A Bellingham Foodie Blog Restaurant Reviews Bellingham Washington 98225

July 13, 2009

Bellingham ♥ NY

Gandolfo’s NY Deli is opening in the Fall on Stuart off Meridian.
NY Pizza & Bar opened last month on State (old Bargainica space).
Cicchitti’s (on Railroad) tags itself as ‘real’ NY style pizza (which it is).
The Bagelry is real NY style bagels, spreads and sandwiches.
Old World Deli makes phenomenal sandwiches (see Little Italy, NYC).

What is it with this addiction to food stuffs from 3000 miles away? What about Chicago style pizza? Chicago is only 2100 miles away.  When Chicago Deep Dish Pizza was introduced to NY in the ’80’s, no one in NY wanted NY style pizza anymore!

I will tell you what Bellingham needs. Some real Korean food. No one is making Korean food to touch what comes out of NJ. But now we’re talking 3000 miles away again. Do you know why? No competition. To sample something different, I have to drive to Seattle or Vancouver. Move, you say? But, I would miss you, my fellow Whatcomer’s!

So, purely for self-interest, could the BTC Culinary Institute try to teach more ethnic based cooking for those of us raised in more diverse climes? I know BTC is the reason why some of Bellingham’s restaurants are cutting edge.

And, really, how many pizza places does a town need? I have an idea! How about Pizza & Java? THAT would be Bellingham! I give you permission – Go run with it.

May 19, 2009

Sushi 101 @ The Cordata Community Food Co-op

I participated in a sushi class at the Community Food Co-op and I loved every minute of it! I’ve been making sushi for many years, but the opportunity to participate hands on with a native Japanese restaurateur was a true privilege.

Yukiko Helle was the teacher tonight and is a wonderful lady. She is a native of Kumamoto, Japan where her family members were restaurateurs; she grew up in a restaurant kitchen. Yukiko and her husband also had a restaurant in Georgia before making their way to Bellingham.

She had an ambitious schedule. We were to learn the ins and outs of making sushi rice (very important to vigorously fan while ‘knifing’ the vinegar and salt into the rice) and the prep for some sushi vegetables (spinach, cucumber, avocado). Did you know the Japanese don’t generally eat spinach raw? The spinach is washed VERY well with the roots attached, dried and then quickly blanched. The water is repeatedly squeezed out of the spinach above the cooking pot. Then, the roots are cut off and the spinach used. This is to remove the acid in the spinach, but still retain its nutrients.

She gave detailed instruction on how to make shrimp tempura:

‘Don’t be a cheapskate with the vegetable oil’ so as to maintain the oil’s temperature.

And, of course,we learned  how to assemble and roll different types of sushi:  nigiri, California, big maki, gunboat, inari. There were cutting  boards and sharp knives so you could practice using your ‘qi’ or energy flow, to slice your sushi roll to perfection! She offered very good hands-on instruction:  she walked the room to give assistance, asked the students to the kitchen stove to prepare and cook shrimp tempura. There was so much sushi made, people were taking home leftovers!

First we made nigiri sushi with shrimp, eel, taco (octopus) and tuna. Then we made California rolls with crab, avocado and cucumber. The third dish was called big maki – there was an entire shrimp tempura along with pickled daikon, spinach and cucumber in a roll. We made gunboat sushi which is a special type of nigiri sushi where a strip of nori is wrapped around the perimeter of a small mound of rice creating a cup we filled with spicy crab (imitation crab sliced and pulled apart into matchsticks and mixed with fried tempura batter pieces,  mayonnaise, salt and sriracha). And last, but not least, we made inari which is a credit card sized pouch of fried tofu (comes canned in a syrup) filled with rice. YUM YUM YUM.

Next, I would love to participate in a Japanese breakfast class. I think breakfast options need to be expanded in the American diet. Yukiko?

September 26, 2008

Cosmos Greek Restaurant in White Rock, BC

Filed under: Britich Columbia,British Columbia,Pacific Northwest,restaurants — Bellinghamster @ 9:26 pm

Debbie says her VERY favorite restaurant is Cosmos Greek Restaurant in White Rock, BC. It’s food and service and entertainment outdo any other Greek restaurant in the area. By entertainment, she means Friday and Saturday night male and female belly dancing.

Can you here my finger chimes? (a gift from MIL during a stay in Jeddah)

14871 Marine Dr, White Rock BC

604-531-3511

PS MIL is my world traveled mother-in-law.

April 9, 2008

Bacchus Bistro in Langley BC

Filed under: Britich Columbia,restaurants — Tags: , — Bellingham Diner @ 5:43 pm

Just under an hour away, a few miles over the border is Bacchus Bistro, part of the Domaine De Chaberton winery. It’s a French Bistro open for dinner on weekends and lunch all week. Maybe interesting? One of only a handful of restaurants around Bellingham that are rated by Zagats… what are the reviews like?

Well, just a few days ago the Champagne People enjoyed Bacchus. But last summer/fall two other foodies said it was “terrible” and that “It has so much potential but unfortunately the whole package makes it a place worth skipping”. Yuck.

They definitely need help with web marketing, as their winery ranks for the bistro name but doesn’t have the bistro content. I did find a menu of unknown age (PDF file), and then I discovered the Bistro is included in the winery site, buried behind the navigation. See the Bistro info here, and the dinner menu here.

Status? Pass for now.

If you have more to add that would help others decide to visit the Bacchus Bistro (or not), please add your comments below!

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