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Seattle \’se-att-’ l\ n: largest city in Washington; located in west central Washington; a major port of entry. 2. E-city. 3. Birthplace of grunge, modern coffee trends and Jimi Hendrix. 4. The hip, trendy, fluidly influential settlement by which all other cities in the Pacific Northwest and beyond are measured.
What you call it, where you find it, how you eat it, anything goes in Seattle when it comes to dining out. There’s a successful mix of haute cuisine, an urban edge and international flair with home cooking.
VERY VINTAGE After experiencing long
flights and delays from Florida, we were more than ready to fall
into Located in the heart of Seattle’s retail and financial district, the hotel is only short walks away from the city’s best boutiques and theater, as well as numerous other attractions. It also has easy access to major routes and the airport. Originally built in 1922, the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When the Kimpton Group acquired the property in 1992, it was renovated and then by March 2000 a full room renovation was completed. The ambiance is charming, with a European boutique feel of intimacy and cosiness. Hotel Vintage Park made Condé Nast’s “1999 Gold List, The Top 500 Best Places to Stay in the World.” The lobby is small but very inviting with it’s large fireplace and rich and warm colours in velvets and leathers. Concierge and valets are there to take care of your every need. A winery theme is celebrated throughout the hotel. Each guest room is named after a Washington winery or vineyard, and is richly decorated to evoke the warmth and romance of the Mediterranean and the vintage estates of the grape growing region of Tuscany. With 126 guest rooms,
all fully equipped and small meeting facilities available, this
is just The hoteleven offers free tastings of local wines each evening, but Sunday, from six to seven o’clock in the lobby. What a lovely touch and a great start to an evening’s dining. SPACING OUT After an early coffee in our room the next morning, we set off to the Monorail Station, a few blocks away, to ride it to the Space Needle. As the day was beautiful and clear we had to take full advantage and make the most of the stunning views at the top, over 500 feet. It was Sunday morning and the city was quietly coming to life. We probably didn’t really appreciate how great that little monorail ride was, as in the weekday it glides serenely over a mayhem of traffic and bustle! Very convenient. The Space Needle is the city’s most familiar icon, soaring to over 600 feet. An elevator takes you to the 360 degree observation deck, with views of the city, Elliott Bay, Lake Washington and surrounding Cascade and Olympic mountains, including the distant peaks of Mt. Rainier to the south and Mt. Baker to the east. We were so lucky that “ the mountains were out” as the locals say, meaning that the mountains are visible, unlike on the many rainy, misty days! The Space Needle was built as the centerpiece for the World’s Fair held there in 1962. The Seattle Center houses
the Space Needle and comprises a plethora of educational, We knew we needed to eat very sparsely and get some exercise before our evening experience booked at The Herbfarm.This was to be a nine course tasting lasting maybe four hours! THE HERBFARM How lucky we were to be able to get a booking at The Herbfarm during our stay in Seattle. Fully booked for months ahead this was truly a favorite spot for the gourmand to wine and dine. Gourmet Magazine ranks The Herbfarm amongst America’s Top 50 Restaurants. The Herbfarm has appeared several times on Martha Stewart and many other publications have featured them as well.
Having amassed a large range of awards in excellence, here’s what maestro owners husband and wife team, Ron Zimmerman and Carrie Van Dyck write about their magnum opus started in 1986: “When you dine at The Herbfarm restaurant, you’ll revel in seasonally unique menus featuring foods of the Northwest. Each 9 course dinner, matched with 5 or 6 wines, draws it’s inspiration from the rhythm of the seasons.” For much of the year The Herbfarm Kitchen Gardens supply the restaurant with an ever-changing harvest of common and unusual produce. Small growers and producers supply wild mushrooms, heritage fruits, handmade cheeses and rare treasures such as water-grown wasabi root and artisan caviars. Each day’s menu is finalized only hours before each meal to best track the rhythms of life on land or sea. Week in and week out , The Herbfarm’s 9 course menu brings new delights - Wild Salmon in Squash Blossoms, Sorbet of Lavender and Violets, Big Leaf Maple Blossom Ice Cream and Vegetable Water Foams - to name but a few of the creations that await you for each meal. “Because we serve
just one seating a day, all our efforts can be focused on giving
you the What a special and unforgettable experience it was too. Such devotion and attention to detail from Ron, Carrie and Chef Jerry Traunfield (who joined them in 1990), as we’ve never seen prior. What a team! The unique performance commenced at 4.30 pm on this Sunday January 7th. Our’s was, ‘A Winter’s Fantasy.’ Entering the dining room, the mellow convivial sounds of the resident guitarist, Patricio Contreras of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. His music infused our senses along with the slightly medieval atmosphere, (read: stone floors and heavy tapestry drapes). Family style seating was a choice if you wished, or coupled, if preferred. The amazing, expert and friendly staff were all on hand to tend to our every need under the watchful eyes of Carrie and Ron, who were also working hard. Delight was the word
that came to mind so many times throughout the evening. Loving
to entertain as I do, I really appreciated all the extra and generous
touches, such as the tiny silver frames that housed our place names,
for us to keep, and the little individual menu booklet of the day,
again to keep. Chenille wraps were available for the ladies if
they grew chilly. How thoughtful! Our first plate was an exquisite presentation and tasting of the, ‘Flavors of Winter.’ All tiny, the Black Trumpet Mushroom Strudel, Warm Oyster in Jerusalem Artichoke Cream and Miniature Dungeness Crab Souffle (baked in an egg shell and served in a silver cut-work egg cup), was fascinating to say the least! Wow! What a fabulous start. This was paired with a 1996 St. Innocent Blanc de Noir. Celery Root and Potato Ravioli, with Oregon White Truffles, were then served with a 1999 L’Ecole No. 41 Semillon (Walla Walla). Sauteed Skate Wing with Frothy Sea Urchin Sauce and Pea Sprouts followed, with a 1999 Willakenzie Pinot Gris (a Willemette Valley mid-palette creamy white). Seared Duck Foie Gras, with Spiced Carrot Sauce, Currants and Delicata Squash with a 1996 Terra Blanca Late Harvest Gewurtztraminer (Washington State), was our next divine imbibment! Is your mouth watering yet? I am afraid you will have to take my word that every mouthful was deliiiiiiicious. Our fifth course was a Sorbet of Douglas Fir. The fir was actually steeped in sugar, before being frozen. The sorbet smelled and tasted of fir. This was a unique and fresh way to cleanse our palate. I think we went for a digestive walk at this point! On our return we were served the most tender Herb-Crusted Oregon Wagyu Beef (this Japanese breed is rarely served), with Oregon Black Truffle Sauce, Hedgehog Mushrooms (from B.C.), Bloomsdale Spinach and Chioggia Beets. This accompanied by a 1998 Matthews Cellar Red (a Washington State cabernet merlot and cabernet franc blend).
Not only that...but then a special extra treat, a taste of Ron’s 1901 Vintage Barbieto Bual Madeira. Between each course Ron explained each one to follow, which enhanced the whole evening. At the end the entire staff appeared to take a well-deserved bow! Ron and Carrie’s original restaurant that was nestled within their lovely herb farm, several miles away, was sadly destroyed by fire on January 6, 1997. Their new restaurant site was being completed while they bravely carried on in their present temporary position, where we dined, at Hedges Cellars Winery in Issaquah. See their now completed restaurant on their website at, www.The Herbfarm.com and for a free listing of dates and dining themes available. Or call their customer service at (206) 784-2222. Something that interested us was that the restaurant was full that night, as every other, and not of older people. These were very comfortably off younger people of the Microsoft ilk. The young dining companions sharing our table had been several times already. Grateful not to have had a later booking at The Herbfarm, we enjoyed some more walking before retiring to bed! Congratulations to you all at The Herbfarm for creating and maintaining a most distinguished and fabulous dining experience. What more need I say, but for you to go and enjoy this amazing place yourself! NOT SO SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE Next morning over coffee
we met with Charlotte Morgan Wayte,
Director of Marketing for We then made our way to the Convention Center where we caught the Seattle City Tour for their 3 hour Gray Line bus tour. Our driver and guide was the able and pleasant Lynn Mckee, and the tour was very extensive and interesting. With around 36 inches of annual rainfall, the ‘Underground’ shops and attractions prove very useful at times! Covering the heart of downtown, re-developed Belltown, the Seattle Aquarium, Pier 59, the Exhibition Center and information about the sports complexes Seahawk Stadium and Safeco Field was a good start to our journey. Pioneer Square was a more historic district, with clubs, bistros and bookstores. The phrase, “skid row,” comes from here after Henry Yesler in 1853, used Skid Road for “skidding” logs from his mill to the waterfront, now Yesler Way. Many huge companies started here, UPS being one, and of course Microsoft, another. We drove through the areas of Madrona and Madison Park on the shores of Lake Washington with their beautiful homes. We saw the 140 famous (expensive) houseboats on the lake shore, the spot where “Sleepless in Seattle,” was filmed. Seattle plays host to many film makers. The Fremont area is very eclectic and the Ballard has a mostly Scandinavian population. Seattle is still home to a huge fishing industry.We love these city tours and always make a point to take them whenever possible and Gray line, with the help of Lynn, did a fine job. CLASSICAL TASTES
The next morning was occupied by a drive to Woodinville, and the discovery of drive-through espresso and cappuccino kiosks proved quickly addictive! We headed for the Columbia Winery. Established 30 years ago, it was one of the first here in this now flourishing wine growing region. We enjoyed it’s very pleasant site and a tasting. Then across the road to the gorgeous and historical looking Chateau St. Michelle and grounds. Here we had a private tasting of ten of their most pleasurable wines and their gift store was one of the best we had ever seen! (This winery is very near the new Herbfarm.) We favored the 1998 Vineyard Select Pinot Gris, the 1996 Reserve Merlot and the 1997 Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. Their new sparkling Blanc de Noir was very pleasant and very reasonably priced too. We also tried their delicious Ice Wine that had garnered high scores with Wine Spectator. We have a useful chart of Food and Wine Companions by the Chateau. Just call us and we will fax it to you. After a quick shop for some gloves and a hat that I decided I would need before heading north to Victoria and Vancouver, (watch this spot for further Great Finds), we once again joined Steve and Almudena for a meal at the very “now” and smart Fandango, in Seattle. We all had great meals accompanied by some of their own excellent wines of course! Classical Wines distributes in our area and suggests some of these excellent wine producers from Spain; Pesquera, Roda and Guelbenzu. Wonderful winemaker, Alejandro Fernandez put the Riberia del Duero area on the world wine stage. We had the pleasure of having lunch with him at the Columbia Restaurant earlier this year. He now has a third, new winery, Dehesa La Granja. The excellent new estate wine from Zamora province, the Dehesa Granja 1998, “has superstar written all over it.” Like Pesquera and all his wines, it has 100% Tempranillo grape, but from an average of 50 year old vines. It is smooth and rich with an elegance that has not been produced of late from Spain. Local wine expert, Robert Schafer, at the Citrus Club in Orlando recently featured the new Morgadio Albarino 2000, which is spectacular and was rated the highest of all Albarino’s wines in the last Wine Spectator. Classical’s Pedro Ximenez wines from Toro Albala produce unique dessert wines. The current release is a Gran Reserve ‘72 which is on the wine menu at many fine restaurants around town, or for retail, at J.D.Ford’s, Michael’s Wine Cellar or ask your local supplier. By Vanessa Shaw-Finelli SERVICES:
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Seattle... modern, historic and making history. What a great place,
everything you would expect from a city of 500,000 plus people.
From the funky house boats on Lake Union to the top of the Space
Needle, this city has something for everyone.
our
sumptuous hotel bed of two nights, the 
the type of hotel we love to help promote. The Hotel Vintage Park
restaurant is named, Tulio. Unfortunately it was undergoing renovations
when we were there in January this year. However we learned that
Tulio Ristorante offers award-winning Northern Italian cuisine
by Chef Walter Pisano, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and
room service 24 hours a day. 
We returned to downtown via the monorail and made our way through
the streets to Pike’s Place Market. A most famous spot for
soaking up the atmosphere, watching the fish throwing as they were
sold at the Fish Market and of course, drinking coffee. This market
was started up by the local farmers, in 1907, who were tired of
the shop prices and it has thrived ever since.
Situated
just east of the city it’s easy to find, and en route we wanted
to see the nearby, beautiful Snowqualmie Falls, which are definitely
worth visiting. 
most
special experience possible,” says Carrie.
the Kimpton Group, who was very helpful with all our arrangements
at the hotel. We then made our way to the 
After
checking-out of the highly recommendable Hotel Vintage Park we
made our way slightly north to our gracious hosts, 