24 Hours Lummi Island

For Valentine's Day this year Dayne gave me an overnight & dinner at Willows Inn on Lummi Island, it had been in the press a lot since the sous chef from Noma made his move there. Due to a number of things we needed to postpone the getaway but finally went a couple of weeks ago. We drove up on a Sunday morning & returned the next day, both making it home in time for 3pm conference calls.

Everything on Lummi is tiny it seems, starting with the 20 car ferry, which on our sailing held just 6 vehicles. It's a short 8 minute trip to the pretty island, population 800 (which I really think might be a high estimate!). The drive to Willows Inn took us past the only other restaurant on the island, the post office & lovely waterfront homes. The Inn itself is unassuming, rustic even, with a large front porch looking out to the water.

Dayne had rented us electric bikes which we took out while our room was made up. These were so fun, I'd love to get one at home! We did a loop around the island, stopping to take in views of the sound, Mt. Baker, multiple deer, the beaches and have lunch at said other restaurant.

Arriving back at Willows we wandered around checking out the grounds, the other rooms/cabins, the bocci ball court and the hot tub. It's a perfectly quiet and lazy way to spend a day.

We had the Sans Souci room (extra credit if you know what that means without looking it up) which was very comfortable & even had a cute little stove/fireplace. I will say the room also could stand an update, especially the bathroom, nothing serious but telltale signs of wear and tear could easily be handled.

Happy hour at the Inn starts at 4pm, these people have class, and although there were no advertised snacks we were offered some very nice marinated cheese & bread to go along with our drinks (the white sangria was especially refreshing, the cocktail made with sorrel looked hideous).

The main attraction here is the dinner of course. We were seated in the spare but comfortable dining room and a selection of fun amuse dishes were delivered. These little bites definitely set the stage for the tone of the entire menu. A wooden box arrived which when you lifted the lid smoke escaped revealing beautiful bites of salmon. A basket filled with fresh from the garden lettuces and radishes (sprinkled with "dirt") was delicious dipped in a pot of green goddess.

The dinner progressed with every plate looking like it had been on it's way to a garden/flower show. Edible plants of all types not just for garnish but holding center court with gorgeous selections of seafood. Everything local, most everything picked that day. 11 plates total, some 1 bite some a bit more, paired with wine. And they kicked this in at no extra charge:

Additionally we ran into 2 friends of ours just there for the night and a romantic little get away, we ran into them 2 days earlier in Seattle too. Goes to show what a small world it is even on an island.

The next morning we had breakfast back in the same dining room. House made English muffins, poached eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce was included in our room charge.

Additional photos of food and fauna here




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Happy 4th of July!

I love the 4th! I think it's my favorite holiday (which is saying a lot since there are no presents involved!). Even as a kid it was the one day that my parent's seemed happy. Dad loved to set off fireworks and mom loved to bake and have a potluck.

Dad and I would go to the grocery store parking lot fireworks stands and I'd try to talk him into buying the biggest box of boom on the shelves. I'd get to light things like Magic Black Snakes, Smoking Log Cabin and Sparklers. As I got older and we would go out to the reservation to buy our fun I'd get to set off bottle rockets out of Pop Shop bottles (cream soda being my favorite). All the neighbors would put their fireworks together so it seemed to last all night.

In high school there were parties and treks out to Coeur d'Alene for the big show on the lake. When I moved from Spokane to Seattle in college there were more parties and big shows in Bellevue, Lake Union and Elliot Bay (I miss the Fourth of Jul-Ivars). When Dayne and I met we would head to his friend's houseboat every year for a BBQ and show watching from the roof.

Last year we were in Paris for the 4th. Obviously there were no fireworks or flag cupcakes but we did have a lovely day. First up was a delicious brunch at a friend's house. Next came a really enjoyable afternoon spent picnicking at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont with more friends we don't see very often. And later we partook in delicious cocktails in the American style cocktail bar Prescription Cocktail Club.

My perfect way to spend the 4th is a half day at the beach followed by a party and then viewing of a big show. We'll be back on a Lake Union houseboat with friends tonight and it's sure to be a great time. The sun is shining, there will be drinks and grilling and when those big pyrotechnics go BOOM I'll be feeling like a kid again!

I hope you all are spending the day exactly how you like it too! Happy 4th of July!

A Mini Apple Weekend

Before we left for Europe last month (posts to come sometime this year) we spent a quick weekend in Minneapolis. Sadly it was for the burial service of Dayne's aunt Sue who passed away last winter. But looking on the up side it was a chance for me to see parts of Minnesota where Dayne's family have lived and get a chance to meet his cousin's aunts and uncles.

We stayed in downtown Minneapolis at the newly opened Kimpton Grand Hotel. This is a fabulous hotel right in the center of things. And on top of the rooms being so awesome The Six15Room is arguably one of the best bars in town. I don't even have a picture of it as I was always holding a cocktail while in it but take my word and stop in if you are ever there.

Our first night in town we checked out another of the city's best bars (I think there are only 3) called Bradstreet Crafthouse. The decor is a bit Moroccan and the cocktails were fantastic. The bar (again in a hotel) started us off with a small amuse drink while we perused the large menu, I'm a sucker for that!

seemed in focus when I took it ;)

Dinner that night was at Haute Dish, how could I resist the name? The restaurant serves takes on... you guessed it! Both my Tater Tot Haute Dish and Dayne's Lamb X 5 were excellent. It's casual and upbeat, housed it what seems to be an old tavern.

We had a 2 hour drive out to Kettle River the next morning for Sue's service. Let me just go on record saying that there is very little to see between Minneapolis and Kettle River. I didn't take a picture but the cemetery is a tiny little square of land right on the edge of town. Sue's family still lives in the area and there was a very nice family lunch at her sister's house after. Lots of stories of small towns and families. Very nice.

After the 4 hour round trip drive we were happy to get back to the Kimpton and enjoy a Mint Julep while watching the Kentucky Derby.

Dinner that night was at the much lauded Restaurant Alma. One note, we were offered and took the Kimpton town car service to dinner which ran us $20. A cab back was $10. I don't really mind that except the town car guy told us it would be the same price, boo! Anywho the dinner was good but maybe not all together memorable.

The next day we drove to St. Louis and saw the King Tut exhibit at the Science Museum (thru Aug). I had never seen it and I thought it was awesome! Unfortunately no photos were allowed so I don't have anything to show you, but if you haven't seen it and you come across it somewhere go! It's worth the (expensive) ticket price.

Photo by fmerenda via Flickr

Vancouver Weekend Getaway

Since Dayne wasn't able to attend "Mini Tales" with me in March and I still had a fantastic Living Social deal for the Pan Pacific we headed north Easter weekend just to do a little eating and drinking.

We checked in to the Club Lounge and they upgraded us to a Harbor View room which was very nice. The weather was looking awesome for the entire weekend and the views of the mountains, sea and city were gorgeous!

First stop for the weekend was L'Abattoir where we met friends for a few cocktails before having an outstanding dinner. I ate here on my last trip also and just loved it! A definite favorite in Gas Town. L'Abattoir does a couple of barrel aged cocktails which I was excited for Dayne to try but unfortunately none of them were ready when we were there. Next time!

Cocktails continued at Calabash Bistro where the drink menu boasts some seriously delicious rums from Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Cuba, etc.  I had the Cohiba Rakston which was the clear winner of the evening! Havana Club 7 year old, coco nib infused Appleton VX, Late bottled vintage port, agave syrup and bitters, stirred and strained into a chilled glass coated with Cuban cigar and vanilla pod tincture. Thanks to Shawn at Clive's for the tip on this spot!

Making our way back to the Pan Pacific we noticed PourHouse was still open and for the first time since our initial visit 3 years ago it wasn't packed. We stopped in for a very nice nightcap and enjoyed the near empty bar.

The next morning, as we were heading out of the elevator, we ran (almost literally) into Rod Stewart! I never recognize stars but there was no mistaking the aging crooner. Star sighting! :)

We spent our day poking around the Vancouver Flea Market, checking out Vancouver photographer Brian Howell's "Shopping Cart" exhibition at the Windsor Gallery, eating poutine at Fritz and drinking beers at Granville Island Brewery and then walking it all off with a stroll around the sea wall at Stanley Park. It was just perfect weather to be out and about (Canadian accent please).

We started our evening with dinner and drinks back in Gas Town at Boneta. Another cute little place doing both cocktails and food excellently. We really enjoyed it here but both of us thought we liked L'Abattoir a bit better overall.

A quick taxi afterward to China Town and we bellied up to the bar at The Keefer. Quirky, dark and a tad mysterious the drinks were delicious here as well. We both loved the apothecary ambiance, grim x-rays, test tube lights, house made tinctures and infusions. This may be my favorite bar in Vancouver right now.

No weekend in Vancouver would be complete without soup dumplings at Lin Chinese on Broadway (for me at least!). We met our friends there the next morning for a delicious brunch of green onion pancakes, Beijing meat pastries, soup dumplings & honey prawns.

Love Vancouver!

All photos here                 

Team Oslo

Our last few days in Norway were spent in Oslo where Matthieu & Violaine (of team Cuba & partial team Japan) joined us from Paris. Before celebrating New Year's Eve we walked around the city and tried to check out the changing of the guard at the fort but for reasons we could not figure out it never happened. We continued our walk down Karl Johan, past the skating rink on the way to the King's Palace.

Caitlin and I prepare to knock on the King's door

The next day was stunningly bright, sunny,  and cold. We boarded a sailboat for a cruise around the harbor. The ship was decked out with reindeer pelt covered benches and hot glogg. We cruised past the very cool Opera House with its roof that you can walk on & "floating" iceberg sculpture.

Then on to Viking Ship & Kon Tiki museum. During the cruise we spotted a dolphin in the harbor. It soon was chasing and performing for the ship. Sadly one of the deck hands told us that every year dolphins get lost in the harbor & can't find their way out. He also told us that within the next few weeks most of the water there would be frozen over, the temperature of the water making it almost impossible for the dolphin to breath, he'd most likely die. Sad and way to bring down the ship Mr!

Trying to find someplace open for lunch that wasn't already packed was difficult at best. We finally had to succumb to having beers and snacks at a TGIFridays of all places. This is the curse of holiday travel sometime.

Keeping with the American theme we headed out that evening to The Nighthawk Diner, which is known to have a great cocktail and burger menu. The drinks did not disappoint and the burgers got good marks too. Filled with locals, this is quite a fun spot to go to if you ever find yourself in Oslo, holiday or not.

The next morning Caitlin headed back to London and the rest of us grabbed the subway, headed to the Munch museum- small but really great in showing his evolution of style. You should know if you go that "The Scream" is not housed here, it's in Oslo's National Museum, but there are some really amazing pieces and I'd dare say nowhere else in the world would you find such a collection of his work.

Now losing Matthieu & Violaine back to Paris, Dayne & I headed off by bus to the Kon Tiki museum. I didn't know much about Thor's sea excursions before visiting it but I was really impressed with the rickety rafts he built and sailed the seas with. The museum has the original and also a replica. I still can't understand how these people survived multiple ocean crossings- Gilligan & crew should have taken note!

We met Forest for a last aquavit at the famed Grand Cafe before all grabbing our bags and taking a bus out to the airport Radisson Blu since we had an unfathomably early flight out the next morning. Pre-dinner martinis and an ok dinner at the hotel wrapped up this awesome Nordic experience.

Gingerbread Man Christmas Tree at Airport

Things we learned that are exclusively Norwegian to us include:

- if there are lit candles outside a restaurant or bar it's open
- Norwegian hotels serve the best and most massive breakfasts we've encountered so far (Stockholm and most of Japan are close)
- we have never encountered so much free wifi in anyplace in the world! If you go, don't waste your money on a data plan, you won't need it if you pick your hotels right
- very little is open during the Christmas holiday (week between new years), it's a very family oriented time with even just a handful of restaurants and bars being open
- Norway has very strange liquor laws making it difficult at best to purchase beer, wine, or booze outside of an actual bar
- of the 15 brands of aquavit made in Norway I had 10: Line, Gammel Opland (fav), Gilde Maquavit, Trondheim, Bergen, Antarctic, Hammer, Loitens Line, Taffle & Oslo
- Norwegian aquavit is NEVER served chilled since it is aged in oak barrels
-skiing was invented in Norway


All Oslo photos here


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Norway in a Nutshell

I have no idea why I think it's so fun to schlep around on multiple forms of transportation but I do! Similar to the loop in Hakone Norway is quite famous for their "Norway in a Nutshell" tour which cuts across the country and showcases spectacular views.

Snowy Countryside Outside of Voss

We left Bergen at 8am and took a pretty standard train to the small ski town of Voss. Here we boarded a bus for a scenic drive to Gudvangen. Since we were traveling on very snowy winter roads we bypassed the 22 some odd hairpin turns that the old highway has and arrived at the mouth of the Nærøyfjord in just under an hour. We passed our first of many frozen waterfalls we would see that day, they amazed me! And then we pulled up to this:

Everything was still and quiet and sooooo beautiful! There is pretty much nothing in Gudvangen except for the small ferry that comes a few times a day. The captain told me there wasn't much on board as far as food goes so we walked a short way to the gas station and loaded up on hotdogs, chips and chocolate! Arriving back in time to board the boat we grabbed a table and settled in for the ride.

For 2 hours we cruised through the Nærøyfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord. It's one of the narrowest fjords in all of Europe, at one point it's only about 820 feet wide, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And it is stunning! The water was so cold it looked viscous.

At one point the ferry pulled up to a small town and a family disembarked. They had told us that they were vacationing there for the week and had to bring everything they would need as there was no store, phone, tv, etc. Their kids did not look happy but the adults were excited to ski and relax.

We continued on to the town of Flåm which boasts all of 400 people and left our tiny ship, grabbing $25 beers (for 2!) to wait for our next mode of transportation.

The Flåm Railway has pretty old style wood walled cars and is one of the steepest railway lines on normal tracks in the world. For the next hour we climbed up the mountain, peered down on tiny villages, went through 18 tunnels and saw the Kjosfossen waterfall, normally falling over 305 feet down and now frozen solid.

We arrived in Myrdal which isn't really a town but rather a train station in the middle of no where, around 4pm. It's used by most to change from the Flam rail to the Bergen rail which goes into Oslo. There was a small group of us at first but quickly a train came headed for Bergen which they all got on. And then there was just us & one other couple, a completely closed and locked up train station, a hot chocolate machine, Scrabble on the iPad and a few flasks of rum- waiting 2 hours for our train to Oslo.

Scrabble Competition

Outside the Myrdal Station

Our train finally came, a 4 hour ride to Oslo allowed us all to doze after the busy day. We had sent our luggage ahead so it was waiting for us when we arrived at the Hotel Bristol where we had stayed our first night in Norway. It was 11pm.

Official mode of transportation count, 3 - 3 trains, 1 bus, 1 ferry (if only they would have had a funicular or a pirate ship!!)

Full set of photos here

The Rest of Walla Walla

Even though Walla Walla is such a great wine region you still have to sleep, see, eat and even (try) to partake in other libations. Here's the rest of what we did and what I thought of it during our wine weekend:

Sleep-

Holiday Inn Express - B
Because of the Cayuse Release it was a very busy weekend in Walla Walla, meaning slim pickings on hotels at expensive rates. After many ideas and recommendations from friends we booked at the Holiday Inn Express for about $130 a night. Clean and very well located, free parking & internet this was a fine location for us. The hotel has a large breakfast room which is seriously stocked in the morning: pancake machine, cereal, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, bacon, eggs, biscuits, gravy, etc. Early evening they offer cookies and milk. It doesn't have a lot of ambiance but if you are out and about and really just sleeping here I'd book it again. Right next door our friends booked the Comfort Inn which they were also happy with.

See-

Monteillet Fromagerie- B (only for price of tasting)
If you love cheese this is a great little destination just north east of Walla Walla toward Waitsburg. The adorable farm boasts dairy flocks of fuzzy lambs and curious goats as well as 2 Great Pyrenees, a Boarder Collie, ducks, chickens, cats, etc.
The cheese tasting is $10 per person but the cheeses really are delicious. We all purchased different styles; in our case a soft goat cheese divided by a layer of vegetable ash & deliciously stinky as well as firm goat cheese marinated in olive oil, garlic and herbs.
You can go into the pens with the animals and generally frolic around the grounds. Warning- this cheese will make you think you put a goat in your car ;)

Eat (besides the cheese)-

T. Maccarones- B
There are only a few restaurants in town so when TMacs (as the locals call it) said they could get our table of 6 in on a Friday night I jumped. And it was fine. The restaurant is actually quite small, located on the ground floor of a office type building. A tiny bar was offered to us to wait in (which served not very good drinks- pass) until we were finally sat at our table- upstairs in a private dining area. We all felt happy to be out of the crush of noise in the main room below but couldn't help but feel a bit in Siberia in this room.
Food was all fine, some even quite tasty. Portions huge (easily should have shared a few things) and service frazzled but nice.

Brasserie 4- A
On very cute Main Street Brasserie 4 is casual & fun. You can choose your wine from a rack a la retail style. The menu is bistro style French (yummy escargot) and uses local/seasonal ingredients a lot. Sauces were plate lick able. Salad portions were huge, easily sharable. All was good and we had a great time here.

Clarette's- B+
Everyone told us this was the place to go for a greasy spoon breakfast and they weren't kidding. I expected Alice to pour our coffee while mentioning something about grits and that's just about what we got. Although the service was sloooowwwww the food was good in that diner type of way. They offer crispy hashbrowns either covered (melted cheddar and bacon) or smothered (sausage gravy) 'nough said. And our part time vegetarians found lots of options too. And it's cheap!

Colville Street Patisserie- A
Dayne and I had been before but got there too late and were left with not much to choose from in the case. This time we arrived around 10am on Sunday and the cases were loaded with delicious bakery items. Cinnamon rolls, Pan au Chocolate, Croissants, Financiers, Quiches, even gelato. All was absolutely scrumptious!

Miner Burger (Union Gap/Yakima)- B (only because it feels guilty to love it)
Matt had fond memories of eating at Miner Burger in Union Gap as a kid so we headed in for a burger on our drive home. Holy hell! Burgers are smash patties and thin but as round as a damn dinner plate! Crispy onion rings! Huge thick milkshakes! And about 20+ different condiments. We ate and then we all swore we wouldn't eat again for a week, and then maybe just a salad!

Cocktails-

Marcy's- B
We tried to go to the bar at Whitehouse Crawford but they were packed to the gills. The hostess suggested Marcy's and gave us directions. As soon as we pulled up I recognized it from the (now defunct) Luscious by Nature restaurant.
Super friendly staff, serviceable cocktails. Most had the life shaken out of them but turned out fine (even a super shaken Manhattan!) You might want to stay away from the Old Fashion however, it was "Nicole Brown Simpson'd to death" (insert wildly stabbing/muddling movements here).

Jen was thirsty!

The Marcus Whitman- B
After a tough day of wine tasting and driving around trying to get a damn cocktail (see next entry) we finally were welcomed to the Vineyard Lounge at this very pretty historic hotel. We grabbed a table by the fireplace, moved chairs around and ordered a bunch of things not on the menu. Our waitress smiled and returned quickly with our drinks. Ahhhhhh! Again, shaking seems to be a thing in Walla Walla but the drinks were fine and it was nice to be able to sit in the comfortable room and order as many as we wanted...

Jimgermanbar -D (only because I know others who have enjoyed it, & it stands for "Dead to me")
Not in Walla Walla but in cute Waitsburg, this bar had been recommended by many friends. So after a nice day of wine and then cheese we made our way to Waitsburg for promised delicious cocktails. I had even called, said we'd be in around 5- a party of 6. We arrived at 5:30 with confusion to if we had a reservation or not (I had not been offered one). Finally we were seated at the communal table in the next door private room. It was gorgeous! And we were happy with the menu and our first round of cocktails.
And then... we ordered round two. Nothing crazy. Martini's, Manhattan's, Smoky Vesper. We were told that shots and beers would be up first as it was getting busy. One person changed to a beer. Server leaves. Comes back 5 mins later with a beer. Leaves again. And then...
Appears with our tab and informs us that they are busy, they have a group of 20 who just called and are on their way in. They won't be able to make our drinks and in fact need us to pay and leave. Oh, but they comped us some olives and almonds.
Holy Hell!!! I'm not going to continue to report on what we discussed all evening...

When we were happy...

And something else...

Imbibe Wine Tours - We didn't do this but we saw them at Longshadows set up with a picnic table and having a nice lunch in the sun. How cool is this stretch Checker Aerobus? Turns out they are friends of Elisabeth, check out their site if you are interested in a tour.

Great weekend! Photos here