Wanderlust Traveler: Walla Walla, Washington (Dining)

We spent five days in May of 2012 visiting Walla Walla, Washington for our two year anniversary. Walla Walla has become famous for its wine industry, which has exploded over the past ten years. In addition to the amazing wine, the city is defined by its restaurants, which are befitting of a far larger city. This post will highlight all of the incredible restaurants we ate at during our trip.

Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen:
This Mediterranean inspired restaurant was probably the place we were most looking forward to dining at while in Walla Walla as it is one of the highest rated places in town. The small and intimate restaurant is beautifully decorated in warm tones with Moroccan and Spanish influences and the bustling kitchen is visible to all patrons, especially those whom sit at the bar. The staff is attentive,very excited, and knowledgeable about their menu.

Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen.

Interior of Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen.

Shyawn enjoying our dinner at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen.

Interior of Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen.

The interior of the restaurant was quite cold so before any food arrived we decided to order some Jasmine Pearl Loose Leaf Tea, which was served in a super cute tea kettle. I am not normally a fan of tea but I truly enjoyed drinking several cups of this tea.

Jasmine Pearl Loose Leaf Tea from Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in Walla Walla.

To start our meal, we were brought some delicious bread and garlic-infused olive oil to dip it in. I thought the presentation of the bread placed upright in the metal container was unique and fun.

Bread and garlic-infused olive oil at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen.

Next arrived our appetizer, Moroccan Style Beef Cheeks, which Shyawn had picked out. The presentation of this dish was incredibly beautiful and the taste was amazing. The tender beef was placed atop a bed of gingery-carrots, which complimented the beef wonderfully. This dish was so strong that we both felt it could easily be adapted into one of their main entrees.

Moroccan Style Beef Cheeks from Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in Walla Walla.

For our entrees, Shyawn selected the Duck Fattee (all natural duck, toasted bread, basmati rice, green garbanzo beans, roasted eggplant, tomato, lemon yogurt, sumac, pine nuts, and fresh herbs). He told me he picked it because it had two of his favorite Persian ingredients (basmati rice and sumac). He also loves duck so he figured it would be a good dish. Just as with the Moroccan Beef Cheeks, he made a wise decision in selecting this dish. The duck was amazingly tender and incredibly flavorful. I love the addition of the lemon yogurt and tomatoes as they helped balanced out the more intense flavor of the duck.

Duck Fattee from Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in Walla Walla.

For my own entree, I ended up going with the Saffron Malloreddus (Sardinian style pasta, Oregon albacore tuna, tomato, olives, fennel seed and green onion). I was drawn to the dish to it's uniqueness and the fact that it was made with saffron and the pasta. As with everything else at the restaurant, the food was presented beautifully. Although there were a lot of different ingredients thrown together in the dish, they all complimented and worked with one another in a very delicious way. If I were to order this dish again I would ask for slightly less fennel seed as I thought it was a little too overpowering for the dish. Otherwise though, this dish was another winner!

Saffron Malloreddus from Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in Walla Walla.

With the quality of the menu items at Saffron, I made sure to leave enough room for dessert. We ended up choosing to share the Chocolate Bouchon with Cinnamon Creme Anglaise with Orange Marmalade. The deep chocolate flavor paired wonderfully with the cinnamon creme anglaise.

Chocolate Bouchon with Cinnamon Creme Anglaise with Orange Marmalade from Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in Walla Walla.

Whitehouse-Crawford:
This beautiful but laid back restaurant is located within a renovated 1904 woodworking mill. The interior space of the restaurant is light and airy, with tall ceilings, gorgeous red fir floors, and lovely exposed brick walls. The building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and in addition to the restaurant is also home to the Seven Hills Winery.

Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

Shyawn in front of Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

View from the waiting area at Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

View from our seats at the chef's counter at Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

After perusing the menu options and placing our order, the first item that was brought out to us was the amuse-bouche, which on our visit happened to be some sort of delicious marinated onions served atop a cracker.

Amuse bouche from Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

Next arrived our drinks. Since we had had our fair share of wine during the day, we opted to each have a cocktail with dinner rather than wine. Shyawn had the Earl Gray Collins (Earl Gray infused Stoli Vodka, lemon and soda). Shyawn stated he enjoyed the drink but it was a bit sweeter than he was expecting it to be.

Earl Gray Collins from Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

I decided to go with the Classic Daiquiri (10 Cane rum, agave nectar, fresh lime, served on the rocks). I liked my drink quite a bit and would order it again.

Classic Daiquiri from Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

Next our appetizer arrived. Per the recommendation of many Yelpers, we decided to go with A Basket of Crispy Fried Sweet Onions. This was quite a wise decision; the onions were incredibly delicious. The onions were cut unbelievably thin and had the most amazing texture and flavor. Although they had been deep friend there was very little grease residual on our fingers. Shyawn stated that they were like candy and extremely addicting. If you happen to find yourself at this restaurant please do yourself a favor and order this wonderful basket of goodness!

A Basket of Crispy Fried Sweet Onions from Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

The chefs preparing Shyawn's dish.

For his entree, Shyawn selected the Roasted Washington King Salmon with fregula, salmon roe, arugula, and pickled springs onions. This dish was presented beautifully and was very delicious.

Roasted King Salmon at Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

I had a difficult time deciding upon which entree I would select. I ended up going with the Mad Hatcher Farm Chicken with Mushroom Custard, Creme Fraiche, Spring Onions and Asparagus. However, since I had eaten asparagus three times during the week prior I substituted the springs onions and asparagus for a different side that they offered with one of their other menu items called Shallot-Thyme Mashed Potatoes. I don't normally make changes in menu items but this was a wise one as the mashed potatoes were insanely delicious and worked very well with the moist chicken. The mushroom custard was unlike anything else I had ever tasted before; the custard had an amazing mushroom flavor but was light and spongy and smooth.

Mad Hatcher Farm Chicken at Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

View from our seats at the chef's counter at Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

Finally dessert arrived. We went with the Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Strawberries, Raspberries, and Pistachio Biscotti. This dish was light and refreshing and a great way to end our wonderful meal.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta from Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant in Walla Walla.

Brasserie Four:
This very modern and minimalist French restaurant is located on Main Street in Walla Walla. The restaurant serves standard French bistro fare including escargot, steak frites, quiche croque monsieur, etc. The restaurant is extremely dimly lit, so much so that you might have a difficult time reading your menu after dark. Since I was made aware of this information prior to our visit I made sure to request a table next to the window so that I would have ample light to take pictures.

Exterior of Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

View from our table next to the window at Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

Shyawn at Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

First up was our appetizer, which was a small assortment of Olives (imported olives, orange zest, fennel, thyme). These olives were extremely delicious, especially with the orange zest.

Olives from Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

As a second appetizer, I ordered a bowl of Vichyssoise (hot potato leek soup). This soup was incredibly delicious and smooth. The flavor was out of this world; I tried my best to savor each and every spoonful. This was definitely one of my favorite dishes of the trip.

Vichyssoise soup from Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

At some point our waiter delivered some bread and butter to our table.

Bread and butter plate at Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

For his entree, Shyawn chose the Steak Frites (hanger steak with fries and cognac black pepper cream sauce). The steak portion was quite generous and we both enjoyed the delicious black pepper cream sauce that accompanied it.

Steak Frites from Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

I had a hard time deciding on which menu item to order for my entree. My first reaction was to order the Croque Monsieur since it's one of my favorite classic French dishes but I figured that I should try something more unusual. As a result, I instead went with the Tartiflette (sliced potatoes layered with lardons, onion, and French Raclette, served with Chipolata sausage). The Tartiflette was very delicious and incredibly rich. In fact, it was so rich that I couldn't even manage to eat half of it. I think this dish in particular would be better served in a much smaller portion as a side dish with some sort of chicken or fish entree.

Tartiflette at Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

For dessert we chose the Mousse au Chocolat (dark chocolate espresso mousse, creme anglaise, nut brittle). The visual presentation of this dish was very interesting with the sphere of chocolate mouse being placed atop the glass container of the creme anglaise, but it proved tricky to eat since the dessert was served on a flat plate which made scooping up the delicious sauce very difficult. Otherwise though, the dish was excellent, especially the incredibly rich chocolate mousse.

Mousse au Chocolat at Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

Shyawn pouring the creme anglaise over the Mousse au Chocolate at Brasserie Four restaurant in Walla Walla.

South Fork Grill:
This friendly neighborhood eatery is located a few blocks south of the downtown area next to the hospital. The restaurant features several standard American dishes including baby back ribs, spinach and caesar salad, and steak. However, they also offer several unique dishes including Green Curry Halibut, and Spanish Cioppino. The restaurant has a small interior space but also has a beautiful outdoor eating area that was filled with people during our visit.

South Fork Grill in Walla Walla.

Outdoor eating area at South Fork Grill in Walla Walla.

South Fork Grill in Walla Walla.

For our appetizer Shyawn had us order one of his personal favorites, the Crispy Calamari (ginger and cilantro marinated calamari, fried jalapeno and lemon slices, sriracha-soy dipping sauce). The calamari was lovely and although it had been deep fried was not very greasy. The only issue was that the serving size was huge and enough for at least four people. We were only able to eat about half of it as we were becoming too full!

Crispy Calamari from South Fork Grill in Walla Walla.

Shyawn ended up ordering the famous Green Curry Halibut (fresh Alaskan halibut served with jasmine rice, baby bok choy, and green curry sauce). If you enjoy curry then you will love this dish!

Green Curry Halibut from South Fork Grill in Walla Walla.

I requested the Fettuccine with English Peas (house made fettuccine pasta with roasted garlic cream sauce, English peas, tomatoes, basil, sauteed spinach, and shaved parmesan). I also requested to add pancetta to the dish, which was an excellent decision. The pasta dish was super delicious and I would definitely order it again!

Fettuccine with English Peas at South Fork Grill in Walla Walla.

By the time we were done eating our entrees, we were too full to eat any dessert. However, we decided to take our dessert to go since the restaurant makes all of their cakes, pies, cheesecakes in house and serves them by the slice. We ended up selecting a slice of chocolate mousse which we devoured together several hours later.

The many dessert options to choose from at the South Fork Grill in Walla Walla.

Chocolate Mousse from the South Fork Grill in Walla Walla.

Graze:
This wonderful sandwich place has two locations in Walla Walla, one of which is located downtown. The small cafe is cute, warm, and welcoming and was filled with lots of patrons during our late afternoon visit. Graze was very highly rated on both Yelp and Urban Spoon so I was quite excited to eat there. The restaurant serves both hot and cold sandwiches, paninis, and several different types of soups and salads. There are even several vegetarian options so everyone will have no problem finding something to eat here. Apparently their location outside of downtown Walla Walla does catering, which I can only assume based on our excellent experience, would be incredibly delicious.

The exterior of Graze in downtown Walla Walla.

Shyawn placing our lunch order at Graze in Walla Walla.

Part of the menu board at Graze in Walla Walla.

Graze in Walla Walla.

Fun bar stools at Graze in Walla Walla.

Shyawn ordered one of the hot sandwiches called Pepperjack Chicken (chickens breast, pepperjack sauce, tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, and provolone) which came with a side salad. This sandwich was hands down probably one of the best sandwiches either one of us have ever tasted. I don't know exactly what the pepperjack sauce was made out of, but it was incredibly delicious.

Pepperjack Chicken sandwich from Graze in Walla Walla.

There were so many amazing options at Graze, but when I saw that they offered a Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, I knew exactly what I would be eating. I have a huge affinity for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup is one of my most favorite soups out there. This too, like Shyawn's sandwich, was a great choice. The bread had been toasted perfectly on the outside but was super soft on the inside and tasted wonderful when dipped into the delicious and creamy tomato soup. Graze definitely lived up to its reputation during our visit!

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup at Graze in Walla Walla.

Green Spoon:
Yet another highly-rated restaurant in Walla Walla, the Green Spoon is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The restaurant serves a large variety of food including traditional and healthy options. We decided to stop by for lunch one day and, since it was so warm out, sat at one of their outdoor tables.

The Green Spoon restaurant in Walla Walla.

Interior space at the Green Spoon restaurant in Walla Walla.

The view from the outdoor seating at the Green Spoon restaurant in Walla Walla.

While waiting for our food to arrive, there was a beautiful Golden Retriever that was crying and begging for attention just across the way in a parked car. He sounded so pitiful that I eventually got up to go and pet him to try and calm him down. Unfortunately, this only worsened the situation for as soon as I walked away he really started to wail. At least I tried!

The cute Golden Retriever that called my attention at the Green Spoon restaurant in Walla Walla.

For lunch Shyawn decided on the Lamb Kofte (Turkish-style lamb patties, red leaf, tomato/cucumber salad, Greek yogurt, homemade flat bread). Lamb is one of the few things I don't like but Shyawn indicated to me that his sandwich was very delicious.

Lamb Kofte sandwich from the Green Spoon restaurant in Walla Walla.

Since we had been eating so many heavy meals during our trip, I opted for the healthy sounding Green Spoon Chop salad (garbanzo beans, grape tomatoes, peas, shredded mozzarella, kalamata olives, salami, and romaine topped with basil chiffonade and fresh parmesan in creamy Italian dressing) which was served with grilled homemade ciabatta. This salad was very delicious and incredibly refreshing. The portion was quite large and probably could have been split between two people.

The Green Spoon Chop salad from the Green Spoon in Walla Walla.

Sweet Basil Pizzeria:
This friendly little neighborhood pizzeria joint serves delicious thin crust pizza to the masses. They offer both whole pizzas and individual slices, so it makes for an easy lunch stop for late afternoon snack.

Sweet Basil Pizzeria in Walla Walla.

Shyawn ordered a slice of the Italiano (garlic, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, Italian sausage, oregano, and Parmesan) which was incredibly good.

A slice of Italiano pizza at Sweet Basil Pizzeria in Walla Walla.

Being a huge fan of pesto I naturally ordered a slice of their Pesto Pizza (garlic, mushrooms, olives, and artichokes hearts). This slice was also very delicious.

A slice of the Pesto pizza at Sweet Basil Pizzeria in Walla Walla.

Truth be told, we probably each would have needed one and a half to two slices per person to feel full but we planned on eating somewhere else directly after our visit so we didn't make another return visit to the pizza counter.

Cute water container at Sweet Basil Pizzeria in Walla Walla.

View from our table at Sweet Basil Pizzeria in Walla Walla.

Sweet Basil Pizzeria in Walla Walla.

Onion World:
While eating our pizza at Sweet Basil, we could see Onion World directly across the street in front of us. Out of curiosity I pulled up the eatery on Urban Spoon and saw that it had very good ratings. Since we knew that our two slices of pizza weren't going to fill us up for lunch, we decided to walk across the street and split one of their Sweet Onion Sausage sandwiches. The onion sausage was quite good although I was slightly disappointed with the bread they had put it upon; it was dry and flavorless and didn't compliment the sausage very well. However, I was glad we had tried it as the onion sausage was delicious!

Onion World in Walla Walla.

Sweet Onion Sausage sandwich from Onion World in Walla Walla.

Taqueria Yungapeti:
Walla Walla is known for having many good Mexican restaurants, so I wanted to make sure that we ate at least one of them during our trip. Per the recommendations on both Yelp and Urban Spoon I selected Taqueria Yungapeti. The restaurant is outside of the downtown area but only requires a few minutes driving. The restaurant serves an abundance of authentic Mexican food, similar to what you would find in a taco truck.

Taqueria Yungapeti in Walla Walla.

We decided to split the #2 taco combo, which to our surprise ended up including some chips. The restaurant has an awesome salsa bar where you can go and get several varieties of salsa, from mild to extremely spicy.

Taqueria Yungapeti in Walla Walla.

Our chicken taco combo came with rice and beans, and everything was extremely delicious and just as good as we were hoping!

Chicken taco combo meal Taqueria Yungapeti in Walla Walla.

Colville Street Patisserie:
While planning out the restaurants we would visit on our trip, I was hoping there would be at least one or two amazing bakeries. Thankfully, there was! This lovely patisserie was very highly rated on Yelp with many people mentioning that they had amazing pastries, desserts, and even gelato.

Colville Street Patisserie in Walla Walla.

Upon entering the patisserie we were greeted with a large display case of beautiful pastries, cakes and treats.

Colville Street Patisserie in Walla Walla.

Being a huge lover of cherries, my choice for breakfast that morning was the Cherry Almond Cheesecake. This little gem was artistically presented in a very beautiful way that just begged to be photographed. It also tasted as good as it looked!

Cherry Almond Cheesecake from Colville Street Patisserie in Walla Walla.

Shyawn prefers savory items over sweet items, so he went with one of the ham and gruyere filled croissants, which was extremely flaky and delicious.

Croissant from Colville Street Patisserie in Walla Walla.

Shyawn amazed with the flakiness of his croissant at Colville Street Patisserie in Walla Walla.

Walla Walla Bread Company:
This impressive and heavenly-smelling bakery provides much of bread products for many of the restaurants within Walla Walla. In addition to selling multiple types of bread loaves, rolls, and baguettes, the bakery also offers freshly prepared sandwiches, made from scratch soups and even some pastries and cookies.

Walla Walla Bread Company.

Shyawn ordered the Roast Beef en Focaccia sandwich (house roasted prime rib, blue cheese spread, olive nicoise, fried eggs, local greens on herbed focaccia). Blue cheese is about one of the only food items on this planet that I cannot stand, so I did not try his sandwich but he indicated that it was quite nice.

Roast Beef en Focaccia sandwich from the Walla Walla Bread Company.

I was feeling rather hungry on the morning we visited, so I ordered a cup of soup and a sandwich. I opted to go with the Creamy Mushroom and Bacon soup and the Hot Pulled Pork (house smoked pork shoulder, rosemary mustard, spicy arugula, pickled red onions on a soft and crusty ciabatta bun). The soup was incredibly delicious and hearty. It would be the perfect soup to eat on a chilly winter evening. The sandwich was also very good; the pork was extremely flavorful and the BBQ sauce was excellent. It was however a somewhat messy sandwich so be prepared with napkins!

Creamy Mushroom and Bacon soup from the Walla Walla Bread Company.

Hot Pulled Pork sandwich from the Walla Walla Bread Company.

Before leaving, I also grabbed one of their freshly made Strawberry Napoleons to go as I just couldn't resist its beauty. This too was just as delicious as the other items we ordered that morning.

Strawberry Napoleon from the Walla Walla Bread Company.

The Maple Counter:
While in Walla Walla I wanted us to have one large sit-down breakfast meal and The Maple Counter ended up being our restaurant of choice. We arrived late Sunday morning and the place was absolutely packed with a 45 minute wait. However, we decided to wait it out due to the good reviews that the restaurant had received.

The Maple Counter in Walla Walla.

The waiting area at The Maple Counter in Walla Walla.

The Maple Counter in Walla Walla.

To accompany my meal I ordered a lemonade, which was tart yet sweet and refreshing.

Lemonade from The Maple Counter in Walla Walla.

Shyawn went with one of his personal breakfast favorites, Homemade Biscuits and Country Gravy (biscuit blanketed with a sausage and bacon packed country gravy with two extra large eggs). His dish was very good and even with me helping we weren't able to finish all of his food!

Homemade Biscuits and Country Gravy from The Maple Counter in Walla Walla.

As previously mentioned, cherries are one of my favorite things in this world so when I saw that the restaurant offered a Danish Cherry Pancake (towering souffle filled with Montmorency cherries poached in cherry syrup and tempered with Kijafa cherry wine), I knew exactly what I would be eating that morning.

Danish Cherry Pancake from The Maple Counter in Walla Walla.

Coffee Perk:
This fun and charming coffee house is located in Walla Walla's downtown area. We stopped in on one of our mornings to get some frozen blended coffee drinks.

Coffee Perk in Walla Walla.

View from our outdoor table at Coffee Perk in Walla Walla.

In addition to our coffee drinks, we bought a lemon bar and a croissant to eat. The lemon bar was delicious but the croissant was not so good.

Lemon bar from Coffee Perk in Walla Walla.

Croissant from Coffee Perk in Walla Walla.

Thankfully both of our frozen blended drinks were delicious; I had ordered Vanilla while Shyawn had the Mocha Chip.

Yummy frozen coffee drinks from Coffee Perk in Walla Walla.

Overall, our eating and dining experiences in Walla Walla were absolutely phenomenal. For a city of its size, the plethora and range of restaurants that it offers is truly amazing. We did not have one bad meal or even an okay meal here; everything was amazing and delicious. I can't wait for our return visit so that we can revisit some of our favorite restaurants and then also try some of the places we didn't get the chance to try out during our first trip!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Walla Walla, Washington (Dining)

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