Summer, Finally

Too tired to write a real post tonight. We were at South 47 Farm today, took Mini-Me for a hayride and picked amazing cucumbers and blackberries and summer squash, and then went to our neighborhood farmer's market in the afternoon and scored the stunning basil pictured above.  If you can see basil that beautiful and not make pesto, you are a stronger person than me. We had it on fresh fettucini also from the market and cubes of the summer squash, and summer is here.

Eating Vegetarian in Ethnic Restaurants Part 1 - Overview

I've been a vegetarian for 22 years, and I've always enjoyed eating foods from around the world. America is a country of immigrants, and virtually every group that has come here has opened restaurants. I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. In the 1970s the only ethnic foods we knew about were Italian, Mexican, and Chinese. (Side note: "ethnic" sounds silly. Everyone has an ethnicity right? Someone please clue me in to a more accurate term that means "not your run of the mill American food"). Now when I go back to visit Louisville I'm thrilled by the terrific Vietnamese and Middle Eastern restaurants. I've lived all over the country and wherever I go there has been a tremendous growth in the number, diversity, quality and authenticity of these restaurants.

I think a lot of vegetarians are skeptical about eating cuisines they aren't familiar with because they aren't sure whether there are safe options for them. That is a real shame because they can all be accessible and offer a variety of amazing flavors, often at ultra-reasonable prices. So I thought it would be useful to walk through some of these cuisines. I'll point out places where animal products are likely to be hiding and which dishes are generally vegetarian. And I'll mention some of the classic foods from each country that you should try if it is your first time.

First some caveats. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian (which means I eat dairy products and eggs). So I don't feel qualified to comment on what dishes are vegan.

Also, conditions may vary in different parts of the country. A taqueria in East LA serving mainly a neighborhood clientele is more likely to have the traditional lard in their refried beans than one in Berkeley! And of course the food may be dramatically different when you travel to other parts of the world, especially the home country of a given cuisine. American restaurants of a given culture tend to all serve the same core of dishes which in turn becomes our stereotyped expectation. Traveling, whether it is to Rome, the Yucatan, or Delhi will show you a much more nuanced and regionally specific repertoire, and you will have the pleasurable opportunity to re-examine your knowledge.

Also, there is a wide variation in what people who describe themselves as vegetarians will eat. Some won't eat a french fry if it is possible that a piece of breaded fish was fried in the same oil, or would avoid a red dye not because of the health danger but because it might be made from cochineal. Other folks have more of a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to the whole issue. And for some it basically means nothing more than that they don't eat beef. I tend towards the more serious end, but I do make an exception for rennet used to make cheese. In practice most rennet these days is made from a vegetarian microbial culture, but it is impractical to find out what is used in a particular cheese at a restaurant. I'd suggest that if this is truly upsetting to you, you probably have to go vegan.

In all cases, what I can tell you is only a guideline based on my experience. The very best thing to do is go and try to find someone who speaks English (or even better, bring a friend who is a native speaker), and ask lots of questions!

That's it for the introduction, next time we'll start with a look at Thai food.

Nishino - Let Me Count The Ways

Snacky Pants and I just got back from a lovely date-night dinner at Nishino, which is our very favorite Japanese restaurant in Seattle. (My wife is still deciding what nickname she wants to go by on the blog. So for tonight it is Snacky Pants.) Located in an unassuming little shopping center next to a fitness club in Madison Valley, when you enter Nishino you find yourself in a soothing and elegant room decorated in a modern Pacific Northwest style, with sparse Japanese furnishings and stunning paintings. The service is always on point but mellow, and we immediately find ourselves relaxed, knowing that we will be well cared for.

Tonight's meal was typically excellent. We started as always with the Asparagus in Yuzu Miso. The asparagus is simply blanched and served cool in the salty / sweet / citrusy sauce with a few sesame seeds.  Our second dish was a special, the Tempura Walla Walla Sweet Onions and Parsley pictured above. It was served intentionally unseasoned, so that you could sprinkle on the sea salt and togarashi chili mix to your own taste, and squeeze on a bit of lemon. This dish really sums up the restaurant's genius. The sweet onions are a Washington state specialty, the fried parsley a nod towards the legendary Herbfarm, and the lemon squeeze a reference to good ol' American fried fish. But the tempura batter and the chili salt is pure Japan, and somehow the whole comes together to create something both familiar and exciting at the same time. If I had one quibble this evening it was that the tempura could have been fried just a little darker, but it was still outstanding.

Our next course was Nasu Dengaku, broiled eggplant with a rich miso sauce and garnishes of pickled bean sprouts, red cabbage and lotus root. And then we moved on to sushi. Snacky Pants (who isn't a vegetarian) had a  California Roll, and we shared an Ume Shiso maki (a classic roll of pickled plum paste and shiso leaf, otherwise known as Perilla or Beefsteak plant) and an Oshinko maki. I had a futomaki (fat roll) of egg, spinach, and shiitake mushroom that was outstanding.

For dessert we had espresso-ice cream filled mochi and a refreshing shiso sorbet (really more of a granita) which brought out the piney aspect of that herb.

Amazingly, with one premium Umenishiki sake, a bottle of San Pellegrino, tax and tip, the whole meal came to $80. While not cheap I think this is one of the outstanding deals in Seattle dining. For most dinners of comparable quality I would expect to pay more like $120.