New Restaurant Review 360 + An Unexpected Surprise

Naomi over at Gastrognome has kindly volunteered to host the next Restaurant Review 360. (What's a Restaurant Review 360?). Her choice is excellent: Jasmine Provincial Vietnamese Cuisine. It has been on my list to try, and I'm looking forward to reviewing it along with her and my fellow bloggers. Deadline is May 20th, so if you write about food in Seattle, be sure and participate!

And, wow, Naomi told me in her email that there would be a surprise. The "360" concept has won me the inaugural SFBA (Seattle Food Blogger Award). I'd just like to thank my wife, my daughter, my 5th grade teacher (Mr. Peake), and of course the members of the Academy. No, seriously, thanks Naomi!

Event: Seattle Restaurant Review 360

Late breaking news: here's the roundup!

Tofu Hunter and I were chatting about the idea of both reviewing the same restaurant.  It occurred to me that we could take it a step further and invite all of the food bloggers in our fair city (and visitors too) to participate. Everyone would bring their own perspective, and we'd get to see if we all agreed or saw things very differently. If we get a good response, we could make this a regular event.

For our first restaurant, I'm choosing Txori, the tapas-style Belltown spot of Chef Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez, who is best known for Harvest Vine. I figure it would work out well because it is centrally located, and a meal doesn't have to be a big commitment. You can stop in, have a couple tapas and a drink and be out in 30 minutes if you want.

Interested? I hope you'll join me. Here's the logistics:

1. Add a comment below with your name, and your blog URL so I know you plan to participate.
2. Visit the restaurant in the next two weeks, and write a post about it. Schedule the post to go live on Wednesday, 4/9. Have your post link back to this post. If you don't have a blog, feel free to add your review in comments here.
3. Feel free to make the review as short or long as you want, no pressure!
4. On Thursday, 4/10 I'll write a roundup article linking back to everyone's reviews along with the best quotes.
5. Have some fun with it! Add any twist that makes you happy.

Contest: Looks Sweet, Eats Savory

Yesterday's Caramelized Pear "Cupcakes" With Blue Cheese Frosting got me thinking that it would be fun to see what other playful stuff folks might make in this genre of food that looks like a sweet but eats like a savory. Let's have a contest! Here are the rules:

• Write up your entry and post it on your blog, or if you don't have a blog you can email it to me at the address below. A formal recipe isn't required, we'll settle for a picture and a description. Please link back to this entry in your post.
• Email me at herbivoracious@gmail.com with Savory in the subject line:
  - the url of your post
  - the name of your dish
  - your name
  - your geographic location
• Also, please put a comment on this post linking to your post so we can all see it sooner!
• Deadline is Sunday, September 16th and I hope to post the roundup within a few days after that (depending a bit on how much fun we are having in Rome.)

Also, special thanks to Veggie Chic for hosting the latest Carnival!