A Bellingham Foodie Blog Restaurant Reviews Bellingham Washington 98225

November 22, 2009

Nutrition @ Community Food Co-op

Filed under: Bellingham local,local,Pacific Northwest — Bellinghamster @ 5:01 pm

Just to let you know the Community Food Co-op has nutritionist, Tom Malterre, in the store on the following dates:

  • Downtown  Wednesday, Dec 16th from noon-2pm
  • Cordata  Thursday, Dec 17th from noon-2pm

This is an opportunity not to be missed. Tom Malterre has a wealth of information to share. He is a practicing certified nutritionist in Bellingham. He can offer nutritional counseling, education AND personal chef services. He and his wife, Ali Segersten, have a fantastic cookbook  I use often for  its recipes and information on ingredients: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook.  They also teach classes through the Community Food Co-op.

***Here are some  new dates for January:

  • Cordata:  Tuesday, Jan 5th from 3-5pm
  • Downtown: Wednesday, Jan 6th from 3-5pm

November 20, 2009

Magdalena’s Creperie

Filed under: Bellingham local,Bellingham Restaurants,local,Pacific Northwest,restaurants — Bellinghamster @ 10:23 pm

Magdalena’s crepes are beautiful inside and out. They are fresh, light and help me miss my mother a little less.

Magdalena's Creperie Fairhaven/Bellingham

Magdalena's Creperie Fairhaven/Bellingham

I went for breakfast. The setting was serene and welcoming:  chocolate and cream color schemes, high ceilings and warm greetings upon entering. A butter cookie will be nestled on the saucer of your teacup when your hot pot of Dilmah Earl Grey tea is served. The scent of the bergamot was energizing and luscious.

I ate a savory crepe of mushrooms and onions with sour cabbage. It made me feel nostalgic for childhood meals. It was delicious. Tom ate a Breakfast Crepe:  egg, asparagus, tomato and arugula with capers, mozarella, brie and smoked salmon. The portion was generous in size, flavor and texture. And then, she indulged us with a chocolate crepe and strawberries.

I’m in love.

Magdalena has come here from Poland to elevate your dining experience. You should be very thankful. I know I am.

The menu has savory crepes; I will try the mushroom, onion and lentils with horseradish sauce my next visit. You may like spinach, onion, blue cheese and smoked salmon with olives and capers. There are many wonderful combinations/choices.

There are also baked crepes served with green salad dressed with oil and balsamic vinegar (my favorite). I would try asparagus and prossciutto topped with bechamel sauce. Or maybe bolognaise filling topped with mozzarella, parmesan and bechamel sauce.

I grew up with sweet crepes. During Lent, my mother would make palacsintas or Hungarian crepes. I would grind the walnuts in a hand crank grinder. She would mix them with sugar and sprinkle the apricot jelly filled crepes with it. YUM! Magdalena serves sweet crepes filled with jam or Nutella, fruit or warm applesauce, vanilla cream cheese or vanilla ice cream. I can go on and on…

And then, there is Magda’s Delicious crepes! These are chocolate crepes filled with ice cream or vanilla cream cheese or mascarpone and fruit and nuts and powdered sugar! Oh, my!

She also serves sandwiches:  bruschetta with tomato, garlic, olive oil, fresh cilantro and mozzarella, grilled vegetable, arugula, Camembert and Philadelphia cream cheese are two examples.

Stumptown Coffee is served and Numi or Dilmah Tea. Drinks include lemonade with mint, carrot orange or grapefruit juice and a mix of carrot, orange and ginger juice.

Magdalena is particular about her ingredients. She wants to present the dishes as authentically as she can, but explains the available Philadelphia brand cream cheese is salty compared with the quark cheese she wants to use. Quark cheese is not the same as cream cheese. It is similar to curd cheese. It is soft, white, un-aged, has a low fat content and no salt added. She has suppliers lined up and hopes to introduce this Eastern European cheese in the near future.

Magdalena’s Creperie, review

360-483-8569     1200 10th St, Bellingham
Open daily 7am – 3pm

FYI  Magdalena will host a Romanian Day the first weekend in December. She has a Romanian friend cooking up some dishes to share with us. These along with Magdalena’s pierogis will send you to your happy place.

November 19, 2009

Wonder Burrito@Super Mario’s Food

It was the lure of the Wonder Burrito at Super Mario’s Food restaurant.  Driving in 30 mph winds was not going to stop me. Is this weather crazy or what? Watch that falling tree! My kids teacher is obsessing about the tree in front of their house, convinced it will fall on them. But back to the burrito story.

It was a veggie Wonder Burrito. It smelled wonderful, it was 3 meals HUGE and had a kitchen sink full of roasted vegetables. I am not kidding. Go get one for yourself and a buddy – their website has a coupon, buy 1 get 1 half off. And if you visit at the right time, you’ll sample pastelitos (pastries). I tried a pastry that was long and flat, dusted with rose crystal sugar. It was very good. I also had a pastry that looked like a round empanada, pastelitos de pina. They were pineapple cakes with sugared pineapple inside – YUM. At 2 for $1 my son figured we should get 20. Suuure.

The burrito had roasted broccoli, carrots, seasoned rice, avocado, zucchini, jalepenos, cabbage and I don’t know what else. I ate half for lunch and the rest for dinner and now I’m remembering to take a picture of it. Oh, well. I’ll just have to go back and get another one!

My son ordered tacos carne asada (seasoned steak) and it came with beans (mashed) and yellow rice. The little taste he afforded me proved delicious. Combine the beans and rice – too good.

MENU
#1  Pupusa – stuffed corn tortilla
#2  Wonder Burrito – see above
#3  Tacos
#4  Quesadillas
#5  Classic burrito
#6  Torta – fresh baked bun with filling
#7  Tamales – my favorite is lots of work so call ahead
#8  Fajitas
#9  Taquitos
#10 Carne asada – see above
#11 Grilled chicken – can get as a family meal

Super Mario’s Food
888-499-3646     3008 Northwest Ave, Bellingham     M-Sun 11-10

November 18, 2009

Beef Bourguignon

When people ask me if I cook, I pause, I think:  doesn’t EVERYONE have to eat? Doesn’t everyone cook?

Sometimes a meal is Avenue Bread pizzas. And then sometimes, like today, a meal will be beef bourguignon. Pizzas I cook. Beef bourguignon I COOK. Maybe that’s why I love living in the Pacific Northwest: when the sun disappears in October I can stay in without guilt and COOK.

Why am I cooking a meal that takes 5 hours to complete? Because ever since Tom and I went to The Vines Du Jour Bistro and sampled Michael’s braised NY steak w/chanterelles & yam terrine, I’ve gotten a bit desperate trying to duplicate it. It was perfection.

Well, I took a little break from writing this post to get back to COOKING. Completed the recipe and Tom said it was a lovely beef. It is a satisfying duplicate of Michael’s, though STILL not as good. If at first I don’t succeed…well, you know how it goes.

Super Mario Foods – Not a Truck

Heads up – one of my favorite food trucks now has a building to serve its customers in! Super Mario Foods opened the beginning of the month and the parking lot has been packed since. Clue: very good sign of freshness and business. Who wants to go?

They serve traditional Salvadoran cuisine. A signature dish is pupusas: thick tortilla stuffed with meat, beans or cheese. The burrito is called a ‘Wonder” with many filling choices and ditto for fajitas. It’s the same kitchen the food for the TRUCK is made, so it will be good. Visit the website and print the coupon and GO!

3008 Northwest Ave, Bellingham     888-499-3646     Mon-Sun 11-10

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