Le Painer

On my 31st birthday my sisters came over to spend the day with me. Ian was away on a trip and they didn’t want me spending my birthday alone. The older I get the more introverted I seem to become so the idea of a birthday alone wasn’t terrible. I didn’t mind it at all but having the company of my sisters is always a great time.

The day consisted of my favorite weekend activity: brunch and a visiting to the market. They insisted I should have cake for my birthday but I didn’t want cake. I felt it was too formal and stuffy for the day I was having and the mood I was in. Instead I suggested macaroons from Le Painer. We picked up about a dozen, one in each flavor and brought them home. Over a cup of hot tea we enjoyed the macaroons, cut in half, family style to share and exchange tasting notes. It was perfect.

This past weekend we stopped by La Panier to pick up a few thing: macaroons for a Christmas party with friends, a turkey sandwich for lunch and chocolate croissants for my sisters. I brought my camera with me; something I’m not proud to admit I haven’t done in awhile. I take so much joy in thinking of different ways to photograph a place I frequent or to see it through the way of the camera. However the best thing for me, as I was looking through the photos I took, were the memories that came up, such as my 31st birthday spent with my sisters.





Le Panier is located at Pike Place Market. Everything I’ve tried has been delicious but my regulars are the macaroons, the turkey sandwich made on their classic baguette and the chocolate croissant. It doesn’t matter what time of the day you go, you will always find a the line starts at the front door but it moves fairly quickly.

La Panier // In Pike Place Market
1902 Pike Place
Seattle WA 98101

Le Pichet

Last week I visited Le Pichet on three separate occasions: lunch on Wednesday with a colleague, Friday afternoon with the company of my camera and Saturday morning brunch with my beau. It was during the course of Wednesday's lunch that I visualized in my mind all the photographs I would take: the light dancing through the restaurant, the chalkboard with hand-written specials and the delicious food so simply plated. I wanted those images in my mind turned into photographs; it also helped that I am always craving their amazingly quiche. On Friday I went back with my camera and appetite.

Le Pichet is a french bistro located by Pike Place Market and within walking distance from home. I love the small cozy restaurant feel to it; it's a great place to people watch or bring a good book to enjoy over a glass of wine.




The Food // Simple dishes with great ingredients.

My favorite things to order:

• Oeufs Plats Jambon Formage Two eggs broiled with ham and gruyere 

I try to recreate at home the great dishes I come across at restaurants that I love. Luckily I found this recipe from Le Pichet's Blog and cannot wait to try it.

• Grande Assiette Full sized plate with up to 5 items of your choice, or the Chef’s selection of 8 different items, served with cornichons. Always go with Chef's selection. 
• Quiche Special Vegetarian or Spinach and Ham  
• Rosé Light and Delicious; easily drinkable on warm sunny days
• Pain et beurre Half baguette, butter, confiture Complimentary and a must have. The butter is amazing. 

Le Pichet | Blog

1933 1st Avenue

 Seattle, Washington 98101

Oddfellows Cafe

It was the first day of spring and the opening weekend of the Link Light Rail’s Capital Hill station so we thought it would be perfect to celebrate by going to brunch at Oddfellows. I was filled with excitement catching the Light Rail to Capital Hill. Gone are the days of walking up that hill on Pike Street burning my calves and leaving me panting like a dog out of breathe. Thank goodness for Babe who kindly holds my hand while ushering me slowly up the hill, like I’m an elderly woman needing assistance.

Brunch in this city is serious business. I’ve waited hours for brunch before, even having a meal elsewhere before actually sitting down to have brunch. Yes, I know that’s nuts. You’re probably thinking, ‘why not go home and throw your own damn eggs in a pan.’ I get it, it sounds simple enough to do but on my weekends I’m off duty so that means I don’t have to cook if I don’t want to (and when do I ever want to cook???), even if I wanted to try I wouldn’t be able to make what I was craving: Baked eggs, french toast, and biscuit with scrambled eggs! Yum yum!



It was no surprise to learn that we had to wait for a table when we arrived at Oddfellows. I love that place so I obediently nod in agreement when the hostess asked if we’d be willing to wait 20 minutes. I don’t tell Babe that, no I bribe him with a drink at the Little Oddfellows while we wait. Twenty minutes isn’t that bad I silently tell myself but it turns out that it is. It’s especially long when you’re trying to entertain someone while you’re caffeine free with an empty stomach.



I love the crowd and the layout at Oddfellows. Its open floor plan makes it feel like a cafeteria. Conversations are in full force making it difficult for our waitress to hear our order and at first I’m slightly irritated. Dang it people, I need my drip coffee and no I don’t need cream or sugar! But after the coffee comes I begin to lighten up and after the food comes the sound of chatter and clinking silverware becomes background noise as I immerse myself into my own conversation with Babe, almost matching the volume of others. This is brunch.

Weekend Details

Happy Monday! I am taking a break from Paris posts to share some photographs from a few weekends ago. 

The prefect way to start the weekend after sleeping in an early morning run (I try!!) is with a delicious breakfast and some strong coffee. I dislike the long wait for brunch but during the summer it's not too bad. Seattleites are willing to wait for outdoor seating and as for me, I let my stomach rule and cave into indoor seating.

On this gorgeous Saturday morning we headed to Citizen in Queen Anne which is always a hit. You can't go wrong with ordering just about anything on the menu; it's all delicious. 

HIS: sweet crepe with a glass of red wine

HERS: huevos rancheros with a strong cup of coffee

Citizen
706 Taylor Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109


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We're having a very blessed and beautiful summer. After brunch we walked to the waterfront and had drinks at The Edgewater. Yes, it can be a little touristy but the view is so worth it. 

The Edgewater
2411 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA‎ 98121

Le Caviste

It was after 5pm on a Thursday and I was sitting in my Uber watching pedestrians walk faster than the speed I was moving. A hint of annoyance creeps in as I made a mental note to myself about this being the exact reason why I stay in Queen Anne. Seattle isn’t that big of a city where going to another neighborhood such as Downtown could be such a trek but Seattle has become more populated making traffic ridiculous from one neighborhood to the next. Somewhere between Denny and 5th I jump out of my Uber and decided to walk. I was going to be even more late than the extra 20 minutes I had initially estimated.

Whenever one of us is in Downtown we like to meet up at Le Caviste. This has become me and my beau's new favorite wine bar and french spot since the shut down of Le Zinc which by the way deserves a blog post sometime in the near future. We discovered this place the way we typically discover any new restaurant: we were walking by one evening after a night of out and noticed it. My favorite thing about Le Caviste is the duck salami which by the way I didn’t know existed. It’s so good!

I am so happy that the days are longer with more light because I can finally shoot indoors again. I tried to capture the shadows on the wall the light was creating, the ambience and our delicious charcuterie plate…

Le Caviste
1919 7th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101