A Whole Lotta' Piggy In The Emerald City

There's something about Elizabeth Ray.

My sister noticed it first, observing how her brand-new daughter was, well, particularly porcine. Terms of endearment often take their cue from the animal kingdom; "Monkey" and "Bunny" are affectionate nicknames my friends dub their significant others. With babies, these pet names increase exponentially. Their newborn adorableness elicits even serious folk to coo "Lamb Chop" and "Chicken" in high-pitched sillyness.

In my niece's case, the piglet analogy was inevitable. Elizabeth's wee wardrobe is predominantly pink.  Swaddled tight, she resembles a piggy in a blanket or a pork burrito. When she nurses noisily, she's a suckling pig. With her newborn cold, her snores sound like little oinks. To use a, er, literary reference, dainty Elizabeth takes after Olivia, the pretty pig of children's book fame, who I discovered while honing my Auntie chops with my other lovely nieces, Isla & Syla.

In honor of this little piggy--and her aunt's penchant for pork--here are my porcine picks in her hometown, Seattle.

Jambon @ Bar Ferd'nand
www.ferdinandthebar.com
Capitol Hill

Alone, this buttery jambon is luscious. Blanketed on fresh-baked, Corson Building sourdough (slathered Spanish-style with tomato) and drizzled with olive oil, it's downright decadent. This is as sexy as ham gets--glistening and unfurled on this open-faced awesomeness. Paired with a chilled albariño or a tart cider, this is the happiest of hours at this gem of a bar.

Salumi sampler @ Bar Cotto
www.ethanstowellrestaurants.com/barcotto/
Capitol Hill

Ethan Stowell's latest addition to his epicurean empire is Bar Cotto, a salumeria featuring local and international cured meats. Make like a taste-tester and order a 3- or 5-sampler: ribbons of silky mortadella--Italy's refined cousin of our pedestrian lunchmeat, bologna, culatello--the tender, creamy,  "king of salami", speck--a smoked prosciutto, succulent house-made porchetta, and soppressata picante for a spice kick.

Opt for the traditional Parma accompaniment, torta fritta: fried bread pillows. Still hungry for more pig? Bar Cotto offers a rare, pizza topping: n'duja, a spreadable salami from SF's salumi sorcerers, Boccalone.  Imagine the heat of Mexican chorizo and the texture of French rillettes...and voila, n'duja!

Cured pork loin @ Agrodolce

www.agrodolcerestaurant.net

Fremont

The lighter side of pork is showcased at Maria Hines' Sicilian ristorante. Thinly-sliced lobes of house-cured pork loin, lonzino, are topped with crunchy, raw fennel, snipped chives, and chili oil made from sweet Aleppo peppers. Just in time for the warm weather, this delicate, lean, refreshing dish proves that pork need not be heavy.

Pâté albigeois @ Le Pichet

www.lepichetseattle.com

Belltown

At this oh-so-Parisian charmer, the country-style pâté is a marriage of two types of pig: ground pork and bacon. Served with classic accoutrements, cornichons and grainy mustard, each bite of this rustic, hefty pâté whisks you across the Atlantic. Thankfully, this traditional French pâté is served in an American-sized portion.

Porchetta @ Salumi

www.salumicuredmeats.com

Pioneer Square

At Armandino Batali's palace of pork, arrive early to snag their much-lauded, so-good-it-sells-out porchetta sandwich.This behemoth is stuffed with toasty, fragrant, fennel-spiced pork shoulder, meatballs, onions & peppers, and a garlic-caper spread. Juicy is an understatement--prepare to get messy with each dripping bite.  Don't be intimidated by the lines outside.

A bevy of cured meats are available for purchase, either whole or sliced onto delectable sandwiches. I'm partial to the finochiona (fennel) and piquant mole salami. Win over your out-of-town friends--Salumi can be shipped throughout the U.S. of A. 

It Was A Good Day

Monster Dog

3am. Ext. Belltown Street. 1st day of 2013

First bite of 2013....a hot dog from Monster Dog.  I discover that cream cheese is the signature of a "Seattle Dog"...can someone please tell me the connection between shmear and this city? Initially skeptical, I love how the spread tempers the salty dog, which is served in my favorite fashion: split down the middle and grilled so that char is the primary condiment.  Robin adds pickled jalapenos and Steve doctors a spicy weiner with sliced onions and Sriracha.   Both genius.  Admittedly, anything would taste divine pre-dawn and post-boozing, yet these particular sausages embody more than just meat.  They are the sweet success after numerous failed attempts to find food. They are warmth as we  chow down in the heated cocoon of the Jetta.  They are togetherness as we pass them among old friends, sister, husband.  They are the beginning, a taste of what will come. 

11:30am Casa Joe & Les Buckwheat pancakes (from a mix gifted by Mom) and Skagit River Ranch breakfast sausages. Photo omission due to post-party groggy-ness.

2pm 
Russian tea cake--an annual treat made with love (and tons of butter) by Allison.

3pm

Lemony leftovers from roast chicken + chicken liver pâté = luxurious chicken salad fitting for a New Year's Day nibble.

6pm Beach @ Golden Gardens 
Bonfire-roasted onions & the aforementioned SRR andouille and sweet Italian sausages. Washed down with warm bourbon-spiked, apple cider.  Confirming our credo that everything tastes better when cooked and consumed on an alfresco flame.  For those who are counting, that is THREE sausages on this very first day of the year.  A fitting number for this pork-o-holic.

9pm

Keeping with the NYE (and Burmeister family tradition), we return home to find a Hoppin' John salad and Ham & Greens crostada lovingly made by Joe's mom, Toni. Each ingredient a prosperous metaphor: black-eyed peas = coins, greens = money,  and pork = moving forward (since pigs scrounge  forward).

This diary of my inaugural 2013 food reminds me why I keep this online journal afloat.  More than a written and visual record of What I Devour, it is an ode to the magical and multi-faceted experience of eating.  The provenance of ingredients, the setting where meals are consumed, the company with whom we share, and the traditions that are passed throughout the years: these all make food more than mere sustenance.  Just on Day One of 2013, I awoke to the buttery aroma of griddle pancakes, I snacked on homemade cookies, I dined at a beach bonfire, and I enjoyed the tasty trifecta that is local, organic, and grass-fed pork.  Each meal surrounded by friends and family. An auspicious and delicious start to a new year....

P.S. For more musings on the meaning of food, please check out this New Year post on my friend, and fellow scribe, Robin's blog, Chefs Wear Clogs.