The French Bakery: Bellevue

The French Bakery in Downtown Bellevue has been on my list of restaurants to try out for a while now. So last Sunday, I finally made my way over to the Elements building in Bellevue with my husband and a friend to check out the popular cafe.

Nicoise salad with green beans, black olives, albacore tuna, minced anchovies, tomatoes and a hard boiled egg drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette

I ordered the Pierre crepe with ham, mushrooms and mozzarella but after trying my friend's Paul crepe, I wish I had ordered the same. The Paul crepe is stuffed with sockeye salmon, tomatoes, sour cream, mozzarella and chives. I love smoked salmon and let me just tell you, after I tried her crepe, I instantly began brainstorming how to whip up my own version at home.

Roasted turkey and havarti panini with cranberry spread

The best part about the restaurant - dessert! We ended up ordering a cheese danish and apple turnover on our way out the door. Actually, I'm not sure if the dessert made it out of the building..

This fresh loaf of bread DID make it out of the building with us.

The French Bakery is located at 909 112th Ave NE, suite 106 in Bellevue.

Beach Cafe: Kirkland

Kirkland is one of my favorite cities in Washington. It's peaceful, yet it has a hip and cool vibe. One of the best things about Kirkland is its restaurants. There are quite a few joints that line up on Lake Washington Boulevard - everything from cute little cafes to Tex-Mex to Indian fare. Last week, I ventured out to Kirkland to catch up with a longtime friend, and we walked over to Beach Cafe for some dinner. You just can't beat dinner with a water view. 

Beach Cafe from a distance

The menu seemed to gravitate toward seafood - salmon, cod, tilapia, mahi mahi

Angel had the grilled tilapia served over a peruvian potato and corn succotash with a charred citrus sauce. I love succotash, and this one was delish.

I had the poached mahi with pineapple coconut broth served over basil rice. It was topped with chiles, butternut squash and cucumbers and served in a banana leaf. I wish I could say that the entree was perfect, but the fish was quite over-salted and left me somewhat disappointed.

Beach Cafe is located at 1170 Carillon Point in Kirkland, WA.

Eat. Shop. Sea(ttle).

It's been far too long since I've updated this blog, but I promise I have a valid reason! The end of 2013 and first half of 2014 were a complete whirlwind for me. I got engaged in the beginning of November, spent the next five months planning our wedding and got married in April of this year! However, that wasn't the only big change in my life. I have now relocated to the greater Seattle area, which means I've parted ways with my lovely hometown of Sacramento. I miss everything about Sacramento (minus the occasional 105 degree Summer days), but I'm excited about this new chapter in my life. Washington is truly breath-taking and its residents are friendly. Not to mention, Seattle is a great place for foodies and boasts thousands of amazing restaurants. I'll be sharing my experiences at various restaurants in and around the Seattle area and from our travel destinations as well. So without further ado, please enjoy the continuation of the blog as it evolves into Eat. Shop. Sea(ttle)!

P.S. - A few photos from our wedding for your viewing pleasure...

(Wedding photos via Dina Chmut photography)