If you've been a fan of chef demonstrations at the Bellevue Farmers Market, you may have caught Chef Seth Caswell at one time or another. Chef Seth believes in "seasonally inspired, locally derived cuisine," and he puts this ethos to work at the new Emmer & Rye restaurant on Queen Anne. I would advise that you NOT look at the menu if you happen to be hungry because you'll be drooling all over your keyboard. Consider just the "shucked oysters, bacon, smoked porter mignonette" as a starter, or the "gathered mushroom tart, goat cheese, leeks, spinach, pears" for an entree...Emmer & Rye is open Monday through Friday 5pm-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-11pm, with weekend brunch Saturday and Sunday 9am-2pm. For reservations call 206.282.0680.
In other news foodie news around the planet, the NY Times reports that the USDA is tightening organic dairy requirements so that large operations like Aurora Organic Dairy must be required to pasture their herds for the entire length of the grazing season and ensure that 30% of the cow's food is pasture during that time. Prior to this, the larger operations might only allow cows access when they weren't giving milk or would feed the animals exclusively on grain. Since this was the very reason I avoided Aurora and other store organic brands, this is great news. I'm still sticking with Organic Valley's Northwest Pastures, but nice to know I can grab the other in a pinch.
Speaking of large livestock operations, according to the Financial Times, the UN is considering a tax on livestock flatulence. If it ever passed, so to speak, not only might it reduce greenhouse emissions, but it would also provide unlimited fodder for late-night comedy monologues.
And, finally, to end this post on a sweet note, a Times Online article finds that processed food has been getting more sugary over the last thirty years, especially that go-to favorite, the breakfast cereal. Kellogg's Cornflakes--the nutritional equivalent of a black hole to begin with--went from 7.4g sugar per 100g in 1978 to 8g. That wouldn't be such a big deal, were not the rest of your daily menu sweetening up as well, from your can of tomato soup to your grilled cheese on wheat bread to the fresh fruits and vegetables on offer at the store! Yikes. Take comfort, though--manufacturers claim most of the sugar increases were to cover loss of flavor from reducing salt.
