Category Archives: Restaurants

Treat Yourself at Ciao

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With a little help from my friend Sherrye, I discovered a new restaurant in Coupeville on Whidbey Island. Mark Laska, the owner and chef at Ciao, likes to use local ingredients and the freshness they impart makes food taste so much better than if it’s shipped to the eatery in a bag or a box.

 

Laska learned how to cook from his grandmothers and previously used his talents at four star hotels in Los Angeles. Thankfully, he and his wife decided that was not where they wanted to raise children so they moved to Whidbey Island.

Now he blesses islanders and visitors with authentic Neapolitan pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven. Staff at the restaurant makes their own mozzarella everyday. Many of the meats used in the dishes come from the nearby Three Sisters Farm.

 

I’m having trouble describing how tasty this pizza is. It’s not the thick, doughy crust slathered with tomato sauce and covered with tons of cheese to mask the flavor that you might be accustomed to. Instead, the crust is very flakey, with plenty of fresh ingredients and dotted with slivers of the homemade mozzarella. It was two weeks ago when I had that pizza and I still remember how much I enjoyed it and savored it.

For dessert, the gelato is phenomenal. Although it comes from Seattle, that’s still very close to local. Try the coconut or the hazel nut. A dollop of hazel nut in a cup of espresso is phenomenal.

 

Did you know pizza taste better if it is served unsliced? But if you prefer the convenience of sliced pizza, the staff will gladly accommodate you.

Spectacular food, unparalleled service and a lovely view — you can’t go wrong at Ciao.

Burgerville Does It Right

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The Burgerville chain encompasses 39 quick-serve restaurants in the Pacific Northwest. Six cities in South Central and Southwest Washington have at least one. The closest location to the Seattle area is the restaurant in Centralia. We try to always stop and eat a hamburger there when we pass through.

Because the hamburgers are made from vegetarian-fed and antibiotic-free beef, they seem to taste much better than most. Add a slice of Tillamook Cheddar and you have a delicious sandwich.

Burgerville relies on local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible. Blackberries for their milkshakes, sweet onions from Walla Walla for onion rings and hazelnuts from Oregon for their Wild Smoked Salmon and Hazelnut Salad.

Not only does this chain serve high-quality, tasty food, but they also use many sustainable business practices. They purchase 100 percent renewable wind power credits equal to the energy use in all 39 locations plus their corporate headquarters. By using wind power of this magnitude, Burgerville eliminates a huge amount of greenhouse gases. This is the equivalent of taking 1,700 cars off the road.

Constantly improving and expanding their composting and recycling programs also makes Burgerville a “green” company.

And this company loves their employees. They provide healthcare insurance, which is very rare at quick-serve restaurants. Burgerville contributes more than 90 percent of the insurance costs for employees and their dependents.

If you’re in the neighborhood, I urge you to sample some of their menu items. They have hamburgers and lots more to choose from.

Don’t Miss The Oyster Bar

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Open for lunch and dinner everyday of the year except Christmas, The Oyster Bar restaurant on Chuckanut Drive in Bellingham has been around in one form or another since the Great Depression. At that time it was just a stand on the side of the road where you could buy oysters to take home and prepare yourself.

 

Now it’s a gourmet restaurant serving Contemporary Regional Cuisine. Of course, oysters reign on the menu, but you can also have salmon, halibut, sturgeon, mussels, wild boar, venison and more. All are served with sauces, purees or chutneys designed to extract the flavor of the main course and delight your taste buds.

My personal favorite had to be the Dungeness Crab Cakes presented on a rhubarb and plum chutney and topped with a dab of curried aioli. My compliments to the chef, Justin Gordon, and also the restaurant owners, Guy and Linda Colbert.  The Colberts have been in the restaurant business since six months after they first married, in southern California. We’re so glad they decided to move to Washington State and continue providing excellent food, high quality customer service and a fine dining experience you’ll remember for quite awhile.

 

With more than 600 selections, it won’t be hard to find the wine appropriate for the dishes you try. And the view – you’ve got to see that for yourself. Let’s just say it involves the San Juan Islands, Samish Island, Chuckanut Bay and it’s stunning.

Crystal Mountain Gondola Ride: A Slice of Paradise

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Our friends, Dan and Cheryl with Mount Rainier in the background

This past Saturday evening I experienced the true meaning of breathtaking. After riding up 2,500 vertical feet in the brand new gondola at Crystal Mountain, you’re as up close and personal with Mount Rainier as you’ll ever get without climbing her. It’s only 12 miles away here, but looks much closer. Since you’ve already climbed some while driving up to the resort, now you’re at 6,872 feet. You can feel the crisp chill she sheds off her slopes even on an 80 degree day.

At the top you can hike, sit in the chairs provided and just marvel at Mother Nature’s creations, picnic or dine at the Summit House. Since it only seats 65, and word has gotten out about this must-do activity, the dinners, which are served on Fridays and Saturdays, have been sold out through the end of the season. Sunday brunch and lunches should still be an option, though.

Scrumptious lemon cake

The food served is world class and dinner at the highest restaurant in Washington State should definitely be on your bucket list. Try the lemon cake dessert and the halibut – I recommend both.

Guess what? Dogs are welcome on the gondola and love to hike and chase squirrels at the top. For more ideas on what to do on Crystal, log onto Visit Rainier or Crystal Mountain Resort.

The gondola will run daily through Sept. 11 and then switch to Saturday-Sunday only through Oct. 2. Then it closes until ski season begins.

Unwind at the Tulalip

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This past week I had the pleasure of spending a night at the Tulalip Resort near Marysville. When you walk through the door, you’re greeted by three 24-foot totem poles, but the accurate name for them is house posts. One welcomes guests, one tells the story of gambling in the Tulalip people’s culture and one pole tells all kinds of stories. They all look beautiful and introduce you to the art you’ll find throughout the resort.

Even the designs on the carpet tell a story and also help you navigate your way through the casino portion of the resort to the fabulous restaurants.

I did not have a lot of time to explore the entire resort, so I’d like to tell you about my guest room. Besides being spotless, the room was stylishly furnished in red and black, the colors of the Tulalip people. The smallest guest room measures 500 square feet.

 

With floor to ceiling windows, free WiFi, a 47” flat screen TV and a sleep-inducing mattress, the rooms offer an elegant respite from the rigors of daily life. To take relaxation one step further, I can’t sing the praises of the three-headed shower enough. I hope whoever invented that has made millions because he deserves the riches.

Guest amenities include the oasis pool, which seems like it’s outside, but is actually located inside, a fitness center, a business center and a luxurious gift shop like you might find in a Caribbean resort. Room rates start at $225.

 

While on site, you can attend concerts, gamble in the casino, dine in your choice of gourmet restaurants and shop at the Seattle Premium Outlets (my absolute favorite outlet mall).

Las Vegas – eat your heart out. We have the best casino resort right here in Washington State.

Dining in Yakima

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Last weekend we had the opportunity to visit Yakima, on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountain Range. Besides a ton of wineries that produce award-winning wines, some of the best dining experiences can also be found there.

Lunchtime at Gasperetti's

For lunch we tried Gasperetti’s. The restaurant’s history dates back to 1943 when John Gasperetti opened a dining establishment of the same name in Union Gap (close to Yakima). Menus now reflect that first restaurant and the Italian recipes have been passed down. The current chef, Brad Patterson, relishes in using the bounty of fruits and vegetables available in the Yakima Valley.

I had the Fresh Dungeness Crabmeat Salad, which makes my mouth water just typing the words. Besides the Northwest’s signature crab, the salad combines romaine, pecans, and julienned Yakima apples. I also heard from one Yakima resident that it was her favorite entrée at Gasperetti’s also.

Dining with a white tablecloth and cloth napkins at lunchtime made me feel pampered and rich. I highly recommend it. We ate in the Bistro and the Bar was also open, but the restaurant must only be open for dinner.

A new restaurant, 5 North Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge, beckoned us for dinner. It was difficult to find because the sign was small, but the hostess promised they were getting a large banner soon so everyone could find them.

I’d read a review in the local newspaper so I ventured out on a limb and tried the Root Vegetable Chips the reviewer raved about. Great way to down vegetables, if you’re not a big fan. I loved the sweet and saltiness of the potatoes, turnips and rutabagas.

Root Vegetable Chip appetizer at 5 North

This would be a great place for a romantic dinner – it’s small and intimate, but the food was over-the-top delicious.

The Cinnamon Roll Lady

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The North Cascades Highway or State Route 20 is the northernmost route across the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington. It affords travelers a wide array of beautiful vistas and is part of the Cascade Loop, a 400-mile driving tour through the Cascades. This highway is only open from April through November, because of the intense avalanche danger the rest of the year.

Tootsie Clark, who is well into her 90’s now, has for many years performed the same ritual every year on opening day of the North Cascades Highway. She gets up at 2 a.m. and sets to making her famous cinnamon rolls. When she has enough ready she packs them into her car and travels to the beginning of the highway where she passes them out to all the drivers waiting for the road to open.  

Tootsie's cinnamon rolls with whiskey sauce and frosting

These cinnamon rolls can be ordered by the rest of us at The Eatery restaurant in Rockport, where Tootsie still helps out in the kitchen. But don’t go for breakfast thinking you can order a roll off the menu and have it delivered to your table. No, you must reserve these sweet treats the night before for breakfast the next day, due to their extreme popularity.

Besides serving good, tasty food, The Eatery houses many items indicative of the history of the area. That was Tootsie’s idea – to make it a museum and a restaurant.

Getting Cherry-ed

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Everyone knows we grow apples here and then there’s the espresso stands – with one on every corner, you’d think they were mating. But did you know we’re one of the nation’s largest producers of cherries?

Actually we are the number one producer of cherries with California running second.

This past weekend I was privileged to go on a tour of a packing plant, an orchard and to savor some very delicious foods made with cherries. My favorite, of course – biting into a dark, red sweet cherry and savoring that first squirt of juice on my tongue. The cherry pies tasted mighty good, too.

Kate McDermott teaching cherry pie making.

Kate McDermott gave us a most informative and clever pie making lesson to launch our tour.

“Chill all your ingredients prior to creating the dough and putting the pie together, and you chill out, too,” says McDermott.

She also places a personal intention into every crust she makes and then lets the dough know she’s in charge. That may be why my pie dough never turned out before.

“Making a pie is like a meditation for me,” says McDermott, whose pie making tools all have a story behind them.

After a delectable and delightful dessert of cherry pie and ripe cherries, our group dined at Blueacre Seafood in Seattle.

I have never seen a Dungeness Crab as large as the one they served. Someone else ordered it and made our entire table jealous.

Dugeness Crab to die for

Outstanding Customer Service: Johnny’s at Fife

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My husband and I tend to frequent the same restaurant, Johnny’s at Fife, every Sunday for breakfast. The food tastes good and when we ask for it prepared a special way, that’s what we get. They know us by name and that we’d rather have a table than a booth. My husband’s order never changes so they just check it with him in case he might want a change. He never does.

The servers also know I’m trying to lose weight and most of the time will substitute fruit for hash browns. But they always check because I don’t always order the same menu item.

Today, we overheard an outstanding example of customer service at this same restaurant. If you sign up for e-mail’s from Johnny’s at Fife, you frequently get buy-one-meal-get- one-free coupons. (Just one more reason to love them.) An older couple who probably didn’t have a great deal of computer experience had printed off the e-mail saying they had a coupon coming, but not the actual coupon. Instead of telling them, they couldn’t use their coupon, the manager took one of them to her computer and showed them how to log on to their e-mail and how to print off the coupon. Then they were able to get one meal free.

That, to me, is very robust customer service. So often, you hear “Sorry, but you can’t do that,” or “No substitutions” and other negative comments. Not many restaurant personnel go that extra mile.

Johnny’s at Fife has been in business for more than 43 years. It was voted “best diner in 2010” in the Best of Fife, Milton and Edgewood.

More recommendations:  The police eat there, and they have real roasted “Thanksgiving-like” turkey.

3 Seattle Blocks, 3 Happy Hours

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Today I’m happy to have a guest post from Haley Shapley who blogs at Girl About the World. Here’s what she has to say about happy hours in Seattle:

They say there’s a Starbucks on every block in Seattle, and, well, that’s pretty much true. But a jolt of java isn’t the only beverage you’ll find on every corner — if you’re looking for drinks of a stronger kind or just reasonably priced food (or both), downtown Seattle offers a veritable smorgasbord of happy hours.

The options just along 1st Avenue are boundless. An easy walk from the ferry and not far from the train station, these three picks in a three-block radius will hit the happy hour spot:

McCormick & Schmick’s

McCormick & Schmick’s

1st and Spring

Renowned for their happy hour prices, this seafood-serving staple offers up ample selection. The menu rotates regularly; right now, you can get garlic bread or nachos for $1.95, the famed half-pound cheeseburger for just $2.95, smoke salmon and chili verde sliders for $3.95, and thin crust pizza and mussels for $4.95, among other choices. Drinks include a $3.95 Coors Light Pilsner, $5.95 red or white wine, and $6.95 fruity cocktails. The service here is consistently strong, and the price/quality ratio with the food can’t be beat.

Happy Hour food at Boka

Boka Kitchen + Bar

1st and Madison

Tucked into the sleek Hotel 1000, this equally fashionable dining venue wins raves for its truffle fries, which are, in a word, addictive. Equally compelling for the carnivores in the room is the $9 Boka Burger, stacked with Beecher’s cheddar cheese, house-made pickles, onion jam, and a side of those delicious fries. All the plates are $3, $6, or $9, and they have a large array of signature cocktails at a discount ($6 to $9). The Red Carpet, with Ciroc Red Berry, black currant puree, house grenadine, and a lime splash, is especially refreshing.

Contour

 

Contour

1st and Marion/Columbia

A dance club by night, happy hour hot spot by early evening, Contour has one of the widest selections of happy hour choices in the downtown area, with more than 20 dishes to decide among. Indulge in tomato honey basil soup for $2, Mediterranean chicken skewers for $3, Northwest oyster stew for $4, or Gruyere macaroni and cheese for $5. But what really sets Contour apart is its hours — happy hour runs until 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 9 p.m. on Fridays, so you can enjoy the discounted dishes much longer than elsewhere.