Radishes from the café’s backyard garden
August 2007 | Local Food
A Volunteer Park Café
A Fairy Tale Perfect Fit
Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck in a culinary fairy tale. Just like Goldilocks searching for her perfect match, I’ll scour the city to find something that’s ‘just right.’ Some restaurants are too fancy, too busy, too quiet. Yet, every once in awhile I’ll stumble on one that’s ‘just right.’
Walking up to the cheerfully painted old building that houses Volunteer Park Café and Marketplace, it is clear that I’m not the only one enamored. Passing two small tables (taken over by bicyclists) and a sturdy looking shaded bench for resting (father and son at play), I head up the small step into the café and immediately feel at home. The walls are warmly colored in hues of green and the whole room is flanked by a banquette covered in rich chocolate brown cloth. The counter, which runs nearly the entire right side of the little room, is piled high with various pastries in baskets and fronted by a big old apothecary jar filled with mulit-colored gumballs for 25 cents each. Decorated in rich tones with colorful art on the walls and pressed tin lanterns lining some shelves, it is clear that there is a very keen eye at work in here. Happily this attention to detail follows to the plate.
Sitting down for breakfast one recent weekend, I ordered the Proscuitto and Egg Breakfast Panini ($6.25) and added a side salad of mixed greens with a pomegranate molasses vinaigrette ($2.00). My friend opted for a sweeter morning and went for the Café Waffle ($6.50) available weekends only. Being a glutton, I added a Raspberry Italian Soda ($2.45) and a cup of coffee to my order. The sandwich was nothing short of sublime. It was everything I wanted it to be. The prosciutto was salty, the yolks perfectly runny and the bread was buttery and crisp—pressed together under the hot iron of a Panini maker. Perfect. The pretty pink Italian soda was so tasty that I was inspired to serve it to guests at home a few nights later. The weekend-only waffle got a thumbs-up too. The waffle is made with a yeasted batter so it has a certain earthiness in its flavor and was cooked to a golden hue and served with a dollop of fresh cream and a sprinkle of local strawberries.
Later in the week I came back for lunch, bringing another friend. When you’re in love, you’re inclined to share. We ordered an absolute smorgasbord of food and dug in. A tall glass of Strawberry Thyme Lemonade was gorgeous in the glass and lemony on the palate, but there was no hint of thyme. I continued my Panini frenzy and chose a winner with the Caprese Panini ($6.25), another toasted treat with slow, roasted tomatoes. A friend had the Citrus and Herb Roasted Chicken Salad ($7.95), which arrived with round Israeli cous cous and baby greens. We dubbed her dish the “dieters” choice as it was a heap of greens and grains with a simple chicken breast. The cous cous was punctuated with herbs, but the chicken was not and needed salt. As with any love affair, though, you’re willing to overlook some little things. Ending lunch with four big cookies (chocolate chip, peanut butter, chocolate ginger and oatmeal — $1.75) never hurts, either.
The ladies who own Volunteer Park Café can cook, and they’re smart too. They’ve turned this little café into a neighborhood gem where local and eco-friendliness rule. On one recent visit a woman came in with a large white platter and simply passed it over the counter saying, “Thank you, it was awesome” and walked out. Turns out, she had ordered some food for home, and the café supplied it all to them on a big white plate instead of stuffing it in to paper to-go boxes. Smart. In the café, you don’t eat off of plastic forks and knives or paper cups. Instead, there are proper glasses for the filtered water, big drawers full of antique silver and compost bins. Most of the food is locally produced and heirloom, hence the website name “alwaysfreshgoodness.com”. Berry pickers arrive late at night with sun-warmed fruit, greens arrive from Hogsback Farm on Vashon. Throw in some real flavorful ideas and VOILA. Just like Goldilocks, I’ve found the perfect fit.
When the three bears found Goldilocks, she was asleep on their bed. If the three bears ever find Amy Pennington, it’s likely that she would be rummaging for treats through their icebox. Or their garden. Or their pantry.
![[Send]](http://seattle.consciouschoice.com/sendlink/send.gif){kind=small}
Recommend this page to a friend
Top Ten pages recommended to friends:
