Posts Tagged ‘English muffin’
- In: Capitol Hill | Eating | Seattle | USA | Washington
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Our French friend loves eggs Benedict. The best I’ve had was at The Wolseley and we had breakfast there with her on our last day in London. Her favourite in Seattle is at B&O Espresso, her local café in Capitol Hill. In the neighbourhood for more than three decades, the building is approved for demolition and the closure of B&O Espresso is imminent.
A refrigerated glass cabinet displayed cakes and the espresso machine was gurgling. To the left of the entrance is a nook and to the right are two connecting dining rooms.
We were seated in the corner room which faces the intersection of Olive and Bellevue. The décor is quirky with stained glass panes, eclectic furniture, lime walls and vintage posters.
I spotted the Valencia mocha when I was perusing the beverages menu and it evoked a childhood memory of Jacob’s Club Orange. A latte with orange essence, nutmeg and Ghirardelli cocoa, it was an aromatic twist to a standard mocha.
A creamy mocha milkshake was topped with a sphere of cream and chocolate shavings.
Morsels of spiced kofta and molten pepper jack were folded into a just set three egg omelette. This was served with a generous side of tender potatoes and toast with Deer Mountain jam.
Soft poached eggs. Fluffy English muffins. Fresh Hollandaise sauce. The golden yolk cascaded and the pastel Hollandaise was viscous and tangy. It was a superb eggs Benedict, just how weekend brunch should be.
I hope B&O Espresso can continue to operate.
Two or three times a year, usually when we’re at an airport for an early morning flight, we join the queue for a McDonald’s breakfast. We do what most of the bleary eyed travellers do – slowly circle the food court, hoping to find a healthy snack and an espresso coffee. We’re defeated by expensive prices and rationalise a McMuffin is acceptable. We’re comforted by the familiarity of the perfectly circular sausage and egg muffin with the corners of the American cheese jutting out. Warm and salty, it’s washed down quickly by the watery orange juice.
Early for a Downtown appointment, we find ourselves at Dahlia Bakery for a rare weekday breakfast. Nestled next to Dahlia Lounge, Dahlia Bakery is a small room full of artisan breads in baskets and trays of baked goods, with savoury breakfast and lunch items listed on the chalkboard. The air is sweetened by the aromas of cookies, tarts, pies and cakes.
The egg sandwiches are made to order and there are several tables outside, each decorated with a pot of bright flowers. Sidewalk dining is very Parisian, although the only view is across into Lola. Mr S is partial to a bacon egg sandwich which was on the menu. I’m one of the few who don’t believe ‘it’ll taste better with bacon’ so I chose the veggie egg sandwich with seasonal vegetables, fried egg and cheddar.
We removed the fresh breakfast sandwiches from the paper bags to reveal rustic layers. My veggie egg sandwich had asparagus spears, a fried egg and cheddar. The crunch of the asparagus, the just set egg and molten cheese is a tasty combination with the fluffy toasted muffin. Mr S was satisfied with his bacon egg sandwich with cheddar and arugula. While it was infinitely better than a McMuffin, he pointed out that it was overpriced.
The top levels of the counter are filled with cakes and pies, with the salads relegated to the bottom. Dahlia Bakery is home to Tom’s famous triple coconut cream pie. It is conveniently available in four sizes – nine inch big pie, baby pie, slice of pie and coco pie bite. I had resisted trying one since we’ve been here, afraid that I’ll be disappointed by the lofty expectation. I finally dropped in this week and bought a coco pie bite for dessert.
It is packaged in a cute, branded box for transportation. I’ve seen these boxes precariously stacked in the display window and wondered what they’re for. Tea bags? Biscotti? Cupcake? Now I know!
The box opens like a blossoming flower, caressing the prized mini triple coconut cream pie in the middle. I love coconut and each tier of the pie highlighted the fruit. At the bottom is a coconut pie crust filled with coconut custard, it’s topped with vanilla whipped cream and garnished with coconut shards and white chocolate curls. It is rich and fragrant, and every bite is infused with coconut. It’s a Seattle rite of passage to eat Tom’s famous triple coconut cream pie!
- In: Eating | Pike Place Market | Seattle | USA | Washington
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In the three months we’ve lived in Seattle, we’ve had brunches at Dahlia Lounge, lunches at Seatown and Brave Horse Tavern and dinners at Lola and Serious Pie. Notice the plural – we’ve eaten Tom Douglas meals about a dozen times! We’ve also had Dahlia Bakery rustic breads for breakfasts and with soup on wintery nights, and devoured hot cross buns in defiance of the absence of public holidays for Easter.
We moseyed down to Pike Place Market in search of sustenance for an afternoon movie. We had sent our Mother’s Day wishes on Saturday due to the time difference and had forgotten that restaurants is likely to be full on Sunday. We decided 45 minutes was too long to wait at Etta’s for our grumbling stomachs and quickly went next door to Seatown hoping for a counter lunch. We were in luck and had a table by the window!
I’ve dined at Seatown twice before – once for weekend brunch where we shared a couple of sandwiches; and the second time I had the Seattle Restaurant Week lunch menu which is excellent value at $15 for three courses. The Seatown cream cake was a memorable dessert – a dense chocolate cake filled with a thick dollop of vanilla custard and served with toasted hazelnuts and a pot of Theo chocolate mocha ganache.
We knew what to order as we’ve reminisced about the Dungeness crab, avocado and fried egg sandwich. It is a sight to behold - wedged between the toasted English muffin are chunks of fresh Dungeness crab covering the slices of avocado and is topped with a fried egg, yolk just set. We savour each bite in appreciative silence.
I heart Tom Douglas.
