The 2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Seattle

The holiday season is upon us, and it’s never too early to begin the daunting search for the perfect gift. Thankfully, Eater Seattle’s local gift guide is here to help you shop for the food enthusiasts in your life. From an adorable taco necklace to hand-rolled cigars infused with the essence of local booze, here are 2017’s best presents for food obsessives. They’re all from Washington, many are from Seattle, and they should all be available for shipping to most of the country.

If this list doesn’t get the job done, check out other cities’ Eater gift guides or Curbed Seattle’s map of local pop-up markets for more ideas.

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Salmon Roe

Bust out the mother-of-pearl spoons and indulge sustainably with solar-powered Lummi Island Wild’s lineup of salt-cured salmon roe. The keta ikura burst with briny freshness, while the smoked pink ikura have wonderful depth and a more mellow saltiness. When it comes to garnishes, it’s hard to beat the bright pop of these fish eggs.

Price: Varies

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Single-Vineyard Wine Set

For the true wine geek in your life, here’s a rare glimpse into the way single-varietal reds — syrah, grenache, and mourvèdre from Yakima Valley’s acclaimed Boushey Vineyard — from the same vintage and location taste individually and blended, Châteauneuf-du-Pape-style. The four wines from WT Vintners are also available individually; if you go that route, we recommend the sultry, smoky grenache.

Price: $150 for the set

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Chipotle and Harissa Pastes

Thanks to Olo’s, home cooks no longer have to fear half-finished cans of chipotle in adobo languishing in the fridge. The paste gives the concentrated, smoky kick in a more convenient form, with simple, straightforward ingredients to boot. The harissa paste, recently certified organic, is more fiery, perfect for blending into stews or dips or, for seasoned spice-seekers, squeezing directly onto meats and veggies.

Price: Varies

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Organic Table Linens

Kitchen towels, table runners, and napkins from one-woman-shop 112 James Street in Bellingham are made organically and beautifully from the likes of cotton, hemp, and linen. They even improve with age, getting softer and more absorbent with repeated use — perfect for setting the holiday table, as well as cleaning the inevitable spilled hot toddy.

Price: Starting at $15

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Coffee Flour

This year, give coffee “cherry,” the outer layer of the fruit that’s usually discarded during the coffee bean harvest. Dried and ground into a gluten-free flour replacement, coffee flour is said to have similar caffeine levels as dark chocolate and can be used in place of 10 to 25 percent of regular flour in a recipe — like fudgy brownies — for distinct flavors of dried figs, raisins, and cocoa alongside extra acidity.

Price: $9

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Sushi Coin Purse

Coins, earbuds, credit cards, and maybe even a few snacks will be safe and sound in Boejack Designs’ coin purse. It’s got a great shape and a darling design: sushi rolls on the outside, yellow and white stripes on the inside, and a sleek black clasp to hold it shut.

Price: $24.50

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Hand-Painted Dishware

Patrick Nguyen is better known by his Instagram handle, Dozfy, where he’s built a cult following for stark black-and-white artwork on an unusual medium: restaurant menus. His other food-focused projects include a “Plateart” collaboration with high-end manufacturer Steelite. Originally displayed in gallery settings only, the one-of-a-kind pieces, enamel-painted on platters and plates, are now available online.

Price: Starting at $100

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Peat Barrel-Aged Gin

Captive Spirits Distilling’s London dry and bourbon barrel-aged gins are both delicious but a bit more commonplace. For the gin drinker who has everything, consider the Big Gin brand’s more unusual peat barrel-aged version, which reads brightly tropical and earthily vegetal rather than smoky, especially when blended with tonic and lime.

Price: $39.99

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Custom Knives

The plain edges of these stainless-steel steak knives make them easier to sharpen, and also allow you to slice steak like a pro instead of sawing it to bits. The knives are made by Bradford Knives in Kent, branded and sold by award-winning chef Jason Wilson’s restaurants Miller’s Guild and The Lakehouse. If you buy at least two you get the leather satchel free.

Price: $125 each; contact team@thelakehousebellevue.com or 425.454.7076

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Pacific Northwest Flavors Spice Kit

For anyone who wants to produce PNW-style cooking at home, this set has nine different seasonings — from individual powerhouses like alder-smoked salt to complex 18-ingredient blends like “Pacific Seafood” — to make any dish sing, courtesy of Pike Place Market’s world-class World Spice Merchants. The shop is a go-to for chefs and home cooks alike thanks to its vast selection of flavorings.

Price: $45.95

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Eater Seattle Food Art

Lori Bailey’s colorful illustrations liven up Eater Seattle on a regular basis, and can even be had as prints for those who are tired of hanging their laptop on the wall. Bailey’s “East Meets Sweets” guide will inspire you to seek out the city’s most attractive and appetizing Asian-inspired desserts, while her “Cool Kids” print may lead to an outbreak of brain-freeze.

Price: $40

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Taco Party Necklace

Keen-eyed observers will guess your favorite day of the week (spoiler alert: it’s Taco Tuesday) when they see you wearing this delicate gold-plated necklace, made by Seattle atelier Baleen. Anyone else will just think you have rad yet refined taste in jewelry. And all of them will be right.

Price: $38

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Space Girls Puerh Tea Blend

For this special Chinese sheng puerh blend — sweet, delicate, fruity, and floral — tea importer Crimson Lotus teamed with local artist Stasia Burrington to feature four adventurous space girls. Pick your favorite or get the whole set, and consider grabbing proper brewing equipment, too, like a puerh knife to break into the compressed brick.

Price: $20 each

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American Single Malt Whiskey

Copperworks Distilling carries itself like an old pro, putting out buzz-worthy brown liquor aged to mellow magnificence. Its sixth batch of single-malt whiskey is its first to spend any time in used barrels in addition to new American oak; a touch of Oloroso sherry cask peeks out as cherry and orange amidst notes of chocolate, leather, and nuts. Detailed production specs are a scintillating supplement.

Price: $75 shipped in Washington

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My Rice Bowl Cookbook

If you love Joule, Revel, and Trove, you’ll love learning chef-owner Rachel Yang’s secrets to her personalized Korean style — instead of traditional bibimbap, expect Revel’s indispensable “mother sauces” (like savory chili sauce) and Joule’s staff-meal brisket buns. The recipes are diverse, delicious, and doable, and the tone is personal and engaging thanks to local author Jess Thomson.

Price: $35

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Nocino Walnut Liqueur

Not acquainted with nocino (pronounced no-CHEE-no), the classic Italian liqueur made from unripe walnuts? Time to add its rich sweetness, deep color, and festive aroma of baking spices and citrus to your holiday repertoire. Skip Rock Distillers’ lovely rum-based take is a perfect Christmastime sipper or addition to eggnog, Old Fashioneds, and more.

Price: Starting at $29.95/375ml

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Hand-Rolled Cigars Infused With Spirits

With the legality of travel to Cuba ever in question, it’s good to Kenmore’s San Juan Cigar Company close by. The company infuses some of its tobacco leaves, which imbues its hand-rolled cigars with the essence of local spirits like Skip Rock Distillers’ rum. The sweet aroma is pronounced, while the flavor is a more subtle trip, with hints of vanilla and fruit alongside cedar and leather.

Price: Starting at $85.48 for 5

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Honey Lavender Pullover

This hip sweatshirt from Seattle chainlet Molly Moon’s Handmade Ice Cream functions equally well as a bold statement of general interest or an obscure reference to a favorite frozen-dessert flavor. It’s also less likely than the real honey lavender ice cream to melt in its box under the Christmas tree.

Price: $50

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