I have to say, I was glad there was not a Starbucks on every corner of Steveston and Richmond. Maybe every other-other corner, but not like how it is here in Washington, where the wily and agile Starbucks roam free and multiply in their native territory, a jittery wild herd of half-caf/double-foam cappuccinos. I'm pleased to say there's a charming and lovely specialty coffee shop that would bring a tear to the eye of any coffee nerd, Rocanini Coffee Roasters. Their roasting facility is in Vancouver, but their beautiful, brightly-lit cafe is in Steveston. It reminds me of many places in Seattle, with the smart minimalist interiors, decorated with a mix of modern and vintage pieces.

Cold brew coffee - where even the caffeine needs a chance to chill out for a bit - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I had my usual latte, along with a wonderful buttery almond croissant, but Rocanini gets extra coffee nerd cred for having a cold brew setup, which is this complicated-looking tower of glass and wood on their counter that looks like how Steampunk geeks would want their coffee before jumping on their recumbent unicycle. Cold brew is just another way to extract the flavor from the grounds, but using cold water to slowly absorb the richness of the coffee with less of the acid or bite that heated brewing methods tend to develop. Having a tall tower that lets gravity do a lot of the work to draw the water through the grounds helps speed up the process a little, and let's face it, the equipment just looks wicked cool. While this method takes more time, it yields a more smooth cup of coffee that's all the more enjoyable as an iced drink.

A glass of wine and bountiful treasures of the sea at Tapenade Bistro - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I've been going through all these creature comforts as a reason to leave the States behind, and I could say another reason is seafood, but that would be a little silly as we can get plenty of seafaring meals around here. But not all of them can prepare the food as delightfully as Tapenade Bistro. The menu is Mediterranean-styled, but that's just a quicker way of saying fresh flavors, simply-prepared and being respectful of the local ingredients with a nod towards sustainability. It's very close to the way a lot of Seattle area restaurants treat their food, especially seafood, which benefits so often from a light hand for seasonings and sauces. At the time of this visit, the spot prawns were in season, so it was prawn-a-palooza celebration everywhere, with all the local restaurants offering it on their menus. But Tapenade knew to give the little creatures their due, and served them up steamed with piles of fresh herbs, potatoes, sausage and fresh lemon. A bit like a crawfish boil, but in an elegant way, even if it's not the most elegant way to eat them -- which is to say, dig in like there's no tomorrow. Paired with the prawn feast was a really clean, light crab salad over a crab cake, which, like a Double Rainbow, is Double-Crustacean-OMG good. Everything just felt wonderfully garden-fresh, like no aspect of this celebration of land and sea edibles was overlooked. I was pretty much ready to rip up my passport and say, home is where my full and happy stomach is.

When cupcake mania strikes! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

So all the savory delights of Steveston seemed well-investigated, but what about the sweet? Surely one cannot live on smoked Spam and buttery spot prawns alone... although it would be pretty nice, wouldn't it? Cupcake mania hasn't just stayed local to the US -- the frosted mini-cake craze has jumped the border and invaded Canada with a sugar high as well. Sure, the Seattle area has its share of cupcakeries, but walking through Steveston, there was a moment of comfort to see the sign for Bell's Bake Shop, and its lemony walls with sprinkle-hued polka dots. Maybe it was the wall color that reminded me of my old childhood bedroom, or the vintage chairs that were like the chairs in my grandparents' kitchen, but the place had a worn-in feeling of home. No fussy princess-themed, sparkly maribou-feather wonderland. You didn't feel like Tinkerbell up and exploded the way some cupcakeries doll up their shops. Bell's was like a nostalgic afterschool treat in someone's kitchen, and the seasonal rhubarb cupcake I had sure would have gone well with a tall glass of milk.

I thought about staying. I let my brain stray into the danger zone of, "You don't need a pesky ol' visa -- no one will even know you left the US and never came back...right?" But the drive back across the border to US-terra-firma was a reminder that Richmond, and more specifically Steveston, is not that far away. Its seaside village charm and ample restaurant choices make me think it's a place ripe for invasion by Cher or P. Diddy, so head up there while it's still pristine and untouched by annoying celebrities looking for the next great city to ruin. Hurry. Pack your bags right now. I hear the Diddy is a wily one. And if you want to let fate or luck guide your hand, you can still enter to win a food trip to Richmond -- just head over to Richmond's Ultimate Food Experience to enter for a chance to party and eat like a rockstar.

UnRecipe: Slip Sliding Away Into a Food Trend

What is up with sliders, people? Every freaking restaurant has them. As if having one hamburger isn't enough, now you can get two to three mini ones, albeit adorable, but often with less meat, more bun and a higher price. Blame my Depression Era parental voice talking, but in my best Hank Hill (from Mike Judge's King of the Hill) voice, I gotta say, "that ain't right."  Not to say the concept of sliders is a bad one, but these days I'm eating more things at home, and the recent family visit with Auntie S., it prompted some experiments in Wasabi Kitchen Stadium to put together BBQ pork shoulder with a kimchee slaw, between split ju bao.

The slider phenomena hits our home kitchen with much tasty results - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I thought of this recipe months ago, while visiting my parents in Hawaii. It's the land of kimchee and all things pickled, often served with some savory meats. It doesn't take culinary rocket science to mash those things together into a moment of "duh," and have a kimchee/pulled pork lightbulb blink on over one's head. I had been cooking out of Andrea Nguyen's Asian Dumplings book lately, and her ju bao (baked bun) recipe has been a favorite. A sticky, milky yeast dough, it makes for some attractive buns -- no naughtiness intended, unless you like a giggle or two -- and instead of filling them with pulled pork, I decided to make a batch totally plain and just split them to use for the kimchee pork sliders.

They make for great little buns, but they are oily little buggers. You wouldn't think it to look at the innocent little flaky gems, but I guess that flakiness has to come from somewhere -- pure, delicious oil! Once cooled, I stored them in brown lunch sacks, and the oil from the dough really made quick work of the bags. It made me think of that episode of The Simpsons where Homer is trying to become medically obese to permanently work from home, so the wily talents of Dr. Nick (Hey, everybody!) encourages a diet where any food that renders a piece of paper as clear as glass from the oil is A-OK for Homer's new meal plan. The brown paper sacks filled with these flaky buns that soon became transparent made me long for washing oneself with a rag on a stick. If you've seen the episode, you're probably laughing, but if not, you're most likely recoiling in horror at the thought of such a thing. But don't be scared. These little baked buns couldn't have been more heavenly.

Delicious, rich ju bao - innocent until you place them in a brown paper sack - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Health concerns aside, I moved forward, using the slow cooker on a three pound cut of pork shoulder, letting it cook down until it was shreddable-soft. and mixed it with some fermented bean paste and soy sauce. I took a whole bottle of kimchee, chopped it into smaller pieces and mixed it with a store-bought mix of cole slaw of shredded broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, as they're more hearty, colorful, and our food processor motor decided to crap out on us. It's prepared bags of veggie shreds for the time being, until I get a new kitchen shredder. Each little bun was split and stuffed with the slow cooked and seasoned pork, and a heaping bit of the kimchee slaw.

Once, twice, three times a pork slider dinner. It was nice to take on a restaurant trend in the comfort of one's own home, mostly because it meant there were several platefuls of these things to pick on for a few days. The nice thing about an UnRecipe like this is, you can do whatever you want with them, filling it with whatever your craving, be it mini burgers, Sloppy Joes, or yes, kimchee and slow-roasted pork.

FoodTrek/MacGyver Meal: Disc-orzo Inferno

Not to toot the Pacific Northwest's horn yet again, but Seattleites know how to throw a party, and they do it with eccentric aplomb, complete with disco ball. Toot-toot! Beep-beep!

Dia de Los Disco / Come on Barbie, let's go party. Bring your pasties. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I was fortunate to be invited to a summer BBQ at Casa de Awesome, thrown by the diva duo of roommies Jennifer and Kat. It had been an eagerly-anticipated fête, designed to celebrate the love of our rare summer months, as well as an equal love of food and drink.

Here's to swimmin' with bowlegged women. Another sangria and margarita, bartender! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The party was complete with Bartender Nick who converted the kitchen into a full bar, serving up margaritas, mojitos, and his specialty, the old fashioned Sidecar. Hostess Jennifer brewed up her favorite white sangria in an Olympic-sized punchbowl that served as an example of fruit heaven, where peaches and citrus go to die.

The calm before the party storm, and partaking of SJB's meats. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I went with fellow blogger, SJB, and we headed over early to help with some of the preparation and the skewering of meats and vegetables. After no major goring of hands had occurred during kebob-ification, SJB took on the role of Grill Master Flash, while hostesses J+K made their sweep of the party floor, with the force of two Auntie Mame's.

Party Animal, Mr. Tucker. Who let the dogs out? - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The party wasn't without its resident party animals, Tucker and Fisher. I was able to get a decent photo of Tucker, but Fisher was avoiding the paparazzi that night, too busy meeting and greeting guests and sniffing around to see what goodies had perchance fallen on the floor.

She's got legs, and she knows how to use them. Kat flashes her Blue Steel. BOOZE! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The only thing the Prime was tasked to do was bring a salad. Expecting a guestlist up to thirty people, I went with the cater-friendly, giant aluminium turkey roaster pan and in typical MacGyver-cooking style, threw together an Italian-themed orzo salad. It's what I would like to call a "drunken salad" as I was in the middle of cocktail hour when making it the night before.

Orzo salad - the longer it sits out and festers, the better. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

In typical Wasabi Prime fashion, there was no real recipe. I just knew it needed to be a salad that could sit out at room temperature for several hours, vegetarian-friendly, made with basic ingredients that were familiar and pleasing to palates. In atypical Wasabi Prime fashion, I'm going to attempt to list the recipe below. I cut the ingredients by half, since I doubt you'll need enough to feed twenty-plus people, but it still makes plenty, so it's a great party recipe.

Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad w/ Herb Vinaigrette - serves up to 8-10

1 box/package of orzo (about 1 lb) / 1 large red onion, peeled and quartered / 2 zucchini, ends chopped and halved lengthwise / 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut in half / 1 container of cherry tomatoes / 2 cups drained/pitted kalamata olives / 2 cups crumbled feta cheese / 2-3 tablespoons olive oil / 1 tablespoon of dried oregano / 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper / 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients: 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves / juice and zest of one lemon / 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil /salt + pepper to taste

Get to Business: Preheat oven to 420° F and make sure the baking rack is centered. Take a shallow baking pan and cover with foil for easy cleanup. Take the cut vegetables (onion, zucchini, bell pepper, and whole cherry tomatoes) and toss with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Spread onto the baking pan -- use two if the vegetables don't all fit. Place in oven to roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables have roasted down and become soft.

Take a large pot and fill with water. Set on stove to start boiling the water for the orzo. As it gets to a rolling boil, throw in a healthy pinch of salt to flavor the pasta and toss the whole box/bag in. Stir constantly, as the pasta bits will stick together as well as to the bottom of the pot. Cook until al dente or cooked, but still firm; this will help it continue to soak up flavor from the dressing. Drain pasta and toss with olive oil to keep the grains from sticking while it cools.

While the orzo and roasted vegetables cool down, take a blender or food processor and pulse down the basil and lemon juice/zest. Drizzle in the olive oil as the blades chop the herbs down and incorporate with the lemon juice. Pulse in the salt and pepper, adding in small amounts so you can taste as it mixes -- add more as you see fit. Finished vinaigrette should taste like a lemony pesto with a loose consistency. Add more olive oil if it's too thick, as it needs to be able to easily mix with the salad.

Once the vegetables are cool to the touch, chop down into smaller bite-sized pieces. The cherry tomatoes should be fine as-is. Take the drained kalamata olives and run a knife through them for a rough chop and ensure there were no pits left in -- there's always one hiding in there. Crumble the feta cheese in and incorporate all ingredients, tossing with the finished herb vinaigrette. Can serve immediately or let it set in the fridge for a few hours to let all the flavor soak in. The dish can be made up to 24 hours ahead.

* Post-Script - Thanks to Serious Eats' Photograzing for posting the orzo salad ingredients!!