The Swinery

Let us give thanks....for sustainable butchers who make exceptions for one thing--foie gras. And let us give an extra thanks for those butchers who settle in West Seattle, which was butcher-less up to two weeks ago. Thank you, Swinery--a quaint butcher with white tile walls, friendly owners, and a big community prosciutto for tasting (which I suspect won't be revived after this one--but let's hope I'm wrong).

Let's start with the cheese. A great selection in a small case. A bit difficult to tell what they have, but that is cured by a willingness to provide excellent suggestions and a taste. There is also a nice selection of house dried meats and Zoe's salami.

Moving on to the meat. Oh. [I am speechless]. So far, we have tried the ribeye and the hanger steak--the flavor is out of this world. I can only describe it as a grass fed, butchered this morning, taste of heaven. They also have a great selection of poultry, pork, and lamb.

Cafe Besalu--Ballard

The Experience:

A French Bakery just outside the heart of Ballard. As a frequent patron of Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle, I did not have high hopes. Then I saw their sign, and had even less than high hopes. The line was my only glimmer of hope. I mean, who waits in this line if it's not for something really, really good?

The inside was better, but not cozy. Kind of cold actually. Staff was friendly, but not super swift. (When I asked for a knife to split a pastry in half, they offered me a plastic knife and said, "the only thing we have are butter knives are at the end of the counter"...and when coaxed to get the croissant because "it's warm", it wasn't--in sum, Customer service...not-so-much)... But that was a distant memory with one bite of the cheese brioche and virtually forgotten after some of the ham and cheese croissant. Worth the wait. And worth going back to see if customer service improves.

Cafe Besalu is located at 5909 24th Ave NW in Ballard....n.k.a. Seattle. (206) 789-1463. They are open Wednesday through Sunday 7am-3pm.

Tips to know: Rumor has it the brioche is not available until 9am, so plan accordingly...the early bird may not get the worm.

Nearby: If you go on a Sunday, head South a couple of blocks and enjoy one of the best farmer's markets in the city.