Agate Pass Cafe, Suquamish, WA

We were looking for a place to eat on Bainbridge Island, and a search on Yelp brought up this place. A quick glance at its excellent reviews made me curious, and we decided to head there for an early dinner (despite being called a “cafe”, it is not open for lunch, except on Sundays).

It is located practically at the edge of the waterfront in Suquamish, and has a view of the water and the green Bainbridge shoreline from the windows and the 8 seats on the porch. We arrived shortly after 5 pm, and about half of the 10 or so tables inside were already taken (there are also seats at the bar).

We ordered 2 appetizers: smoked salmon blini (cornmeal blini and local smoked salmon and creme fraiche); and a braised pork belly with polenta and maple syrup (recipe available ).

The smoked salmon blini came — but they were not really blini, more like 3 round cornmeal cakes with smoked salmon and creme fraiche on top (don’t know why they want to call these blini). Excellent, flavorful, smoked salmon was juicy and the cornmeal provided a good base.
Then the pork belly — crispy on the edges, melt-in-your mouth texture inside, salty with the sweet of maple syrup in the polenta, a collection of strong tastes.
Our entree was the special: wild salmon linguine. Amazing: the fat of the salmon just melting and adding softness to the texture, linguine in its cream sauce, a delicate balance of flavours.
The salmon was so filling that not only was there no room for dessert — but i couldn’t finish my pork belly (i took it home and happily ate it for a tasty lunch a day later).

By 6 or so, people were coming in & putting their names on the waiting list; as well as standing behind the bar and having glasses of wine on the porch; it was crowded. The service slowed down a little by then as well — and the couple a the table next to us were complaining to the waitress about not having gotten their entrees yet. The manager came to apologize, and said that the kitchen was slammed.

Verdict: very good food and pretty views, well worth going there for dinner (and well worth the prices on the menu). Come early (or late) to avoid the crowds!

Bainbridge Organic Distillers, Bainbridge Island, WA

Got to Baindbridge Island on Saturday around 2 pm with a little bit on time to spare, decided to visit the Bainbridge Organic Distillers. Heard of them & saw their ads in the local press, but never tried any of their products. The fact that they are a local, new (since 2009) and organic distillery made it worthy of a stop while on the island.

The location is about 5 mins from the ferry dock, in an office park (next to a pre-school ). The space serves as a spacious tasting room and shop, as well as a distilling, storing and aging location. Keith was working when we came in — he kicked off the next step of the distilling process, and asked whether we wanted a tour. Yes, definitely! He described the process of distilling, their equipment and the challenges of being all-organic in detail. It is clear that he cares about the origin of his supplies (far beyond what’s required by the Craft Distilling laws) — the company uses only WA-grown organic grain, and the casks come from a family business in Arkansas that’s been making them for > 100 years — and that places its own limitations on what they can produce (e.g. no rum yet — sugar cane doesn’t grow in WA state!).

After the informative tour and answers to our questions, it was time for a tasting. We sat around the tall round tables (on each of which there was a bottle of either vodka, whiskey or one of the 2 gins), and Keith poured a taste of each of their products.

Vodka (the Legacy Organic vodka) — at room temperature, smooth, strong, clear; i didn’t find any flaws. A very good product! (Ended up getting a bottle).
Gin — we tried two, the first a very interesting herbal gin, with a nose of a variety of green herbs, paisley, and a smooth taste. A great thing for cocktails, to add interesting flavours. The 2nd gin (the Heritage Organic gin) was a “bigger”, stronger- and cleaner-tasting of the two. Even though i don’t normally drink gin, i liked both of them, and would have bought at least 1 bottle — except it is not approved for sale by the Treasury yet.
Whiskey (Battle Point whiskey) — after the gins, i have to say the whiskey was a bit underwhelming. I would have preferred stronger flavours in the taste (might be because of the wheat, or due to the small 10g casks they use for aging, and the shorter aging process – 13-14 months). A decent product, not worth going out of your way to find, in my opinion.
We also tried a vanilla vodka (their vodka w/ 2 vanilla beans in the bottle) — it smelled like dessert (the aroma of vanilla is associated w/ baking in my head); was a little too sweet for my taste (but then again, i don’t drink vanilla vodka).

As we were leaving at 3pm (closing time on Saturdays), after buying 1 vodka bottle, a group of 4 people was just coming in. Good to see that this place is popular! If you find yourself on Bainbridge, the Baindbridge Organic Distillers is worth a trip, and a taste — and if you like tried new (especially local & organic ) things, it is worth looking for their products int eh stores.

Coop’s Place, New Orleans

Coop’s Place

This place was recommended by someone we met late the previous night at The Spotted Cat, as the place to go for a great and authentic Cajun meal. The next morning, shortly after 11, we headed out there, being a little skeptical — as the place looked like a dive bar from the outside.
Inside, it was dark, the center of the room was dominated by the bar, and some 80s movie was on TV. So far, so dive-bar.
We ordered the Coop’s Taste Plate to share — containing a bit of everything: a cup of Seafood Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Cajun Fried Chicken, Red Beans & Rice with Sausage, and Rabbit & Sausage Jambalaya.
It arrived in 15 mins, and we went about tasting and discovering. Everything was good — lots of strong flavors, and fairly spicy. But the absolute standout was the fried chicken — the best chicken i have ever eaten in my entire life! Juicy, spicy, cooked to perfection.
So, here i am telling you — Coop’s is the place to go for an unpretentious and low-key good Cajun meal!

Central Grocery, New Orleans

Central Grocery on Yelp

Were walking by this place and decided to go in to get their famous muffaletta. Inside, the place is a grocery store specializing in Italian food products (with Italian posters on the walls), and a deli counter. We were debating whether to get a whole sandwich, or a half — and decided to get a half, as we were not very hungry. There was only 1 person ahead of us in line (perhaps due to it being a freezing and rainy Friday in February), and we got out 1/2-muffaletta in a couple of minutes.
Well — this 1/2 was bigger than an average sandwich in Seattle! (And, at $8, similarly-priced). We shared 1/2 of what we got (ie 1/2 of 1/2) between the 2 of us, at the little counter table in the back of the store — meaning 1/8 of the original sandwich was enough for each of us; stashing the other 1/2 for later. The sandwich was yummy, with the strong flavors of the cheese, meat and olive tapenade each making their statement.
The remainder of the sandwich was eaten at around 1 am while walking back from The Spotted Cat club — and as the flavors had a chance to soften and mellow, it had tasted phenomenal!

Butcher, New Orleans

Cochon Butcher

It was a cold day February day in New Orleans — just above freezing, and pervasive cold rain. Stopped into Butcher in an attempt to get something hot to drink, and to warm up.
The place has a butcher-shop glass case with cuts of meat in the front (with a case for aging big chunks of meat and sausages near the ceiling), a self-order counter at the back and 3 round wood tables to sit at.
Alas — nothing hot to drink; their drink menu (on the blackboard on a side wall) has hot chocolate, but i am told they are sold out. A request to Butcher: please stock some (hot) tea — some of us don’t drink coffee!
We end up getting hot boudin for $3 — and expecting a minuscule slice. Instead, we can 4 pieces — a little un-spicy, but tasty and a great snack. (I assume this is the same boudin that is served deep-fried at Cochon next door).

Sucre, New Orleans

Sucre

Stopped by Sucre during a recent trip to New Orleans. Heard that it is an amazing chocolate and dessert place — and then came across it by chance on a Saturday afternoon. So, of course, i could not resist getting some treats! Inside, the place was packed with people having coffee and something sweet at the tables; or ordering King Cake for their upcoming Super Bowl parties. A separate counter at the back had chocolates and truffles. I got 5 different truffles, choosing almost at random — all were creamy, fresh, nicely balanced; as good as i’ve ever had anywhere!

Chicken is the new Bacon!

It’s official: chicken is the new bacon! In particular: keeping chickens in your back yard. I had my first inkling of this trend in May 2009, when a fellow volunteer manning the barricade at the SIFF opening day ceremonies mentioned it. Since then, i saw chickens on the cover of the June / July 2010 issue of Organic Gardening magazine; heard my boss extol the virtues of fresh eggs from a neighbor’s free-range chickens; saw them on the cover of Oregon Wine Press’s September 2010 issue — where their rising popularity among Oregon’s vintners was noted; and an article on them in 425 Magazine’s September / October 2010 issue.

So there you have it. I feel i can now firmly state that chicken is the new bacon, food-trend-wise.

Good Earth Organic Apricot Ginger Black Tea

I drink tea. That’s my drink of choice with any restaurant meal. Recently, when i ordered tea and was brought a sampler to choose from, it contained mostly tea from Good Earth corporation. They are all certified organic teas; the company is headquartered in Santa Cruz, CA. Pretty hippy and all-natural sounding, right?

I chose the “Organic Apricot Ginger Black Tea”. It had a taste i didn’t quite expect — sure, there was black tea, and a hint of ginger, but also other notes. I read the tea bag (image below), and it took me a while to realize it, but… There is no apricot explicitly listed in the organic, natural ingredients list!! Maybe it’s hiding under “Natural Flavors”? How hippy is that?

Brugge Chocolates, Redmond, WA

Brugge Chocolates on Yelp

Was driving around downtown Redmond on Saturday when the sign for a new chocolate place caught my eye. New chocolate place, especially one I’ve not heard of before? I stopped and went in.

Inside the space was square and mostly empty — an island in the middle with some truffle gift boxes, some wine-and-chocolate gift sets in a case to the side. A counter with truffles — about a dozen types in all — was in the far back. An artistic floral arrangement was in a pale vase near the entrance, providing visual contrast to all the chocolate tones in the space.

A friendly woman came out from behind the counter, offering some samples. The pistachio grenache (the name of the truffle escapes me at the moment) was soft and creamy, and i decided to get some of the other varieties. I got a box of 6 — neatly and artfully put in a little brown logo’d box with a golden seal, and into a logo’d paper bag.

The woman said that she makes the chocolates herself, and that the store has only been open several weeks. Apparently, she can’t get her sign on the other side of the building (the one that faces a busy road) — making the place more known would definitely increase traffic. Oh, and a web site would help too!

Overall, a promising young effort in Redmond. Glad to know new businesses are starting up these days! I’ll be back for more truffles when I have the chance.

Pambiche, Portland, OR

http://www.pambiche.com/

On a recent trip to Portland, we stopped to have lunch at this Cuban restaurant. We arrived around 1:30 pm, which turned out to be just the perfect time — we got a table in a couple of minutes; and got to watch a line of about 10 people accumulate outside the door, in the rain, while we were eating.

The inside is small — about 5 or 6 tables; and cheerful — walls painted in bright colours, and paintings on the walls — of people, cats, and large-format still lives of tropic fruits.

Their breakfast menu is absolute genius, in that it starts out with collection of pastries, called Entremes — 8 little different amazing ones for $5! I immediately knew what I’d order! They were great — fresh, moderately sweet, moist and flavourful. We ended up getting 2 baskets of them, and taking with us what we couldn’t eat there.

The rest of the things we ordered — the Sanwich Cubano, avocado salad, Bistec de Palomilla (steak and eggs), Bacaloa con Papa ( codfish and potato croquettes) — was fresh, tasty, satisfying, and cheap. After eating all this great food, all of us felt very full — and decided we were not eating for the rest of the day.

A cheerful, tasty place with character — highly recommended!