11/8/09 Agate Pass Cafe

huh? what's it called? where is it? who's the chef????

i know, i know, i hadn't heard of the place either. friends of ours who live out in kitsap found it and invited us out to brunch yesterday. so after a night of pork at the herbfarm we're on the 9.30 AM ferry to bainbridge.

just before we left port matt noticed this CG gun boat off our bow. i went over to the port side and yup, we were being escorted. the tape they play about emergencies even mentioned that we had the escort but it was 'standard practice'. yeah right, since when? last time we took the bainbridge ferry - which actually was almost a year ago, there was no CG escort. and we weren't even 1/2 way across the channel when they slowed up and returned to seattle's dock! so much for an escort! lol

it's a cozy little place with about a dozen tables and 4 barstools on the waterfront over near kitsap.

i've never heard of the owner, marty braken - who was there hanging out, read a paper, did a little running back and forth, the ringleader - who by the picture on the website was our server, and the sous chef - where i was surprised to find absolutely no experience listed on the website. i can only guess that while the site states "My culinary skills are the result of this influence and of on-the-job experience working with other great chefs and cooks". there is no credit of any form for an executive chef, and i don't want to assume that marty fills this role.


the dinner menu looked tasty. it can be found online along with the brunch menu.




the service was great - very friendly, and she did keep the coffee coming. my only complaint, and i hadn't realized it until we were getting up to leave, is she didn't come around to refill water, which i would've taken had it been offered, and we did have to request water at the start, too.

catherine and ron both had the Beet and Bleu Salad:
roast beets, arugula,  point reyes bleu cheese, candied walnuts, orange vinagrette

matt had the Smoked Salmon Scramble:
lummi island smoked salmon, scallions, eggs, fromage-fraiche, capers, salad greens, grilled bread

and i was the cannibal. i had a dutch baby:
buttery oven-baked pancake, lemon, strawberry preserves, lemon,  orange and apple slices










after brunch we went up to C&R's place to meet their 3 alpacas. they were so cute! they told us that when they were delivered the previous owner had piled them into the back of a suburban and drove them out to their place! haha what a visual image! 

Snowball

brownie

alpha-male stewie

brownie and snowball