My week of roaming has come to an end, and what can I say? I had a blast. It was wonderful to reconnect with so many old friends, to visit them in their homes, and let them guide me to the best places from Seattle to Olympia to Portland. There were so many great stops along the way that I thought it unfair not to share a few of my favorites…

First stop, Seattle: I ate very well in Seattle. In fact, I don’t remember doing much of anything else. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I started right off with lunch at Emmer & Rye, then later that evening moved on to dinner at at Tilth — also a favorite for seasonal cuisine. We had duck burgers with homemade potato chips rendered in duck fat. Need I say more? Over the next two days, I visited the farmer’s market where I ate the largest snap pea I’d ever seen, tried my first cheese curd at Beechers, visited The Seafood Festival in Ballard and snacked on the most delicious garlic fries ever while watching the sun set as the Mariners actually BEAT the Yankees.

Then, Olympia: I spent most of my time in Olympia enjoying the view from my friend’s amazing cottage on the Sound. We ate raspberries from the garden, No Woman cheese we picked up at Beecher’s the day before and amazingly fresh salmon grilled on a wooden plank. The little time I spent in town, was mostly confined to little French pastry and coffee shop called The Bread Peddler. It reminded me of the little bakery around the corner from my place in NY, so I felt compelled to sample their coffee, pastries and a baguette (to go with the cheese, of course).

The final stop, Portland: The first thing I have to say about Portland — which is clear to anyone who has ever visited is that FOOD CARTS ROCK! These mini food havens allow for experimentation that has clearly led to a unique food culture — and a cult-like dedication among many of the locals. While I could have camped out behind Garden State eating their Chickpea Sandwiches my whole visit, I did venture out to see what the rest of the city had to offer. Here’s what I found: Pastaworks for amazing bread, cheese, salami, sweets and high-end packaged goods, Powell’s Books for Home and Garden (imagine Powell’s, then strip away all the stuff you’ll never read), Townshend’s Tea for a great respite from all the eating, The Meadow for the most incredible selection of salts imaginable (plus a healthy selection of chocolate..and flowers), Ruby Jewel for design-your-own ice cream sandwiches, and of course Pistils Nursery for all your urban farming needs. When I wasn’t eating, I was either drinking at one of the countless brew-pubs in the city or taking in one of Portland’s wacky evening adventures like Filmusik (take an animated film, remove the sound, then have local sound artists, voice actors, and musicians do the sound live…while you watch the movie).

Thanks again to everyone — it was a fantastic time!