Tillicum Place Cafe, Belltown

We left home at six-thirty yesterday morning to begin the up part of an up-and-back trip to Seattle. My appointment wasn’t until eleven-thirty but these days it can take as long as five hours to get to the ‘Emerald City’ and I didn’t want to be late.

Thirty years ago, when Nyel was courting me, it took him three and a half hours on average to get from my house on the Willapa Bay to his place on Capitol Hill. His record time was just under three hours. He admits to “flying low” but he never got a ticket (though I think he was stopped once.)

Fish of the Day

That was before South Bend was a for-sure-speed trap and before the freeway from Olympia north had become a parking lot. But, even so, common wisdom was that driving up and back to Seattle in a day was totally do-able. Now… not so much.

However, yesterday despite rain, fog, lurking patrol cars and the road washout between Raymond and South Bend, we made it in exactly four hours! Amazing!   I considered bopping into Nordstrom or REI to have a quick look-about but, in the end, we used the time to go to the Pink Elephant and have the car washed and detailed. (“Good choice” I thought last night as we pulled into the garage; it still looked bright and shiny despite a bit of inevitable road grime here and there.)

After our business-of-the-day was accomplished, we met our friend Linda for lunch at the Tillikum Place Café in Belltown. Actually, they don’t serve lunch per se on Saturdays; it’s brunch until three o’clock. We had never been there before but Linda had and she knew to make a reservation. I think that’s probably a necessity.

It’s a Sign

I wish there were a way to convey the fragrances and flavors in words. I was so busy enjoying myself that I didn’t even take a picture (these are from the internet) so I can’t share exactly what each of us ate. Linda ordered the Grilled Eggplant Sandwich (Roasted tomato,? garlic-herb cream cheese, balsamic reduction), Nyel the Savory Tart (Potato, bacon, Beecher’s cheddar, green onion), and I the Roast Chicken Salad (With potatoes, roasted red peppers, boiled egg and aioli.)

OMG! The portions were that perfect size – enough to satisfy but leave you wanting more. I think Linda was the only one of us to offer bites but we both declined – probably thinking that we’d have to reciprocate and I, for one, had no desire to share a morsel. We passed on dessert in favor of two cheeses – a goat and a blue – which we did share.  Again… fabulous!

We rolled into Oysterville in the pitchy dark, right at six-thirty. Twelve hours door-to-door which we agreed was twelve hours well spent – though we know folks who might not agree. But I’m here to tell you, next time you’re in Seattle, check out Tillikum Place Café! You won’t be sorry!