A fruit bowl to remember

Treed Cafe

1418 N.W. 70th St.

784-9404

Open 11 a.m. -10 p.m.

http://www.treedcafe.com/

7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday (closed for vacation in August)

Cash or check only

By Patricia Devine and Jim Anderson

Nestled deep in the hidden Northwest 70th Avenue neighborhood just off the Ballard's busy 15th, Treed offers a quiet, potato-ey oasis just a block from rush hour traffic. Customers walking into the sunny and friendly Treed Caf/ are greeted by yellow and orange sponge-painted walls, breezy and open environs and Rajneeshie striped tablecloths (colors of the sunset), all adding up to one cheery establishment. A collection of colorful tandoori pots decorates the windowsills. The floor is the old wood original, and the wooden table and chairs are mismatched, as are the coffee cups. The downright neighborly feeling of the caf/ evokes memories of the friendly 60s alternative cafes, with all-comers welcome, no dress code, and wholesome, fresh-cooked food.

This neighborhood has come a long way from the old Guardsman Tavern days, when darts teams spilled out onto the street, with tavern doors propped open and the smell of smoke and bud billowing out. Instead, the area has become one of the most fertile neighborhoods in Ballard, with its array of pre and post natal businesses, and the hosting of the annual mommy festival celebration Grace-A-Palooza, held earlier in July. Also featured on this block is the newly opened Honore Bakery (where the pastries are already getting a good reputation), along with the always mysterious Tarasco restaurant just across the street.

Standouts on the Treed Caf/ menu are the grilled vegetables ($3.50) and the fresh fruit bowl ($6, enough for two). We're able to construct a nice little vegetable sandwich by piling the grilled vegetables onto nice slices of old-school wheat bread. Seasonal, perfectly ripe strawberries, blueberries and pear tumble together into a colorful melange - this is truly a fruit bowl to remember.

Intriguing (but not exactly what we expect from the menu description) is the Breakfast Sandwich ($9.25), billed as two eggs (it looks more like six!), bacon and cheese on an organic ciabatta roll. Instead it appears to be a large plate-filling omelet, overlaid with strips of bacon and lots of cheese, then all served on a smallish bun dwarfed by the egg-bacon component. The result is whimsical and funny looking. Rather than a sandwich that could be picked up and eaten, this is a full-sized item, filling a dinner plate and at least two stomachs. Scrambled eggs and bacon spill out the edges of the roll and offer a hearty and fresh welcome to the day, in the way only eggs and bacon can.

Potatoes are royalty here, and this is another way that Treed resembles the folksy and funky 60s breakfast establishment. While we don't order "Dave's Breakfast Potatoes," we catch a glimpse, and it's bountiful. Potatoes and lots of fresh vegetables are topped with sour cream and scallions with ham, bacon, sausage or extra vegetables. We worry about Dave, and wonder what he will do now that his breakfast potatoes have been brought to Treed, but we assume he is in good shape and that he has more at home.

Lunch is also served at Treed Caf/, and the menu has a nice Moroccan touch with roasted vegetables and couscous. The smell of the food is fragrant, blending potatoes, breakfast meats, grilled vegetables, and the aroma of dark and rich coffee. The ambience is not loud, but with pleasant jazz music and the sound of quiet conversation. We hear that the very nice owner is going to Morocco and Spain until September, but the establishment will be back in full swing then.

Tidbits: Ocho's new patio is open! In the space vacated by Market Street Grill, Via Verde has moved in, offering pizza and pasta. Market Street Grill had its day, and we'll miss the cocktail focus. There's also a new place, the Sun Caf/, opening in one of our favorite places, the 65th Street Gulch, across 6th Avenue from Sambar.