I finally made it over to Carmelita in Phinney Ridge. Long overdue... My friend Erin and I sat at the bar and sampled the beautiful, and seriously well priced happy hour menu.
Peach Smash which was Rye, Creme de Peach, Punt e Mas, muddled peaches, mint, peach bitters and ginger ale over ice. Best drink I have had this summer.
Fried zuchini blossoms with goat cheese. The batter on these was so light, not overly greasy and the goat cheese was very mild compared to a lot of goat cheeses I have had which I really liked. It was sort of like a ultra fancy take on the jalapeno popper.
Piquillo pepper muhummarah, smoked chickpea and spice roasted carrot spreads with flatbread. The carrot spread was the gem of this trio. It was the first one to go.
Summer pizza with asparagus.
Chocolate Muck Muck. This is what brought Erin and I into Carmelita in the first place. One of her co-workers is crazy for this dessert and after hearing about it several times at work Erin decided she had to try it. I now see what all the fuss was about. This dessert is amazing. I was especially impressed with the whipped cream. It had such a bold vanilla flavor and was so creamy it almost tasted like a whipped vanilla mousse.
What shocked us the most was how little we ended up spending for the quantity and quality of food that we ordered. For a restaurant that focuses specifically on creating a farm to table experience using fresh local vegetarian ingredients Carmelita is incredibly accessible to just about anyone. Not just people with a big disposable income. I say it all the time but I really do feel lucky to live in a place where such food experiences are right around the corner in just about every neighborhood. Although there is a time and a place for things like Oreos and greasy spoon diners everyone should have access to food prepared like this, the way it was meant to be experienced.