Seattle, part one

The day after my grandma was laid to rest, I had a flight...

...to go here...

...to visit her:

Allow me to introduce you to Jen.  She's not always quite that excited - only when she has lunch with me.  Or, perhaps, only when she's about to eat an eggplant and goat cheese sandwich at Boat Street Cafe.

Jen and I met during our freshman year of high school, but we became friends during sophomore year, when Jen joined the swim team.  Back then, we had a whole litany of reasons that we got along so well: we both made fudge, which we both knew was best paired with skim milk, and neither of us drank brown pop or ate any seafood other than tuna from a tin.  (Though we still eat our fudge with skim milk and eschew coke and pepsi, I'm pleased to say we've both progressed to enjoying a wide range of fish and shellfish.)  Jen moved to Seattle last September to begin grad school at the University of Washington, and after about a year apart, it was high time for a visit.

This was my first visit to Seattle, and I have to say that four days was not nearly enough time.  Between trips to wineries and strolls along Puget Sound and Lake Union, the days were just packed.  And then, oh then we went out for coffee or lunch.

My first morning, it was appropriately cloudy and we went for coffee at Espresso Vivace, home of the first latte art.  You - or, I suppose I should say, I - can thank Alex for ordering a cappuccino a couple of months ago and getting me interested in latte art, which inspired our trip to this shop, which wasn't exactly in Jen's neighborhood.  It was well worth the visit, though.  That day, I was the one ordering a cappuccino:

Jen, not being a coffee drinker (apparently one year in Seattle has not been enough to convert her) went for a take on a London fog, with cinnamon:

I'm used to adding sugar to my coffee, and must say I missed it a little, since I didn't want to pour any in and mess up the heart.  Luckily, the coffee was rich and dark and eminently drinkable, just the same.  This outlet of Espresso Vivace was, by the way, across the street from the flagship store of REI, which features an entryway consisting of a signed forest path, complete with waterfall.  Impressive.

Sufficiently caffeinated, we walked across town, passed the statue of Chief Seattle and through Seattle Center under the shadow of the Space Needle (which did indeed have a shadow, thanks to the sun's midday appearance), towards lunch.  Before I left for Seattle, I had asked friends who had lived in or visited the city where to eat; everyone recommended Boat Street Cafe, so I knew I wanted to get there during my trip.  Jen, ever the courteous host, happily obliged.

The dining room was white and clean and utterly comfortable.  The space was awash with light from the sunshine that filtered through the many windows, providing a warm, cheery ambiance.  But just in case you were interested in something more than just the decor, let me tell you about the food, too, which was pretty fantastic.

I ordered the flageolet beans with sauteed beet greens and a poached egg, which came with fresh beets and some buttered toast.  Everything was just packed with rich, earthy flavor.  The egg yolk was perfectly runny, and when you got the beans, greens, and egg together for a bite on toast, it was a fantastic combination.  It wasn't heavy, but it was also plenty filling - perfect lunch fare.

But what's lunch without a dessert?  Jen and I decided to split the Amaretto bread pudding:

The pudding was made with a crusty European-style bread, and served with a butter rum cream sauce.  Sometimes I feel that the alcohol in bread pudding is overwhelming, but this sauce added just enough of a kick to assert itself, but not so much that you couldn't walk straight when you left the restaurant.  The crusty exterior of the bread was soft and light, but it was the luscious interior that really won me over, each decadent spoonful melting on my happy, happy tongue.

After lunch, we took a leisurely stroll through the Olympic sculpture park, and then headed along the Sound waterfront toward Pike Place Market.  After balking at the ridiculous line to get into the original Starbucks shop, we entered the market in the middle of a long line of flower stands. 

Pike Place was filled with everything you'd hope for: farm fresh produce, hand-made soaps, cured meats, the occasional grocery-type dry goods shop, a coffee shop or two (of course), and lots and lots of fresh fish.

This stand is the home to the famous flying fish: when a purchase is made, the fish is flung from the display stand up to the center of the shop, where it's prepped and wrapped to go home.  We saw a number of fish go flying, though I wasn't quick enough to get a photo of any of them.

Jen and I bought a couple of beautiful coho salmon fillets (see, I told you we eat fish!) for dinner that night, which we prepared at Jen's house for dinner with friends.  We baked the salmon and served it with a simple lemon-brown sugar-butter glaze that I remembered from my first experience with salmon, which was at a salmon bake in Juneau, Alaska.  The fish was good, and the conversation was even better once we discovered that one of Jen's classmates in her department had gone to high school with my college freshman roommate.  Sometimes, it seems it's a small world indeed.

There's plenty more to be said about Seattle, and I'll say it all soon.  For now, though, I'll leave you where I wish I was: with Jen, looking out through a window at Pike Place, over the Sound and toward the mountains.