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Friday, January 14, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Avalon Opens in West Seattle Today
January 3 at 3 p.m.
SEATTLE, Wash.—(January 3, 2011)—Fittingly located on S.W. Avalon Way in West Seattle, Avalon restaurant and lounge opens today, spotlighting Northwest fare with a touch of rustic Mediterranean flavor.
WHO: Avalon – Pacific NW Casual Fine Dining & Lounge
WHAT: Restaurant Opens
· Menu created by Chef Deborah Breuler focuses on local Pacific Northwest fare with a touch of rustic Mediterranean flavor. See a sample of menu items below.
· Prices range from $7 to $12 for starters and $15 to $22 for entrées.
· Full bar highlights local distilleries and wineries.
· Open seven days a week, with dinner service daily (dine in or take out) from 5 to 10 p.m. and happy hour in the lounge from 3 to 6 p.m.
WHERE: Avalon in West Seattle
2940 S.W. Avalon Way
Seattle, Washington 98126
WHEN: Today: January 3
3 p.m. (Happy Hour)
5 p.m. (Dinner Service)
Situated in the historic Luna Park neighborhood, West Seattle’s Avalon offers an approachable, regionally inspired, locally sourced menu as well as a full bar and wine list focusing on Washington and Oregon. Dishes are available for dine in or take out. The warm and welcoming ambiance makes an equally comfortable backdrop for casual meals and special occasions alike. Located at 2940 S.W. Avalon Way, Avalon serves dinner daily from 5 to 10 p.m.; brunch is served Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and happy hour is offered daily in the lounge from 3 to 6 p.m. (206) 922-3606.
Follow Avalon Online:
# # #
Media Contact: Andrea Courtney
Randall PR / (206) 551-1651
Small Plates
Artichoke Fritter
with zesty tomato spread ($7)
Bruschetta of Crab
with mascarpone, arugula and lemon vinaigrette ($11)
Grilled Curly Endive
with honey crisp apples, Seastar goat cheese and candied walnuts ($7)
Entrées
Grilled Marinated Pork Loin
with fig mostarda, braised Brussels sprouts with pancetta, and smashed potatoes ($17)
Forty Clove Garlic Chicken
with preserved lemon, green olives, almonds, Bluebird Farms grains and sautéed kale ($17)
Thundering Hooves Farm Short Ribs
Syrah-braised and served with potato dumplings and roasted roots ($19)
Cedar Planked Wild Salmon
balsamic-glazed, with roasted cauliflower and fingerling potatoes ($20)
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
‘Lobster-Maine-ia’ Boils Over on Pier 70 for the Month of January, 2011
Formerly Known as Lobsterpalooza, Waterfront Seafood Grill’s Sixth Annual Lobsterfest Pays Homage to the World’s Favorite ‘Homard’
SEATTLE, Wash.—(December 22, 2010)—It’s the time of year everyone’s been salivating for—Waterfront Seafood Grill’s (www.waterfrontpier70.com) annual month-long celebration of the undisputed King of Crustaceans, the lobster kicking off January 6, 2011*.
But not just any lobster: This year, the supremely popular Maine Lobster (Homarus americanus) is featured in nine out of ten special dishes created by Executive Chef Peter Levine.
“In preparation for this event, we have the luxury of sampling lobsters from all over the world, but this year the Maine was really blowing all the other kinds right out of the water,” said Chef Levine.
Lobster-Maine-ia menu includes:
Lobster Napoleon— crisp wontons, Asian slaw, miso orange dressing ($14)
Lobster Bisque, classic style with makers mark butter ($12)
Lobster Slider— tarragon mayonnaise, celery, chunk Maine lobster ($6 each)
Maine Lobster Risotto—with asparagus and black truffle ($34)
Lobster Salad— fresh mango, fennel, mache, passion fruit vinaigrette ($16)
Steamed Live Maine Lobster— coconut jasmine rice, lemongrass red thai curry broth ($44)
Grilled Live Maine Lobster— thin spaghetti, marinara sauce, penn cove mussels ($45)
Roasted Maine Lobster Tails— water chestnuts, miso, orange, scallions ($46)
One-Pound Grilled New Zealand Lobster Tail— cognac, demi glace, green peppercorns, cream ($69)
Although the prized species can be found from the Canadian Maritime provinces to North Carolina, about half the annual catch of cold-water lobster in North America comes from Maine. Because harvesters know that protecting the resource now will help to guarantee their livelihood in the future, diners can be assured that Maine lobsters are a well-managed, sustainable marine resource.
However, crabby at being slighted, several passed-over lobster species have complained that a powerhouse ‘lob’bying effort on the part of the Maine lobsters themselves was responsible for the menu’s focus and the iconic event’s unexpected name change: Rock lobsters appealed to The B-52s for support, to no avail; a coalition of Spiny lobsters, a clawless species, lost all credibility when they threatened, ‘Oooh, I’ll give you such a pinch! ‘; and a handful of mildly outraged European lobsters shrugged, turned tail and headed to the nearest sand bar for a carafe of Chablis.
Continues Chef Levine, “This is such incredible lobster that I want it to take center stage in almost all of the dishes. Each preparation is simple and flavorful, but also lovely to look at—just as any star performer should be!”
One hundred and twelve years ago, ‘Remember the Maine!’ was a slogan that served as a rallying cry leading up to the Spanish-American War, but during January, it’s a reminder to visit Waterfront Seafood Grill and sidle up to a lobster menu so dreamy you’ll have to pinch yourself.
*Waterfront Seafood Grill will temporarily close January 1 reopening January 6 for a dining room refresh.
Open since 2000, the Waterfront Seafood Grill, located on Pier 70 in Seattle, features outstanding fresh seafood accompanied by sweeping views of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains. Winner of the Washington Wine Commission’s Restaurant of the Year, the restaurant is open seven days a week at 4 p.m., with dinner service starting at 5 p.m. For reservations and more information call (206) 956-9171 or visit www.waterfrontpier70.com.
Follow Waterfront Seafood Grill Online
Website: www.waterfrontpier70.com
Twitter: @Waterfront70
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Media Contact: Andrea Courtney
Randall PR / (206) 551-1651
El Gaucho Portland Introduces Willamette Valley Vintners Bio-Cask System
Sophisticated Technology Keeps Premium Wines Perfect from the First Glass to the Last Drop
Willamette Valley Vineyards Founder Jim Bernau Showcases the Bio-Casks
PORTLAND, Ore.— El Gaucho is raising a glass to an exciting development that is poised to revolutionize the wine industry.
Willamette Valley Vineyards has launched “Bio-Cask,” and El Gaucho Portland is the first restaurant anywhere to feature the winery’s new wine-casking technology. A stainless steel cask that contains the equivalent of 26 (750 ml.) bottles, the wine-preserving Bio-Cask is designed to connect with a restaurant’s tap system to provide high-quality wines by the glass to the customer at an approachable price. The technology keeps each successive glass as fresh as the first.
Bio-Cask benefits the guest, the restaurant, the winery and the planet:
- Increases quality and consistency of the wine
- Is a simple system that utilizes existing tap technology and widely available gasses
- Is waste-free
- Is ecologically friendly
Says Chad Mackay, president and CEO of Mackay Restaurants, “This is an exciting development because it drives down the cost of wine for everybody involved by eliminating the extra materials. We’re introducing Bio-Cask in El Gaucho Portland, but we have plans to expand the technology into our other locations.”
Oregon is a famously “green” state, and Willamette Valley Vineyards is a participant in the Oregon winery Carbon Neutral Challenge. President Jim Bernau came up with the concept of the Bio-Cask during the winery’s early efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in 2009.
Over its estimated 10-year lifespan, each slim, sleek Bio-Cask will replace 327 cases of traditionally packaged wine, thereby eliminating the need for: 3,924 glass bottles, corks and metal cork caps; 7,848 labels and adhesive; cardboard boxes; wooden pallets; and the plastic wrap to secure packed boxes for transport. Not only does the Bio-Cask virtually eliminate materials that would otherwise end up in landfills or require recycling, but the reduced per-unit weight translates to a markedly smaller carbon transportation footprint, the single most significant impact on the environment for the wine industry as a whole.
The selections currently being served at El Gaucho Portland from the Bio Cask tap system include:
Willamette Valley Vineyards, Pinot Noir 2008 (Willamette Valley), $14 per glass
and
Troon Vineyard, Trifecta Red 2008 (Oregon), $10 per glass
“These highly food-friendly wines are on the menu right now and are pouring beautifully. Our guests know we’d only offer them the best, and they’ve embraced both the wines and the concept. Perceptions are changing rapidly about wine packaged in non-traditional ways. What’s so terrific about Bio Cask is that it offers significant ecological benefits without sacrificing a fraction of an ounce of quality,” says El Gaucho Portland Wine and Cigar Captain Leann Loveland, “and who can’t drink to that?”
Open since 2000, El Gaucho® is the Northwest's steakhouse legacy focused on elegant, old-school, tableside service for people celebrating their lives. The menu highlights 28-Day Dry-Aged Certified Angus Beef® Prime steaks, cutting edge fresh seafood selections from sustainable sources, and extensive wine and malt scotch lists. El Gaucho’s swanky bar was recently featured in Continental Airlines magazine and given the “Gold Standard” by Portland Monthly magazine. Located at 319 S.W. Broadway, El Gaucho is open Monday through Thursday 5 p.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m. Happy hour is available 5 to 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. to close Monday through Friday and all day Sunday. For more information, visit www.elgaucho.com or call (503) 227-8794.
Follow El Gaucho Online
Website: www.elgaucho.com
Twitter: @ElGauchoPDX
Facebook: Facebook
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Cafe Flora Rings in 2011 with Luck-Themed New Year’s Offerings
Special Dishes on December 31 and January 1 Designed to Bring Good Fortune
SEATTLE, Wash.—(December 21, 2010)— To ring in 2011 on a prosperous and healthful note, Cafe Flora is doubling diners’ chances for good fortune. For the first time, in addition to offering their popular New Year’s Day brunch, Seattle’s favorite vegetarian restaurant will also feature a special New Year’s prix fixe dinner.
Certain foods are thought to bring good luck when eaten at the New Year. Cooked greens and cabbage look like folded currency, and thus are symbolic of economic fortune. Anything flat and round brings to mind coins, or money; round cakes, pastries, and other foods in the shape of a ring symbolize “coming full circle”. In China, the kumquat is considered a particularly lucky plant, bringing happiness and wealth; and long noodles represent longevity and prosperity.
Offered alongside the regular menu on both December 31 and January 1, the three-course, prix fixe Lucky Dinner Menu includes:
Lucky Dinner Menu
1st course
Winter Rolls—with water chestnuts, ginger, seitan, cabbage and carrot, stuffed into a crispy roll served with orange-kumquat dipping sauce and grilled jicama pomegranate salad.
2nd course
Fresh-Made Linguini—tossed with sun-dried tomato olive tapenade, and topped with a sauté of winter greens, fennel, pine nuts and goat Gouda cheese.
3rd course
Triple Chocolate Fortune—a white chocolate disc, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, lemon truffle center, yuzu foam and a crescent cookie. (Gluten-free)
$45 per person. Reservations available for parties of eight or more. Includes a complimentary glass of Champagne. All bottles of bubbly offered at half-off listed price.
Available only on New Year’s Day, the special Brunch Buffet will feature:
Brunch Buffet
Fruit and Pastries
A variety of fresh fruit and fresh baked pastries, including:
· Blueberry tea bread
· Vegan orange-glazed mini cinnamon roll bites
Salads
Freshly made salads, featuring a variety of organic wild greens, house-made dressings and local produce, including:
- Vegan Caesar with crisp romaine and fried capers
- Organic spinach and endive with green apple and crumbled Roquefort
- Winter greens with quinoa, dried cherries and toasted almonds
- Marinated grilled-vegetables with a balsamic reduction
Entrées
Signature breakfast scrambles and more, including:
· Fall Forager Scramble—locally-foraged golden chanterelle and crimini mushrooms with roasted butternut squash and fresh sage.
· Flora Morning Scramble—fresh spinach, caramelized onions, and chopped Roma tomatoes with fresh herbs.
· Crème Brulée French Toast—handcrafted Columbia City Bakery brioche baked in a rich cinnamon-orange custard with glistening caramel, and topped with fresh tropical fruit.
· Potato Latkes—traditional potato pancakes served with warm house-made applesauce and chive crème fraîche.
Buffet will also feature a variety of traditional breakfast accompaniments.
$20 per person/$12 per child 12-years and under. Saturday, January 1, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations available for parties of eight or more.
Cafe Flora focuses on utilizing predominantly local, organic and sustainable produce and herbs, and remains dedicated to nurturing strong and direct relationships with Washington’s farmers and foragers. The culinary team draws inspiration from international traditions along with abundant, locally grown ingredients to create imaginative and dynamic vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free cuisine. Regularly featured on Seattle’s numerous “Best Of” lists for vegetarian and vegan dining, Café Flora has also been named the Best Vegetarian Restaurant in the Pacific Northwest by Vegetarian Times magazine.
“Since we’ve added dinner to our New Year’s dining options, we’ll be providing all the luck our guests need to get 2011 off to a terrific start, so we’re requesting they leave the lucky rabbit’s foot at home,” adds owner Nat Stratton-Clarke.
Cafe Flora’s award-winning menu features modern and sophisticated vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free cuisine inspired by international culinary traditions and created with local, organic and sustainable ingredients. Voted one of Seattle Weekly’s “Favorite Restaurants 2006,” Cafe Flora was also awarded “Best Vegetarian Restaurant” by Seattle Magazine eight years running. In 2005 The Cafe Flora Cookbook was published with more than 250 house recipes. Located at 2901 East Madison, Cafe Flora serves dinner Sunday through Thursday 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 5 to 10 p.m. Breakfast and lunch are served weekdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (206) 325-9100 www.cafeflora.com.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Get Fit and Healthy in 2011 with Energy Fitness and Wellness on Lake Union
Owner Jason Whitney Offers Health Tips and Timely December Promotions to Jumpstart a Resolution
SEATTLE, Wash.—(December 20, 2010)—Each year, “lose weight” or “get fit” are the most commonly made New Year’s resolutions. But according to a study conducted in 2008 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 34 percent of adults 20 years and older are obese, a rise from the 23 percent found obese in 1994. Energy Fitness and Wellness (www.energyfitandwell.com) owner Jason Whitney has some simple reminders to help people finish 2010 with a healthy advantage heading into the new year:
Tips to Help Deflect Holiday Weight Gain
1. Drink Water: Each 4 oz. glass of wine has about 120 calories, so try drinking two 8 oz. glasses of water for every glass of wine. This will help fill you up, and slow down consumption of both wine and rich holiday foods.
2. Choose Food Wisely: Try to limit intake of high-fat foods, including cream-based soups, cheesy casseroles, processed meats, fried foods, pastries and mashed potatoes.
3. Get More Fiber: Eat more fiber throughout the day to keep you feeling full. Sneak in extra fiber by adding beans to broth soup, or making pumpkin soup or pumpkin pancakes.
4. Take a Walk: If you’re busy or traveling and can’t fit in a visit to the gym, make time for a brisk walk with family members. In addition to burning calories and revving up your metabolism, it helps reduce stress—another contributor to weight gain—and provides a great opportunity to catch up with loved ones.
“The holidays are my favorite time of year, but I know all too well how the season can undermine overall health. These are some tools to help avoid overindulging and make achieving a ’get fit‘ resolution a reality. I challenge everybody who has fitness on their 2011 to-do list to get ahead of the game and start getting healthy now,” says Jason.
To jumpstart New Year’s resolutions, Energy Fitness and Wellness is offering a pair of promotions intended to support the commitment to get healthy in 2011. New clients may choose from the following two specials, available through December 31, 2010:
$50 one-time membership fee waived throughout December
—or—
$100 for 5 one-on-one sessions with a Personal Fitness Trainer
To take advantage of the New Year promotion or for information on membership pricing, trainer bios, class schedules contact (206) 283-0526 or www.energyfitandwell.com.
Energy Fitness and Wellness provides hands-on solutions to meet all levels of fitness goals. With an inspiring view of Seattle’s Lake Union, the studio environment is small enough to keep everyone personally engaged in their workout, and large enough to accommodate extremely effective group programs. Yoga, massage therapy, and nutrition plans designed by a resident homeopathic doctor make Energy Fitness and Wellness a complete resource for holistic health. Located at 2040 Westlake Ave. N., the gym is open Monday thru Thursday 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Follow Energy Fitness and Wellness Online
Website: www.energyfitandwell.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/energyfitnwell
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/energyfitandwell
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wine Storage Bellevue Named 2010 ‘Specialty Storage Facility of the Year’ by Mini-Storage Messenger
Celebrates Award with Free Wine Storage Promotion
BELLEVUE, Wash.—(December 16, 2010) —Family enterprise Wine Storage Bellevue, (www.winestoragebellevue.com) has been distinguished as ‘Specialty Storage Facility of the Year’, by Mini-Storage Messenger, a monthly publication that delivers the self-storage industry’s most important news and information.
Wine Storage Bellevue is celebrating this honor by offering two months free storage with purchase of a custom wine racking system, including free shipping and installation, or one month free wine storage and free use of its move-in truck. Both offers expire January 30th; for more information click here.
In the Annual Facility of the Year awards Mini-Storage Messenger named one winner each in five categories: For Wine Storage Bellevue, the award was given to the most outstanding self-storage facility dedicated to specialty use, a category that includes wine storage, RV and boat storage, and more.
“After putting in the time and effort to create this unique space, and with the wonderful response we have had from our customers and the local wine community, it’s great to have the national recognition from our peers in the self-storage industry,” says co-owner Dick Gilroy, who founded Wine Storage Bellevue with son Patrick and wife Loraine after 40 years in residential and commercial development.
Criteria for distinction include: Site selection; unique design, features and amenities as related to the specialty use; challenges overcome during development; marketing; security; customer service; and occupancy.
Wine Storage Bellevue is located within the Gilroy’s 120,000 square foot Stor-House Self Storage facility (www.stor-house.com) located at 1614 118th Ave SE (Bellevue, WA), which was also recognized in the Facility of the Year category.
Wine Storage Bellevue offers wine storage with optimum humidity and temperature control, and access via a dedicated elevator. Each all-steel locker is equipped with a steel latch and bezel, and secured with a cylinder lock; access is offered from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m., seven days a week, 365 days a year.
As an elegant counterpart to the modern design of the wine lockers, Wine Storage Bellevue features a Tuscan-inspired, 1,000 square foot Wine Resource Center and Tasting Room available exclusively to its customers.
“We didn’t set out to win national recognition; we set out to draw on our combined construction, design and wine expertise to build the best off-site wine storage possible—something worthy of our greater Eastside and Seattle wine storage clientele. This award shows that it definitely benefitted us to put our efforts into building a state-of-the-art facility while remaining focused on the customers and their needs, ensuring that they’re not only thrilled with the service and amenities, but increase the likelihood they’ll introduce Wine Storage Bellevue to their friends,” says Patrick Gilroy.
Wine Storage Bellevue offers secure, climate-controlled, state-of-the-art, all-steel storage lockers for valued wine collections of all sizes. Prices begin at $24 per month. Rental includes use of the generously appointed 1,000-square-foot Wine Resource Center and Tasting Room, equipped with a computer and internet access. Wine Storage Bellevue is situated inside Stor-House Self Storage, located at 1614 118th Avenue SE, Bellevue, Washington. Access is available daily from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m.; Wine Resource Center open 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., or by special appointment. For more information call (425) 453-2242 visit http://www.winestoragebellevue.com.
Follow Wine Storage Bellevue online:
http://www.winestoragebellevue.com.
http://www.youtube.com/user/WineStorageBellevue
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bellevue-WA/Wine-Storage-Bellevue/124800290869549
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