Took a ferry from Anacortes out to Friday Harbor Saturday afternoon. Setting foot there seemed distinctly foreign. Such a small town- a single movie theater, a grocery, coffee shops, a few bars, a library. The place seemed sleepy- the only ripple being the ferry boat unloading a buzz of tourists every couple hours. I had made reservations for us to stay the night at a ranch on the island in celebration of Wes’s birthday earlier in the week, we went not sure of what to expect when we got there.

States Inn & Ranch sits on one of the long winding roads that riddle the island like veins. The drive out is something in itself. Farm houses spaced on vast acreage-some newly built, tall and proud. Others old and decrepit- paint peeling, the light invading where planks have rotted. Horses & cows out to pasture. On every other property it seemed, there sat a pond luminous in green fields- shiny silver dollars dotting the landscape. The trip over and out allots a comfortable amount of time to detach in preparation for this slow-moving, quiet environment.

The ranch is small, with a main house, a large barn and arena, white fences and farm equipment. As we pull in there are Alpacas grazing on the left, the way they chew is comical- the movement in their jaws seemingly exaggerated. We spot lamb in one of the fields and come to find out they are just a week old. They snuggle up to their Mamas and do their best to play with little success- their legs are still wobbly and their balance uncertain. Walking in we are greeted by Richard- him and his wife, Angel, have operated the Inn for the last seven years. The place makes me feel as though we have walked into a friend’s home to stay the night as opposed to lodgings. I reserved the California Room for its wall of windows boasting views of the entire farm, superbly showcasing postcard worthy rolling acreage.

Heading into town for drinks & dinner. We began at a bar right in the harbor- Front Street Alehouse. Wes had a pint of locally brewed beer as I opted for a dirty martini. It turned out to be one of the better I have had. The gin had a smooth lavender flavor to it instead of the usual juniper. I had never heard of the gin before and came to find out it was a specially featured small batch. I jotted down the name..but go figure- somewhere amidst the drinking I misplaced the slip of paper. We asked our waitress for recommendations on good local food and she gave us a couple options. We settled for the one we could walk to- just a half block away.

Steps Wine Bar & Cafe is hidden behind a couple other businesses. It’s narrow and neatly tucked- unpretentiously elegant. The menu consists of local foods- turn the menu over and find a map of the island displaying exactly which farms what is derived from. Steps is locally certified- which means that it has met the criteria set by the San Juan Islands Agricultural Resources Committee and a couple other boards as a leading supporter in local agriculture. The kitchen is open and takes up a quarter of the restaurant. Simple sparse decoration, warm stained walls and low lighting flatter the dozen tables.

We started our meal with a goat cheese souffle appetizer. Glowing golden it sat in the middle of a pool of toasted tomato sauce, capers, chile flakes, garlic and green olives. I would have liked the goat cheese flavor to be a bit more prominent but all in all it was adequate. For dinner, I chose off a featured menu- I had smoked chicken breast a top pillowy mashed potatoes with steamed broccoli rabe framing the plate. Wes had the wild salmon wellington- it came with garlic roasted potatoes, spinach and a red wine jus. His dish was the favorite of the two- the puff pastry surrounding precisely cooked salmon was buttery, flaky and the wine au jus was so deliciously rich I couldn’t help but dip forkfuls of my own potatoes in. For dessert we split a bittersweet chocolate soup- an island of house made toffee almond ice cream sitting in a lake of warm chocolate & vanilla cream . All of this accompanied by multiple glasses of local red wine.

We slept hard that night and woke to early morning sun light and the sounds of the animals outside. The family table was set for four and we sat down to breakfast with a couple other guests. Apron on, Richard chatted easily with all of us as he wandered in and out of the kitchen. Artichoke souffle, potato pancakes, apple wood pepper bacon, fresh fruit, chunky applesauce, warm scones, coffee and juices. Everything was either made or grown on the premises (down to the herbs in the souffle) or came from surrounding farms. The Inn had far surpassed my expectations in everything- from the room to the carefully prepared breakfast.

On the trip home, the satisfaction of such a great weekend was hard to shake. Waiting in ferry lines and a bit of rain were a couple things that weighed on the negative but they were insignificant in comparison to how lovely everything turned out.