This week's food shot: Mamnoon Restaurant

Last Sunday I finally made it to Mamnoon, a new beautiful restaurant on Capitol Hill that serves up modern Middle Eastern cuisine. We lucked out on happy hour and sat outside in the sun. The No 1. sxse cocktail was right up my alley with bourbon, coffee liqueur and cardamon bitters, a cocktail version of turkish coffee. And during happy hour it comes with your choice of a sweet or savory snack plate. We sampled both, the sweet having three beautiful little bites with amazing flavors like pistachio, date, apricot, almond and something floral I couldn't my finger on and the savory was beautifully plated with pickled vegetables, spicy, herbed roasted nuts and a tiny pita filled with thick yogurt and cucumber that reminded me of a better take on an English tea sandwich. We decided to also try the Shamndar bi tahini which is grated beets, yogurt, garlic and tahini. The color was incredible and the taste was refreshing and creamy. I can't wait to go back for dinner.

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This Week's Food Shot

This week I wanted to shoot a plated dish using contrasty lighting and props to create a very rich image. Jean-Pierre Chery created and styled this delicious dish of herbed pork ribs with red chard and rustic mashed potatoes. I love the specular highlights on the meat and the bright rich colors.

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Food Shot: The Walrus & The Carpenter

This week I went to The Walrus & The Carpenter, one of Seattle's long standing best restaurants. I popped in for happy hour, taking advantage of the half off oysters. Beautiful, fresh and all from Washington and BC, the oysters were piled high in wire baskets covered in ice. The clean marble table and beautiful afternoon light made it an easy shoot. I ordered a 1/2 dozen oysters, the 'one night in salem' cocktail and the citrus salad. The herbaceous and sweet flavor of the cocktail went really well with the oysters and the grapefruit and fennel in the salad complemented each other perfectly. If only I could have tried everything on the menu... 

Weekly Food Shot

I'm challenging myself to take a new food shot each week. Whether it's in my kitchen, studio, a restaurant or on the street, that's my goal. Here's the first one. I decided on the theme of winter fruits and veggies procured from the Ballard Farmers Market. My old light table gave me the idea for the cross cuts. I love that the chalk dust ended up looking like snow on the dark board.