Can’t get enough of Il Fornaio!

I had the tremendous pleasure of tasting the new regional menu for Il Fornaio yesterday and it was amazing! They are featuring cuisine from the Emilia-Romagna region this month and are offering a 3 course tasting menu for only $29.99! I was able to try 6 of the new items (yes!) and by the end, I was satiated and satisfied. We started with the velluttata romagnola and the insalata con ruchetta e funghi. The first was a deliciously creamy mushroom soup with carmelized onions and potatoes, the second an arugula and endive salad with a lovely lemon-olive oil dressing. Next we tried the tortelli di ricotta e spinaci and the risotto con la zucca. The tortelli with ricotta and spinach was very tasty and a bit on the rich side for me, but I persevered and ate every bite. The risotto was a wonderful mix of carnaroli rice, shrimp, butternut squash and zucchini and then finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction. It was perfection. Our next menu items were the petto di pollo alla modenese and the branzino con funghetti. The chicken was rolled with prosciutto and fontina cheese and topped with a flavorful sage sauce. The branzino was cooked perfectly with a sangiovese reduction and accompanied with mashed potatoes and grilled shiitake mushrooms. By this time of the tasting I was getting pretty full, but I dutifully cleaned my plate (do you detect a theme yet?). As usual, I had a great time at Il Fornaio. And yes, I will be going back. Very soon.

Aspira’s 2011 Chef Series has begun…

Last night we had our first of the highly anticipated Chef Series and it was a hit! Chef Franz from Il Fornaio showed us how to make three dishes – tunnu cunzato, gnocchi alla sorrentina, and profitorales.
The first item, tunnu cunzato, is very similiar to tuna and english cucumber tartare. It is suprisingly easy to prepare, healthy and delicious! Chef’s presentation was also very beautiful – this is definitely a dish that would impress your friends.
Next we moved on to the main course, gnocchi alla sorrentina. Gnocchi is a potato dumpling and often difficult to prepare. Let me rephrase. It’s difficult to prepare well, so after eating you don’t feel like you had a pile of bricks for dinner. Fortunately, this was not the case. It was light(ish) and I didn’t want to stop eating after three bites. The sorrentina sauce was very nice as well, with just the right amount of fresh mozzarella. Yum!
The profitorales came next. These tasty treats having many names, eclair and cream puff being the most common. It’s a light, airy pastry filled with cream and topped with dark chocolate. Apparently you can also fill them with gelato but that wouldn’t have been as ideal for a large cooking demo. Regardless, they, and the entire night, were amazing.

What’s going on at Aspira…

It has been a busy end of summer here at Aspira and it’s just getting busier! A couple weeks ago we hosted the Circle of Hope Guild’s “Cheers for Children” event and it raised over $26,000 for uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Next we will be taking part in the annual “Oyster Run” on Sunday, September 25th. It is a motorcyle ride to Anacortes and there are quite a few Aspira motorcycle enthusiasts looking forward to it. Then, on Thursday the 29th, our very popular “Chef Series” starts with Chef Franz from Il Fornaio. We will be capping this flurry of activity off with an Aspira trip to Victoria B.C. on Saturday, October 1st. So much to look forward to!

Aspira wins another award!

On Thursday Aspira participated in the Built Green Conference and Festival in Issaquah. It showcased and celebrated businesses that hold themselves to a higher ‘green’ standard, and once again Aspira was recognized. We won the “Multifamily/High Rise” Built Green Hammer Award for 2011. Yeah for us, we’re awesome!!!

Summer BBQ at Aspira

We just had our Caribbean BBQ last weekend and it was awesome! It was up on our 11th floor terrace and thankfully the weather cooperated. Over 150 people (Aspira residents and friends of) stopped by and I think everyone had a great time. The food was delicious – we did shrimp/veggie and jerk chicken kabobs, grilled plaintains with a tasty rum sauce, and homemade guacomole and tortilla chips. The drinks were very popular as well (thanks Benjamin) and people certainly had their fill! We had fun, lively music in the background and people seemed to be thoroughly enjoying each others’ company. Success!!!

Aspira Happy Hour at Il Fornaio

Last night we had an Aspira happy hour at Il Fornaio. About 40 of us made the trek (all of 3 blocks) over to Pacific Place where delicious appetizers, wine and beer were waiting for us. They had sectioned off a nice center area in the dining room upstairs and we occupied the tables around it. The food was amazing – there was prosciutto wrapped melon, caprese salad, artichoke and spinach dip with crostini, eggplant wrapped goat cheese and arugula, and my personal favorite, chicken filled manicotti.

Il Fornaio is also going to participate in our “Chef Series” starting again in the fall. This is a very popular event here at Aspira. We bring in chefs from local restaurants and they give Aspira residents a cooking demonstration. Last year we had such superstars as Chef John Howie from Seastar (and John Howie steakhouse of course) and Chef Wayne Johnson from Andaluca. Il Fornaio is going to be represented by Chef Franz and I’m sure he will not disappoint. I’ll keep you posted!

Summer fun at Aspira

Summer is here, the weather is cooperating (finally) and things are heating up here at Aspira. We have a number of exciting events planned in the very near future. First on the agenda is Aspira happy hour this Thursday at Il Fornaio. About 50 of us are walking over to eat, drink and be merry!

Next we will be having our summer BBQ Saturday, August 27th. It’s going to take place in the 11th floor residence lounge and we’ve decided on a Caribbean theme. There will be food, drink, music and prizes for the best Caribbean-inspired costumes!

Finally, on September 10th we will be hosting the Circle of Hope “Cheers for Children” benefit with proceeds going to Seattle Children’s Hospital. This is going to be a huge event – last year we helped raise over $20,000! It is open to the public (Aspira residents are greatly encouraged to attend of course!) and tickets are $65. The festivities include wine from 3 wineries, live music by Patricia Allen, a silent auction and tasty appetizers and desserts to nibble on.

So much to look forward to!!!

Fitness at Aspira!

I know, I know. We are not having the best summer weather-wise. In fact, I have not even once donned a swimsuit. But I can’t use that as an excuse to get complacent in my workouts. And how could I when we offer fitness classes every day of the week here? Yep, every single day there is a class designed to tone, tighten, strengthen, lengthen, you name it, we got it. Let the fun begin.

Our beloved yoga instructor Michael teaches Tuesday and Thursday evenings and then again on Saturday mornings. His classes are often at capacity and does a wonderful job modifying the poses for those that need it. And the yoga classes are always free at Aspira. Sweet deal!

We also teamed up Awan Johnson of Awant Excellence and have added 5 other classes to the mix. There is boot camp and barbell body sculpt on Mondays, Water Aerobics (at the nearby Olive 8 pool) and boot camp on Wednesdays, metabolic training on Fridays, boot camp on Saturdays and pilates class on Sundays. Each class is $5 or you can get an unlimited month pass for just $35. So as you can see, I really have no excuse to be bikini (tank-ini?) ready. Drats.

Fun, Fun, Fun!

What a week we’ve had at Aspira!  We had the opening reception of our newest installment at The Gallery at Aspira last Thursday and it was a blast!  In addition to the amazing art, there was delicious food (thanks Richard!), palette pleasing wine and music from the band The Second Academy.  It was an incredible event.

Then on Saturday we had one of our Aspira excursions.  A big group of us met at Pier 69 on the waterfront and boarded a boat that took us to the San Juans for a whale watching adventure!  We stopped for lunch in Friday Harbor and then back on the water for more whale watching.  Between the whale sightings and the bachelorette party on board, there were many things to see and observe.  Good times!

This Saturday, Aspira resident and extremely talented fashion designer Marta Kappl will be having a fashion show on the 11th floor terrace.  It’s going to start at 6pm and of course there will be wine and hor d’oeuvres (because that’s how we do it).  I’m anticipating it to be another fabulous event at Aspira!

My top ten things to do on the terrace at Aspira

10.  Catch up on some emails (there’s free-wi-fi up there)

9.   Watch the sea planes descent on Lake Union

8.   Sip a coffee while looking at beautiful Mt. Baker

7.   Catch some rays  in a lounge chair

6.  Play a  game of Scrabble with friends

5.  Sit around the fire pit at night chatting with my neighbors

4.  Kick back with a good book

3.  Drink a cold beer in the sun

2.  Watch the sun rise

1.  BBQ!