When planning this trip, I more or less set aside today as a “food tour” day. Since we didn’t have a strict schedule today, we slept in a little, ate our apples from the Co-op, and polished off a few leftovers we had in the fridge before we left our Airbnb.
Leaving Mount Vernon, we drove south on I-5, and stopped about an hour later in Mountlake Terrace at Urban City Coffee. After assessing their menu and the [excessively dark] roast level of their beans, we decided to move on to somewhere else. The stop did provide an opportunity to swap drivers (Dad was struggling to stay awake) and perform a tactical diaper change maneuver on Walker.
Santo
About 15 minutes later, we arrived at Santo Coffee Co. in the Roosevelt neighborhood near the University District. This was a much better choice. Santo sources a small selection of top-grade Colombian coffees, plus a couple others from around the world. They have a narrow scope/focus, and do it very well. We got two cups of their batch brew, a citrus-y Colombian and a very peach-y Ethiopian. I noticed they also sold local Spinnaker Chocolate bars, about which I’d heard high praise, so I purchased one of those too.
The coffee was excellent, although it was a little pricey. Overall, it was another nice cafe with a great atmosphere and great service.
Santo Coffee Co.
Seattle, WA
This cafe has a narrow focus, but they achieve near perfection in that area. Stop by for a delicious cup of coffee sometime.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Byen Bakeri
Driving south by Lake Washington and crossing Lake Union, we headed for the North Queen Anne neighborhood and our next food stop: Byen Bakeri. As you might’ve gathered from the name, it’s a Swedish/Scandinavian bakery – one of the few in the US. We got a selection of pastries, shortbread cookies, and cakes, including: a cardamom bun, a chocolate cream puff, Swedish princess cake, a blueberry danish, a lingonberry danish, a spinach and cheese croissant, and four shortbread cookies (lemon fold, almond fold, raspberry thumbprint, and a butter cookie).
The prinsesstårta (princess cake), also known as grön tårta (green cake), is a traditional Swedish baked good. It consists of pastry cream and raspberry jam layered between vanilla sponge cake, topped with a dome of slightly sweet whipped cream, and wreathed in green marzipan. While this was their signature, it definitely wasn’t the best thing we had; the lingonberry danish “takes the cake” for that. Everything else was outstanding too, particularly the blueberry danish and Faith’s spinach croissant.
Byen Bakeri
Seattle, WA
Probably unlike any other bakery you’ll go to – stop by and grab a danish, or try something new.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Discovery Park
While we were already [sort of] in the area, we headed west to the Puget Sound at Discovery Park and the historic Fort Lawton. At the shore, we visited the West Point Light. Because of its location next to a water treatment plant, there was no parking, but I hopped out to take a few pictures. I quickly realized that where I was standing in the sand was right on top of a very active bees nest, so I high-tailed it back to the car. Fortunately, I didn’t get stung.
The lighthouse was the last in Washington to become automated (in 1985), even though it was the first manned lighthouse built on Puget Sound. It’s only 23 feet tall, but sits on a picturesque beach, on the edge of the Elliott Bay and the West Point of Seattle, so it’s a popular spot for tourists and locals alike.
Pike Place Market
Continuing South along the Sound, we soon entered downtown, and headed for the famous Pike Place Market. It took us seemingly forever to find a parking space, but we finally parked in a deck and took an elevator back up to street level. Emerging about a block from Pike Place, we entered the north side of the market,
If you’d like to read more about the market, see my post from our previous trip.
After perusing the market for a while and eating a few free samples, we began collecting food to eat. Dad bought a blackened salmon sandwich and a prawn sandwich from the Market Grill, mostly so we could use their covered outdoor seating. Mom and Faith secured the table, while I made the rounds purchasing food for everyone. Aside from the sandwiches, we got a cup of Mac and cheese from Beecher’s, a beef and cheese piroshki from Piroshki Piroshki, and some bayberries, golden raspberries, and Rainier cherries from a local fruit vendor.
I really wanted to try some chowder from Pike Place Chowder, but the line was outrageously long, so I decided to skip it. Since it was so hot, Faith, Walker, and I split an apple cider slushie from a vendor. While it was very expensive, it was absolutely delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed the cool drink. It was Walker’s first time trying a straw, and once he got the hang of it, he refused to let it out of his mouth.
Pike Place Market
Seattle, WA
After our second visit here, I’m actually downgrading my rating from 3 to 2 stars. Yes, it’s an amazing market, but the overall experience isn’t nearly on the level of Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver. By the time you find parking for Pike Place, you almost could’ve driven to Vancouver. Also, downtown Seattle is not the nicest place I’ve ever been. Everyone should come here once, but once might be enough for you.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Fulcrum
Driving south past the Seahawks and Mariners stadiums, we headed into the industrial district of South Seattle. I’d made a miscalculation about our next stop, but it turned out to be a good thing. We pulled into the Fulcrum Coffee roastery location, but realized they don’t actually sell drinks out of that location.
As we entered, a very nice woman greeted us, and explained that this was basically just their offices and roasting facility, but she’d see if she could find someone who might be able to help us out. Pretty soon she found their head barista trainer in the back, and he came out and made us a couple of café americanos with a honey process bourbon rosado variety of Colombian coffee they had at a small coffee bar off to the side.
While we waited on the drinks, the trainer gave us a very fascinating history of how Seattle exploded as one of the biggest coffee cities in the world. Obviously, Starbucks was involved, but it wasn’t just their retail activity that propelled the city to coffee fame. Starbucks actually manufactured La Marzocco espresso machines in Seattle, and that factory led to the birth of many other cafes across the city.
Our americanos were exceptional, and to make things even better, they didn’t charge us for them. The man said just to leave their actual cafe location a positive Google review, and maybe order a bag of coffee online from them sometime. (I told him I’ll be sure to do both!)
Fulcrum Coffee Roasters
Seattle, WA
Even though we mistakenly went to their commercial roastery instead of their retail spot, it was a great experience. Their coffee was amazing, and they have a great selection of beans from around the world.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Snoqualmie Falls
Crossing Lake Washington, we enjoyed exceptional views of Mt. Rainier on the horizon.
Knowing we still had at least a couple hours to kill before dinner, we decided to drive over to Snoqualmie Falls, a 268′ waterfall east of downtown Seattle.
We briefly walked in the visitor center, but then decided to head south and begin seeking out dinner.
Happy Teriyaki 11
Our last trip to Seattle, I was very disappointed that I didn’t get to try Seattle’s signature dish, chicken teriyaki. Because of our waterfall-watching detour, it was out of the way to go to the teriyaki place I’d really wanted to try, Rainier Teriyaki. Fortunately, I had noted a backup location that was closer to our hotel in Puyallup (pronounced “pew-AL-up”).
Although many have their own unique spin on the dish, good chicken teriyaki roughly consists of the following: chicken thighs marinated, then sauced and char-grilled. The sauce shouldn’t be too sweet, and the chicken should be exceptionally juicy and tender. The dish typically comes with plain white rice, a salad (which for some reason usually comes with just a few shreds of carrot, and is generally served with a sweet creamy dressing), and occasionally gyoza (crispy fried dumplings) on the side.
We stopped at Happy Teriyaki 11 in Puyallup, and sat down at a table right next to the koi pond. I ordered a combo with teriyaki and tonkatsu (crispy pork cutlet), Dad got prawn tempura, Mom got teriyaki with fried rice, and Faith ordered the teriyaki bowl. Their chicken was tasty, and they included cooked cabbage instead of the traditional iceberg salad. While it wasn’t our plan-A restaurant, it satisfied my teriyaki itch, and was a good value.
Happy Teriyaki 11
Puyallup, WA
An excellent take on Seattle’s homegrown Japanese-American staple.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Hotel
We checked into our hotel in Puyallup; I built a barrier using our suitcases to keep Walker contained while I unloaded the luggage cart. In an effort to get us a late-release timed entry pass for the Sunrise corridor at Mt. Rainier National Park, I hovered over my phone at 18:00PST, waiting to press the checkout button when more became available. I was able to secure an earlier pass (our previous one wasn’t until 13:00-15:00), which meant we could spend more time in the park tomorrow.
Although it was early, we headed to bed, tired from another long and hot (but very fun) day in the Pacific Northwest!
Video
Here’s a short video from today’s adventures.
The Best Things we Saw Today
Isaac
The best thing I saw today was… “Snoqualmie Falls”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the apple cider slushie and lingonberry danish”.
Faith
The best thing I saw today was… “the falls”.
The best thing I ate today was… “golden raspberries”.
Jerry
The best thing I saw today was… “Snoqualmie Falls”.
The best thing I ate today was… “Beecher’s Mac and cheese and lingonberry danish”.
Amy
The best thing I saw today was… “the falls”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the raspberry thumbprint cookie”.
Conclusion
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Tomorrow, we’re headed to the north side of Mt. Rainier National Park.
– Isaac, Faith, Jerry, Amy, and Walker
