Countryside Donut delights in Mountlake Terrace

Tired of waiting for Top Pot to open in Edmonds? Me too! A reader suggestion sent me straight down 220th, across Highway 99, and in a modest little strip mall location, I found Countryside Donut House, 21919 66th Ave. W. Ste. I, in Mountlake Terrace. “Go early,” he said. “They sell out quickly especially on the gourmet varieties.”

A hard-working Cambodian family is celebrating over 30 years in business at Countryside Donuts. Owners Youkhun Taing and his wife Sokngim Lim are awake when most of us are still deep in sleep. They open their doors at 5 a.m. almost every day so that local folks can enjoy delicious yeast-raised and cake donuts made by hand each day.

Kids love their donuts too. Art work from a local school decorates the wall and a Golden Teddy award is posted in the window.

Sure enough, when I got there, I looked for my favorite — a bacon maple-topped elongated sleeve of fluffy tender dough. There were only three left so I quickly place my order.

When the young man behind the counter heard my mission, to update our Restaurant News readers, he insisted that I also taste an apple fritter. Countryside’s versions are yeast dough, rather than a cake product. Light as a feather with chunks of apple, and just enough icing to delight the taste buds, yummy! I encourage those who want to taste these treats to head on over to Mountlake Terrace. You will not be disappointed.

New dining choices at the Edmonds Museum Summer Market

It’s running at full capacity, so time to check on what’s good for lunch. The assortment of vendors provided surprises this year. There is a list of all the various places that one can visit and eat while you shop ingredients from the stalls of fresh veggies, eggs, meats and other items you’ll need to cook at home, later…of course. Here are my favorites:

At Vespucci Pizza, pizza maker Sam Luccese was a delight to observe, in action. A running conversation with his order-taker ensued as I waited for my pie.

“How many personal Fabios?” he’d ask as he twirled and stretched the dough. “So, one – hold oregano, and one with no mini tomatoes, correct?”

The young woman affirmed back the orders. I was amazed that he’d heard all this detail as he worked the oven and prepped more pies at the same time. They are operating in a small space, just the two of them.

Sam’s style is “self-taught.” He said he knows how to make the dough and figured out the ingredients as he’s gone along. Sam ladled spirals of tomato sauce on to the stretched dough. We chatted a bit about how it takes time to make good food and that consumers nowadays are all about “hurry up, hurry up.” He chuckled as I mentioned the movie called The Big Night. It’s a period piece set in the ’50s. Two Italian brothers open an Italian restaurant in New Jersey. They specialize in entrees like risotto, which requires a good deal of time in the kitchen, stirring the dish. The restaurant visitors wanted quick, Americanized items like spaghetti and meatballs… and weren’t willing to wait for the development of something as intricate as a risotto.

Sam and his wife Sara have been in business for three years — learn more on Facebook here.  Sam’s wife does pasta and crepes as Pasteria Lucchese while he focuses on pizza.

You can find the couple’s businesses at local farmers markets and private catering events — no brick and mortar restaurant per se.

He elected to put the two selections I ordered — half a Fabio and half the traditional Margarita — on one big pie, which was perfect and transported home easily.

In spite of a long line of pizza orders, I had my pie in a box and was on the way home in less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

Another new comer to the Edmonds Farmers Market this year is the Patty Pan Cooperative — Seattle’s oldest farmers’ market concession, they’ve provided hot, ready-to-eat food at outdoor events since 1997, when there were only two neighborhood markets in the city. Patty Pan sources most of their staples from the farmers who are “our friends and neighbors” at the markets.

Patty Pan’s chef and order taker Marshall was a one-man operation. He grilled a colorful collection of veggies chard kale collards, and root vegetables like beets turnips, zucchini, and onions to become a savory filling that was folded into whole wheat tortillas, with cheese and grilled to a nice crisp finish on the outside.

Thanks to a recent Kickstarter campaign, Patty Pan Cooperative expanded their kitchen. They press our own tortillas using local, organic, whole grain flour. One can purchase a package from the booth, as well as cool beverages like lemonade, also made from scratch. Learn more at www.pattypangrill.com/

Other tasty kitchens providing food and confections at the market:

Aura Bakery– Fresh flaky buttery croissants and other delights

Crabby Cakes — A small family business making crepes, crab cakes, and occasionally fish tacos.

Deborah’s Homemade Pies– Petite fruit pies to nibble as you shop or full size for dessert at home.

Drummin’ Up Wontons– Flavors like Crab Rangoon or Mac and Cheese with Bacon.

Falafel Salam — Mediterranean dishes made with locally sourced meats and vegetables.

Jonboy Caramels– Every caramel is handcrafted in their Ballard kitchen. No two are exactly alike.

Kathy’s International Tortes – E-Commerce site specializes in made-to-order cakes and tortes, from scratch, using organic ingredients-individual servings in booth to purchase

Los Chilangos — Traditional Mexican/Latino dishes made with locally sourced vegetables.

Market Minis– Fun to stand and watch the tiny donuts in production

Pop’s Kettle Corn– Hard to resist the aroma of fresh popped corn

Snohomish Bakery– always a line for their popular baked items

Sweet Pearl Baked Goods– Cute cupcakes, full sized too.

Sugarette City (attends about once a month)

Just want to wet your whistle? Here are some spot to stop and sip…or slurp

Hand Spun Milk Shakes– Creamy and flavorful shakes and floats

Kombucha On Tap– Iced teas, Fermented teas and other drinks too

West Coast Pops– Juicy refreshments on a stick

Happy summer to all!

– By Kathy Passage

A specialty gourmet food broker for over 30 years, Kathy Passage has in-depth knowledge on food and the special qualities of ingredients used in the exquisite products she helped bring to market. Kathy brings this unique perspective from the “other side of the plate” to writing about the local food and restaurant scene.