Yakima Magazine - Yakima, WA | Website of Yakima Magazine

Nothing better than lunch with friends…

by Robin Salts Beckett on May 16, 2012

I love “lunching.” With hectic days, I relish meeting friends and family for the occasional lunch date – a brief respite from the go go go.

Yesterday I was going to meet my husband, Ryan, at Ballesteri’s in Westpark (if you don’t know about my affection for its grilled chicken pesto club, you can read about it here. It’s a serious problem for me). Our friends, Ryan and Gen M., decided to join us, only they were in the mood for Geppetto’s. So off to Geppetto’s we went.

The thing I like about Geppetto’s is chef Lindsay Park’s Fresh Sheet…there’s always something new that I haven’t tried. Helps me get out of menu ruts, you know? Yesterday’s Fresh Sheet included some amazing-sounding fare. An we tried darn near everything on the list. I’m surprised we got any catching up done, since we were so busy stuffing ourselves, but we did manage a lot of laughs between bites.

The perfect lunch break!

Accomplice No. 1: Our friend Ryan M. He's gregarious and a cooking aficionado. This afternoon he was also a "blended drink" aficionado.

Ryan's wife Gen. She didn't want her picture taken...

...but she let me anyway.

And my husband Ryan B., who here is chatting about the pros and cons of the iPad, I believe. Or risotto. I don't remember.

Our indefatigable servers: Tracy and Evelyn. They're a lot of fun.

Hey, the mayor stopped by! One of the things I love about Yakima - you run into folks all the time. We were sitting next to two neighbors and my high school English teacher too.

This was a sample Lindsay brought out for us to try - it's a lemonade blended fruit cocktail. Since it has vodka I, sadly, could not partake. Darn workdays!

My entree: thai chicken pizza with grilled sweet chili chicken, mozzarella, cucumber and carrot, coconut peanut sauce and chopped peanuts and cilantro. Sweet, salty, tart and crunchy all at the same time.

My husband ordered the chopped salad with basil vinaigrette from the regular menu. A favorite of ours.

Ryan M's entree: blackened chicken tacos with pineapple slaw and fresh lime. Both Ryans tasted them; both Ryans loved 'em.

Ryan M. couldn't leave without trying the gelato sandwich: this one stuffed cool and tart lemoncello gelato between two sugar cookies...divine.

Cupcake Craze at Cake Decorator’s Shoppe

by Robin Salts Beckett on May 14, 2012

My good friend Karri has a wonderfully smart and funny daughter, Tyler, who recently turned 14. Karri, an avid home cook and baker (I’m still in awe of what she cooked for my bachelorette party back in the day), said Tyler chose to have a cupcake decorating party at The Cake Decorator Shoppe in Chalet Place.

Now if you haven’t been in The Cake Decorator Shoppe, you might have a preconceived notion about it … forget that. I don’t bake a lot, but even I love to wander around the store, getting all sorts of ideas for what I could do. Susie, who owns the shop with her husband, Brian, stocks a jaw-dropping number of different cake pans, darling baking cups and various supplies for candy and chocolate molding and cupcake and cake decorating.

And they offer parties. Party goers young and old can choose between a cake, cupcake, cake pop or paper doll cookie decorating party, all of which start at $150 and include an instructor, balloons and beverages.

I stopped by Tyler’s cupcake decorating party on the way to a dinner party and was very sorry I had double booked myself. I could have stayed the entire time and been entirely happy. The things Susie, Tyler and Tyler’s friends Annaliese and Jules made out of cupcakes, little pieces of licorice, M&Ms and frosting were amazing.

What fun!

The Cake Decorator Shoppe

5609 Summitview Ave., Yakima

509-494-0975

contactus@cakedecoratorshoppe.com

thecakedecoratorshoppe.com

Ain’t springtime great?

by Robin Salts Beckett on May 9, 2012

I, like many others, take for granted the gorgeousness that surrounds us in this valley. And to tell you the truth, I’ve never been particularly enamored with spring. Fall and I are simpatico … I love its crispy textures, its smoking fireplaces, the hearty soups and warm wooly sweaters. I even love the idea of going back to school, even though I haven’t in many years.

But spring this year seems out-of-the-ordinary extraordinary. Aren’t the blooms bigger? Brighter? The leaves greener? Or is it just me? Every day I’m constantly amazed by the burst of color on every street.

The other day, when it was a bit overcast and drizzly, the light was perfect for picture taking. So I grabbed my camera and wandered around snapping photographs of my new favorite season. For now.

The wisteria, after having a tough couple of years due to weird weather and some overzealous pruning, came back so full and lush this year. And smelly.

My thyme made it through the winter. Ignore that scraggly part.

...as did the rosemary...

...and the mint! The only thing I had to plant this year was a pot of chives.

Geraniums are my favorite annual ... I plant them almost exclusively in my "sun" areas. Easy care, super pretty.

Where there's shade, there are hostas.

One of my favorite springtime gems is Soloman's Seal. So graceful.

This is my patio's crown jewel: A dogwood called "Eddie's White Wonder." The pictures do not do it justice. There are actually two, and they are amazing.

Here are the blooms of the dogwood up close.

The rain drip-drops off a light bulb that will surely light many a dinner party this summer season.

Isn't this tulip basket cute? Add some moss, some of those geraniums, and voila! Yard art.

I got this birdcage last year - still not sure what to "do" with it. I'm thinking mini-chandelier.

My latest find: A Spanish lavender topiary. It adds that certain "Je ne sais quoi." Happy spring Yakima!

Tasting: A brown bag wine night

by Robin Salts Beckett on May 7, 2012

This weekend my husband and I went to a wine tasting party – a wine tasting party with rules. Now, I’m good with rules, so I was kind of excited to get the invite from our friends, Traci and Dirk. Each couple was asked to bring one bottle of Washington red wine that’s less than $35 and five $1 bills. Sounds intriguing, right?

After we arrived we added our bottle to the lineup (we were a little chagrined to find out, upon further inspection, that our “Zerba” was made with Washington grapes, but not made in Washington. We hoped to squeak by on a technicality). The hosts opened each delivery and promptly wrapped them in brown bags with ribbon securing the necks. Each bottle was labeled with a number – from 1 to 8 - and placed on the dining room table next to a bag with the same number.

The music on, each taster grabbed his or her own “scorecard” and the swirling began.

While some enjoyed number 5′s “pepper,” others marked it down with a “boo!” Some tasters loved number 3′s fruitiness, and others thought it was just too much. It was interesting to taste the wine away from the bottle – and the label. Many in the group got pretty serious about it, taking the wine into the kitchen where the lighting was better to judge color, and sticking their noses into the glass to detect nuance before taking a sip.

When a decision was made, the couple/taster put one, some or all of the dollar bills into the bag that corresponded with the wine(s) that scored highest.

In the end, Gilbert Cellars’ Mourvedre won the most votes, and ironically enough, that was a wild card entry from the hosts to balance the Zerba syrah that we brought, so the proceeds were split among the partygoers. Also tops in judging were a 14 Hands Hot to Trot (surprise!) and a Ruta 22 malbec from Argentina (someone else didn’t pay attention to the rules!).

Josh, one of the night’s tasters, was so in tune with the winning wine that he actually could tell it was from Gilbert. That’s talent! I think I have a long way to go…

Some of the contenders...

Brown bags hide identities.

The table was decked out - tasty and fun appetizers.

This is Tressa and Addy - two intrepid tasters.

I don't think I had tried triple creme brie before ... it's amazing. Like butter. There was also a bowl of meatballs made with a sauce of wine and barbecue sauce that were delicious.