Long Beach Getaway

Joe and I spent last weekend on the Washington coast. 
We stayed at the Adrift Hotel with a view of the ocean in Long Beach. 

The forecast was rain the entire weekend (it is April after all) 
but we ended up getting lucky with plenty of sunbreaks between  
the systems rolling in one after another. It kept us on our toes and in our raincoats. 

We drove down Friday afternoon through pouring rain. 

It was still raining steadily when we arrived so we opened 

a bottle of wine in the room and listened to Andrew Bird 

(I love that they had an iPod dock in the room). 

They had jars for glasses, so I was pretty happy. 

We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant and enjoyed a smorgasboard of seafood; 

oysters from neighboring Willapa Bay, a whole Dungeness crab, and fresh salmon. 

On Saturday after breakfast we went to the northern tip of the spit 

and explored a park there. We ended up on an isolated beach. Not even a footprint. 

We then ventured south all the way to Astoria and had lunch at a brewery. 

On the way to/from we stopped at some more parks, including 

Cape Disappointment with a short hike to "Dead Man's Cove" and a lighthouse. 

 

We also climbed the Astoria column, which was a challenge due to my 

fear of heights. Really great view from the top, particularly of an approaching storm. 

By the time we arrived back at Long Beach it was sunny again and we were able 

to explore the beach in front of our hotel. 

We ate dinner at Depot, which was an excellent restaurant. 

The service was fantastic and there was a great menu. I would go back in a 

heartbeat and I highly recommend it if you're in the area (make reservations). 

 One of our favorite parts was driving on the beach. 
There are 28 miles of beach and it's technically a state highway! 
We drove during the day and saw hundreds of shorebirds and a bald eagle. 
We did donuts (ok, Joe did donuts and I chickened out).
We also drove back to the hotel after dinner in the dark which was exciting.  

How awful is my hair in this photo? 

Too bad it's the only one I have of the two of us. 

I think sun breaking through a cloudy day is so beautiful by the water. 
We really lucked out with the weather, even if it wasn't perfect. 
We drove home along the Washington side of the Columbia river and up I-5. 
It was fun to see new places in my state and get away for a relaxing weekend. 
Anytime I get to spend a whole weekend with Joe I feel extra happy 
but then Sunday nights are rough knowing it's over and I have to go back to work. 
I am looking forward to another weekend getaway very soon (yes, one is planned!).

Seattle Restaurant Week

There's this wonderful biannual event that occurs in Seattle 

where I am encouraged to eat three courses with every meal. 

Three courses of amazing food I wouldn't normally treat myself too. 

Seattle Restaurant Week happens in the fall and spring 

and technically lasts for two weeks excluding Fridays/Saturdays. 

This spring there were over 160 restaurants participating, 

each offering a three course dinner for $28 

and some offering a three course lunch for $15. 

Some of the restaurants are really fancy so this can be an extra good deal. 

This year a glorious thing happened - restaurant week fell on my spring break. 

So I went out to eat every day of restaurant week that first week. 

And then a few more days the next week. 

I actually made it to 7/10 days. 

Here is a summary of my two weeks of food. 

You will understand why I currently weigh more than I ever have... 

 Day one: Tilth 

Joe and I kicked off the first night with dinner at this Wallingford restaurant. 

It's an old house painted all yellow on the inside with green tables and chairs. 

I had a fresh pea soup, bean cassoulet, and this incredible 

Theo chocolate pudding for dessert. 

We also did the wine pairing which was fun because 

we each got different wines with our different dishes. 

The service and food were both very good. 

All of the dishes were unique and artistic. 

This is a great restaurant for a special occasion. 

Day two: Art 

The second night I had a lady date with Lauren and Kelly 

at this downtown restaurant with complimentary valet parking. 

They even took our coats and hung them up when we arrived. 

We had a seat by the windows an excellent service. 

I had a gravelox and citrus salad, gnocci with fava beans and mushrooms, 

and rhubarb rainbow sherbet pavlova (pictured above). 

They also had house-made potato chips with a greek yogurt aioli 

and we ordered the smoked salmon flatbread. 

All of the food was delicious and I would definitely go back. 

 Day three: Harvest Vine 

I went here with Joe and a few of our friends for dinner before trivia in Madison Park. 

We were led downstairs to another dining room with stone walls and a wine cellar feel. 

Everything is meant to be shared as this is a Basque tapas restaurant. 

I had a beet salad, pan fried trout, and rice pudding for dessert. 

Everything was tasty but I especially liked the atmosphere at this place. 

I could definitely see going back with groups of friends in the evening. 

They also do a brunch which I am dying to try. 

 Day four: Local 360 

Joe and I went to this Belltown restaurant for lunch. 

Nearly everything is sourced from within 360 miles of Seattle, thus the name. 

They even have a chalkboard listing the local farms and small businesses 

where their food and beverages come from. 

I had a roasted carrot and beet salad 

(I have a need to order anything on the menu with beets), 

taglatelli with creme fraiche, leeks and a farm egg, 

and a delicious chunky carrot cake. 

Really good comfort food here. 

I had my eye on the mac and cheese served in a skillet. 

I am a total sucker for anything served in a skillet. 

Day five: Palisade 

This is such a beautiful restaurant! 

Holly and I pretended we were rich housewives and had lunch and cocktails here. 

There is a gorgeous view of downtown and Elliott Bay Marina 

(even on this cloudy day it was lovely) and there is a sort of "river" 

in the restaurant with starfish, sea anemones, and fish swimming about. 

There is also a self-playing piano, so clearly a ghost hangs out there. 

I had a "grapevine martini", the crab and lobster bisque, 

apple wood grilled salmon, and guava and passion fruit sorbet. 

Really good service to boot. Nice place for celebrating an occasion with family. 

Day eight: LUC 

Joe and I are friends with another Joe and Holly couple. 

The four of us went to this Madison Park restaurant before trivia. 

I had the boston lettuce salad (not a fan), a roasted cauliflower 

and lentil dish with a vegetable demi-glace that was absolutely incredible, 

and a cake that I can't remember the name of. 

While the staff was nice, they weren't super attentive that night. 

I would try again because the food was good, 

but I'm hoping the service will be better next time. 

Day ten: Palisade (again) 

Yes, I went to this restaurant twice. 

I wanted to try dinner since I had been there for lunch. 

Joe and I went here for the last night of restaurant week. 

I had a "pink lady" cocktail, a salad, steelhead, and the apple crisp. 

Still a fan! 

It's a good thing this only happens twice a year 

or I would be very poor and overweight. 

But I still can't wait for the next one this Fall. 

If you have any places you'd recommend let me know! 

...

Coming off of Spring Break high...

Busy, busy. Lots of photos to share. 

Spent an amazing weekend on the coast with my love. 

Haven't felt like blogging so I haven't been forcing it. 

Major case of the post-vacay blues. 

Hoping to return to normal soon! 

well hello

There are not enough hours in the day. 

Back soon I hope!