Food – Page 20 – Sequim Daily Photo

Theme Day: Zest

I freely admit that I’ve taken a different direction in interpreting today’s City Daily Photo theme. “Zest” is often taken to mean hearty enjoyment, relish, or fervor. But, you see, there was a giant lemon sitting at the Inner Harbour in Victoria, B.C. last week. It was conceivably covered with zest, the piquant flavor which shares the same noun. And one cannot turn one’s back on expanding one’s view of things. That, too, can be, well, zestful.

Click here to see how others have interpreted today’s theme. I hope you heartily enjoy them.

A short brag

It’s apple blossom time and I rather immodestly think our tree looks beautiful.

BYOB: Buy Your Own Business

If you’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit and want to be part of the Sequim business community, both Pacific Mist Bookstore and Jeremiah’s BBQ are up for sale.

The owner of Pacific Mist Books must leave the area to care for an ailing family member.

And the sign in front of Jeremiah’s BBQ advertises that it’s for sale or lease and their website notes an asking price to sell, “Lock, Stock, and Barrel.”

Hate to see them go. If you’re interested, tell them Sequim Daily Photo sent you!

Nespresso nirvana

One of my favorite things is coffee. For me it falls into the “quality of life” category, though a dispassionate observer might call it an addiction.

Resigned that it is time to get up in the morning, the call of a good cup of coffee brightens my mood. Savoring one brightens the day. Seeking the perfect cuppa I have brewed coffee with types and roasts in a good many ways from drip to perk to French press, and even used a Coffee Toddy method which soaks ground coffee in water for 12 hours, then filters it to create a cold concentrate. I don’t just flirt with coffee. I have a relationship.

This brings us to the cup of coffee above: The first cappuccino from our new Nespresso. A very good one at that.

I met a Nespresso coffee maker just like this on our recent trip to Seattle. Before I knew it I had brewed an espresso, a darned good one. Then came cappuccinos and a new world opened. Finally! Really good joe! You don’t strut something like this in front of a junkie and think nothing will come of it, do you?

When I discovered that its little aluminum coffee pods were recyclable it was all over but the credit card bill. It certainly wasn’t in our budget, which doesn’t take kindly to an impulse which could be fairly described as extravagant. I could list all the other things I don’t spend money on. But now that it’s found it’s place in our kitchen I can say one thing: Life is good.

The doors are open

The Mariner Café has opened in its new location. It moved from East Washington to Sequim Village Plaza on West Washington, the former location of Tarcisio’s. We decided to add another restaurant to our circuit and tried it out yesterday. They made the cut.

We had breakfast fare. DH declared the country potatoes the best he’s had in a long time. We were also impressed with the dessert menu, above. We kept our distance, but it looks like pie heaven. Dangerous.

Your table’s waiting.

Oak Table Cafe

The Oak Table Café is one of our favorite spots for breakfast out. Mind you, there are some fine breakfast restaurants around here. But click on the link I’ve provided and take a look at the Oak Table breakfast menu. It’s not a budget option but they use a lot of fresh, local, and “from scratch” ingredients and there’s a nice selection.

Cake adventures

A couple of years ago, on a trip to Arizona, we visited the Queen Creek Olive Mill for lunch. Lunch was very good and we finished with pieces of lemon olive oil cake. As I’m wont to do, I had it just because it sounded different. Okay. It sounded weird. After eating it I regretted not buying some to take home. Crazy good!

Fast forward to last Christmas. Our relatives gave us a gift pack of oils from the Olive Mill. And the lemon olive oil cake memory flooded back. My cookbook library yielded nothing, but, of course Google had a few suggestions. A little goofing around and fine tuning and voila! It’s not exactly a sunny lunch at Queen Creek, but it’s very close. And I’m glad I took a picture because this cake disappeared much faster than I care to admit.