Good Enough to Qualify for The Last Supper:: Seattle,Wa.

Seattle’s “Extraordinary Dining Society” is holding court at the iconic Rover’s, which recently celebrated it’s 20th birthday.

The experience of dining at Rover’s is both quintessentially French and quintessentially Seattle, a rare and delightful balance. Chef/owner Thierry Rautureau ( a.k.a. The Chef in the Hat) has won numerous awards, including a James Beard Award. The restaurant continues to garner much-deserved recognition as one of the best in the country.

Which is why The Extraordinary Dining Society chose this restaurant for their:
La Grande Bouffe,Sunday, May 18th, 5:00 pm.
Nine courses, eleven ultra-rare wines, all pull together to provide an elegant, sophisticated evening you’ll never forget. Dine with abandon, as you sip from a 1995 Champagne Salon, 1992 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet, 1988 Domaine Leroy Richebourg, 1991 Chapoutier Hermitage La Pavillon and 1975 Château la Mission Haut Brion, and, of course, something sticky for dessert. (The wines average over 98 in Robert Parker!)
Tickets are $1500 per person includes service, tax & towncar. (C’mon, you’ve gotta admit that the towncar is one sweet touch!)

The unbelievable menu:

1995 Salon Le Mesnil sur Oger
Kusshi Oysters, Egg and White Sturgeon Caviar

1990 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand Grand Cru Alsace (3 Liter)
Maine Lobster and Spring Peas

1992 Amiot Bonfils Le Montrachet Grand Cru
1992 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Halibut and Asparagus
Steamed Cod and Black Truffle

1949 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes
Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Savory Apricot Cake and Verjus Gastrique

1988 Domain Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru
1959 Paul Bouchard Richebourg Grand Cru
Oregon Rabbit Confit with Foie Gras;
Rabbit Saddle with Preserved Plum and Sage

1991 Chapoutier Le Pavillon Hermitage
1991 Chapoutier La Morderée Côte Rôtie
Kobe Beef Short Rib, Morels and Ramps

1975 La Mission Haut Brion Pessac-Leognan
Roasted Lamb, Chanterelle and Black Currant

1995 Tirecul La Graviere Cuvée Madame Monbazillac
Honey Mousse and Rhubarb

The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook :: Now in Anthropologie

Here’s some exciting news from Blenheim Press:

Starting in May, Anthropologie, the national chain of clothing and lifestyle stores, will carry The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook.

Renowned author, television host, cooking teacher, writer and long-time friend Amelia Saltsman’s says, “You know it’s spring when the markets overflow with plump fava beans, extra-sweet asparagus, and mellow green garlic. In the May issue of Bon Appétit, you’ll find the second installment of my year-long pullout Seasonal Produce Guide with tips on why to try and how to choose and store the season’s top ten favorites.”

By Gil Zeimer, Vagablond Lead Writer/Editor

Fusion Food and Fung Shui :: Zengo in Denver

Forget Happy Hour, celebrate the balance of work and play during Fung Shui Hour at Denver’s Zengo Restaurant.

The life balancing act is made a little easier Mondays through Thursdays, 5 to 7pm, with special drinks and snacks at great prices. The refreshing and delicious cucumber mojito certainly makes me feel better. There’s also a pineapple mojito, traditional capirinhas and margaritas, a green tea martini and the brilliantly colored, sinus-clearing Bombay Blossom made from gin, dried hibiscus, habanero pepper, blood orange juice and lime.

The restaurant, one of a dozen Mexican-influenced eateries established by chef Richard Sandoval (Maya in New York, San Francisco and Dubai; Isla in Las Vegas) is one of the great after-work spots Denver’s vibrant Riverfront Park area of downtown.

Zengo means “give and take” in Japanese and reflects Sandoval’s giving a little and taking a little from both Latin and Asian cuisines. Ceviche and sushi share a menu that’s fairly evenly split between Mexican-influenced dishes and those from much farther east. Many dishes inventively combine the two. Carnitas Rice Noodles mixes the flavorful Mexican pork with Asian rice noodles, mushrooms, cashews and hot & sour sauce. Miso Soup gets a makeover with a dose of chipotle pepper and truffle. Chipotle makes another appearance in the fabulous – and fabulously named – Angry Zengo rolls: spicy yellow fin tuna, avocado, sesame-chipotle rouille and wasabi. Won Ton Tacos combine charred ahi tuna, sushi rice, pickled ginger and mango salsa in won ton wrappers folded to resemble mini tacos.
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Cleavage Creek is “Busting-Out” For Mother’s Day!

Napa’s Cleavage Creek Cellars announces a Mother’s Day sale on two of their world class wines. The 2006 Reserve Chardonnay and the 2006 Secret White wines are specially priced at $15 per bottle.(Normally they sell for $30- $40 per bottle!) Not only are these great wines at a great price but it’s also for a great cause, since 10% of the gross sales of all Cleavage Creek wines is donated to fund breast cancer research.

“There’s no better time to enjoy a wine sale this special than at Mother’s Day,” notes Cleavage Creek owner Budge Brown. “We’re thrilled to offer these premium wines at these exceptional prices.” The story behind his naughty but nice wine label is that Brown lost his wife of 48 years to breast cancer in 2005. He obtained the Cleavage Creek label, and is focusing his efforts to raise awareness and fund research to find an end to the disease. Each of the Cleavage Creek wines features a breast cancer survivor on the label of the bottle. Their stories are told at the Cleavage Creek website. Cleavage Creek is dedicated to producing world class wines and funding breast cancer research.

*These incredible prices are only in effect until June 1st.

24 Hour Yippee-ki-yay Adventure Trip :: Daytona, Florida. part 7. The end

Next morning:

Our plan going out in style was to watch the sunrise from our rainbow colored, eight-story tall, Hot-Air Balloon. My group gathered; pre-dawn, in the lobby for the drive to the airfield. Thankfully, we made a much needed coffee stop along the way so we were wide awake by the time we met Bob of Bob’s Balloons. I learned that we gave up some much needed deep REM sleep because of the wind factor.Not only is wind necessary to fly a balloon, but you want the right kind of wind. In the wee hours of the morning, there are calm winds flowing parallel to the earth, allowing for a smoother, gentle ride.

Bob’s gang wasted no time in unloading the balloon. They stretched out this huge balloon flat on the ground with the basket on its side. Then they hooked the balloon to the sides of the basket and started to fill it up with air by some huge fan hooked up to lawnmower motor, while we held up the sides. After the balloon was completely filled with air, we climbed into the basket and waited a bit because the air must be heated in order to get the balloon off the ground. And then slowly, for the second time in two days, I floated in air.
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Epic Deal on the Epic Pass :: Vail Resorts, Colorado & California

It’s Springtime, when warm-weather thoughts turn to … next year’s ski season.

Vail Resorts (www.snow.com) came out of the gate first and fast in announcing its new Epic Season Pass, an unrestricted, unlimited, two-state, five-mountain season pass for $579.

Reaction through the snow sports industry and among snow fans indicates that the Epic Pass is an epic deal. Vail’s season passes for 07-08 were selling for around $400 in the fall and came with a host of restrictions. The Epic Pass gives holders unlimited days at Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge resorts in Colorado as well as Heavenly Valley in California in the 08-09 season.
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24 Hour Yippee-ki-yay Adventure Trip :: Daytona, Florida. part 6

Night
After the day we had, only someplace really special would do for refueling. Again, quite honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything in Daytona to knock my socks off, fine-dining wise. Wrong again. (Well, at least I admit it when I’m wrong…unlike should we say… Bruce.)

When we reached Martini’s Chophouse I knew we were in for something special, possibly ever Bucket List worthy. You enter this sophisticated setting through a magazine-cover stylized garden setting, complete with a 20 ft. lighted waterfall, atmospheric central fire pit, surrounded by artsy outdoor dining furniture and exotic greenery. The owners, Claudia and Clay Butters (an extremely attractive couple who look like they’d be more at home in South Beach) together with their chef, use only the freshest, juiciest, most mouth-wateringly ingredients for their creative New American cuisine. To insure absolute freshness, the menu changes daily so I’m not sure if my faves will still be on it, but if they are, you should start with the Florida Blue Crab Stack- an artistic high-rise of flavorful crab, avocado and salsa, followed by the Dijon Rubbed Rack of Lamb, served with a Berry and Sundried Cherry Wine Sauce, that in less talented hands would have been cloying but here, provided the perfect gilding. The wine list offers some unique choices by the glass, or you might want to try their $1.00 Martini Specials on Thursday Nights.

Nighty night: Don’t forget to set the alarm for your 5:00 AM wake-up!

Fairmont Vancouver Airport : Plane Spotting

I’m off to Asia next month with my hubby, who has an international conference in Beijing. From there, we’ll continue on to Hong Kong and then spend ten glorious days in Bali. This will be my first Asian adventure, so I’m really looking forward to it! But in reviewing our itinerary, I realize upon our return it’s going to be a very late and long drive from Vancouver International Airport to our home on Whidbey Island in Washington state.

Not only are we going to be weary and bleary eyed, there’s the issue of customs/immigration/luggage when we land in Vancouver at 9:30 PM. That, along with the three-hour drive home in the dark, doesn’t sound like a very fun way to wrap up our trip. That’s when I decided to make lemonade out of lemons. (more…)