1) The first 100 people to visit the Capitol Hill store on April 15th who inform the staff that they have filed their tax returns will get a free Gold Digger vibrator. Prefer the internets? No problem. The first 100 orders on Babeland.com on the 15th will get a Gold Digger as well, with no minimum purchase.

2) No sales tax for purchases online and in store on the 15th (in the form of a 10% discount).

So get out there on Tax Day and fulfill your patri-erotic duty, Seattle!

Babeland
707 E. Pike St. (on Capitol Hill)
Seattle, WA 98122
206-328-2914
Hours on Tax Day: 11am – 10pm

It was easy to pass up the sampler of guest taps to experience six different versions of Bifrost from two different vintages. (Yes, I am talking about vintages and beer.) This was the lineup:

1) Bifrost 2008
2) Jack Frost (aged in second-use Jack Daniels barrels)
3) Oak Frost (conditioned with French Oak staves for one month)
4) Brett Frost (re-inoclulated with Brettanomyces and aged in a Cabernet barrel)
5) Bifrost 2007
6) Cask Bye-Bye Frost 2007

The Jack Frost and Oak Frost were both very good; like the judicious use of oak on a good wine, these beers had added complexity. The 2007s seemed a little faded; more of a curiosity that a good example of an age-worthy beer. (This is why you get the sampler rather than committing to just one. And this is not a metaphor for life, I am just talking about beer.)

The clear winner that was so good I had to run to the ATM and come back for a schooner (only because the Elysian would not pour a pint for liability reasons) was the Brett Frost. I am familiar with Brettanomyces (a non-spore forming genus of yeast, duh) from the world of wine and my understanding is that the Brett found in wine is at best funky and at worst disgusting. The addition of Brett to the Bifrost, however, transformed the beer into something akin to a strong Belgian farmhouse ale; it was a delicious and deadly sipper.

Now enjoy the finest in cell phone camera technology; this crap photo looks like it was taken by my poor liver, which was worked harder than a rented mule:

(Or was it the tequila and mescal-soaked karaoke at Jalisco’s in Queen Anne afterwords where the real damage took place?)

Seattle-Tampa draws lowest NFL rating

NBC’s Seattle Seahawks-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game ended up with the lowest national rating ever — 6.3% of U.S. households — for a prime-time broadcast network NFL game

So what milesone is next for our Seahawks?

I have not yet been there for dinner, but you are seated at communal tables and the food is passed around family-style. I vacillate between finding it charming and wondering what happens if you get seated next to some drunken boor hogging all the hamachi (like me).

What do you think of this increasing trend of communal dining in Seattle?

The Corson Bulding
5609 Corson Avenue South
(206) 762-3330

*Appropriated fromThe Blues Brothers, though they were talking about the El in Chicago.

Union
First and Union
Bar Menu 5-7pm and 11-close everyday
(206) 838-8000

(That reminds me; I sure could use a new spatula. Damn! That’s powerful art.)

You need:
Mushrooms (duh)
A shallot
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Red wine (something decent enough to drink)

Rinse (yes, rinse) the dirt off the mushrooms and cut them in half down the stem. (They are too pretty to brutalize too much with your knife). Slice the shallot. Heat up the olive oil in your (preferably) stainless steel pan to medium (or “5″). Add the mushroom and shallot and hit it with a generous amount of salt and a few grinds of pepper. The salt will leech out all of the moisture in the mushrooms and they will almost braise in their own juices. When the moisture is gone, the mushrooms with start to roast in the pan and you will see little brown, crispy bits in the bottom of the pan. Add about a 1/4 cup of wine and scrape up all the bits from the bottom. Let the wine soak into the mushrooms and serve.

I know most chefs say to brush the dirt off of the mushrooms because rinsing them will cause them to become waterlogged, but I think that is bunk. A stainless steel pan is nice because it forms the fond (aka the crispy bits at the bottom of the pan) in a manner that no nonstick pan can compete with.

If you happen to have an amazing Burgundy fall from the sky (see below), this is the best Pinot Noir possible for your dish.

Yesterday was the first day of business; when I showed up at 10am their was a minor glitch that only permitted them to pour shots, so they offered me a gratis espresso. (Thank you, Vivace.) I came back later for an americano and all was well. So what do you think?

Espresso Vivace
700 Broadway E

They describe ‘Zaw as “pizza in the raw” (the concept formerly known as “take and bake”)
They use Bob’s Red Mill organic white and wheat flour, and they make a limited amount of a gluten-free dough as well
They will add freshly-ground flax seed to your dough
They sell growlers-to-go for beer
The beers and wines are local and, in some instances, organic
They strive to make pizzas with S.O.U.L. (that’s Seasonal, Organic, Unique, and Local)
They call their Italian flatbread starter an “appeti’zaw” and have pizzas and salads named “The Arizawna”, “The Vietzawm” and “The Caezaw Salad”
They offer delivery via bicycle

So what do you think of the concept? Is it an idea that sounds intriguing enough that you will give it a whirl? Will the overlords at metblogs reach into their vast, deep, pockets to reimburse me for a pizza (I mean, ‘zaw) and a growler?

‘Zaw
1424 E. Pine St. (at 15th)
206-325-5528

*Whenever someone says they will “try” to do something, I can’t help but remember an episode of The Simpsons where Marge asks Bart, “Promise me you’ll try to behave?” Bart’s respsonse: “I can’t promise to try, but I promise I’ll try to try”

See you at lunchtime.

The Comet Tavern
922 E Pike St
(206) 322-9272

*But don’t forget to tip your bartenders.