Vacation: Local
Seattle Biscuit Company
When contemplating a break from life, we all have to make certain considerations. In my experience, the biggest are expense, and time. When we all entered the workforce, we made a deal. I will exchange my time and effort for compensation. Most of it monetary, but also things like paid time off, health care, free meals, etc. When planning a break, we have to consider the expenses incurred by taking a break, flights, hotels, food, adventures, and the loss of income by not working. If you have PTO, that can ease some of the burden, but at the end of the day, it still costs money to not be making money. This is where the idea of a “Stay-cation” comes in. If I’m being honest, I dislike the term. Not only because it just doesn’t sound “right” but also because I feel like it turns a break from work and daily life into a break from just work. I like to use the term vacation local, because it still counts as a vacation. We left the whole word in the name! IT COUNTS. When you take the expense of a flight and most likely a hotel out of the budget, it's amazing how much more opportunity you have for a break! I’m fortunate to live in a place that is already a vacation destination for a lot of humans, so it is a bit easier for me to vacation local, but I still have to find a way and a motivation to actually leave my apartment and go out into the world. That's the hard part. So in the first part of my vacation local series, I’m exploring one of the many neighborhoods of Seattle that I actually go to all the time, but rarely venture away from the one or three places I frequent.
When planning for a vacation local day or few days, I like to put myself in a vacation mindset. I try to accomplish all the tasks I normally would before leaving on a vacation, doing the dishes, packing, finalizing plans and travel arrangements, etc, and try to include the small details I “get” to do before leaving work and daily life behind. For me, that includes painting my fingernails, because I can’t have them painted at work, getting those infrequently worn outfits out of the back of my closet, and doing my hair and make up to actually face humans without the “protection” of being at work. If you wanted to go full speed ahead on a vacation local, why not actually pack a suitcase? Make sure your fridge is empty so you are forced to leave the house and try that new restaurant, and set aside a budget for souvenirs? No one is going to know you’re living out of a suitcase at your own home, and it might help put you in the mindset of having a few days away from regular life. Taking time away from work and adult responsibility is something we, as millennials, know is vital to our health and happiness, and we often call those “self-care” days. Whatever works for you, but make sure you are actually investing in your health and happiness. Sometimes a bath bomb and a glass of wine is enough, but sometimes you actually need to remove yourself from the triggers and stress and minutia of the everyday human struggle, and when that coincides with a less full bank account, you might feel like you just have no choice but to work and survive without the taking the time you actually need to be a functional member of society. I’m almost certain that there exist scientific studies that prove my point, but trust me, I’m an expert in literally nothing!
For this Vacation Local I went to the border where Ballard and Freemont meet and ventured into one of my first favorite places I found after I moved to Seattle. In fact, I liked it so much I now work there part time, at first to pay for a wedding, but now, 5 months post wedding I’m still there 2+ days a week because I just love the place and the work that I do.
Seattle Biscuit Company is at 4001 Leary Way NW, Seattle, Wa, and at first glance this white and blue building doesn’t look like it could possibly house the amount of flavor and personality that lives inside. It started as a food truck in 2012 when owner Sam Thompson left behind the worlds of ultra marathoning and amateur wrestling and decided to settle down into the world of southern cooking. Sam was raised in the south, but fortunately for all of us, he now makes the PNW his home. In 2018 he moved from traveling food to the brick and mortar world and that gave him a chance to expand his menu and add things like the brunch sisters, Mimosa and Bloody Mary (with house made mix). I had been infrequently frequenting another biscuit shop in the area for weekday breakfast when my human recommended we go to the Seattle Biscuit instead. I am so happy he did. When you walk in, the space is bright and cozy with a chalkboard menu on the wall and shelves lined with 40’s, local beers, and a pretty good sized collection of whiskeys. The 3 taps rotate seasonally and always feature local beers, and having Prosecco on tap means mimosas are as fresh and convenient as a bartender could hope during a weekend brunch rush. The menu is small enough to make sure everything is prepared with fresh, local ingredients, but large enough to give everyone something to choose from. Meat forward options like the mammoth Gus, a fried chicken and sausage gravy “sandwich” give the carnivores something chow down on, with the Amy Lee’s Cousin, a sandwich with local AJ’s Walla Walla sweet onion mustard, house made berry jam, Beecher's Flagship cheese and an egg gives the vegetarian something equally swoon worthy. Everything possible comes either locally, Shepherd's Grain flour, Skagit Valley pickles, and milk, eggs, and butter from Smith Brothers to name a few, or from deeply held southern tradition like the grits that are made the old fashioned way by Delta Grinds in Water Valley, Mississippi. I personally almost always choose the Willie Lee, named for an elderly neighbor of a friend of Sams who was forever hollerin’ at those damn kids for riding their bikes across his lawn. The simple bacon, Beecher's Flagship and egg sandwich is usually topped with house made berry jam, but I prefer mine SMOTHERED in butter. The cheese grits are made with Beecher's New Woman cheese, and topped with fresh thyme, and are so creamy with just the faintest crunch from the milled corn, and I eat them most every day when I’m working.
If you find yourself wandering and wondering and need to refuel, Seattle Biscuit Company is a must for those who need a little #SouthInYourMouth
Seattle Biscuit Company
4001 Leary way Nw
Seattle, Wa
Open every day, except Tuesdays,
Weekdays 8 am-2 pm
Weekends 8 am-3 pm