The Walrus And The Carpenter

It was starting to rain quite heavily when I got off the M18 bus to the south end of Ballard Ave. I decided to not even bother bringing an umbrella to Seattle when I left NYC because all you need is a trusty hoodie.

Seattle, known for it's gloomy weather and grunge music, apparently is also popular with oyster loving eaters. I remember when my friends and I were planning our first visit to Seattle we also did research on oyster farms. We were hoping to be able to just walk down the beach, shuck some oysters and eat them. We quickly gave up that idea once we found out we needed a car to get there. So now after 4 years I was back, this time by myself. Walking around an unfamiliar neighborhood looking for an oyster bar, The Walrus and the Carpenter.

The Walrus and the Carpenter, named after the poem by Lewis Carroll, was just 5 months old and had already garnered many praises from the community. Situated at the rear of the newly renovated Kolstrand building, it took me a bit of time to find it. Lucky for me, as I walked in the rain started to pour and it didn't slow down until I left the restaurant around 6pm.

Once I walked I was quickly greeted by Jeremy Price, 1 of the owners of The Walrus. He introduced me to the crew and vice versa. The space was not huge which added a lot to the character of the restaurant. It was cozy and welcoming. I stayed for dinner afterwards and even though the place was packed I never once felt it was loud or crowded. I especially like the mixed color stools and the worn out wooden floor boards. Like I was walking on a boardwalk on the beach.

When I got there everyone was busy chopping, baking and cooking. I was impressed to see only 3 people in the kitchen. Each of them with that day's menu next to them, some of the items were already crossed out. Parsley was being chopped, aioli was being made, desserts were being prepared and at the same time everyone was chatting about their Christmas vacation. Later I found out that they had a moustache contest and who ever shaved it off first had to shaved their legs. That's the sort of place I like to hang out at. When it got closer to opening time, they double checked on their alcohol and drinks. The baskets that were going to hold the oysters were being filled with ice. Just 15mins before opening the oysters were brought out. Everyone was ready for their 1st day back from the holidays and a crowd of people were already waiting outside. Then right at 4pm the restaurant was opened.

I would like to thank Molly Wizenberg of Orangette and Delancey for suggesting The Walrus and the Carpenter for me to shoot for this photo project. Also a huge thank you to the crew at The Walrus and the Carpenter. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was great. Everyone should pay a visit if they ever find themselves in Seattle.

Check out the slideshow for the rest of the photos I took. Thank you!

Don Paco Lopez Bakery

Here are some of the photos I shot way back in October for the December issue of Edible Brooklyn. Rosca de Reyes is a Christmas bread eaten in January to celebrate "Day of the Kings". I was lucky enough to go to Don Paco Lopez Bakery in Sunset Park to witness the making of such deliciousness. Since I'm not a good writer please read the article from Edible Brooklyn by Jamie Feldmar here in digital form on page 80 or pick up a free copy if you see them.

Pie For Dinner At Four & Twenty Blackbirds

Four & Twenty Blackbirds, one of my favorite pie places, recently started doing a monthly "Pie For Dinner" with Chef Nate Smith. I randomly came into contact with Chef Smith, he saw my photo of a dish he made at The Spotted Pig and emailed me for a copy of it. I was curious what he was up to and that was when he told me about the Pie For Dinner event at Four & Twenty. When he first told me I *GASP. I do love pies very much. I asked if I can go and take behind the scenes photos at one of the pie dinners and he said sure.

This past Sunday I was in the Four & Twenty kitchen for over 5 hours shooting photos. I had so much fun that night. Everybody was so cool and nice enough to offer me beer and wine. While plating the starter dish I jumped in to help and grated cheese onto the dish. The night ended with all of us trying out Brooklyn Brewery's Black Ops, beer that was aged in bourbon barrels.

Here's what they served that night. Warm Cabbage with Wild Mushrooms

Rabbit and Root Vegetable Pie

Salty Nut Chess Pie with Maple Cream

Complimentary beers selected by Brooklyn Brewery.

Chef Smith told me that he had spent about a week preparing and freezing the pies. Around 4pm when he arrived at Four & Twenty they started right away with the preparations. First was adding egg wash onto all the rabbit pot pies. After that the pies went straight into the oven. During that time they spent cleaning up the place, cleaned the dishes, forks and cups and arranged the tables for the night. As the night progressed the kitchen was filled with the warm smell of delicious pies being baked in the oven. Everyone was tempted to open the oven and just stared at the deliciousness. At 7pm the guests began to arrive. Bottles of Brooklyn lager were passed out to the guests and the chef started work on the starter, though he told me that it wasn't really a starter since he intended the veg dish to be eaten at the same time as the pie. Before getting to the starter, he took out all of the pies from the oven, unmolded them from the pie tin and back into the oven to crisp up the bottom part as well. When both the starters and pies went out it was time for Melissa and Emily, owners of Four & Twenty Blackbirds, to get to work on their dessert pies. The night ended with so many happy filled tummies and happy faces. I even bumped into my friend Liza de Guia and somehow talked her into watching The Walking Dead.

As of now both December and January dinners are sold out but they are planning more for 2011 so stay tune! ALSO vegetarian pies are available too, just let them know ahead of time.

Paulie Gee's

Here's a guy that was able to turn his love of everything pizza into a job. He probably doesn't see it as a job. If you love what you do it shouldn't feel like a job. Known to many pizza/food bloggers simply as Paulie Gee he lives and breathes pizza. I constantly see him check into other pizza places on Foursquare and on the day that I was there he was sporting a Totonno's hat and shirt. It was great to hang out with Paulie, his son Derek and the other Paulie Gee's crew that day. I arrived around 4pm on a chilly Saturday and there was already a fire blazing in the oven. From 4 to around 5:30pm there weren't much happening besides sweeping the floor, testing a new pizza and catching game 2 of Yankees vs Rangers. Then around 5:30pm everyone started to shuffle around putting candles on the tables, getting the bar ready and checking on the fire in the oven. Right at 6pm doors opened and already 4 different parties walked in.

If you want to learn more about the man behind Paulie Gee's, check out Liza de Guia's video on Paulie.