Lunch, Brunch and Dessert at Friday Harbor
Technically Roche Harbor doesn’t offer any formal tastings from the catering team but they do offer ‘vouchers’ to get a free meal at the resort. We’ve already tried a handful of items from the restaurant onsite at Roche but this time around, we had a different restaurant in mind.
Downriggers is a signature restaurant at Friday Harbor. My family has never eaten there during my time as a kid but as memory serves, it was similar to an Anthony’s Homeport. In 2013 Downriggers caught on fire due to a mouse and after a 3 year revival project, it reopened in 2016 with a brand new attitude. The tiki dining days are gone where the dusty blue paint and drift wood exterior turned into a bright mustard yellow building, the overcooked salmon turned into avocado toast, craft beers and artisan burgers.
I surprised myself when it came down to order, everything on the menu looked fantastic but there was one item that survived from the fire; the chicken gorgonzola salad. You’ll need to ice skate home because hell froze over, Amber ordered a salad. Keep in mind, this wasn’t a healthy salad – gorgonzola cheese, candied pecans, drowning in bbq balsamic vinegar and penne pasta. The portion size was so big, Mr. Mustang and I both couldn’t finish it together. Mr. Mustang went his classic route of fish and chips. He’s a sucker for halibut and tartar sauce which works out for me because at least someone at our table ordered fries.
After dinner, I wanted to have dessert at the only place that mattered - Friday Harbor Ice Cream Company. It was practically mandatory when I was a child visiting Friday Harbor to stand in line for what I considered the best ice cream in the world. Now looking back, it was simply Dreyer’s ice cream you can buy from any store but the memories made the ice cream taste even sweeter. NOTE! This is a cash only joint but there is an ATM machine nearby.
The next day, we wanted to try our luck by getting on an earlier ferry. At the time, we only had reservations for the ferry leaving at 6:30pm since all the other ferry times were booked. We know from experience that if you show up early enough, you can get a spot on a fully booked ferry and we managed to snag the 2pm departure. While we were waiting for the boat to arrive, we decided to get some brunch at another Friday Harbor dining staple – Cheesecake Café. It’s a little hard to find but if you squeeze between the ice cream store and the coffee baristas, there is a narrow steel staircase leading to a cozy café with views of the harbor. Cheesecake Café is an informal restaurant where you seat yourself and have to order at the counter. This is a perfect spot for families since the cafe supplies toy telescopes and kaleidoscopes for kids to play with during lunch. Grabbing the corner table, Mr. Mustang and I both ordered a panini each (brunch service ends at 12pm) and gazed through the window as the rain drizzled outside. After a lazy lunch, the ferry horn was heard in the distance, signaling the patient passengers of its arrival.
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