The humans and I arrived after a long but not very arduous flight from the right coast to the left one last Tuesday. I’m not sure what I expected – but I’ve been continuously surprised by the local food, wine and beer. Pacific Northwest food sensibilities are different. Where right coasters enjoy a good meal and seem to judge on the bases of quality of ingredients, quality of preparation, harmony and/or contrast of flavors, with a modicum of interest in the physical setting, left coasters include concerns like localness of the ingredients, their sustainability and the quirkiness of combinations when passing judgement on a meal. Sometimes the results are along the lines of a maple-bacon doughnut flavored beer. Other times the results are Pacific oysters so fresh that the mignonette actually detracts from them. Yes, they serve oysters with restaurant-specific mignonettes with nary a glimpse of ketchup-based “cocktail” sauce in sight. If all oysters were as fresh as these, the red sauce makers would be limited to adulterating bad french fries and greasy burgers…You probably want to know where we’ve been and what we’ve dined on, so I’ll try to give you some idea of why Murghk simply must send a TARDIS if he ever expects me to return – I lose my FAA air-worthiness certificate at 25.8 boulders gross weight and I’m perilously close.

To begin, we met the youngest hatchling and his mother and everyone decided a late lunch was in order. We went to a converted firehouse in Ballard known as Hi-Life. The atmosphere was decidedly casual and friendly enhanced no doubt by the very un-Seattle 100º temperature and blindingly bright sunshine. The food might best be described as “West Coast locavore sustainable pub-style” and delicious. I feasted on corned beef hash and eggs. The hash was discernible chunks of really good corned beef held together with potatoes and onions and crowned with two perfectly poached eggs. The crustiness of the hash and silkiness of the egg yolks combined to remove any post-ariel anxities with a soothing security blanket of comfort food. Milady chose a summer salad, with slices of steak. Crispy fresh veggies, nicely grilled steak strips were the essence of a simple but elegant salad. The hatchling sucked on a bottle of soy milk and watched contentedly. He isn’t yet permitted to indulge his apparent interest in what the grownups are eating – but he has learned “restaurant manners” and was demonstrating his mastery of them.

Dinner later that evening was at Blue Water, another Seattle-casual eatery located adjacent to Green Lake and I’ll be writing it up as soon as I lick the splotches of Caesar salad dressing off my notes…