We’ve been having such nice weather here in Seattle lately so Robert I decided to spend the day down at Pike Place Market. This is one of our favorite things to do. We love just wandering around, eating and shopping and discovering new things in the market’s nooks and crannies. Of course, we didn’t once stop to consider the fact that it was a holiday weekend and that the crowds, our absolute least favorite thing about the market, would be out in full force today. If we had, we might have made other plans. Still, despite the fact that the market was packed, we managed to have a fun time.

We spent a while looking around in our favorite shops and walking through the produce stands, checking out what veggies and fruits were fresh. I sampled a few fancy items at some of the fancy new shops around the market including a delicious raspberry balsamic vinegar from Pappardelle’s and a homemade potato leek soup drizzled with white truffle oil at La Buona Tavola. The man at La Buona Tavola had me sample the soup first without the truffle oil and then with the oil. It definitely added an intriguing flavor to the soup.

Next, we headed down to Pike and Western Wine Shop. They have a really great selection of Northwest wines available so you’re bound to find wines there that you might not be able to get elsewhere in Seattle. I picked up an interesting-sounding wine that was on sale. It is from the same general area as Sancerre, one of my favorite wines. Like Sancerre, it is minerally and crisp, but this wine tends not to be quite as shockingly acidic. I’ll highlight it during this week’s winesday.

In need of some rest, we ducked into Kell’s Irish Pub for a pint and a pasty. Robert loves the beef pasty at Kell’s. He also likes the dark, cozy atmosphere and lack of crowds. My veggie pasty was primarily rich pastry served with an even richer cream sauce but it did have some vegetables in it, including sun-dried tomato which gave it an interesting flavor. It went very well with my Irish beer.

On our way home, we decided to pick up some groceries. First, we stopped by Beecher’s to get some cheese. Beecher’s is my favorite recent-ish addition to the market. They make their own award-winning cheeses and they also sell a wide variety of cheeses from other Northwest-based cheesemakers. We picked up a package of Fruit Nut Crostini by Anjou Bakery and Brandywine Chevre from Rollingstone in Parma, Idaho. This chevre is aged in a mixture of hard cider and brandy and then wrapped in a grape leaf. It should be delicious with the crostini. After that, we headed over to Sosio’s to pick up some vegetables for an Easter salad to bring over to my parent’s house tomorrow. We got some asparagus, fresh English peas and mint, all for super cheap. Finally, we couldn’t leave the market without fulfilling our sweet tooth. From Three Girls bakery, we got a nutty brownie and an espresso brownie. Those we will eat later tonight!

1 Comment »

  1. Mmm…. Kells….
    Mmm… Three Girls Bakery…

    Comment by Paul — April 9, 2007 @ 8:13 am

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