411 15th Avenue EWhile admittedly, I have lots of coffee options still to explore in what is known as a coffee heaven, I hadn’t yet met anything iced quite as satisfying as my old Blue Bottle… until we came across Victrola.
A bustling cafe with beards and laptops that made me feel at home, this Capitol Hill favorite delivers lovingly poured exceptional lattes. Happiness.
5918 Phinney Ave. N, SeattleI’ve been a bit quiet on my blog lately as our lives are still in constant, slightly exhausting motion. After leaving Brooklyn we were in Colorado for a bit, now in Seattle renting a lovely home but soon to move again as we found a wonderful house to buy in a neighborhood we’ve quickly fallen in live with, Phinney Ridge.
The Phinney Market Pub and Eatery captures the spirit of the area pretty well, even if its fairly new to it. It’s family friendly, relaxed, inviting and just a shade hip – damask wallpaper, tin ceilings and old wood almost even made me feel like I was in Brooklyn.
The food is good, the service comes with a smile and a wooden train set offers fun times for your little ones. I expect this will be a place we visit often once we are finally settled in our new home.
2630 NE University Village St, SeattleWell. Sigh. The day had to come. We always promised we’d get Van his first haircut once he wanted it. I love his long locks, but it was starting to really annoy him getting in his eyes and mouth all the time. So I mentally prepared for a week or so and gave the local Salon at Kids Club a call.
With car seats, boxes of toys and murals, they do their best to make it a fun environment for kids. From what I could see, some hairstylists were better and more friendly than others and we lucked out with who not managed a squirmy two year old with ease, but adored his long hair (not even once mistaking him for a girl!) and had no desire to buzz it – which was my nightmare scenario.
Van likes the new do a lot and I get a keepsake lock of hair along with a pleasant if bittersweet memory instead of a heartbreaking one.
1723 NW Market St SeattleVietnamese food is rarely awful, but truly great restaurants are also hard to come by. We stumbled across The Monkey Bridge after an appointment in Ballard and were wowed by the juicy, flavorful bahn mi.
Pork and beef were equally noteworthy and indicate that their larger menu is worth another visit. We did take out but the space in inviting and casual and the staff friendly.
2110 N 55th St SeattleUh oh, could Top Pot not really be “tops”? Jim says yes, that Mighty-O Donuts takes the “cake” but I’m still on the fence (if you’re talking sprinkles vs. sprinkles, though, Mighty-O definitely comes out on top – just look at that beauty).
Whoever is right, though, it’s clear we live in a town where you don’t have to go far to find a good donut. Mighty-O’s are certified organic (no GMO’s!) and made locally and the shop is on a lovely corner that’s great for people watching and has nice sidewalk seating.
1026 NE 65th St, SeattleRich and creamy, Peaks Frozen Custard is a local favorite on hot days. So, even though the brand is stocked in grocery stores, we decided to make a trip to their brick and mortar shop as a fun family outing to celebrate the surprising 80 degree weather.
I loved the waffle bowl and enjoyed the cookies and cream while Van chose his first non-prompted restaurant order with “chocolate and sprinkles!!”
They feature special flavors that change daily but always have chocolate and vanilla.
Every Thursday 3pm to 7:30pm from June 6 to October 31, at Crockett Street and Queen Anne Ave. NSeattle is a city rich in Farmers Markets. This week we headed to the lovely neighborhood of Queen Anne, a quaint area that tops our list of areas to eventually call home.
The Queen Anne Market has the usual suspects of fresh produce (Rainer cherries! Huge fennel! Bright strawberries!) as well as a food truck alley that introduced us to Tandoozy, a naan bread topped with tandoori, rice, spicy sweet potato and lentils (pictured) as well as handcrafted lemon lavendar sodas from The Soda Jerk.
The event is super kid friendly, with tots in every direction and there’s lots of hills to park your wagon or stroller and let the kids dance to music that inspired mine to pull out moves I’ve never seen before. A fun time.
Ballard at 22nd Ave, Seattle, WASeveral people have recommended a visit to The Ballard Farmers Market and it’s easy to see why.This friendly street fair boasts fresh produce, bright flowers, seafood, meats, wines, baked goods and more.
I can personally recommend the fresh donuts, the incredible Pete’s Perfect Toffee, the selection of delicious cheeses from Mt. Townsend Creamery, sourdough from Tall Grass Bakery, and the local green onions.
It’s such a pleasant environment that even the gimmicky street musicians have a certain charm.
At The Pike Place MarketFriend Shaun made one important recommendation when we announced our move to Seattle – get a crumpet at The Crumpet Shop.
The charming small bakery, prominently located in the Pike Place Market serves the British classic muffin in a variety of ways: buttered, jammed, with eggs, topped with cheese…
I decided to have my first as simple as possible with just butter and honey while Jim went for it with an impressive creation of maple butter, walnut, cream cheese.
While space is tight, crowds ebb and flow. They also serve scones and coffee.
1400 East Union Street, Seattle, WAWe’ve been told the closest thing to Brooklyn in Seattle is Capitol Hill. Meaning: hipsters and their hip bars and restaurants dwell there. One restaurant always associated with the neighborhood is Skillet Diner. Notorious for long lines, famous for great food in the “now” – like bacon jam bloody Mary’s (which was very good).
The simple but considered presentation and delicious chicken fried steak I had – big, tender cuts of choice meat with a salty, flavorful crust – did indeed remind me of home and made me feel better about all the great restaurants we left behind there. The entire menu was full of promising dishes with lots of pork belly, fennel and beets.
Like so many places in Seattle, Skillet diner is exceptional but there was not a promised hipster in sight. I kind of wanted to see people that dress up for brunch but at 8am, it’s families and olds. Same everywhere I suppose. At least there are no lines at that hour.