The Food Life

First, I’m going to start with the good news:

A couple weeks ago, I met with a really nice woman, Ann Preston, after seeing her blog about Kitsap restaurants. And, after our conversation, she’s agreed to share her reviews on the Kitsap Sun’s site on the Kitsap Dining blog! She’s new to the county and she’s been taking a look at the everyday-style restaurants in Kitsap. I’ve enjoyed reading her posts, and I hope you will too.

Also on the restaurant front, I’ve been working on adding restaurants and details to local establishments on our site in our restaurants guide at kitsapsun.com/restaurants. With each restaurant, readers have the ability to give it a star rating and comment.While Yelp and UrbanSpoon offer restaurant reviews, I know finding places in Kitsap can be a little tough, and I’m hoping that this will grow to be a solid resource for Kitsap foodies. t’s a work in progress, and I’ll be adding restaurants to it in my spare time. Restaurant lovers out there can also share information about their favorites if you don’t see it on the list already. Pass the word on to your favorite restauranteur.

And now for the bad news:

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the posts to the Food Life have become infrequent and at times a little lackluster. This blog was a side project, most work done in my spare time. I believe the best blogs are ones created by people passionate about a topic or community and who can give the blog time, attention and frequently post. While I may have the passion about food, time, it seems is something I have precious little of sometimes (you should see the stock of TV and otherwise frozen dinners we’ve had in the past couple months).

While I’ve enjoyed talking with many of  you either on the blog or in e-mails, I’m going to have to say goodbye to The Food Life. Though you won’t be able to find the blog on the main site anymore, you’ll still be able to access the archives at pugetsoundblogs.com/foodlife.

This, of course, won’t be the last you’ll see of me on the blogs, nor will it be the last change you see to Kitsap Sun blogs. Please look for the changes and wish us luck.

And if you or anyone else you know is interested in writing about food, our bloggers would welcome the company. I’m hoping some of those aspiring chefs out there want to share their killer recipes.

Thank you to all who’ve joined me here. Until we meet again …

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I may have jumped at this a little early, but after seeing a Facebook post this morning on a planned Bite of Bainbridge, I felt I had to share.

I spoke briefly with Liz Gadbois, who posted the information and a web site, biteofbainbridge.com. They’re organizing vendors (I said I jumped a little early), but the event will highlight food from Bainbridge and offer wine tastings. The planned dates  are July 17 & 18.

I’ll post more information as I learn more closer to the event.

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I thought the bacon hype would die down, but I was very wrong. In the past couple weeks, there has been much bacon talk in my world.

Two weekends ago, I decided that the secret to a good sausage gravy is bacon grease, and a little bit of cooked bacon. Yep, heart attack in progress. I’m still refining the recipe a bit, and will share it when I’m happy with it.

Apparently in tune with bacon on the brain, the folks at Seattle’s Cook Local posted this picture on twitter: Chocolate chip cookies with candied bacon. Think what you will, but this sounds pretty good to me. They promised a recipe, but suggested using regular chocolate chip cookie dough and mixing in candied bacon. They offered me these instructions to candy bacon on Twitter: take two strips, and in a ziploc bag with brown sugar, shake, then bake at 350-degrees for 15 minutes. Cool and chop.

And adding to the bacon front, today I saw this upcoming event mentioned in Seattle Magazine: Baconopolis from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 25. Cost is $30 and includes boutique bacon tastings and bacon-enhanced dishes and desserts with Seattle celebrity chef Tom Douglas. To buy tickets contact Christie at 206.448.2001 or email her at: christinal@tomdouglas.com.

When I went to look up more information on the event, I also found a bacon bun recipe from Tom Douglas. Read it here.

I think all this means that Kitsap needs to have its own bacon festival, a Kitsap Bacconalia, if you will.

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With Valentines Day on it’s way (on a three-day weekend, no less), local wineries and chocolatiers are gearing up for the coming buying frenzy.

And it’s not just about bringing home the box or the bottle. Looks like some regional and area proprietors are offering a little experience as well. Cost is a few dollars at each winery.

Here are a couple that are closer to home. The state’s tourism website has a few more:

On the Olympic Peninsula, six wineries from Port Townsend to Port Angeles will host a Red Wine and Chocolate weekend. Cost is $25 to taste at all wineries or $5 each. Most of the wineries are in Port Angeles, so you might consider making a weekend of it so you don’t have to risk getting tipsy for the drive back.

Seven Bainbridge Island wineries will offer tastes paired with chocolates chosen by the winemakers.

View Wineries of Bainbridge Island in a larger map

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On Friday, we heard that Pat’s Restaurant and Bakery was closed, leaving a sign in a window on a place that was one of Bremerton’s longtime gathering spots. It was hard to go in there without seeing someone you knew. I’ll personally miss the harvest pancakes with orange butter.

Reporter Steven Gardner is trying to follow up on the closure today, asking about what happened and things like, ‘What will happen to all those cookie jars?’

When I posted about it on the Sun’s Facebook page, people lamented the loss of the local business, and generated one of the longest Facebook page comment threads I’ve seen in awhile.

The closing also inspired one woman, Heather Wood, to send us her touching memories of Pat’s, which I thought I’d share with you Food Life readers:

Pat’s Restaurant and Bakery Closes its Doors after 29 Years

By Heather Wood

This piece is about food, well really, about life. But you ought to know that I am not a writer by profession. In fact, I am in the field of finance and play with numbers all day. However, I don’t know that anyone else could truly tell this story as I could, and so I feel compelled to write it.

In 1981, a woman named Pat opened the doors up of a bakery in East Bremerton’s Wheaton Mall. It was called Pat’s Cookie Jar back then, and was a delight to a little girl’s eyes! Cases of cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls. My mother would take me there after preschool and let me pick out a treat. I loved the lemon bars. We would sit at a table, munching away, while she listened to me babble on about finger-painting, story time, and the like. Those were special mother-daughter times that I will never forget.

In the summer, my brother and I would beg to go there for lunch. We would walk into the packed restaurant and press our noses up against the bakery cases, admiring the frosted shortbread cookies. Then, we’d take a seat, arguing over who would get to sit next to mommy, of course! I would order an egg salad sandwich and he would order a BLT. While we waited for our food to come, we would look around at the cookie jars that were the restaurant’s décor and try to decide which ones we liked the best.

We’ve had birthday parties there. My graduation party was celebrated there. We’ve gathered with friends and extended family there. My parents have enjoyed anniversary and Valentine dinners there. Pat’s Restaurant and Bakery has been a part of the moments of our lives, both the small, everyday bits that go forgotten, and those bigger moments you never forget.

One of the things I’ve appreciated the most about Pat’s is the dignity with which the staff has always treated my family. You see, my brother has autism, and this sometimes leads to awkward moments in restaurants: stares and dirty looks from fellow patrons and somewhat curt treatment from restaurant staff at times. It was never like this at Pat’s, though. We were at home there. Relaxed. Comfortable. And the staff would even call my brother my name.

A few years ago, we donated our family cookie jar to Pat’s. It’s the yellow cupcake one with chocolate frosting and a cherry on top!

In recent years, my family has dined there two to three nights a week. This past Tuesday, my family drove out to Pat’s for dinner once again. But it was dark inside. The door was locked, and there was a sign on it saying “Thank you for 29 years.” As they were walking away to leave, one of the restaurant’s former employees pulled up and confirmed for my family that Pat’s Restaurant and Bakery had closed its doors for the last time on Sunday, January 24th, due to financial issues related to our Nation’s recession. The employee said that Pat’s will likely hold an auction at some point to liquidate its assets: tables… chairs… those dozens of beloved cookie jars…

My mother called me that night with the news. She said it made her want to cry. It made me want to cry as well! This is the loss of more than just a restaurant and of great food; it is the loss of a piece of our community, a loss of a piece of our lives.

To the former staff of Pat’s: You have served us well. You have been a part of my family and of my history. There is not a single month I can think of in the past 29 years of my life that you all have not been a part of. I have so many good memories filed away: laughter and blackberry pie all mixed together… lunch with my grandmother, who we lost many years ago… conversations with my mother about college life on weekends home… You have enriched our lives more than you could ever know. There are truly no words adequate in the English language to express my family’s gratitude to you all. Thank YOU for twenty-nine amazing years! We love you and wish you well on life’s journey.

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Dave Corin prepares a dog.

Retro Dogz celebrated its grand opening week before last, though it’s been open since for more than a month. (Yep, I’m a little late in spreading the word.) They even had their first health inspection, and scored a 98.75%.

If you haven’t been there yet, it’s in the spot formerly occupied by Frosty’s.

Chris Bortisser, who had previously owned August Wynn in Manette and Augustino’s on the West side, had a hand in starting it. He said he wanted to move to food that was far more simple than the upper-scale dinners of those previous restaurants. And dogs are pretty simple.

But he’s not there most days. Daily, Dave Corin is running the show with Matt Riggs behind the red and white umbrella-covered stand.

Chicago Dog

Retro Dogz specializes in dogs served many styles including one covered in chili, a Chicago style — with a sweet, neon-green relish, mustard, a spear of dill pickle, tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and celery salt — and a standard Retro Dog with ketchup, mustard relish and onions. They also regularly serve tuna- and egg-salad sandwiches and treats.

The dogs are Nathan’s frankfurters, which were first sold at a Coney Island hot dog stand. For now, that’s the only kind of dog there is. Corin said the future may hold more when the weather improves enough for grilling. he may even expand to pulled pork and other items.

Slaw dog (left) and Baja Dog

For now, though, they’re varying the menu (photo below) with weekly specials, such as last week’s Coney Island style dog or the Carolina dog with slaw on top the week before that, which now are going to be regulars on the menu, Corin said. This week, it’s The Baja Dog.

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I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about the Agate Pass Café in Suquamish, and it seems the Kitsap Sun’s restaurant reviewer Bernard Jacobson is among them. In his review, which will come out in our A&E section on Friday, he says:

“Her offerings combine with co-owner Stacy Grega’s warmly welcoming front-of-house direction, service by the equally pleasant and efficient Rachael, attractive decor featuring red lamp-shades and some intriguing light-boxes, and unusually elegant menu cards to confirm a place among the top half-dozen fine-dining spots within an hour’s drive of Bremerton.”

It seems the North end has become an apparent epicenter of good eating in Kitsap. Poulsbo has Burrata Bistro. Bainbridge Island has its Four Swallows, which recieved very good to excellent ratings in the latest Zagat’s Seattle survey (25 for food, 21 for decor, 23 for service on a 0 to 30 scale, and managed to be the only place in Kitsap listed in the guide .) I’m also partial to Sawatdy’s Thai on Bainbridge, but that could be because I had one of my first real dates with my now-husband there. Also in Poulsbo-ish, Molly Ward Gardens, but again, I’m biased. I was married there.

I’m drooling. Just about a pool forming at the keyboard. It’s definitely time for dinner. I’ll be back later this week with some info on some food that’s not quite fine dining: the humble dog.

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A lot of local food news has come out lately. In our little publication, Chris Henry wrote about the rebirth of the old Tweten’s/former Gino’s restaurant as Lighthouse Restaurant and Lounge. It’s being run by an experienced restaurateur, Josh Wood, who previously worked for and managed restaurants in Gig Harbor and Westport.

Also in Port Orchard restaurant news is that the barbecue spot on Highway 166 closed in mid-December, making it the second one to close in that building.

Bainbridge Island’s Four Swallows made this year’s Saveur’s 100 list for its blackberry slump . The gourmet food, wine and travel magazine annually puts together a list of 100 of the magazine’s favorite food, drinks, people and places.

In Silverdale, Aloha Kitchen has been serving up Hawaiian cuisine for the past couple months. I haven’t had a chance for lunch there yet, but have tried their guava and passionfruit cakes, which were sweet and delicious. The fruit comes with the filling and on top of the frosting. I recommend it.

Looks like the local eating out must-trys has gotten just a little bit longer.

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Just a short FYI: the new Kitsap restaurant inspection scores have been posted. As always, you can see all past scores, updated regularly on our restaurants inspection database.

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Taken while shopping in Uwajimaya for New Year's Food.

Yesterday, I went with my grandma for our annual pre-New Year’s grocery shopping trip to Uwajimaya in Seattle to gather the foods that we’ll eat to celebrate the New Year. We buy (or our family in Japan sends us) some of the traditional foods for osechi ryori (traditional Japanese New Year’s foods), such as sweet black beans (kuromame), sardines cooked in soy sauce (tazukuri) and other goodies. We also have our own family tradition: we set up a hot plate and make yakiniku, thin-sliced beef and vegetables. And the night before, we’re supposed to eat long noodles and spread salt around the house, for long life and stop evil spirits from coming in.

Other Japanese families celebrate by making mochi rice cakes, as they do every year on Bainbridge Island (this year’s Mochi Tsuki is on Sunday.)

So it becomes inevitable that New Years and foods are linked together in my head. It seems every culture has some sort of New Year tradition surrounding food, from grapes carried on New Year’s Eve in parts of Europe to black-eyed peas eaten in the South. Travel guru Rick Steves even hosted a show about International New Year’s Eve, and nearly all the guests mentioned some sort of food.

So with that said, I’d love to hear and share some of your traditional New Year’s celebrations involving food. What do you eat and why?

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