Mixed Plate: Suddenly Summer

Seasons change rapidly in the Pacific Northwest, much like a bat out of hell, barreling towards you with surprising fury. Spring sort of sucker-punched us a few times, reminding it was here and gone, and then summer seems to have shown up like Liberace, all decked out, bedazzled and singing, I'm here!! So let's not waste another second and get to enjoying this season while we've got it!

View from Terra Vista - one of the best you'll find - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I had a chance to visit Terra Vista, a restaurant in the Snoqualmie Casino. Their menu has a lot of Pacific Northwest items like salmon and other seafood, but their main draw is their steaks, which most people tend to order. It's a formal, sit-down restaurant in the casino, offering a more special occasion experience if you find yourself in that neck of the woods. Terra Vista is aptly named, as its view is its crown jewel. Light pours into the place, especially on a sunny day. They have terrace dining when weather permits, and since summer has made its presence known, it's probably one of the most stunning views you'll have of the surrounding mountains and forests.

Perfect sunny cocktail party, celebrating the season - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The event at Terra Vista was a cocktail party, giving guests a chance to sample smaller bites from their menu. They had different things like a fruit and cheese platter, charcuterie, baked mussels, steak tenderloin, and a selection of smoked fish. It was a good opportunity to try a lot of different flavors without committing to a single dish. I liked the game sausage that included elk and rabbit -- kind of like eating the whole forest kingdom! Granted, this was a special event, so all their menu isn't served in bite-sized form, but it reminded me how much I do appreciate it when restaurants serve food like this. I only have one stomach and a finite amount of room. If I can just have a little bite of different things, I always feel a lot more satisfied versus committing to a single dish. And that definitely goes for dessert - they had a stone slab with several different desserts laid out. It always makes you feel slightly less guilty about saying, "I had three desserts," when you know they were little bite-sized pieces.

Pictures of food vs pictures of view - hard to choose between the two! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Enjoying the view at Terra Vista just made me appreciate "the good months" in this part of the world that much more. The joke is that summers in the Northwest are the best-kept secret, and the belief that we're all living in a rain-soaked wonderland all the time is what keeps the rest of the world from crowding in on our little parcel of heaven on earth. I admit, there is a little bit of that desire to keep up the misinformation. Sure, we have our grey days, but when the weather is good and the skies are blue, you can't imagine being anywhere else than Washington State. Even if the days get hot, the evenings grow mild, you watch the sun set so late in the solstice-stretched day, and you feel like you could live in the afterglow forever as the stars slowly appear. If I'm not sipping cocktails appreciating an amazing view, I like strolling the late afternoon farmers markets or even just strolling in our own backyard, to check on the status of our garden. With any luck, we'll have our own harvest to enjoy very soon.

Summertime pleasures - open markets and happy gardens - Photos by Wasabi Prime