So the past two weeks we have been competing against friends on Fitbit to be the Weekday Hustlers and Bryan has won both weeks annoyingly. But this weekend we definitely would have won a Weekend Warrior competition!
Friday after work Bryan and I found ourselves on our own for dinner so we took the opportunity to try out one of Maria Hines’ restaurants in Wallingford called Tilth. The restaurant is located in an old house creating an intimate environment. Bryan and I split a nettle cream gnocchi with chanterelles, a walnut and olive topped halibut with fingerling potatoes, asparagus, morels and a parsley mint sauce and a striploin steak with broccolini, maitake mushrooms and chimichurri. Everything was amazing. Seriously amazing. Bryan declared the fish best fish dish ever and the steak was perfectly cooked. That gnocchi though was the softest and pillowest gnocchi of even your dreams. We reluctantly passed on dessert at the restaurant and instead picked up Firly before heading over to Menchie’s for $5-fill-up-your-cup. We headed home for a quick stop before leaving at 11 pm to pick up Firly’s friend from the airport. Once home Bryan and I were out for the count.
Saturday morning we woke up to rain, rain, rain. We had our run to do but we were going to have to be patient with the weather we were dealt. We sold Bryan’s old TV stand, made a great breakfast hash, and stalked the weather radar. The rain held off around noon and Bryan and I were out the door for our long run of the week by 1 pm. We went on our own routes this time, but both leaving from the house. I took my route south through the neighborhoods before making my way down to Lake Washington Boulevard to hit some normal ground. I turned around at the Mt. Baker Rowing Center before heading back north on Lake Washington Boulevard to run along the lake for about 5 miles. I then found Madison and ran up the brutal incline before finishing the last mile of my run. I completed my 10 miles with 580 feet of gain in 1:31. Bryan took some horrendously hilly route through the Capitol Hill neighborhood, rounding out his run at about 11.5 miles and 900 feet of climb.
Now that the run was over we could relax, in all the pain and glory we could muster. We showered, we read, then we finally set out on foot to Fat’s Chicken and Waffles down the street that we hadn’t tried yet. Oh. My. Gawd! This was some excellent food. Bryan got the sweet tea and the fried chicken and waffles. I got the catfish plate with fried green tomatoes and fried mushrooms. We also split a green salad. Best chicken and waffles to date, crispiest but moistest catfish I’ve ever had. Great homemade tartar sauce and some seriously good red pepper pimiento sauce for the tomatoes. We were in heaven…but yet just sitting at a window counter seat watching our neighborhood go about their business. We walked home, picking up vanilla ice cream on the way to have with a strawberry rhubarb cobbler before passing out on the couch.
Sunday morning we woke painfully enough in time for church. Another great relateable talk from the book of James. We had told Firly we would meet her at the Pike Market for lunch and found parking, picked up our selections from Michou, and found a sunny spot in the park while we waited for her. Firly found us after picking up her own lunch at Jack’s Fish Spot. We were able to talk with her for some time until we had to make our way to Billy and Val’s concert. We stopped at Jos A Banks to order the groomsmen suits and then made it just in time for their end of the year pops concert. It was fun to hear some familiar tunes. After the concert Bryan and I headed home to again take a short little break before setting out on bike to Peddler Brewing Company in Ballard to meet our FareStart friends. We all had a Groupon for a tasting flight for two and two half growlers to take home. Bryan and I finished our 12 beer sampler, hung out with friends, ate the pizza and salads that they brought, and generally just had a good time.The brewery was well past closed when we left and Bryan and I made our way back home before dark. In total, we biked 14 miles round-trip.
It was a great active weekend that was really enjoyable. Bryan and I are still sore from the run on Saturday and I am much relieved that we don’t have to do anything today. Can’t believe I still have two more long runs before the half that my body is going to have to go through!
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 