CHEF JOHN HOWIE'S BLOG

It’s always oyster season at Seastar Restaurant And Raw Bar in Bellevue, WA. You don’t have to wait for the months with an `R’ in them (September to April) because the summer break in wild oyster harvesting to let them spawn doesn’t apply to commercially raised oysters that are strictly regulated for both safety and…

So what’s going on? How did the world suddenly fall so in love with truffles? True, these fungi, or tuber, are an experience like no other. Their aroma is so deeply complex, and so indescribably sensuous, that comparisons are often made between the earthy scent of truffles and sex. It’s a musky, mysterious sort of…

“We sucked them [oysters] in, one by one, after placing them on each other’s tongue. Voluptuous reader, try it, and tell me whether it is not the nectar of the Gods!” That’s a quote from the diary of Casanova, the famous Italian playboy who left a trail of love and heartbreak as he hopped from…

# 1: The Classic Bloody Mary Recipe  Ingredients – Lemon Juice: ½ tsp – Vodka: 2 oz – Tomato Juice: 4 oz – Tabasco: 2 dashes – Horseradish: 2 tsps – Worcestershire Sauce: 2 dashes – Celery Salt: 1 pinch – Pepper: 1 pinch – Paprika: 1 pinch   Method – Add ingredients in an ice-filled…

Most restaurants don’t sell a lot of dessert wines, but at John Howie Steak, we know how dessert wines are the perfect way to finish off a meal. Dessert wines are sweet but often they tend to be lower in alcohol, and you’ll enjoy drinking it in a small amount. Like a kiss at the…

Steaks are a wonderful treat to be able to cook at home, and Steaks To Go by John Howie may be just the thing you need to make your Holiday and New Year celebration meals really special this year! At-home delivery of quality steak products is not a new concept by any stretch but Steaks To Go has completely…

The name Beardslee Public House doesn’t exactly sound `child-friendly’, does it? After all, public house means a tavern or a bar, and sure enough, Beardslee has built its reputation over the years for excellent craft beers and home distilled spirits. But 2018 has been a makeover year for this beverage and fine dining hotspot, and…

Here’s another chance for people who missed out on Wildwood Spirit’s limited release of Dark Door bourbon earlier this year. The bourbon, aromatic with the flavors of toffee, caramel, orange flowers and vanilla, has been marvelously handcrafted with locally-sourced WA corn, and aged in rare, artisanal oak barrels for maximum wood-spirit interaction. “We relied on…

The Christmas meal and New Year’s Eve may be the two big moments for Champagne during the festive season, but it’s such a terrible waste not to drink it up and down the Holidays too, says Erik Leidholm, master sommelier and head distiller at Wildwood Spirits. “I never need an excuse to drink champagne. And…

  This is a shout-out to all Seattle connoisseurs whose tastebuds are adventurous for the finest food and drink that the great Pacific Northwest has to offer! The Annual Taste Of The Seahawks Event is taking place on November 6, 2018, at the Century Link Field. And it’s going to be a smorgasbord of food…