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[Travel] 21-course Tasting Menu at The Willows Inn Restaurant, Lummi Island

Posted in Dinner, Eat Local, Fine dining, Great Views, Hotel Dining, Joyce, Restaurants, Seafood, Special Occasion, Travel, U.S., Washington, West Coast, tagged Bellingham, Farm to Table, Farm Tour, Loganita Farm, Lummi Island, Tasting Menu, The Willows Inn, Washington on August 12, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Mr. and I recently went on a 10-day road trip to the States. Kicking it off was a celebration of our 4th wedding anniversary and we spent a night at the quaint Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Washington. Lummi Island is a small island just a 10-minute ferry ride southwest of Bellingham.

The upscale inn deserves a separate post but the highlight of the evening was definitely our dinner at the restaurant. It serves up a 21-course tasting menu every evening, yes 21 courses, that changes regularly and seasonally. It features locally grown produce and other locally fished, foraged and farmed products. And in addition to their kitchen, they also have an outdoor wood-fired BBQ and smoker.

Obviously, with 21 courses this is not your everyday dinner out. The menu costs $225 per person with optional wine pairing for an additional $150 per person. You also don’t know what’s on the menu as they rotate it often. You only receive a copy of the menu at the end of your meal. So you ask, was it worth it?

Without further ado, let us indulge you with a feast for your eyes.

Food

Toasted kale leave, local black truffle, crumbled rye on top — elevated kale chip with the fragrance of truffle and extra crunch from the rye crumble

Wild rainier cherry in nasturtium leaf, wild chamomile, elderflower essence — what an interesting bite. Enjoyed the crisp sweetness of rainier cherry against the herbaceous chamomile and nasturtium. The elderflower essence was made into a little dollop of jelly that combined everything.

Sugar snap peas from their garden, pureed and combined with cream then it’s piped back in the pod — It’s like crudites in a fancy bite. You can taste the freshness of the sugar snap peas. (more…)

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Coconut Kenny’s: I can still hear the coconuts knocking together

Posted in Casual, Dinner, Mr., U.S., tagged Bellingham, Coconut Kenny's, Da Big Kahuna, deep dish pizza, Pizza, pulled pork sandwich, Wakiki, Washington on September 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Pizza, the bread and butter of the 20-something age group, is a simple yet magical food. Everything from the sticky cheese to the crispy (as it should be) crust spells deliciousness.

Picture this, a big slice of pie being lifted away from its friends, hot steam pouring out from the edges, strings of mozzarella cheese tugging at the crust, refusing to let go. Next, the scent of tomato sauce and toasted meat slams into your nostrils…

You are drooling now aren’t you?

It’s pretty amazing that for something so easy to make, so many people screw it up so badly. There’s something to be said about finding a decent pizzeria. And I think I’ve just added another one to the good list.

Overview

It was 7:30 on a Friday night, in the dead still downtown of Bellingham, WA, I was driving around looking for a place to fill my empty tummy. For blocks on end it was completely dark and void of life. All of a sudden I see cars parked on the street, some light, and noises that sounded like happy people taking a mouthful of delicious food (might have imagined the last part).

Inside

I pulled over and went in for a look. It’s decorated like a grass hut inside and out. It’s a Hawaiian theme. The restaurant is casual — you order at the counter and sit yourself anywhere you’d like, just like a little hut on the coast of Hawaii. The crowd is pretty young, mostly early to mid-twenties type. It looks like a college hang out.

The menu is pretty short, everything fits on one page. All the pizzas are deep dish, and come in either 6’’ or 12’’ pans. Sandwiches are equally simple — you can go for either a full or half sized piece.

There is also some other stuff appropriately listed under “other stuff”, such as various types of balls, wings, nachos and sides. I didn’t order any so I can’t tell you much about them.

What went in

We ordered a small ‘Da’ Big Kahuna and a small Waikiki, as well as a full-sized Bar-B-Que Killer Pork. (more…)