A Bellingham Foodie Blog Restaurant Reviews Bellingham Washington 98225

September 5, 2008

The Old Town Cafe Bellingham

Filed under: Bellingham local,Bellingham Restaurants,local,Pacific Northwest,restaurants — Tags: , , , — Bellinghamster @ 9:32 pm

Hungry? Don’t know where to go? Old reliable is in downtown Bellingham and its name is Old Town Cafe.

Ever watch a debate team (NO, not presidential) fire pro and con stats? When Wendy and I are hungry and we are trying to decide where to eat, our exchange resembles just that. We are very serious about eating. She’s trying vegan with great results (feeling healthy and energized). So I copy a little – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The Kindergarteners are in school! What’s for brunch?! Eggs, homefries (slim red potato wedges spiced just right), black beans, tortillas are too good. Breakfast is served all day; lunch begins at 11am and the menu is extensive, varied. Many of the ingredients are organic and local. The atmosphere is very friendly and the decor polished painted clean old. Most times there’s a line, but it’s always worth the wait; just figure it into your time schedule. You will be rewarded.

PS You MUST try the jam on the table.

Q: What is it that makes people want to work the kitchen in this restaurant? It’s a fascinating watch – get a table with a kitchen view sometime.

316 W Holly St Bellingham
671-4431

September 3, 2008

English Gentleman’s Sit-Down Seedcake

Filed under: local,Pacific Northwest,restaurants — Tags: , — Bellinghamster @ 12:57 am

This post is not about a restaurant, but there is a reference to one. It is about a tea book. The cake is merely an accompaniment.

I have just finished reading ‘The Agony of the Leaves‘ The Ecstasy of My Life With Tea by Helen Gustafson. She was the tea buyer at the renowned restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. The book is filled with anecdotes about tea experiences. It includes many tea food recipes (cookies cakes sandwiches).

For me, the most interesting part of the book was her description of her meeting with THE Mr. Twining (tea people since 1706). Her description of him and his British nuances were very funny. They went out to lunch and for dessert Mrs. Gustafson and Mr. Twining shared a pot of Twining’s Traditional Blend and ate seedcake. FYI: he prefers his teapot to be of a quality stainless steel that holds the heat.

Little did I know I grew up with seed cake as a staple. My Mom makes hers with poppyseed. Some recipes use caraway (or “carried away seeds” as my daughter says).

August 30, 2008

Warnie’s Family Restaurant & Drive Thru Espresso

Filed under: local,Pacific Northwest,restaurants — Tags: , , — Bellinghamster @ 9:33 pm

Raise your hand if Warnie’s is your all-time favorite family restaurant! Everybody’s hand went up! And that is a tall order in my family. Everyone has their favorite restaurant, but if we all want to go someplace together and not settle – Warnie’s is the place.

Warnie’s restaurant is not very big; cozy enough that Grandpa can shoot you a joke from another table and you’d hear it to laugh. Oh, and did I mention Warnie knew most of the customers dining? Yes, there is a real Warnie. He came out and asked us if we liked our meal (a couple of times). I confirmed his restaurant was our families all time favorite (big ‘stached smile).

I know I’m going to get hungry while describing our meal, so here goes…

I ate the hamburger steak (saved half it was so big) with grilled onion, baked potato and slaw. The slaw was fantastic and a generous serving. My partner ate the chicken dinner (3 pieces fried, with the same sides). I was lucky he shared! The crispy coating was like candy on moist chicken. One boy ate the shrimp basket (had to protect it from his siblings), the other ate shrimp scampi (he was in shrimp heaven) and my girl ate a kid’s hamburger with fries. YES. Warnie’s has a lengthy menu especially for kids. It has 11, yes, eleven different choices for your kid. You can’t go wrong!

Did I mention the Italian sodas? Italian sodas with cream. And whipped cream on top. Can your kid say YUM?

Warnie’s has what I call a full diner menu. Lots and lots of choices.

Diners are huge in NY & NJ. We’ve lived in a few places. Whenever it was time to move, our search criteria included diner sampling. Go ahead and laugh, but I kid you not. The people eating there would be your neighbors. The quality of life in these towns seemed to be directly reflected in their local diner.

With that in mind…Warnie’s is at 120 Front St in Sumas. 988-6400. An easy stop to make after crossing back from Canada.  “Check it out”, as they say in NYC.

August 22, 2008

After Hours Dessert Desert in Bellingham

Filed under: Bellingham local,Bellingham Restaurants,local,restaurants — Tags: , , , — Bellinghamster @ 3:23 am

I love to eat late evening snacks. I work hard to limit it, but I want to be in charge of limiting it, not Bellingham’s early closing of eateries. Why is it sooo hard to find a place to eat fresh pie at 9:30pm?

My partner and I went driving after dinner at Nimbus to find dessert. I know: If Nimbus was so delish, why didn’t I eat dessert there? Well, so I made a mistake and didn’t want to take the elevator back up to the 14th floor again. We could have gone to the Anthony’s. Been there, done that. Arlis closed. Grace Cafe closed.

Can someone help me out here? Suggestions?

August 16, 2008

Nimbus Restaurant

Filed under: Bellingham local,Bellingham Restaurants,local,restaurants — Tags: , — Bellingham Diner @ 9:23 pm

THE place to eat in Bellingham. The FIRST restaurant recommendation out of most people’s mouth.

Well, my Mother is in town and I get free sitter service.

What a surprise when my partner made reservations for Nimbus! A restaurant in the clouds! What a view – pick one: sunset or mountain? Sunset. Choose from an original and expansive menu? Heaven.

House made charcuterie was a delectable shared plate of meats, nuts and pickled vegetables (happens to be just like an evening snack served by my partner). My main course was Pig in a Blanket. Now, just in case you were thinking low, let me elaborate. It was a sous-vide (French for ‘under vacuum’) Carlton Farms pork loin with a root beer blanket, fennel compote, roasted beets and vanilla mashed potatoes. Every bite of it was really delicious. My partner had Steak and Crab Mojito. It was better than mine, but his food always is. It was grilled St. Helen’s ribeye, dungeness crab-lime salad, rum braised cauliflower, mint pesto and arugula. He considered it the Best Steak in Bellingham.

The service was attentive and patient (I ask a lot of questions) and the crowd was a pretty good watch.

Next time I’m going to invite 3 people I want to talk with and sit at the table with the sunset view: my yogi, needle lady and Joe. My partner can come, too.

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