Wow! I've had the hardest time thinking of a blog topic for the week. I tend to be drawn to travel posts, sharing my discoveries of interesting places and activities. But this weekend, I stuck close to home. No bus trips, no car rides - even my one bicycle journey was less than 2.5 miles roundtrip.
And yet, there was never a dull moment. I am extremely fortunate to live in a neighborhood with activities galore. Saturday commenced with a run around Green Lake. I live less than a mile away from this Seattle destination and enjoy watching the myriad dogs, kids, and exercisers. I'm always surprised if I don't run into people I know while I'm there - from the neighborhood, church or the library world. My favorite sight this weekend: two photographers in a Tai Chi pose trying to capture the majesty (and oddity) of a heron on a log.
After Green Lake, I managed to cajole Trent to join me at the University District Farmer's Market (I have a not-so-secret-fantasy that I am a vendor of pastries or produce there) for lunch. My choice: a veggie quesadilla from Patty Pan Grill, which I had been craving since a Wednesday night visit to the Wallingford Farmer's Market. Trent's selection: two salmon sliders from Loki. Loki's prepared food is a more recent addition to the market and I will have to give it a try next time around. Of course, a springtime visit to the Farmer's Market would not be complete without a half flat of strawberries, sugar snap peas, asparagus and a growler of Rachel's Ginger Beer. Our newest must-have is Greek yogurt from Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt - super decadent, this is much more like ice cream than your typical yogurt.
We parted ways, but reunited for iced coffee at Chaco Canyon, our local hippie cafe, which touts the fact that they cater to high-maintenance menu needs. Vegan? Raw? Gluten-free? They've got something delicious for you. Got a compact florescent light bulb to dispose of? They'll recycle it for you. Unlike most local coffee establishments, they serve their ice drinks in a reusable cup, which totally appeals to my environmental side.
Dinner contained a number of local home-made options - wheat berry salad using some of the wheatberries remaining from last year's Local Choice CSA and chorizo sausages from Skagit River Ranch grilled up on the George Foreman and served with Trent's sister's homemade walnut mustard.
We finished up the evening with leftover rhubarb crisp (a classic Betty Crocker recipe with rhubarb from last week's market) and Jeopardy re-runs on Crackle.
This morning after weights and church (for me), we headed out to lunch and were disappointed to note that Hiroki had completely run out of savory options (we often eat a turkey egg gruyere roll or a sausage caraway roll), so we dined at Zoka instead (which has superior coffee, but inferior lunches - at least for a husband who hates caprese sandwiches) and returned to Hiroki for a chocolate pot de creme. Another quick walk to Green Lake before returning to my front yard to bask in the sun and wait for my book club to arrive for further merriment.
I feel exceedingly lucky to have so many wonderful cafes, restaurants and bars to enjoy without leaving the confines of my neighborhood. What are some of your neighborhood treasures?
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4 comments:
As you know, I'm also a redient of Tangletown, but other than a dew coffees at Zokas, I rarely eat there. Have you noticed all the food places near 65th and Latona -- Latona Pub, Dish, The Butcher and the Baker, Cafe Lulu, Thurston's Biatro, and Krittika's? I'd love to know if you've ever eTen at one of these places, and what you might recommend. So many eating places in walking distance. My husband and I will have to start budgeting for eating out.
Argh - Blogger will only let me remove content or delete (who knew those were two different options), so I can delete your original comment, but not edit (unless there is some feature I am not seeing).
Anyway, I have enjoyed eating at both the Latona Pub and Dish. The last item that I enjoyed at the Latona Pub was the steak and mushroom salad. I've also ordered the portobello sandwich numerous times. I've only been to Dish once - mostly because of the hours, but I found it quite good. We went there more often when it was Irwin's. Krittika's was okay, but I feel like there are better Thai options nearby. I hadn't noticed the Butcher and Baker yet, but am intrigued by some of the reviews. And for Tangletown restaurants, Eva is our favorite special occasion one - we've been there for several birthdays, anniversaries and a New Year's dinner.
Thanks
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