Had dinner at Lola the other night. It’s the latest venture by Seattle wunderkind chef, Tom Douglas, who has three other restaurants and a bakery.

This new spot is upscale Greek with a few Northwest touches. Our four-top started with some spreads… a minty feta, roasted red pepper and skordalia, potatoes whipped with garlic. We also sampled a couple kababs: squid on a stick and prawns, both were great, both drizzled in ouzo at the table, which made for some fragrant steam.

I tried a braised goat dish… much to the chagrin others in my party. Ahh, how can you eat that? Well, not to split hairs, but if you eat meat, why should you limit yourself just because something is cuter than your average cow? Besides, I’ve never tried goat before. Our server described it as a gamier lamb. True that.

It was good, but I had entree envy. My daughter’s roast chicken was sublime and my husband’s grilled rockfish was charred just right.

The room was slammed, even on a Wednesday night. But then again, this restaurant was just named one of the hot places to watch in 2005 by Bon Appetit magazine.

I’ve been soaking up some great espresso in soggy Seattle. The other day, I counted four coffee joints on one block in Ballard, a neighborhood that is home to the Nordic Museum and my childhood favorite fish and chips shack. (Totem House, down by the Ballard Locks, is where my father took my mother on one of their first dates…)

Along with the ever-present Starbuck’s, there are tons of Tully’s, a few Torrefazione, and all sorts of independents. There’s a chocolate shop that does an amazing mocha… Dilletante. The coffee at most of these Seattle spots is beautifully balanced, not too strong or bitter. The foam on the cappucinos and lattes is velvety, even when it’s made with soy milk. Many baristas add their signature swirl on top… like the expert barkeep who writes his initials on the head of a Guinness.

I’ve been trying to puzzle out exactly why coffee is so much a part of the Seattle culture… maybe it has something to do with the weather. Every one of these places is packed, no matter what time of day.

Of course, they can’t make a decent iced tea!

I cannot believe that it’s snowing in Memphis and we’re sitting in the frigid Northwest with not a flake!

So, we’re making lemonade and heading to the coast, after a visit with the extended family in Central Washington… we did get one day of skiing in at Lookout Pass on the Idaho/Montana border, and lunch in the lodge was a mighty fine mess of chili cheese fries!

Last night, went to my favorite neighborhood pub, The Elk and had gumbo. It was every bit as fiery as I remembered. Today, went to lunch with the girls at Beverly’s in Coeur d’Alene and had Idaho trout with a huge pile of potatoes and a heavenly lobster sauce. The lake view is spectacular, and because we were celebrating, my sister and I had a half bottle of Veuve Clicquot.

So, what’s on your plate for the big holiday celebration? Happy Holidays everybody!!

… but there’s really nothing to compare with good food shared with friends in the warm, welcoming environs of their home.

The family and I are back in our old stomping grounds, in search of a white Christmas. Unfortunately, that’s proving elusive. The ski areas are open, but the coverage is grim. Yesterday, the husband went to Schweitzer in Sandpoint, Idaho, and had to dodge rocks and a few small streams. It was socked in, so you couldn’t even call it spring conditions. Still, we hope for precipitation.

In the meantime, we have been so well fed. Greeted on Saturday with prime rib and mashed potatoes whipped up by Ted and Virginia before going to a party with all sorts of delicious homemade goodies made by Amy.

Then, last night, my dear pal Holly threw a bash that ended with her famous creme brulee (the best in the world, except for that one place in Provence), a decadent chocolate cake, and she sent us off with cookies that would make Martha Stewart proud. Another highlight from that potluck was skewers of Montana antelope grilled by Rich. Tonight, Jim’s fixing us a pot of shrimp etouffee!

I will hit a few of my favorite restaurants while I’m in town, starting with Thai on First for lunch. I’ll pick up some of Fery’s fabulous chicken curry and, who knows, I might even get into Chicken-n-More for some barbecue.

We had our department’s Christmas party at Texas de Brazil, the all-you-can-eat meat palace in downton Memphis. The great swords of grilled beef, sausage, chicken, pork and ribs is delivered to your table by adorable “gauchos”, waiters dressed in the short troussers.

Lunch will set you back about $18, which includes the lavish salad bar, but not drinks. CA SPY Michael Donahue ordered three Cokes, which added up to $7.50. He could have had a glass of wine for that price!!

On Saturday, my family will fly to Seattle to visit relatives and friends and do some skiing, weather permitting. It’s actually colder in Memphis than in Sandpoint, Idaho, where we’ll be skiing. Check out the webcam on this site.

My suitcase is already stuffed with dry rub and barbecue sauce, pecan brittle and I’m hoping for the best with a couple of tubs of pimento cheese from Holiday Ham. What else should I bring to show off the fine flavors of Memphis?

While buying presents, I made the mistake of sampling the pecan brittle at Dinsthul’s Candies. IT’S SO GOOD!! Why would anyone ever settle for peanut brittle when they could have pecan brittle???

Now, I’m thinking about it… maybe I should just keep one of those boxes I was planning to give away. Oh, Santa would be so disappointed in me!!

Is there any gift that you’ve had second thoughts about… decided to keep it after all??

Went to the spiffy new Schnucks in Germantown. It’s got the same “footprint” as the new store in Collierville: nice, wide aisles, good variety of ethnic food, huge selection of produce, deli, ready-to-go meals, meat, seafood, and on and on.

So, when is Midtown going to get its brand new Schnucks?? I had heard rumblings of a boycott of the store in that part of town to try and force the company to address this issue. But the place is jam-packed every time I drop in. (I do most of my grocery shopping at Piggly Wiggly.)

Should we start a letter writing campaign to the CEO of Schnucks?

Mr. Slim/Trim brought me a salad last week from The Glass Onion… a Greek salad… except it had no tomatoes. It had no cukes. It had lots of lettuce gone bad and a goat cheese dressing that had all the subtlety of Mr. T.

Just reinforces my bad impression of that place and reminds me of the inherent problems with getting it to go. You cannot complain and give them a chance to make it right if you’re eating at your desk!!

What restaurants do a great job with take out orders??

My very favorite office party is the swinging affair from “The Apartment”, the dark Billy Wilder movie from the early ’60s. People dancing on desk tops, popping corks on champagne, cavorting, Jack Lemmon looking as cute as a button.

Those were the days, my friend…

Tomorrow is treat day in our little corner of the world. I’m not sure what I’m going to bring… probably something salty to balance all the sweet. I came up with a twist on pimento cheese this weekend, throwing together something quick to have with a glass of wine before going to a party… goat cheese, sour cream and sliced pimentos. Not bad.

What kind of goodies get passed around your workplace this time of year?