Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Breakfast in Seattle, and other eats Finding a good meal on the road can be as tough as locating fish in unfamiliar water. On my recent trip to Washington, I found a few good eateries worth sharing. To me, a "good meal" is nutritious, healthful, tasty and not too expensive, although I am willing to waive that last criterion if the other three are handily met. My on-the-road breakfast is usually two over-easy eggs, potatoes and sourdough, multi-grain or whole wheat toast. Add green tea and/or OJ, depending on whether I'm planning to sit in one place for turkeys or deer, pull on chest waders or hike a trail for grouse. Think about it and you'll understand. Breakfast in Seattle There are plenty of good breakfast nooks in the sleepless city. My two picks are Julia's of Wallingford, 4401 Wallingford Ave. N, 206-633-1175, and the Rusty Pelican Cafe, at 1924 N. 45th St. Julia's is by far the more popular, but not the best choice if you are in a hurry, especially on a weekend. Julia's offers ample servings and bread baked on the premises. This trip, Jon and I lunched there on our way to Walla Walla, but passed it up for a Saturday breakfast before fishing the Skykomish because there was a line waiting for a table. Instead, we opted for the Rusty Pelican, which on Saturday morning was so empty we thought it was closed. It may be the two-tiered decor and higher prices that scare off the crowd that packs Julia's. I don't mind paying an extra buck or two for a good breakfast, however, and the Pelican did not disappoint. The potatoes were baby reds, chunked and pan fried. The toast was THICK, so thick they served only one piece cut in half, but that was plenty. Jon's on the South Beach diet, so I ordered sourdough for him and multi-grain for me and tried them both. Sunday morning, I stopped there again on my way to the airport and had the multi-grain. The Sunday crowd was larger, but there were still more empty tables than full ones. Lunch in Walla Walla For our fishing outings, we packed lunches. Pat's wife Mary Anne orders her fowl from out East somewhere, and there was a turkey carcass in the fridge, so we made sandwiches on bread from John's Wheatland Bakery, at 1828 E. Isaacs St. in Walla Walla, tel. 509-522-BAKE. My favorite bread was an organic multi-grain that had real character. I like a bread that fights back when I bite into it, and John's was super in that regard. John's also serves breakfast from 7 to 9:30, featuring farm-fresh local eggs and his breads and pastries; and lunch from 10:30 to 2:30, featuring house soups & salads, paninis & grilled sandwiches and of course, his breads and pastries. Owner John Heard loves to talk fishing, too, so ask him how the steelhead are biting. Supper at The Depot On our last night in W2, Jon and I joined Pat for dinner at The Depot Grill, at 416 N 2nd Avenue. It's a restored Northern Pacific RR station, with seating in the main building and a boxcar. Pat suggested a good local wine, a Woodward Canyon Red, which was very nice. Two bottles lasted through appetizers, dinner and a sinfully yummy Tortelini dessert, which Pat and I shared, while Jon shook his head and stayed true to South Beach. The appetizers we chose were Alligator on a Stick, Crab & Artichoke dip on pita bread, and Hot Wings for Jon. The wings were better than average, and the artichoke thingee was superb. The alligator was tasty, but chewy as a 10-year-old chicken (Our waitress had warned us!), but the sauce that came with it more than made up for that. For entrees, Pat had lamb chops, Jon a steak and I ordered Crawfish Etouffe from the February Mardi Gras menu. Served on an ottoman-sized bed of rice, it was scrumptious. OK, OK, so I strayed from the healthful with the Tortelini. Pat ate most of it anyway. Thai One On in Tacoma Tacoma and Seattle abound with good Oriental restaurants. Nephew Jay took Jon, Shelly and me to the Silk Thai Cafe, at 3401 6th Ave., tel. 253-756-1737, on Friday night for a late supper that was a real taste treat. I'm usually find Thai food too hot, but the waiter listened to our plea for mild. Everything was spicy, yet very edible to my tender palate. Don't ask me what we ordered, but it was all good. Jay tells me we had a soup called poteak, and a masaman curry, among other things. We were starved, and it all disappeared fast! Jay eats there often, he says. I'd definitely go back, and next time I'll write down what we ate! Lunch at Bubba's I figured we'd just find a family restaurant with a good salad bar for lunch on Saturday, but between beats on the Skykomish, Jon and I stopped at Bubba's Roadhouse in Sultan, on the recommendation of Gail, a clerk at Sky Valley Traders on Highway 2 in Monroe, tel. 360-794-8818. "It's a roadhouse, so it looks a little rough, but there's a new chef and a great new menu," she promised. Boy, was she on target. Chef Eddie Ray Chapter has turned that biker bar into an establishment of fine dining. I just hope the folks in Sultan and Gold bar appreciate what they've got. Jon had the Cajun Fried Turkey Caeser Salad. I had half a Granny's Terrific Turkey sandwich on whole wheat and a bowl (a tub, really) of Cajun Clam Chowder, made with whole cream. Cripes, you could stand a spoon up in it! The turkey was carved from a bird, not sliced from a parts-is-parts loaf. The chowder was the best I've had anywhere. I can't wait to fish the Sky again next year, or maybe this summer, if I can swing another trip that way when I'm in Spokane for a conference this summer. Some trips, we catch nothing but eat well. Some, it's just the opposite. This trip, we did both! Later... 9:50:45 PM    comment []

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