Basque-ing in the Glory

Seared Sea Scallops with parsnip and lemon curd.


The mountainous areas along the Spanish/French border may be homeland for the Basque people, but The Harvest Vine on Madison is a home away from home for their eclectic cuisine. Well worth the week in advance reservation, this rustic little number impressed all night long. Small plates and huge tastes, just the way I like it. The dishes are infused with varied inspiration. Spanish, French, inland, and coastal components are all flawlessly represented and harmoniously presented.

Where do I begin? More importantly, where should YOU begin. Every moment you waste before ordering the cheese sampler you will come to regret. Order it immediately...order it on your way in the door...on your way to the table...order it yesterday...but order it! We made the mistake of only ordering two different cheeses to sample before dinner. We were summarily wailed upon by their awesomeness. One goat's milk that was practically flowing it was so soft at room temperature, and a cow's milk bleu that was so strong and phenolic it nearly left me catatonic. Later, after at least four rounds of tapas, my wife stole away and, unbeknownst to the rest of the dining party, ordered the sampler. When it arrived, everyone's eyes bulged. Next to bulge were our cheesey bellies. Another goat's milk, this one firmer and milder, a sheep's milk Manchego, and another, saltier, spicier cow's bleu joined our two original selectons. Like I said, order it as soon as you get there. For less than the price of a bottle of wine you get five 1 oz. servings of queso magnifico.

Speaking of vino...
They have an unbellievable wine list that sports some special wines. I was most impressed with the house Tinta and Jumilla that they had for $23 a bottle. Super stuff...super price. We had a Cab/Syrah/Tempranillo blend from Catalunya (Also around $23), that the whole table willingly guzzled.


A little French influence in this classic Gateau au chocolate.

Angulas are a Spanish delicacy. Angulas also happen to be baby eels that cost about $200/lb. Harvest Vine fakes it pretty well. They use Hake from the Bay of Biscay in Spain and prepare it to mimic the tiny, barely born, noodley fish. The Hake eels are combined in an omelette of organic duck eggs, herbs, and olive oil. The main player resembles delicate vermicelli that seem to play, swimming about the moist, fluffy duck eggs. A strong dish but light on the stomach. A welcome beginning to the meal, as this was the first tapas delivered.

After a solid yet overshadowed eggplant dish, the sassy mesero brought the seared scallops. Perfectly cauterized and surfing on a wave of zesty lemon curd the mollusks impressed. With a bright whiff of brine these ultra fresh bi- valves were tender but firm and possessed a pleasant nuttiness that played well with the sauce. The curd evoked dreams of lemon gravy, the perfect accompaniment for the rich, creamy scallop.

For the true carnivores, we sampled a guinea fowl stuffed canalone, pan-roasted squab, and a beautiful venison tenderloin. The squab was a little difficult to share given its dimunitive size but we persevered. The breast portion of the little pigeon was cooked perfectly medium rare and presented in all its succulence on a whipped potato puree. The baked canalone stuffed with the guinea fowl was simmered in a fried tomato sauce and topped with a mild spanish goat cheese. It was comforting and I loved it for its simplicity. The venison which was also seared to a stunning deep ruby-red temperature was the final course, and a great way to go out. This venado was beyond lean, while simultaneously carrying a red meat-flavored coat of arms that would make a mignon salute.

Pink and Black

What happens when the best meets the best? The little Vivace Espresso stand on Broadway has taken to peddling pastry for the competition. Now when I say competition, I mean that Vivace and Top Pot both sell coffee. As far as quality and execution go, Vivace is peerless. As far as doughnuts go though, Top Pot resides at the very apex of fried, cakey delight. Methinks this will work out in my favor.

Spring Please.

Alaska is giving me the taste of spring that the Seattle weather is not. Although open season on this firm and fantastic fishy does not open in the state of Washington til April, our non-contiguous neighbors to the north are lending a helping Halibut. This dense fillet has undergone a simple salt, cracked pepper, lemon prelim. I decide to amp it up with acoutrement post broiler. Nestled on top of a pillow of parmesan-garlic couscous, the whitefish is pelted with some lime-roasted zucchini and corn confetti. The whole menagerie is topped with a dollop of toasted pumpkinseed pesto and enjoyed with an easy drinking, French Sauv Blanc.

Ale and Lager

I love to go to a bar and drink fine beers. Sometimes I'll go the PBR/Rainier/Oly route, but I prefer a deeply flavored ale or lager.

Lately I have been splitting my time between these two juxtaposed beer styles. Pale ales on the ale side and dark lagers on the latter. Fish Tales Brewing,Wild Salmon Organic Pale Ale, was a great choice to represent the ales. Nice and dry with a palpable minerality. Cascade hops that were not over-employed, for a crisp citric effect. The hops and minerality were proportioned well to the good, pale malt body. Henry Weinhard's Special Dark Lager has been giving no quarter on the Lager side. I know that they are owned by Miller now, but....Strohs owned them before and this is good cheap beer. Plus, Miller is not as bad as Coors, or Bud...c'mon. Tons of roasty flavor out of this beer. Almost as malty as a porter, but with a tighter finish.

Punkass seed

Roasting raw pumpkin seeds at home is easy and super snackly. I sprinkled some smoked cumin, olive oil and plenty of salt on these raw seeds and roasted them at 300 deg. for 15 min. I tossed some of these kernels on the soup from my last posting. I cannot rave about these things enough. Addictive texture, healthy, and they will absorb any seasoning you can imagine. Raw pumpkin seeds are pretty cheap. You can get a pretty big batch's worth for like $2.

Last soup

It is starting to warm up outside and it is time for one last soup of the season. I roast six carrots and a head of garlic with ample amounts of olive oil...about 30 mins. at 300deg. Caramelize one onion in my soup pot with some ground/dried chipotle peppers. Add the carrots, garlic (along with all of the oil they have been roasting in), some cardomom, cilantro, lime juice and peppercorns. Cook this down and deglaze with some veggie stock, H2O, butter, and cream. Add some salt to taste. Simmer long time.


I made some black bean, banana, cornmeal dumplings to float on the soup's surface. Fry up some banana slices with onion, garlic, and red bell pepper. When caramelized add some black beans, veggie stock and a touch of milk or cream. Then add the cornmeal and stir it into the creamy stock. When the mixture is balanced pop it in the oven at 375 deg. for about 15 min. Let it cool and you have a crunchy, sweet corn cake for the roast carrot soup.

Happy 33

I have had Barolo on my radar for a couple months...
Not the wine, but the glittering northern italian inspired restaurant on Westlake and Virginia. The main object of my sensors has been Barolo's bar menu/happy hour duo. From 3 til 6:30 and 10 till close M-F the entire bar menu is half price. $14 bottles of red or white wine ($3.50 a glass), along with an ample offering of sub $7 dining choices. The bar menu is adorned with savory little italian morsels with a dab of refined exoticism. Warm baby octopus over garbonzo beans in port wine reduction, hanger steak in a Barolo sauce w/tiny potatoes, in-house made rigatoni in a veal/beef ragout, and tuna tartare are all offered in generous portioning.

I started with a glass of the house red (Salice Salentino Candido Riserva). For $3.50/glass this italian blend of Malavisa Nero and Negramaro grapes stood up for some recognition. Light and bright with red berry/cherry and almond notes followed up with some wood and spice. Surprisingly austere for such an inexpensive little table wine.

As an aside, while awaiting my dining compatriots, I indulged myself with some scotch. Not that an 18 yr. old Macallan is SOME scotch...actually it is SOME kinda scotch. Little or no heat, it tastes like you are drinking it straight from the sherry cask. Tempered with flavors of caramelized turbinado, smoke, and cherry pit, it was highly complex and just plain transcendant. The price was also transcendant, or at least somewhere up in the troposphere ($28/shot). Once a year treat...happy birthday to me.

After the dram I was desperately in need of some fortification. Still no friends, so I order the lentil and spelt soup. Solid, though not overly memorable. I loved the spelt. Like a barley, with a snappy little al dente texture it comingled with ribbons of spinach and lentils in a miso-reminicent broth. The soup gets a blue-collar style thumbs up for its utilitarianism.

Finally some partners in chyme arrive to keep me company. We order a trio: The baby octopus, some wild mushroom risotto and calamari. What can I say except that those baby octopi must have had a Michelin for a momma. Not so much rubbery as REALLY FREAKIN rubbery. Granted I expect a little bounce with the mini cephalopods but this was unacceptable. The reduction was very tasty though. Sage, raisinated port, and garlic almost made up for the octokids...almost. Risotto had definite truffle presence. Creamy well seasoned and stocked with nubs of porcini. Straightforward, simple, and well executed. The calamari was the standard, cornmeal dusted and flash fried. After the octopus though, these tender, feather-light rings of squid were a real treat. I must say that any of these apps at regular price would be a monumental dissappointment...half-price = half the expectation. I probably will not go back.