Monday, May 24, 2010
Washington State - Saturday, May 22 - Day 1
The day began as pretty much every Saturday morning begins for us -- with breakfast at ABC Country Kitchen, except this one was in Abbotsford, BC. Bellies full, we set out for the border -- our first attempt at international travel since the world became a paranoid place post 9/11. We inched toward the border crossing (almost an hour and a half) and finally were "the car". Bob and I are fairly nice people and were not prepared for the hostility and rudeness of the border guard who even questioned why we would want to visit B&B's instead of seeing family and friends. I guess the nice thing about being a border guard is that people can't really tell you to "eff off" even though, with every fibre of their being, they want to. Happily, that was the only asshole we would encounter for (hopefully) the rest of the trip.
The interstate, I-5, is quite an interesting drive -- slow and scenic in spots ... crazy fast in others.
Somewhere along the way, starvation set in and we found "Ranch House BBQ", complete with an assortment of decorative pigs outside. I swear it reminded me of a BBQ House I saw on an episode of CSI. Anyway, despite the fact that you could literally hear arteries clog as you ate, it was one of the best damn cheeseburgers I've ever had, and the fries ....
What I have to say about Washington State is that you'll see vegetation -- lush and a shade of green that you'll never see anywhere else. It is so very beautiful.
We completed the rest of our drive, arriving in the little Pacific seaside town of Seaview on Long Beach, WA. We were staying at the Shelburne Inn, a lovely old inn on the main street of town. The Shelburne Inn was established in 1896 as a resort. There are so many lovely features in this home, like the beautiful stained glass windows throughout.
After the long drive, a cold beer was
in order and we spent a little time in the pub at the inn meeting some of the locals and enjoying some interesting craft beers. I really liked The Kilt Lifter! We were so comfortable there, we almost reconsidered our dinner reservation.
The interstate, I-5, is quite an interesting drive -- slow and scenic in spots ... crazy fast in others.
Somewhere along the way, starvation set in and we found "Ranch House BBQ", complete with an assortment of decorative pigs outside. I swear it reminded me of a BBQ House I saw on an episode of CSI. Anyway, despite the fact that you could literally hear arteries clog as you ate, it was one of the best damn cheeseburgers I've ever had, and the fries .... What I have to say about Washington State is that you'll see vegetation -- lush and a shade of green that you'll never see anywhere else. It is so very beautiful.
We completed the rest of our drive, arriving in the little Pacific seaside town of Seaview on Long Beach, WA. We were staying at the Shelburne Inn, a lovely old inn on the main street of town. The Shelburne Inn was established in 1896 as a resort. There are so many lovely features in this home, like the beautiful stained glass windows throughout. After the long drive, a cold beer was
in order and we spent a little time in the pub at the inn meeting some of the locals and enjoying some interesting craft beers. I really liked The Kilt Lifter! We were so comfortable there, we almost reconsidered our dinner reservation. So glad we didn't. The nice thing about a place like Seaview is that pretty much everything is within walking distance, including The Depot Restaurant. Now, as you can see b
y the picture, it sort of looks like the kind of place you'd drive by and say "Nahhh." But oh -- what a gem! We had the chef's table (because that's what I reserved) and for a foodie like me, it was pure heaven, watching this guy cook. He knows his stuff. We had Thai Calamari tossed with crispy won tons and Thai Peanut Cilantro Sauce, I had Peruvian Mango Sea Scallops -- three giant sea scallops on a spicy Mango Salsa and topped with pickled red onion (yum, yum, yum) and Bob had the Clams Bucatii -- pasta sauteed with chopped ocean Razor and Willapa Bay Steamer Clams, white wine, lemon, garlic and chili flakes. Dessert was wonderful -- hot apple cobbler with ice cream and home-made caramel sauce and a chocolate / black cherry pot a creme. And an amazing Washington wine -- Mount Baker Cab Sauv washed the whole thing down. A nice walk back to the inn, and a glass of wine with our "new friends" completed the evening. And the pleasant bar tender in the pub ... well, he actually owns the Inn!
Off to dreamland in a beautiful bed and a sound (and much needed) sleep.
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