A Bellingham Foodie Blog Restaurant Reviews Bellingham Washington 98225

June 16, 2009

Last Meals in Padded Cells

Filed under: Bellingham local,local,Pacific Northwest,restaurants — Tags: , , — Bellinghamster @ 1:31 am

The Whatcom Museum was Bellingham City Hall long ago. The rooms and halls we walk filled with artifacts, objects and art were once the space of politics and ordinances. Downstairs from the public rooms are now offices, but once were the Police Station with jail cells. The ornate central staircase has a twin underneath it – walk down it and imagine the sarge sitting high behind the elevated desk looking down on the criminal brought in for booking. The jail cell bars are still on the walls. The walls are as thick as a chocolate layer cake. And there is a padded cell. The original padding is still on the inside of the door. I touched it and I felt afraid for who had been in it.

It made me wonder about last meals.

Some people would choose a favorite meal. I would choose something I couldn’t have anymore – Howard Johnson’s strawberry ice cream.

When I was growing up our family drove many miles. My folks LOVED driving to new places and this was also the way we spent our vacations. If you are familiar with the long road trip as part of your childhood vacations, then you also remember the rest stops and for me  all of them were Howard Johnson restaurant/inns (eastern seaboard). In fact, part of the highlight of going on vacation was eating out and I LOVED eating at Howard Johnson’s. I am not a picky eater, then or now, and always cleared my plate(s). And I always chose the same dessert:  Howard Johnson’s strawberry ice cream.

Paul H. Beckner created the formula for the strawberry ice cream almost 100 years ago while working for Louis Sherry.  Louis Sherry ice cream was being served at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York when Howard Johnson sampled it. Mr. Johnson wanted Mr. Becker to work for him. And he did. Time has passed and Howard Johnson’s has been bought and sold a few times. There are 3 franchises left: 2 in NY and 1 in Maine. It was a great childhood memory and strawberry ice cream is still my favorite!

x-country road trip anyone?

April 7, 2009

Bellingham Farmers Market is now OPEN for the season

The Bellingham Farmer’s Market opening day was Saturday and it was packed! It’s no wonder with the weather a cooperating factor – here comes our Pacific Northwest summer! Hooray! There were some of the old and some new vendors. I was glad Danielle from Sharazad was there as was Curt’s Kettle Corn (can you smell it?). There were children eating cupcakes from Icing On the Cake and ogling home-made, hand-made wool dolls. There were some new vendors tending booth. Waldorf mom’s with talent extraordinaire: one creating beautiful designs on furniture, another on glass, plus one making Kathy Kruse type German dolls of wool.

There are dozens of vendors and as the season progresses there will be the abundance of produce I’ve come to relish. My mother and MIL* love visiting Bellingham, and one of the highlights, besides their grandchildren, is the Farmer’s Market. My mother buys her gifts for her Florida friends there. She has traveled with Dr. Dandelion’s Lavender and, at other times, has flown home with dozens of spring radishes and plant starts (horseradish, if you need to know, THRIVES in Clearwater). While MIL has spoiled the grandchildren with Bavarian Pretzels and popcorn and ice cream…not that I’m complaining.

So plan accordingly: go to the Farmer’s Market late, so it’s not too crowded when I’m there. And, oooh, I can’t wait to hear a cappella from U4eeuh!

*MIL = mother-in-law

August 23, 2008

Mr. Potato Head was Here

Filed under: Bellingham local,local,Pacific Northwest — Tags: , , , , — Bellinghamster @ 11:03 pm

Mr Potato Head‘s sunglasses earned a free mini cupcake for 5 year old. Liz Kovacs of Icing On the Cake was enthralled with my daughter’s sunglasses today at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market. She was reminded of her own daughter wearing the same sunglasses from her Mr. Potato Head set of accessories. Go figure!

She’s first generation German (her last name is Hungarian, so I asked) and her husband is first generation Hungarian. These things are important in the immigrant community. First gens are immigrants in disguise. We become ‘Americanized’, but in reality I have a foot in America and a foot in Hungary.

She said her husband was a great cook. I asked her if her husband made her palacsinta. No? Well, he is now.

June 23, 2008

Icing on the Cake, Bellingham

Icing on the Cake serves fresh baked gourmet cupcakes. We had the pleasure of indulging at the Bellingham Farmers Market today. We sampled many a dish, but icing on the Cake warranted its own spotlight.

My partner and I had ‘black and white’ cupcakes and the kids all chose pink ‘peppermint’ cupcakes.

The black and white is dark chocolate cake with buttercream frosting with dark Belgian chocolate drizzled on top. The peppermint is dark chocolate cake with peppermint schnapps buttercream frosting.

Still with me? Because I was at a loss for words to describe how divine these cupcakes were. My oldest, however, after his first bite said: ‘heaven’. We all agreed Elizabeth Kovacs (traditional Hungarian name) should be strongly encouraged to gift us with a brick and mortar bakery we could be loyal to.

The last time I was this satisfied with a dessert I still lived back East and C. Marretta Bakery on Bell Boulevard in Bayside, NY was the place. Will anyone open a storefront in Bellingham with real cannoli and rainbow cookies?

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