Olympic Peninsula Cuisine offers local, artisan food plus wine

photographed by Ken Lambert

Somewhere between Port Townsend and Port Angeles . . . sometime close to noon . . . the sky went black . . . and the sun turned into the moon.

Making our way over the dimly lit roadway, firmly in the throes of "Twilight" territory, we half expected Team Edward or Team Jacob to dive out in front of our car.

But unlike the hordes of tourists who invade the Olympic Peninsula in search of vampires and werewolves, we were on a quest for something in a completely different vein: Olympic Coast Cuisine.

I first heard the term a year ago, when I received a news release from the folks at the Olympic Peninsula Loop Culinary Tourism Association touting the group's annual summit in Sequim. Olympic Coast Cuisine, they said, is all about helping the rest of us discover and enjoy the rich mix of cultures, climates and foods found in these parts. It features locally raised, caught and foraged ingredients produced by small-scale artisans with stories to tell. Small-scale artisans such as winemakers, beer and hard-cider brewers; cheese makers and creamery operators; bakers and apiarists; organic-produce farmers and grass-fed meat producers — all of whom rely on tourism to survive.

The release also described a mouthwatering lunch showcasing 10 dishes from the chefs and restaurateurs who have propagated the Olympic Peninsula's "eat-local" movement. On the menu? Roosevelt Elk and Berry Soup from Ocean Crest Resort in Moclips. Local coho salmon, slow-cooked in the traditional Native Salish manner over a wood fire, was served up by L Bar L Creations of Sequim.

A side dish of Roasted Ozette Potatoes and Chanterelle Mushrooms came from Bella Italia — the Port Angeles restaurant where "Twilight's" Bella and Edward enjoyed their first date over Mushroom Ravioli. For dessert, chef Jay Payne of Bon Appétit at Fort Worden created Blackberry Pavlovas with Mt. Townsend Creamery Fromage Blanc.

Resolved to try this cuisine for myself, I planned an overnight visit that would tie into the Passport to the Peninsula event. Last November was the seventh year of this annual event, in which you take a self-guided tour of six North Olympic Peninsula winemakers who offer samples of locally produced appetizers paired with their wines.

And so it was that after a leisurely two-hour journey from Seattle, my husband and I pulled into Port Townsend around lunchtime and decided on Fins Coastal Cuisine, a waterfront restaurant along the town's main drag, Water Street. I'll never forget the Hood Canal mussels steamed in rosé broth, a blushing beauty of a dish brimming with fresh shellfish, garlic confit, leeks and fresh thyme. Happily, I noticed several locally produced wines on the wine card there.

T's restaurant is on the opposite end of Water Street in the Port Hudson Marina. Views of ghostlike ferry boats, seasonally changing art displays, a classical guitarist and 30 wines by the glass make for a romantic dining experience. We especially enjoyed the light-as-air Semolina and Herb-Crusted Pan-Fried Oysters from Hood Canal's Dabob Bay.

In the same complex, Hudson Point Café offers daily blackboard specials in addition to breakfast and lunch classics. I'm still swooning over the Smoked Salmon Omelet.

Well-stoked with caffeine and cholesterol, we began our Passport to the Peninsula tour at FairWinds Winery, just a few miles out of town. Owner/winemaker Micheal Cavett, a retired Coast Guard officer, makes nine wines, from mainstream varietals to lesser-known offerings such as aligote, and mead (honey wine).

Richard Sorensen, winemaker/owner of Sorensen Cellars in Port Townsend, is known for his well-crafted red wines such as sangiovese, the winery's most popular variety. He also produces a second label called Townsend Bay, which was featured on several area wine lists.

In Port Angeles, a funky blue-metal building with Day-Glo pink doors houses Harbinger Winery and the Harbinger Brewhouse. Owner/vintner Sara Gagnon makes 15 Rhône-style wines in what was originally a loggers' truck stop. Her Dynamo White and Dynamo Red are award-winning blends. Cranberry Bliss would make the perfect Thanksgiving wine.

In a tranquil garden setting two miles outside of Port Angeles, Camaraderie Cellars is a study in beautiful details, from the 1,600-pound jade sculpture in the courtyard to the custom-made fire pit. Owner/winemaker Don Corson produces elegant, food-friendly wines that include Bordeaux varietals

Shirley and Lance Adams, owners of Black Diamond Winery in Port Angeles, specialize in fruit- and grape-based wines, including Estate-Grown Rhubarb and Müller-Thurgau made from fruit grown in their garden, orchard and two-acre vineyard.

Olympic Cellars is housed in a century-old barn between Port Angeles and Sequim. It was the first winery on the peninsula and, at age 31, is one of the oldest wineries in the state. Owner Kathy Charlton is particularly known for her Working Girl line, as well as her premium La Dolce Vida label.

Olympic Cellars Sparkling Twilight, a bubbly syrah, appeals to the mothers and daughters, gaggles of girlfriends and families with young teenagers who make up the "Twilight" demographic. But Charlton can testify that those who come here find much, much more to love: "My customers tell me, 'Yes, we came for 'Twilight,' but we're coming back for the peninsula.' "

Braiden Rex-Johnson is a Seattle food and wine columnist. Visit her online at www.NorthwestWiningandDining.com. Ken Lambert is a Seattle Times staff photographer.