Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining: The People, Places, Food, and Drink of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Jackie Johnston (Photographer)
Key Phrases: mascarpone cream, prawn butter, candied walnuts, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cook's Hint (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rex-Johnson, a food and wine writer from Seattle, has created what she calls a love letter to the Pacific Northwest, riding the wave of place-based cookbooks. One may not be able to dine at the Herbfarm, in Woodinville, Wash., for instance, but Rex-Johnson allows home cooks to recreate the restaurant's Sea Scallops with Spiced Carrot–Dill Sauce. Better still, she realizes that some of the simplest and most delicious fare is what winemakers serve to their friends and families. She calls it vineyard cooking, and she has persuaded many of its practitioners to offer up their favorites. Most charming are her stories of leisurely and convivial meals spent at the table with her subjects, such as the hearth-baked pizza she shares with Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery. The book is organized by region, and the dishes are eclectic—don't expect to find things according to course—and each is offered with a wine pairing, usually a varietal. Unfortunately, the recipes are laid out a bit confusingly, with ingredients in a sidebar, and often split over two pages, but the book is comprehensive, and the recipes are appealing and not overly fussy (Oct.)
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Review

Rex-Johnson, a food and wine writer from Seattle, has created what she calls "a love letter" to the Pacific Northwest, riding the wave of place-based cookbooks. One may not be able to dine at the Herbfarm, in Woodinville, Wash., for instance, but Rex-Johnson allows home cooks to recreate the restaurant’s Sea Scallops with Spiced Carrot–Dill Sauce. Better still, she realizes that some of the simplest and most delicious fare is what winemakers serve to their friends and families. She calls it "vineyard cooking," and she has persuaded many of its practitioners to offer up their favorites. Most charming are her stories of leisurely and convivial meals spent at the table with her subjects, such as the hearth-baked pizza she shares with Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery. The book is organized by region, and the dishes are eclectic—don’t expect to find things according to course—and each is offered with a wine pairing, usually a varietal. Unfortunately, the recipes are laid out a bit confusingly, with ingredients in a sidebar, and often split over two pages, but the book is comprehensive, and the recipes are appealing and not overly fussy (Oct.) (Publishers Weekly, July 16, 2007)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (October 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471746851
• ISBN-13: 978-0471746850
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #482,959 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Guide and Fabulous Recipes!, November 26, 2007

By	Kate Marrone (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

If you live in the Northwest and love food and wine, you will certainly want "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining" to be part of your cookbook collection. Most of us probably know Braiden Rex-Johnson from the Pike Place Market cookbooks, but with this book she branches out into the wineries of not only Washington, but also Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. For anyone who has visited these wineries the book will bring back fond memories. For those who haven't, it will probably have you longing for a road trip. The photography is gorgeous and the recipes are simple yet elegant, and clearly written. The "Cook's Hints" accompanying most recipes will be most welcome to less experienced cooks.

I love reading cookbooks, so I really appreciated the stories that accompany the recipes. They are brief yet reveal a keen ear for listening to the winemakers and chefs whose recipes are featured, and taken together they provide a kind of snapshot of wine and food in our region.

I gave this book as a gift to a friend who lives in Ardsley, New York -- a long way from the Pacific Northwest. She has the Italian holiday tradition of making a seafood dinner for Christmas Eve, and is always looking for new and wonderful dishes to add to the feast. "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining" abounds in glorious seafood recipes such as Smoked Salmon Tartare, Sea Scallops with Spiced Carrot-Dill Sauce and Miso-Crusted Sablefish with Soba Noodles and Lemongrass Broth.

Other standouts range from starters such as Blue Cheesecake and Spicy Salmon Cakes with Ginger Aioli, to main courses like Tagliatelle with Balsamic Cream (!) and Cherry-Marinated Game Hens. And, dessert fiend that I am, I was pleased to find some superb desserts in a wine book, enticingly paired. I am working my way through desserts that include a perfect and elegant Dark Chocolate-Walnut Torte, a Chipotle Chocolate Cake, Citrus Yogurt Cake with Baked D'Anjou Pears and Meyer Lemon Marmalade (fabulous!), and Tarte Tatin with Cider Cream.

If you have family and friends whom you have been trying to entice to come visit you, send them this book! (The list of Northwest Wine and Food Festivals at the back of the book will also help lure them.) And in the meantime, "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining" arrives just in time for dreaming up holiday meals. What better way to celebrate the holidays with friends and family?

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mouth-Watering Read, December 21, 2007

By	K. Renner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was given this book as a gift and after sitting down with a cuppa joe and browsing through it, I feel like I've had an eye-opening close encounter with the Northwest--and I live here! With our busy lives, who has time to track down the crème de la crème of cozy inns, tucked away vineyards and to-die-for bistros? Rex-Johnson has done the work for us, with a literary roadmap of the best of the best. She entertains with quick little snippets about the lives of chefs and growers, then helps us bring the experience home with their best recipes. I've just ordered another copy to give a chef-friend, and I'm going to keep one on hand for visitors coming to the area. Whether they like to cook or not, there's gorgeous photography, a travel guide, a bit of history, and inspiration for anyone whose pulse quickens in the face of beauty, bounty and harvest.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pacific Northwest is more than just Salmon and Apples, December 12, 2007

By	Robert Shinbo (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

And author Braiden Rex-Johnson exalts and celebrates this rich and varied, and largely undiscovered, culinary corner of North America in this handsome and informative volume. The author leads us through the garden, kitchen and cellar of both the well-known and little-known people and enterprises that obviously rejoice in concocting revolutionary and evolutionary samples that rely on the region's fertile landscape and waters. The book's chapters are organized by city and sub-region, and centered on selected recipes and wine pairings that showcase the unique geography and cultural roots of the place.

Unique and region-specific recipes such as the Nk'Mip Crisp Bread with Snake Bite Dip and Haida Eggs are interspersed with PNW slanted venerables such as Miso-crusted Sablefish and Broccoli and Oregonzola Soup.
The dining notes and attendant recipes highlight acclaimed PNW institutions such as Seattle's Canlis and Vancouver Island's Sooke Harbour House, and the smaller and up and coming cafes, bistros, inns and food artisans such as the Abeja Inn and Beecher's Handmade Cheeses. (Got to try that Joel Palmer House in Dayton, OR that specializes in wild mushrooms).

Regarding wine, many are familiar with the region's esteemed Columbia Valley Cabs and Syrahs, and the Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs. Ms. Rex-Johnson leads us further to taste the late harvest Rieslings of the Okanagan Valley, a plethora of white wines, the limited production potent red blends from Walla Walla, a "mouth-filling" Viognier, and even brandies and fruit-flavored wines. All the dishes are accompanied by a suggested wine paring.

The beautiful photography of Jackie Johnston complements, and gives life to the places, people and food. An appendix lists Pacific Northwest Food and Wine festivals that could be the focal point of your next PNW foray.

Forget about that transplanted (and expensive) oyster smothered in the bland beurre blanc you had in Las Vegas. If you live in the PNW, this book will spur you to eat local and seasonal, and celebrate with some unique preparations and proper pairings. If you live afar, Ms. Rex-Johnson will tempt you to get here by any means, and discover and sample the bounty that has become uniquely Pacific Northwest.

This would definitely make a handsome and thoughtful gift.