Gone to Maneki

Finally, I went to Maneki - Japanese Restaurant that has been in Seattle for over 100 years. I have heard about it from friends and read reviews online, all of which were positive. But today after reading about it in the latest issue of Travel+Leisure I decided to make a call to try and get in for dinner. Success – 5:30 p.m. at the Sushi Bar.

My friend and I drive up to this place, which from the outside looks just like any other thai restaurant on “the Ave” in U-district. We enter in and get greeted by an older Japanese lady. Waitress takes us in. We pass tables and private rooms called “Tatami Rooms” and finally make it to a small sushi bar that can sit 6 at most.

Maneki is different from other Japanese restaurants I have been to in Seattle. It does not have “sophisticated feeling” of Nishino and it is not what I would call “your typical Japanese restaurant” like Kisaku and I Love Sushi. This place is something else. It has a friendly laid-back atmosphere, attentive friendly staff and the most extensive menu of Japanese Dishes I have ever seen. I want to try everything and we did (almost)!

Here is what we ordered tonight. Takoyaki  - some type of dough filled with pieces of octopus, served with special sauce and sprinkled with nori. Age Dashi Tofu – lightly deep-fried tofu with thinly sliced scallions served in broth with daikon radish. Vegetable and Shrimp tempura – similar to other places except the portion was twice what you get at I Love Sushi but costs 50% less. JoJo Roll – fresh water eel roll along with the usual Spider Roll. And then we moved to the nigiri. We enjoyed Chutoro, Yellowtail and Seabass. Fish was fresh and pieces were large. Of course we could not finish all the food but took it home. Yes, I have that Takoyaki waiting for me in a fridge ;) The bill without the tip was $59, which also included beer and tea. I would say it was worth every penny!

Maneki has a Web site and here is its link. You can check out their menu and operating hours on it.

So, what kind of place is it? It is a place with relaxed and friendly atmosphere where you can expand your horizons in the area of Traditional Japanese cuisine that includes variety of dishes other than regular nigiri and sushi rolls and you will not leave with a hole in your wallet.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

My favorite pie is Strawberry-Rhubarb and I love making it this time of a year. I have been making this pie over several years now and found a recipe that works for me and does not take much time. Here it is.


Ingredients:

Two 9" Traditional Wholly Wholesome Pie Shells
2 cups of red rhubarb, chopped
2 cups of strawberries, sliced
1 and 1/4 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon of white flour
2 tablespoons of minute tapioca
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 egg
extra flour

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Combine sugar, rhubarb and strawberries in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, tapioca, vanilla, lemon juice and zest to the bowl and mix all ingredients together.

2. I usually let pie shells sit in a room temperature for about 30-45 minutes before baking. Add rhubarb and strawberry mixture into one pie shell and distribute evenly. Don't overload otherwise the filling will bubble over.

3. Next step is to make a pie top. If you are lazy you can just put the other pie shell on top and prick few holes in it. Don't forget to press the sides of both pie shells together to keep it sealed. But I like to have a lattice pie top. To make it I take the second pie shell and roll it out on a board with some flour. Then I cut strips of desired thickness and length with a regular knife. I braid the strips on top of the pie and press the ends of the strips to the first pie shell to seal them. I whisk an egg and brush the top of a pie with it.

4. Bake the pie at 425F for 15 minutes. After that lower temperature to 375F and bake for another 50 minutes until the pie is bubbling and the crust and top is golden brown. Let the pie cool off. I usually let it cool over night and in the morning I have a slice with a cup of coffee.

Bibb Lettuce Salad with Radishes and Cucumber

One of my childhood memories is eating radishes and green onions in early summer. These were one of the first vegetables that we would have from our garden. They are in season now. I made this salad with radishes and cucumbers couple days ago and want to share its recipe.

Ingredients:

1 small head of bibb lettuce (or 1/2 half of big one)
3-4 radishes, sliced thinly into circles
1/2 english cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced
1-2 green onions, chopped
juice of 1/3 lemon
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and Pepper 

Preparation:

In a salad bowl combine lettuce, radishes, cucumber, green onions, add lemon juice, olive oil and mix. Salt and pepper to taste.

Clams "Steamers" in White Wine - Chicken Broth with Shallots and Parsley

This weekend I went to Oregon Coast to Cannon Beach and Seaside. I love going to the ocean and letting my dog run around off the leash. Walking on a beach is so relaxing. But of course no trip is complete without some fantastic food!!! And this trip was no exception. The highlight was stopping at a store that looks like a small "crab shack" - One of those "hole in a wall" places.

The place is called Bell Buoy and is located in Seaside, OR. They have a Web site so you can check them out. In short, I have been coming here over the years every time I visit Oregon Coast and bought smoked salmon, sturgeon, black cod and others. Next to the store they have a restaurant, which in my mind serves the best deep fried prawns ever! They are juicy, moist, batter is light and not greasy.

I bought 2 lbs of fresh clams and some fresh crab from Bell Buoy and made a nice dinner when I got home tonight. The picture above shows the clams that I steamed in white wine - chicken broth with shallots and parsley. The recipe is below and is very easy.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of fresh clams
2 cups of chicken stock/broth
1/4 cup of white wine
1 large minced shallot
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Over medium-high heat melt butter in a large cooking pan. Add shallots and cook them until golden. 2 or 3 minutes.

Add white wine and chicken broth to the pan and bring to boil. Boil the stock for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The next step is to add clams and cover them. Cook with the lid on until all clams have opened up (4-5 minutes). Clams now are ready to serve. Sprinkle them with parsley and serve with some fresh bread for dipping into the broth, which is very tasty!

As an appetizer I served fresh crab with cocktail sauce! I am so happy there are places like Bell Buoy!

Dinner Tonight

Tonight I went to the gym and lifted weights. I wanted something with protein and Omega-3s. So, I decide on Wild Sockey Salmon. Of course, it is previously frozen but it is not fresh salmon season yet. I use Tom Douglas Rub with Love for Salmon to cook it. The recipe is here on how to make salmon this way. I also made kale salad. It is my new favorite! I did crave some starch so I cooked fettuccine and tossed it with butter and white truffle infused olive oil. I will enjoy pasta tomorrow for lunch.

Kale, Avocado and Pine Nuts Salad

Finally, I learned the way I LOVE to eat Kale. Two nights in a row I have been making this salad. I know, I know kale is a super food. Still...  it is not that easy to convince me to eat it.

I have been reading more and more recipes about kale salads and have noticed that restaurants have added kale salads on their menu as well. After consulting few recipes and thinking about the ingredients I like to eat I made this kale salad. Here is how to make it.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and finely chopped
1 avocado, seeded, quartered and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/8 cup of toasted pine nuts
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper (optional)

Preparation:

In a large salad bowl combine together kale, tomato, lemon juice and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Using your hands massage vigorously the salad mixture until kale looks wilted. (Wash your hands thoroughly before doing this).

Kale will look like this.

I bought raw pine nuts and toasted them in a pan on medium low heat. The last step is to add avocado, pine nuts and cayenne pepper and toss. Salad is ready to serve :) Enjoy!

I also tried massaging kale with 1/2 of avocado and adding the rest 1/2 of avocado with pine nuts. The salad comes out very creamy this way. Also, other recipes suggest adding cucumber and omitting avocado and using hemp seeds instead of pine nuts.

Strawberry Tart

Today I made strawberry tart following the recipe from the Web site Joy of Baking. This was my first time making a fruit tart so I cheated a bit. Instead of making the dough myself I bought frozen pie crust in a store and baked it in a tart pan. I also decided to skip on super rich pastry cream and used fromage blanc that I mixed with honey from my Dad's bees. I did follow all the rest of the instructions. The tart came out delicious. Next step is to make my own dough. As for filling I like honey cheese and will use it again. I might try other berries.