Andante!

While not in Seattle exactly, I couldn’t pass up a review of Andante Coffeehouse on lovely Bainbridge Island, just a 35 minute ferry ride due west of Seattle. Bainbridge is a little hamlet of a town, full of art galleries, bakeries, boutiques, and restaurants, all charmingly laid out along Winslow Way, just a short walk from the ferry terminal.

If you wander just one block off of Winslow Way, onto B’june Drive (B’june, by the way, happened to be my mother’s closest friend when I was a child), you’ll stumble upon “A is for Artist” Art Cooperative, a fantastic candy shop with locally made fudge and classic old candies, and snuggled in between, Andante.

The atmosphere in Andante invites you to sit and stay a while. A few steps below street level, yet walled with windows, it’s cozy and bright at the same time. Always filled with people chatting, reading the newspaper, working on their computers, or reading, Andante is also a great place to bring your dice or cards, for leisurely games over steamy, frothy, robust and smooth lattes. Did I say I like their coffee? The service is great, and the snacks are delicious, from locally made quiches and baked goods, to other savory delights. We also enjoyed a moist chewy brownie, topped with bright pink candy cane frosting…good to the last crumb.

Although Noel beat me at Farkle, and I also lost at Phase Ten, I enjoyed a fantastic latte on a chilly winter afternoon on lovely Bainbridge Island. It’s truly worth the ferry ride.