Let’s Party With Good Food In Olympia!

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olympia acque viaBy Mary Ellen Psaltis

December is a party month. Everywhere you turn there are plates of frosted gingerbread cookies or bacon wrapped hors d’oeuvres and mugs of eggnog latte. This eating is festive and fun (and potentially fattening). Are you looking for ideas for your next potluck? Perhaps you are having friends and extra family over. Maybe you would like to have an evening where you leave the cooking to someone else. No problem. Here are a few suggestions:

Acqua Via

505 Capitol Way S.

Olympia

www.acquavia.com

360-357-6677

My visit with Will Taylor, the creative force and chef at Acqua Via down town was inspiringly delightful. The menu is a mosaic of smaller, exquisitely cooked and plated dishes. By using Kirsop Farms (www.KirsopFarm.com) as much as seasonally possible the focus stays local, fresh and fun. Cheeses from Blue Rose Dairy (BlueRoseDairy.com) are also staples.

Taylor’s Ravioli Duo is a marriage of light and dark/spicy and creamy creating side-by-side pastas that compliment each other. One is stuffed with local butternut squash and lively Italian sausage and then topped with a rosemary demi glace; the other is stuffed with beets and goat cheese set in a sauce of cheese, shaved carrot and walnuts. The first one is subtly spicy with a smoothly deep sauce. The other is a crunchy, creamy dream. It was hard to say which one was better. We ate them all as we spooned up the last drops of sauce. Acqua Via’s pasta is carefully made right there in the kitchen. I was entranced watching the sheets of dough roll out the hand-cranked pasta machine. My own pasta machine was primarily used to make confetti (my son’s favorite activity, not mine).

olympia acque viaIf you decide to eat at Acqua Via, you will have a fine selection of wines from which to pick. All you need to do is sit back and relax. This will save you all the time of making your own ravioli as well as the demi glace which takes about 48 hours. (That’s why it tastes so intense.)

You could make a flash version of a Pasta Duo by picking up a couple of packages of pasta found in your grocer’s refrigerator case. Ravioli or tortellinis are made with spinach and ricotta, chicken with peppers and others, as well as a choice of colors. The green has spinach flavor, the red tomato and the more common yellow flour. You can find ready-made sauces with a tomato or cream base and also jars of pesto. This won’t be the same as Grandma’s, but you can still enjoy it. Shave quality Parmesan on top, use your own small plates, find a glass of wine and watch your holiday lights twinkle.

Hint: Taylor has bottles of Mama Lil’s Hungarian Hot Goat Horn Peppers for sale. It will zip up any number of dishes – and would make a great last minute gift.

 

olympia adessoAdesso

105 Legion Way SW

Olympia

www.AdessoOlympia.com

360-705-2529

Watching your caloric intake? Bruschetta is one option that steps up to the plate, addressing this concern with a vibrant holiday red and a modest number of calories. Rudy Viggiano, owner and chef of Adesso in downtown Olympia makes his own version packed with fresh basil. The balsamic-rich tomato mixture is served in a tall martini glass with flash fried pita chips. Traditionally, bruschetta are roasted garlic rubbed toasts with various toppings but now many people call the tomato sauce “bruschetta.”

It is easy to make a bowl. You won’t have the tomatoes of summer (unless you canned your own) but it will work anyway. Here is a basic recipe:

 

Bruschetta Sauce

6-8 ripe plum tomatoes (1.5 pounds)

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

chopped basil leaves

salt and pepper

Chop tomatoes and add the other ingredients. This will keep in the refrigerator a few days and the flavors will blend together. You can vary the amount of any of these ingredients to suit your own preferences. Some people will parboil their tomatoes and skin them, but that seems like a waste of time and nutrition to me.

Put the sauce on garlic and oil-brushed pieces of toast or crackers. I like it spooned over my salad instead of regular dressing. It can be added to soup and used anywhere you might use a tomato.

If you enjoy your bruschetta at Adesso, you can have a specially made cocktail. They like to “pair great moments with well executed flavors.”

Note: Adesso schedules monthly Farm to Table multi-course dinners all paired with wines. Call for details.

 

One more idea:

I just returned from a long weekend to Granbury, Texas (south of Fort Worth). I was visiting my college roommate. Reading the paper one night I found a story about Texas celebrity chef Grady Spears who had recently taken over a restaurant about 8 miles from my friend’s house. How lucky was that?! We hopped in the car and headed to Grady’s Line Camp Steakhouse. Without a reservation on that Saturday night we saddled up to the bar instead of waiting for a table. This was perfect.

The party idea is from their “share” part of the menu. It’s called Matts Bob Armstrong Dip. I can’t tell you what the name means, but I can tell you it was a serious appetizer. A cup was stuffed with barbequed pork and layered with a spicy, melted cheese and a bit of guacamole and topped with pico de gallo. The homemade chips were fresh and crisp.

I guess you would call these a form of nachos, but the pulled meat elevates the dish to a near meal. For your own at-home version, spread pulled pork on a plate. Top with melted, spicy cheese and then guacamole. Serve your salsa and chips on the side.

And, the next time you are diving through Tolar, Texas, do stop by. There is plenty of cowboy comfort food to be found and the dessert I had – White Chocolate Kahlua Cake (his sister’s recipe) served with vanilla ice cream and berries was luscious. Plus you can say, “Howdy,” to Grady.

www.LineCampSteakhouse.com.

Happy Holidays

Eat Well – Be Well

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