Coeur d'Alene: Katy and Greg

the Coeur d'Alene Resort

Since Cheryl has been newly ordained by the Church of the Internet, she offered to officiate another wedding this summer. This time for co-worker and good friend, Greg and his intended, Katy. I'd heard about Greg off and on for years but hadn't met him until a quick and random five minute meeting on the street a few months ago. Katy was there too and while pretty and friendly, it was difficult to get any real impression of either them during that quick introduction. A few weeks later when Cheryl told me she was officiating Greg's wedding, she told me she asked if she could bring a "date," and did I want to go. Greg is from Spokane and the wedding was going to be at his family's cabin on Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, and while I had sworn I'd never again cross the border into a state noted for potatoes and bigots after my last time there (years ago; snowboarding Schweitzer; got tired of being looked at and hearing things that made me think I'd entered the racist version of the Twilight Zone), I had already broken that vow on a recent trip to Spokane with Gary when his father and his lady-friend took us to Coeur d'Alene for dinner one evening. If I hadn't already crossed into Idaho that time for dinner, I certainly would have for this event; tagging along with Cheryl sounded like fun and I was game to go.

It was going to be a small wedding, just family and very close family friends, but Cheryl told me that Katy and Greg were delighted that I was coming. This was reinforced when we got to the rehearsal dinner last Thursday night when they both stood up from their table to greet us (we were a little late arriving) and they both hugged Cheryl (of course) and then me (nice) and told me with all sincerity how glad they were that I could come too. Cheryl and I then sat down at the two seats they had saved for us right across from them at the "parents" table, and we proceeded to have a lovely time and lovely dinner at the stunning B&B where much of the family was staying.

B&B where the pre-wedding dinner took place

After the dinner party, Cheryl and I drove into Coeur d'Alene (the dinner was on the outskirts of town in a wooded, rural area) to our Airbnb accommodation which Greg's mom had generously secured for us. It was a cute little house, and the business cards left by the owner indicated that she was a professional dream interpreter, so there was that. The wedding was on Friday afternoon so we got up and went to the Coeur d'Alene Resort for breakfast. the Resort is pretty much the only game in town for accommodations that aren't private homes or small motels. It's huge, luxurious, and right on the lake, and the owner appears to have successfully kept any other hotel from opening along the miles of waterfront. We ran into Greg in the lobby looking a little bleary, he said he'd been up until 2am; he was on his way to the cabin by car to get ready and would be meeting us back at the hotel's boat launch at 2pm to set out for the cabin with the rest of the guests; we were all to cruise up the lake to the cabin where Katy would be waiting.

Cheryl in front of our transportation for the day

We boarded the party boat, had some lovely snacks and drinks, and got to chit-chat more with the folks we had met at the dinner the night before. During the trip I volunteered to wrangle the flower girls and get the rings secured to the pillow that the ring-bearer was going to hand to Cheryl during the ceremony. So once we docked at the cabin, the girls went with me and we got one of the first looks at the bride, stunning in her gown (seriously, girlfriend looked like a super-model), and then I proceeded to run back and forth across the yard, prepping the rings, telling the young ring-bearer (Katy's nephew) to guard them with his life, running back to the cabin to smooth out the girls' hair, and sending them down the aisle with their baskets of flower petals. As a tagging-along guest, it was great to be useful and I had a lot of fun. It was a lovely event and Greg and Katy are two of the nicest, warmest people I've ever met, and Cheryl and I had so much fun together. Once we got back to shore after the short ceremony there was a casual dinner at a nearby restaurant where we got to rehash the day's festivities with a very happy-looking couple, and Cheryl and I flew home from Spokane the next day. I guess Idaho isn't so bad.

Rice family lake-front cabin

Cutest cake topper ever: Katy, Greg, their dog and two cats

on the boat ride back to the hotel

post-wedding: happy couple

Back to Orcas

click photo for panarama

Cheryl and I had planned on going to Portland for a music festival last weekend, but after we got back from our day trip to Fairhaven via Chuckanut Drive last month, we were so enamored with our beautiful Pacific Northwest coastline, that we totally changed our plan and decided to go back to Orcas Island instead for some island relaxation. This time, instead of just eating at the Doe Bay Café, we stayed in a cabin at the Doe Bay Resort. "Resort" is an odd choice of wording for this place but I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better one. "Camp-o-rama" is the only thing that comes to mind and that might look funny on the signage. Doe Bay Resort is a spectacular piece of property on the east side of Orcas Island. You get off the ferry, drive along a winding country road, through the town of Eastsound, past horse pastures, through Moran State Park, past Cascade Lake, and end up on a bluff with cabins, campsites, yurts, geodesic domes, a fine-dining restaurant, a beautiful "spa" with three soaking tubs overlooking the water (clothing optional; I opted to wear a swimsuit), a small general store, a communal kitchen, warm showers, and clean bathrooms.

our little cabin in the woods

Our cabin was called Lower Satva and it was at the end of a U-shaped dirt road with campsites on either side and just one other cabin if you didn't count the Upper Satva cabin, which was connected to ours, duplex-style. We never saw the inhabitants of Upper Satva, but we are fairly certain that they were a family of clog-dancers who were traveling with a herd of Clydesdales. The cabins are tiny, primitive wood structures (no bathrooms or kitchens but two nice beds, a futon, and a small table) and Upper and Lower Satva each had lofts. The stairs up the loft were planks that made a RACKET when you climbed up, and the Upper Satva folks seemed to come and go late at night and spent an inordinate amount of time clomping up and down the stairs and moving furniture in a manner which made it sound like we were next door to Santa's workshop. I swear they were building furniture in there at 11pm both nights. I didn't really mind that much, though. My only goal for the weekend was to catch up on my New Yorkers, and I accomplished that; the first night in bed tucked up in my little loft, and the second day first sitting out on the bluff and reading during the moments when I could tear myself away from the view. And while we said the word "hike" a few times, we didn't actually take one. We had dinner at the Café the first night and at a spectacular pizza at Hogstone's Wood Oven in Eastsound the second night. I made my coffee and breakfast in the communal kitchen both mornings and then sat on the bluff looking at the sailboats moored off Doe Bay; we hit the soaking tubs both nights before going to bed - it was a gorgeous weekend.

dinner at the Café started with a shot of gazpacho

Cheryl had a golden beet and carrot risotto

I had a spectacular roasted corn and buttermilk soup

dessert was a flourless chocolate tart

one of the yurts

Some of the other accommodations; our cabin and some of the campsites are nestled in the woods.

view during breakfast

A bit of Italy in British Columbia

We headed home on Monday and were nervous about getting  the ferry back to the mainland since we didn't have a reservation and the reserved vehicle slots were sold out. We decided to shoot for the 3:15 boat by getting to the dock two hours early so we left the hotel around 10 and headed for the Coombs Country Market (which I had also visited on my last trip). We did a quick stroll around the market and as the cafe inside didn't have anything we wanted, we headed out to see if any of the other buildings on the market grounds were restaurants. That's how we ended up at Cuckoo in Coombs Trattoria. I will say that of all the names to give a restaurant, all the words one could combine with the location (Coombs, B.C.) and the type of restaurant (trattoria), "cuckoo" is not one I would choose, but that's just me, and the place was lovely. The restaurant had just opened for lunch minutes before we got there so the dining room was largely empty, but the hostess, perhaps simply because she knew best, didn't even ask if we'd like to sit outside, she just led us out to a lovely al fesco dining area, up a few steps to a small, raised patio within that area, and gave us what we considered to be the nicest table in the place. We ordered a spinach salad and a salmon pizza, had a nice lunch, and headed for the dock. We got there exactly two hours early (with plenty of reading material in the car) and had no trouble getting home, stopping along the way at the Oyster Bar on Chuckanut Drive for halibut soup and fried oysters, and even more awesome views of the Pacific Northwest.

from the Oyster Bar

A Hike with a View

Sunday morning we got up, got some coffee, and after heading about an hour out of our way in the wrong direction (thanks, google maps!), we made it to the Mt. Washington ski resort. The plan was to have lunch then ride the lift up and hike around the top. This was the same place Jenine and I had come to in 2011 for our downhill mountain biking adventure, something which the resort no longer offers (too many broken bones). Gary and I had more leisurely pursuits in mind and we spent a couple of hours walking around the top of the hill, pointing out the obvious ("this looks nothing like Alabama"), letting birds eat out of our hands (well, his hand; I suggested that the birds while friendly, might be riddled with diseases), and generally enjoying the sunshine and views.

click photo for full panorama.

We got back to the hotel in time for our massages at the spa, and then went to dinner at the Blackfin Pub where we had a nice view of the Comox marina and some mighty fine fish and chips. I had to do some gentle convincing regarding the dessert I wanted - it was a mud pie which included pecans in the cookie crust (he's not a fan, despite living in the South) and hazelnut ice cream (he just wasn't sure about hazelnuts...) but I just knew he'd like it and he was willing to give it a shot. I forgot to take a picture when it arrived, but I think the one I got speaks to how it was received. 

dinner

dessert

view - click photo for full panorama.

Island Time

That's my red car... barely made it!

I hadn't been back to Vancouver Island since Jenine and I went in July of 2011 (http://www.placestogo-manomi.blogspot.com/2011/07/biking-and-bliss-on-vancouver-island.html) and it being one of my favorite places, I planned a trip back during Gary's current visit to Seattle. Saturday morning, up early, headed for the border, got to the ferry dock in Tsawwassen an hour before the 10:15 boat was due to leave. We didn't know it was a long weekend in Canada making it a high traffic day on the boats, but luckily we made it on by the skin of our teeth. The crossing was spectacular, as usual, although we used the time to do some Army work (G) and catch up on New Yorkers (me) so the scenery was somewhat ignored after our first stroll around the outside deck. We docked just south of Nanaimo and made our way to Courtenay on the central part of the island, checked in to our hotel, and took a nap. There is something about the nap taken after an early morning of traveling that is just beyond satisfying. We got up barely in time to poke around the few shops in Courtenay before they closed at 5:30 (gotta love small town retail) and drove around a bit before heading back to the hotel for what would prove to be a rather bizarre dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Our hotel package came with a dinner gift certificate good at a variety of restaurants in the area. We chose Locals which was attached to the hotel property; I had looked at the menu on-line and it looked like a nice restaurant with a fresh menu, largely based on offerings from purveyors on the island. The restaurant itself is a pretty little place, with the look of a country inn: flower beds, a gazebo, and a cozy interior with a English-cottage feel.

We were seated, and then we had plenty of time to enjoy the room and each others company as we waited. And waited. And waited some more. Someone finally approached our table after about ten minutes and poured water without saying a word and then vanished. Well this was curious, we thought, as we continued to wait. Gary finally saw the hostess who seated us as she was bringing something to a nearby table, caught her attention, and asked which of the servers running about might be responsible for our table. I added, "because, we'd love to perhaps order a drink..." with a look that indicated, "you know, since we've been sitting here being completely ignored for 15 minutes." The hostess looked genuinely pained and said she would send our server over. A bubbly young lady appeared, said not a word about the delay, and asked what we would like. I ordered a cocktail off the drinks menu and she looked at me blankly. Granted, I got the name wrong, inserting "Framboise" where I should have said "raspberry" but given that Framboise is made from raspberries, I thought her complete lack of recognition was a bit much. Gary ordered a glass of wine by stating both the grape and the winery listed and got the same blank response. When he finally pointed to it on the page, she figured it out. She was oddly chipper at the same time as being clueless and when she went off to get our aperitifs, I wondered aloud if perhaps she was drunk. Our drinks arrived and perhaps it was my own damn fault... I'm embarrassed to give the description of my drink (ok, it was vodka, Framboise, and 7-Up) -- it tasted like jam. I would have added a healthy shot of lime juice and subbed soda water for the 7-Up, but that's me; Gary's wine was mediocre at best.

duck confit salad

About 20 minutes later (if that's an exaggeration, it's slight), another server came to take our dinner order. She was nice and sort of acknowledged that there had been some service issues, "thanks for your patience" (I would have comped the drinks at that point, but again, that's me). We ordered a duck confit salad and crab and salmon cakes to start, a New York steak, and had plans for dessert which I'll get to later. The duck confit salad had a "local wild berry dressing." It looked and tasted like jam (and I began to sense a theme). There was no liquidity to the dressing at all, it was just blobbed on the leaves. The duck was really tasty though. The crab/salmon cakes were so pretty on the plate, too bad they tasked exactly like the ones I make with canned salmon, with the crab aspect merely hinted at. Then came the steak; Gary and I have discussed NOT ordering steak in casual restaurants anymore. It's just not worth it to pay 20+ bucks for a mediocre piece of meat cooked by cooks who are also churning out burgers and hummus plates. We decided that when we want a nice steak, we were going to PAY for a nice steak in an appropriate venue. This steak was $33 (not outrageous but enough to expect a decent cut of beef) and while it was cooked nicely, the soggy leeks and overpowering blue cheese killed any flavor nuance of the meat. We order steak because we love the flavor of beef so dressing it up too much is a mistake. And then came dessert. We had high hopes for dessert, having seen a few plates of sweet sensations being delivered to other tables. We ordered the cream puff with Chantilly cream and fresh berries. At this point, the mediocrity of the meal had reached high comedy in our minds, because now it was a challenge - a dare for the dessert to redeem the other courses and to match the charm of the place! That's what was so odd - the room and the grounds were so pretty, even the food was pretty, why didn't it taste better?! But alas... the Chantilly cream was sorely lacking in sweetness, the pastry was soggy (and I mean SOG-gy), and the berries... oh, hell, I don't even know. I barely tasted the thing.

looked good, tasted... meh.

You know what, though? Gary and I like hanging out together and we like eating in restaurants and we like talking about what we're experiencing, which we actually found rather comical; and neither one of us are the sorts who would let a less than stellar meal ruin an evening. We were on a weekend escape to a beautiful island and if this meal wasn't the best ever, so what? That's the bottom line, right? So what.

It pains me to say this, but it wasn't that great. 

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.