Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
There’s a new branch of the North Olympic Library System (“NOLS”) on West Washington Street. There’s not much to it but it’s a fine addition to Sequim. If you can’t read the sign on the side of the, uhm, “building,” NOLS says about its books to enjoy them, share them, return them, or keep them forever.
Imagine that! No fines for late books! This tiny branch is next door to Doodlebugs.
Here’s Alder Wood Bistro, one of my favorite places to eat in Sequim. The menu is heavy with locally sourced ingredients. It’s pricey enough for us that it’s not an impulse dinner out but our meals there have been memorable. And their Chocolate Bliss is aptly named.
I think soup is underrated, especially to start out dinner on a grey autumn evening. I try to make this soup, tom kha gai, but haven’t nailed it. It’s a chicken coconut soup that has a few ingredients I generally don’t have in my pantry: galangal root, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass. Oh, drat! We’ll just have to keep going out to dinner.
Here’s where I like to go for a good bowl of tom kha gai.
Sequim’s local deli Pacific Pantry opened last year and has gained a loyal following. And now it’s even ranked as one of Washington state’s top places to get a best sandwich ever. I learned this last month after I’d ordered a very nice salad for lunch.
Saturday I tried the recommended pastrami sandwich. This is an awesome sandwich, pastrami on steroids. If you like pastrami, go for it. It was a tad spicy for me. Next time I think I’ll try the French onion soup which looks delicious. Or one of their other sandwiches. They even have pizza.
Pacific Pantry uses locally sourced foods. I’ll definitely go back.
Sequim’s Saturday Farmer’s Market has a selection of many of the sorts of things you’d expect. Local purveyor Nash’s Farm has a front and center presence with fresh produce. And there’s honey, interesting condiments, and, of course, lavender.
Crafts people are well represented. This person makes interesting variations on bird houses: gnome dwellings. Apparently the designer has enough experience with these creatures that s/he issues warnings.
And there are things at the market I can’t say I’ve seen before, such as chainmaille. Is this yet another fashion trend I’ve missed?
These are dog leashes. They are knit and then felted. In addition to being soft they are very strong. They’re on the wish lists of all the stylin’ dogs.
Sequim’s Farmer’s Market is going full swing this month. Even though it doesn’t look crowded it was quite lively last Saturday with lots of people coming and going on Washington Street.
I understand that the plaza of our new Civic Center is destined to be the site of the Farmer’s Market but I guess it wasn’t ready in time this year to lock in all the arrangements. For now it’s split between two spots not far from each other on Washington Street.
Last week I posted a photograph of the front of Fudd’s, a new fish and chips restaurant on West Washington. Earlier this week I was downtown and hungry. There was Fudd’s. The photo above was my “smokey chowder.” One word: Yum! They were out of clam chowder but this seafood chowder was no second best. Great flavor, plenty of clams and rich without the pasty glop that is sometimes passed off as chowder.
DH opted for fish and chips. This was the “small” version. They also offer a medium and large. The fish was fresh and lightly coated. I had a little taste and I’d like to try it again. Usually I don’t care much for the chips. These were very tasty, nicely seasoned and crunchy. I had french fry envy. Nothing seemed greasy, one of the reasons I usually avoid fried foods.
The inside of the restaurant is simple but clean. The prices seemed reasonable.