New Review: Tilicum Place Cafe

I got my day started off right today... my friend Kristin invited me to join her for a spinning class at Gold's Gym on Capitol Hill. I haven't been to a spin class in 2012 so I was happy to join her. Our instructor Amber was amazing. I couldn't believe she was 17 weeks pregnant and kicking my butt in spinning. Watching her was just the motivation I needed to sweat like a maniac and push myself just a little bit harder.

After a killer workout I headed to Tilicum Place Cafe for a Saturday brunch with a handful of my besties... and a few babies! Tassoula of course planned this adventure for us and believe me this spot dissappoint. This boutique cafe was quaint, friendly and offered some great brunch menu items.

Brunch started off with french-press coffee served with a small shortbread cookie that was to die for. And then the madness of getting two babies settled that were under 12 months. :) Just joking they were the best behaved babies I have ever seen.

Adrian and Eleana's babies are the cutest!

After catching up for a bit we all decided to order off this amazing menu. I decided to go with the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich topped with herbed goat cheese and a sweet balsamic drizzle. This sandwich was amazing. I couldn't believe I didn't pick a breakfast item. I guess there is a first for everything.

My meal was fresh, light and tasty. The combination of goat cheese, spicy arugula and sweet balsamic drizzle over the mushrooms was great. The flavors blended together perfectly. I also loved how they served this sandwich open faced. The serving was quite large but I managed to eat the salad and sandwich less half the bread. The other ladies ordered a dutch baby, cornmeal pancakes, strata and a breakfast plate. We all raved about our meals! The babies were so polite, they allowed us girls to catch up and gossip. ;) I miss seeing these girls everyday at work but I am hopeful that these get togethers will become more frequent! I love you Mary, Eleana, Adrian and Tassoula.

Tilicum Place Cafe earned a great review from me.

Service: Knowledgeable, friendly and accomodating (very baby friendly).
Food: Great variety of menu items with the freshest ingredients. Checkout their specials!
Drinks: The coffee was great and I was told the Bloody Mary's were spicy yet tasty.
Atmosphere: Quaint, laid back and authentic.
Price: The prices are very reasonable. I ended up paying $14 with tax and tip!

Spinning, Tilicum Place Cafe and spending time with the girls was the best way to start my Saturday off right.



REVIEW: Portage Bay Brunchies

I have had the brunchies all week long. So today I finally gave in and decided to met my fellow foodie Tassoula for brunch at Portage Bay in the U-District.
However before brunch I decided to get my long run out of the way... today's goal 8 miles! I have the Nike Women's Marathon in less than a month so my training is in full gear. Let me tell you that I am so glad I got that run out of the way and had brunch to look forward to. :)

Before brunch Tassoula and I decided to meet at Greenlake to walk around the lake before stuffing our faces with delicious food. Fall was definitely in full effect today... the cloudy skies and the air was brisk. I guess I am okay with it because comfort food season is coming!! We chatted the entire 3.5 miles about everything under the sun. When we completed our mileage we jumped in the car and headed to Portage Bay.

Let me start by saying that I have heard so many rave reviews about this place I could barely contain myself when they seated us without a wait (there is always a wait). When I opened the menu my dilemma was obvious... carbs vs scrambles. I really wanted to try their famous fruit bar... where you can top your pancakes or french toast with anything you want. Check it out:

Yum!

I was trying to decided between the organic pancakes, lemon curd french toast and multiple scrambles. But after careful consideration I decided to go with the Chicken Sausage Scramble with red potatoes and toast. Check out what is inside the scramble: chicken sausage, red pepper pesto, roasted organic fennel, organic shiitake mushrooms and Spanish machego cheese. I couldn't wait for it to get in my belly. While we waited for our food... we sipped on our coffee. The mug just made me smile and love this place even more.

I want one of these ginormous mugs!!

After about 10 minutes our food arrived and let's just say it looked beautiful! And the best part was it tasted even better than it looked.

The portion was huge, the flavor was amazing, the price was reasonable and the service was very attentive but not annoying. :) I topped my eggs with a bit of hot sauce and then dug in. The combination of the mushrooms, sausage, fennel and red pepper pesto was to die for. I wanted to finish it all but it was just to much. This place really knows how to give a person the brunchies!! I will definitely be back soon because I can't wait to see how they integrate all the fall flavors.

Every foodie has to try out this place... you almost can eat guilt free because everything is locally grown and organic! Check it out next time you are in the mood for a tasty local favorite.