I am landing in Seattle at 12:00 noon and heading direct to the Willows Inn.
Any suggestions for a very quick lunch with excellent or unique food that is on the way?
Thanks in advance.
Just a few blocks off I-5, on the opposite side as downtown, you could pull up to the Melrose Market.
Taylor Shellfish serves fresh oysters raised at their own oyster beds, or Sitka and Spruce for a full lunch menu.
http://www.sitkaandspruce.com/lunch#0
P Hickner
Thank you. I would love to do Sitka and Spruce but I don’t think there is enough time and we have a 6:00 dinner at The Willows Inn.
You know to go hungry at WI! You bringing wine Robert?
Il Corvo is pretty great for a quick lunch.
Just saw its not open on Saturday, never mind.
If it arrives! I am staying for the entire weekend with a party of 7 so I shipped two cases ahead and my storage sent it ground! Fingers crossed!
I would second going to WI hungry. But of course you dont want to be too hungry. If you are arriving on a weekday, you could grab a sandwich at Slab, which is the sandwich shop of Lark. That would require you to get off on the James or Madison exit of I 5. Maybe 3 minutes from either (assuming no traffic)
Another idea is Ba Bar – which is a great Vietnamese place that has very popular lunch. It is on 12th Avenue – about 3 minutes from the James Street exit off of I 5.
There may be some good options out near Woodinville – there is certainly a great pizza place out there near Hollywood.
Good luck – and enjoy!
If you need a quick bite and end up in Woodinville you could always head to Hollywood Tavern, The Commons or The Barking Frog. All are within a 1/4 mile of WI. It’s been a year or two since I’ve eaten at any of them but enjoyed bites at all three when I was working in the wine district. Enjoy your weekend.
Willows Inn report, hopefully with photos?
Just curious if this was the Willows Lodge in Woodinville or the Willows Inn on Lummi Island. Both offer fantastic food options but are completely different.
What can I say I am spoiled and eat at great restaurants around the world so it takes a lot to blow me away yet The Willows Inn has done just that each of my three visits and it is definitely in my top 5 favorite restaurants in the U.S.
The ingredients for every dish came from the Island. There was no meat because Chef Wetzel is working with what is best at this moment and feels he has enough to work with that he does not need meat.
The standard dishes the smoked salmon, Kale chips etc were outstanding. The Herb Tostada was amazing. The best dish overall was a Porcini mushroom server along on a plate - my guess is that it was Sous Vide and the charred lightly. So many other great dishes. When I have time I can add more detail.
One other note the winelist is 100% Pacific Northwest and is a blend of Natural type producers and traditionalist (e.g. Cameron). I extremely impressed with the depth of list and enjoyed trying several new things.
You can see some photos on my instagram feed.
Thanks for the photo link. That restaurant is just the greatest, mushroom sounds epic. We want to zip up there for a meal before winter hiatus but don’t know if schedule will allow.
Your other four?
Ah yes – I think I started the confusion. The OP clearly says Willows Inn, and I was thinking Willows Lodge.
We had two dinners at Willows Inn in September – just before the birth of our first child. The food was amazing. It is somewhat weird to say, but the bread course was incredible. Homemade bread (that I think takes 4 days to make), with incredibly rich roast chicken drippings. We had an edible flower/greens on a fried mustard leaf (I think I am getting the ingredients somewhat correct) that was really out of this world – like biting into a pillow of nature. [Edit: I can see from the pics by Rob Dentice that he had the same thing – called the Herb Tostada]The wine pairing was really good and innovative. On the second night we brought a 2001 Bionic Frog (which was one of my all time wines a while ago). Unfortunately it was corked or somehow bad. So I did the wine pairing again. My wife, being pregnant, had the juice pairing which was delicious and fascinating.
SO, heading back to the purpose of this thread. If you have not already done the trip, there is apparently an amazing Thai restaurant in Mt. Vernon called Rachawadee Cafe (https://locu.com/places/rachawadee-thai-cafe-mount-vernon-us/#menu) We have not been, but have had a number of foodies highly recommend it to us, including some of the staff at Willows Inn.
Enjoy! (And sorry for causing the confusion!)
Ron, that bread with chicken drippings is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had.
Pure crack.
yeah. isnt that crazy?? a freakin bread and gravy course – we could not wait to have it again the second night!