Adventures in Ballard at the Walrus and the Carpenter

Suzanne had been waiting patiently for us to get to Seattle, so that she could take us on an adventure in Ballard at the Walrus and the Carpenter, an Oyster Bar.   Have you ever heard of this restaurant?  They've been written up in many publication including;  Bon Appetit, The New York Times and The Seattle Times. And now famously on my blog!

Such a fun place!  Allison (my 26 year old daughter) didn't think that we were "hip" enough to hang out in Ballard,  ha - we showed her.  Apparently The Walrus and the Carpenter is the "hot spot" for happy hour, so we had to wait 45 minutes to get our very own table.  It's tiny, loud and is filled with great music.

LOVE the chandelier!  I hope you can see it in these photos - it was huge, made of iron, a little rusty, and all shaped like white coral. Hung from their white washed beamed ceilings with a heavy duty white-rusty link chain.

Totally awesome!

Can you see the wire baskets all around the bar?  These are filled with different varieties of oysters from all around the Puget Sound area, with tiny chalk boards in each basket indicating their origin.

Sweetwaters, Sammish, Effingham, Barron Point, Eagle Rock....

The menu changes every day, but what you can count on is,  fresh Pacific Northwest oysters delivered every day.   Here's John and Suzanne toasting a wonderful sparkling pink champagne with their oysters.  I lost count of how many oysters Tom, John and Suzanne polished off!  

Everything on the menu that we tried was absolutely wonderfully delish!  Scallops wrapped in bacon, fried oysters with cilantro aioli, some kind of spicy pork meatball - my favorite was the red ripe tomatoes sprinked with vanilla sea salt and yummy olive oil.  My mouth is simply watering remembering those tomatoes... we've even tried to recreate them. Not too much success so far.   We will keep trying!

Oh mi, I almost forgot the desserts!  Fresh blackberry pana cotta and some indescribably yummy brule'd fresh peaches from a local Northwest farm. 

And yes, even though we are not super cool and hip, Allison decided to join us. Maybe it was the free food....

We highly recommend a visit to this tiny specialized oyster bar if you are anywhere near Seattle!   The Walrus and the Carpenter

Look at What I Found in Ballard!

I confess... love a great bargain.  Also love discovering new places to find treasures - thank you Melissa for introducing me another hidden jewel in Seattle, a new (to me!) consignment shop in downtown Ballard of all places.   I highly recommend "Classic Consigment" on 24th Ave., they have wonderful furniture, accent pieces, china, art, jewelry and a whole lot more. All at very reasonable prices and good quality + the shop owners are welcoming and fun!

Don't worry - I did restrain myself from buying a whole set of Blue Willow, but I may have to go back and get some vintage wicker chairs that I found.... Would look perfect in the new apartment, great lounging seats to enjoy the view of the San Mateo Bridge spanning the San Francisco Bay.  hmmmmm...

I carried Vietri Italian Artisan  inspired dinnerware in my coastal living  retail store in Poulsbo, and one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't buy any for myself!  Love the shapes, the colors, the history, the artistry and in all of the painstaking care in the hand painted details.  If you have ever seen Vietri, you will know what I am talking about!  I found two PERFECT examples of Vietri, while happily searching the shelves at Classic Consignments - almost giddy with excitement!

Check out my find - 2 collector pieces from the Ristorante' series - "Mauelina" and "Nannina".  Trying to decide if I should keep them or list them on the website in my "Beach Finds" category.  What do you think?

Off on more adventures this week - stay tuned!