...from grapes to grappa...

In December 2008, (Sound) magazine published an article on tidbit bistro. We were excited about this piece because it was published on a magazine that we personally love. (Sound) magazine is a fun and hip publication covering Seattle’s music scene and also featuring columns about restaurants, bars, books, arts and more.
In “the life” section, there are also reviews of restaurants. These reviews focus on the positive aspects of restaurants and they are not just mean like many other more popular reviews. The author - Allison Holm - wrote a great piece highlighting what tidbit bistro really is: “a casual but nonetheless charming bistro”. In her article, Allison reviewed three new Seattle restaurants in “the search for the perfect New Year’s meal”. Her article was professionally written in a way that even the restaurants that she did not choose do not appear as ‘losers’. Other newspapers and magazines should take the example from the (Sound) magazine and learn how to write useful reviews. Allyson even made a mistake about our chef’s name that should have been Kurt Stolte; this mistake was forgiven as it was corrected in the following issue. A big thank you from tidbit bistro goes to Allyson Holm, Noelle Richards and all the staff of this wonderful magazine!

Here is the link to the (Sound) magazine:
http://www.seattlesoundmag.com/

From Grapes to Grappa – Story and Photos by Allison Holm
The search for the perfect New Year’s meal ends in a warm Southern European embrace.

New Year’s Eve is around the corner and the countdown to finding the perfect spot to celebrate has already begun. There are dozens of prime locations to ring in the New Year, but my focus is on the feast. I’m looking for a meal light, so as to not burst a belt buckle (or little black dress), but substantial enough to sustain a night of champagne toasts. And, of course, it’s got to have celebration written all over it. Three top Seattle chefs have agreed to partake in the challenge. 3, 2, 1 …

Tidbit Bistro WINNER
2359 10th Ave. E 206.323.0840

A casual but nonetheless charming bistro. Tidbit unveils a marriage between the delightful flavors and preparations of southern Italy and Spain. Owners John van Deinse and Nic Longo with Chef Kurte Stolte bring as much passion, preparation and excitement to the dinner table as any true Italian or Spaniard would. We begin with Italian Piedmont Prosecco and 12 grapes, one for every chime of the clock at midnight. Halfway through the Prosecco comes the Cazuncielli – warm, bite-sized calsoni stuffed with ricotta, goat cheese, mushrooms and salami with an Italian sciué sciué dipping sauce. The second course of Linguine ai frutti di mare al cartoccio is beautifully presented. House-made linguine with prawns, clams and mussels are prepared “al cartoccio” – cooked in baking paper to keep the pasta and seafood moist. Paired with a nice Alto Adige Pinot Grigio, it was a tasteful and surprisingly light dish. Lemon sorbetto with mint to cleanse palate, and then marinated and grilled leg of lamb. Lemon aioli, black olive tapenade and a well-structured Ribera del Duero Temranillo give the dish a Mediteranean twist. Sopa de lentejas y chorizo follows. This lentil soup with Spanish pork sausage is popular in Italian New Year’s dinners, symbolizing money and good fortune fro the coming year. Dessert comes and goes in the form of panettone farcito, the classic Italian holiday bread with pastry cream and candied walnuts. Paired with a sweet Asti Spumante from white Muscat grapes, it is a delicious end to a celebration taste. Of course, no Italian meal would be complete without grappa. What better way to clear the slate for New Year’s cocktail than with a toast of firewater?