Chuckanut Drive

On Saturday, Cheryl and I went for a drive north. We did a little shopping in Burlington and then took scenic Highway 11/Chuckanut Drive to Fairhaven where we had lunch and did some more shopping. Chuckanut Drive skirts the coast from high on a bluff and offers great views of the woods and water. We had no real agenda for the day other than going for a drive, maybe going for a hike (that didn't quite happen), having a nice lunch, and scoring some deals. Mission accomplished.

The scenery was spectacular, but not necessarily more spectacular than the views of the baked goods at the Farm to Market Bakery in Bow.

Good Eats: Birmingham, Alabama

I didn't post any information on my latest trip to Birmingham (May 31 - June 29) but the only things of note (for public consumption) were the restaurants we visited. Again, very little time was spent actually in the city of Birmingham as the "cool" places about town aren't actually in town, they're in the suburban neighborhoods south of town. The one exception in the posts below is the Hot and Hot Fish Club which is on the outskirts of Birmingham-proper - oh, and Lucy's Coffee and Tea, which is definitely IN Birmingham (and operated by a former Seattleite, whom through a total coincidence, is a friend of one of my work colleagues).

[I didn't take photos while dining this time so all photos below are from the websites of places mentioned or google images; I tried to find pictures that represent my memories.]

On my first night back in Birmingham, we stopped at the Hot and Hot Fish Club for dinner (http://www.hotandhotfishclub.com/). The chef at this place won a James Beard award in 2012 and the food was wonderful and the decor and vibe were really pleasant. The real show-stopper, though, was a glass of pinot noir. Gary and I both love pinot and while I ordered a cocktail, Gary had a glass of the Old Dodge, 2012, Santa Maria Valley. The bartender told us is was made especially for the restaurant and it was spectacular (as it better have been at $14 a glass). Dinner started with an amuse bouche that was literally the size of my thumbnail - it was some kind of tiny crostini and quite tasty if overly miniature. If I remember correctly, we had an appetizer with shrimp, an entree with softshell crab, and a dessert with doughnuts, all quite enjoyable.


Gourmet salt is the trendy-rage these days,
but the green fleur de sel at Hot and Hot was really delicious.

 

And then there was our really quite wonderful dinner at 26 (http://oceanbirmingham.com/26/). We got dressed up since it was Gary's birthday, and went into Birmingham (so I take it back, there definitely are cool places outside of the suburbs) and after I asked the host for a different table than the one he seated us at (it was a Monday night, the place was half empty, I had a reservation... don't seat me at a table for four in the middle of the room when there are cozy banquettes against the wall facing the action), we ordered some drinks and the BLT sushi roll as an appetizer, which was fantastic. It was crunchy and creamy and I think had salmon, ahi, avocado, and hint of bacon aioli dabbed on top. Honestly, I don't clearly remember the details of that meal, but I'll never forget that sushi roll. I think I had the short ribs, I think Gary had one of the specials, I don't remember dessert at all, but I do remember thinking it was a really nice dinner and that we'd definitely go back.

Cotton Row, Huntsville, AL

In Huntsville, where Gary works (when he's not working from home), we went to Cotton Row (http://cottonrowrestaurant.com/). I liked it so much that Gary asked me if I liked it better than Hot and Hot - tough one - I called it a tie. Both had great food, great service, and really pleasant atmospheres. This time we started with the spring garlic risotto and had crispy skinned red snapper with creamy orzo, chorizo, and mussels for an entree, followed by chocolate caramel mousse for dessert. We have developed a habit of sharing three courses; add some wine and maybe a cocktail and it's the perfect amount of food for the two of us.


Really yummy jalapeño corn muffins at Satterfield's.

The fourth "fine dining" place we visited was Satterfield's (http://satterfieldsrestaurant.com/). It's a place we drove by many times but you can't really see it from the road as it's in a very small strip mall, as are a good many of the suburban businesses. Satterfield's is owned by the pastry chef and was a gem of a find so close to the house. We started with what might be the best cocktail I've ever had, irritatingly called "watermelon and gumdrops" and described as an "eminently refreshing quaff, high notes of citrus and savory melon." I don't know if I got all that, and I still don't know what "cathead or Cocchi Americano" - two ingredients listed on the cocktail menu - are, but this drink was cold, pink, light, and delicious. That was followed by fried squash blossoms, salmon (yes, I ordered salmon in Alabama while visiting from Seattle), and chocolate pot de crème for dessert. Oddly, given the ownership, dessert was the weak link in this one, the chocolate was grainy and I like my pots silky-smooth, but that cocktail more than made up for any slight faltering toward the end.

And while that's it for the white tablecloths and formal service, three other casual places stand out. The first, which we were only able to visit once, and unfortunately when the proprietress was out, was Lucy's Coffee and Tea (http://lucyscoffeeandtea.com/). Gary had mentioned Lucy's several times on my first trip to Birmingham, and again when I returned, as a must-do expedition, as it was a "real" Seattle-like coffeehouse with retro-thriftstore furniture and art on the walls, and the birthplace of his own coffee addiction. When his son was born, he was working in an office near the cafe and as a new father on little sleep, suddenly coffee, which had previously not had a place in his life, was of the utmost importance. Visiting Lucy's became even more of an event when someone I was working with back home in Seattle asked exactly where I was in the South, and when I said "Birmingham," she immediately said that I should go to Lucy's since she had spent some time in Birmingham and Lucy was a friend of hers, and she had even helped out Lucy out with the business when the cafe first opened - so there's another in a series of small-world incidents which rule my life. Sadly, Lucy was out when we stopped by, and since the shop is only open on weekdays, it was difficult to get back, but I'm sure I'll meet Lucy sometime and will let her know that Jill in Seattle says hello.

The Alabama Biscuit Company (http://www.alabamabiscuit.com/) was a great find, proving that sometimes if you do risk it, you will in fact get a biscuit. The place was all industrial chic and reclaimed wood, and the bearded boys behind the counter looked straight outta Brooklyn. The biscuits weren't of the fluffy, white, buttermilk variety, but instead they were hearty, brown, and made of spelt flour. We ordered one with crispy pancetta, fig preserves, and goat cheese, and another with sausage, egg, cheese, and chives, and since it was a very hot day (although cool inside) iced coffee was definitely in order. The biscuits were delish and it was a really nice place to spend a leisurely morning.

 

And now we come to what might be my [surprise] favorite food experience in Birmingham: Steel City Pops (http://steelcitypops.com/). In Hawaii I learned that shave ice is not merely a snowcone, in Birmingham I learned that not all popsicles are created equal, and I can't imagine one better than the watermelon pop at Steel City Pops. Unless it's the caramel, or maybe the guava. Nope, definitely the watermelon, but I've only tasted three flavors so far. I didn't think anything could beat the caramel which is the first one I tried - it tasted like an icy version of those caramel squares made by Brach's (or Kraft?) that would come close to pulling your teeth out - the kind you would melt down for caramel apples if you were the kind of person who would make caramel apples. But these pops are all natural and made with very few ingredients. The caramel pop was so delicious, so creamy, and tasted so deeply of the essence of caramel in frozen form that I didn't think anything could top it, but the watermelon was a tasty surprise. I wasn't very hungry the second time we went out for pops so I told Gary to order what he wanted and I'd have a few bites; he ordered watermelon, which I gotta tell you, wouldn't have been my first choice... or my second. But lo and behold, it was so delicious, so refreshing, and tasted so deeply of the essence of watermelon in frozen form. So yeah, Steel City Pops -- they are are cheap, delicious, and just the thing on a hot summer night in Alabama.

 

Hanama Bay / Last Night

click photo for panarama shot.

We got a late start on Thursday, our last day in Hawaii (sniff), and it was 4:30 by the time we got to Hanama Bay, rented snorkeling gear, and waded on in. It was another lovely day in the water (only our second, surfing day being the first, proving that there's more to do in Hawaii than just going to the beach).

I remember snorkeling in Hawaii when I was a kid; as part of the group tour I was on with my parents, we went out in a boat from which we were encouraged to jump overboard with snorkel gear to observe the schools of tropical fish - hundreds of them swirling around crystal clear water as though we had somehow found ourselves in a well-stocked salt-water aquarium. This wasn't like that, but it was very nice. The water was fairly clear and warm, and there were colorful fish moseying about, and we even saw a sea turtle out for a dip. The reef was right below us though, just a few feet (sometimes less) from where we swam, and since you're not supposed to touch it let alone stand on it, it was sometimes difficult to keep a good position in the water. Next time, I think we go back on the boat to deeper water.

After snorkeling, Gary took me to dinner at Sarento's which is an Italian restaurant at the top of the Ilikai Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which had the added convenience of being practically next door to the tower we were staying in. Dinner was lovely, with views of the lights of Honolulu and the bay, impeccable service, and wonderful food. We had opah again, this time with a macadamia nut romesco and grilled fennel, and we started with a seafood sausage over lilikoi mustard which was great, but the real star was the fresh mozzarella wrapped in ham and grilled, making the cheese just a bit warm and just a bit gooey... we were so enthralled with eating it that I forgot to take a picture. It was a divine meal capping a perfect vacation.

House Without a Key

Later that night, and due to a tip from another Honolulu-an, we went to dinner at House Without a Key, the restaurant at the Halekulani Hotel. Starting with fruity coctails, we enjoyed the Hawaiian music (with interpretive hula performed by Miss Hawaii [unsure if current or former]) before our wonderful dinner of watermelon salad with chili, lime, bacon, red onion, ginger, and basil, followed by opah with some kind of delicious sauce, the details of which I can't quite remember. We had a lovely meal and walked back to our hotel along the beach.

 

 

 

 

"Doughy Balls of Goodness"

Someone who used to live in Honolulu told me to go to Leonard's Bakery for Malasadas. She didn't really explain and I didn't ask, but we did make a special trip to find the bakery because, well, why wouldn't we? Malasadas are tough to describe, and Meg, who gave us the tip on Leonard's didn't try; she just said "doughy balls of goodness" and left it at that. She wasn't wrong, but here are some tips should you find yourself contemplating a purchase of malasadas: only buy as many as you can immediately eat. Leonard's makes them to order and there's a good reason for this; they don't keep well at all, and if you can't eat them straight out of the fryer, don't bother. We bought four and ate one in the car. It was scrumptious, and this fact did not prepare us for what would come later.

We opted for the filled malasadas - filled with custard cream (vanilla, guava, chocolate, and coconut). This was a huge mistake given our lack of appetite at the time of purchase. We figured we'd take them back and have them for dessert later and maybe for breakfast the next day. Later that night we split another one which was by then at room temp and it just wasn't the same. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't good.

Undeterred (stupidly), we tried again the next morning even though (more stupidly) we hadn't put them in the fridge the day before (custard... they were warm balls of dough that had been filled with custard; what did we think was going to happen to that custard in its warm casing when left sitting out?). We tentatively tried the chocolate one and it seemed a little off so we each just had a nibble as we realized our mishandling, but still, I decided to try the coconut one. I cut it open and stuck my finger in the custard to give it a try and immediately rushed to the sink to spit out the tiny bit of completely spoiled coconut cream, after which I wiped my tongue off with a kitchen towel. Lesson learned, but definitely go to Leonard's if you're ready to wolf down some doughy balls of goodness seconds upon receiving them.

 

 

 

 



Riding the Wind (or, At Least I Didn't Barf)

After our surfing experience, I was all set for more adventure, and Gary's other planned activity for this trip was to take a glider ride. He'd been up in gliders a few times before; I never had but I had spent a fair amount of time in small planes, and I'd been parasailing once on a previous trip to Hawaii; gliding struck me as a bit of a combination of the two. I was kind of correct in terms of the sensation - fast and exciting on take off and getting up in the air (small plane), and quiet and peaceful while gliding and experiencing an unusual vantage point (parasailing). What I didn't anticipate was the fairly profound motion sickness I felt. The seat at the back of the glider was incredibly cramped, and that combined with the heat and the motion of the glider, which was just similar enough to being in the back of a car on a winding road, made me just a little nauseous. 

But it was an interesting thing to do, even if I'm not going to rush out to try it again real soon. Gliders are pretty incredible - even Shawn, our pilot seemed to be in awe of the idea of just riding the air currents without any power. The glider seemed like a really giant model airplane, and the fact that we were up about 1,200 feet, having been towed into the air connected to a plane by an ordinary nylon rope which might have otherwise been used as a clothesline, seemed both magical and a little idiotic. We had a nice view of the ocean and the hills though, and since I didn't get to the point of actually feeling sick enough to yak, it was all good.

Surf Rider

It's not like I've never thought about taking a surfing lesson before because I have. I've thought about doing it in Mexico, I've thought about doing it in Sri Lanka, but like many things I've thought about doing (learning to play the ukulele, cleaning out my garage), it just hadn't happened yet. So when Gary mentioned long before we arrived in Hawaii that he planned on taking a surfing lesson, I was mostly game to join him. Except when I wavered to not being game. Because I'm not really an ocean-person (more of a pool-person), and I'm not a strong swimmer (more of a float on my back in the pool with my sunglasses on-kind of swimmer), and, I mean, the beach in general... there's all that sand getting into everything. Plus, I thought that maybe the heroic effort it has taken me to become a totally mediocre snowboarder might have sucked all the "extreme" (using that term loosely) sports drive right out of me. But I decided to take the surfing lesson anyway; I figured if I didn't like it, if it was too difficult, if I just couldn't get up on the board and kept getting pummelled into the waves, I'd just quit and sit on the beach and watch. Turns out I am an awesome surfer :-)

Full disclosure: 1) I didn't have to do much paddling since Tony, our surfing instructor, paddled out to the breakers with one of his feet resting on my surfboard, so all I had to do to get out to the surf was lie on the board and ride while he dragged me along behind him. 2) Falling off a surfboard into the warm water off Waikiki is NOTHING like falling onto the hard, cold, frozen ground while snowboarding. Not that I fell much. Frankly, I didn't fall at all except when the board reached such shallow water that I needed to flop off to stop it from reaching the shore. 3) The waves we were surfing were approximately two feet high.

Tony gave us about 15 minutes of instruction on the beach which consisted of teaching us the four steps to getting up: 1) Push up from flat on your stomach to hands and knees on board. 2) Left foot up and centered. 3) Right foot up, into a crouched position. 4) Stand. We practiced a few times on the beach and then into the surf we went.

According to Tony, the hardest part of surfing is learning how to read a wave so you know when to push into it and when to stand. And since he completely removed that from the equation, and because the waves were so small (and the water so warm), it was easy. We would lie on our surfboards while Tony kept looking behind us at the waves coming in, and when an appropriate one approached, we'd take turns with him pushing the back of our boards directly onto the top of the wave at precisely the right moment, and then he'd call out, "up!" at exactly the right second for us to start the steps to standing. Gary and I both stood up and rode on our very first tries which I attribute to Tony's perfect timing in shoving our boards forward at the right moment to catch the wave. The hardest part was paddling back to him when the ride was over.

Surfing feels like flying on water and I can't wait to try it again. If (and only if) I'm lucky enough to be back in the tropics, back in super-mild ocean waters, and totally and completely warm.

[We took our surfing lesson on May 13th. I was too busy relaxing to update the blog further while actually in Hawaii, so next couple posts were written and uploaded after returning home to Seattle.]