Seattle!

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I have several to make to get caught up. Two weekends ago I made a trip to Seattle with some college friends to see the LSU - Washington game. I have only been to the west coast a few times (San Diego/San Francisco), and never to the Pacific Northwest, to I was excited to take a culinary tour. We were only going to be there for three and a half days, with one being reserved for football, so I had to choose wisely.

My first choice was a no-brainer: Salumi Artisan Cured Meats

This is Mario Batali's father's restaurant/deli. I convinced my friends that it was in the best interests to wait 40 minutes in line for lunch. They were richly rewarded for their patience. We ended up sitting in a back room that resembled a large-ish closet. The good news was that the back room was adjacent to their curing chamber. The bad news was that when we asked to see it, they said that Health Dept. regulations would not allow them to give tours. However, the waitress did open the door enough so that we could see the where they cure two thousand meats at a time and snap a picture with the cell phone. I am highly envious of this setup.

So what about the food? The food was fantastic.

Two of my friends opted for hot plates. One got Grandma Batali's Meatball Sandwich and the other got the braised pork sandwhich. My other friend and I each ordered a cold salumi plate with the optional olive, cheese, and bread upgrade. Figuring that I may not be in Seattle again for a while, I ordered the hot salumi plate as well. (Yeah, like I could eat two entrees, or in Italian, "due Secondi"). (See picture, left, clockwise, starting at 1 o'clock: Cold Salumi Plate (2x), Grandma Batali's Meatball Sandwich, Braised Pork Sandwich. Center: Hot Salumi Plate) Everything was incredible. The hand's-down consensus favorites were the Lemongrass-Coriander Salami and the Mole Salami. Everything else rocked.

David