Jaden Hair, Elise Bauer, and Ree Drummond at the BlogHer Food 2012 Closing Party
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending BlogHer Food 2012 in Seattle Washington, and the honor of being on a speaker panel on social media with Kalyn Denny (Kalyn’s Kitchen) and Stephanie Stiavetti (The Culinary Life), moderated by Neysa King (The Back Burner). I’d never been to Seattle before, so it was a real treat, plus it was such fun meeting so many people in person that I’ve been following and talking to in the blogosphere. This was the third BlogHer Food conference I’d been to, and I still came away with lots of useful information to digest.
One of the highlights of the weekend was having the chance to sample some of Chef John Sundstrom‘s creations at Lark, a small, unobstrustive restaurant a short distance from downtown Seattle. I actually ate here twice within two days. After arriving in Seattle, I had the chance to attend a WindowsPhone blogger event at Lark and sampled a few dishes, and then the following night, I had the opportunity to share a meal with friends I’d met last year, Kalyn and Kelly (Sass and Veracity), and new friends,Laurie (Laurie Constantino),Anne and Donna (Apron Strings). We had some fun trying to take pictures of the food using candles and cloth napkins. I didn’t have my big camera with me so I used my phone.
Yellowtail Carpaccio
Warm Asparagus Provencal with Garlic, Olive Oil, Rosemary, and Black Olives
Bluebird Grain Farms Farro with Nettles, Morel Mushrooms, and Mascarpone
Chef John Sundstrom happens to be the son of Kalyn’s neighbor, so it was really pretty special to eat at his restaurant. All the ingredients at Lark are locally sourced (which I understand is quite common in Seattle) so each and every dish that we tasted was the freshest. In fact, we had a really hard time ordering our meal with so many enticing choices on the menu. Please be sure to check out Kalyn’s post for more photos of our meal at Lark.
Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington
Another highlight of my trip to Seattle was visiting Pike Place Market. I love local farmer’s markets, but Pike Place Market was quite an experience. It was jam packed with fresh produce (samples to taste were abundant), fresh flowers, seafood (this is the place to try Dungeness crab if you’ve never had it), restaurants, and local products.
Fresh Produce at Pike Place Market
Mushrooms at Pike Place Market
It was so crowded on Saturday when I went that it was hard to walk around and slowly take in the view as the crowds of people almost acted like a wave, forcing you to move forward. If I ever have the chance to visit Seattle again, I would like to spend more time at Pike Place Market on a less busy day.
The last evening of the conference, we were treated to a party hosted by Jaden Hair (Steamy Kitchen), Elise Bauer (Simply Recipes) and Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) – lots of fun mingling, but I wimped out and left on the first bus back to the hotel as I had to catch a 5:00AM bus back to the airport the next morning.
What an incredible trip I had…it’s taking me some time to catch up now that I’m home but what an awesome experience.
Jeanette, Sounds like a fabulous trip…so glad you enjoyed it! Such lovely photos!!
I love reading all the conference round-ups… I never seem to go because of work, but they look so fun! The market looks insanely busy. Was just there last December and it was perfect- no crowds at all 🙂
Great recap Jeannette. So glad to meet you at the conference! If you come back to Seattle, I suggest going to Pike Place on a weekday morning so you can really enjoy it – the weekends are nuts down there!
Great post and I love your photos from dinner and from the market! I thought this year’s BHF was the best one I’ve been to (so far) and had so much fun hanging out with you and Kelly. And our dinner at Lark was just wonderful!
I would have wimped out on the closing party, too, with getting up that early the next morning! Glad you had a grand time and I was very intrigued to hear Kalyn say this BHF was the best one she’d attended. That’s quite the recommendation! This year while BHF took place, I was hosting blogger friends at my house while hubby was away. And the next location, Austin, is a really fun one, but I’ve already committed to speaking at the Canadian Celiac Association Conference outside Toronto during that same weekend. I’m excited about that, but keep wondering when I’ll get to meet you and see all the other gals again! Oh, and, yes, Pike Place is wonderful when it’s a little quieter. I have photos of all the mushrooms, too. There are some unique ones and very appealing ones sold there. Thanks for the recap, Jeanette!
Shirley
I would love to visit Seattle some day!
Such a FUN re-cap Jeanette 🙂
Seattle is a beautiful city- I wish I had more time there!
How wonderful. It looks like a fabulous conference. I’m excited to move to the Seattle area, hopefully by next year. The market looks amazing.
You really got some great photos of our dinner thanks to your creative ideas about lighting! And just seeing them again has me remembering how tasty the food at Lark was. I enjoyed the company as well. Believe it or not, my husband, son, and I are headed back up to Seattle via Portland for a vacation. I’m looking forward to seeing even more of the area — so beautiful. Thanks for the mention, Jeanette 🙂