kthread / Kristen Taylor

parading doughnuts and pies

Waiting for us last Monday morning, at the bottom of the case at Spokane’s Donut Parade, were warm huckleberry doughnuts. Not overly sweet, the cake doughnut had a crisp bottom crust and soft interior, a good beginning to a drive around the city.

For our last morning on the road together, we decided Santé Charcuterie looked too interesting not to try for a fancy breakfast; Kat ordered their omelette with trumpet mushrooms, filled with house guanciale, arriving with deep yellow aioli.

My duck hash was easily one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had—duck confit and potatoes in a cream sauce under a duck egg, where the yolk added to the sauce for toasted slices of bread.

Driving slowly into Oregon,

we pulled over for a farm stand for Walla Walla onions, whose tops matched Kat’s green eyes,

and then we decided Maryhill Winery would be the right place to spend the afternoon.

Part of the Columbia Valley appellation in Washington (just above Oregon’s Willamette Valley and its Pinot Trail), this area is noted for Zinfandel and Chenin Blanc.

We looked at the many rows of grapes,

and stretched out, lazily, like the cat (who kept reaching for my wine glass) and lingered in the sun,

before the final, serene drive into Portland.

A dinner of small plates and very good beer at a very good bar (with a housemade pickle plate) were in order that night, all close to Kat and Reid’s new apartment—more on that when I visit them again later this summer—in their new Portland neighborhood of Alberta.

Tuesday morning they took me to their favorite coffee place down the street, Random Order, with its lovely pies and hot chocolate.

(Kat and Reid are quite serious about catching up on the news of the day in the morning.)

Dodging raindrops after a quick drive, we ducked into Broder for neat, filling Swedish breakfasts, as nicely designed as the restaurant interior—which makes the architect in Reid happy, I think,

and he showed us a ecohouse he is working on nearby.

By far, though, the best food I had in Portland was Kat’s—she roasted the asparagus we had picked up at the farm stand and placed it next to quinoa, the onions, and mushrooms, while Reid spun records, and we told stories and laughed about the eccentric places and characters we had met on the road.

I headed to San Francisco on Wednesday morning, making it to the 48 Hour Magazine party that night right on time, and shortly after walking into Coffee Bar, my friend Amit who runs Photojojo (they’re hiring) hugged me and told me it was his new roommate Karina’s birthday, and that I must try the Indian pizza they were ordering to celebrate.

Karina, who does anthropological work, is a recent Brooklyn transplant and began working at Twitter on Monday (she’s @kvanscha).

When we arrived at the group apartment, Natalie was hard at work on the birthday cake (a slight change from her wonderful Bike Basket Pies that she delivers on her bike all over SF).

As Amit’s shirt attests, pizza is the best and this pie with chickpea flour in the crust was fantastic. Their apartment filled with interesting friends, many of them in transition too, and I think it was the best way to begin my California summer, meeting new people with intriguing work also beginning new things.

Sitting in my redwood cabin this morning, I am still smiling from the trip, so happy to have spent five days on the road approaching this next chapter with my beautiful sister, who is also my best friend.

If you missed the beginning of the trip, start here, then go here, here, and here.

amanda:
May 26th, 2010 at 9:42 am
experiencing great envy.
Kristen :
May 26th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Amanda, it was pretty awesome. Hope your summer is beginning really well; I hear it’s quite warm in NY at the moment–
Catherine Bracy :
May 26th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I’m selfishly sad that the trip is over! I’ve spent the last week awaiting new entries with great anticipation, and have been enjoying living vicariously. This seems to be the summer of good transitions–I’m really excited to follow your continuing adventure and will be sure to blog my own (much more boring) journey later this summer!
Kristen :
May 26th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Catherine, thank you, there are more adventures ahead—slightly shorter drives, but I am surrounded by new places I feel I must explore. Looking forward to your road trip posts, and to food adventures we will take in Austin :)
Mica :
May 29th, 2010 at 6:08 am
Ah, I just got caught up on your cross-country trip. (The photos were too much for my netbook to handle while abroad.) I loved looking at all your photos. Kat looks like she’s doing great!

This was really a great post for my return to the US. Seoul and Tokyo were great, but there’s something great about our abundance of fruit, vegetables, and homemade desserts here that I really missed. :)

What kind of pie is that from Random Order?
Kristen :
May 29th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Mica, welcome back! The abundance of produce has increased since I arrived in California :) and that was a rhubarb pie at Random Order. Kat is fiercer than ever; we’re both happy you’ve returned. Here’s to a great summer—