The girls and I were pretty exhausted today, staying home, taking it easy. I wanted to feel like we did something, however small, so after Phoebe's afternoon nap I got the girls into the van and schlepped them to the library. Doug met up with us and we hit Epilogue. (I am one of these people who goes to the library and various discount stores in search of my next book for book club knowing full well that it is unlikely to be there. I should really just jump on Amazon or put a reserve on the book as soon as I know what it will be, but of course, that would be far too easy)
The shelves were pretty picked over at Epilogue, but it felt great to be able to tell Emma that she could choose as many books as she wanted and not worry too much about the total. After we cashed out, we picked up our dry cleaning a few doors down and thought it'd be fun to grab a soft serve at Snacks!
But it was getting close to dinner time and we'd been anxious to try Bastille, so hey, why don't we just walk by and see if it's crowded? It wasn't. So there we were, on a Friday evening, out and about when ordinarily we'd probably be re-heating the bulgogi, tofu and rice that Doug's parents brought us earlier in the week. It was a lovely, unexpected surprise.
We've watched Bastille take shape for some months now, anticipating its opening each week as we walk by the construction while at the Farmers' Market. It doesn't disappoint. The black painted ironwork and white subway tiles set the tone of the Metro, accented by the faux-gas lamp fixtures and numbered pop-out lights on the pillars. The light fixtures from the ceiling have intricate motifs in a surprising cranberry color and the menu du jour was written in white dry erase marker on a few of the mirrors. And don't get me started on the clocks. Those super-cool illuminated clocks! The detailed interiors are spot-on.
Then the bread comes.
Accompanied by a ramekin of butter topped with sea salt, the bread, made by Grand Central Baking Company, was crazy delicious. Crusty but not tough on the outside, doughy yet airy on the inside and just unbelievably savory with that salted butter--I was in love.
But I was also a little irritated. I mean, how simple is that? To throw some salt on top of a huge block of butter. Of course that's going to be a hit! And why the heck don't we do that at home? Well, we are now, folks, that's for sure.
We decided to share a few small plates: Moules Frites, Grilled Octopus, Summer Pole Beans and Soup a L'Oignon. Em had the Mac 'n Cheese. Everything tasted fantastic. There weren't any of those, "Well, these mussels would be better if the sauce were a little thicker," or "The soup is too cheesy, not enough onion." The food was exactly like the interior-every element contributing to the whole dish without anything overpowering or overbearing, yet nothing lacking, either. So delicious.
If anything, the whole picture seemed a little too...uh, dare I say it? The whole picture seemed a little too beautiful for Ballard. I'm grateful to have a lovely place in which to eat lovely food. But looking around the restaurant, there seemed to be more people I'd see at Bellevue Square than the Ballard Locks. As a Ballard resident, I suppose all of this is only good for me. It really was a wonderful way to end the week with my family.
Because Phee decided to eat her dinner and then climb into the booth behind us, then shriek when one of us tried to hold her down, we thought it best to walk down to Snacks! for our dessert. I guess for me, that's the flavor of Ballard: Sitting in a parking lot behind a bar, eating a soft served ice cream cone.
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