Seattle, Washington
So Pike Place Market was…ok. I didn’t love it and I only had the morning left in Seattle before flying out at 1pm. Something else was calling me:
Salumi
Salumi is the artisanal cured meat store of Mario Batali’s father. After reading Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, I have become a total Batali fan girl and there is a brief mention of his father who worked at Boeing for thirty years opened this shop in his retirement, inspired to follow in the roots of his family.
If this wasn’t enough, when I asked people on the Bacon is Magic Facebook Page what I should do in Seattle everyone told me Salumi was amazing.
I had to go.
So I left the touristy Pike Place Market and hoofed it across town into what appeared to be a bit of a dodgy area with cash chequing stores and men’s shelters. It crossed my mind I should have checked to see if this neighbourhood was safe but I was too determined to have this Batali’s take on pork.
And then finally I saw it, the sign of pork. I was so excited.
That lasted about two seconds when I saw it didn’t open until 11am. The time I was being picked up to go to the airport.
Crushed. Completely and utterly crushed.
It has almost ruined my trip to Seattle, knowing it would have been the highlight and I have missed it. The only consolation was that Seattle seems like a great city and I definitely want to come back. And I did see some interesting street art along the way.
It’s a small consolation because I feel a bit of heartbreak for a love I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing.
Disclosure: The Amazon link above for Heat is an affiliate link. I really liked the book and I recommend it. Affiliate links mean if you buy something I get a small percentage – which will be going into my Salumi fund.
So sorry you missed it! I think it’s good to have unfinished business, though, in a city that you plan on returning to. Now you already have at least one thing on the agenda for your next time in Seattle!
Pooooobre!
If it makes you feel better, there would have been a long line at Salumi if it had been open, so maybe you wouldn’t have had time anyway. Get the porchetta sandwich next time. Pike Place Market has hidden-away places that have locally sourced food. Maybe you could go with a native, when you have more time to spend, and you could feel the charm. Ask to see their favorites. Love the photos.
Oh no! Ayngelina, you’ll simply have to plan another trip to Seattle! Everything at Salumi’s is incredible but there’s nothing like the porchetta sandwich – it almost makes me sad I’m vegetarian now. 🙁
So sad! And I understand the feeling of being crushed by something you really wanted to eat, only to find it’s out of your reach…
I was in Seattle about 4.5 years ago and went to Salumi just as they were closing for the day, but luckily I snuck in there and grabbed a to-go box of sausage in tomato sauce… and it was insanely delicious! You’ve got to go back someday!
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I forgot about Salumi….I walked by it on my way to work for 2 1/2 years and haven;t thought about it since I left home. :/ A for effort on trying to get there…and it’s true, the lines are often ridiculous and you may not have been able to make it anyway. I only went when I had a lot of extra time for lunch…which was never…
You must go back to Seattle just to eat there! I had the best Meatball Sandwich of my life there. They out hunks of shredded pork in it. Delicious!
Oh man! I’m so sorry to hear about that experience! Maybe they’ll send you some by airmail if you ask nicely?!
Something I’ve been slowly learning about travel: you’ll always miss out on something. There’s no way to truly do it all.
Oh dear! I know how much that sucks! But to be frank I visited the Pike Market & there were a few shops in there that totally made my day! I don’t know why you hated it.
Ooooh we are heading to Seattle as part of our honeymoon in 2014! mmmmm…..salumi…..
Oh that’s disappointing. This sort of happened to me when I was in New Orleans. I wanted to go to the Backstreet Cultural Museum and I waited until my last morning there to visit. I got there and the museum was closed – I found out later that because the museum is run from the owner’s home it’s best to call ahead, which I hadn’t done. It was my big regret for that trip (aside from not having more time because there’s a lot I wanted to see/do in New Orleans). Funny enough I won a contest to New Orleans a few months later, and got to go back for a short weekend trip. The Backstreet Cultural Museum was my one must-do on that trip, and I made sure to call ahead to make sure the museum was opened. It was, and I got to go and it was amazing. So don’t be too hard on yourself, because I’ve found out that sometimes you’re lucky enough to go back somewhere and see (some of) what you missed out on the first time.
Seattle is waiting for my Arrival in January, I am excited for that
Booooo!! I’ve had that happen with museums more often than I’d like.
Where is Salumi in relation to Pike’s Place? An easy public transport ride? I’ll be in Seattle in a month and staying very close to Pike’s Place.
ehalvey. Pike Place Market is only 5-6 blocks from Salumi, which is in Pioneer Square, the oldest part of Seattle. You can walk there or take the bus.
I walked in about 20 minutes, it was an easy route.