Jan
9, 2003 — Sometimes
the only thing that satisfies a culinary craving is an array of
appetizers. Little bits and bites of finger-friendly foods that
can range from greasy goodness to vibrant veggies.
You'll find untold numbers of pleasing places throughout
Whatcom County that offer the usual, yummy appetizer fare:
jalapeno poppers, potato skins, nachos and the like.
But when I'm hankering for a mini-meal or a feast fashioned
from a variety of easy-to-share, petite treats, I gravitate to
places that serve apps that are a little left of center.
The Calumet
I've long touted the Calumet as my favorite restaurant in
Whatcom County. But its appetizers are just as fantastic as its
entrees, and I highly recommend popping in for an after-dinner
bite with a colorful cocktail.
Its roasted garlic is gastronomical greatness. Cut in half
and roasted until its cloves are soft as butter, a large head of
garlic is served with an elongated wedge of creamy, pungent,
soft-ripened cambozola cheese
— a mix of camembert and gorgonzola
— and teamed with slices of toasted
Tuscan bread finished with dark grill marks.
A small bunch of sweet grapes garnishes the plate.
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Appetizers |
|
The Calumet
113 E. Magnolia St.
Phone: 733-3331
Menu items sampled: Roasted garlic $7.50
Thai crab cakes $12.50
Gnocchi $8.50
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro
1107 Railroad Ave.
Phone: 647-5593
Menu items sampled: Tapenade: $5.95
Smoked salmon hot pot $8.25
India Pale Ale $3.25
Poppe's Bistro & Lounge
714 Lakeway Drive
Phone: 671-1011
Menu items sampled: Bruschetta $6
Calamari $8
Toasted ravioli $7 |
Squeeze one of those soft cloves of garlic out onto a piece
of bread already spread with the creamy cheese, and you'll
experience heavenly flavors well worth the resulting halitosis.
The Calumet also serves a mean Thai crab cake. Two rotund
crab cakes are presented stacked on a bright terra cotta-colored
plate sprinkled with fresh cilantro over a drizzle of
ginger-basil aioli and spicy chili oil. The top crab cake comes
garnished with curly cues of thinly sliced carrot.
With a slight crunch on the outside and tender insides, these
crab cakes burst with flavor.
The potato gnocchi is another winning appetizer winner, and
can be divided between people or enjoyed as a light meal in
itself.
Chef David Evans' handmade potato dumplings are served in a
savory basil cream sauce scattered with sun-dried tomatoes and
shiitake mushrooms. A recent visit found the gnocchi a tad
overcooked
— far less al dente than I like
— but the amazing flavor still rang
through, and I think the average diner would find it delightful.
Other magnificent morsels on the Calumet's appetizer menu
include duck carpaccio, spring rolls and sesame crusted ahi
tuna, to name a few of the exotic eats.
Poppe's Bistro & Lounge
Listed under the heading "light bites" on the menu,
the appetizers at Poppe's Bistro & Lounge offer something a
bit upscale in a comfortable, slightly retro, slick space.
Its bruschetta goes above and beyond the usual, with four
large crostini rounds settled on top of a triangle-shaped plate
that's been drizzled liberally with an amazing, syrupy balsamic
reduction. Each round is topped with fresh Roma tomatoes,
roasted garlic, chopped basil and a dollop of flavorful,
delicate buffalo Mozzarella cheese.
Poppe's calamari is quite unlike any I've had elsewhere. The
first thing we noticed about Poppe's calamari was its light
color. It didn't seem undercooked, but it was far less golden
than the calamari I'm used to.
Dusted with seasonings and served with an intriguing, sweet
apricot cilantro sauce, the calamari at Poppe's seems to have an
Asian quality to it
— and I appreciated the tweak.
There wasn't a smidge of sponginess to be found in this fresh
calamari, garnished with a flourish of scallions and pickled
ginger shavings.
The browned, breaded ravioli stuffed with portobello
mushrooms and cheese ravioli were another pleasant surprise, as
six were presented on another charming triangle-shaped dish.
Served with a bowl of bright, flavorful marinara, I think the
ravioli were my favorite appetizer at Poppe's. I'll be back to
try the crab cakes, roasted garlic and tapenade.
Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro
Boundary Bay may just be the best place for appetizers and
microbrews in Bellingham. Depending on the time of day you drop
in at the spacious brewery, it can be boisterous and bustling or
laid back and lovely.
If Boundary Bay is in top running for best appetizers, its
tapenade may just take the cake for my favorite bite-sized
snack.
A rough-chopped blend of olives, capers and sun-dried
tomatoes sits in the middle of a large plate topped with a
golf-ball size round of creamy tart goat cheese. Eight triangles
of thick, chewy, grilled focaccia bread curve around one side of
the plate while an equal number of Roma tomato slices finish the
circle around the tapenade.
The tomatoes are marinated in a Thai vinaigrette that makes
my mouth water now just thinking of it. They are topped with a
chiffonade of basil.
All of these ingredients combine to make for fantabulous
finger food.
The smoked salmon hot pot at Boundary Bay is also worth a
try. A warm bowl of smoky salmon pieces combined with amber ale
cream cheese, spinach and chipotle are surrounded by slices of
fresh bread and slightly thinner rounds of crunchy dinner
croutons.
The entire plate is then topped with a generous dusting of
freshly grated Parmesan.
If my descriptions of these two appetizers aren't enough to
tempt you, visit Boundary Bay's Web site at www.bbaybrewery.com
to read about the other scrumptious starters that are served,
from Mediterranean hummus with cucumbers, feta cheese and warm
pita bread to golden Dungeness crab cakes coupled with red
pepper relish and turmeric aioli.
Appetizers are appealing for a light meal, after-dinner
drinks with friends or just to try several different dishes for
a revealing overview of what a restaurant can do.
The Calumet, Poppe's and Boundary Bay all serve
attention-grabbing nibbles that are well worth a visit.
