Belles of the Sound

Cascadian Edible Landscapes will help you eat your yard. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Since we’ve been having such lovely weekend weather the past few weeks (and for the weekends coming up!!), I’ve been on a HUGE farmer’s market kick. I usually try to go during the winter, but it’s so much more pleasant when I can wander around and take in the entire experience.

Therefore, I’m giving a shoutout to my local farmer’s market, the Ballard Farmers’ Market! I love you and all your flowers, fresh veggies and excellent people-watching opportunities. Whenever I get there, I always make an initial pass around the market to see who’s there. I’m keeping an eye out for the veggies I need to pick up, and what types of flowers I want for the week. The selection can change almost weekly, so I love getting a feel for what’s in season. [Take for example, there are TONS of starter veggie plants out right now. I picked up a gorgeous lettuce start just last week, and it is so, so, so happy in my garden right now. If you've ever thought about starting your own edible garden, visit your nearest farmers' market now to get going.] (more…)

Another great post in our “Belles’ Man on the Street series” by local Seattleite, Henry Fitzgerald.

Over the years, I’ve developed a taste for healthy foods I never thought possible, including brown rice, squash and raw vegetable juices. I make a mean eggplant dish that even my momma loves. But after a long day, I’m just not interested in making it, or anything else, myself. I can’t manage the effort to find the olive oil, marinara sauce and cheese. Sad, huh? On my nights, with a craving for pizza and no pizza equipment in sight, I seek out the best eco-friendly establishments I can find. My local favorites never let me down.

My Favorites:

• Z Pizza (Capitol Hill, 1620 Broadway Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122, (206) 432-9158)

The Z Pizza menu offers fantastic gluten-free and vegan options. Their roasted eggplant is made fresh in-house. My friends and I appreciate that they use select ingredients including certified organic tomato sauce and fresh produce. This inexpensive option makes a great lunch or dinner when you really need it fast and you can even order on-line. Go in to enjoy their happy hour pricing on beer and wine.

• TASTE Café at the Olympic Sculpture Park (2901 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121, (206) 332-1376)

During the summer, when I want a seasonal soup, I know where to go. The TASTE Café serves their soups with fresh baked focaccia bread. If you’re looking for packaged local and organic snacks, this is a great quick stop. It’s awesome that all of the packaging is biodegradable. Their commitment to composting helps us all sustain the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Furthermore, investing in local farms helps promote the environment and build the community.

• Stumbling Goat Bistro (6722 Greenwood Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103, (206) 784-3535)

When I’m looking for something a little fancier, I head over to the Stumbling Goat Bistro with a group of friends. The menu changes seasonally. And, I like that the menu changes according to what is regionally available. For me, coming here is a treat, giving me a chance to support my local community and sustainable businesses. Their pan-roasted organic chicken with roasted oyster mushrooms and garlic confit is a crowd pleaser. For dessert, try the blackberry pear tart.

Other Options
Other places I frequent include the Agua Verde Cafe and Paddle Club, a waterfront restaurant featuring eco-friendly Mexican dishes, promoting good health and sustainable resources. I also enjoy the Chaco Canyon Organic Café, when I dine with friends with food allergies. They offer raw and vegan menu options. Molly’s Salads provides a great lunch option. They too support local farmers by purchasing their products nearby. The great part is that these places help promote the farms that provide their produce so when I have the time, I can go myself and can buy my own vegetables and cook. That’s the plan anyway!

My Pledge

My commitment to visit restaurants that serve environmentally-friendly foods is easy in Seattle because so many restaurants are dedicated to providing their customers with healthy options that also allow them to invest in local and sustainable food sources. Supporting these businesses on a regular basis keeps prices down for everyone. When you patronize local establishments, you enable them to participate in outreach programs, including school and community events to promote awareness about the importance of sustainable farming. I like knowing where my food comes from, don’t you? Get out and try some of the best sustainable local restaurants in Seattle and you won’t regret it!

This Sunday, May 6th, Fremont will be overrun by mobile food trucks and wandering buskers (street musicians). Great food, great beer, great music – I can’t wait to get a side ache from dancing on a full stomach!

The Mobile Food Rodeo is Seattle’s largest mobile food truck rally featuring over 35 food trucks and plenty of Pike Place’s best buskers. The festival offers the chance for attendees to sample food from some of the most creative and refreshing menus around, and celebrates the star chefs of the street food scene. Admission is free, a charity beer garden will quench your thirst, and a large  seating area awaits to sooth your tired feet. How can you possibly say no to all of that? Come on down and join the fun!

Photo via Mobile Food Rodeo

Hey everybody!  Happy Saturday!  I’ll make this really quick but I just wanted to pass on a little information and do a little personal plug.  My very talented cousin, Jessica Lechner, is going to be performing TONIGHT, April 28, at Shadowland in West Seattle.  The bar holds an open mike every Tuesday and then brings some of their best performers together for a full show on some Saturday nights.  This Saturday she will be playing with Patrick Smail (who I also saw perform this last Tuesday, well past my bedtime, and he was quite good).  There is no cost for the show and it starts at 10:00 so all you have to do is show up!

And…if all of that is not enticing enough, they have battered and fried pickles.  You know you want to try that. (For the records they are salty and delicious.)

In an effort to start planning ahead more often – I present to you, Arcade Lights taking place NEXT Friday, April 20 at the Pike Place Market. Arcade Lights is a celebration of local artisan foods and beverages and live music all in the name of a good cause: The Market Foundation.

What/Why:

At this fun festival of culinary delights for guests 21 and over, more than 60 local artisan food and beverage purveyors will sample a variety of sweet or savory foods, including seafood and sausage, doughnuts and ice cream—and tasty beverages including beer, wine, coffee, hard cider and sodas. Enjoy live performances of jazz, acappella gospel, folk and rock, performed by Market buskers. Ticket includes 10 tokens event-goers redeem as they choose. Proceeds benefit the Market Foundation and the preschool, senior center, food bank, and medical clinic that serve those who need a helping hand.

There will be no shortage of delightful establishments on hand. Check out the full listing of participating wineries, breweries, coffee roasters, sweet treats and big bites here.

Tickets are $25 in advance (this is where the planning ahead part comes into play) and $30 at the door. Proceeds benefit the Market Foundation and the preschool, senior center, food bank, and medical clinic that serve those who need a helping hand.

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Spring is here, which means bathing suit season is just around the corner, which means dessert is off limits. Unless of course there is something to celebrate. Or if I need something to sweeten up a sour day. Or if I’m having a dinner party. Or if it’s Tuesday and dessert sounds good. Do you now understand why attending exercise boot camp is a Must for me? I need it to counteract my sweet tooth and feeble will power. However, dessert can be a Must for all the reasons I listed above and more. So for the health conscious, time-strapped dessert lovers out there, I give you the yummiest, easiest, almost healthy-est dessert ever.

Roasted Pineapple with Honey and Pistachios

Photo via Bon Appetit

I know. It looks a little weird. Sounds a little weird too. But I’m telling you. This dessert is finger-licking, can-I-have-thirds good. And with 5 minutes of prep time, it’s the perfect dinner party dessert. Toss them in the brown sugar and orange juice marinade before guests arrive, marinate in the fridge until dinner is done, pop them in the oven for 30 minutes, once roasted sprinkle some goodies on top and voila! Dessert is served. To top it all off, the recipe is flour-free and relatively low in sugar. That’s what I call a win-win! Check out the recipe from Bon Appetit magazine below.

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The Snohomish River on an elusive sunny day. **Photo courtesy Snohomish County Tourism Bureau

I have lived in Washington my entire life and at this point after many a family vacation and aimless drive I thought I had seen pretty much all of the charming (and not so charming) small towns that Western Washington had to offer.  I sometimes feel that I have been most of the places around here that are worth going.  However, I am getting married in October and I was directed to a great bridal shop (more on that in another post) up in Snohomish, WA.  Thankfully, I realized that this was a place I had never been and that there are still plenty of new places worth going. (more…)

With a mid-twentieth century American feel, The Gerald opens tomorrow, March 23 in Ballard joining the row of restaurants and bars that make up the hopping Old Ballard Ave. scene.

Simple, American, comfort and booze is what you’ll get at the Gerald (located in the old Elephants Gerald T-shirt shop at 5210 Ballard Ave NW) which brings a modern-day twist on the Seattle of the 50s and 60s. The menu looks amazing and I for one can’t wait to try the mac & cheese – also featured are casseroles, truffle popcorn (yum), Swedish meatballs and a deconstructed home-made chicken pot pie. You can’t go wrong.

Even the drinks will transport you to a different era – The Gerald offers a 16-drink specialty cocktail list, mixing updated takes on highballs, gimlets, sidecars and vespers with newer creations.

I can’t decide if I want to eat or drink my dinner. No, really.

Personally, I think The Gerald and its owners have picked the perfect home – Ballard’s throw-back atmosphere provides the ideal back drop for a little time travel and “mid-century modern inspired” nightlife.

What do you say, Belles? Next meeting at The Gerald?

Don Quichote image via Frybooks.com

Do you like to literally DEVOUR your books? If you answer is yes, the 7th Annual Edible Book Festival in Wallingford may be for you. I was unaware of this event until I read it on the Wallyhood blog, and it sounds absolutely fantastic. Creative people think of hilarious ways to combine their favorite books into a pun and then cook it up. For example, Don Quixote was turned into a lovely quiche called Don Quichote! Ha. I love it.

There are awards for: Most Pun-derful, Most Drop-dead Gorgeous, Most Delectably Appetizing, Best Young Edible Artist (K-12), and Best in Show (voted on by attendees). And, for those of you who are wondering, you do can to eat the edible art after judging at 2pm.

The event takes place on Saturday, March 31 from 12-3pm at the Good Shepherd Center. Admission is free for entrants and $10 for all other visitors.

For more information on the event, visit Wallyhood’s post here.

Read on for the latest in our Belles’ Man on the Street series extoling the adventures of Henry Fitzgerald as he moves from Florida to the Emerald City. 

Five months ago I moved from the Sunshine State all the way across the country to Seattle to start a new job. I had recently graduated from UCF and was looking to get out into the real world and make it on my own.  I didn’t know much about Seattle aside from the fact that it rains a lot and the SuperSonics moved from there. Still, I hired some movers, packed up my few possessions and set off to meet my future.

Once I arrived in Seattle and settled into my apartment, I figured it was time for me to get out and explore. Of course I didn’t exactly know where I should go since I had only been there briefly for an interview and I didn’t have much time to find anything.

This next part might take away from the excitement of the story, but it definitely came in handy for me. Instead of going out and just wandering around town, I decided to get on social media and see what I could find out about Seattle. I figured I could find some nice spots to eat at and different spots to check out on the weekends. I was right.

Seattle Restaurants @searestaurants

I found a Twitter account dedicated only to posting information about different places to eat in Seattle. It was love at first Tweet. I love to eat and to tryout different cuisines from various cultures. I was able to find a spot to eat that first night at a diner that was mention in a post and the food was great.

After that I decided to try this out again and see if I could learn more about the Seattle nightlife.

Seattle Places @seattle_places

The Seattle Places Twitter account posts about spots around the city that have events or parties going on. Another great thing about it is many of the posts list discounts for various places. It has something for everybody too. I saw a post with 87 percent off of a massage and another one for 55 percent off of guitar lessons. They post about various bars and clubs too. I’ve been to a couple of spots the account recommended to get some wings and watch the college football bowl games and some NBA action.

Daily to do list

I also came across a page on Facebook called 365 Things to Do in Seattle. This turned out to be another great resource for me to find different activities that are taking place here. If I have a question, I can ask right through the site and get an answer right back from other locals. I have come across some really helpful and friendly people through the Facebook page who keep me posted on different events that they hear about, which makes the service even better.

Social media has made my transition to a new state and city much easier. Not only was I able to find places to go that I enjoyed, but I also save money in the process and met some cool people. I’m not sure I could have adjusted as well to a cross-country move before the Internet and sites like Twitter and Facebook.