2016 - Page 7 of 9 - Gazing and Grazing

Eden Hill Lifts Seattle’s Food Scene

April 6th, 2016

Eden Hill is just a lot of fun - with surprising ingredients coming together to create what was infinitely and deliciously edible and oddly comfortable. I was on a short visit back to Seattle and lucky enough to be able to get a table (book ahead!) in this cosy restaurant at the foot of Queen Anne Hill. The restaurant's website describes itself as "Avant Garde, New American" and I think that's pretty appropriate although with food that incorporates sweetbread and foie gras and reflects...

Kehinde Wiley – Catch His Works

March 25th, 2016

One of the my favourite young american artists, Kehinde Wiley, showed a series of works at the Seattle Art Museum and I was lucky enough to be town during the exhibit which ran till May 8, 2016. Kehinde is best known for his portraits of African Americans whom he places in historically well known classical artwork poses. In doing so, he elevates the models he finds off the streets of Brooklyn or elsewhere into positions usually reserved for those with higher status. The exhibit titled...

Mitarai – Sitting Pretty on Japan’s Inland Sea

February 25th, 2016

A drive along the Seto Inland Sea from Takehara took us to the charming Edo era port town of Mitarai that sits on the tip of Osaki Shimo-jima island. Like Takehara, Mitarai has a well preserved historical district but its relatively small size means that it's easy to walk almost the length of the village along the waterfront. The drive out itself was scenic with the Akinada Islands linked by a series of bridges. The water, and mikan orange groves coupled with the quaint villages and...

Takehara – Scenic Launch Pad to Hiroshima’s Coastal Islands

February 21st, 2016

The coast surrounding the Seto Inland Sea near Hiroshima is one of the most scenic in Japan and Takehara, with its nicely preserved Edo-era historic center, is a well located base from which to explore the area. We were here at year-end spending a day exploring the town before taking a drive and ferry ride for a round trip visit to nearby islands. Takehara is probably best known these days for Nikka Whiskey, with the family still residing in town, as well as being the setting for a popular...

Il Traghetto – Good Hearty Italian in Takehara

February 21st, 2016

After a of day roaming around the nearby islands, I was looking forward to a good warm meal with decent wine and a place I could kick back and relax in Takehara. Il Traghetto certainly met our needs. This is rustic Italian food interpreted by Kaoru Shinzaki, a retired corporate man who loves cooking. Shinzaki-san uses fresh, local produce and seafood and my favorite dish was a delicious risotto full of shrimp that was as Japanese as it was Italian.

Shinzaki-san decided to retire in...