Garlic Gulch Days in Progress!

Anyone in the family get a cold yet? Ward off the cold and flu with some garlic at Mitchelli's! Besides with All Hollows Eve just ahead it might stave off the vampires and goblins of the night! The medicinal qualities abound in this tiny morsel - even the Egyptians noted 22 medicinal applications for the smelly bulb in their Codex Ebers. In 1858 Louis Pasteur realized it could kill bacteria. In 1983, biochemist Sidney Belman reported that by painting the skin of laboratory mice with garlic oil, he could inhibit the development of skin cancers.

Garlic subtle? No way! Subtlety is not garlic’s long suit. How such a small, delicate-looking package can pack such a wallop is a wonder. So, even if you think garlic isn’t one of your passions, and the amount of garlic called for in some recipes alarm you, go ahead and give ours a whirl - you are in for some delicious surprises! Our culinarians have created dishes for every palette. Try them out and see what suits yours best.

“There is no such thing as too much garlic” -T. McQuaid

Click HERE to check out the menu!

"The Details" at Mitchelli's

Some of our grandchildren went to Disneyland this summer.  Meanwhile, here at Mitchelli's, a sort of Disneyland (or a circus is more like it) came us! Remember the all the filming going on in Seattle this year? Well….Ray Liotta and Tobey Maguire, along with their fellow actors, were in Mitchelli’s to film several scenes for the upcoming indie black comedy, The Details! The filming all took place behind the curtain...kitchen scenes, office scenes - all in all a very exciting affair. The photos give you an idea of the intensity of their effort; we started in the wee hours of the morning and finished the shoot right before lunch. I’ve never had 15 people at once in my office before, wow! To think that I actually poked my head in the office at one point when the only person in it was Ray Liotta, and I asked him if he had remembered to place the wine order, he laughed!! All in all it was a great event and some of us even got to be “extras” in the film. It is due for public screening either at Sundance Film Festival or the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 so keep your eye out for The Details.

Taylor Shellfish Farms

It’s difficult to remember 13 years ago when we first partnered with Taylor Shellfish Farms to help introduce the “Mediterranean Mussel” to the Northwest. But here we go with Mussel Festival #13!!!

Having established a great working relationship with the third generation Taylor family, I can call my order in late afternoon, they harvest the next morning, and I receive my mussels later that same day! Just ask me to show you the tags with the dating! Amazing, straight from Totten Inlet to our guests in less than 26 hours, WOW!!

Plus, for all of us cyclists out there, mussels are one of the most complex proteins with absolutely no fat. Combined with pasta, which is a complex carbohydrate, they will keep us healthy in saddle for all the fun summer rides!!

Get a frosty Stella Artois or a nice glass of Lou Facelli’s Fume Blanc to accompany your mussel feast and you have a meal to die for – but not literally! ENJOY your mussels today!

Summer isn't summer without mussels!!

Summer is a favorite time of year for me. It has many events, celebrations, gardening, cycling, and eating some of my favorite childhood memory foods - mussels! Living in Belgium for so many years caused me to eat my fair share of mussels!!! Moules et frites, a gift from the Gods! So with our fabulous local shellfish culture, it’s mussel time again!!!

The waters of South Puget Sound are warmer than years past for this time period. As a result, the Mediterranean Mussels are ready for eating a little earlier than normal. This is great news for all you mussel fans like me – something we like sooner, can’t beat that!

They are plump, sweet, and oh…so good right now! No doubt they will continue to get better as the summer moves on. I am currently cooking them in a Neapolitan style sauce with a little spice, served over linguini. We will bring the full Mussel Menu on later in the month, with everyone’s favorite selections of years past! For the here and now, I encourage you to come in to savor these little gifts of the sea!!!

Bread from the Gai family

Why do people like our bread so much? I guess it’s just another “half-baked” idea of mine…..

I’ve done business with the Gai’s Bread family for 30 years – now they’re called Franz. But some of the old timers are still around and it continues to have a sense of family for me. I am a very loyal type of person, to a fault, according to my bride of 30 years. Yet my loyalty to quality has never wavered!

The bread comes up the highway from Portland Oregon out of the ovens of a small French bakery down there there, on trucks driven by Franz. Franz, like many others, currently does very little hand work in the bakeries anymore, everything is pretty much automated.

There is another restaurateur in Seattle that seeks out the same great bread experience. His name is Paul Mackay and his restaurant is called “El Gaucho”. Breaking bread is key to any family meal, and only a “half-baked” loaf can be trucked up to us from Portland and then finished in our ovens for your enjoyment! Sometimes it’s piping hot and sometimes it’s just great bread! Now the “half-baked” idea makes sense, well to me it does!

Oh, by the way, next time you’re in McDonald’s ask for an extra bun to go with your meal and see if you can start a trend!!!

Breadcrumbs...

There is a long tale to be told about breadcrumbs – this is Part 1. Bread is a cornerstone in almost any household. But here at Mitchelli’s, we take full advantage of the bread!

We can’t always know how many customers we will serve on any given day. So we have to be ready none the less. This means a little bread might be left over….so you make crostini, bruschetta, croutons, and yes, finally BREADCRUMBS!!!!

Breadcrumbs are a wonderful leftover – here’s the magic. First, make sure you buy your chicken locally – fresh, no Arkansas, just Washington chicken!! Take a breast portion, pound it out, add a little salt and pepper, lightly flour it, run it quickly in an egg wash, then dunk it in a pan of freshly toasted breadcrumbs with a little seasoning! Now we’re talking Chicken Parmigiana or Milanese. Either one, they are fabulous, and they have always been a staple in our kitchen!

What are the keys to eating great breaded chicken? Yup, you guessed it; fresh chicken, and homemade breadcrumbs! It’s really simple and it is a very satisfying, delicious, and one never tires of it! O.K. maybe not 5 times a week, but at least three times a month…….

Stay tuned for the breadcrumb story Part 2, according to Phil Gai, rest his soul.

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