To visit: Chocolati
8319 Greenwood Avenue North
Seattle, Washington 98103
(206) 783-7078
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 7:30 am - 11:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am-11:00 pm
Phinney Market
Phinney Market is the kind of place you wish would open in your neighborhood. They offer morning coffee, light pastries and egg sandwiches to begin the day and graduate to a cafe-style lunch menu, and a more substantial dinner service. The space is large and bright, with high ceilings, a long bar and a big communal table. On a typical day, there are Phinney Ridge moms and kids, young couples on dates, and neighborhood folks taking a reprieve from the demands of the day. And this is the place to do it--food wise, everything is solid.
Caleb's Blue Burger with Painted Hills Beef
The blue cheese burger served on a Macrina brioche bun is perfectly juicy with just the right amount of blue cheese and mushrooms, and the House Beef Chili served with sour cream and and a wedge of baguette is filling on the coldest of February afternoons.
Phinney Market's Beef Chili
And from 3-5 p.m. they offer Happy Hour prices on some of their most popular dishes, making something like the 1/4 pound burger a mere $4! With local roasters True North coffee and local beers like Hilliards and Iron Horse this is a place you not only want to support because the food is so darn good, but you feel good doing so, too.
To visit: Phinney Market
5918 Phinney Avenue N.
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 219-9105
Hours: Monday - Thursday: 7 am - 9 pm (Breakfast 7-11, Lunch 11-3, Happy hour 3-5, Dinner 5-9)
Friday: 7 am - 11 pm (Breakfast 7-11, Lunch 11-3, Happy hour 3-5, Dinner 5-10)
Saturday: 7 am - 11 pm (Brunch 8-2, Happy hour 2-4, Dinner 4-10)
Sunday: 7 am - 9 pm (Brunch 8-2, Happy hour 2-4, Dinner 4-9)
A la Mode Pie
There is a surprising lack of good pie in Seattle. I haven't quite figured out why seeing that there is certainly no lack of coffee shops and tea bars. But the pie landscape is certainly getting better ever since A la Mode Pie opened on Phinney Ridge. Previously an online delivery service, the demand became too great and owner Chris Porter decided to take the plunge and open a shop.
Seemingly Endless Choices at A la Mode Pie
A la Mode offers at least 10-12 flavors of pie at any one time, with seasonal variations making an appearance on any given day. Customers can purchase pie by the slice, as well as whole 9" pies which are made-to-order using organic, locally-sourced fruits.
Apple Pear Pie
As an apple pie aficionado, I have to say that their Apple Pear Pie is quite good. It's made of sweet, tart Washington apples and organic D’Anjou pears with a little freshly grated ginger, and a dash of cinnamon. Where some apple pies tend towards a soggy bottom crust, A la Mode's apple pear pie has a crust that's perfectly crisp from the top down and a filling that's spiced just enough (not too much cinnamon and a slight hand with the ginger). The apples and pears remain slightly crisp, and the crust is buttery and flaky. This is a very fine slice of pie, indeed.
A Big Wedge of Peanut Butter Pie
The slice of peanut butter pie was wonderful as well, although this one is really meant for sharing: rich, dense peanut butter filling topped with a light chocolate frosting sprinkled with chopped peanuts. It begs for a cup of coffee which they have plenty of along with comfortable seating, good people-watching, and even pints of Bluebird ice cream to take home with you.
To visit: A la Mode Pie
5821 Phinney Ave N (across from the Zoo)
Seattle, WA
(206) 383-3796
Hours: 7am-7pm, daily
Herkimer Coffee
Herkimer Coffee says that their "purpose is to create a coffee experience of the highest possible quality." Within this mission, they sell wholesale and have two retail shops. The Greenwood shop is light and airy with a variety of espresso drinks and pastries (including Mighty O Donuts!). For anyone pondering Herkimer for wholesale, they offer individualized cuppings so the subtleties and nuances of each bean and roast can be experienced and understood. Their website offers excellent Home Brewing Tips and a nice Roaster's Blog that details the different flavor profiles of coffees they've recently brought in. While it does tend to be young kid/parent central here (not really the best place to read or study, especially on the weekends), I'm always struck with how affordable Herkimer is. Each espresso drink comes with 2 shots, so a small latte starts at just $2.68. This makes a traveling wallet or a local Seattle wallet very happy, indeed.
To visit: Herkimer Coffee
7320 Greenwood Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98103
(206) 784-0202
Hours: Mon-Fri 6am-6pm; Sat-Sun 7am-6pm
Bluebird
On a cold February day, ice cream may seem like an unlikely choice. Unless, of course, you realize that if you waited for the perfect, hot ice cream day in Seattle it could be a long wait. And at Bluebird, you're met with uber-creamy, irresistible flavors including the CB Peanut Butter made with fresh roasted organic Valencia peanuts, Chocolate Pudding, or the Elysian Stout made from Dragon's Tooth Stout, brewed next door at The Elysian Brewery. Or perhaps a hand-crafted milkshake and a board game is more your style? Regardless, Bluebird uses all-natural dairy from local Washington and Oregon cows, and they're constantly experimenting with new, seasonal flavor combinations (forcing you to visit often). As if that weren't enough, there are rumors of a back patio and a beer license so they can start doing dessert floats in the summer. All good things.
