A Weekend At The Beach

Joel and I were invited back to Manzanita by our friends Mark and Andi for a weekend of fun and relaxation at the beach. I didn't take too many photos mostly because I was super lazy having such a good time.

Mark and Andi were already at the house by the time we arrived on Friday night, so we quickly got settled in and joined them for a few drinks. Did you know that you can buy ice from a bar? Well, we found this out after going on a search for ice around 10:00pm. I know that businesses don't stay open late in sleepy little beach towns, but seriously there wasn't a single place to buy ice for about a ten mile radius. So we decided to try to buy some ice from a bar. The boys stayed in the car, they were too embarrassed to come in with us. So Andi and I walked in, explained our situation, and were given a bag of ice for free!

We spent most of Saturday hanging around the house, wandering up and down the beach, made a quick trip down to the Tillamook Cheese Factory to buy more squeaky cheese, bought some Everclear at a liquor store (gotta get it while in Oregon since the stuff is illegal in Washington), picked up more strawberries for margaritas, ordered pizza for the night, watched the UW Husky football game, and got Mark and Andi hooked on House of Cards (Joel is terrible).

Marzano's is a great place to get some pizza, if you ever find yourself in Manzanita.

Sunday morning was spent watching the Seahawks football game and drinking mimosas. Let's just say that I really enjoyed myself that morning, despite the fact that the Hawks lost their game. On our way back home, we stopped off to have a drink with a friend who is now working in Seaside, as if I needed another one, and of course we made the customary stop at Don Pedro's were we continued to stuff our faces and order extras to take home. That place is just that good.

Joel and I needed this weekend. It was the perfect weekend getaway and we are really looking forward to our next trip with our friends, this time to Leavenworth!

I hope you all had wonderful weekends! Did you get outside to enjoy the amazing weather? Did you also cry when the Hawks lost, or was that just the result of having so many mimosas?

XOJO

P.S. To start your Monday off right, here is a video of Mark and Andi playing with Chloe, their cockapoo, at the beach. She is just the cutest little pup you have ever seen!

Skagit River Brewery - Restaurant Review

In anticipation of the James Family Camping Trip coming up this summer, Jackie, Chris, Joel and I drove up to the Bayview State Park on Saturday to scout out the perfect campsite. We decided to go early in the morning, so we would be able to eat lunch at the Skagit River Brewery on our way back down south.

Joel and I stumbled across this restaurant when we were driving home from a weekend spent on the San Juan Islands. We shared our discovery with Jackie and Chris on our way home from Chris's birthday weekend in Friday Harbor. We really enjoy the good food, great beer, and convenient location, making it a favorite stop when we are in the neighborhood.

Chris ordered a glass of the house made root beer and I decided to copy him. It was very good root beer!  They make in-house and the flavors are so crisp and unique!

It was so good that I forgot to get a picture before I drank half of it!

I had trouble deciding what to order, but the waitress highly recommended the home style pot pie, so I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did because it was delicious! A creamy mix of oven roasted chicken & fresh vegetables topped with a flaky crust served bubbling hot right out of the wood fired oven, this pot pie was to die for!

My chicken pot pie

Joel ordered the Big River BBQ Pizza:
Roasted chicken & red onion with the house made BBQ sauce & melted cheddar-jack cheese.

Chris ordered the Caboose Burger:
Wood fired ground chuck patty with cheddar & Swiss cheeses, bacon, onion straws & drizzled with BBQ sauce.
Served on a toasted Kaiser bun with mayo, lettuce, tomato & pickles.

Jackie ordered the Skillet Shepherds Pie:
A savory stew of lamb, carrots, mushrooms, & peas in a slow simmered red wine demi then topped with garlic mashed potatoes & baked in a skillet in the wood fired oven.

We didn't order any beer on this visit,but we do love their beers. They use Yakima Valley hops and northwest grown barely and grains. All these fine ingredients combine to make some of the best locally brewed beers you can drink. I am sure that if we lived up north, we would be eating here a lot! We love this place and look forward to our next visit.

The Rock Wood Fired Pizza

Joel, Julie and I went out to dinner last to celebrate a great review I had at work, but really because we didn't want to cook something for dinner. Joel decided we should go to The Rock Wood Fired Pizza and Spirits up in Lynnwood. I like their pizza because of the thin crust and variety of topping combinations that always leaves me trying to decide what to order. Their menu describes why their pizzas are so good, "While the cooking surface of our ovens is between 500-600 degrees, the upper chamber of the oven can reach over 900 degrees. The heat produced is very dry, which is perfect for sealing in flavors and juices. We use almond wood in the ovens for two important reasons: the dense hard wood creates more heat, while also imparting a sweet, fruity aroma." Their dough is also hand tossed, which is always fun to watch.

I decided to splurge and order a beer. I decided to order the Wild Thing: Honey Wheat Beer. Joel decided to order the Beer Sampler which included each micro brew they have on tap; Jump'n Jack Black, Lite My Fire: Very Pale Low-Cal Ale (which was surprising flavorful for a very lite, low calorie beer! I might order this one next time!), Rock Steady Red, Sledge Hammer: India Pale Ale, Suicide Blonde: Bohemian-style Pilsner, and Wild Thing: Honey Wheat Beer.


Joel ordered the Beer Sampler. He likes to tell us about each beer as though he is a great connoisseur.

Cheers to us!

We ordered the Garlic Mozz Bread appetizer. "Our legendary dough, brushed with crushed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, pecorino romano and topped with mozzarella then baked in our brick oven". It was very, very good! ($.599)



I ordered the Stairway to Heaven, which was amazing! This pizza has garlic butter brushed dough, topped with fresh mozzarella and baked. Then it is topped with fresh baby arugula, diced tomatoes, prosciutto, parmesan cheese and finally, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. So light and fresh tasting, it was perfect.

Joel ordered the Flirtin' With Disaster. This pizza is topped with hot Italian sausage, andouille sausage, caramelized onions, fresh crushed garlic and red chili flakes. Joel said it was very good and he would order this again!

Julie ordered the Bang a Gong which has garlic butter brushed on the dough, then topped with grilled chicken, green peppers, white onions, pineapple, mozzarella and romano cheese. Then the pizza is drizzled with sweet red chili sauce and finished with fresh cilantro. I have a bite and the chili sauce was so good on this!

This is a great place to go with a group of people with differing tastes. You can order any pizza in a 9", 12" or 16" size. We decided to each get our own pizza and went with the 9" size. This was the perfect amount of pizza, especially since we ordered an appitizer and beer.  There are also plently of salads, burgers, sandwiches and wraps to pick from too. There is something for everyone here!