Seattle Waterfront and Sculpture Park

We head up to Seattle for dinner at our favorite French restaurant in town, Le Pichet, explore some of the waterfront, and visit Chihuly Gardens to see the spectacular glassware.  We first walk from our hotel over to Pike Place Market and wander through the market and down to the waterfront.  The area has been recently rebuilt with new street orientations, bike lanes, parks, restaurants, stores, and neighborhoods.  We walk on the new walkway along the water to Olympic Sculpture Park.

Along the waterfront

The Olympic Sculpture Park transforms a nine-acre (3.6 hectare) former-industrial site into a space for art.  The park is owned and maintained by the Seattle Art Museum and is filled with a variety of sculptures in a setting with incredible views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.  We wander.

Olympic Sculpture Park

From the park, we head over to the Space Needle (built as a centerpiece for the 1962 World's Fair), view some of the art in that area, then stroll back toward Pike Place Market, passing a lot of great artwork in the streets and on the buildings.

Sculpture near the Space Needle

With views of the Space Needle

Art in the streets

And, a whimsical downspout

The walking has brought us to dinner time and we stop for a cocktail at The Nest, overlooking the harbor, and then walk down the street to Le Pichet, where we share warm purée of salt cod with garlic (and toast on which to spread it) and a roast chicken.

Cocktails at The Nest

View from The Nets

Purée of salt cod with garlic

Half a roast chicken

What a great meal and a great afternoon in Seattle!

Easter Dinner

We dine simply, but well, this Easter, with a meal inspired by Melissa Clark in her book Dining in French.  Our menu is Baby Lettuce Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette and Chive-Stuffed Rack of Lamb with Crispy Potatoes.

We start by making the salad, combining baby lettuce with a vinaigrette made from a shallot, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  We add grape tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, sliced cucumber, scallions, avocado, and blue cheese (a few tweaks to the original recipe), then drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving, tossing the mixture with our hands until everything is lightly coated.

Salad ingredients

Ready to serve

For the rack of lamb, we make a garlicky, ginger herb paste by blending chives, parsley, garlic, fresh grated ginger, Asian fish sauce, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  We rub this herb mixture on the rack of lamb and let it marinate while we prepare the potatoes.

Making the paste

Great directions

Rack of lamb and herb paste

We boil fingerling potatoes for about 15 minutes, then let them cool and flatten them with our hands.  They then fill a small roasting pan, drizzled with olive oil and salt.

Potatoes ready

We place the rack of lamb on the potatoes, fat side up and roast in the oven to medium rare.

Ready for roasting

Roasting in process

As the lamb cooks, we prepare the table, and share cocktails and some simple appetizers.

Appetizers

Table is set

Once the lamb is ready, we transfer it to the cutting board, tent it with foil to keep warm, and flip the potatoes over and roast them at a higher temperature until they are golden, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Potatoes continue to roast

We slice the lamb and serve with the potatoes and a little Dijon mustard on the side.

Serving the lamb

On the table, with a little red wine, it's Bon Appetit and Happy Easter!

Enjoy!

Dining in Rome

We have one dinner in Rome at an old favorite:  Trattoria Lilli.  But first, we explore food options available in the local markets, have an appetizer at Piazza del Popolo, and then wander along the River Tiber to the restaurant.  While exploring, we spot a food and wine shop and pop in to find an incredible selection.

Food and wine

From the Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna, we walk down via del Babuino to Piazza del Popolo (with the fountain Fontana del Nettuno on one side and, on the other side, Fontana della Dea di Roma).  We stop for cocktails (negroni and wine) and bruschetta.

Cocktails and snacks

After the short walk over to and along the River Tiber to Trattoria Lilli, we settle in and enjoy some incredible traditional Italian cuisine:  bruschetta con funghi porcini, tagliolini a caceio e pepe (pecorino cheese and black pepper), rigatoni alla gricia (bacon, pecorino cheese, and black pepper), and penne all'arabbiata (tomato sauce with garlic and chili pepper).

Bruschetta

Tagliolini

Rigatoni

Penne

What a great way to end another fabulous and memorable trip to Italy!