Tuesdays with Market

Cafe Yarmarka felt like a homecoming in more ways than one. It's not like we haven't eaten since this fall. Or even like we haven't been to the Market. But we'd clearly lost site of the original plan. To those few loyal readers who have been with us from the beginning (admittedly mostly family members), who know that Tuesdays with Market is supposed to be a weekly exploration of Pike Place Market's bounty, who have been disappointed by our complete and utter failure to blog about the Market since September, we are sorry. We will try to do better. We got too busy with work. We were out of town visiting many of you (And no, as much as we loved them, we will probably never post anything about the Common Grill, Venda Ravioli, Blue Hill, or the infamous chow mein sandwich. We simply don't have the time). And, on those rare occasions that we made it to the Market, we forgot our camera. So, although we very much enjoyed Matt's in the Market, the Alibi Room (happy hour 4-6!), and that Thai burrito (Yes, a Thai burrito, get them at the Thai food stall near the fish throwers, they involve peanut sauce, rice, and veggies in a tortilla, and are surprisingly delicious.), we will not be posting about those places.

Today, I returned to the Market. Sadly, Paul's work schedule is still not conducive to these outings. But, luckily, I have found a fellow Market explorer in the Frantic Foodie. She introduced me to Cafe Yarmarka, saying it was like homecooking. And right she was. Granted, I have never had Russian food at home. But the atmosphere is definitely homey. Watching the cook make piroshky by hand in the tiny open kitchen, I felt as if I had simply wandered into a friend's home for lunch. And the food is appropriately wholesome and warming, perfect for a cold Seattle day. We both got the cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice, which come with a bowl of any of the three daily soups. I had the mushroom soup and it was perfect, woodsy, warm, and comforting. Both come garnished with a healthy dollop of sour cream. As you can see from the picture, it's the same brand of sour cream my mother uses, which really added to the whole experience. And we got all of this for under $8. Almost as inexpensive as eating at home.