A few weeks ago my family joined some friends of ours on their sailboat. I brought beef tenderloin that I cooked sous vide so that it would be easy for the boat owner Ron to quickly sear on his boat barbecue. He wasn’t familiar with the technique, being more of an outdoorsman than a cook, but I explained that sous vide could fit very well into his lifestyle as it’s essentially the least attention-demanding form of cooking around. Sous vide is perfect for sailing adventures or backpacking because you can precook things then all you need to do is quickly warm them on the camp stove prior to eating. Once he had grilled off the steaks and served them to us, he gushed with approval about the tenderness. He asked “so what do you call this again- steak ceviche?” which was met with self-important laughs from those of us in the peanut gallery. But damn, steak ceviche was a brilliant idea I couldn’t shake so decided to make.

Steak tartare exists in France, carne battuta in Italy, but you don’t typically see beef treated the same way as fish in countries where ceviche is popular. I have a fondness for raw, sanguine beef that stems back to my days in Italy eating carne battuta (which translates to “beaten meat”) at the many festivals that dot the Piemontese countryside during summer and fall. These festivals celebrate any number of things, from the sweet Brachetto wines on offer in the gastro-destination of Acqui Terme to the white truffles of Alba, but they all have commonalities such as pimped-out vintage cars, wine served straight from damigianas (giant glass casks) and troupes of flag-tossing marchers that overtake narrow streets and resemble aging high school flag teams. Read more

Just when I think it might be nice to gnaw on a simple roast and gaze contentedly out the frost-paned window whilst puffing on a pipe wearing a sweater with elbow patches, THE DARK SIDE CREEPETH FORTH. The Dark Side has a voice and it sounds suspiciously like James Earl Jones. I’m at the butcher shop, fingers fondling an enticing slab of chuck, and The Dark Side says, “How the hell are you going to modernize a roast, Salty? You have a reputation to uphold- go buy some sustainable Ahi tuna and update Ahi Poke. It’s so tired with those boring wontons and gloppy salsa. Make it new, fresh and hip or I will chase you down the street with the giant roast you’re clutching and I’ll throw it at your head and it will land on your face and you’ll hereto forth be known as Roast Face rather than Salty Seattle.  Do you really think Roast Face would be a good name for a blog? I didn’t think so. Now take off that nubbly sweater and those hideous rain boots, put on your big girl panties and a pair of stilettos, and feed me something clever.” Read more

In Seattle, it’s a well-guarded secret that September and sunshine go hand in hand.  This is how I manage to sneak in a few final al fresco dinners before the need for simmering stews and hot hearty fare takes over completely.  September is also one of the best times of year to visit Uwajimaya, Seattle’s premier shopping destination for arcane Asiatica.  Since it is harvest time all over the Northern Hemisphere, Uwajimaya has some crazy unheard of produce on-hand, from yama-imo (Japanese mountain potatoes) to Vietnamese nubbly Jackfruit. 

Go in with a camera and a translator and you’ll come out all the richer for it.  In fact I nominate Uwajimaya as one of the best “stay-cation” ideas of the year.  It’s one of the only places in town where you can immerse yourself in a uniquely interesting culture without buying a plane ticket.  Read more