Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Lucky Magazine's new StyleSpotter.com is coming to Seattle... and they've asked us to spread the word.



Our pals at Lucky magazine let us know they're heading to Seattle next month. Lucky's stylists will be on the lookout for fashionable gals to feature on their new website launched this Spring. Thanks to Lucky for giving us the inside tip on where their next StyleSpotter private party will be. We're thrilled to be spreading the word for you!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Julien Perry Visits Spur (and loves it)

Julien is a "Voracious" foodie Blogger on the Seattle Weekly site. She stopped by Spur, and here's what she had to say...

Steak and Frites: The Spur Way

Spur gastropub, which softly opened three weeks ago (today, in fact) in the former Mistral space, is going to be my new favorite hangout. Not only because the food is fantastic, but the atmosphere and vibe of the place is so laid back in an upscale-saloon sort of way.

Plus, the chefs did something to me that has never been done to me at any restaurant: They enticed me into ordering the flat iron steak with fried mashed potato, which I never order ANYWHERE. I'm just not a big red meat eater. The boys couldn't have been nicer or more cordial (or cuter).

I say boys, because owner/chef Brian McCracken, formerly of Flyte, and chef Dana Tough, formerly of Tilth, are only 27 years old. Twenty. Seven.

The two started talking about the idea of opening a gastropub in Seattle years ago when they both worked together at Earth & Ocean.

But I wasn't in the mood for steak and potatoes this night. I wanted something sweet. I ordered the Pistachio Financier, a pistachio brown butter cake topped with Rainier cherries accompanied by foie gras ice cream and elderflower gelee set atop an elderflower gastrique. Yum!

What came next can only be described as an upscale version of Dippin' Dots. A strawberry sorbet with vanilla cocoa butter crumble. A COCOA BUTTER CRUMBLE (!!) topped with slow-poached strawberries.

I also had one of the best cocktails I've ever had. It's called the Empress, and it's made with rum, St. Germain, grapefruit juice and topped with heaven (officially: fresh grapefruit and lemon juice foam). The picture I took didn't turn out so well, so I took a photo of my friend's cocktail, the La Rocio.

This drink starts out as a foam of red wine, lemon juice, sugar and egg white before the bartender topps it off with a mixture of tequila, stone fruit and red wine.Spur is open until 2 a.m. every night. Right now, they're enjoying an extra spill of folks being turned away at Tavolata, which recently stopped serving at midnight.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Rosanna's Design Contest Featured on Seattle Homes & Lifestyle


The editors at Seattle Homes & Lifestyles magazine were so excited to hear about Rosanna's Tabletop Design Contest, they featured it on their Blog and newsletter. Thanks Giselle!
(A photo of last year's winner's design is above- Tresa Nicols). Here's what the SH@L folks wrote:


Design Dish: Rosanna Table Setting Contest Calling all dishware divas! Last year, Rosanna Bowles held a table setting contest and it was such a hit that she's holding it again. Create a fabulous tablescape with your family heirlooms, personal treasures and favorites from Rosanna, Inc. and then tell Rosanna the story behind your creation. Each entry will be judged on creativity, use of inspiration and personal style. The winner will be chosen by Rosanna Bowles herself, featured on her Web site and win a $300 gift certificate to Rosanna, Inc. Entering is simple and there's no purchase necessary to win: 1. Design the most amazing table setting— only one entry per contestant please. 2. Photograph your design as best as possible, although you will not be judged on the photography. You are allowed up to three photos of your table setting. 3. Send your photos along no later than August 31st with a message about the inspiration for your design to: contest@rosannainc.com or Attn: Contest, 440 South Holgate St., Seattle, WA 98134. The winners will be announced on Rosanna's blog by Friday, September 5th.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

fab review of Spur by Cody Ellerd for nwsource.com

Spur rides into Belltown, serving grub and drinks with a pioneer spirit: The gastropub features a trailblazing menu of New American cuisine.

With the arrival of Belltown's latest nosh spot, Spur, it's high time for the term "gastropub" to secure its place in Seattle's lexicon. It comes to us via London, where the Eagle, the world's first gastropub, distinguished itself nearly 20 years ago as a public house that served high-quality food a step above the basic pub grub. New York got its first gastropub in 2004 with the Spotted Pig, which now boasts a Michelin star and a chef, April Bloomfield, who was last year named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine.

Belltown's Black Bottle was Seattle's first "gastro-tavern," followed last October by Quinn's on Capitol Hill. And now there's Spur, a partnership between Tilth's former chef de cuisine, Dana Tough, and longtime friend Brian McCracken, who previously ran a catering company called Flyte.

Spur, however, should not be considered a follower. In the Western spirit its name evokes, the Belltown newcomer is indeed blazing its own trails. Rather than slathering pub grub with aioli and truffle oil, or gentrifying the old British classics, Tough and McCracken are pulling out the stops with New American cuisine and making the liquor a gastronomical experience of its own.
The dishes start out small, such as chilled asparagus with truffle, egg and tempura ($9), and a must-try salmon crostini ($9) with house-made mascarpone and chunks of cold smoked sockeye so delicate, it truly boggles the mind.

Most items fall into the mid-size (not quite an appetizer, not quite an entrée), mid-price range, like pork belly sliders with mustard and marmalade ($12), free-range chicken confit with bleu cheese, crème fraiche and bourbon glaze ($10), or pan-seared trout with a mizuna farro salad and almond foam ($12).

About half the menu will change every month to take advantage of seasonal ingredients, but even after just two weeks of business, Tough and McCracken know that to take away the charred bison burger ($14) -- the kind of meal that fills your heart with pity for the world's vegetarians -- would be a deadly sin.

As for those other devilish matters, the focus at Spur is on spirits, rather than the pints you'd typically expect from a pub, gastro or otherwise. Only four beers are offered on tap.

Instead, a bourbon-heavy cocktail menu draws from nearly 50 American whiskeys, and includes the Foreigner, with rye, ramazotti amaro, strega, blood orange bitters and peach bitters ($10); and the Corsican, a combination of bourbon, citrus and champagne ($9).

For the weekend crowd, long communal tables cut from salvaged wood are the place to mingle. For the quiet weeknight cocktail, there is a small section of table seating bathed in the glow of the space's only wall art -- a film projection of rustic black and white photos by a rotating cast of local artists.

Wagon wheel light fixtures fashioned from iron cast a dim light over the dark space. The décor is inspired by the Wild West, and in a further departure from the British model, the ambience is just plain sexy. This gastro apple has fallen quite far from the tree, and it's a delicious one to bite into.

Copyright © The Seattle Times Company

Friday, August 1, 2008

Whole Lotta Shaking: What's New at The Spellman Company

“If these ceramic soda fountain glasses don’t make you want to put Elvis on the jukebox and rock around the clock, I don’t know what will.”



— Oprah Winfrey
Things are in full swing here at The Spellman Company where we’re toasting to “good ink and great synergies” over a couple of summery Skagit Valley raspberry milkshakes. You see, our client Rosanna Inc has hit the Holy Grail of PR exposure. Her milkshake glasses, pictured here, headline Oprah’s much-coveted August “O List” published in O Magazine just hitting the newsstands. Sláinte, indeed!

This is a great highlight to what’s already proven to be a wildly fun summer where we’ve marked milestones with clients like Voletta Couture. Opening a brand new dress shop this week in Bellevue, Voletta features an exclusive Vera Wang boutique and dresses and gowns by designers coveted by all those Hollywood lovelies. Legends and purveyors like Badgley Mischka, Oscar de la Renta, Jenny Packham, Reem Acra and more… Sigh… Maybe we should hold off on those milkshakes before we head over to try on more summery frocks!
Northwest legend garden Molbak’s is a delightful new addition to our client group, bringing locally grown plants, amazing flowers and a distractingly tempting slew of gifts and items for the home. Meetings over there allow us to relish the lush environment and great café. We’re thinking of signing up for their succulent wreath-making class or lavender workshop. Gotta get our hands a little dirty!

And may we let you in on a little secret we’re most thrilled about? Our new inspiration, Chef Brian McCracken, has selected us to help him launch a decidedly cool new business called Flyte. His multi-course tasting menus are adventures in dining: he’ll bring the party to you and a small group of friends. Whether you’re setting up the fete in a pasture, on the beach, or on your fab terrace— Chef will wow you with his culinary prowess. Consider yourself forewarned as his bookings fill-up. Book this charming guy for your next dinner party NOW. We mean it. Mention our names and get a special rate on dinners secured until the end of the month.
We’ve got a lot more fun things coming on the horizon, including more national media coverage for clients, great events and sales, and more. This is just a taste of what we’ve had our hands in over here, and we’d love to hear what’s new with you!

Do dish!