Restaurant Reviews

3 Squares

Some of the best bran muffins around can be had at Essential Baking's new cafe at 1604 N. 34th St. in the newly remodeled 1920's Orowheat bakery building. The curious can watch the bakers at work around the big domed, hand-built oven visible through the double doors at the back of the cafe.

Danish, scones, and croissants line the morning pastry case, and stacks of beautiful handmade loaves fill the shelves. There is a full range of well-made espresso drinks and they brew their decaf in a French press. The cafe is also open for lunch with an enticing menu of pizza, soup, salads and sandwiches. It's a quiet, cheerful, comfortable place, and boy do these people know how to bake.

It was a rainy afternoon in Eastlake. We had only an hour before we had to leave for the airport. But our guest was starved. It was late for lunch, but we didn't have time for a restaurant dinner. What to do? Daly's! You'll find the best fish and chip place in the city at 2713 Eastlake. Fresh fish, deep fried, but not too greasy, handmade fries, handmade shakes and malts. We went for the big three: halibut, salmon and clams. The three of us sat in a spacious booth and basically shared a 3-platter maritime extravaganza. They make shakes out of everything imaginable: berries, bananas, root beer. The number of choices is almost overwhelming. While you wait for your order, you can peruse Daly's large collection of vintage cartoons. The counter staff was intelligent and helpful. They certainly enhanced our dining pleasure with their warm greetings and helpful menu suggestions.

Downtown Ballard may be changing quickly, but Burk's has a slow and lazy feel to it. At 5411 Ballard Ave NW (in the old part of downtown) Burk's Cafe is a comfortable and casual place to dine, starting with a tabletop crock full of briny pickled okra. We had a very large bowl of Crab Gumbo. The seafood texture was there, but the delicate flavor of the crab was a bit hidden under several layers of spiciness. Next time we'll try a different variety; they offer smoked chicken and okra, shrimp, and many other mouth-watering combinations. The platter, at $15, was served with red beans and rice. We also chose the smoked sausage platter; it was grilled to perfection, well spiced and full of caraway seeds. Delightful. Lots of sausage, served with red beans and rice, for $13. In addition to seafood and sausage, Burk's offers a wide variety of salads and appetizers, a handful of sandwiches, and alder smoked barbeque platters. The salads and sandwiches run $4-9; the ample entrees run $13-$16. Our only regret was being unable to eat the special Rhubarb pie. Too much good food! Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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