Crab legs, live music and food trucks celebrating their love for Seattle & Seafood
Since 1974. 44 years old and this is the first time we’ve met.
My sister and her husband went last year and raved about it. Huh.
Do I like Ballard? Mostly. Do I like seafood? Mostly. I guess I would try it out this year.
Some of their promises: Crab Shack, Live Music, Beer Garden.
They delivered.
We were greeted with over 50 food trucks. That’s right, 50+. We walked through the main drag which included Paella, Acai Bowls, Fried Catfish, and Strawberry Shortcake stands. We continued past the stands until we reached the main event… Or at least, OUR main event: The Crab.
Fresh King Crab=My kind Of Heaven.
Because this is a festival, things get weird and new rules apply.
The rules here
- Stand in a line to buy tokens for crab.
- Walk a few yards to stand in a new line where you exchange your token for said crab.
These rules were totally okay with us because both of these lines moved quickly.
The crab
Price: $15
Portion: a leg and a half
Preparation: hot, pre-cracked.
Sides: unlimited butter and lemon Juice
Worth: Priceless
What makes it fun? There’s a specific table just for the crab goers to eat at. Imagine 20+ people standing around a huge table in a tent, all digging into their crab together. What makes it even better? They have two sinks for you to wash your hands in nearby. Because crab hands are not fun, after you have finished eating.
Did
we walk around and eat more snacks after our crab? You betcha.
Group choices of the day: Fried PB&J, Spam Musubi, Al Pastor Tacos,
Lemongrass Chicken. Good enough to photograph and share here? Nah. But
nonetheless, fun to snack around and try a bunch of different stuff.
Beer Garden
Lots of beer. LOUD music.
Here we return to our silly festival rules.
The rules here
- Stand in a line to buy tokens for drinks
- Walk a few yards to stand in a new line where you exchange your token for said drinks
20 local breweries, distilleries, cider houses and wineries present in one place.
Price: $7 for beer/ cider, $10 for cocktails/ wine
Expensive? A little. Worth it to sit outside with your friends, while you listen to free live music? Yeah, okay.
What did I decide to go with? An absolutely lovely Blood Orange Session IPA from Lucky Envelope Brewing. I’ve had many meetings with many IPA’s who told me they would deliver a blood orange flavor, but they’ve all lied in comparison with this new guy. I felt like I was drinking the juice from a blood orange, no joke. 5.0% ABV, 29 IBU, please try it. It’s the perfect summer beer. I’d never heard of this brewery before, but after this lovely beer, it is on my list of breweries to visit.
A beer in my belly and I was ready for dessert. I had spotted Seattle Pops earlier on in the day and I knew I was going to return to have one of their sweets. To finish the day: Blueberries and Cream popsicle.
Let me tell you this; blueberry overload. You gosh darn better love blueberries if you’re going to get this bad girl pop. The color is exactly what comes to mind when you hear the phrase: purple, people eater. Not too sweet, not really tart but somehow, it’s the perfect mix of blueberries and cream. Thus, this sweet pop delivers its name to the T.
Why do I love Seattle Pops?
They NEVER use artificial flavors or coloring. They DO use minimal ingredients. They use fresh, seasonal and local ingredients and organic cane sugar. If a Pop was a minimalist, Seattle Pop would be its name.
Have you tried a Seattle Pop? Let me know!
Ballard Seafoodfest. One weekend, once a year. Here’s to seeing you there in 2019, 2020 and beyond.
