Some useful (and cheeky) foodie gifts

Got a fanatical restaurant fiend on your gift list?

Restaurant gift certificates and gift cards are an easy, much appreciated gift, but howzabout going one better: Give a cooking class taught by one of Greater Seattle's great restaurant chefs. Some folks (Cascadia's Kerry Sear and Le Gourmand's Bruce Naftaly) teach in their restaurant kitchens, while others make guest appearances at area cooking schools, specialty markets and cookware shops. Need a testimonial for the latter?

I recently gifted myself with a pasta-making class at Magnolia's well-punctuated little cookware shop, Dish it up! It cost me $75, a bargain seeing as it was taught by the guy whose pasta I've adored for nigh on 20 years: Cafe Lago's chef-owner Jordi Viladas. With a wineglass in hand, surrounded by 10 of my closest "friends," I learned how to make his bodacious butternut squash ravioli; spinach and ricotta gnocchi; and a quick, rich, sugo di carne — among other excellent pastas and sauces. (P.S. we got to eat, too.)

And I don't know about you, but those who don't use techified gadgets to download restaurant info (count me in) will be pleased to note that the 2008 Seattle Zagat Restaurant Survey is finally available at a bookstore near you ($12.95). Perfect for stocking- (and glove-box) stuffing.

But enough with the standard bill of fare and on to this year's wacky-yet-worthy restaurant-related wrappables:

So, you're dining out and there's nowhere to put your handbag, your shopping bag or (if you're way cooler than I am) your messenger bag. What's a girl to do? First you sling the bag over the back of your seat, where it inevitably falls off. Then you put it on the floor where the kid who sat there before you spilled his orange juice. Honey! You (and all your friends) need a PurseHook (877-265-HOOK). The colorful bejeweled tool hooks onto tables, countertops or bars and holds up to 35 pounds of whateverthehellitis you've been toting around. Choose the popular mirrored Looking Glass model ($24.95) and you'll be giving two gifts in one. (Yeah, yeah: I used to say I'd never, ever put lipstick on while sitting at a table in a restaurant. Then I turned 30 and my lips turned gray.)

Got a college kid who lives on pizza? Know a harried soccer mom who likes to take but not bake? How about pizza snobs particular about their pies? Give 'em a Fetch Pizza Bag, and they'll never complain about cold takeout again. This red thermal wonder is insulated, vented and has straps for easy carrying (eat your heart out, Domino's dude!). The $20 version holds a single extra-large pizza box while the Double Deluxe ($35) has room for two. Big spenders can go all out for the pizza-parlor special: the Double Bag Combo ($75) complete with thermal bag, pizza pedestal, pizza cutter and a couple of classic shakers for pepper flakes and Parmesan.

Lucky you. The boss has invited you to Canlis for a holiday repast. What to give the man who has everything in return for his largess? A box of Bacon Flavored Toothpicks, perfect for saving the bossman from the mortal embarrassment of leaving Seattle's fussiest restaurant with a bacon bit from his Canlis Salad stuck between his front teeth. Each slender tin holds 80 aromatic toothpicks and comes stamped with a monocle'd pig dressed for success in top hat and tails (two boxes for $4.95 at Archie McPhee, 2428 N.W. Market St., Seattle, 206-297-0240).

Archie McPhee is a veritable cornucopia of food-focused fun stuff. Everyone's favorite Ballardian giggle-shop (and its Web site) sells fantabulous foodie-fanatic gifts: such as that über-utilitarian utensil, the Freeloader Fork ($7.95). This 2-foot retractable must-have is perfect for that certain someone who's inevitably asking you to pass your plate (note to all my friends: Too late! I already have one).

My Catholic husband had the audacity to be born on Christmas Day, and as his Jewish wife, I plan to be home basking in the lights of our Chrismukkah tree and eating birthday cake on Dec. 25 while Jews all over town go out for Chinese food. And what nice Jewish girl wouldn't want a vinyl handbag disguised as a Chinese-takeout box ($20.95, Archie McPhee)? OK, I know: the ones who don't eat treif. Sure it's adorable, what with its Golden Pagoda stenciled in red and the zippered top that reads "Thank You" and "Come Again." Just in case you were wondering: There's plenty of room in this vinyl tote for a Looking Glass PurseHook, but don't even think about using it for moving mu shoo.

What's that other favored Christmas pastime? Yep: the movies! You've seen "It's a Wonderful Life" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" a gazillion times, and so has your entire family. It's time to buy them something new to view over the holidays. How about "Ratatouille" on DVD ($19.99 at Fred Meyer)? If there's better on-screen entertainment (those houndstooth pants and Dansko clogs! Anton Ego's childhood epiphany!), I've yet to see it.

And you thought I'd get through this column without mentioning a sushi-centric gift? Fat chance. While you could send a box of See's chocolates, when you care to send the very best to the sushi-obsessed, you need Suedy's Koo-Ki Sushi (866-GO-KOOKI). These fishified confections are, in fact, handmade chocolates. Among the many artful edibles: Fruit-O-Maki wrapped in chocolate "nori" sitting pretty on a delicate chocolate plate ($15), or a Koo-Ki Sushi assortment boxed in an elegant washi or obento ($35-$65). Need a pair of "Choc Sticks" to go alongside? They've got those, too ($10).

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com.

More columns available at seattletimes.com/nancyleson.

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