seattle: my kind of town

Fearless readers, postings have been slow around A Fine Kettle of Ish lately, I know. For me, summer in San Diego means beautiful weather and all the delights therein: gardening, grilling, late night picnics, cold beer on sunny patios (heck, cold beer on dark patios). In short, “so much to eat, so little time to blog.”

One of the things holding my attention lately was a trip north to Seattle. Home to a city of food and drink enthusiasts, i’s a fantastic destination for anyone passionate about craft beer, local food, and painstakingly researched cocktails. If you haven’t been to Seattle, or haven’t been lately, now’s the time to plan a trip: summer in Seattle offers an occasional respite from the rain and clouds, and non-stop flights from San Diego can be found for around $200.

My whirlwind trip covered all the food and cocktails I could squeeze into three days – here are a few highlights and lowlights:

absinthe cookies

This weekend, I whipped up a batch of spectacular Absinthe Cookies using Lucid Absinthe for my cocktail buddy over at Boy Drinks World.    

Absinthe is a high-proof herbal spirit featuring fennel, green anise, and grande wormwood, as well as flavors of nutmeg, hyssop, coriander, juniper, and star anise.  Typically louched with water to reduce the proof and open up the flavor, the drink features a distinctive cloudy, pale green color and heady aroma of licorice.  Extremely popular among bohemians at the end of the 1800’s, absinthe was banned in the early 1900’s due to exaggerated beliefs of its hallucinogenic properties and other ill effects.  After chemical analysis and vigorous campaigning, the spirit was reintroduced and has had a growing availability over the last two decades.

This recipe gives you a very delicate, not too sweet anise cookie topped with a luscious, soft green glaze, redolent of the herbal character of absinthe.  Because absinthe has a very high alcohol content and is not sweetened, this cookie packs an intense herbaceous punch, so is only for true lovers of anise and (of course) la fée verte.

Click below for the recipe!

get on your eating pants, people

Hope you all enjoyed a relaxing Memorial Day weekend, because the season for food & drink events in San Diego is upon us!  The next six months are already chock full of fun things to do, from the San Diego Spirits Festival, International Beer Festival, and San Diego Festival of Beer, to CityFest, San Diego Restaurant Week, and the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival, with more great events on the way. 

“But Ish!” (I hear you ask)  “Where can I go to find out more about fabulous San Diego food events?”   “What if I’m planning a trip and lack Googling ch’i?” Fear not, readers – just go to our Food Events page for regular event roundups plus calendars of major events in San Diego and beyond! 

so what’s happenin’, mama? (10 feb)

thursday, february 10

6pm – 10pm.  Valentines gift bazaar at El Take It Easy.  Free tosti locos and all night happy hour – eat and drink while supporting local businesses by buying crafty gifts for your sweetie!

friday, february 11

10am – 1pm.  Alchemy of the Hearth presents “Start a Food-Based Business.”  $65. 

saturday, february 12

11am – 4pm.  Six contestants compete in a live cooking challenge for a spot as an instructor at Great News! Cooking School.  $10.

12pm-5pm.  Pizza Port Carlsbad Brewbies Festival!  20 local handcrafted beers plus a special edition Pizza Port pink beer. 100% of the proceeds go directly to Keep a Breast to support their efforts to increase breast cancer awareness among young people.

1pm-5pm.  For the Love of Chocolate.  Downtown Escondido festival will include vendors, chocolate pairings by local breweries and wineries, champagne garden with live music, and beer & wine bar.  Tasting tickets are $20 for 10 tastes.

sunday, february 13

10am – 5pm.  Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with San Diego Chinese Historical Society & Museum in downtown San Diego’s Asian Pacific Historic District.   Why not make a day of it and also hit up the Third Ave Certified Farmers’ Market and Asian Bazaar between Island Avenue and J Street from 9am to 1pm?   Check out the San Diego Farm Bureau for a complete daily listing of farmers’ markets around town.

monday, february 14

Well, it’s Valentines’ Day.  Seriously, this is a made up holiday and all the restaurants will be slammed, which means your food will cost more, take longer, and not be as good as it usually is.  This is not romantic.  Do yourself and your sweetie a favor and make a romantic dinner at home tonight.  Not sure what to make?  All thumbs and no knife skills?  Check out tomorrow’s post for a no-fail, super easy, romantic dinner roadmap!

No sweetie?  No problem!  Make a beeline for Proper Gastropub’s “Anti-Valentine’s Day” Party starting at 4pm and enjoy their specially priced “Kiss-Off!” cocktail list.  Dress in black or bring a pic of your former flame and get a Screw U Driver off the special cocktail menu for just $1 (and isn’t that cheaper than therapy?). 

tuesday, february 15

730pm – 8pm.  Stop by O’Brien’s Pub and catch Three Sheets with Zane Lamprey, a half hour tv show featuring drinks and drinking customs around the world.  If you’re lucky, they’ll have some Dogfish Head left over from this week’s Dogfish Head night!

 wednesday, february 16

7pm – 11pm.  It’s DRINKABOUT time!  Hop on the free bus and do a loop of some of the best craft beer bars in San Diego (or beyond!) with stops at the Blind Lady Ale House, Small Bar, Live Wire, Toronado, Hamilton’s and more.  Complete schedule and map here.