ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
After we got gas from Costco in Bellingham (on our way to British Columbia), we decided to have lunch in town since we wouldn't be in Whistler until later in the afternoon. Our intention was to get a quick bite at Denny's before driving on, but as we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed... Continue Reading →
I thought that the prohibition against abalone fishing in California many years ago would spell the end to the most delicious mollusk steak ever to cross my lips. I remember when I was a kid, my father, brother and I went fishing for them around Monterey where my father grew up. My mother would steam... Continue Reading →
Sea stacks, those lonely rock sentinels off the coast that punctuate the seascape, are Oregon's distinctive shoreline features that draw admiring tourists and photographers. They are the remnants of millions of years of erosion of headlands that have unevenly given way to the forces of water. They are no more picturesque than the Three Graces... Continue Reading →
Hug Point used to be used as a trail by stagecoaches. Its name derives from how closely the carriages had to "hug" the point, even at low tide, to get around. Now it is part of a state recreation site for public day-use. The tide was getting higher when we arrived, still low enough that... Continue Reading →
Being the largest sea stack off the coast of Oregon, Haystack Rock stands like an intertidal sentinel just south of Cannon Beach and is responsible for much of the tourist industry here. We approached it from the south on foot, after parking our car in a neighborhood and finding a public access path to the... Continue Reading →
Whenever on the Oregon coast, we seek out fried razor clams, especially in season. Down the street from our lodging (Garibaldi House) was Pirate's Cove, a seafood restaurant that happened to have the clams on their regular menu but featured them on the specials board as well. The menu has a long list of seafood... Continue Reading →
North of Redmond, rock climbers flock to Smith Rock State Park to scale the spectacular vertical walls of hardened volcanic tuff. We made a brief stop here on the way home, even though I was under the weather with chills and body aches. Probably against better judgment, I decided we should take the brief hike... Continue Reading →
Among xiao long bao (XLB) fanatics, Din Tai Fung has a cult-like following. After having been highly successful in Taiwan, it opened branches in other parts of the world, most notably in Asia and the South Pacific. Then in 1993, the New York Times voted it one of the ten best restaurants in the world. The... Continue Reading →
Chef Lisa Nakamura has impressive credentials, having served under Thomas Keller (The French Laundry) and Jerry Traunfeld (The Herbfarm). When the opportunity arose to take over Christina's, the venerable and highly regarded restaurant on Orcas Island, with a stunning view overlooking East Sound, she jumped at the chance and opened Allium this year. You always... Continue Reading →
Located at the rear of a building of shops, Chimayo's is difficult to find. We happened across it a few years ago when strolling through the complex. We probably weren't the first, but it's easy to mistake it as a Mexican restaurant, when in fact the emphasis is on Southwest cooking. For me, and I... Continue Reading →
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