Jenny and the Giant Peach

Our vacation to Portland and Seattle was an exercise in me not researching and over-preparing for every moment of a trip. Since we speak the language and had a place to stay in each city I figured I could relax about the details for once.

The one thing on my "must-see" list in Seattle was Pike Place Market. I knew it would be crowded and touristy (and that there might be cool places in Seattle that are more worth a trip), but I love greenmarkets and farmers' markets and covered markets, so I had to see it. I didn't consider there would also be a mixture of non-food stores (like a tiny magic shop and an art collective boutique) and souvenir shops. I did think it might be bigger, with more produce, but that isn't to say I was disappointed. The produce that was in evidence was plentiful and prettily displayed (though with some hand-lettered signs begging people not to touch the merchandise. I'm supposed to buy produce I'm not allowed to touch?).



My favorite store in the market was a spice and rub (and tea and sundries, etc.) shop near the entrance to the market (hang a left at the tourists crowded around the fish tossers). This is the spice cabinet of my dreams.



My least favorite experience in the market was being heckled by vendors. I don't get people selling things who single out and heckle their potential customers, but some customers probably find the vendors to be funny and charming. I was tiring of the patter of a guy at a pasta stand when he called to me (as I was standing against a pole to steady my camera while trying to get a good flash-less photo), saying something like, "Young lady, [note: he was younger than me] when you finish holding up that pole, you should try our chocolate pasta." I did not choose to sample the chocolate linguine. I was taking a picture, not lounging against a pole.

Heckling is one thing, but I don't mind barkers. Or free samples. That's why I gladly headed over to the man handing out slices of what he claimed was "Possibly the best peach you'll ever eat" in front of a display of the same peaches and a sign that said "Oh My God Peaches." It looked pretty enough:



I didn't eat it for several hours, though I was risking giving it an inadvertent bruising. I took that peach to the Space Needle park first, intending to eat it on our picnic there, but only photographed it near the fountain and didn't actually get around to eating it until I got back to the house. The anticipation of waiting (hoping it would be excellent) could have hurt the experience, but when the moment came it seemed only to make that peach sweeter.




Because although I did not say, "Oh my God," when I bit into it, that barker was right. It was probably the best peach I've ever eaten. I should mention that it was also the most expensive peach I've ever eaten ($2!) but, in the end, so, so worth it. I'm talking big, soft, tree-ripened, sweet, juicy, and meltingly tender (and not bruised much after hours of being carried around). It was so heart-rendingly delicious I even found myself somewhat reluctant to share a few bites with Dan and Eva (though I did). Just Uh-Mazing!

Sailing the Seas of Cheese

I believe I mentioned I'd say more about the cheese curds we consumed in Seattle. I've loved cheese curds since, as a kid, we would take family trips from our home near the Mississippi River in Iowa across the border to get some "real Wisconsin cheese" across the river. If you haven't had cheese curds, or if you haven't had superior cheese curds, you should know that it's true that the good ones squeak when you chew them.

I've had curds that squeak and curds that refuse to comment, but I'd never eaten flavored cheese curds until about 2 weeks ago. These, from Beecher's Handmade Cheese, an artisan shop near Pike Place Market (where you can watch the cheese being made on site, as pictured above), come as small curds soaking in a sort of marinade. We purchased two flavors - Chipotle Pepper and Market Herb. Both were good, if a little wet and messy (and squeakless). Regular, "dry" cheese curds can be eaten with the fingers. These were best on bread (or, potentially, crackers). My favorite of the two types we tried was the Market Herb, but I prefer fresh and unflavored. Next stop - fried!

Menaced

Some gulls let us know they were jealous of our picnic lunch at the fountain near the Seattle Space Needle.



They were acting territorial about who got to stand closest to us.



Extended eye contact with an animal or bird activates my "I must feed you" instinct, but I know that's generally frowned upon. I stuck to my personal rule: "I won't feed them on purpose, but if I drop something they can have it" and then tried not to do any accidental-on-purpose littering of bread.

But, come on! Who wouldn't want some of this bread?



Ingenious! This stylish loaf was found near Pike Place Market at a lovely bakery named Le Panier.



Crusty! Chewy! Fresh! Yum (More about those cheese curds soon). Also, notice the giant drink in the penultimate photo above? That's an enormous lemonade with no less than an entire lemon (cut in half) floating inside. From this place:




We sat and ate (bread, cheese curds, donut nectarines) and were snuck up on by seagulls and watched children playing in the giant fountain (which varied its stream and patterns, sometimes playing music). Pretty cheery day.





Yeah, kid. Go for it.

Unicorn Crepes

Unicorn Crepes is in the International District neighborhood of Seattle, just around the corner from Uwajimaya. Inside, a display of plastic crepe wedges with various plastic toppings catches the eye. Choose your poison! Your delicious, delicious poison.

Wait. Why are they called Unicorn Crepes?



Oh, I get it, maybe! I guess it's because you start with a crepe that has been made flat and round, but then after the person behind the counter finishes putting the fillings in it in a wedge shape, the crepe is rolled into a horn-like cone and eaten that way. Tear the paper off as you eat from the top down.

Dan's Banana Corn Flake Choco Whip (pictured above) was excellent. That's banana slices with corn flakes, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. I really dug the inclusion of corn flakes; they're an asset to any crepe, turning a rather soft dessert into something less passive. My strawberry (slices of whole strawberries, not just sauce) and yummy vanilla custard and whipped cream (and chocolate? I forget.) crepe was almost as good. Needed cornflakes. There were a number of savory crepe suggestions, too, such as spicy tuna and egg salad, but their plastic display counterparts appealed to me less.

A Delicious Update!

Here's that crumpet photo I promised you.

Good morning, crumpets.

I was under the mistaken impression crumpets would look like small eclairs or cream puffs, but the crumpet is apparently a cross between an English muffin and a pancake. These pictured above, which we watched being made, started out as batter poured into ring-shaped molds on a large griddle (this is the pancake-y part). Then, the griddle top was closed in with a sort of tent wall made of large metal sheets (about the size of large cookie sheets) leaned over to meet the top of the stove, making the cooking environment more oven-like. Once the crumpets had finished baking on the griddle, the crumpets in their molds were removed from the cooking surface and, after resting on a table for a few minutes, the metal rings were removed.

So, where were we? The Crumpet Shop is near Pike Place Market in Seattle. There, crumpets are served hot - with a wide variety of sweet and savory toppings. A number of teas may also be had. I chose Nutella and ricotta. Others in the party enjoyed pesto with tomato and one with marmalade and butter.

For what it's worth, ricotta doesn't have a lot of flavor, but it is so rich and thick that it is perfect between the crumpet and the chocolate hazelnut spread. The crumpet is crispy and soft and eggy and bready and quite nice!

More pics to come once I have a full-sized computer at hand. Thanks for your patience!

The owls are not what they seem.

Diane, I am in the Pacific Northwest for a little R&R. Haven't made it to the Great Northern, but I have sampled 4 cups of the local joe in the past 3 days. Unlike you-know-who, I'm not much for the stuff back in my workaday life. I'd rather start the day with a large glass of milk. Which may be why, when having a coffee/espresso, I'm partial to the latte.

The best cup I've enjoyed up here? A latte (no sugar needed) at Victrola in Seattle. Victrola coffee is roasted on-site in small batches. The flavor was smoother and sweeter than my Portland choices (including Stumptown Coffee Roasters, which I was told is the best in Portland - indeed, it was the best I tried in Portland) and if I were staying in Seattle I'd make Victrola a regular haunt.

No cherry pie, Diane, but a mighty fine lemon bar and peanut butter chocolate chip cookie were also consumed.

I'll be back in the office soon. Give Gordon the heads-up as to my general whereabouts. Tell him my disposition is dandy.