We arrived in Ballard around seven o'clock and when we turned on NW 70th Street we wondered, for a moment, if we were in the wrong area. Most of NW 70th Street is filled with cute little bungalows and just as I glanced to the right I spotted it.
It's location is unassuming and small I was thrilled not to see a line out the door and jumped out of the car to put our name on the list, while Clyde parked. I followed another gal in who was seated right away and for a split second I danced a little happy dance that we would soon be next. When the host came back she quickly brought me back to reality, "the wait for two is an hour and a half". Oh those words stung, but I was prepared I put our name on the list and wondered what we would do in this cute little neighborhood for 90 minutes. I thought to myself, should we leave and come back?, should we go scour the Village on Holman Road? She soon suggested we could wait in the bar next door and she would call me when our table was ready. I went back outside and waited for Clyde to return. We decided to head into essex, the bar next door, for a pre-dinner drink and let me tell you it was wonderful.
essex is cozy and warm and oozes, "we love what we do". This is not your typical neighborhood bar but after only a few minutes inside and a quick glance at their menu you can only wish this bar was in your neighborhood. Think local, think handcrafted. They make as many of the liquors as they can and have selected only the finest other brands to carry, no Bud, or Bacardi here.
We sat at the bar and had the best time. The staff was fun and engaging and watching them prepare the drinks was a real treat. Their drinks are creative and innovative and being not much of a drinker I am already looking forward to going back and trying something new. Last night I had a Americano ~ Campari, Sweet Vermouth and Soda while Clyde had a wonderful Rye Beer.
Sitting at the bar is paramount if you can, watching them mix drinks was so fun and Clyde and I were both intrigued by one we saw being prepared and we decided to try it. The Alondo ~ Gin, Elderflower Liquor, Chartreuse, and Charred Rosemary, served in a vintage, silver champagne goblet. It was showy and I was so glad I had my camera on hand to capture it's preparation.
Alonzo cocktail from Wendy on Vimeo.
Before we knew it, it was time for dinner. We walked through the back of essex, right in to delancey, and were seated in a very full dining room. We chose two pizzas, the Margherita, and the Sausage, made with their house made fennel sausage.
I'll be eating lettuce for the rest of the week, but it's all good.
Yum, they were so delicious!
Simple, fresh, bursting with flavors and the crust was equally crispy and chewy.
Pizza perfection!
Worth the 20 minute drive from Edmonds and completely worth the wait. When you go, be sure to put your name on the wait list at delancey's and then go enjoy a cocktail at essex. And by all means sit at the bar, it's just so much fun. I guess I'm on the soap box now, and speaking of soap...
...but wait it's not just a shameless plug, it's a giveaway! "GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED"
I promised and it's finally here, my first giveaway.
I am giving away a four pack of our wonderful handmade soap.
How to enter:
1. Check out all of our soap on our Etsy shop at Vintique and Handmade
2. Then leave a comment below, on this blog post, about a new soap scent you would like to see us create.
3. Post about this giveaway on your own blog or facebook page and leave a link in the comment section.
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The first winner will be drawn at random and a second winner will also be chosen if we pick your soap scent, we will send you a four pack of the scent you suggested, when it is ready.
This giveaway will run from April 7th through April 15th 2013.
The winner(s) will be drawn on Monday April 15th and announced on Tuesday the 16th, good luck!
