This past weekend the mister and I did something so quintessential Seattle I'm going to add this destination to my hit parade when we have company come to town! We went to Fisherman's Terminal and ate at Chinook's (Chinook's at Salmon Bay is the original name and it's part of the Anthony's Restaurants chain.) I'm embarrassed to say this was my first time at Fisherman's Terminal...first time at Chinook's - but the mister goes there all the time and so I figured if it was a place he liked to go it must not be anything to post about - but I was wrong, so very, very wrong.
Getting the mister to cross the pond on a Saturday when the Seahawks are playing (they killed Denver and it was a perfect night to go to a game but the mister gave our tickets away...apparently some customer wanted them and customers have priority over me!) is never an easy thing, usually I have to start begging a week in advance. But this time, when I told him I wanted to check out Fisherman's Terminal and buy some fish, he practically jumped out of his Lazy-Boy! So off we went...over Lake Washington on 520 (we just got our toll statement from when the girl was here...) then onto I-5 North across the Ship Canal Bridge, we took 45th Street and headed West, crawling through traffic which gave the mister plenty of time to second guess his earlier enthusiasm.
Through Wallingford, Fremont and into Ballard we puttered to cross the Ballard Bridge, after sitting for 15 minutes to wait for it to go up and down for boat traffic. Again, the mister was not amused. As you know, I'm not a fan of bridges, especially the floating ones, and I mention them not as a tour guide but so you'll know I was willing to put aside my fears to go to Chinook's...and you should too, if you have any fears, I mean, put them aside and go.
It was worth the drive and the traffic and listening to the mister's grumblings. We started off with mussels in lemon and garlic butter with foccacia - as we watched the boats bob up and down in the water and the clouds roll in. The pics above were taken from our window-side table. Actually, all tables have a view of the water - it's a big restaurant, and somewhat loud, but I'd have to say it's one of the best Seattle has and my new favorite restaurant. Our appetizer was followed by Crab Gumbo for the mister (which was excellent although the bowl is deceiving, he got about a cup's worth and wanted more) and I had a Mahi-Mahi taco with a cup of their clam chowder. Delish. Chinook's is not cheap, lunch was $40 (no alcohol) but the food was great and the view/ambiance better - I'm looking forward to returning soon!
In the pic on the left you can see the bridge in the up position...the middle pic is a memorial wall with the names of those fishermen lost at sea. They also have tiles on the ground with their names on them. When the mister looked closely at the picture he realized he knew the man, so he had a sad moment, not knowing he had passed away.
We walked around a bit, took some pics and then went to the fish market and bought some fresh halibut. The fish prices are better than what you'll find at Pike Place Market and the grocery store, if you don't factor in the toll and the gas to get there!
Gelato called our names - back over the Ballard Bridge into Ballard we headed to D'Ambrosio Gelateria...their Stracciatella is not to be missed! It, too, is worth the drive! We ate our gelato while we strolled up and down the charming streets, going in and out of shops. I discovered a new fabric store, and while small, it has great stuff! Drygood Designs in Ballard also has an adorable classroom with sewing machines, so if you take a class you don't have to schlep everything!
Click on the pics to get a larger view. When you walk in the door you actually enter a coffee shop, the fabric store is up the stairs in the back. Another discovery we made on our day out was Culinary Essentials. It's sister (brother?) store is Mr. J's Kitchen Store in Bellevue - and you know how I love Mr. J's! Culinary Essentials is not as big, nor does it have as much stock but it's got wonderful things AND it has a huge in-store kitchen/island where they do classes!
The link above is to Yelp and some of the reviews on Culinary Essentials are not great but the mister and I thoroughly enjoyed our time there and the sales people were lovely! We've already signed up for a class!
There were plenty of sidewalk sales to entertain along with quirky art and interesting spots to sit a spell. Our last stop of the day was The Quilting Loft, pictured on the right above. It's a great quilt shop and is now even better since they moved across the street to their new location. Of course I found fabric I couldn't live without while the mister chatted up the sales girls...he thought they were fascinated with him but they're no dummies, they know to keep husbands entertained so the wife can shop! And that was that. Even with the grumbling it was a great day.
We returned home with our goodies and after the dust settled I made us a lite dinner of
Zucchini and Corn Quesadillas with Pepper-Jack cheese...no
recipe needed...slice zucchini thin, remove cooked corn from cob, chop
some fresh tomato and shred Pepper-Jack cheese...pile it all on corn
tortillas, season with salt and pepper and fry, turning once, until the cheese has
melted. And now I'll leave you with a gratuitous shot of the Space Needle taken from I-5 over the Ship Canal Bridge...another rare Seattle summer day.
