But it’s been with good reason. I mean, really, do you want to read posts about what we’ve been eating lately?

All the glamorous evenings of cottage cheese and saltines in bed? Or how about the week I ate nothing but oranges and the biggest Jamba Juices I could get my hands on? Or the attempts at going down to Seattle for a meal only to have the baby dramatically change its mind afterward? (It’s a good thing I don’t know people in the parking lots, folks.)

I can’t hardly look at my cookbooks without wanting to dry heave, much less be creative in the kitchen.

However, there are those rare moments when the belly craves actual grown-up food. And we pounce on them.

Thankfully, the baby is loving lots of ethnic foods. While lots of meat and vegetables are grossing me out (except for greens, which I can put away at an alarming rate), small bits of meat and finely chopped veggies stewed in spices or sauces with carbs are sitting well.

Indian curries, Thai soups, and *glorious sounds as the heavens part* Ethiopian food.

For Mother’s Day, Josh and I had the loveliest, most relaxing day. We puttered around Seattle, watched a beautiful documentary, laid in the grass at the Locks and topped it all off with a meal at our favorite Ethiopian spot, Kokeb.

There’s nothing like looking at your old posts to humble you.

At any rate, it was a perfect meal and the baby loved it to boot. All three of us left feeling quite satisfied.

The Tin Fish overlooks Mukilteo beach and when the weather’s nice, we always opt to sit out on the patio. The fact that we were sitting out there in January is pretty amazing. Thank you El Nino.

We’re pretty die-hard when it comes to ordering here. We always get the double salmon plate to share and an order of their chips & salsa. The salsa’s more like pico de gallo, no real heat there, but it’s delicious. The chips are the real attraction. Crisp, chewy in the soft spots, salty and some with just a trace of lime, these guys taste like they’re homemade deep-fried flour tortillas. They’re addictive. You’ve been warned.

The salmon tacos are wonderful – thick fillets of grilled salmon topped with cabbage, cheese, sauces & more pico de gallo, all they need is the squeeze of lemon and hot sauce and we’re in love. One each is plenty, they’re filling and don’t skimp on the salmon.

Josh really digs the fries, but my weakness is the crab cake. Homemade, they’re crisp and crunchy on the outside, soft and moist and full of flavor on the inside. I ate over half of mine before I realized I hadn’t taken a picture, that’s how good it is.

If you haven’t tried them out already, give The Tin Fish a try. It’s a great spot for a simple meal.

The night we got into Friday Harbor, we ended up needing dinner around 10pm. Friday night after work, drive to Anacortes, an hour+ ferry ride, check into the B&B (by the way, the Kirk House is delightful! We’ve been there three times now, and love it.) and we were starving. We wanted some simple, down-n-dirty grub and our host recommended Haley’s.

A sports bar of a place, the interior is simple, booths and tables, several large-screen TVs with sports on, and a typical grill menu. Tonight when we got there, the place was empty and we were a bit apprehensive. That’s usually not a good sign… But we trusted our recommendation, and the waiter mentioned the high school football game that was happening nearby. Sure enough, we just beat the rush… about five minutes after we got our food, the place was slammed, and every table and booth was packed with families soaking from the rain and proud heroes of the game. It’s great to see local community in action.

Back to the food…

Josh ordered a jalapeno bacon cheeseburger and I got a steak sandwich. Piled high and in a shallow pool of au jus and surrounded by sauteed mushrooms and onions, it was definitely a fork & knife affair. We both were very pleased with our meals and will come back next time we’re in town and are craving simple pub food.

For our anniversary/my birthday, we went away to Friday Harbor, a favorite spot of ours. We wanted to try someplace really nice, and the B&B we stayed in recommended Coho. It did not disappoint.

Coho has taken up residence in a smaller home, which really gives it a cozy, intimate feel. Right away, we loved the atmosphere. Less than ten tables occupied what was at one time the living space, and with the kitchen behind nearby sliding doors, it made you feel like you were enjoying a meal in someone’s home.

We were started off with warm bread and took our time reading over the menu. I really love when a restaurant changes things seasonally, and Coho does a great job of that. The fall menu featured things like savory pumpkin flan, roasted winter squash, and duck with baked figs. Everything looked tempting.

Josh decided to open his meal with a simple salad and butternut squash soup. I, however, could not pass up the most incredible-looking starter on the menu: Grilled Lamb Chops with Eggplant, Pepper & Phyllo Pocket drizzled with World Road Spiced Honey & Olive Tapenade. Yes, friends, you read that correctly. Oh heaven. It tasted every bit as good as it sounded. The sweet spice of the honey really drew out all the richness in the lamb, and the phyllo pocket was stuffed with delicious flavors. I was in love. Josh really enjoyed his soup, and (bonus!) they feature the recipe on their website! I’ll have to try and make it at home one of these days.

For our main dish, Josh chose the Grilled Lopez Island Flank Steak served with Roasted Potatoes & an Oyster Mushroom & Bacon Ragu with Crumbled Stilton. He thought the steak had great flavor and liked the bit of sweetness to the sauce. We really loved the fact that they sourced their beef locally. I was tempted by the Smoked Duck Breast with Baked Figs, Almond-Current Couscous & a Citrus-Port Reduction, but after having the lamb starter, thought a lighter meat was in order. I chose the Pan-Fried Organic Chicken Breast Stuffed with Caramelized Pears and Brie, served on a Potato Pancake with a Brandy Cream Sauce. Both dishes were served with local, seasonal vegetables as well. Again, it was true love. Creamy, slightly sweet, the pear and brie stuffed chicken was inspiring, something else I want to try and duplicate at home. The flavor was really delicious.

We took our time lingering through the meal, trying to leave a bit of room for dessert. We barely succeeded.

Josh chose the Pumpkin Ice Cream Cake. This was truly decadent; rich and full of flavor, it was pumpkin ice cream layered with a crust that tasted like gingersnaps. Paired with a good cup of coffee, and my husband was quite content with the world. I snuck tastes of his dessert, but opted for a lighter sorbet of orange and ginger and a cup of Early Grey tea. The sorbet was delightful, clean and refreshing, with just the right amount of ginger. We both loved it.

Overall, Coho is definitely a place to visit. It’s a splurge, as it’s on the pricier side, but if you’re looking for a nice meal to celebrate with, this is a place to try. The food is terrific, and the service was very good. The staff was laid-back and took lots of time explaining the menu to us, telling us all about the dishes, and even if the food sounds fancy, there was no pretension there. Just good food and good service. Thank you for an excellent meal.

I’ve already written about this place (Don’t judge me for our earlier camera days!) and we knew we wanted some better photos for this place. While we still have no idea what we’re doing half the time with our new camera and have tons to learn, we are pleased to share with you a hopefully more inspiring view of this incredible food.

Tonight we had the Buttermilk Fried Chicken, the Macaroni & Cheese, the Fried Green Tomatoes & Hushpuppies, and “Percy’s Plate for Sharin’ – a Trio of Wonderful Dips”. And wonderful they were, with a smoked catfish spread, artichoke & garlic, and a black-eyed pea hummus. We ended the night with a delectable apple crisp big enough to feed an entire family. It was delightful.

And yes, I got myself another shot of Billie Holiday in the little girls room. I can’t help myself.

Go, taste, discover, enjoy.

The Oyster Bar is situated right alongside Chuckanut Drive. For a Saturday night, the minimal parking was full, and we had to do a few U-turns to find a spot. And along that narrow, windy road, that meant driving about half a mile before you could find a place to turn around. But, as we joked at the end of the meal, the 3 U-turns were worth it.

The tiny little spot overlooks Samish Bay and the view is just beautiful. The wood-paneled walls, low ceilings, and multi-leveled seating area give the restaurant a cozy, intimate feel. The western wall is almost entirely windows, and the two different stories are connected by a spiral staircase. This evening they were packed, and only had outdoor seating available. It was a clear, crisp fall evening, and Josh and I had been playing outside all day anyway. We were brave! The off-season outdoor seating is accommodated with thick fleece blankets! Oh, they helped so much! We were also told that if we wanted, they would let us know as soon as the next indoor table opened up, which we thought was very kind.

The meal started off with warm bread and butter, while I had a cup of Earl Grey. I so appreciate when restaurants have good tea! It’s so disappointing to be offered Lipton or Stash at a nice restaurant. I was brought out Mighty Leaf tea with honey and a little pitcher of cream, and she kept the pot of water filled and hot. I was so thankful. Josh had a glass of wine, which may have kept him almost as warm as the tea warmed me! We decided to share a bowl of the Smoked Salmon Chowder (a lightly creamed hot smoked King Salmon chowder with a mirepoix of vegetables and pancetta, garnished with sour cream and chive mini bisquits) and were pleased to learn that the chef smokes the salmon in-house. The soup was delicious; creamy, slightly spicy, and the smoky flavor of the salmon wasn’t overpowering. The little girl in me thought the mini biscuits were just darling.

In between the soup and our entrees, our waitress brought out a blackberry sorbet with a splash of champagne to “cleanse the palate”. The result was quite nice. It was rich and refreshing, and just the few bites were a perfect transition from the spicy rich soup to our steaks. I wonder if the sorbet differs depending on your entree; the table next to us ordered fish, and their sorbet was a lime cilantro with champagne. Mmmmm….

For dinner, Josh chose the Grilled Filet Mignon (aged grilled Filet Mignon with a black truffle demi, braised leeks and chantrelle risotto) and I chose the Steak and Prawns (dry aged Top Sirloin seared with boar bacon and julienne apples, topped with grilled prawns and a whisky cider reduction). Both meals were just lovely. And the bonus – a table opened up indoors just before our food came out! Thank you Lord! Fuzzy blankets and all are nice, but we’d had enough of being brave. ;) The verdict on the food was good. I was a little mislead by the phrasing on the menu, thinking that the boar bacon would be more evident. Apparently it was cooked into the sauce and the tiny little specks were barely noticeable, which was disappointing. However, the prawns were tender and melt-in-your-mouth, some of the best prawns I’ve ever had, so that made up for my denied curiosity over what exactly boar bacon would taste like. Both meals came with a goat cheese soufflé and vegetables, broccolini and acorn squash. The soufflé was lovely, the texture light and fluffy and the flavor of the goat cheese was subtle. I like my vegetables a little less done, but the flavor was nice. Josh thought his Fillet Mignon was excellent as well.

We had barely saved enough room for dessert, and the Apple Calvados Crème Brulee (cinnamon spiced apple and Calvados custard with a vanilla sugar crust with a cinnamon cookie) called our names. The portion was perfect for two, just enough to satisfy our sweet tooth.

Overall, The Oyster Bar is a place I would recommend. The service was excellent and we were made to feel very much at home, I just love the atmosphere (I have my eye on the table next to the fireplace for next time!) and our meal was very satisfying. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

I’ve seen the signs as I’ve driven past in the Mill Creek Town Center and had the cravings. I’ve heard friends and co-workers tell the tales of glory and have had donut envy. Our other site, Get on Dining lists them and we follow them on Twitter.

And now I’ve finally experienced the glory.

Side note, isn’t it funny how you can tag something as both breakfast and as dessert? What does that say about our priorities in this culture?

Taste first. Health second.

Put any health-conscious notions aside for a moment and indulge yourself. Seriously. Salted Caramel and the infamous Smokey Bacon Maple bar were our indulgences on this day. And yes, I would do it all over again.

Except this time I’d have to try and choose between the Aztec Chocolate, the Bourbon Caramel Pecan, the German Chocolate, the Wedding Cake, the White Chocolate Truffle, the Caramel Apple Fritter or the Marcona Almond & Tart Cherry Bismark……

I love you Frost.

Since our first try about five months ago, we’ve been back at least four or five times. We’re starting to become regulars. I think they need to issue us a punch card. We’ve brought friends, family, and of course went for a late-night dinner just the two of us. This time around we brought my parents, brother and sister.

We checked off various items on the little paper menu they pass around (over half of it I’ve never tasted before) and the staff is always helpful enough to answer all our questions. “What kind of mushroom is that again? What does that taste like? What’s the difference between a bamboo root and a bamboo shoot? Do I have to eat curdled pork blood?” Well, we didn’t ask the last one, but we weren’t brave enough to check it on the menu either.

Some of the many items we ordered this time around were the lamb, cod, scallops, pea tips, baby bok choy (my personal desert-island-hot-pot-vegetable), lotus root (my second desert-island-hot-pot-vegetable), handmade noodles (tasted much like spinach noodles, very nice), bamboo root, and three different kinds of mushrooms. We always get the half-and-half broth, which has nothing to do with dairy and more to do with a yin-yang foodie approach; healing on the right, pain on the left. Just a warning; I’m pretty proud of our spice tolerance. We have a bit of a reputation among our friends. My father has an even higher pain threshold than we do. It’s not good unless you’re sweating. For the spicy side, they offer 1-10. We get a 3. Even my dad caught a coughing fit on a 3. After 6 times ordering the 3, we might be ready to ease up to the 4. Got it? You’ve been warned.

Taking turns dipping, cooking, plunking fat mushrooms and lotus root into the broth to simmer longer, gently and quickly dipping the thinly sliced meats and tender pea tips in until they’re just done, a meal over a hot pot is just as much about the process as it is the destination.

And we are so hooked.

This morning we went to Pavé in our pajamas. They’re accommodating like that. Granted pajamas were sweats and a ballcap, so we weren’t too embarrassing, but early morning weekend breakfasts call for that sort of thing.

Josh is hooked on the raspberry scone, so that was a given. I typically go for the morning glory muffin (so big and dense, it can make for two breakfasts) but this morning I was feeling rebellious and wanted a treat. Lemon bread, mmmmm….. Josh doesn’t like lemon in anything, so I didn’t even have to share. We did get a croissant to share, because for as many years as I’ve been coming here (since I was in high school, I’ll let you do the math), I realized I’ve never had their plain croissants. Everything was just as I expected it to be; perfect.

Some of our favorites that they offer are the bread of course – so many varieties that are amazing for french toast, sandwiches, thick-sliced to go with soup, use the stale leftovers (if you have any!) to make croutons, whatever your little bread-loving heart desires. I also have a weakness for their apple cake. Forgive the glare in the picture, it was still safely behind glass and my will was strong enough today to leave it there. But oh, the apple cake…. dense and moist and sweet and loaded with chunks of apple and buttery and crisp on the edges. Gah.

Other delightful things include the beef stroganoff soup, the asian wrap, and a big fat turkey and havarti sandwich on onion rosemary bread. Thank you, Pavé, for making my lunches a little bit happier.

Two days in a row.

Our weekend excursion on Whidbey Island led us to check out Whidbey Pies Cafe on our first afternoon there for lunch. They’re housed in the Greenbank Farm and seem to be quite the gathering place both for locals and tourists alike. A menu of paninis, homemade soups and their famous pie drew us there. The BLTini brought us back for more the very next day.

Day 1: For him, half a BLTini (panini with bacon (thick cut and super crisp – crucial to good bacon as we all know, who wants a floppy slab of fat on their plate?? Why do restaurants insist on undercooking their bacon half the time? Sick. Thankfully, this place does it right.), lettuce, tomato & havarti) and a cup of roasted tomato soup. Slice of loganberry pie for dessert. (The area is known for loganberries, this is their feature pie. Couldn’t very well eat here and not try it, now could we?)

For me, half a BLTini (I’m no fool, bring on the extra-crisp-bacon) and a cup of the eggplant lentil soup. Slice of blueberry pie for dessert.

Verdict? Delish. The bacon was as crisp as promised, the bread was perfectly toasted and buttery, the tomatoes sweet and the havarti melted in delicious creamy drips off the ends of the bread. Lovely. The soups were also wonderful, but the sandwich took the spotlight. Oh yes, and the pie was very nice as well. I am always a fan of a good slice of pie. The blueberry was rich and mellow and the loganberry had that lovely sweet flavor of blackberry and the tart of raspberry.

Day 2: Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? Two whole BLTinis, one for each of us. Piece of blueberry pie to split. Oh, okay I guess we should have something green with it too. Mediterranean salad looks pretty good.

Turns out the salad was downright amazing and I think on Day 2 we discovered the perfect formula for lunch there. The salad had your base of mixed greens, along with thin-sliced red onion, cucumber, feta, kalamata olives, and *glory* thin rounds of sun-dried tomatoes. Again, salad inspiration hit me twice in one weekend, I don’t know what I’ll do with myself. I guess I’ll go home and make a salad with sun-dried tomatoes and buttermilk pesto dressing folks. Hope it’s as lovely as I imagine.

If you find yourself in the area, go check out Whidbey Pies Cafe. You won’t be sorry.