Skip to content

Food We Love: The Best Toast with Jam in Seattle

Thick slices of Japanese milk bread act as the perfect vehicle for this stellar jam

By Chelsea Lin November 7, 2019

_JC_4496_NEW

This article originally appeared in the November 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the November 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

Alessandra Gordon’s shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, is so good that neighborhood kids save their allowance to buy a slice ($6) from her Ayako & Family booth at local farmers markets. Gordon’s mother is responsible for Ayako’s local fame, drawing customers with her sweet-tart plum jam, made from heritage and hybrid varieties. When Gordon took over and started selling at the year-round Ballard and U-District farmers markets in 2017, she added shokupan to their offerings. She says it’s a taste from her childhood in Japan. I say it’s a perfectly simple comfort food for all ages: thick-cut slices, buttered and griddled to order, topped with your choice of jam (get the exceptional damson plum). Saturdays at the University District Farmers Market, Sundays at the Ballard Farmers Market.

Follow Us

Restaurant Roundup: Game-Day Brunch and Last Calls 

Restaurant Roundup: Game-Day Brunch and Last Calls 

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

January is a month of reinvention and fresh starts—and Autumn Seattle in Phinney Ridge is taking that idea and running with it. The restaurant’s last day of service will be tomorrow (Jan. 17), but in the first week of February, it will reopen as GH Pasta & Pizza. Executive chef and restaurateur Brian Clevenger wants…

Restaurant Roundup: Mocktails, Blindfolds, and an Oyster Soiree

Restaurant Roundup: Mocktails, Blindfolds, and an Oyster Soiree

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Making dinner reservations, like New Year’s resolutions, means looking ahead and committing to something without being entirely sure of the outcome. To help you know what you’re signing up for in your forays into Seattle’s dining scene, the newly minted Resy Hit List has some valuable tips on where to focus your efforts. Taking the…

5 Things to Eat in January 

5 Things to Eat in January 

Make trying a neighborhood restaurant your New Year's resolution.

It was a long wait to get into Kabul, Wallingford’s longtime favorite Afghan restaurant. This was the last week of service before it shuttered. I have passed by this place for years and even worked at a restaurant across the street. Kabul’s mural of the National Geographic Afghan Girl cover—an image that has come to…

Restaurant Roundup: Christmas Dining and Copine Closing

Restaurant Roundup: Christmas Dining and Copine Closing

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Sometimes the best gift you can receive (or even treat yourself to) is to not have to cook during the holidays, so why not take advantage of the restaurants that are staying open? From Blue Water Bistro in Leschi to Ben Paris downtown and Maximilien in Pike Place Market, there are plenty of options on…