Seattleite Lynn Caldeiro can only remember fragments of her first hospitalization four years ago—a nurse standing over her, her husband crying by her side, her own high-pitched scream above the din of the Overlake emergency room. She was sedated, her wrist and ankle strapped to a gurney. When a bed became available six hours later,…

BALLARDBastilleAt this atmospheric, tiled Parisian-style bistro, groups have a choice between indoor or outdoor seating. Outside in the terrace room, wooden tables can be pushed together for as many as 16 people in the protected patio space under a greenhouse-like ceiling, which lets precious light through in winter. A fireplace and heaters keep the terrace…

It’s safe to say that with two French restaurants, a Parisian culinary education and a country house in the Béarn, Jim Drohman is a Francophile at heart. So it comes as no surprise then that he relies on cheese as a foundational ingredient in his dishes, in particular, Comté. The firm Gruyère-like cheese, with a…

Marguerite CocktailThis has been served at parties since at least the early 1900s and makes a lovely addition to a holiday gathering. It also is easy to make in advance (anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days before the party starts). Serves approximately 10 11 ounces gin (Voyager is nice for…

For Le Pichet’s French onion soup (aka soupe a l’oignon gratinée or gratin lyonnais), chef/co-owner Jim Drohman uses at 14-month cave-aged Comté cheese, which has a strong, nutty flavor and smells slightly of the barnyard. On its own, the cheese is satisfying, but melted over a bowl of rich, French onion soup, it’s sublime. At…

There is nothing quite like Cabernet Sauvignon. While other varieties swim in and out of fashion, Cabernet—one of Washington state’s signature wines—paddles above the fray. Is it the flavor profile, which combines lush black currant fruit with dark earth tones, often swaddled in alluring oak notes of dark chocolate, espresso and cedar? Is it the…