Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts

Friday, May 25, 2012

The Harvest Vine

If you are looking for quality tapas in Seattle, look no further than The Harvest Vine in the Central District.  While there are still a number of places to check off, and How to Cook a Wolf could be described as a delicious Italian tapas option, The Harvest Vine does not disappoint for traditional Spanish delicious.

Our family spent a special evening for a special occasion ordering just about as much as we could off the menu.  Here was the damage:

-Beet, Sheep Cheese and Serrano ham amuse buche (not pictured).

-Sardinas.

Grilled sardines.  Silver and a perfect balance of delicate and the sea.


-Pato Confitado. 

Duck confit with parsnip potato mousse. One of the nights highlights. Crispy duck skin and fantastic mousse. A complete win that reinforced my wife's obsession with duck confit.


-Venado. 

Grilled venison with licorice sauce and oyster mushrooms. Expertly cooked and totally delightful.


-Vieiras. 

The pan seared scallops were memorable. If you can believe it, the caramelized onion was quite possibly the star of the dish - which I can't decide if this is good or bad (that the scallop is overshadowed).


-Lomo de Conejo. 

Grilled rabbit with fideo noodles. The rabbit was seasoned excellently and delectable. The noodles seemed like an afterthought, though others in the family were big fans.  Myself, I could have double fisted all that rabbit strait into my mouth it was so good. 


-Coliflor. 

Roasted cauliflower with onion confit. A little salty, but I would have eaten 3 pounds!


-Pulpito a la Gallega. (Not pictured).  Baby octopus. Uniformly we didn't care for it. The paprika didn't do it any favors, it was both not picturesque and a huge miss.


-Sepias. 

Seared cuddlefish with squid ink bomba rice. On the complete opposite side of the octopus, this total win dish may have been the best of the night.  It was composed of perfectly marinated cuddlefish.  The rice could have been a little more aggressively seasoned, but the squid ink did amplify the flavor nicely.


-Foie de Pato. 

Seared foie gras. It is a tantalizing slab of foie gras, is it not?  Unfortunately, it was slightly under temp on the inside (in my opinion), with baby food on the side (not pictured). Delicious none-the-less, but overshadowed by less expensive, better dishes during the evening and far outstripped by other foie gras dishes around town.


-Garbanzos con Tomate. 

Garbanzo beans with tomato cumin sauce. The strong cumin flavor made the dish good but not fantastic.


-Cerdo Iberico.  (Also not pictured.  We ate it too fast!)  This fresh pork cut from a pata negra pig was another absolute smash hit. This was the single best bite of pork I've ever eaten!  Ever - Eaten!  Cracklin skin on the outside, juicy fatty soft meat.  I can still taste it on my tongue...


-Remolachas. 

Red and golden beets.  My beet hating wife ate and enjoyed these.


-Tabla Iberica.   

The cured meats plate was very good, with a wide variety of flavors coming from the same base ingredient (one piggy piggy). 


-Profiteroles. 

Oh yah.


Overall, the meal was great.  We were sad to have visited when the duck breast was not on the menu though, and a little disappointed by the inconsistent seasoning - with (for example) some of the rice being underseasoned, and things like the cauliflower being overseasoned.  These inconsistencies kept this meal from being perfect.  However, the cuddlefish, venison, pork, duck, sardines, beets, and rabbit were memorable, and the only protein problem was the octopus.  The service was solid and took nothing away from the kitchen, which you can actually see if you sit in the front of the house.

Harvest Vine
2701 East Madison Street  
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 320-9771
4 of 5

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Taqueria San Bruno

Well, if I began this post by saying something catchy like "who would have suspected you could get some of the best Mexican food around at a little hole in the wall place in San Bruno, California" I think most people would think "well, me."  Why?  It's a little enclave for Hispanic folks just outside the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) area.  As you may have guessed, you can find some of the best Mexican food you may very well ever eat in San Bruno at Taqueria San Bruno.
It was so delicious that my wife insisted we make the detour not just after picking up a rental car in San Fran upon arrival, but when we were racing for a flight going home.  The outcome: if we weren't flying United - and the flight were not late - we would have been in a tad bit of trouble.  But, all was not lost because the food was utterly delicious and we boarded with everyone else!


So, feast your eyes upon:
Probably home made (although not in the restaurant) chips and fresh salsa.
and more salsa...
and more salsa...
and more salsa.
Carne asada that came out looking just like the picture on the wall.  Delicious (but needing just a tad bit more salt).
BBQ Pork Taco and Chicken Taco (you want the BBQ pork)

Close-up BBQ Pork
Close-up Chicken

A monster "super" burrito with carnitas. Look compared to the chip.


We went back and got the pork quesadilla and a chorizo burrito with chorizo and jalapeno  (not pictured).  This food was so delicious that my wife still talks about it, months later.  Wife "Remember that Mexican place in San Fran."  Me "Yes, still do. (it's only been 10 days since the last time you asked)"  


The chicken was good, but it's not what you want.  Not really.  The carnitas actually have some sort of crunchy, pork rind (skin) mixed in that are explosions of flavor and welcome texture.  The BBQ Pork and regular Pork have so much flavor.  The carne asada was delicious (but did need a little salt).  We also had some Horchata and their Pineapple drink.  Those also were utterly delicious (although be warned early in the morning the ice in the bin has not had time to melt and it is STRONG).  


While the food was not perfect, it was close to it.  The folks that run the joint are utterly hospitable and kind, and food comes up fast.  For all these reasons, it is on my top 3 Mexican places world-wide.  I doubt there will be a time that we travel through SFO and have more than 2 hours that my wife will not insist on taking a cab over to Taqueria San Bruno.  Remember that Mexican place in San Fran...


Taqueria San Bruno
1045 San Mateo Ave
San Bruno, CA 94066
(650) 873-1752
4.5 of 5