Casey "No Name" A.'s Profile

Delish!  Loved the options, the toppings, the taste, the peanuts, the fries that fill the cup and the bag.   My little one was really getting into the music, apparently he really likes classic rock (that for him is probably ancient rock).  My daughter got a grilled cheese and she ate the whole thing, which is saying something.  I am glad they aren't in my home town or I might be there all the time!

Meh.  Yup that sums up my thoughts of Mercato.  When my husband and I moved to Olympia, we heard good things about this restaurant.  We ate here three times, before giving up on having a fantastic meal.  This was going back 6 years ago.  We have told people who were headed to a meal there to go to another Italian restaurant in town and all of them thanked us profusely.  So fast forward 6 years and after hearing from numerous people in a short time period about how good the food was, we decided maybe they had improved/changed and to give them another shot.

The decor is nice, maybe they were going for an upscale Cucina Cucina decor wise.  The menu is impressive, lovely sounding dishes.  But the food is just ok.  Wasn't horrible, but not fantastic, nothing to rave about.  Makes me wonder about the people who raved about it, and where else they were eating to compare it to.  To top it off all their pasta says it is "made fresh"  yes...by a company in Seattle and they get deliveries of it every few weeks, it is not fresh as I would describe it.

We love The Painted Plate.  When our daughter was about 6 months old we had her hand print and foot print done in clay and then came back after it was fired to decorate it.  Since then we have been several times.  We have picture frames, trinket boxes, and a clock, all are great treasures and memories.

The Parent/Child package is a great deal, two items to paint and two drinks or two ice creams for $30.  We went recently with the whole family and I had no qualms about letting my 2.5 yo paint her own plate while I painted her a popcorn bowl.  When we go to pick up those pieces we are going to do our son's hand and foot prints!

Ok...well...it was ok.  We have heard that they had revamped the menu and the interior, so we decided to give them another try (after the last time when I ordered my burger without BBQ sauce and it came without ANYTHING on it, why would I order a Western Burger with nothing but the patty and the bun?).  We looked at the menu online and it said the house specialty was fish and chips of halibut in house made beer batter.  Sounded good.

The remodeling they have done has really opened up the space, I can see how it will be much more functional for the events they host frequently.  It is a historic (read old) building and in some ways shows its age, but I love the architecture.

The waiter was pretty good.  We ordered, the hubby ordered a Coke and I ordered a carrot juice (which I haven't had in YEARS, probably close to 15) to be adventurous.  The coke came with so much ice that there was barely any coke in it and it wasn't until well after our food arrived that he came back to ask about a refill and never refilled our water.  The carrot juice was quite delicious, and fresh.  The fish and chips.  They were good, the portion size was enough to fill me up (I ordered the 3 piece) but it was in no way generous.  I think it came on what most restaurants would deem a salad plate.  The three pieces *might* have made one dinner sized fillet, and the two piece wouldn't have been enough.  For $13.99 I thought the pieces of fish might have been a bit larger and there might be a side of cole slaw or something, but nope, three "pieces" of fish and some chips.

All in all, it was ok.  The food wasn't bad, the prices weren't bad, the decor wasn't bad, the service wasn't bad, but nothing was amazing either.  We might go back some day.

I was in a bind.  No coffee for the AM and our favorite coffee roaster in town was already closed.  Went to the grocery store looking for another well known coffee and I found B&B.  Debated on which to get, ended up with Skye's Mountain Blend.  It was flavorless.  For our second pot I even doubled up on the amount and it was still flavorless.  Had a great aroma, but no flavor.  Sorry.

Love, love love the Mud Bay's coffee!  It always has great flavors and is well roasted, not over roasted or burnt.  I sometimes take it for granted and will have coffee from somewhere else and am reminded as soon as I take my first sip how good Mud Bay's coffee really is!

My husband and I dined at this restaurant with the previous owners when it was the Dockside Deli.  Everything is an improvement over the previous restaurant.  The decor is lovely, the food was delicious, the service...strange.  We were asked if we had reservations which we did not (note:  Make Reservations) and even though there were several empty tables and not that many reservations in the book she was looking at she said she would "have to see if there was a table available"  

Then we ordered appetizers and wine, the wine was delivered, and we placed our order, but were never told what the specials were even though we could hear the other waiters telling their tables specials.  Then about 2 minutes later our entrées arrived with apologies that they arrived prior to our appetizer.  Then another 5 minutes or so and we had bread delivered and about 5 minutes after our plates were cleared from our entrées (about 30 - 45 minutes after it arrived) our appetizer arrived.  It was just strange.  Oh and she asked me how "pink" I wanted my salmon.  Never ever have I been asked how "pink" I want my salmon.  I joked that I hoped it was pink both before and after cooking.  I don't think she got it.  I then said Medium Well.  The food was really delicious, very well prepared, loved that they use in-season local ingredients.  The Lavender Huckleberry Buckle was very good, not too sweet and not too much.  The prices are a little higher, and the view would be better at lunch (because this time of year it is dark at 4:30!),  but we will definitely return.

Friends introduced us to this gem of a restaurant!  The food is so fresh, healthy and delicious.  Even though we were dining with food restrictions they were accommodating and we found we had options right off the menu.  This isn't your typical Thai or Chinese food.  The brown rice is a bonus.  And the prices...SO reasonable they could be called cheap!  $5.35 for lunch and the serving size was more than satisfying.  The restaurant is decorated simply and functionally, the focus is on the food!  We actually went back the same week to eat again, and will return again soon.

I can't wait for the Farmer's Market to open every year so I can start enjoying the burritos from Los Tulenos!  They are substantial and delicious.  I can't remember the name of the one I normally get, Don Pepe I believe, with chicken.  The chicken is always tender and the flavors perfect.  The burritos are large enough to share but why would you want to?

The San Francisco Street Bakery has become part of our Farmer's Market Ritual on a Thursday and Friday.  We have long been fans of the cheese sticks they have, we pick up a couple and enjoy them while checking out what the other vendors have to offer then make our selections on our second time around before having lunch.

Our new find though is their Desem bread.  It is amazing.  We were out of bread at home for sandwiches, and thought that the loaf looked interested so I asked the staff member what it was and he described it as a whole wheat sourdough.  It is a dark bread surrounded by toasted sesame seeds with a fresh nutty sourdough taste, the crust is substantial enough to support the bread but the inside is fluffy and soft.  It was perfect for our sandwiches, and our toddler LOVES it plain or with peanut butter.

So now, the new ritual is cheese sticks and Desem while the toddler eyes the gingerbread cookies and other sweet treat through the safety of the glass.  One day that loaf of Desem isn't going to make it home, as I carry it around smelling its goodness!  I would have given them 5 stars but I've never been to the actual bakery only the Farmer's Market so I can't comment on that scene.

But I love the sign behind the staff that kindly states to hang up your cell phone for service!