Vinny’s Restaurant (on San Juan Island)

 

165 West Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250

August 2013                                             

Friday Harbor, on the San Juan Island in Washington, is a beautiful, scenic resort get-away, which is a welcomed antithesis of the busy city life.

No traffic, no billboards, and no chain restaurants. 

Instead, you will find independently owned cafe’s, taverns and restaurants, owned and operated with pride, all walking distance from the Harbor.  One of the favorites in Friday Harbor, is Vinny’s Ristorante.  Touted as a casual elegant Italian restaurant, Vinny’s uses only fresh ingredients in preparation, with seasonal menu changes.

We started our meal with a specialty cocktail.  Any of their selections will serve to satisfy, both in flavor and appearance.  Appetizer (Antipasti) selections are loaded with local seafood options: oysters served raw or fried, calamari, margarita prawns, manilla clams.

Salads (Insalate) are fresh and generous.  We went with Vinny’s House salad, loaded with fresh tomatoes, walnuts, and a creamy gorgonzola dressing.  Of course they offer classic Ceasar’s salad (optional Calamari on top), and Chopped salad with 10 fresh ingredients.

Among Vinny’s pasta and ravioli selections, which include choices of lamb sausage, chicken, mushrooms, meat sauce and vegetarian, is one that has an allure:  Vinny’s “Pasta From Hell.”  This delightful entree is made with garlic, pine nuts, raisins, mushrooms, and of course a very spicy Habanera Sauce.  Add prawns to kick it up a notch.

Clearly the chef (from Amsterdam) insists on offering a variety of choices, and some with explosive flavors.We chose the unique and delicious Penne Aragosta;  Luscious and generous pieces of lobster, gently sauteed with garlic, tomato, scallions, basil, sherry cream and vodka.  Truly extraordinary.

Our second entree was traditional Chicken Picatta.  Made with lemon, wine, capers and butter, this is always a crowd pleaser.   Vinny’s tenderized the chicken to perfection, and ensured that this Picatta was best of the best.  Fresh seafood specials that night included Salmon and Mahi-Mahi.Equally impressive is the wine list.  Six plus pages of fine pairing wines from Tuscany, Sicily, California, Oregon, and Washington.  By the glass, or by the bottle.Our meal was completed with an irresistible Tiramisu, done to perfection, and a crème brulee, bursting with flavor.

I strongly recommend Vinny’s as a top dining choice for quality and selection, as well as atmosphere.  Several photos are on the web site, showing the artwork, cloth-covered tables, floral arrangements and views.  You may want to request the harbor-facing tables when making a reservation.

Vinny’s also does custom catering for your upcoming event. 

Contact and reservations:(360) 378-1934          www.vinnysfridayharbor.com

 

Duck Soup Inn   

50 Duck Soup Lane      (off Roche Harbor Road, San Juan Island)
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

August 2013                                                                                

Nestled off road, into the woods, Duck Soup Inn overlooks a beautiful pond, and faces the western sunset.  With the outdoor fire pit, flowers, trees and vines, the organic connection between the stone and wood restaurant and its surroundings is evident the moment you drive up.  Outdoor seating may be preferred, while the restaurant interior is cozy, warmed by a fireplace and contemporary artworks.

Chef, and co-owner Kyle, clearly puts emphasis on freshness and inventive flavor-pairing.Menu selections are made from scratch using local ingredients from organic farmers and artisans. With a limited menu, the focus is clearly on quality, both in ingredients and preparation.

Among the “starter” selections, there will always be a daily oyster special.  A unique choice may also  be the Lettuce roll-ups, with shredded duck, hot chilies, candied and fresh grapefruit, cashew marscapone, with a sweet and lime dipping sauce. Or, maybe fried brussels sprouts  with a hazlenut and garlic basil dip?  Sound interesting? 

The main courses include soup, seasonal organic salad, home-made sourdough bread and anchovy spread.  The entree choices range from steak, chicken, pork, duck, fish, scallop and vegetarian.We opted for the roasted duck breast, accented with red miso ginger glaze.  That included kimichi and baby arugula salad, along with a tangy and zesty tomatillo soup. The duck was lean and tender, and nicely complimented with roasted yukon gold potatoes. 

Our second selection was the fresh Alaskan salmon.  This sizable piece of fresh fish was perfectly grilled on both sides.  The chef accented this with spring pea carnaroli, fresh mission figs, anise hyssop and crisp local nori.  Delicious and unique.The salad had a rhubarb sherry-vinaigrette dressing.  My soup choice was vegetable chowder.  It was an unusually hearty soup, rich with flavor and substance.All entrees are elegantly crafted, again with only fresh ingredients and flavor-pairings that excite the palette.

The wine selections are nicely geared to pair with any of the chef’s choices.  We went with a glass of Mark Ryan chardonnay; crisp and refreshing.

Servers are very friendly, and many locals come to Duck Soup Inn only by word of mouth, and reputation.  Their web site provides ample information for reservations, days and hours of operation, location and background info.  For dining quality, a visit here will be long remembered.

For reservations call 360.378.4878          www.ducksoupinn.com