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Back at Willows Inn

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My post from last year’s dinner is here.

We were lucky enough to be able to go once again to the Willows Inn and stay for a night.

It was an amazing dinner : a succession of small dishes and “snacks” prepared with flowers, vegetables, mushrooms, shellfish, and meats sourced locally on the island and the surrounding water. All these small dishes are unique and outstanding. Blaine Wetzel and his team are amazing!

And the day after, look what we had for breakfast…

On our way back to the ferry… we said bye to the deer. A very nice conclusion of this escape from the city.

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— Willows Inn 

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Kickstarter Campaign Wild Roots

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It all began with a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is a global organization, whose mission is to help bring projects to life through crowd funding.

When I heard of this particular Kickstarter campaign, I was immediately hooked.

An ex-chef from Willows Inn wanted to open his own restaurant in Seattle and needed a little help.

In exchange for a donation, we would be invited to a surprise pop-up dinner. Not just some ordinary dinner, but a contemporary 10-course dinner.

We were sure that coming from the Willows Inn (read my post about Willows Inn, the best restaurant in the Northwest), Jason Aldous would amaze us with dishes featuring locally foraged and farmed ingredients. We were not disappointed!

It was a fabulous, unique, and surprising dinner:

In addition to these dishes, we had:
– Parsnip bark,
– Rutabaga cooked in embers, preserved cabbage, smoked halibut broth, lovage
– Bread made with organic buckwheat and rye, butter made from cultured cream
– Sun Choke, walnut, caramelized goat curds and whey

However, Jason Aldous changed his plans and decided he will not open a restaurant in Seattle as previously expected. He is now the Chef at Camano Island Inn and Spa and we wish him good luck with this new plan. This is an address I am going to keep.

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The London Plane again

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I already talked about The London Plane when they just opened last year.

I like these kind of places where you can, in one stop, have lunch, pick up my favorite Jam, buy a present for a friend, or grab some pastries or even flowers. You can also come in for a coffee in the morning.

A few days ago I had a nice lunch there with my parents.

In a light and warm space, we enjoyed tasty dips and salads:

– 3 dips: Beet Hummus with harissa oil – Pecan, Nettle and Feta Pesto  – Split Fava Bean Dal, mint and coconut

– Mix of 3 salads: : Brassica raab, Celeriac, lentils, turmeric, ginger –  Roasted baby carrots, spring onions, fennel, bulgur, preserved lemon  – Chick peas with olives, currants, cauliflower and pine nuts

3 dips

3 dips

Mix of 3 salads

Mix of 3 salads

We also appreciated an attentive service. In a few words, we had a great time.

Don’t forget to go upstairs and have a look through the window at the baker kneading the bread.

Tip: We made a reservation on Opentable to be sure to have a table.

— London Plane 300 Occidental Avenue S