Earlier this year, I decided to join a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. A CSA is a way for farmers and a community of individuals to join together in a mutual partnership. There are many different CSA models out there, but the most common scenario is where individuals make a financial commitment to a farm, thereby becoming members or shareholders of that farm. In return, members are given a share of the farm’s bounty during the growing season, usually in the form of weekly deliveries of fresh produce. The benefits for the farmers are a guaranteed, steady source of income and the opportunity to talk directly with their consumers. Also, since most CSAs require advance payment, the farmers receive the money at the beginning of the season when it is needed most. Although there are risks involved with joining a CSA (poor harvests mean less produce for everyone), the benefits for the members are numerous: delicious, healthy produce throughout the season, knowledge of exactly where that produce comes from and sense of community and connection with a local farm.

After a little bit of research, I finally decided to join the CSA program at Boistfort Valley Farm. I was tempted at first to go with one of the biggies. Pioneer Organics and Full Circle Farm both offer CSA-like programs in which you get a weekly box of organic produce delivered. They offer a lot of conveniences including year-round delivery and picking & choosing your produce online. But, they also supplement their deliveries with produce from California and Mexico, especially in the winter. I decided that wanted to go with a more traditional CSA where everything comes from a single local farm and whatever those farmers feel like growing that year is what you get. Once I figured that part out, it was really just a matter of finding a farm that delivered to Capitol Hill and had a delivery day that worked well with my cooking schedule. Boistfort Valley Farm fit the bill perfectly. Plus, I liked their website and they were really sweet when I e-mailed them with my questions.

Today, my first box of Boistfort Valley Farm produce arrived! I headed over to the Capitol Hill drop site after work, lugged the box home and excitedly opened it up as soon as I walked in the door. Inside was an amazing array of vegetables, more than Robert and I will probably be able to consume in a week unless I start cooking on the weekends. There were two huge heads of lettuce (romaine and red oak leaf), a bunch of red chard, beets with greens, baby carrots, baby bok choy, easter egg radishes, cilantro, mint, 2 pints of strawberries and a bouquet of fresh flowers. There was also a friendly newsletter explaining what was what and offering some recipes. Figuring out creative ways to use all of this produce will be a fun challenge. For dinner tonight, I made pasta with cilantro-mint pesto, roasted beets and carrots, and a huge salad of mixed greens and radishes with an ume vinaigrette. The strawberries will be for dessert. Everything was so fresh and delicious. I can’t wait to see what the next 19 weeks of boxes will bring!

Cafe Presse, a new French cafe from Le Pichet owners, Joanne Herron and Jim Drohman, opened for business this week, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Cafe Presse is the latest addition to 12th Avenue in the Seattle University neighborhood. This is a really hip area right now. Foodie hotspots Lark, Licorous, Crave, and Osteria La Spiga have all made their homes here in recent years. The owners of Cafe Presse wanted to create a really casual space where people could stop by and sample some French wines, meet up with friends for a few bites of food, or simply read the morning paper over a cup of Cafe Vita coffee (Cafe Presse is also a newsstand offering international magazines and newspapers.) I love that sort of unstructured style, less of a restaurant and more of a hangout where people are allowed to linger a while. If it stays as busy as it was last night, however, it may have a hard time becoming the “alternative living room” that the owners were striving for.

The interior of Cafe Presse has an understated elegance to it. Pretty pale blue wallpaper lines one wall; exposed brick comprises the opposite wall. It is decorated functionally with wine racks and shelves of glassware. High ceilings, tall windows and a huge skylight result in a light, airy atmosphere. There are about 15 tables in the front room with additional seating at the long bar and another small bar with seating at the front window. There is also a back room with more tables.

The menu is broken down into small plates, salads, charcuterie and a short list of entrees. I went with a classic, Salade Nicoise. Robert ordered straight off the small plate menu: baguette sandwich with cured ham, pomme frites and an arugula salad. The baguette sandwiches here aren’t piled high like American sandwiches; instead you get a very slender baguette topped with a bit of mustard and the meat of your choice. Robert really liked his. The pomme frites could have been crisper, but they were tasty anyway. My salad was very good. The tuna was so soft and flavorful. I have a feeling they weren’t using Bumblebee. Even the anchovies were meatier and better than the ones I normally have. Aside from ingredients typically found in Salade Nicoise - tomatoes, potatoes, olives, and boiled eggs - my salad also came sprinkled with tiny chickpeas. An unexpected treat.

Although it just opened, there are already a few things that I’m loving about Cafe Presse. One, the food is all very good. Two, the hours are easy to remember: 7AM to 2AM every single day. Three, the menu is the same all day long. If you want an omelet for dinner, no problem. If you want pan-fried fish over lentils for breakfast, go for it. Finally, and this is a biggie, the prices are totally reasonable, especially given the quality of the food. Small plates run from $3 to $7, salads are $4, and entrees are typically between $12 to $15. Wines are an even better deal. You can order any wine off the list by the glass, demi-pichet (pitcher), pichet, or bottle. We had the most expensive wine, a Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine (in keeping with my Loire Valley theme this week), which was $5 per glass. The other wines on the list were either $3.50 or $4 per glass. $3.50! For a glass of wine! That’s insanely cheap. Let’s see…inexpensive French wines, available by the glass, 5 blocks from my apartment. I think it’s safe to say that I’m coming here all the time! Cafe Presse is located at 1117 12th Avenue.

I don’t have too much to report for this week’s winesday but, for the sake of posterity, I’m going to anyway. Last night, I opened up a bottle of wine that Robert bought me for my birthday: 2005 Claude Lafond La Raie Reuilly. Remembering that Sancerre is one of my favorite wine regions, he went off the beaten path and bought a wine from a neighboring region, Reuilly. Isn’t he clever? I’m terrible at remembering little things about people and inevitably end up getting them gifts straight off of their amazon.com wish lists, but I digress. Reuilly and Sancerre are both appellations in the Loire Valley in France and both are known for their bone dry Sauvignon Blancs. Reuilly wines are said to be a bit more floral and fruity than the wines from Sancerre. Claude Lafond produces several different Reuilly wines, mostly Sauvignon Blanc but also some Pinot Noir. La Raie, which means “the line,” is his most traditional Sauvignon Blanc.

Naturally, given its proximity to Sancerre, I really liked this wine. It was very citrusy (mostly lime) yet it was also quite robust and full-tasting, much more so than I expected. It didn’t have the zing that Sancerre is known for, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This is not a Sancerre, it is a Reuilly; perhaps less zingy, more full-bodied wines are simply the style of Reuilly. Sometimes, people describe a wine as being oily, and I think I experienced that with this wine. It felt like it coated my mouth, causing the flavor to last longer which was nice. With its stronger flavor, it reminded me more of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (another one of my favorites!) For dinner, I kept things very simple. I just steamed some clams in wine and garlic and tossed them with pasta and had a simple salad on the side. A simple but perfect meal.

There are so many changes happening on Capitol Hill right now. It seems like new condos are being put up overnight. Everywhere I look, something is being torn down so that something bigger and taller can be put in its place. While I like the idea of having a denser urban area (less sprawl hopefully means less cars), it makes me wonder when they are going to come after my apartment building. But, for now, the good side to all of this development is that there are a ton of new restaurants opening up in my neighborhood this summer! Let’s see, there’s Cafe Presse, a casual French cafe and newsstand from the owners of one of my favorite lunch spots, Le Pichet. Linda Derschang, of Linda’s Tavern and Viceroy fame, is opening a new place called Smith up on 15th Avenue. Later this summer, the guys from Blue C Sushi in Fremont are supposed to be opening a Japanese noodle shop a few blocks away from us on 12th and Pike. It’s almost too much. We barely have time to visit our standby restaurants as it is.

Last night, we visited another product of the condo boom: Bimbo’s Cantina. Bimbo’s Cantina is the new incarnation of Bimbo’s Bitchin’ Burrito Kitchen, which was previously located down on Pike & Summit until that block was bought to make room for condos. Fortunately for us, the new Bimbo’s is much closer, now located on Pike between 10th and 11th. I’ve always liked Bimbo’s. Their burritos aren’t mind-blowing or anything, but they are good and cheap. Plus, they use lots of organic ingredients. The new Bimbo’s has a slightly more streamlined look. There is still plenty of Mexican kitsch, but it not quite as over the top as it was at the old restaurant. There is a much stronger focus on Mexican wrestler-related kitsch, including a pretty cool Mexican wrestler stained glass window above the door. Bimbo’s Cantina seats around twice as many people as did the old Bimbo’s, which means about 30 plus additional seating at the bar. Whereas the old space was dark and cramped, the new Bimbo’s is spacious and airy. It might not be quite as cool, but I felt really comfortable there.

I ordered what I always order, the “No-Meato Burrito” which is your choice of tortilla (flour, wheat, spinach or tomato) stuffed full with rice, beans (whole, refried or black), lettuce, black olives, sunflower seeds, tomato, cheese, guacamole and cumin-lime sour cream. It was totally messy and delicious. I’m a sucker for the crunchy sunflower seeds. Robert had the “Down Home Burrito” which is filled with a choice of meat (herb-roasted chicken or beef) and garlic potatoes as well as rice, beans, etc. They accidentally left out the meat which, if you’ve ever been to Bimbo’s, isn’t too surprising. He didn’t mind too much, though, because the garlic potatoes were so good. Bimbo’s also offers nachos, tacos and quesadillas and lime jello for dessert for $0.50. The usual Mexican beverages are available including a good selection of cervezas, sangria, margaritas and Mexican sodas. It was a very filling meal and the best part is that, even with beer, we got out of there for under $20!

The Cha Cha Lounge, which is affiliated with Bimbo’s and was previously located right next door, also made the big move up the hill. Now, it is directly downstairs from Bimbo’s. After dinner, we decided to check it out. It is humongous compared to the old Cha Cha. There is tons of seating, including some really nice booths. It looks like all of the leftover Mexican kitsch from the old Bimbo’s was moved into Cha Cha. The walls and ceiling are covered in it; that, combined with the dark red lighting, makes for an otherworldly atmosphere. We didn’t stick around, but it looks like it will be a pretty fun place to meet friends at for drinks. Bimbo’s Cantina and Cha Cha Lounge are located at 1013 East Pike Street.

Yesterday was my birthday. I never do anything too crazy for my birthday. I do like to use it as an excuse to eat lots of good food, though, and this year was no exception! On Sunday night, my family and I went to Kingfish for my annual birthday dinner. I’ve written about Kingfish before so I won’t go into it too much here except to say that, man, their desserts are huge! I had heard that they were “oversized” but apparently I didn’t quite understand what this really meant. We ordered three desserts to split between the seven of us, and we would have easily been satisfied with only two (we did somehow manage to finish all three though!) The dark chocolate cake was an encyclopedia-sized slab, the cherry cobbler was served in a trough, and the strawberry shortcake was piled sky-high with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It was truly awe-inspiring. If Robert and ever go there alone and want dessert, we may need to go in on it with another table or something. It was so good, I think it would be worth it. The cherry cobbler was my favorite.

My friend took me out for lunch yesterday at one of my favorite restaurants in the International District: Shanghai Garden. We ordered hot & sour soup, mu shu vegetables and spicy szechuan bean curd. One of the things that I love about Shanghai Garden is the table service. If you order soup, they bring it out in a big bowl and then portion it out for each person at the table. They also assemble your mu shu for you, putting the perfect amount of hoisin sauce and veggies into each pancake. I really like the way that Shanghai Garden makes their fried bean curd. Instead of using firm tofu like a lot of restaurants do, they use a soft, silky tofu. It is crispy and light on the outside but soft and pillowy on the inside. The szechuan bean curd was served in a slightly spicy sweet & sour sauce with broccoli and snow peas. We had this with brown rice which was pretty unusual; it was more of a reddish color with lots of darker kernels sprinkled throughout. It was all so good!

After so much dining out, I was more than happy to stay home for dinner on my birthday. I didn’t feel like cooking, though, so I headed down to Pike Place Market after work and picked up some items for a deluxe smorgasboard. I got a really nice piece of freshly-smoked salmon from Pure Food Fish which ended up being way more than I needed (We only ate a quarter of it. I used the rest to make smoked salmon & pickled onion sandwiches on rye tonight.) From DeLaurenti, I bought a small wedge of Taleggio cheese and another small piece of Rogue Creamery’s Smoky Blue from Oregon. If you’ve never had this cheese, you must try it! It is so unusual; it is a blue cheese that has been lightly smoked which makes it taste a little bacony. Mmmm…blue cheese and bacon. But, the true hit of the night was the Taleggio. I just love this cheese. It is kind of stinky, but its flavor is mellow and nutty. And it is so deliciously creamy. I also picked up some Rainier cherries and the last of the local asparagus, which I grilled rather successfully on my little grill pan. To drink, I served another Oregon product: A to Z Winemaker’s 2005 Pinot Blanc. It was a really fantastic wine. It was very full-bodied but without the oak that is usually associated with heavy whites. It just had a really nice, full fruit flavor. Ah, so much good food in such a short amount of time. I can’t wait for my next birthday!

The weather was too nice on Friday to be stuck indoors working so my friend and I decided to take an extended break and venture down to Lola for lunch. Lola is part of Tom Douglas’ restaurant empire here in Seattle, which also includes the famous Etta’s and Dahlia Lounge. Open as of July 2004, Lola boasts of menu of Greek and Greek-inspired dishes. The lunch menu consists mainly of smaller dishes, including a wide variety of meze and kebabs, whereas the dinner menu features more hearty fare such as goat stifado and roasted chickens. Should you ever find yourself wandering around Belltown late one night, keep in mind that Lola has a tasty-sounding “late-night” menu. Lola also offers a weekend brunch and even weekday breakfast.

To drink, my friend and I each ordered a “dry soda” just because it sounded unusual and had good flavors. We later learned that Dry Soda is actually the brand name. Dry Soda is a Seattle-based company. They make sodas that are supposed to be less sweet and “all natural.” I had the kumquat soda and my friend had the lavender soda. There are also rhubarb and lemongrass versions. Both sodas were good, but I thought they could have been fizzier. And, at $4.00 each, I might as well have ordered a glass of wine or something with booze in it.

We started off by sharing an order of the Kalamata-Fig spread which was absolutely delicious. Salty from the olives and slightly sweet from the fig. It was served with small wedges of yummy homemade whole-wheat pitas. For our entrees, my friend and I both ordered the same thing. How boring of us, I know, but we couldn’t help it because this dish just sounded so interesting: Haloumi Cheese & Cherry Kebabs. Haloumi is, not surprisingly, a Greek cheese which is made from both goat and sheep’s milk. It has a very high melting point making it able to stand up to intense frying and grilling. The kebabs were on the small side, although I’m not really sure how much grilled cheese I could eat in one sitting so that was fine with me. The cheese was chewy and meaty and the sweet-tart rainier cherries were a nice accompaniment. I would have liked to see some grill marks or at least a bit of char somewhere - these are kebabs after all - but that’s a minor complaint. The kebabs at Lola are served with pitas and tzatziki and your choice between Greek salad and “smashed” potatoes, which are really more like “cracked” potatoes and were good if a bit dry. Overall, it was a pretty tasty meal. It cost a bit more than I normally like to spend on lunch, but what better way is there to kick off my birthday week than by splurging on food!

Lola is located at 2000 4th Ave, at the corner of 4th and Virginia. Reservations can be made by phone (206) 441-1430 or online via Open Table.

Last night, I made Penne with Sicilian Shepherd’s Sauce from The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rosetto Kaspar. This is a really great cookbook for anyone who loves rustic Italian cuisine, and this is one of my favorite recipes from the book. It is essentially pasta with tomato sauce, but it is the method of preparation that sets this dish apart. It involves the use of a “soffrito.” Soffrito is an Italian term that refers to a mixture of savory vegetables that are pan-fried slowly in olive oil and then used as a flavor base for sauces or soups. To make the soffrito for this recipe, you mince together carrot, celery, onion, parsley and sage leaves and then fry those in olive oil until golden. The key is to cook slowly over medium heat until the vegetables are nice and golden. It took about 20 minutes for mine to achieve the right color. Toward the end of cooking, you add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. When the soffrito is done, you add some dry red wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits that have stuck to the pan. Finally, you add canned chopped tomatoes and a bit of tomato paste and simmer for a few minutes longer.

What you end up with is a spicy, hearty tomato sauce, totally unlike your basic marinara sauce. But, wait, the best part is yet to come! Because this is a traditional shepherd’s dish, cheese must come into play somewhere. In this case, it is fresh, creamy ricotta cheese which is scooped in big dollops right on top of the pasta. Very rustic! I saw Lynne make this on TV once, and she was so excited about the dish that she got a little carried away and ended up piling on the ricotta like a madwoman. I was a little bit more conservative with my dollops of cheese. The pure white cheese against the deep red pasta is beautiful. Be sure to use the best ricotta you can find for this dish. I bought fresh ricotta at DeLaurenti, and it was so much creamier and tastier than the stuff in tubs that you find at the grocery store.

My wine choice for the evening was Roza Ridge 2003 Merlot, another one of the wines that my parents brought back from their wine tasting trip through Eastern Washington’s Rattlesnake Hills area last month. Roza Ridge is Hyatt Vineyard’s “reserve” label. Robert and I have been fans of Hyatt wines for a while now so it was exciting to try something from this second label of theirs. It was a very nice wine. Lots of black cherry flavor (which I almost actually detected on my own before reading it on the label!) Although the pasta probably would have been perfect paired with a Sicilian red, this Merlot was light enough in body and had enough acidity, that it worked just fine. With all the hype around Pinot Noir and other, hipper red wines, I forget how good a simple, well-made Merlot can be.

If you would like to make Penne with Sicilian Shepherd’s Sauce and don’t feel like winging it based on my loose directions above, you can find the full recipe here.

I don’t normally like to post links to food-related news articles or other internet finds since the more mainstream food blogs tend to have those already well-covered. That said, I found this photo essay from Time magazine to be so fascinating that I had to share it. It features families from around the world photographed with a typical week’s worth of food. It’s pretty interesting and, in some cases, enlightening. I love looking in other people’s grocery carts so this is kind of an extension of that (except that you can’t get caught snooping!) Check it out:

What the World Eats