Seattle was amazing! The weather was perfect, sunny, breezy, and not too hot - perfect for walking. We stayed at The Red Lion 5th Avenue - which I recommend as it is reasonably priced and right in the middle of the city so you are nice and close to the Pike Place Market. What a great market. The market is lively with lots of street singers, inexpensive gorgeous bouquets of flowers, food and the very entertaining fish tossing fish mongers! The first restaurant we went to for a late leisurely lunch was called Place Pigalle (which is at the Pike Place Market). We sat outside on a narrow romantic veranda with a gorgeous view of the water. Our waiter was so friendly and the simple lunch that we ordered was divine. I enjoyed two glasses of champagne and reveled in a Mushroom and Leek Tart which was baked in a Montrachet cheese custard with roasted oyster mushrooms, sweet peppers, spinach and fennel, served with a Port syrup. I am going to try and bake it myself this week and have been searching for recipes that might help me recreate this this extraordinarily perfect luncheon meal. Once I bake it myself, I will put the recipe on here. My sister and mom had the onion soup gratinee and loved it. We all shared bites of eachothers' lunch and I will tell you we all loved the onion soup and the tart. I am going to print my sister's recipe for this soup because she said that it tasted like a recipe that she has at home. The secret is in adding sherry. Bon Appetit! In addition here is a quote I found this morning for all of those who love a good bottle of wine:

"Burgundy makes you think of silly things; Bordeaux makes you talk about them, and Champagne makes you do them." - Brillat-Savarin

My Sister's Favorite Onion Soup Gratinee (I can't find my french e on my laptop)

4 large onions, thinly sliced, 1/4 cup of butter, 4-10 ounce cans of beef broth, 1/2 cup of dry sherry, 2 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce, dash of pepper, 6 slices of French bread cut into 1/2 inch slices, toasted, 3/4 cup of grated parmesan, and 2 cups of shredded gruyere cheese. In a large saucepan, cook onions in butter until tender and translucent, but not brown. Add the broth, sherry, Worcestsershire sauce and pepper and bring to a boil. Pour soup into individual French onion soup bowls and place on a baking tray Put a slice of toasted French bread in each bowl. Sprinkle with parmesan and then top with the Gruyere cheese. Put under the broiler and heat until the cheese is nice and bubbly.