my new grocery heaven

last week was busy. i started many posts, but was unable to finish them. one was about how much i love my south mercer island QFC. i know most of the employee's by name and they all know my boy. it's so perfectly mayberry. every time i walk out i feel like i've been visiting with great friends. and here i am about to betray them!

i finally visited metropolitan market's newest (first to the eastside) store in kirkland which opened june 3rd. my jaw dropped. it is gorgeous. a foodie's mecca. it's all the best parts of whole foods, but better (meaning: they carry frosted mini wheats). impeccably designed, lots of beautiful helpful signage, and meticulously displayed products. they even carry my favorite sonoma restaurant's products - girl and the fig, and seattle's macrina bakery's bread (try the potato, so squishy-soft).

i didn't want to leave.

despite a time restriction, we were lured into the sidewalk sale, which fed us into their mini sur la table-type store. everything was 20%. it was like they were trying to get me addicted, and the first hit is free. side note, the bathroom in the shop area is beautiful, clean, and has a changing table.

upstairs for lunch, it was a hard task deciding what to try. we got two grilled sandwiches : salumi tornado and beechers' classic cheese and tomato with a side of peach and tomoato salad. yummy. they kindly put a water pitcher out with cups, and had keen modern high chairs.

ok, here are some photos, i'll shut up...

when you go, go hungry and don't skip the gelato. the three of us strolled the aisles dipping into a small bowl of stracciatella (chocolate chip) and took a pint of crème caramel home. oh dear lord it is good. the salmon we bought was just delivered fresh and tasted sweet and light. i got 9 cards from a favorite card company : positively green. they, too, were 20% off.

my QFC will never lose it's place as my most visited grocery store (it's 3 min from home) and they have a wonderful selection. but, i certainly will find errands to run that will bring me close to the shiny new met market.

now go eat something, i know you want to.
paulette

Metropolitan Market
(off exit 17 toward NE 70th Pl)

10611 NE 68th Street
Kirkland, WA 98033

Phone: 425-454-0085

i've got a milkman?!

some parents i know have trouble getting their kiddos to drink enough milk. my 2 year old boy has never really objected, but since we've started getting our milk delivered, he practically dances when he gets his "fresh milk!!"

i grew up in kirkland and remember at least 2 dairies we could visit to get super fresh milk. they have disappeared. although i was sad to see them go, i adapted and was very used to grocery store milk.

i first saw smith brothers' milk truck when we got new neighbors. they have three kids and i figured our family of three couldn't meet the required amount. recently i learned it is only one gallon per delivery, and costs the same as the grocery store, with no delivery fee. and their organic eggs are a dollar less!

at the tacoma farmer's market (post on that forthcoming) i met walt. he had a smith brothers' stand and burst my bubble, telling me how un-fresh grocery store milk can be. he told me milk can sit in the back of a store for 30 days before hitting the shelf. and that is after all the transportation time. bleck.

smith brothers' milk is pasteurized just once at a low temp, and has a shelf life of 18 days. it is delivered to my house 24-36 hours after leaving the washington farm where the open-pasture cows were milked. grocery store milk needs a much longer shelf life, so their milk is often pasteurized at a high temperature, often twice. this kills all the bad stuff, but also strips out much of the good stuff.

there are probably a lot of great ways to get fresh dairy products. so far i am super happy with this one. they sell a lot of other products, from cheeses (none organic), juices, vashon island coffee, bread, yogurt, and even cookie dough. their online system works well, and the people are very helpful. i say it's worth looking into.

now on thursdays when we hear the big cow-print truck roll up, we race down to our adorable porch milk box. my little guy starts shouting "we got fresh milk!" and proudly carries one of the 1/2 gallons into the kitchen. it feels so darned old fashioned, in a really really good way.

now we just need to create that chicken coop going i've been dreaming of!

paulette

Smith Brothers Farms
Located in the historic Kent Valley, Smith Brothers Farms is a locally owned and operated dairy farm that has been serving the local Puget Sound community for over four generations. Started in 1920 by Benjamin F. Smith with one cow and a few customers, the farm quickly flourished.

...do you like your dairy source?

seattle square market

saturday july 17th was a big morning. we got up semi-early, ate light, then headed for a family bus trip to pioneer square. i wanted to be the first to arrive for opening day, and make it back home for nap time.

(we took the 550 bus from mercer island's park and ride. made it there in less than 20 min.)

reading the buzz about a new market in occidental park made me eager to check out the local artists - and of course - SKILLET [the best burger you will ever eat]. this new market did not disappoint, we had to hit the ATM twice! everything we got was under $30, but a lot of $10 and $20 goodies adds up.

the seattle square : keep up with the changing line-up of vendors on their fun blog (if you're out of town, this is a perfect way to not miss a thing).

ilee papergoods : one of my FAVORITE letterpress people in the universe. and now she puts her designs on kids tees. my wallet didn't stand a chance...

tako fibers : cute kits with templates to create your own embroidery projects.

i learned a little about "steam punk" from tin plate studios. beyond unique. it was all so strange i couldn't look away. very nice vendors.

my favorite new find : slide sideways. they are extra-special nice ;) i got their "let the sun shine in poster" and wish i got the water slide one. and some journals. i hope they'll be there again.

love my new $20 earings from carlotta valdes made from vintage 70s brass.

up-cycle kids clothes and $3 patches that you can sew onto your own threads : kitchen ink. see the boy's new vintage bicycle shirt below.

more up-cycle awesomeness, many vendors within one booth : the green chair project

our boy's new friend from the green chair project. he named him "fa fa fa po bo," but he could have been singing along with the beat of the open-air D.J.

skillet. skillet. i want more skillet. stu got the lamb sloppy joe for a change and it was intensely good with indian spices, pickled cucumber, and pecans. on this visit they had the best iced tea i've had for just a buck, laced with basil. oh i hope they come back to the mercer island farmers' market... they have BACON JAM. you must experience this.

the next truck down the line is sweet treats. stu flipped when he saw the sandwich cookies. we tried the chocolate chip sandwich cookie (too sweet for me) and the peanut butter one, which was SUBLIME. stu, who makes a lot of homemade ice cream) was pleased with parfait's creamy subtle flavors. their logo is cute enough to make me visit again.

ok, here is everything we bought - yikes.

i don't think you can see my tiny earrings on the hollyhocks image... sorry carlotta. you can click on the image to enlarge.

i found a cow to replace the one i couldn't get in paris 4 years ago.

The Seattle Square
From now until the end of September, Pioneer Square will be featuring a new outdoor market from 11am – 5pm every Saturday. The Seattle Square, located in Occidental Park, features a wide range of vintage and craft vendors; selling everything from locally designed clothing, to handmade housewares and accessories, to mid-century furniture. A rotating selection of Seattle’s mobile food vendors serve up a variety of fantastic eats set to a live soundtrack, hand crafted by a rotating cast of local DJ’s. Come take a stroll through Seattle’s newest outdoor market in its oldest neighborhood.


the vendors will be rotating, and perhaps the food too, which will keep me coming back. you MUST check out this market! ride the bus and don't forget to bring plenty of cash.


have fun!
paulette


...did you go? what did you think?

restaurant : mod pizza

bellevue's mod pizza is a great spot for a fast meal. MOD = made on demand, and our lunch was very quick and reasonably priced. after running around at the downtown bellevue park we were ready to eat!

you can mix and match their toppings or choose off the menu. every personal sized pizza is about 8" and $5.88. they offer salads, sweets, milk shakes ($2.85), fountain soda, beer, wine, and milk. our pizzas were very "american pizza" with the usual meats and cheese, and mod pizza made it delicious.

my friend gasped at the beautiful design within reach-type chairs everywhere. this location has a great amount of seating, both indoor and outdoor, and they have lots of high chairs. the cool garage doors were open even on the less-than-hot summer day. and you know i was sold once i saw the striped plates!

go enjoy some fast cheap pizza,

paulette

M.O.D. pizza Bellevue (2 seattle locations)
317 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, Washington 98004
425-455-014
Hours:
11:00-9:00 Sunday - Thursday
11:00-11:00 Friday & Saturday


leave a comment... what is your favorite pizza place? i am crushed that the rooster adorned artisanal table in the bravern has shut down. that was one of the best happy hours in town.

gazing into the pastry counter

for angela's last day with us, we saved the best for last
: macrina : our holy site for mochas and lunch. we arrived around 1 pm at their location in belltown (they also have cafes in SODO and on west mcgraw). luck was with us as we didn't have to wait long for a table. we were surprised to learn that on weekends they only serve brunch, so we couldn't get our usual meze platter which provides 3 tastes of their spectacular food.

it was all good though. my omlette with zoe's ham, english peas, sage cheddar and green garlic was scrumptious, as was angela's house foccacia sandwich with roast beef, roasted granny smith apples, gorgonzola, organic field greens and dijon aioli. stu was disappointed with his roasted pork sandwich. he didn't see that they put the incredibly spicy sriracha sauce on it. his father puts this sauce on absolutely everything, so he is well aware of the taste.

while they are not an overtly kid-friendly place, they have good high chairs and have always been accommodating. they can make up little plates of sandwich meats, cheeses, bread, and fruit. they never rush us, but always sense if we're in a hurry to leave.

stop at the pastry and bread counter and pick up treats for your next meal. everything is good. oh, and this trip i learned they also make the best ICED mocha
in the world. that's right, i said it. in the whole world people!

MACRINA BAKERY
Belltown Cafe • 2408 1st Ave • 206.448.4032
McGraw Cafe • 615 West McGraw Street • 206.283.5900
SODO Bakery • 1943 First Ave S • 206.623.0919

happy lunching,
paulette

... leave a comment and tell me your favorite coffee and/or lunch spot.