Ode to Local Neighborhood Markets

Volunteer Park Cafe
www.alwaysfreshgoodness.com

If you are like me, and enjoy soaking up the sun with a cold beer and perhaps a cold tomato sandwich - then do I have the place for you.

The Volunteer Park Cafe is so perfect it has me daydreaming of quiting my job and turning my local convenience store into a local market in its image. Located two blocks east of Volunteer Park in Capital Hill in a rambling yellow building- this little store/cafe is a neighborhood hang out that is soon to be a community secret no more thanks to recent glowing reviews in the Seattlepi and Stranger.

Founded by two local Carmelita chefs -this market is a little less of a store than I would have liked but I soon forgave the mis-marketing once I took a bite of one of their chocolate ginger cookies. The only items for sale are beer and wine located on the shelves and back coolers of the store. The rest of the space is dedicated to seating - it actually resembles the inside of Essential Bakery in Fremont. Same use of space with serve-yourself filtered water and bus-your-own table service. The windows slide open to the outside sidewalk, providing neighbors the chance to visit with people passing by. Patio chairs and tables balance precariously on the sloping walk outside the front door - but if you are lucky you can snag the one table nestled in the flower boxes and shaded by the sun.

The menu is a mix of dressed up standard sandwiches and breakfast specials - like bananas foster brioche french toast and roasted tomato and mozzarella sandwiches. The salads are topped with, really, the most delicious light citrus salad dressing I have ever had. And as I mentioned earlier - the cookies, pastries, and quiche are fabulous.

This place is perfect for a quiet Sunday breakfast, an afternoon bite to enjoy with a book, or as a place to enjoy a bottle of wine on a sunny evening.