Culinary Disappointments

I love so many aspects of Olympia: the lushness, the clean air, nature everywhere, charming neighborhoods to walk through, an interesting college, distinct seasons...but there is something I have consistently missed about California - the food.  I hate to make this statement but the food in Olympia is mediocre at best. When I arrived here my hopes were high. My partner and I love funky little diners and this seemed like a place that would have one on every corner. Unfortunately, this is not the case.  The few that we have found have not been good enough to spend money there twice. Sometimes, even, one is tempted to demand money back. Not too long ago, at a downtown diner that shall remain nameless, I was served soup that tasted like a tire fire and L was treated to a tasteless tower of water-infused glop that was hailed as the "house special." We still have nightmares...

South Bay BBQ

 Then there are the places that have food that you might want to eat but are ridiculously pricey.  South Bay BBQ is a good example. They have a nice atmosphere: cool old pictures on the walls, outside seating, plenty of room inside, super nice waitress...all lovely. They have zingy barbecue sauce, nice cornbread, decent ribs and brisket. Not wonderful, decent. The compliments stop there. The rest of it is a downhill slide into never going back again. The portions were tiny (especially the "special"), the potato salad weirdly sour, the peach cobbler was made with canned peaches and the worst part of it was having to pay over  fifteen dollars per person for lunch.

My peach cake.

One of the benefits to a land with sub par food is that it forces you to cook new things - or at least things that you didn't think you needed to cook. Burritos and chicken enchiladas ( good Mexican food is rare here and I pine for 2am Mission-style burritos) and sushi. Sushi is something that we haven't mastered yet but our forays into Japanese cuisine in the area are compelling motivators. I have also been inspired to bake more.  This summer I used succulent local peaches and fresh lavender grown on our patio to make Martha Stewart's Peach and Cornmeal Upside Down Cake.  It is now an official favorite dessert. 

                                                                                                                     There are a few exceptions to the cavalcade of culinary disappointments on the Olympic Peninsula. One of the places where I actually enjoy the food is Little Da Nang in downtown Olympia.  They have delicious Pho with a complex broth that rivals the Pho houses of San Francisco. We always order the well done beef and the chicken pho (ask for extra garlic on the side and add it to both soups. They also dish up yummy egg rolls and a refreshing glass of young coconut juice. The inside isn't much to look at but the service is friendly and it is a welcome site after a brisk and chilly walk around Capitol Lake.

Delicious mole sauce from our kitchen.

 So the search goes on...and on. We aren't giving up just yet. The perfect restaurant maybe lurking down some side street (at least in my imagination). In the meantime I plan on trying my hand at making the perfect tempura, savory Vietnamese Imperial Rolls, Moo Shu Pork, the creamiest Kheer (Indian milk pudding), carbonara sauce...are you getting hungry yet?