Fresh Today

Another blow to Lesser Seattle. As if the laudatory Newsweek cover story wasn't enough, here comes the Television Food Network, which plans to rave about the joys of Seattle dining to the 18 million viewers of its nationwide cable channel.

A crew from the TVFN program "Dining Around" was in Seattle last week, taping sequences in six restaurants, including Rover's, where chef Thierry Rautureau obligingly diced up a lobster-cucumber salad for the camera.

"Seattle has some great chefs and fine restaurants, plus it's a major vacation destination, so we thought June would be a great time to hit the Pacific Northwest," said the show's producer, Anne De Ravel.

At Kitto's Japanese Noodle House, head chef Van Dui pulled out all the stops, taking the TV team through courses of ramen, teriyaki, pan-fried noodles, robata, spicy mussels and pot stickers.

"It was quite exciting, but a little scary," said owner Peter Wong. "It's the first time I've been on TV and actually spoke. I almost choked."

The crew also visited Wild Ginger, Chez Shea, Flying Fish and Marco's Supperclub. The segments will be aired sometime in June, De Ravel said.

One hitch: While the Food Network is on several hundred cable systems nationwide, including those in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, it's not carried in Seattle.

Greeks bearing gifts

OK, you've had a year to recover. It's time again for the Greek Village Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption. Pit-roasted lamb, marinated sirloin, grilled souvlakia, calamari in thick, garlicky skordalia sauce, gyros sandwiches, Greek lentil soup and pastry, pastry, pastry. This year, leave some room for baklava and coffee in the kafenion tent. Spokeswoman Pat Arthur says the women of the parish have been baking for a month, using a shopping list that includes 400 pounds of butter and 250 dozen eggs. But health-conscious eaters and vegetarians will find plenty to enjoy, too, including eggplant briami and spicy little roast potatoes called psites. It's the 57th year for this extravagant feast, which begins at 4 p.m. Friday and continues through the weekend. The church is at 1804 13th Ave. on Capitol Hill.

In the kitchen

-- Something of a coup for the Port of Seattle, which snagged veteran chef Herbert Enziger as executive chef of the huge new Bell Harbor International Conference Center at Pier 66. A native of Austria, Enziger worked at a number of five-star restaurants and hotels in Europe. He was executive chef at The Space Needle Restaurant, Harrah's in Lake Tahoe, the Columbia Tower Club and the Harbor Club.

-- Pescatore, the new Italian restaurant at the Ballard Locks, has a new executive chef. He's Karl Schwirian, who comes from Scalo Restaurant in Albuquerque, N.M.

New on the block

-- Puget Sound Consumers Cooperative has opened a new PCC Natural Market in the Green Lake neighborhood. General manager Jeff Voltz says the 11,000-square-foot store is designed to look like an old-fashioned open-air market. Like the six other PCC stores, it carries lots of locally grown organic produce. But it also includes a juice bar, a large deli, a fresh-fish counter, a bulk store with 260 products in bulk, a teaching kitchen and classroom. Outside is an organic garden maintained by Seattle Tilth and Seattle Youth Garden Works. The store is at 7504 Aurora Ave. N., at Winona Avenue North.

Food for thought

-- Danny Delcambre, chef at the Ragin' Cajun restaurant, will cater a Pike Place Market benefit next week to help fund services for the deaf and blind. It's a special cause for Delcambre, who himself is deaf and legally blind. A protege of famed New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme, Delcambre has cooked several times for President Clinton, who enjoys Cajun food. The Pike Place event will benefit the Deaf/Blind Service Center and the Ski-for-All Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides outdoor sporting opportunities for deaf or blind youngsters. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Cajun music will be by Les Femmes d'Enfer. Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door. They're available at the Pike Place Bar and Grill, the Ragin' Cajun or from the Deaf/Blind Service Center, 323-9178.

-- Tom and Cathy O'Keefe of Tully's Coffee will receive the 1996 Breath of Life Award from Patrons of Cystic Fibrosis, a guild of volunteers working in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Washington. The O'Keefes helped found the organization, which has raised more than $5 million for cystic fibrosis research since 1983.

Kitchen calendar

-- Students of chefs Walter Bronowitz and John Casey in the culinary program at Edmonds Community College will prepare a multi-course "Harvest Dinner" for the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food on June 8. The dinner includes a 6 p.m. reception, at which area farmers and food vendors will display and discuss local produce. Cost is $40 for members, $50 for nonmembers. Reservations: 236-6108.

-- In an effort to dodge the summer weekend crowds, the Pike Place Market's popular Market Classroom Tour series will switch from Saturday to Wednesday mornings for the duration of the summer. Students get a continental breakfast, a slide-show history of the Market and a guided tour of the stalls. Classes begin at 9 a.m. and last 90 minutes to 2 hours. Cost is $5 per person. To register, call Erika at 682-7453.