A Sweet Posie grows in Ballard

Ballard is fast becoming Seattle's breakfast epicenter. Fans of the most important meal of the day have a wealth of options, among them the hearty breakfasts served at the Hi-Life, the excellent weekend brunches at Volterra and the weekday take-away choices at Café Besalu. Vera's, Senor Moose Cafe, Hattie's Hat, Nervous Nellie's, The Dish, Wild Mountain Café and even Cupcake Royale all offer a tasty breakfast. If the bars and clubs of Belltown and Capitol Hill hold the franchise on Seattle nightlife, the cafes and restaurants of Ballard have a lock on curing the town's collective hangover.

Into this crowded, all-star field comes Café Sweet Posie, a tiny grab-and-go joint -- too small, even, for chairs and tables -- that's destined to become one of Ballard's top breakfast spots. Its menu is limited, with only a case of sweet and savory baked goods and a brief salad and sandwich menu to provide sustenance with one's organic coffee. That being said, those few items are almost indescribably delicious, in addition to being wholly organic and in many cases gluten-free or vegan.

On a recent trip, I grabbed four items, which I shared my co-workers. One was a scone with a tangy raspberry filling; it vanished almost immediately. A pair of muffins, one made with applesauce and one with fresh corn, disappeared soon after, with scarcely a crumb left over. The last item, a slice of the most remarkable coffee cake I've had in some time, hung around for an hour, but only because no one wanted it to go away; we cut thin pieces of it and ate them slowly, savoring every last morsel. It was a proper feeding frenzy, and in its wake we were struck mute; we could only stare at the empty bag that had produced the items, wishing that voters had approved that monorail line to Ballard.

Those who'd like something more substantial have the option of ordering a boxed breakfast or lunch that will create a similar frenzy in your place of employment. With 36 hours' notice, you can order a ham, egg and Gruyere sandwich on an English muffin; a caramelized onion, arugula, red pepper and cheddar quiche; or a stack of good old buttermilk pancakes, each served with fresh fruit and a beverage. Sweet Posie is, at its heart, a catering operation, and their breakfasts are as tasty as they are transportable. The boxed lunch menu, with its gourmet sandwiches and salads, is similarly good.

But even if you haven't the time to preorder something, there's much at Sweet Posie that will keep you going until lunchtime. You may even consider grabbing a second muffin and forgoing lunch entirely. It's the way of things in Breakfastville.