Maltby Cafe - 01/13/2008

Maltby Cafe
8809 Maltby Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296

For the first time in months and months, I slept in. It was great. I watched a couple episodes of SpongeBob and didn't even roll out of bed until noon. To my surprise when I looked outside, it was sunny! This instantly elevated my mood ten-fold.

Not only was this the first time in a while for sleeping in, it was also the first time Judy's had some time to herself in months. I was looking forward to just a few hours to myself. No work. No peeps. Just Judy.

I know some people that say they could never go out and eat by themselves. I really don't mind at all. Sometimes I find that there is nothing more peaceful than me at a table by myself and some sort of reading material. I told myself this morning that I was going to tackle "War and Peace" in peace.

I've driven by the Maltby Cafe several times. I was really lucky that it was so sunny out. I really enjoyed the 20 minute drive out to Snohomish. When I arrived, I was scared. Even though it was so late in the day, I still had to parade into the restaurant with about half a dozen of people ahead of me and behind me. They were buuuuusssssyyyyyy.

But luckily for the lone ranger they had counter seating. I walked right in and didn't even have to wait. After a scare with the really wobbly seat, I settled down with my much needed cup of coffee. My eyes honed in on the Maltby Bread Fruit French Toast. "Two thick slices of Maltby bread French toast topped with fruit (seasonal) and Maltby crème fraîche."

The seasonal fruit for the day was marionberry. I asked for the berries on the side. Not too sweet, not too tart, not too pulverized. The crème fraîche was surprisingly different. I've never had crème fraîche like the Maltby's. I guess it was more of a whipped crème fraîche. Nothing like what I've had before. Very sweet and almost buttery.

What the heck is crème fraîche (krem-fresh) you ask? Merriam-Webster says it's, "heavy cream thickened and slightly soured with buttermilk and often served on fruit". Most crème fraîche I've tried have always had the consistancy of yogurt or sour cream. I would describe it as a not so tart, slighty sweet sour cream. I was really puzzled by the Maltby crème fraîche. I kepted scooping some up with my knife and licking it. Ultimately I decided that the Maltby crème fraîche tasted like what happens to my sweetened whipped cream when I over beat it. I guess it was pretty good.

On a somewhat related note. You can get the world's biggest cinnamon roll at the Maltby. That thing was bigger than my head. Unfortunately, it did not compare to their French toast. Supposedly the Maltby Cafe is famous for their cinnamon roll. But trust me, get the French Toast.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Js