I have always been curious about the weird looking geoduck. Bill Whitbeck from Taylor Shellfish has been trying to get me to use it at Campagne  for quite  some time.  Last Wednesday, Bill came by with a couple 2 pound samples and made a presentation to Randy, Campagne’s Chef de Cuisine, and me.  Well I think I am hooked.

It turns out that peeling and cleaning the geoduck is pretty straight forward.  A quick blanch in hot water and a shock in an ice bath and the skin comes off like a sock.  After separating the flesh from the shell on either side, most everything is usable. We just trimmed  the gills and the other dangling bits and we were ready to go.

Typically the siphon (the part that is outside of the shell) is used for raw or nearly raw  preparations and the mantle (body) is cooked. The mantle was sauteed, deep fried in flour and deep fried in a tempura batter (yes I know tempura is not French). The best siphon preparation was a salad of shallots, cucumber, lemon juice and organic canola oil.  We started getting this great  organic canola oil from some guys out in Snohomish.  I was very surprised at the amount of flavor in the oil.

We topped the salad with a little tempura fried mantle.  voila:

http://twitpic.com/29mjqj

We are now serving it as a special, so come in and give it a try.

Cheers,

Daisley

It’s getting near July 14th, which means it’s almost time for our annual Bastille Day party!

As in years past, we’ll celebrate in two different ways.

First, the Post Alley Party for the Revolutionaries!

From 3pm – 10pm we’ll be claiming the whole alley to celebrate French independence with wine, beer and street food starting at $5.

-grilled garlic sausage sandwiches
-pommes frîtes with aïoli
-beef and veggie brochettes
-baguette sandwiches: brie; ham & gruyère; pâté
-tarte flambée
-fromage
-macarons

We’ll also have live music featuring

-The Djangomatics
-Bric-à-Brac
-The Blue 4 Trio
-Zazou!

and Burlesque from The Shanghai Pearl! As well as Can-can Dancers throughout the night!  We’ve even set aside Campagne’s upstairs courtyard and lounge for spill-over of the street party.

Meanwhile, upstairs in Campagne’s dining room, Chef Daisley Gordon is offering his 7th annual “Storming the Palace Larder” five course dinner for $50 per person!

Coddled Duck Egg with grapeseed oil and maple syrup

Pork confit canneloni with English pea foam

Cucumber soup with olive oil sabayon and golden whitefish roes

Truffled Free-range chicken with wilted lettuce and natural jus

Guafres (waffles) with fresh strawberries

Reservations are strongly recommended.  Service is from 5pm – 10pm.

There is little that whisks us away to our dream of Paris more readily than the classic French petit déjeuner in the morning sunshine.  Taking a moment to savor some coffee, some juice, a small pastry and a baguette with some confiture, watching the world and its denizens hustle about; these are what the French refer to as les petits plaisirs, the small pleasures.

So, in response to popular demand from both locals and visitors alike, Café Campagne will offer breakfast during the week starting today, June 1st, serving from 8am until lunch begins at 11am.  Expect to see favorites like the Oeufs en meurette, the Omelette Choisy, our house-made chicken and pork sausage and even new house-made patisseries! Check out a .pdf of our menu.

At this point, le petit déjeuner is planned only to go through the summertime from today until Labor Day weekend.  Reservations are available by phone (206.728.2233) or online.  Come by and visit us soon!

There is little that whisks us away to our dream of Paris more readily than the classic French petit déjeuner in the morning sunshine.  Taking a moment to savor some coffee, some juice, a small pastry and a baguette with some confiture, watching the world and its denizens hustle about; these are what the French refer to as les petits plaisirs, the small pleasures.

So, in response to popular demand from both locals and visitors alike, Café Campagne will offer breakfast during the week starting June 1st.  Serving Monday through Friday from 8am until lunch begins at 11am, expect to see favorites like the Oeufs en meurette, the Omelette Choisy, our chicken and pork sausage and even house-made patisseries!