Snoqualmie Whistle Stop Red-2006

Since we're spending the summer in the Northwest at Olympic National Park, I've decided to concentrated on local Washington wines. The local Safeway has a large selection of Northwest wines at good prices. Everything else in the store was higher priced, reflecting the isolation of our location. So the answer is to buy what's on sale and drink more wine.

Snoqualmie Whistle Stop Red is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot. When I sample different red blends, I find the ones with higher percentage of Cabernet have deeper flavors and more character. The predominately Merlot blends tend to be too soft and not distinctive. The grapes come from Eastern Washington in the Columbia Valley. The wine is named for the railroad tracks that run next to the vineyards. Maybe the vibration of the trains cause the grapes to ripen uniquely.

The wine opened up nicely in the glass with black cherry and oak in the nose. The tannin level was soft and supple. It has some complexity, and complimented the steak we had with it. It was smooth enough to stand on it's own before dinner with some tapas.

The best news was that it was on sale for $7.99. It's a great value, and really shows how great a blended wine can be.

Granny's Cafe

While we're here at Olympic National Park we're trying some of the local restaurants. We almost exclusively eat lunch out, and enjoy dinner in our MoHo with our dog, Pearl.

On the way between Port Angeles & Lake Crescent is a small combination 6 room motel and cafe. There are perhaps 6 tables inside, and another 8 tables on the patio. There is a small menu with homemade soups, so-so salads, sandwiches, and great hamburgers. And the best side order, sweet potato fries. Now we're not big fans of sweet potatoes, especially at Thanksgiving with those yucky miniature marshmallows.

The hamburgers are a full 1/3 pound, with all of the fixings. There's also homemade chili made from scratch with 2 kinds of beans, which compliments the entrees. There's also a good french dip, and excellent fish & chips.

And they have soft serve ice cream to complete the feast. Usually we split a hamburger with the sweet potatoes fries, then finish with an ice cream cone.

So when you see a small cafe with a lot of cars parked in front, don't hesitate to stop. You might be pleasantly surprised.