Tasting Vodka

After we left Sea Garden at 11pm, Jeremy, Grace, Joel and I got a drink at Liberty on 15th East. This bar is just blocks from my place, but it's the kind of hot spot that I associate more with Belltown than with Capitol Hill. Its scene is like Victrola except the people dress nicer and put away their laptops. High profile creative types drink here between 8 and midnight. That's when I avoid it.

Rolling in just before midnight, the place was almost empty. They make great cocktails here, and a happy hour that's from 5-7pm, so I've tried a few. Tonight I ordered one of their Tastes, a sampler that could be rum, tequila, bourbon, scotch, gin, or vodka. I got $20 worth of vodka, 6 one-oz. lowballs for a blind taste test. Frankly, what my tastebuds enjoy depends entirely on my mood.

Here are the vodkas I tasted, in order from what I liked most first:

1 - Luksusowa (Potato - Poland) OK, not the highest end vodka, but I was in the mood for something with a little kick. This one is pretty smooth, but there's definitely a slightly pungeant aftertaste. Drink this cold.

2 - Grey Goose (Wheat - France) Of this group, I think it's the most expensive. The smoothest and mildest of nearly any vodka I've ever tasted. My favorite way to drink this is straight out of the freezer with two or three olives in it. No vermouth, no olive juice. No tonic ever.

3 - Ciroc (Grapes - France) I like this vodka a lot, but it's too fruity for me. I can't drink it straight. It's perfect with some cracked ice and 1.5 oz of tonic water. No lime needed.

4 - Tito (Texas) - Unoffensive and smooth. Didn't distinguish itself tonight. It was the first time I tried this.

5 - Gordon's (US) Smells like vanilla, tastes like smooth vodka. Surprisingly mild, which is not exactly a good thing to me.

6 - Square One Organic (Rye - California) This one smelled and tasted the most like rubbing alcohol. This is a pricey brand, and I really hated it. I didn't even finish it - gasp! Organic is not always better!

My all-new favorite vodka is Goat Vodka from Colorado (http://www.peachstreetdistillers.com/). This vodka is smooth, but not mild. There's a slight bloom to it that hints at green tea and citrus and barley. It's great when it's cold, but not right out of the freezer. You could put on ice, but not too much.

And of course there's Belvedere. I like this at room temperature. I think it brings out the sweetness of the vodka. Definitely smooth, but in a brandy sort of way.

Sea Garden's 7-course dinner

I had to work late on a Friday night, managing a voice workshop for some wonderful Seattle writers, while my buddies (Joel, Jeff, Jeremy and Grace) went to see the horrendously bad movie 300.

Needless to say, performing poets and bad Greek epics work up quite an appetite. Now I've been going to Sea Garden since I can remember, which is about 5 years old. And it's a pretty reliable place for Cantonese style Chinese food. But this is the first time I've opted for the set course dinner - which I think has been updated.

Now 7 courses for five hungry ultimate players is just about right, which means that for any other group you should have six or seven people eating. Here's what we ate:

Sauteed Choy sum with oyster sauce
Clams and black bean sauce hot pot
Half a roast duck
Seafood and mixed vegetable stir fry
Seafood and tofu soup
Walnut Prawns
Fried Taro with condensed milk

For $68 it was a lot of food. Comfort food really. It's not the fine dining experience that most food blogs will praise, but you know what? I love salty, sweet, spicy, savory cheap Chinese food!

Festival of Life 2006 Part 1

Those of you in the know are aware of JT's annual Hillman City Festival of Life, a.k.a. The Goat Roast, taking place this Saturday. It starts as a neighborhod block party and backyard BBQ/Roast and usually devolves into ultimate players giving mohawks and doing keg-stands. The kegs are (you guessed it) the Tastiest Darn Beer in town - Manny's Pale Ale from Seattle's Georgetown Brewing Company. In past years, Justin has enlisted me in helping prepare the seasoning for the animal. I'm looking forward to making a contribution again this year.

Above: 2005 Festival of Life featuring, from left, Dave, Jeff, Jeremy, Justin, and Russ. These are my boyz from the ultimate Ultimate team - Daah Possums.

BACKGROUND

Justin was inspired by a scene in a book about some people roasting a whole goat in a pit in their yard and having a party. The first year, we broke ground with a young goat that Justin picked out himself from a farm near Auburn. That year's seasoning consisted of soy sauce, garlic, cayenne, brown sugar, and salt and pepper. It marinated about 4 hours, but I don't think it was enough time. In the end, Senor Cabrito was wrapped in banana leaves and burlap, and thrown into the pit for 10 hours. He was a little "gamey" and stringy, yet tender. Many objected to the banana leaf flavor. Now goat is usually curried in many cultures, from India to Jamaica to Vietnam. Last year we rubbed the headless Senor Cabrito II, obtained from Columbia City Butcher Shop, with a Panang curry paste. The meat was much better this time, but again he was stringy and dry.

THIS YEAR'S GOAT PREPARATION

With two years to think about recipes, I've decided to heed the wisdom of those Indian/Jamaican/Vietnamese curry experts. I am going to make a huge pot of vegetarian curry stew and rice, and Senor Cabrito III will get added after he is exumed from Justin's backyard. I invite comments on the results of Van's Festival of Life Goat-optional Curry. More to come next week!

Suggested Eating

Since I started this blog, I've received a few suggestions for food (if you wanna call it that) to try. Among them:

Fake eggs (yes, just to try) http://paultan.org/archives/2006/01/01/china/
Liquid Nitrogen (no) http://darwinawards.com/personal/personal2000-25.html
Cow brain (been there, done that)
Gross looking candy (yes) http://www.kidskuisine.com/asp/recipe.asp?recipe=104

Feel free to add to this list.

Welcome to Would Van Eat This?

"Would Van Eat This?" That question is what many of you ask yourselves when you're looking at a menu, looking at leftovers, or looking in an aqarium. "Yes" is the answer. This blog will help you understand why and help you decide for yourself.

I will invite some of you to be contributors to this exercise in navel gazing, and hope that we will make some wonderful gastronomic discoveries together. Happy eating...