It's not every day I get to frequent a classic French bakery.

Le Panier is a classic French boulangerie and patisserie located in the historic Pike Place Market. All products are made on-site and sold fresh every day.

Kristi Drake and Thierry Mougin, co-owners of Le Panier, were on hand on opening day. Kristi and her staff in front create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, greeting regular customers with their favorites, and inviting them to try something new that the bakers have dreamed up. Thierry is a French-trained pastry chef from Normandie. He and his team of bakers have developed a selection of products that bring together French baking techniques and local, seasonal ingredients.

There was a line out the door, but it moved quickly. There are goodies spread amongst the various cases - croissants, tartelettes, breads, savory bites.


Once I got to the counter, I wanted everything. But, I decided on a few macarons: cassis (black currant), caramel, raspberry and cafe.

Each were absolutely phenomenal.

And, I got a savory flaky broccoli pastry - very tasty.

There's something special, light, elegant about these bites. It's really a beautiful cuisine, and the perfect way to spend breakfast.



Grade: A

There's a beautiful restaurant nestled in the woods of Charles Town that logs every single meal they ever make.

The Redbook Restaurant at Hillbrook Inn & Spa serves just one prix fixe meal per evening in three time settings: 6 p.m., 7 p.m., or 8 p.m. There is a four-course menu for the first seating, and the latter two have an additional course, bringing it up to five total.

Since it was just me, and a little cheaper, I went for the early dinner with the four courses.

Once I made my way through this very sweet property, with trees lining the roads, a little creek and a life-size chess board, I parked my car and walked inside.

The building is lovely. It has character, beautiful decorations and a classic elegance.

Soon, I learned that I was the only diner that evening for the 6 p.m. meal. Imagine my surprise when I was literally the only person in the restaurant. Me, my server, and the chef. That's it.

But, it was nice to receive such personalized attention.

Once I was seated, I saw what I would be having that evening. They do update the menu daily on the website, but I hadn't had a chance to see what I would be having until I saw the printed menu at my table.

If you're adventurous, this is a fun surprise. If you're more cautious, not having any flexibility or options could be cumbersome. But, I was thrilled by the experience.

For my first bite, I was offered a piece of bread and some butter. Always nice to have a nice, warm crusty piece of bread.


Then, we moved to the first course, which was a root vegetable salad with beets, carrot, orange and all kinds of tasty goodies. Yummy!


The second course was a roasted red pepper soup, which was so rich and creamy - and the aforementioned bread was prefect with it.

The third course was a slow-cooked ribeye, tomato and basil polenta and a demi glace. This steak was perfectly cooked, the creamed polenta was savory, the demi glace sweet. Perfect mix of textures and flavors. This is my idea of a well-balanced dish.

And, for dessert, poached peaches and a salted caramel ice cream (heaven). It's almost like they tailored this meal for me.

That is actually a cool thing, because they write down every meal they serve in these red books so that if you dine with them again, you are certain to not ever receive the same meal again. They rarely repeat meals and instead draw on seasonal and local ingredients.

The whole concept to me is very cool, especially as someone who likes to document all those experiences and such. So, it's really cool to have everything they've ever done in a notebook.

So, I kept myself entertained while dining, flipping through all the previous meals.

Whilst on Bainbridge Island, we had to check out a brewery.

Bainbridge Island Brewing was nearby, and looked inviting.

Inside, they have the bar, as well as some tables and an upstairs that partially overlooks the space.

In order to try a few different beers, I went with a sampler and choose their kolsch, a scotch ale, a barleywine and an IPA.

And, of course, a small cheese plate to accompany it. And by cheese plate, I mean a package of smoked gouda cheese, some rice crackers in a ziploc bag and a paper towel. But, I don't hate it.

Each of these were great. I especially liked their kolsch. The IPA here was good too. It had a nice balance.

The cheese was delicious and I ate every bite of it. The best part, though, is that they were very puppy-friendly so I got to watch all kinds of pups, drink beer and eat cheese. What could be better.

Grade: A

There is a church along the Mon Boulevar/Beechurst that is serving tacos all summer long on Saturdays!