Seattle Times | Pacific Northwest Magazine
November 14, 2004
Island life got that much better when Chef Kevin Warren transformed this Winslow bakery and cafe into an accommodating little bistro. Five years later, Cafe Nola is as appealing to locals as it is to day-trippers intent on treating themselves to a global fusion of bistro fare at lunch, brunch, and dinner. On an early fall evening happy patrons ignored the autumn chill, taking to the patio to sample the chef's monthly "wine picks," a pepper-dusted steak salad with pommes frites or a Balinese vegetable curry. Inside, basking in the glow of candlelight and camaraderie, others made themselves at home in the small, seductive bar, sipping negronis while snacking from a teepee of Kahlua pig skewers and a plateful of butter-bean bruschetta. Linen-draped tables and a bank of skinny booths lead to a small rear dining room where one might make a light meal of island greens or salve a bigger appetite with crisp joints of pan-fried buttermilk chicken or a rousing seafood gumbo.