I had cleared my calendar this weekend, to make way for plans that then fell through at the 11½th hour. Ah, well. Of course, there was a {HUGE} upside to it all: 2 whole days with no commitments & no responsibilities. 2 whole days to just make it up as I went along – and with an unbelievably perfect weather forecast for the whole weekend – could life possibly get any better? Plus, having the ability to change course on a sixpence, & a head {always} full of things to do and places to go, by the time 6 am rolled around this morning, I was totally set for a fantastic weekend. Which, of course, involved food.
Given the glorious summer day, I wanted to be by the water, and Lake Washington is a pretty darn beautiful over-sized puddle if you ask me. The Mountain was out, the water was blue & glistening, & the sun was already warm when I showed up in Leschi at 8:30. I was {very} surprised at the lack of people around. Really? I wonder if they realize what they were missing. Ah, well.
I was also mightily surprised to find that BluWater Bistro, right there dangling over the edge of the lake, was also deserted. Ah, well. No problem getting the prime window seat today then. I was expecting the place to be packed. I mean – are there many more fabulous spots to sit and eat great food than on the edge of Lake Washington on a gorgeous, sunshiny, blue-sky day, over looking Mount Rainier?
I sat there idly watching the boats & seaplanes come & go, and the moored yachts gently bobbing up & down on the calm, blue water. I was so lost in my delightful little reverie, it’s a good job Sparks the Server (yes, that really was her name) came over and asked me what I wanted to eat. I might have just sat there all morning otherwise.
Sparks brought out some Banana Tea-bread, which frankly, I found rather odd. Not that the tea-bread was odd, the fact that they serve it up free with breakfast. It was moist & banana-ry, but not what I wanted to start my day with. In England we eat Banana Tea-bread with, well, tea. In the afternoon. You know. At Tea-time.
Sparks assured me that BluWater’s Eggs Benedicts are for to-die-for because “the chefs here make the best Hollandaise in Seattle”. Hmmm. That’s quite a claim, Sparks. I was almost enticed by the Corn Beef Hash and Joe’s Scramble, but in the end, decided to heed Spark’s advice and have a Benedict. Dungeness Crab for me, please. Hey, I am on the water. The perfect place to get all fishy with it.
I swear the plate Sparks brought out was hotter than than the center of the sun shining in the window. The food sure looked good. Now, onto the moment of truth: best Hollandaise in Seattle? Well. I am not {entirely} sure that it was really Hollandaise – but really – who cares? It was smooth, creamy, full-bodied, almost thick. Definitely not the consistency of Hollandaise, but it worked really well with the eggs, crab-cakes & oh-so-tender English muffins. So, like I said, who cares?
Up close & personal with a {very} fine Dungeness Crabcake Eggs Benedict ($14.25)
Fingerling potatoes, roasted with chives, sweet peppers & cheese. Firm, not mushy, great flavor, but a bit heavy on the salt there, Chef.
BluWater Bistro @ Leschi is large. Very large. I can imagine how hoppin’ it must be when it is in full swing. With a wall of windows lakeside, it is impossible to think that this place isn’t hugely popular for lunch, drinks, dinners & parties. I have a suspicion that there was a party there last night. Or at the very least it was a long, late, wild night. I know this because they must have all been too worn out to vacuum. And they were still playing all the same music I can imagine they were playing last night.
Lack of vacuuming aside, BluWater Bistro is a nice place to hang. If I was in the mood for fine food & elegant dining, BluWater likely wouldn’t be on my list – but add the view, the ambiance, the large menu, good food, reasonable prices & a server called Sparks – it made a really nice sunny Saturday brunch experience, and I am sure it would be the same for dinner. There is also another BluWater location in Greenlake, if that’s more your neighborhood.
I lolled, for a while, on the grassy banks of Lake Washington. There’s nothing like a spot of warm sunshine, fresh air & solitude to reboot a girl’s brain.
Then, since I was already in Leschi, it seemed only right to head over to North Ballard for a Lemon Meringue Tart at Honore Bakery. It {really} doesn’t take much.
Except I was too late for Lemon Meringue Pie. Darn it, I had to have a Raspberry Tart instead ($6.25).
On a glorious summer day, though, there’s not much that can top a perfect Raspberry Tart from Honore. Just look at all those little flecks of vanilla bean dotted around in that custard.
Plump, juicy, luscious raspberries. It’s what summer was made for. And because this was Honore Bakery, it was all piled into the quintessential, divinely perfect pastry shell.
Just add one expertly made, terribly pretty, cup of hot chocolate, to make one blissful start to my weekend.
I love my life!
