Update: You can now buy their cookbook via Amazon and make these delicious dishes at home!

Oliver and I planned a weekend in October of 2012 to stay at Willows Inn on Lummi Island near Bellingham, but could not secure a dinner reservation for that night.  And, although the place is super cool, it was all about the delicious food for us.  So, we changed our date to December 1 and enjoyed a lovely getaway close to our home.

Lummi is an beautiful island near Bellingham that is only accessible by boat or ferry.  The car ferry holds maybe 15 cars and runs daily.

It was a super windy day – whitecaps, waves blowing up onto the ferry, birds not only taking advantage of the breeze, but also tucking themselves in to stay warm.

We stayed in the Heather Room, which is located above the main lodge.  The room was cozy and had this amazing steam shower that I would love to duplicate in my house when we move back to Everett.

The lovely dining room

The meal is structured with larger dinner items and snacks along the way.  Here was our dinner menu on December 1, 2012.

• Baked sunflower root
• Crispy crepe with salmon roe
• Pickled oyster with sorrel
• Whole baked celery root with chestnuts and horseradish
• Toasted kale with truffles and rye
• Smoked salmon
• Grilled onions with grapes and thyme
• Weathervane scallops and arugula
• Hearth bread with pan drippings
• Dungeness crab with pickled kelp and brown butter
• Crispy halibut skins with razor clams
• Roasted leg of lamb with forest mushrooms
• Shittake over fire
• Flax bite
• Frozen quince
• Sweet pumpkin with fresh cheese and pine

The wines paired with our meal were mostly from the Pacific Northwest including FX Pichler Gruner Veitliner (Austria), Mt. Baker Vineyards (Washington), Buty (Washington), Boedecker Cellars (Oregon), and Domaine Huel Vouvray (France).  They also start the meal with fresh made pear drinks, which were delightful.

Sunflower Root

Oysters

Smoked salmon – smoked on the property

Dungeness crab

Prosciutto

Celery root with chestnuts

Grilled onions

Scallop

Kale

Hearth bread

Crispy halibut skins with clams

Mushroom and Lamb

Shittake mushrooms

Frozen quince

Sweet pumpkin with fresh cheese

It was a delightful meal – so tasty, fresh, creative, and relaxing.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would recommend the pairing of the meal with the wines they offer.  It certainly wasn’t an inexpensive meal, but a memorable one, and we would return.  One tip – if you are interested in eating dinner here, preference is given to guests staying at the lodge.  It may be worthwhile to stay over night so you have a better chance at getting a seat in the intimate dining room.

The Willows Inn recently was featured as the secret escape.  Perhaps it’s time for your getaway. 🙂