Thai Tom, the uberpopular, tiny, and always crowded restaurant and main reason for venturing into the northern reaches of the Ave in the U-District has been closed for a variety of hygiene and safety reasons by the County.

snapshot from kingcounty.gov

(via @andypixel)

One of the few things I’m always complaining about related to living in Eastlake is the lack of affordable, delicious dinner options, so when the rumors started up about Tako Truk opening up operations out of the 14 Carrot Cafe space, I may have squealed with glee. (I am a fan of the taco revolution, and would move in to Tacos Gringos if there was enough space.)

Tako Truk runs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from around 6 to around 12, taking orders from a wooden crate set up in the doorway of the 14 Carrot. They have a chalkboard set up with the night’s offerings, and $5 in cash will get you three of most of the tacos and two of the octopus tacos. (Two tacos is plenty for me, but I am little, so your mileage may vary.) It takes some amount of time between two and ten minutes to get your tacos, which is plenty of time to meet your neighbors who are all standing around humming in taco-related excitement. Tacos bring everyone together.

Last night, the octopus was great, not rubbery, oniony and spicy and sitting on a smear of yogurt. Cormac Mahoney, formerly of Sitka and Spruce, is behind this operation, which means that everything is pretty much guaranteed to be interesting and delicious, so I’m already plotting how to make sure I’m home on at least one of their three nights next week too. Each day they Twitter what the menu is going to be, update when they run out of something, and then let everyone know when they’re closing down.

Tako Truk is really pretty brilliant, and an exciting addition to Seattle’s slowly awakening street food scene. I wish they were open every day.

This year’s Taste TV sponsored Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon was a thoroughly enjoyable event. A variety of chocolatiers from throughout the US–including a respectable showing of locals–had products on display and available for sampling. The focus, of course, was on actually tasting the chocolates, truffles, and caramels on offer, but a a definite bonus was being able to talk with the chocolatiers about their craft. Chocolate making is a fascinating process limited only by the skill, imagination and access to raw materials available to the maker. Fortunately for everyone in attendance at the salon, the chocolatiers on hand all seemed to have plenty of each.

With so much great stuff from which to choose, selecting prize winners is surely a true challenge for the judges. I would have liked to give everyone a prize for their great work, but there were some items that stood out as my favorites. Crave Chocolates, of Bozeman, Montana, produces lovely to look at, even lovelier taste artisan truffles in dark, milk and white chocolate, with flavor combinations that enhance the chocolate without overwhelming it. Their Cold Smoke truffle–white chocolate, lime zest and coconut–was a taste of light zesty sweetness like a breath of fresh, citrus-scented air. Posh Chocolat, from Missoula, Montana, had a great selection of chocolates and truffles but it was their artisan sea salt caramels with flavors like coconut-pineapple caramel with Hawaiian pink sea salt, Thai peanut caramel with ginger sea salt, and bacon caramel with Applewood smoked sea salt that impressed me the most.

Speaking of caramels, my absolute favorite single item tasted today was the chipotle caramel from Forte Chocolates, out of Stanwood, Washington. Smoky, sweet, with the precise amount of richness to make them luxurious without being overwhelming, this was one of the best caramels I’ve ever tasted. Owner Karen Neugebaur also offers in-home chocolate classes and tasting parties; check out her web site for details. Oh! Chocolate, with locations in Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Madison Park is also offering chcoolate classes, every Friday at 3 pm through Labor Day at their Madison Park location.

Port Orchard’s Carter’s Chocolates presented what were my favorite truffles of the salon with excellent flavors inspired by wine, tea, liqueurs, beer and fuit and chili. Their chile, crafted using a blend of spices created by Two Snooty Chefs, also from Port Orchard, was a masterful blend of smooth chocolate and fire.

Mmmm....Sounds tempting....

It’s almost time for the annual “Bite of Seattle”, the festival runs Friday 7/17-Sunday 7/19. (Fri & Sat 11 AM-9 PM, Sun 11 AM-8 PM).

Should be a great time as always, this year there are over 100 food booths with every type of food imaginable. There are also 4 beer gardens for when you get thirsty and 7 outdoor entertainment stages with all types of live music; rock, pop, soul, jazz, 80′s, reggae….Pretty much something for everybody….

Looks like the weather is going to cooperate, should be in the mid 70′s all weekend….

Summertime in Seattle, can’t beat it….

photo by xmatt via Creative Commons

Knowing how very, very picky I am about chocolate, ne of my co-workers asked me if I thought the $20 ($25 at the door) charge for the second Seattle Chocolate Salon this coming Sunday is worth it. My answer was that last year’s Salon happened on a hot and sunny day when Bell Harbor’s air conditioning broke down, turning the entire exhibition area into a humid, crowded mess and, yet, I still thought it was more than worth the price of entry. As far as I could see, everyone else thought so, too. This is a great event.

Hopefully there won’t be any mechanical issues this year.

What there definitely will be are tasting, demonstrations, talks by chefs and authors, a chocolate spa and an endless loop of chocolate themed programming from Chocolate TV. Chocolatiers present at the event include Amano Artisan Chocolate, Theo Chocolate, Intrigue Chocolates, Oh! Chocolate, and Posh Chocolate (all of them 2008 Chocolate Salon award winners) and Crave Chocolate, Forte Chocolates, Divine Chocolate, Carter’s Chocolates, Chocolopolis, Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates, La Châtelaine Chocolat Co., Eat Chocolates, Choffy, The Chocolate Traveler, William Dean Chocolates, Xocai Healthy Chocolate, Suess Chocolates, Claudio Corallo Chocolate and other vendors like Marco Polo Designs’ Chocolate Jewelry, Honest Tea, TasteTV, Yelp, Sizzleworks Cooking School, and more.

If you like chocolate at all, you’ll want to be at this event. If you’re one of those people who feels a little intimidated by luxury chocolates (maybe you’ve spent your whole life eating Hersey bars and they’ve always tasted just fine to you), don’t be. The chocolatiers are all friendly people who are excited to share their love of chocolate with you and are happy to answer your questions. Fine chocolate isn’t just pleasant to eat, it’s actually really interesting. Plus, it’s nice to have all different kinds of chocolate in one place. Last year I got to try some excellent trufflles in flavors I would have never previously imagined and I’m really looking forward to see what’s new this year.

The talks are great, too, especially for people who like to cook–there are a ton of tasty dishes you can make with chocolate and they’re not all desserts. You could make a whole chocolate meal if you like.

The Seattle Chocolate Salon takes place Sunday, July 12 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at Bell Harbor Conference Center, down on the waterfront at Pier 66 (2211 Alaskan Way). Advance tickets and a schedule of events can be found at their website.

On Sunday, I bought 6 flats of organic strawberries from Tiny’s Organics, who has a stall at the Broadway Farmer’s Market on Sunday afternoons. When you buy in bulk, most vendors will give you a discount. In this case, they gave me 10% off and they threw in a 7th flat of strawberries for free, bringing the total to an amazing 42 pints of strawberries.

It took 90 minutes to hull all of the strawberries and pack them into bags. Tuesday, I brought them to a friends’ house and taught them how to make jam. It’s easy to do in small batches (so you don’t have to buy 42 pints like I did).

The quick and easy method: hull strawberries. Place 8 cups berries into a large pot and bring to a simmer on the stove for 10 minutes. Add 6 cups sugar and 1/3 cup lemon juice. Stirring often, simmer for 15-20 minutes. While berries are simmering, place 8-10 jars in the top rack of your dishwasher and run through the rinse cycle to sanitize (or boil in hot water for 2 minutes). In a small pot with water, boil lids with rubber seals for 2 minutes. Turn burner off and let strawberries sit for 2 minutes. Ladle into jars, leaving 1/4″ room at the top. Wipe down the rims with a paper towel and center lid on top of jar. Screw outer band over lid and place each sealed jar into a big pot of water. Bring to a boil and cover for 10 minutes. Remove jars from pot and as they cool, listen for each “pop” as the seal takes. Now you have jam. Store in a dark cupboard or pantry.

Last note: you can easily make different variations by adding in fresh chopped herbs right before ladling into the jar. We added fresh mint and fresh tarragon to two different batches. You can also add lime zest for a really intense flavor.

Linguine seasoned with a teaspoon butter, dash of salt and fresh ground pepper. Topped with 1/6 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup sugar snap peas, 2 Tablespoon sauteed garlic spears, 1 slice crumbled bacon, 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, and 1/4 cup sliced cherries.

Sugar snap peas, garlic spears, and cherries fresh from the Broadway Farmer’s Market, where you can also pick up fresh pasta, local cheese and bacon. If you’re looking to eat local, add more fresh vegetables and fruit to your diet, try experimenting with food from your neighborhood market.

Farmer's Market Heirlooms

Have you been visiting your local farmer’s markets? Many Seattle neighborhoods have one. Strawberries and cherries have started coming in. We’re at the end of asparagus season. Stone fruits should be arriving within a few weeks.

I’m looking forward to picking up half a dozen flats of strawberries this Sunday at the Capitol Hill market and making homemade strawberry and tarragon jam with friends.

Fiddleheads – The unfurled fronds of the fern plant. West Seattle Farmer’s Market.

Awesomely fresh local specialty produce. Imagine these sauteed in some garlic butter and a spritz of fresh lemon squeezed on top at the end.

Check out seattlefarmersmarkets.org for the closest one to you and check it out if you have never been. Not only can you enjoy super fresh produce, but usually at prices way better than at a grocery store. Most of them also include vendors selling breads, sweet treats, honey, cured meats, fish, flowers, and prepared foods.

Get ready Seattle! Get ready for a summer’s worth of tasty, tasty Sundays. Joule Restaurant in Wallingford is starting up their Urban BBQ series again this Sunday. Last summer, we missed the first half of the series and did we ever regret it. The food is always tasty, the menu is quite varied, and the prices are definitely right (most dishes under $10).

The series starts this Sunday. The BBQ runs from 12pm to 8pm, with live music most days from 2-4pm. Here’s the schedule.

May 31st – Seoul Melange: Korean Street Food
June 7th – Game’s on: Got Goat?
June 14th – Night of the Iguana: Mexican Riviera
June 21st – New England Clam Boil (with Oyster Bill from Taylor Shellfish helping out)
June 28th – Night in Tunisia: Seif! (Seif is one of the owners)
July 5th – Southern Affair
July 12th – Bangkok Express
July 19th – Salmon Run
July 26th – Spanish Fever
August 2nd – Food on a Stick (one of my favorites)
August 9th – Mambo Italiano
August 16th – JFC: Joule Fried Chicken
August 23rd – Cochon Joule: Pig Out
August 30th – Joule Country Fair

Note: Since these menus are fixed ahead of time but not often detailed publicly until the restaurant opens for the day, people with food allergies or dietary restrictions might shy away from coming. Well, don’t! If you call ahead, Joule will make sure you can find something to eat. Granted, a vegetarian might want to avoid the Pig Out night or maybe the Goat or Fried Chicken nights, but Joule will work with you to make sure there’s something you can eat and enjoy. Just call ahead and let them know.

Joule Restaurant
1913 N. 45th Street
Wallingford