another day in walla walla, wa

this post has been hanging in my browser for a while, and before i get too busy with errands again, i have to race my gold-fish memory to finish writing about our trip to walla walla ...so here is the second day under the cloudless sky and among more endless vineyards.

we woke up early at 9am (on a sunday), spent some time watching wimbledon gentlemen's championship: roger federer vs. novak djokovic, and finished free breakfast at our hotel. today's destination was the south area of walla walla, where most wineries were located, and c was hoping to see some stoney vineyards where the soil was covered by galets: round rocks or pebbles. this method was originated in the eastern bank of rhone river  in france. mainly because the soil there was mostly sand and gritty, and galets were used to retain the heat during the day then release it at night; also to form a layer to help keep the moisture in the soil through the summer. 

we arrived at our first stop: sleight of hand, and found out they were not open in another 30 mins. good thing we were in the wine country of washington, another winery was just one-munite drive away. so saviah became our first winery of the day! the tasting was free. we started with a white: 2013 star meadows white, columbia valley. it was a good refreshing wine for summer, especially when it was served chilled. but the flavors were more on the sweet side with citrus and peach, then the after taste was kind of dry in my mouth. we went onto the 2013 rose, walla walla valley. again, a good refreshing and casual bottle of wine for the summer, but not quite as flavorful as the white. then we had three reds: the 2010 big sky cuvee, columbia valley; the 2009 cabernet franc, walla walla valley; and the syrah i was having a hard time remembering the vintage... yet again, the white was my favorite out of the five. 

we left empty handed, and routed back to sleight of hand. it was all pumped up with loud and relaxing music, and the lady was very friendly and easy to talk to. the atmosphere was completely different from any other typical wineries. 

they had such a good collection of vinyls there that c and i asked if those were for sale, of course the answer was no...yet they did publish vinyl with their own selection of musics, mostly from the 70' and 80'. we quickly went onto the tasting! 

i believe the tasting fee was $10, waved with any purchase of wine. we decided to share one tasting to save up our tolerance for more wines. the first bottle was 2013 the magician riesling. though it was chilled and refreshing, still a little bit too sweet for me. but one thing i really liked about this wine was the hint of lychee as the tasting notes suggested, a good bottle at its price. the second bottle was 2013 the magician's assistant cabernet franc rose. the 5-month barrel aged in neutral french oak gave it a softer texture comparing to other rose. a more complex profile of flavors yet still be able to deliver the bright and light taste to your mouth. the third one was another white: the 2012 the enchantress chardonnay. it was delicious with oak scent (guess aged in oak was really my thing), and the acidity balanced out the sweetness just right. then we picked up on the reds. the first red was 2012 the conjurer red blend. it smelled good on the nose and tasted young. this would definitely need time to develop. 

sleight of hand had really done some good jobs on the red wines that the next two bottles gave us a hard time on deciding which to bring home with us. one was the 2011 the archimage red blend and another one was the 2011 the illusionist cabernet sauvignon. they both had nice aroma on the nose and full-bodied. the archimage was more of our tastes that was heavier. so we bought a bottle of the archimage, and seriously thought about signing up for the wine club. but the shipping was 6 bottles every season and mostly syrah for spring/summer which c was not a big drinker of it. we also left with directions where to find c's dreamy stoney vineyards! 

i remember reading on the map that walla walla was pretty close to oregon state, but did not realized how close we were. it was actually only one street away then we were on the state line! so we actually visited oregon for the stoney vineyards.

 

you can see my face was already red after two tastings!

c acting like he was checking his own vineyards XD

the next winery, va piano, was my favorite in terms of their atmosphere and space design. it welcomed us with this beautiful gate and they immediately threw the beautiful vineyards into our face which was absolutely stunning.

the tasting fee here was $5/person, and we upgraded to $10/person so we could try their black label which totally converted c on syrah! their other wines were average, guess i would save up some spaces to put more pictures. we got the 2011 portteus syrah, which was complex with flavors of chocolate and spices.

we found these two different kinds of grape: cabernet sauvignon and merlot, but could not tell the differences...i guess that was what make wine makers professional and special! or maybe that was why they need the sign to tell :P

our lunch was back in downtown walla walla at olive marketplace and cafe. we ordered the cured meats "antipasto", chicken salad sandwich, and adobo braised beef enchiladas. the moment they brought our food to the table, we knew we ordered too much! i managed to finish my chicken salad sandwich because it was soooooo good! the apricot totally brightened up the whole sandwich and made it very enjoyable for the summer time. the cured meats was amazing consisting of three different kinds of ham: salami, capicola, and prosciutto, all delicious!

our drive back to seattle was about 5 hours. it was mostly downhills with lots of turns and speed limit at 70, which made me feel like racing with other cars on the road. yet i was trying hard to focus on the road ahead because the views were gorgeous on the way.

would definitely be visiting walla walla again to visit more wineries that we did not get a chance to try this time!

walla walla, wa

c and i went to walla walla, the washington wine country, for a short getaway. after a 5-hour drive going southeast through desert and lakes and apple fields, then more desert and lakes and apple fields, we finally got to lowden and saw some golden wheat fields! our first stop was blue mountain lavender farm, but found out they were closed on saturdays (or should i say i forgot they closed on saturdays). so we took a walk among the wheat fields under the sun then back on road to walla walla.

it was about lunch time when we arrived in downtown walla walla. the weather was warm with cloudless sky, and the small town was busy. while we were deciding what to have for lunch, we walked upon this cute restaurant that was serving escargot to eaters sitting outside, and the smell of pesto and garlic made me drag c into brasserie four; then i immediately fell in love with all the paintings on their walls (works by helene wilder)! 

studying wineries and maps while waiting for food :)

of course we ordered the escargot. the pesto just a perfect accompaniment to the breads! i ordered the mussels in spicy tomatoe and garlic sauce sided with pommes frites; and c went on the light side ordered a plate of salad (not the usual him).

then i was seriously staring at my mussels and was amazed by the unexpected portion...then slowly moving my sights to c's beautiful plate of flowers (salad)! the flowers themselves didn't have much flavors, but the egg white stuffed with anchovies was my favorite! lunch was so delicious with all the flavors going on in the soup and the freshness of the mussels. c and i almost finished my soup. we'd probably kept drinking if there were refills or if we hadn't had reservation for dinner. so yum that i could still imagine the taste in my mouth while writing now.

as we were too stuffed from the lunch, we decided to alter our plan a little bit. we stayed and walked around in downtown. like any other small towns in washington state, it got mini blocks and cute stores. we went into a bookstore (book & game) that also sold boardgames; a toy store (inland octopus toy store) with lots of trains and stuffed animals; a home and paper store (sweetwater paper & home), usually our favorite and c bought some beautiful green sealing wax; and this antique store filled with ancient chinese decorations and mid-age furnitures.

and sure we visited a couple cellars for wine tasting in downtown. rotie was our first stop, tasting fee was $5/person, and refundable if you purchase any bottles. they served two whites and four reds on the menu, however was running out on one of the reds; so we only got to taste three. our favorite was surprisingly their northern white (considering we were more of red drinkers). it was a nice bottle for summer, smooth with acidity and bright fruity flavors (the professional tasting notes). and we took some awkward drinking posing photos! we left with empty hands but my head was getting dizzy, screw the low tolerance! :P

we had to walk around more before i could drink again. so we stopped by olive marketplace and cafe, where we planned to have lunch the next day, to peak on the menu. by the time we ended up at mark ryan, i was ready for another round! 

tasting fee at mark ryan was $8/person, also refundable if you purchased any bottles. we tasted one white and four reds. the viognier (the white) was a little bit too sweet for both of us. then moved onto the dissident red 2012, it was delightful on the nose and easy to slip through your tongue with all the beautiful notes of berries and spices, and this definitely could use another 2-3 years to shine! the next two reds we tried were mark ryan's new sub-label that was just released this year: the numbskull gsm and bdx. they were not as good as the dissident, and were a little mild on the after-taste. the last one was the wild eyed syrah, c was not a syrah drinker at all, and this was not an exception, also too spicy for me. so far mark ryan was my favorite: the atmosphere they were trying to create with the big windows by the entrance to invite the sunlights in, and the fact that they were streaming fifa live on tv. we finished the penalty shoot-out of netherlands vs. costa rica before we left with our bottle of the dissident.

and that was it for our cellar visit in downtown. i started to get too dizzy to walk in straight line and had to lean on c till we got to colville street patisserie for our gelato break! i had one scoop of earl grey and another of pistachio. the earl grey was really strong and i loved it. c couldn't resist his favorite canele and i ended up finished half of it cause it was really good with the crunchy skin and a perfect soft texture inside. we finished them so soon that i didn't get any chance to take a picture. 

we ended our first day in walla walla by driving north to the airport area to visit some vineyards before dinner at saffron. 

grilled walla walla sweet onions with braised pork

wood grilled quail

lamb tagine al maftoun

wood grilled washington country beef hanger steak

the dinner didn't wow us. the flavors were there but only average quality. i wanted medium rare for my hanger steak, but it came raw in the middle. they sent it back to the kitchen and grilled it for a bit longer then part of it went more of a medium...so we left without having any desserts. 

more wines and vineyards on the second day in walla walla!

the first nine scones

seattle has been generous in sharing the sunshine; and i'm just getting spoiled with all the full-bloomed sunflowers to celebrate that the summer has finally arrived :D

pike place market has always been my favorite place in seattle. it has all the freshest things: fancy jumbo seafoods, fruits and veggies,  flowers in season. and not to mention delaurenti the italian store that sells all kinds of olive oil, pasta, hams, and the best chocolates; you can also find a good collection of wines and beers (and never forget the ginger beers) on the second floor! across from this amazing shop is one of my favorite newsstands called first & pike news. the history goes way back in time, and you can find many international prints and specialized magazines here. with all the subscription and online services we get today, i still enjoy buying magazines and books at local stores that continue to share and evolve the stories and the loves of this city with changes in time and developments in technologies.

one of my favorite fruits growing up in taiwan! finally see some fresh ones in town yet are too pricey to enjoy :(

thanks to the beautiful weather that is putting me in the mood for baking! and since i've been craving for scones on the day i make the strawberry jam, i bake over the weekend. after finding tons of recipes online and starting to get lost, i then decide to go into my cookbook collection. the kinfolk table is one of the most beautiful cookbooks i've seen so far. and the way they lay out the recipes is just brilliant. they have this concept of introducing different people and what they'd put on the table to welcome their friends and families. by knowing the stories of the persons, the recipes make you feel warm, special, and attached. and i believe that's what food is truly for, besides feeding lives.

so i choose to go with this recipe that features a photographer named alice gao based in the big apple. 

the original recipe is adapted from martha stewart and is to make blueberry scones, but i just use it to make plain scones. 

ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/280 grams) all purpose flour, plus additional for dusting

3 tbsp. (1.3 ounces/38 grams) sugar, plus additional for sprinkling

1 tbsp. (0.3 ounce/9 grams) baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. (3 ounces/90 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

grated zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

1/3 cup (80 ml) heaving cream, plus additional for brushing

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

directions

position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).

mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. then cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles small peas. stir in the lemon zest (and blueberries if you plan to make blubbery scones).

whisk the eggs in a liquid measuring cup until well beaten, then whisk in the cream and vanilla.

stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture with a fork, mixing just until combine. the mixture should look shaggy.

lightly dust a clean, dry work surface with flour. turn the dough out and knead it just until combined. shape the dough into a 6-inch square. cut the dough into four 3-inch squares, then cut the squres diagonally into eight triangles. 

arrange the scones on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. brush the tops with cream and sprinkle them with sugar. bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. transfer the sheet to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes. 

(Williams, N., & Payne, R. (2013). The kinfolk table: recipes for small gatherings. New York: Artisan.)

instead of making them triangle, i go with the english style and make them round. i also sprinkle brown sugar on the top in substitute of white sugar. my bake time is about 17 minutes, though i feel like the color is not golden enough, i am also worried that they can go too dry if i leave them in the oven longer.

after tasting it, the texture is about right. c and his mom both think that these can use more butter and sugar to elevate the flavors. for the next time, i also feel like adding more vanilla extract to the mixture. the best thing about these scones is the lemon zest that it just magically lifts the smell to your nose and the taste to your mouth. 

but for now, i'm just one happy girl enjoying my homemade scones with strawberry jam :)

recently on my breakfast table