Today was my 3rd trip to Pike Place Market and each time I go there is completely different from the time before it. There is always a colorful mix of people, different street performers, and different smells to entice you on any given day. Today, it was the smell of Piroshki Piroshki that was practically irresistible. I've always salivated at the sight of all the delicious looking Russian pastries, and the smell of apple cinnamon was overwhelming today. There was a huge line of people waiting to sample their offerings, but I made a mental note to go back later.
Because today, I wanted Turkish Delight. This little hole in the wall place has doner kebap - the most popular fast food in Germany. My craving had to be satisfied, and fortunately, my friend Lisa was anxious to try it too, having lived in Germany herself. It's a bit on the pricey side, and not exactly like the doner kebap I knew and loved in Germany, but it was enough to make me happy. The lady running it was super nice. She mentioned that she was from Istanbul and when I told her I had been there before, she got very excited and wanted to hear about my experience there. After we finished our massive chicken doners, I bought a couple of pieces of homemade Turkish delight (orange and raspberry flavored) to take away.
We decided to do a wine tasting at The Tasting Room. It was deserted when we came in, but a great place to kick back with a glass of wine and have a conversation. The woman working behind the counter, Sarah, was super cool and she had her sweet little dog with her.
Which reminds me, Pike Place Market is an awesome place to take your dog. I'll remember that for next time.
Anyway, this wine shop is next to Kell's Irish Pub, which is a popular place and also rumored to be haunted. Apparently, the wine shop is possibly haunted as well. They have great events there too - Tuesday nights are movie nights. If I lived anywhere near downtown, I would do that.
We continued to wander around after our wine tasting. We came back around Piroshki Piroshki again, but by that time, I had run out of cash. We ended up stopping at this French cafe for coffee...and it was like walking into one of the small cafes that I've been to in Belgium. Very nice. And they had raclette on the menu, so we want to go back there and try that next. Also, great live music on Sundays.
Places we visited in/around the market:
- Chukar Cherries: got free samples of their dark and milk chocolate covered dried cherries. Delicious! Keeping this in mind for gifts in the future.
- The Crumpet Shop: when you need crumpets and tea. I want to try this place too...so very cute!
- Bavarian Meats: German meats, cheeses and other goods.
- Beecher's Handmade Cheese: apparently has the best (and possibly most expensive) macaroni and cheese on the planet. Have not tasted it yet. But enough word of mouth for me to believe it. Also, my husband is anxious to try it, so I'll be saving this experience for when he's tagging along.
- DeLaurenti: Specialty food and wine. Lots of imported European stuff here, although I'll be honest with you - you can get a lot of the same stuff for probably cheaper at the nearby Cost Plus World Market. Still, a nice place to browse.
Just for the heck of it, we stopped at a nearby LUSH at Westlake Center, and went into a Made In Washington store, where Chukar Cherries products are less expensive than they are at the market (just sayin').
It was raining pretty heavily by the time we were wrapping things up, but since I left my poor pooch back at home, I had to stop into Three Dog Bakery to get her a special treat: a peanut butter bone with carob coating. What a spoiled dog I have.
I love the atmosphere at Pike Place Market. I always notice something new every time I go, and it really gives off this European vibe that is very comforting to me.
On another note - since my traveling has been significantly curtailed since I left Europe, I sometimes wonder what direction I should take this blog. Obviously, I'm interested in exploring more of the local area and the entire Pacific Northwest, and I will blog about other places further afield as I travel. But I think I also want to focus on places that are dog-friendly too, since my travel priorities have changed a bit. I'll be interested in seeing how this blog grows and evolves over time.
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Two of my Favorite Things - Candles and Wine
I've posted about Waxen Art before - it's the local studio where you can make your own candles. I've been there a number of times. I love making candles as gifts. And I took my friend Kathy there three weeks ago and now she's hooked on it too.
So when I found out that Waxen Art was doing an event in conjunction with Castle Bridge Winery...well, how could I resist? I've been wanting to check out Castle Bridge Winery for some time. And for a very reasonable price, I could go there, sample 6 wines while noshing on some cheeses and crackers, make a candle, and get my own custom bottle of wine to take home. Sounded like a great time to me.
Kathy was game.
So we headed over there this evening and we had the most amazing time. It was so much fun.
Castle Bridge Winery is a bit different from other wineries. While you can certainly buy the wines that they have in stock (and they have a nice selection of gifts as well), you can also make your own bottle of wine. They take you through every stage of the process. Well, we didn't do that tonight...we got to pick from two of their wines. But we got to pick out our own labels and give it our own names. We got to bottle it ourselves and cork it and foil wrap the top of it too. It was so interesting to see and experience this process of bottling wines.
I'm getting ahead of myself...
We got 6 tickets for wine tastings. We settled down at a table with some cheese and crackers and our small tastings and just chatted and nibbled for a bit. The candle-making area was a bit busy for awhile. But when we saw an opening, we squeezed in. I wanted a "Fire" (cinnamon) scented candle for the holidays, so I decided to do my candle in reddish-brown and a dark pink. Kathy went for rainbow sherbet colors but scented her candle with a special cabernet scent that is not normally available at Waxen Art.
The difference this time was that we got to add our scent and pour our own candles. I've never had the chance to do that before and it was really cool. It felt to me like my candle was completely handmade by me from start to finish.
While we waited for our candles to harden, we sampled more wines and chatted some more. I love the names of the wines at Castle Bridge - they are Medieval/Renaissance themed. The first wine I tried was "Captive Maiden," which was actually the white wine selection that we could bottle (similar to a Gewurztraminer, one of my favorite wines). The other selection - a red wine - was called "Red Rooster." I sampled 3 whites, a rose, and 2 reds, one of which had the surprising scent and taste of dark chocolate. It was rich and sweet and delicious.
We spent a bit of time deciding on the labels and names for our custom wine bottles. Kathy decided to name hers after her dog, Wedge Antilles. So I followed suit and named mine after Reece.
The result: Kathy had a red wine called "Wedge Antilles 'Red Two'" (this is a Star Wars reference, for those who don't know). I named mine "Reece's Mischief." We were totally beside ourselves once the bottles were finished. We both thought it was the coolest thing ever to name our own wines.
We bought a couple things at the gift shop. The Captive Maiden was on sale, and even though my custom bottle was filled with Captive Maiden, I bought an extra bottle. Kathy bought some adorable mini wine cork earrings. And we're both keeping our custom wine bottles, even after the wine is gone.
We enjoyed every minute of our time time there tonight. I want to thank the people behind this event...they were awesome and so much fun to talk to. Please do it again!
Now, click here for some silly pictures.
For further information:
Waxen Art - http://waxenart.com/ (seriously...if you live in the Seattle/Tacoma area, it is absolutely worth it to come here at least once)
Castle Bridge Winery - http://www.castlebridgewinery.com/
So when I found out that Waxen Art was doing an event in conjunction with Castle Bridge Winery...well, how could I resist? I've been wanting to check out Castle Bridge Winery for some time. And for a very reasonable price, I could go there, sample 6 wines while noshing on some cheeses and crackers, make a candle, and get my own custom bottle of wine to take home. Sounded like a great time to me.
Kathy was game.
So we headed over there this evening and we had the most amazing time. It was so much fun.
Castle Bridge Winery is a bit different from other wineries. While you can certainly buy the wines that they have in stock (and they have a nice selection of gifts as well), you can also make your own bottle of wine. They take you through every stage of the process. Well, we didn't do that tonight...we got to pick from two of their wines. But we got to pick out our own labels and give it our own names. We got to bottle it ourselves and cork it and foil wrap the top of it too. It was so interesting to see and experience this process of bottling wines.
I'm getting ahead of myself...
We got 6 tickets for wine tastings. We settled down at a table with some cheese and crackers and our small tastings and just chatted and nibbled for a bit. The candle-making area was a bit busy for awhile. But when we saw an opening, we squeezed in. I wanted a "Fire" (cinnamon) scented candle for the holidays, so I decided to do my candle in reddish-brown and a dark pink. Kathy went for rainbow sherbet colors but scented her candle with a special cabernet scent that is not normally available at Waxen Art.
The difference this time was that we got to add our scent and pour our own candles. I've never had the chance to do that before and it was really cool. It felt to me like my candle was completely handmade by me from start to finish.
While we waited for our candles to harden, we sampled more wines and chatted some more. I love the names of the wines at Castle Bridge - they are Medieval/Renaissance themed. The first wine I tried was "Captive Maiden," which was actually the white wine selection that we could bottle (similar to a Gewurztraminer, one of my favorite wines). The other selection - a red wine - was called "Red Rooster." I sampled 3 whites, a rose, and 2 reds, one of which had the surprising scent and taste of dark chocolate. It was rich and sweet and delicious.
We spent a bit of time deciding on the labels and names for our custom wine bottles. Kathy decided to name hers after her dog, Wedge Antilles. So I followed suit and named mine after Reece.
The result: Kathy had a red wine called "Wedge Antilles 'Red Two'" (this is a Star Wars reference, for those who don't know). I named mine "Reece's Mischief." We were totally beside ourselves once the bottles were finished. We both thought it was the coolest thing ever to name our own wines.
We bought a couple things at the gift shop. The Captive Maiden was on sale, and even though my custom bottle was filled with Captive Maiden, I bought an extra bottle. Kathy bought some adorable mini wine cork earrings. And we're both keeping our custom wine bottles, even after the wine is gone.
We enjoyed every minute of our time time there tonight. I want to thank the people behind this event...they were awesome and so much fun to talk to. Please do it again!
Now, click here for some silly pictures.
For further information:
Waxen Art - http://waxenart.com/ (seriously...if you live in the Seattle/Tacoma area, it is absolutely worth it to come here at least once)
Castle Bridge Winery - http://www.castlebridgewinery.com/
Monday, September 8, 2008
A Weekend Visit
My parents just departed last night after a long weekend here. They're not really big on travel, so their main goal in coming was to just hang out with us and visit. But we made sure to take them to a few sights, including one they specifically requested, which was the Columbia Winery in Woodinville.
They arrived late Wednesday night, and lack of sleep and jetlag pretty much kept us at home on Thursday. Other than running out to a few stores and having lunch at Ivar's (a popular local seafood chain), we didn't do much. We grilled steaks for dinner, drank wine and just hung out.
Friday, we went to Mt. Rainier. I forgot my camera, but my Mom took pictures. If I ever get copies, I might post them, but we basically covered the same ground that Lance and I covered on our last visit out there in October. We came in through the Nisqually entrance and drove up to Paradise and then left the same way. We brought picnic stuff and had a nice picnic in the woods. After we got home that evening, Lance and I took them to dinner at El No Que No, a really excellent Mexican restaurant in downtown Kent.
Saturday, we went to Woodinville (detouring briefly to Kent Farmers' Market, where I bought 2 homemade garden stones for $10). There are a lot of wineries in Woodinville, but the main one they wanted to see was Columbia Winery. They discovered Columbia's wines, which are now a favorite. Turns out, the Columbia Winery is the very first one we stumbled upon as we drove into Woodinville. So we commenced to enjoying a wine tasting, and then shared a bottle of Gewurztraminer out on their lovely patio. My parents were only familiar with the Cellarmaster's Riesling (their best-seller) up until this point, and were thrilled with Columbia's other selections. I thought the Gewurztraminer was fantastic, and so did they, as these pictures clearly show.
Columbia Winery in Woodinville.
The gardens were absolutely gorgeous.
Yay! Gewurztraminer! Cheers!
I'm laughing because I just spilled some wine on myself. Oops.
Mom and I share a moment...and a laugh.
It wasn't yet lunchtime, so just the small amount of wine we had during the tastings and the glass and a half we had afterwards was enough to get me the drunkest I've ever been. And believe me, I have had more to drink than that before. This is just what happens when you drink on an empty stomach. But we still enjoyed ourselves immensely. The grounds at Columbia are beautiful, and it's a shame that they'll be moving to a different location early next year. I can't imagine a more wonderful setting than what they have now.
It was well past noon once we finished up there, so we popped in at the Red Hook Brewery, located just down the street. They have a very large public house there with a nice menu, so we ate lunch out on their patio. Mom and I both had their Turkey Blast sandwich, which consisted of turkey, cheese, tomato, avocado, and some other tasty stuff on a croissant. Came with chips and seedless grapes. Lance and Rob each enjoyed a burger. We contemplated staying for the brewery tour (even though Mom and I don't have the slightest interest in beer), but since we would've had to wait quite some time for the tour to start, Lance and Rob settled for buying a 6 pack of Red Hook and some souvenirs in their gift shop.
After lunch, we decided against visiting any of the other wineries. Enough was enough. So back to Kent we went. But it was a nice few hours spent in Woodinville. I would definitely go again, and I know they want to go back next time they're in town.
Yesterday was another day spent hanging around here. We went to breakfast at IHOP and then came back to the house. Lance and Rob watched football, so I took Mom to some of my favorite local shops, including Chair & Trellis and Bella Home & Garden. We stopped in Waxen Art as well, so I could show her where I make candles (she loved the candle I made her so much, she redecorated her bathroom using my candle as her inspiration). Mom helped me pick out some things for our garden: a large potted mum, bird feeders, etc. Then we came home with all the stuff I bought and put it out.
They left late last night, taking the red eye back to Ohio. They're home now. I miss them so much already. This was the most relaxed I've ever been having house guests. But of course, they are more than just house guests, they're my family. I would've had them stay forever, if I could. And I know they loved it here. And we couldn't have had more perfect weather - it was sunny and in the 70's everyday.
They arrived late Wednesday night, and lack of sleep and jetlag pretty much kept us at home on Thursday. Other than running out to a few stores and having lunch at Ivar's (a popular local seafood chain), we didn't do much. We grilled steaks for dinner, drank wine and just hung out.
Friday, we went to Mt. Rainier. I forgot my camera, but my Mom took pictures. If I ever get copies, I might post them, but we basically covered the same ground that Lance and I covered on our last visit out there in October. We came in through the Nisqually entrance and drove up to Paradise and then left the same way. We brought picnic stuff and had a nice picnic in the woods. After we got home that evening, Lance and I took them to dinner at El No Que No, a really excellent Mexican restaurant in downtown Kent.
Saturday, we went to Woodinville (detouring briefly to Kent Farmers' Market, where I bought 2 homemade garden stones for $10). There are a lot of wineries in Woodinville, but the main one they wanted to see was Columbia Winery. They discovered Columbia's wines, which are now a favorite. Turns out, the Columbia Winery is the very first one we stumbled upon as we drove into Woodinville. So we commenced to enjoying a wine tasting, and then shared a bottle of Gewurztraminer out on their lovely patio. My parents were only familiar with the Cellarmaster's Riesling (their best-seller) up until this point, and were thrilled with Columbia's other selections. I thought the Gewurztraminer was fantastic, and so did they, as these pictures clearly show.
Columbia Winery in Woodinville.
The gardens were absolutely gorgeous.
Yay! Gewurztraminer! Cheers!
I'm laughing because I just spilled some wine on myself. Oops.
Mom and I share a moment...and a laugh.
It wasn't yet lunchtime, so just the small amount of wine we had during the tastings and the glass and a half we had afterwards was enough to get me the drunkest I've ever been. And believe me, I have had more to drink than that before. This is just what happens when you drink on an empty stomach. But we still enjoyed ourselves immensely. The grounds at Columbia are beautiful, and it's a shame that they'll be moving to a different location early next year. I can't imagine a more wonderful setting than what they have now.
It was well past noon once we finished up there, so we popped in at the Red Hook Brewery, located just down the street. They have a very large public house there with a nice menu, so we ate lunch out on their patio. Mom and I both had their Turkey Blast sandwich, which consisted of turkey, cheese, tomato, avocado, and some other tasty stuff on a croissant. Came with chips and seedless grapes. Lance and Rob each enjoyed a burger. We contemplated staying for the brewery tour (even though Mom and I don't have the slightest interest in beer), but since we would've had to wait quite some time for the tour to start, Lance and Rob settled for buying a 6 pack of Red Hook and some souvenirs in their gift shop.
After lunch, we decided against visiting any of the other wineries. Enough was enough. So back to Kent we went. But it was a nice few hours spent in Woodinville. I would definitely go again, and I know they want to go back next time they're in town.
Yesterday was another day spent hanging around here. We went to breakfast at IHOP and then came back to the house. Lance and Rob watched football, so I took Mom to some of my favorite local shops, including Chair & Trellis and Bella Home & Garden. We stopped in Waxen Art as well, so I could show her where I make candles (she loved the candle I made her so much, she redecorated her bathroom using my candle as her inspiration). Mom helped me pick out some things for our garden: a large potted mum, bird feeders, etc. Then we came home with all the stuff I bought and put it out.
They left late last night, taking the red eye back to Ohio. They're home now. I miss them so much already. This was the most relaxed I've ever been having house guests. But of course, they are more than just house guests, they're my family. I would've had them stay forever, if I could. And I know they loved it here. And we couldn't have had more perfect weather - it was sunny and in the 70's everyday.
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