On a chilly wet Saturday evening I didn’t feel like cooking dinner, so we headed to an Edmonds restaurant that has been recommended by many My Neighborhood News readers: Maize & Barley on Main Street. We didn’t have reservations (and found out they don’t take them) and were afraid that there might be a wait. Maybe the bad weather made for a slow night, because the place was very quiet. We were warmly greeted by the Saturday night front of the house server/bartender Cameron and made our way to a seat at the bar. Maize & Barley is small and very cozy. There are two large sharing tables as well as stools at the bar. When the weather is nice out, there is seating outdoors as well.
Opened in spring 2019 by the husband-and-wife team of Venus Forteza and Anthony Kjeldsen, in what was a Farmers Insurance Office, this bar spot is perfect for date night as well as a larger gathering of friends. On the night that we dined, one of the large tables was occupied by a group playing a popular board game while enjoying their beers. Although the food menu is somewhat limited, between appetizers, soups and sharing plates you are sure to find something that will satisfy you.
Maize & Barley serves up a wide range of craft beer and seasonal tacos that are made by the Chef Anthony in an all-scratch kitchen with Caribbean roots. Most of the food is created using locally sourced organic ingredients. Their website features their mission statement: “The Caribbean is a melding of culinary influences from every corner of the world; West Africa, Spain, France, Britain, Asia, Portugal and the Dutch. Our vision of building a sustainable community begins with drawing from our Caribbean roots, the criollo way. Caribbean cuisine imbues the ingenuity and creativity of its peoples culminating in delicious foods reflecting the bounty of its lands. Every dish from our scratch kitchen is created in this vision, working with local farms and purveyors to ensure the freshest seasonal ingredients possible.” You can feel the spirit of the Caribbean in every bite.
With Cameron’s recommendation, we ordered a Gold Dot Export Lager ($8) from McMinnville, Oregon and a Columbia Valley Grace Chardonnay ($12) from Virtue Cellars (which has a tasting room/wine bar across the street) for our beverages. There are over 14 beers and ciders on tap as well as a nicely curated selection of wines and cocktails that pair well with the food. They do have non-alcoholic choices as well. I intended to order a soup that came highly recommended, but we ended up ordering three different tacos using their housemade corn tortillas. We enjoyed the BBQ Braised Beef (3 Sisters Ranch grass fed chuck, sautéed greens, pickled watermelon $7), Cajun Lingcod (Westport line caught, Cajun spice rubbed, pan seared, organic corn grits, pickled cauliflower/pepper/carrot relish $7) and the Black Bean Mole Kale (organic mashed cauliflower, black bean mole braised kale, pickled daikon/sunchoke relish $6) along with an order of the Papas (Potatoes) with Garlic Sauce ($8).
Cameron brought out an assortment of housemade hot sauces for the tacos in case you want to add more heat. Every dish was thoughtfully prepared, carefully plated and most importantly tasted delicious. The combination of spices and textures made these tacos unusual in a good way. I loved the garlic sauce that came with the papas — reminded me of the Lebanese Garlic Sauce called Toum. Although the servings do not look big when they arrive at the table, they were certainly filling and we couldn’t finish the order of papas (which we enjoyed with eggs the next morning). We wanted to save room for dessert.
Although Maize & Barley offer sweet treats like bread pudding and coconut milk custard, we headed across the street to Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, which has been in Edmonds for a little over a year. When I first moved to the Pacific Northwest, I lamented that there was a deficit of good ice cream in the Seattle area (including Edmonds). I really missed the mom and pop soft serve ice cream or “creemee” places that are all over New England. I worked at a famous ice cream place when I lived in Boston called Herrell’s, created by Steve Herrell after he regretted selling Steve’s Ice Cream in Boston/Somerville.
Molly Moon’s reminds me of Herrell’s — rich ice cream made with real ingredients, wonderful hot fudge and large scoops served in a bright happy place. Unfortunately, there is no inside seating but they recently set up a greenhouse structure with tables and chairs where you can sit outside (although it’s not heated). They have their “always” flavors (Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream, Honey Lavender, Iced Vanilla Latte, Melted Chocolate, Strawberry, Sweet Cream, Salted Caramel, Scout Mint Brownie, Vegan Coconut Chunk and Yeti) as well as their “seasonal flavors” (In November they are Blackberry Cedar Tea Latte, Dutch Apple Pie, Salty Toffee and Vegan Salted Caramel). They also have great toppings! Top Secret: If you are a PCC Member you can get a free topping or a free waffle cone with your order — a $1.50 savings.
I had a scoop of salty toffee with hot fudge sauce in a cup. Molly Moon’s makes their own chocolate toffee and adds chunks of it into their Brown Sugar Toffee Ice Cream. It’s a lovely combination of salty, buttery, sweet, creamy and crunchy. It set me back $6.95 but the hot fudge was free because I am a PCC member. I know this is expensive. But the cup of ice cream was a special treat to cap off a lovely evening.
Similar to Maize & Barley, Molly Moon’s has a wonderful mission: “To make the world better, one scoop at a time as a multigenerational gathering place with sustainability and happiness at the core of all we do. The world is a big place, made smaller, we believe, by the act of sharing a sweet treat with someone you love. Our team works hard to create deliciousness by partnering with local farmers and producers — from jam-makers and beekeepers to strawberry farmers and coffee roasters — to turn the best, freshest, most creative local flavors into truly outstanding ice cream.” They also have a very robust donation program. Molly Moon’s was founded with five values at its core: Be Smart, Be Generous, Be Homemade, Be Joyful and Be Brave. Practically makes eating ice cream my civic duty.
When your family and friends come to visit for the holidays, I encourage you to check out Maize & Barley and Molly Moon’s and maybe catch a movie at the Edmonds Theater or enjoy the nearby shops! It’s a fabulous way to enjoy Main Street in Edmonds. We are so lucky and we have much to be thankful for in this community. Support your local businesses.
Address: 525 Main St., Edmonds
Hours: Wednesday-Thursday noon to 9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday noon to 10 p.m.
Phone: 425-835-0868. They do not take reservations.
Menu: http://www.maizebarley.square.site
Address: 558 Main St #4, Edmonds
Hours: Sunday-Thursday noon-10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday noon to 11 p.m.
Phone: 206-294-4389
Deborah Binder lives in Edmonds with her family. She loves to cook from scratch using produce from the gardens she created and maintains with her husband. She attended culinary school on the East Coast and focused on desserts, pastries and bread. She’s worked for restaurants and caterers in the front and back of the house (kitchen) on both coasts. Her current interest in food is learning to eat for health and wellness, while at the same time enjoying the pleasures of the table. Deborah loves experimenting and developing new recipes. As Julia Child once said, “Everything in moderation including butter.” Deborah can be contacted at jaideborah@yahoo.com.
Real first and last names — as well as city of residence — are required for all commenters.
This is so we can verify your identity before approving your comment.