Local bakery closing its doors

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Maybe you’ve sat at one of the sidewalk tables enjoying a freshly baked pastry and a cup of joe on a sunny Edmonds day. Or, perhaps you’re a regular purveyor of its fine fudge brownies. Either way, there are only a few days left until Brusseau’s Sidewalk Cafe &Bakery closes its doors on March 28.

The European-style cafe and bakery has been a staple in Edmonds for 26 years. Serving up slices or pie and farm-fresh breakfasts, Brusseau’s has tickled the palates of thousands of residents and visitors of the seaside town.

Kathy Stanley, current owner of the cafe and bakery, is working on a cookbook with all the cafe and bakery recipes. Stanley said the cookbook should be available at local Edmonds businesses in late June.

To thank customers for years of patronage, original owner Jerilyn Brusseau and Stanley will great customers from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday.

Together with the auction house James G. Murphy, Brusseau’s will sell everything in the restaurant, from artwork to kitchen equipment. The auction is at 10 a.m., with a preview beginning at 8 a.m., on March 30. The sale is open to the public.

A new restaurant will be opened at the location.

Remaining hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

Brusseau’s Sidewalk Cafe &Bakery is located in downtown Edmonds at 117 Fifth Ave. S.

For information, call 425-774-4166.

Root beer from Everett, Redmond, Issaquah and Tumwater rank among the “10 Best Root Beers in America,” according to a list for 2003 by San Francisco root beer connoisseur and critic Luke Cole.

Cole, who reviews root beers for the Web site www.lukecole.com, said, “(Everett’s) Scuttlebutt was one of the finest root beers in the country last year, based on our reviews of over 75 root beers.”

Scuttlebutt Brewery is a microbrewery, and the root beer was noted for its spiciness and “rootiness.”

Root beer, an American invention, was created by American Indians and settlers as a medicinal beverage.

Charles Hires is generally credited for popularizing and commercializing root beer in the late 19th century. During Prohibition in the ’20s and early ’30s, many beer drinkers switched to the non-alcoholic beverage.

Root beer drinking declined in the 1960s when sassafrol, a main ingredient in the sassafras root, was found to cause cancer. Brewers now use sassafrol-free ingredients.

Cole reviews more than 75 brands of root beer from more than 25 states, ranging from homemade root beers only available in restaurants to national brands. The 10 best root beers were from seven different states, with Washington home to four of the brands.

The 10 Best Root Beers in America for 2003, in order, are:

Gale’s, Chicago, Ill.,

Bulldog, Fresno, Calif.,

Route 66 Malt Shop, Albuquerque, New Mexico,

Abita, Abita Springs, Louisiana,

Americana, Redmond,

XXX, Issaquah,

Henry Weinhard, Tumwater,

Sprecher Breweries, Glendale, Wis.,

Stewart’s, Denver, Colo.,

Scuttlebutt Brewery, Everett.

Vegfest, the third annual healthy vegetarian food festival, takes place 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion.

Sample free foods from more than 80 companies, view cooking demonstrations from chefs throughout the country, and get the latest information on nutrition from speakers.

A large selection of books, including, “Veg-Feasting in the Pacific Northwest,” will be available for sale. There is also a new kid’s tasting section this year.

Admission is $5, kids are free. For information, call 206-706-2635 or visit www.vegfest2004.org.