Friday, May 18, 2012
Area restaurants are getting in on the Bellevue Jazz Festival, which kicks off at the end of the month.
Local restaurants and venues will be hosting concerts during the 5th Annual Bellevue Jazz Festival from May 30 through June 3. El Gaucho Bellevue, 520 Bar & Grill, Cypress Wine Bar, Z’Tejas, Rock Bottom Brewery and Restaurant, Black Bottle Postern, Grand Cru Mixologie Lounge and Lot No. 3 will be hosting free concerts throughout the festivities. Lincoln Square and Bellevue Square will host additional free concerts. The Clayton Brothers Quintet (May 31), Booker T. Jones (June 1) and the Hubert Laws Quintet (June 2) will be the featured artists during the festival. They will perform paid concerts at the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center. General admission tickets are $34, $17 for students. Passes to all three concerts are $78. Bake’s Place, …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wild caught Copper River King Salmon is highly anticipated by consumers, driving the price of the fish, in some cases, upwards of $50 per pound.
Seafood consultant Jon Rowley is the king of Copper River King Salmon. It was Rowley who, in 1983, transformed how Copper River King Salmon was treated, raising it from frozen and canned salmon for export to a delicacy anticipated every spring like school children anticipate the end of the school year. “(In 1983) the quality was horrible,” Rowley said. Today, Rowley puts it simply, “Copper River King Salmon is the best fish in the world.” He refers to the fish as fat-bellied thoroughbreds. A fisherman by trade, Rowley consulted for Ray’s Boathouse, Restaurants Unlimited, McCormick & Schmick’s and Rosellini’s 410 during the Copper River King season in 1983. He devised an efficient process of bleeding and icing the fish before it reached …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Washington wines are gaining more recognition at national and regional competitions such as the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition.
Last week I embarked on a road trip to Oregon like I hadn’t done since my college days. Back then I would travel to Eugene to watch my Huskies destroy the University of Oregon Ducks in football. For the record, the University of Washington has won more college football national championships than Oregon, with one. Do the math and you can deduce, the number of Oregon championships. Last Saturday, I stayed in Seattle to watch the University of Washington spring football game at Century Link Field, the temporary home of the Huskies next season. The defense made me optimistic about the 2012 season. The offense was downright offensive and made me want to drink Oregon Pinot Noir. That would have to wait a day. On Sunday morning I flew to …
Friday, April 27, 2012
Cork Dork columnist Chris Nishiwaki recommends a fine second-label red wine from Woodinville's Barons V that punches above it's weight.
Vine & Sun is the second label for Woodinville producers Barons V. But make no mistake about it, this is no junior varsity wine. Consulting winemaker Matthew Loso crafts a muscular Cabernet Sauvignon blend with some Merlot that gives the wine a round and fleshy mid-palate. The structure, complexity and layers of black currants, black cherries and blackberries are suggestive of a wine more luxurious than its $18 price tag. Smoke, spicy oak, graphite and a touch of stony minerality complement the showy fruit qualities. Pair this wine with the wokked luc lac filet mignon with organic arugula and cherry tomatoes at Monsoon East. The wine is available for order online from the winery or through local Mercer Island wine merchants The Olde Wine …
Local vintners ponder the future of Passport to Woodinville and Tenor hosts winemaker dinner.
As the Woodinville wine industry has grown, its signature "Passport to Woodinville" spring wine tour has shrunk in attendance. With most of the Woodinville wineries already open on most weekends, the novelty of tasting wines throughout the city during Passport to Woodinville has been lost. The trend has left many in the Woodinville wine industry wondering about the relevance of the wine tour. “As Woodinville has grown up as a wine destination the model for Passport to Woodinville has changed,” said Mike Sharadin, vice president of the board of directors of Woodinville Wine Country, the local wine promotional group. “At the beginning, Passport was an opportunity to not just visit a winery but several wineries that were only open three or …
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Some Woodinville wineries are opting out of the annual event and hosting their own open houses and wine release parties.
More than 30 tasting rooms are participating in Passport to Woodinville this weekend, but others are opting out this year, either just opening their doors separately or hosting separate events. Those that are open but not part of the event will charge a separate wine tasting fee not covered by the Passport cost. So be sure to check your passport carefully to confirm the participating wineries, or check the complete list in this article. The Passport to Woodinville runs 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Below is a list of wine open houses or wine release parties through the end of May. Friday, April 27 •Woodhouse Wine Estates will be throwing a party for the release of the 2010 Kennedy Shah Reserve Riesling from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, …
Friday, April 13, 2012
Mercer Island Patch "Cork Dork" Columnist Chris Nishiwaki says this floral, juicy Syrah is a true taste of springtime.
Kestrel Vintners winemaker Flint Nelson co-ferments Syrah and Viognier in the style of Cote Rotie in France’s Northern Rhone region to produce a floral, seductive and juicy Syrah. The blend is 93 percent Syrah and 7 percent Viognier, all from the proprietary Kestrel View Estate Vineyards. The Viognier gives the wine its distinctive aromatics of orange zest, Clementine, violets and lavender. Flavors of blueberries, plums, prunes and raspberries dominate the palate complemented by hints of espresso, vanilla and baking spices. The soft mid-palate and juicy finish complete this wine. With barbecuing season upon us, Syrah is the perfect match for smoked barbecue ribs. Alternately, attend one of the “Everyday Gourmet Cooking Classes” at the …
47.76843
-122.147724
19501 144th Ave NE Ste C900, Woodinville, WA
Kestrel Vintners Tasting Room
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The openings come as Woodinville prepares for the annual "Passport" weekend.
Ron Bunnell has made wine at some of the largest wineries in the country, including California giant producers Beringer, Chateau Souverain and Kendall-Jackson. Now making wine at his Prosser-based family winery, Bunnell Family Cellar, Bunnell is turning to the more intimate confines of Woodinville's Warehouse District. Bunnell will be opening a tasting room during the Passport to Woodinville weekend, April 21-22. The new tasting room, sandwiched between Hestia Cellars and the tasting room for Kestrel Vintners, will also house the tasting rooms for Newhouse Family Vineyards and Upland Estates. “I think it’s a very exciting time for Woodinville,” Bunnell said. “Needless to say there’s lots of interest in the Warehouse District. This kind of …
Friday, April 6, 2012
The Otis family has gradually increased its stake in Woodinville's Matthews Estate and Tenor. Last week the family became sole owner of both wineries
Redmond's Cliff and Diane Otis’ progression in the wine industry has been gradual and deliberate. It has been of Olympic proportions, making a major move every four years. The Otises initially invested in Woodinville-based Matthews Estate in 2004. In 2008 they bought out founder Matthew Loso. Now, in 2012, they bought out business partners Jim and Dawn Rubstello, who initially invested in Matthews Estate in 2001, to become the sole owners of the winery. The deal was finalized March 30. The next stage of Matthews Estate and its ultra premium winery, Tenor, involves the entire Otis family, including Cliff's and Diane’s sons Bryan, Jeff and Scott, and Scott's wife, Katie. "We didn't envision ourselves owning the winery full time at first," …
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Dining deals abound this weekend and next week for patrons of Eastside restaurants.
Sunday marks the start of the semi-annual promotion Restaurant Week. Participating restaurants will be offering three-course dinners for $28 and, in some cases, three-course lunches for $15 April 8-12 and April 15-19. Bennett’s Bistro on Mercer Island, Spazzo in Redmond and Barking Frog in Woodinville will be offering the special three-course menu. First-time participants include Le Grand Bistro Americain and Purple Café and Wine Bar in Kirkland, Purple Café and Wine Bar in Woodinville, and Lot No. 3 and Mariposa @ Neiman-Marcus in Bellevue. Other participants in Bellevue include Cantinetta (co-owned by a local Mercer Island family), McCormick & Schmick’s, Monsoon East, Nordstrom Grill, Seastar, The Melting Pot and Wild Ginger. In …
Fisherman Mike
2:42 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
The hype around copper river salmon is a joke and does nothing but jack up the price. Yes, they are high in fat content, which adds flavor, but they are no better than any spring chinook run in the lower states. Spring kings, as they are called, carry more fat becsaue they spawn further up river and need the extra calories to make the long journey. They arrive at the river mouths earlier than … more ›