Following Armenia, the next stop in my reading around the world tour is Australia.
ByGD
Streaming Norma at the Met
With the rest of the opera season canceled – everywhere – The Met has been offering free nightly streams of operas previously recorded for their HD broadcasts. Scheduling time for an opera in front of the TV is in some ways harder than making time to attend a performance, but on Sunday, April 5, I finally blocked out an afternoon for my own Sunday matinee stream of Norma by Bellini.
ByGD
Locally Sourced at Pacific NW Ballet
The second program of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s season is Locally Sourced, a mixed rep comprising three world premieres by local choreographers. The title Locally Sourced is a gift to bloggers. It begs for restaurant metaphors and punny references to house-made ingredients and sound-to-stage production. But I’ve been a bit overwhelmed lately and can’t generate my usual enthusiasm for a writerly gimmick. Fortunately, enthusiasm for the actual program is in abundant supply. Locally Sourced was a high point in an otherwise bleak week.
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ByGD
Taste of Iceland at Cuoco IRL
Taste of Iceland has become an annual tradition for me, but until 2017, I never actually attended the tasting part. This annual international chef collaboration isn’t cheap, and it always features lamb – how could an event celebrating Iceland’s food cuisine exclude lamb? – so I skipped the dinner in favor of the museum exhibits, concerts, laser shows, and literary events. Last year I was invited to the press preview at Cuoco, but I was sick on the day and missed it. I blogged about what I missed last year, but this year I was got to experience the event in real life.
The Chefs
This year’s Taste features Icelandic chef Award-winning Icelandic Chef Georg Arnar Halldorsson from Restaurant Óx right on Laugavegur in downtown Reykjavik. Óx is as much an experience as a dinner. With only 11 seats at a table surrounding the chef, the meal is a ritualized three-hour omakase experience shared with a cohort. At ISK 32,500 per person, the closest I will ever get to an evening at Óx is this week’s Taste of Iceland event. (Even so, it’s worth checking out their website just for the Game-of-Thrones-opening-sequence-like landing page.)
For the second year in a row, the American collaborator is chef Ron Anderson of Cuoco is a Tom Douglas joint in the redeveloped North Lake Union area that I haven’t had a chance to try yet.
The Drinks
Icelandic bartender Tóta joined Cuoco’s mixologist Jonny Spielsinger to design a flight of custom cocktails featuring Reyka Vodka and Brennivín. They cost extra, but what’s the point of going if you don’t try them?
Tóta contributed two drinks that showcased two of Iceland’s most popular liquors. Vodka and Brennivín might bring shots to mind, but Tóta’s drinks highlighted the fact that they do, in fact, play well with others.
Odin
With its floral garnish and pink color, Odin looked like it would be a too-sweet drink. But it actually had a sharpness, like fresh lemonade, thanks to the sherry-casked Brennivín and crowberry-rhubarb puree.
Loki
In a nod to Marvel, Loki was a greenish drink that pretended to be something it’s not. With an elaborate garnish of cucumber and rosemary echoed in the drink flavors, this Reyka vodka cocktail could pass for a health drink. It was like and refreshing, with a gingery taste that just screamed ‘healthy summer beverage.’
Cuoco House mixologist Jonny Spielsinger didn’t name his drinks, but he went high concept with the Iceland/Seattle partnership.
Brennivín & Apple
Speilsinger mixed Icelandic alcohol with one of Washington’s top crops. Brennivín with Honeycrisp apple juice, in-house cinnamon agave syrup, and lemon and garnished with apple. The apple and cinnamon, as I expected, evoked apple cider. But I expected a sweet preschool drink and instead got Christmas. It was balanced and sweet but not too sweet. I liked it.
Reyka & Doug Fir
In this one, Icelandic vodka meets the most iconic species of Washington, but not one usually associated with food. Speilsinger took Doug fir tips and made his own syrup; mixed it with vodka, sage, and lime and rimmed the glass Icelandic volcanic salt. The result was like a margarita without the tequila. The smoky-flavored salt replaced the kick of a margarita’s stronger-tasting tequila, but threatened to overwhelm the herbal flavor of the Doug fir. I could have gotten very drunk experimenting with the exact right amount of salt per sip to perfectly balance the effects. As it was, I might have gone back (a couple times) for more. This was my favorite cocktail, I’m already wondering if I could make my own Doug fir infusion.
Too bad I forgot to get pictures.
The Food
As always, the dinner is a four-course prix fixe for $80.
First: Slow cooked Arctic char with Icelandic wasabi, green apple and nasturtium.
This might possibly be the best thing I have ever tasted.
This char was like the best sashimi, rich in flavor and buttery in texture – it would literally melt in your mouth. The Icelandic wasabi was mild with a hint of parsley flavor and lemony top note. Fancy little touches in the presentation not only added subtle flavor but helped elevate the experience beyond mere eating – the greens were cut into perfect little circles like the arctic habitat that spawned the fish. The flower petals were the same ones garnishing Tóta’s Odin cocktail.
I have always loved eating out, but lately, as my husband’s kitchen skills have improved, we’ve kind of given up on fancy restaurants. After all, prices just keep getting higher, but there is only so good that food can get, right? Most of the time, he can duplicate the food at home. But every now and then you eat something like this arctic char that makes you think, ‘yeah, it’s worth the hype.’ You can buy arctic char at Whole Foods, but it won’t taste like this at home.
I might have snuck back for a second plate.
Second: Fillets of cod with turnips, wild garlic, sunflower seeds and langoustine broth.
It’s unfair for anything to have to follow that char. But the Icelandic cod doesn’t have anything to be ashamed about. Its texture was much firmer and drier; more meaty than the ephemeral char. Capers made from wild garlic gave little pops of sweetness while sunflower seeds imparted a nuttiness. There was a thick creamy sauce and thinner, oily broth and their umami was a powerful counterpoint to the mild-flavored fish. The overall effect was rich and savory, almost like a return to earth after the spiritual char. (It only sounds hyperbolic if you haven’t tasted it.)
Main: Icelandic lamb eye of loin with summer squash, black garlic, grilled onions and sauce gastrique with dung smoked lamb fat.
It helps that Icelandic meat is not quite the industrial horror of U.S. meat production, and consequently is also less damaging to the environment. Still hard to get past the idea of eating little fuzzy baby lambs, though. Fortunately, this year I attended with a carnivorous companion who could spare me the moral quandary and share his tasting notes.
He said the lamb had perfect texture. The dish let the lambiness speak for itself, not hiding it’s natural gaminess under sauce. But the smoke-flavor was strong in the fatty bits and lingered in the aftertaste. The man standing next to us commented that lamb is his least-favorite meat, but that hew would happily eat this one.
Dessert: Icelandic Provisions skyr with beetroots, raspberries and rye bread.
Just as you can’t have an Icelandic menu without lamb, you can count on skyr for Icelandic dessert. Usually that means a skyr cheesecake, which I am totally in favor of. But for this meal, the skyr was made into ice cream. I can’t imagine why I’ve never seen that done before. Skyr is the perfect texture for ice cream – a little thicker than soft serve, but softer than hard ice cream. Instead of using sweet toppings to foil the slight yoghurty tang of the skyr, Georg kept things slightly on the savory side with twice-baked beets and tiny crumbs of rye bread that gave it the most satisfying crunch. The frozen raspberries kept it sweet enough to stay on the dessert side of the menu.
Georg was so quiet and self-effacing he seemed uncomfortable interrupting the conversation to announce each dish; Consul Hlynur had to call everyone to attention. Those in attendance listened politely as chef Georg introduced the first dish. After eating the char, they applauded each time he introduced a new one, with the applause growing louder each time. They may not have celebrity culture in Iceland, but those of us Cuoco last night knew Georg’s cooking was something to celebrate.
The Details
WHERE: Cuoco at 310 Terry Ave. N.
WHEN: Oct. 17-20
COST: $80 (plus service charge and tax)
RESERVATIONS: Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made via www.cuoco-seattle.com, OpenTable or by calling the restaurant at 206.971.0710.
WHO:
Icelandic Chef Georg Arnar Halldorsson
American Chef Ron Anderson
Icelandic Mixologist Tóta
Cuoco Mixologist Jonny Spielsinger
Stay up-to-date on Taste of Iceland events happening in Seattle by following @IcelandNatural and using #TasteofIceland on Twitter and Instagram and ‘Liking’ Iceland Naturally on Facebook. Visit www.icelandnaturally.com to learn more about Taste of Iceland in Seattle.
ByGD
Seattle International Dance Festival 2019
I’ve meant to go the Seattle International Dance Festival for years. Then, getting to preview it for the Seattle Times this year, I got really excited about it and wanted to dive in and see a bunch of the performances. But the scheduling challenges that kept me away in the past (June is so hard) made me check my enthusiasm. I went to the free Art on the Fly event and found the program that fit most easily into my schedule. It was Program A of the Inter | National Series on the last weekend of the festival.
Inter | National Series
There are two main tracks to the festival, and maybe next year I can see some of both. But this year, the only program I could attend was part of Inter | National, a series of split bill programs shared by international and domestic (often local) dance artists. On the night I attended, the “local” company was actually based in San Francisco. The international artist was actually a substitute. As often happens with SIDF, the originally programmed artist was unable to perform due to visa issues. After the brochures were printed, they were replaced by an artist from India who is currently based in the U.S. (and therefore already had the legal authorization to perform).
Ishita Mili Global Expose’
Ishita Mili, who fuses traditional Indian dance, street style and contemporary dance, was the replacement for Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts from India. Her group, IMGE, comprising Mili and two other women, went on first. Too often artistic hybrids take on a mosaic effect. Clearly delineated sections show off their respective sources without really fitting together. But IMGE’s Territory, set to music that ranged from A.R. Rahman through Beats Antique to M.I.A., blended the disparate dance styles so thoroughly that felt like something completely new.
Imagine a Bollywood movie choreographed by Massive Monkees. Territory incorporated the stomping feet, extended heels, facial expressiveness and intricate hand shapes familiar from traditional Indian dance that Seattle audiences recently saw at ACT’s Devi. But the dancers dropped to the floor and jumped up like parkour traceuses and their shoulders moved like gymnastic dance ribbons. Sometimes they looked like toddlers stomping in puddles; sometimes soldiers sneaking through jungle; sometimes Krishna, if Krishna took up pole dancing and made a cameo appearance in a rap video.
Attitudes of defiance and militance evoked themes of social change and resistance to colonialism, but there was a wide range of emotional expression as well. In some of the more coquettish postures of traditional dance, the performers looked positively sarcastic. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen sarcasm in dance before.
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ka.nei.see | collective
As my gushing last few paragraphs indicate, IMGE were a tough act to follow. In contrast to their maximalism, the seven dancers of ka.nei.see presented a spare contemporary dance with Contradictions of Blue. I found the first movement in particular to be quite beautiful. Almost like watching a foreign movie, the dancing was like watching a ballet told in the language of contemporary dance. The music for this part was particularly lovely as well.
I have to confess to (an entirely personal) pet peeve that affected my enjoyment of Contradictions of Blue. Dance-running has always kind of irritated me. Something about the jogging pace and perfect right-angle elbows pulls me out of a dance the same way anachronistic slang pulls me out of a story.
Contradictions involved a lot of dance-running. They ran laps around the stage for a really long time, and paired with the simple shorts and sports bras, it reminded me too much of P.E. class. I could see that there was pattern and variation, and possibly meaning, too, in the way that some dancers peeled off to do something else, or changed direction to follow a different leader. But even without my personal prejudice against the ballet jog, it went on a bit too long.
One of the things I like best about contemporary dance is how the different sizes and shapes of the companies require very different partnering from what I’m used to seeing in ballet. With ka.nei.see, this was particularly applicable to lifts. Early in the piece, six of the dancers lift and carry a seventh. It’s weirdly awkward, like they’re about to drop her the whole time. Throughout, the dance was peppered by unusual shapes, like one dancer holding another horizontal to the floor at waist height. Then near the end, the group lifts a single dancer again, but this time, so smoothly and precisely that you almost don’t see how she arrives in a perfect upside-down vertical.
The Festival
Now that I’ve finally been to an SIDF program, I will try harder to see more of the festival next year. With its dual mission of celebrating local dance and introducing audiences to performers from around the world, I think a person could learn a lot just by attending all three weekends.
Seattle International Dance Festival takes place over three weeks in June. Most performances take place on Capitol Hill in Seattle (this year they were at the Broadway Performance Hall and Erickson Theatre).
Single tickets start around $20 and full festival passes cost about $150. The tickets are surprisingly affordable, considering how many of the performers have to travel to be here.
{I attended this performance courtesy of SIDF; the tickets were theirs, but the opinions, as always, are entirely my own.}