Discover Walla Walla
Secrets and Surprises from Our Corner of the World
You know spring has sprung when you see ramps on a menu, am I right? O.K., so it's not your every day ingredient, nor would you expect to find it on a menu of a restaurant called Public House 124 unless it was deep fried and served with ranch dressing. But there they were. Pickled ramps perched atop grilled gulf prawns, with a romesco sauce worthy if its Tarragona, Spain roots. I was trying to give up carbs, but it was absolutely necessary that I slop up the remaining sauce with a grilled baguette. You could be arrested in some countries for not. Back to the ramps. This onion, similar in appearance to a scallion, adds a sweet and sour tang to a dish, and it's the kind of accouterment that makes the food at Public House un-pub-like.
Don't get me wrong - you can still get a burger here. But it will be made with killer Blue Valley ground beef, bacon (don't get me started - did you see last month's blog?), cheddar and aioli - Public House served 824 of them in their opening month.
The truffle fries should be called yuppie crack. ...
Posted by: Catie McIntyre Walker in Wine on
Apr 30, 2012
 Flowers are being planted and cases of new wines are being opened. The temperatures are rising and Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla, May 4 through May 6, is here.
Every first weekend of May the wineries in the Walla Walla Valley bring out their new releases. It's an opportunity to celebrate the glorious new season and to showcase their newest vintages by opening their cellars and tasting rooms.
During the Spring Release Weekend, visitors to the wineries are often treated to many special events including: music, art, food and wine pairings as well as parties for various winery club members.
Even the toughest of men act like giddy lil' school girls at the thought of what new wine releases awaits them at their favorite wineries. But, how does one maintain their sober composure with so many wines to choose from?
Spit and dump. Seriously. It's what the professional wine drinkers must do when they are at various trade shows and wine seminars and even some of us who are called upon to judge at competitions. So your excuse is that you are not a wine professional ...
Posted by: Kirsten Telander in Food, Business on
Apr 12, 2012
 This was legendary fashion editor Polly Mellen's response to Angelica Houston's overdone, ostentatious jewelry at the Oscars a number of years ago. Clearly Michelle Adams and her partner Michelle Giannunzio channeled this when naming their breakfast spot simply Bacon & Eggs. Giannunzio, longtime chef, and Adams converted a downtrodden convenience store into a Dwell Magazine-meets-Saveur worthy breakfast joint. The atmosphere is simple and urban - waxed cement floors, recycled wood counters, and retro light fixtures serve as the backdrop to food that is farm-to-table fresh and straightforward. I had the Huevos Rancheros, which is a good example of B&E food that is simple, fresh and delicious. The dish was the opposite of tortillas floating in an ocean of canned ranchero sauce, eggs barely visible from the surface as if lost at sea. Being a savory gal, I also had a good look at the Chorizo con Huevos, which was refreshingly absent of dark pools of chorizo grease. My friend was feeling sassy pants that morning (she had just gotten a "promotion" - which is a foreign term to me) and ordered the Crab Cake Benedict and the Brioche French Toast. The Brioche was bathed in an orange-cinnamon batter before grilled perfectly, the result a divine texture combination: a wee crispy on the outside unfolding to light and fluffy yumminess. The restaurant didn't skimp on the syrup -Vermont maple.
Posted by: Susan Monahan in History, Downtown on
Apr 05, 2012
 Sometimes changes to buildings result in the loss of distinctive features; sometimes the additions add interest and give the building character it lacked.
I often ask friends to share their memories of Walla Walla buildings and sometimes ask for ideas of what building to write about. Diane suggested the one at the corner of Main and 2nd, "the one with all that decorative stuff all over it." She had an ulterior motive, Diane did; she had a fond 1960s memory involving hot chocolate--with a scoop of ice cream in it--served in that very building, and couldn't remember the name of the restaurant operating from there. Number Two West Main houses the Paul Richardson Agency now and it has a very business-like look to it. I was intrigued by what changes it had been through over the years. My research told me that the corner building was part of the Quinn Building (which I wrote about last month.) It was occupied in 1876 by Marum and Doheny's Dry Goods Store, who advertised "All Goods Marked in Plain Figures", but "sold exclusively for cash." When the dry goods store moved in 1901, Tallman's Drugs moved in and stayed there until 1912 when they moved their pharmacy to a bigger space next door. Up to the Times Magazine wrote a feature on 2 West Main's 1912 occupant in its Progress Notes:
"The Third National Bank of Walla Walla has purchased the Quinn property at Second and Main Streets....The property has a frontage on Main Street of 53 feet. It is reported that the purchase price was $1,200 per front foot. The Third National Bank will occupy its new quarters sometime during the new year".
Posted by: Catie McIntyre Walker in Wine on
Mar 29, 2012
It is a large part of my bloodline to take on the "hunt" - the occasional gathering of treasures such as the collectibles I enjoy in my home. I have a couple of aunts who used to be in the antique business and even my father sometimes brought home "treasures" that he traded. My list of treasure hunting is broad such as furniture, depression glassware, copper kitchenware, old suitcases, and the occasional doily or retro night stand linen. Wine was added to that list over 15 years ago.
There are motives for many wine touring lists. A habit of many a wine tourist is to stop at the larger wineries - good plan, especially if you make one of them your first stop of the day. Their beautiful surroundings will definitely get you in the "wine country" mood. Sometimes the tourist is making a list of stops driven by only the scores from wine magazines. I have actually heard some wine aficionados comment they will only stop if the winery has magazine scores of 95 and above.
Boo-hoo! They have just missed out on some treasures.
Posted by: Andrew Holt in Food, Downtown, Business on
Mar 20, 2012
 Meet the Willy Wonka of Walla Walla . . . Paul Jenes, a mild mannered version of Roald Dahl's famous classic candy character. Although the University of Washington grad does not possess the flamboyance of Mr. Wonka, his passion for making life much sweeter for the world, and particularly the Walla Walla Valley, is just as evident.
Jenes is the proud owner of Bright's Candies, which he transformed into an old-fashioned candy shop back in 2005 when he moved it to Main Street from its cubby-hole existence on 1st Avenue. When you meander through the doors of Bright's, you step back in time - a pleasant step - into the full service candy store one used to find on every main street of an America gone-bye, replete with a popcorn machine, spilling out buttered, cheese and the coveted caramel corn, the long glass case of freshly made chocolates, ranging from turtles to peanut clusters to wine filled cordials, the colorful wall of jelly beans, the swirling lollipop table, and every child's favorite - the candy making room that resides in full view, enabling youngsters to stare through the window as Paul Jenes works his magic, creating chocolate wonders as the rivers of chocolate pour out of the machine.
Not to be overlooked is the ice cream counter with the traditional offerings of Rocky Road, Chocolate Chip and Bubble Gum flavors. Families sit on the patio, licking their cones or drinking their shakes in the early summer evenings. Where is Normal Rockwell? He'd paint this scene in a heartbeat.
Posted by: Kirsten Telander in Food, Business on
Mar 15, 2012
Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen
 I wrote about Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen for Northwest Palate several years ago, and at the time, I thought Chef/Founder Chris Ainsworth was bonkers: In the course of a year, he had moved to Walla Walla, opened Saffron, then opened Pho Sho, got married, and bought a house. I waited for his reality-show-worthy meltdown. It didn't come. Instead, he saved his drama for the plate, and was named a semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation award (top chefs Northwest). Apparently bonkers is the new winning.
The laid-back Ainsworth was just named a semi-finalist for the fourth consecutive year, so it seemed only fitting to visit the restaurant for our inaugural Beyond Bread blog.
There is no host stand, so when you walk into Saffron, it's as if discovering a locals-only find in Marrakech. In fact, Ainsworth, who draws inspiration from his travels, recently returned from a trip to Morocco. The restaurant has remained small despite a full reservation book since opening. Despite its minimalism, the earthy green color on one wall and exposed brick on the other, custom woodwork, and star-shaped hanging lights keep the space warm and bistro-like. Old Champagne riddling racks serve as the table bases.
I sat at the chef's table - an intimate table for two that allows for an insider's view of the open kitchen. Tonight was chilly, and I welcomed a view of the fire in the wood oven, and the smoky aroma of mesquite from the grill.
Posted by: Susan Monahan in History on
Feb 27, 2012
 The most fascinating part of writing about Walla Walla's historic buildings is learning how a space can change over time, its owners altering and molding it to their needs. If I walk into Tallman's Drug Store at 4 West Main today I am greeted by friendly folks who fill my prescription and ask about my day. If I had entered that door in 1880, I would have been visiting Thomas Quinn, Saddler and Harness Maker. His ads promised "Bridles, Whips, Spurs, Saddle Blankets, and in fact, everything found in a first-class harness establishment."
In Frank T. Gilbert's 1882 Sketches of Walla Walla, he describes Thomas Quinn: "With manners suave, a disposition to accommodate, and generous promptings towards his fellows, he greets the stranger, the customer, or the friend in that peculiar way ... which seldom fails to leave a desire with the recipient to do him a favor if he can." It appears that an hospitable greeting is part of the building's heritage.
Mr. Quinn's business prospered for years and it was taken over by his wife Clara at his death in 1889. By 1908 Walla Walla's need for such equipment was no longer as great due to the growing popularity of automobiles, and Quinn's Saddlery went out of business. The Quinns owned the building on the corner, too, at 2 West Main, which housed Dohenny and Marum's Dry Goods. The two buildings together were known as Quinn's Block, although from the beginning they were architecturally distinct. Both buildings had offices upstairs--doctors, lawyers, Mrs. Sarah Thacker's Commercial School, and the office of the publication Town Talk. In 1901, City Drugs moved into the corner building and when Mr. Tallman bought out Mr. Esteb in 1898 it became Tallman's Drugs.
Posted by: Andrew Holt in Wine, Business on
Jan 31, 2012
 Meet Chuck Reininger, passionate winemaker and passionate outdoorsman. Born and raised in Bellevue, Wash., Reininger calls the Walla Walla Valley home mainly due to his love of the outdoors, the region's spectacular geography and rich history. The former mountain climbing guide says all of this passion is reflected in his wine. Hence, nearly every vintage of Reininger Winery has been made solely from Walla Walla Valley fruit.
"I am proud of the Valley. I am proud of the Northwest," says Reininger. His adoration for the area is seen not only in his wine, but also in the winery's tasting room. Basalt columns from a local farm, created by the great flood thousands of years ago, serve as the wine pouring counter top. A grapevine weave serves as the bar's exquisite façade, and local barrel staves form its columns. The spacious tasting room is highlighted by wooden plank flooring, salvaged from the old potato sheds that now house the winery and tasting room (see photos below).
Elements of the Walla Walla Valley and the Pacific Northwest are apparent everywhere at Reininger.
When Chuck Reininger is not plying his trade as a winemaker or chatting with tasting room guests, you'll find him skiing down the steep face of a snow laden mountain, backpacking up a challenging trail, or out on his bike gliding through the Valley's rolling hills of wheat and vineyards. His steely frame, tanned face and agile movements all reflect a man who has spent his life actively immersed in Mother Nature and recreational sports.
Posted by: Susan Monahan in History on
Jan 23, 2012
 When I say Walla Walla Sweets, I am not referring to baseball or onions. I am talking candy. Residents and visitors certainly appreciate Bright's on Main Street and many remember fondly the many years Russell's Candy was in business. But there is a "ghost sign" on an elegant brick building at 108 South Third that marks Walla Walla Candy Co., an important business in our town's candy history. The sign is faint, but one can make out "Manufacturers and Jobbers." The candy made in this factory was sold wholesale -- all over town and beyond. This company existed for years with various owners and different names, but maintained the tradition of supplying the sweet stuff to young and old.
An 1889 ad says that the Walla Walla Candy Company (then on Main Street) are "Manufacturers of the Finest French and American Candies and Confectionery. Tropical and domestic Fruits and Nuts. Arctic Soda, Ice Cream and Oysters in their Season." Oysters? Yes, oyster sales often went hand in hand with candy, and many places that you could buy candy sold tobacco too. The vocation of candy maker could be a prestigious one. The Walla Walla Candy Company brought Earl Remington Davenport and his family all the way from Seattle in 1927 to be "head confectioner" and manage their company. By this time the company was owned by two gentlemen whose names Bybee and Burton merged into Burbee, and the Burbee Candy Company became famous not only for their chocolates, but also, for their Bingo Bar. (I'd love to know what a Bingo Bar consisted of).
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