Pre-Valentine's celebration + restaurant reviews: Fonté Café & Wine Bar, Wild Ginger and BlueBird Microcreamery

Mr. S and I decided to celebrate Valentine's day with exploring around Seattle. First stop at Seattle Art Museum (SAM).

We went the GAUGUIN POLYNESIA exhibition at SAM. We really enjoyed it. The Paul Gauguin paintings that were shown at the exhibition are mostly from 1887-1903 when Gauguin went to Tahiti. It also included some sculptures and antiques from Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands and New Zealand. 




Later, we went to a Polynesian dance performance at SAM.




Across from SAM, there is Fonté Café & Wine Bar. The smell of coffee was all over the restaurant and the coffee list was pretty long.  I got Aztec Mocha(Latte with chocolate, cayenne, cinnamon, and black pepper) and Mr. S ordered a Fresh Press with Yemen Mocca Sanani coffee. It was nice to spent some time to talk about Gauguin.
Review:
Aztec Mocha- Similar to Mexcian chocolate; Spicy; Great drink for a cold relaxing evening.
Yemen Mocca Sanani- Strong; Bold; Thick; Flavorful; Unsweetened Chocolate.




Later, we had dinner at Wild Ginger. We have heard about this place a lot but have never been there. The restaurant has two floors and all the staff were very nice. They offered small plates options from the main course menu.
Review:
Wild Ginger Fragrant Duck- They serve the duck with steamed buns, lettuce, cilantro and plum sauce. It tasted like Peking duck, except the duck skin wasn't crispy and the skin was spiced with cinnamon and star anise. A very tasty dish.
Thai Passion Tofu- Fried tofu and eggplant stir fried and tasted like lemongrass. I just started eating eggplant and this dish definitely brings the flavor of eggplant to another level. Mr. S and I really like it.
Pad Thai- We were a little disappointed on this dish. Mr. S thinks it needed more peanut flavor, I think it needed some coconut milk. The texture was good except the flavor.



We saved room for dessert later. We went to BlueBird Microcreamery on Greenwood. They just opened up a few months ago. The decor is simple and the ice cream are unique. We got a scoop of peanut butter and a scoop of Remlinger Farm four berry in a waffle cone. The ice cream tasted pretty good, probably we will go back some time in the near future.

Chicken sausage and shrimp Paella

Cold weather makes me lazy, therefore, one pot meal is the best choice for weeknight dinners. This recipe is written for using white rice.  I usually get brown rice, so the cooking time is longer.  My trick for making a fast meal is to cook the rice before hand, so you will only need to add the cooked rice at the end to mix with the sauce. That can save you a lot of time!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 (12 ounces) chicken sausage, sliced in 1/2-inch rounds

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Directions

1) In a heavy 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until just pink on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not overcook). Transfer to a plate.

2) Add remaining tablespoon oil and sausage to pan; cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring to coat, until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.

3) Stir in paprika, turmeric, tomatoes, and broth, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

4) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. Stir in cooked shrimp; serve immediately.