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Three Days of Things to Do, Eat and See on the San Juan Islands

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Nov 8, 2015

Fall in the San Juans offers a variety of fun things to do and see. These three Fall Getaway Itinerary Ideas focus on Orcas and San Juan Island. But, they only scratch the surface. Enjoy!

Day 1

Breakfast – Doe Bay Café on Orcas Island
On the east side of Orcas Island at the edge of Doe Bay, sits the Doe Bay Café. This quaint restaurant is attached to the Bay Resort. It offers a full view of Doe Bay and the Salish Sea. From its own organic garden to its use of locally sourced proteins, the chefs are crafting dishes with the freshest ingredients. Breakfast items might include olive oil poached duck eggs or local sockeye gravlax (a Scandinavian style of dry-cured salmon) with sunny-side up eggs and whipped goat cheese.

Doe Bay Café – 107 Doe Bay Rd., Olga, WA

Explore – Poke around Eastsound on Orcas Island
Visit Eastsound’s collection of galleries and novelty shops. Stop by Darvill’s Bookstore to discover the carefully chosen selection of novels, biographies and more. If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, head to Kathryn Taylor Chocolates where the chocolates are handmade, the ingredients are predominantly local and the flavors vary widely including Douglas Fir and Blood Orange.

Darvill’s Bookstore – 296 Main St., Eastsound
Kathryn Taylor Chocolates – 109 North Beach Rd., Eastsound

Lunch – Mamie’s Café at the Ferry Landing on Orcas Island
Located at the Orcas Island Ferry Landing, Mamie’s Café is tucked within the Boardwalk on the Water. Grab lunch at their open cliff beer garden. It’s perched, just above the water. Or stay inside, where the view is still lovely, but the wind isn’t quite as crisp. Menu favorites include grilled salmon and battered halibut.

Mamie’s Café – 8292 Orcas Hill Rd., Orcas

Explore – Island Hoppin’ Brewery on Orcas Island
Head to the Island Hoppin’ Brewery tasting room where friends and owners Nate Schons, Becca Gray and Jim Parker are crafting small batch beers. Though their offerings change frequently, three constants can always be found including Kolch, a mild brew from Germany. This lower alcohol choice has the all-day drinking appeal of Pabst Blue Ribbon with a taste that should never be compared.

Island Hoppin’ Brewery – 33 Hope Lane, Eastsound

Day 2

Breakfast – Rocky Bay Café in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island
This mom and pop breakfast joint may not be fancy, but they more than make up for it with friendly service and endless cups of steaming coffee. As the weather turns cooler, snag a seat next to their Amish fireplace. And, be sure to check out the installations from monthly-featured artist displayed. Their work is displayed on the Rocky Bay Café’s walls. Specials change frequently, but might include a bacon and Swiss omelet. Those who are gluten intolerant will also love their gluten free bread.

Rocky Bay Café – 225 Spring Street, Friday Harbor

Explore – Downtown Friday Harbor
Peruse Friday Harbor’s vast collection of art galleries. Check out Serendipity the Used Book Place where a small home has been transformed into a never-ending collection of used treasures. Stop by San Juan Island Cheese, the new island cheese shop where Thursday wine and cheese pairings bring together unique flavors. And, don’t forget to let out your inner kid at the Toy Box where fun is the name of the game.

Serendipity the Used Book Place – 223 A St., Friday Harbor
San Juan Island Cheese – 155 Nichols St., Friday Harbor
The Toy Box – 20 First St., Friday Harbor

Lunch – Market Chef
“Good food is life,” at the Market Chef where weekday lunches feature a variety of fresh salads, soups, and sandwiches. Daily specials have included curried tomato and vegetable soup, rock cod fish tacos, and copper river sockeye salmon sandwiches.

Market Chef – 225 “A” St., Friday Harbor

Explore – Friday Harbor’s History
Visit Friday Harbor’s Town Hall built in 1936. Wander through the San Juan Historical Museum where the island’s past is preserved. And, learn about the San Juan Islands local pods at the Whale Museum.

Town Hall – 60 Second St., Friday Harbor
San Juan Historical Museum – 405 Price St., Friday Harbor
The Whale Museum – 62 First St. N, Friday Harbor

Dinner – Coho in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island
Sometimes restaurants with quaint settings miss the mark when it comes to the food. Coho, is not one. Located in the historic Craftsman House, chef Bill Messick is serving dishes equal to the stunning 1931 home in which he is cooking. His cuisine, Pacific Northwest with a touch of Mediterranean flair, is all about showcasing the local bounty from the San Juan Islands. Salmon, scallops, beef and pork are sourced from the Jones Family Farm on Lopez Island. Cheese comes from the nearby San Juan Island Cheese shop. A selection of local wines is available from San Juan Vineyards. This is an all local, all the time meal that won’t disappoint.

Coho Restaurant – 120 Nichols St., Friday Harbor

Day 3

Breakfast – Lime Kiln Café in Roche Harbor on San Juan Island
Doughnuts at the Lime Kiln Café might just be the best in the Pacific Northwest. These cake like babies are certainly a far cry from your Krispy Kreme, national chain experience. This mom and pop joint makes theirs fresh daily in a variety of flavors, including cinnamon sugar, chocolate frosting, and maple glaze. Beyond the sugar-fried goodness, they dish up some savory options worth sitting down to enjoy. Sit bay the window for a view of the marina.

Lime Kiln Café – 248 Reuben Memorial Dr., Friday Harbor

Explore – San Juan Vineyard on San Juan Island
Head to the San Juan Vineyard where locally grown grapes are transformed into full-bodied wines. The vineyard’s tasting room, housed in one of the two remaining old schoolhouses in San Juan County, was built in 1895. At this historic setting, you can taste and learn about the island’s wine and its growing climate. Plus, be sure to say hello to Mona the camel who lives across the street. Why is there a camel in the San Juans? Because San Juan Island resident Corina King has a great affection for camels. (She spent three years in Egypt doing documentary work.) Her husband Steve was equally fascinated. So, when Mona needed a home in 2005, the couple purchased her.

San Juan Vineyard – 3136 Roche Harbor Rd., Friday Harbor

Lunch – Friday’s Crabhouse in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island
There’s something about eating seafood by the sea which just makes it taste better. During sunny days, the deck at Friday’s Crabhouse sits directly across the street from the ferry landing. It offers an unobstructed, open air view of the Friday Harbor Marina. On cooler afternoons, the water facing windows provide a warmer spot for enjoying their seafood selection of pan-fried oysters, crab packed salads, fish tacos and more.

Friday’s Crabhouse – 65 Front St., Friday Harbor

Explore – Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island
This 36-acre state park is considered one of the best places in the world to view whales from a land-based facility. Though not scientifically proven, it’s believed this is because the orcas like to herd fish against the cliffs on the west side of San Juan Island where they take a drastic plunge into the sea. The gem of the Lime Kiln State Park is the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Constructed in 1919, it’s 17-mile beacon still shines today.

Lime Kiln State Park – 1567 Westside Rd., Friday Harbor

Explore some more – San Juan Island Sculpture Park
Located just outside Roche Harbor Resort, this 20-acre outdoor art gallery is home to more than 100 unique sculptures. Founded in 1998, the San Juan Island Sculpture Park introduces new works yearly. Displays are constructed out of a variety of materials including steel, rock and wood.

San Juan Island Sculpture Park – Roche Harbor Road in Roche Harbor

Dinner – McMillins in Roche Harbor on San Juan Island
Ideal for the celebratory dinner, McMillin’s at Roche Harbor has an island formal vibe. Best known for the prime rib – a 40-day-aged, dry rubbed, slow roasted affair sliced to order. Prepare yourself for two or three hours of indulging. Go slow. Order a drink or two. And, try to arrive pre-sunset. Their water facing windows overlooking the marina are the perfect place to watch the sun slip below the horizon.

McMillins – 248 Reuben Memorial Dr., Friday Harbor

Getting Around on the San Juan Islands

While each island offers bike and moped rentals, during the winter months, they aren’t the most enjoyable forms of transportation. These warmer options will help you get from Point A to Point B without being massively exposed to the elements.

On San Juan Island
San Juan Taxi & Tour – (360) 378 – 8294
M&W Auto – (360) 378 – 2794
Friday Harbor Taxi – (360) 298 – 4434

On Orcas Island
Orcas Island Taxi – (360) 376 – 8294
New Orcas Taxi Tours, LLC – (360) 298 – 1639 and (360) 376 – 6668
Orcas Island Rental Cars & Vans – (360) 376 – 7433

On Lopez Island
Taxi – (360) 468 – 2905

Getting Between the Islands

Outer Island Expeditions – (360) 376 – 3711 (office) / (360) 622 – 6562 (boat)
San Juan Island Whale & Wildlife Tours (and Taxi) – (360) 298 – 0012

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World Famous Donuts at the Lime Kiln Cafe

World Famous Donuts at the Lime Kiln Café

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Jun 23, 2015 Mikaela Cowles
World Famous Donuts at the Lime Kiln Café

There are donuts. And then there are donuts from Roche Harbor Resort’s Lime Kiln Café.

Plucked from the Donut Robot Mark II, these cake-like babies are moist, with a toothsome bite you can really sink into. Coated with sugar. Dipped in chocolate. Naked as the moment they came out of the fryer. It doesn’t really matter how you get your hands on these donuts, as long as you get one before the café runs out.

And run out they do, especially on the Fourth of July. Even with the industrial size mixer and donut machine working non-stop before the small café even opens, they’re nearly always behind. Together, these two workhorses pump out an impressive 37 dozen donuts an hour. It’s not enough.

“We can’t keep up. Especially on the Fourth, the line will stretch all the way around the building,” said Lime Kiln Café Manager, Megan Marquette.

However, the Fourth of July is a rare occurrence. Between the donut-eating-contest and the completely sold out resort, there’s a lot of demand. On a regular day, you’re more likely to wait only few minutes for your choice of plain, chocolate, vanilla, maple, sprinkles or cinnamon and sugar.

During the summer months, they also feature the “Flavor of the Day,” such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch. “It tastes a lot like a churro,” explained Megan.

What’s Megan’s favorite? Salted caramel. “We’ve started experimenting with different flavor toppings and that one just gets me every time,” she said.

The donut machine is tucked at the edge of the kitchen, just beyond the cash register. A large dispenser plops round donuts out of a ring mold into the perfectly heated hot oil conveyor belt bath. The machine fries, flips and scoops the donuts until they are bronze. It then carefully lifts them out on a wire rack and drops them onto a lined cookie sheet. Megan arranges the donuts in neat little rows to cool. (Or to be eaten immediately. Whatever’s your pleasure.)

Donuts can certainly be eaten as a side at breakfast. But with the café’s platter size portions, it’s hard to find room. Those in the know often stop by for their pre-breakfast coffee and indulge in a bit of a nibble. Or, they make the return trip for a mid-morning snack. For our part, we often opt for the to-go mode, picking up a donut (aka a dozen) for the flight back home.

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WaterWorks Gallery Turns 30

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May 9, 2015 Mikaela Cowles
WaterWorks Gallery Turns 30
For 30 years, Ruth Offen’s Friday Harbor gallery has been showcasing the region’s best artists in a fun, accessible environment.

In 1985, Ruth Offen said goodbye to San Francisco’s fast paced city life. Leaving her big city gallery job, she moved to a place where people lived a bit slower. She came to San Juan Island – a droplet of island heaven where the roads were lined with fences (when they were lined at all) and the views from the shoreline were filled with Mother Nature’s beauty.

On a leap of faith, she opened WaterWorks Gallery in Friday Harbor. Thirty years later, her island gallery still showcases some of the best local and regional talent.

In an industry with a turnover rate that rivals restaurants, we wanted to find out what makes Ruth’s gallery so unique. So I stopped by for a visit and a chat on a lovely April afternoon. Here is a bit of what Ruth had to say.

Why San Juan Island? Why did you come here and open a gallery?
In a city, the art world’s different. The clientele is particular about art being art. I’d been in that world. I’d seen that. I got that. I still do. But there’s something special about seeing a piece and just loving it for the sake of loving it.

That’s what you get around here. The people who come in are down to earth. To them, the latest trend isn’t as important as whether or not they like the piece. It’s one of the things I love most about having an island gallery.

Why in the world did you name your gallery WaterWorks?
If I’d opened in a big city, I’d have picked something a bit more professional/city like Offen Gallery. Being on the island, I needed something a bit different. When I opened, I was really into Monopoly.

That first year, the gallery was located next to a tavern called The Electric Company. If you ask anyone who’s been around Friday Harbor since the old days, they’ll know The Electric Company. It was an awesome spot that had great dancing.

Anyway, the two utilities have always been an important move in Monopoly. So, I named the gallery after the other utility.

What makes WaterWorks Gallery so unique?
I showcase regional artists, but it’s more than that. I’ve worked really hard to ensure the gallery remains a place where art is approachable. Not just in how the piece looks – which is incredibly important because if you don’t like something you’re not going to put it in your home – but in how I talk about the art.

When you come in here, I’m not going to throw around a bunch of art terms and expect you to know what I’m talking about. I spend as much time as necessary with everyone who comes through the door, explaining the artists’ techniques, sharing the artists’ stories and showing the different mediums we feature.

You have a big event coming up. The gallery’s turning 30. How do you feel about it?
The island is home. There are few places in the world that are this beautiful and this in touch with nature. Art and artists thrive here. It’s been an incredible place to put down roots. I just feel so lucky to be a part of the community. And for the gallery to still be thriving 30 years later, that’s a testament to all the wonderful people here.

May 16, we’re holding a huge celebration right here in the gallery. I hope everyone joins us.

WaterWorks Gallery
315 Argyle St.,
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

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