It all started out with a private macrame class I was hired to teach at Horseshoe boutique, and turned into a gastronomic tour of Seattle. I posed the question on Facebook, “We have 1 dinner, 2 lunches, and 2 breakfasts in Seattle. Where should we eat and drink?” So many friends wrote back immediately with long lists of their favorite spots. There were so many suggestions, it made me want to stay for longer than the short time we had. Luckily many of the suggestions overlapped, and the ones we didn’t get to are on the list for next time! Our first stop was to meet one of Adam’s long time dear friends Jill, who lives in West Seattle with her 2 ridiculously cute little girls and husband. We ate pizza and then hopped across the street for some classic ice cream.

Husky’s Deli has been around since 1932, and they have an amazing selection of imported candy and other European treats. Also, their ice cream was GOOD. I had the salted caramel (my go to), and coffee in a classic cone.

It was also Donut’s 2 year anniversary of being part of our family. We were glad to have him, though he has been testing the boundaries of late… He is definitely acting like a teenager! Still he is easy to love.

For brunch the next day we headed to Oddfellows in Capitol Hill. I have been there a few times, and always love the atmosphere. We sat at the bar and drank Americanos and talked about and drew some plans for our new studio space we are moving into in June (so soon!) The wait staff all had little sprigs of babys breath tucked into their hair that they said had been leftover from the little flower arrangements made that day.

I love the marble! It seemed to be everywhere we went. Or maybe I am just noticing it more. I dream of having a large marble slab in the kitchen or as part of a workspace.

The baked eggs with ham, spinach and cheese where delicious. Adam had the biscuit sandwich. The bacon portion was hearty and crisp, but the biscuit itself was cakey and underwhelming. We had an Oddfellows cookie for dessert. Yup. Dessert for breakfast. It was perfect with the last sips of coffee.

After brunch we went next door to Totokaelo. Pretty much the most inspiring and droolworthy shop. We figured that their shoe wall is giving Carrie Bradshaw’s closet a run for it’s money. Probably over $40,000 worth of shoes on those steps! My favs are the Reality Studios slides, these Dries Van Noten Sandals and these Rachel Comey oxfords that look like swiss cheese…

We headed into the basement down a white hallway with wooden stairs and were surprised by the bright daylight. How did they get a skylight down there? And moreover, how did they make the light look like we are in LA and not Seattle?!? I was surprised and so excited to see that the skylight over the indoor garden was actually some kind of daylight grow lights! SADs be gone! A great touch.

The mens store downstairs was equally inspiring, with original Stan Bitters ceramics wall hangings and the most amazing bohemian modern furniture. We fell in love with a Dries Van Noten tie.  I can see Adam wearing this all the time, dressed up or down. Then we drove around trying to find plant pots and other supplies for my macrame workshop later that eve. Lots of driving around and missing lunch was not fun, but we rewarded ourselves by eating ALL the oysters at The Walrus and The Carpenter.

The Hama Hama and Fanny Bay were our favs. Adam has a list in his phone where we wrote the tasting/flavor notes. We try to add to it whenever we have oysters. The last entry is from last July at Maison Premier in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I find that I really like briny salty oysters, ones that taste like the ocean. MMM. Also the butter here tasted like ice cream. It was whipped to the creamiest texture and not at all salty.

After eating oysters, salad, and tartare,  and a glass of white wine, we decide we must come back here with more people and order one of everything. The presentation was beautiful and the flavors were thoughtful and interesting. I loved the atmosphere too. Again, marble counters, the big light fixture, the pops of color in the barstools. Really well done.

Next, I headed over to Horseshoe Boutique, just up the street, to teach 9 of her employees how to make macrame plant hangers. The owner Jill is super lovely and was so happy to have me it made my day.

The night was a great success! I really loved teaching in their space, and it was such a pleasure meeting such a great group of ladies. After, I don’t know how this even happened, but I was hungry again! We stopped into Moshi Moshi, and had delicious late night sashimi.

In the morning of our last day, I met Aran of Cannelle et Vanille for breakfast at The Fat Hen, and was over 20 minutes late. My alarm didn’t go off! I was so embarrassed. Luckily for me, Aran is such a lovely person. She was graceful and relaxed. Besides being a super talented photographer, food stylist, and travel enthusiast, she also puts off a casual and absolutely stunning laid back vibe. I could tell immediately that she loves what she does. It was inspiring to get to know a bit about her. Looking forward to future get togethers for sure!

We then packed up out of our little Airbnb, and next on the list was to eat at Sitka and Spruce, but I had just eaten! Adam was hungry, so we grabbed pastries and quiche (AMAZING SPINACH QUICHE!) from Cafe Besalu before stopping into a really beautiful plant shop.

The Palm Room has so many interesting plants. I went in there to talk about my plant hangers and also to buy a new plant addition for the new studio.

It was a little difficult finding the entrance to the market where Sitka and Spruce lays nestled in the back of, mostly because of construction, but when we found it, and walked inside, it felt like I had discovered a new favorite place. We had lunch, and I was so glad we did! The tables were so photogenic and the light from the big industrial windows was so beautiful.

The Turnips were our favorite dish by far. Roasted turnips, aioli, bagna cauda & toasted bread crumbs is what it said on the menu. There was a perfect tanginess to the dish that we loved. The turnip tops were so good and crisped to perfection. 

After lunch we popped into Glasswing boutique next door and I tried on a few dresses. Nothing was quite perfect enough to take home, but I loved their aesthetic. There was an amazing marble block worktable in the back where they are going to rent out little creative spaces. We stopped in at Stumptown for coffees for the drive home, but in the window I saw that at the Frye Museum, the final days of a Isamu Noguchi show was happening. Adam and I looked at each other, and knew immediately that it was an important addition to such an inspiring few days.

They don’t let you take photos of the show, and I was good and didn’t sneak any. Isamu’s gestural ink paintings were so beautiful. If you are in Seattle, you have 3 days to see it! GO!

We wandered through the thoughtfully curated gift shop and were delighted to see so many of our friends work there. Brass bookends by Rason Jens, jewelry by Boet and TiroTiro. 

By now it was full traffic time! So we decided the best way to beat it was to grab a cocktail at Zigzag. Just one Mezcal pineapple cocktail for me before the drive home.

Thanks for an awesome time Seattle! We will be back soon!