Mr. Believables

A new restaurant is opening on Memorial Day weekend in Friday Harbor called Mr. Believables.

“My last name is Beliveau, which autocorrect always changes to ‘Believable’,” said co-owner Jake Beliveau, explaining the business title. He and his wife, Molly Prima have been busy remodeling the former Rumor Mill space, as well as catering and selling homemade potato chips and handcrafted sodas, among other foods at the Saturday farmers market. Mr. Believables will be open Wednesday through Monday, 4 p.m. – 11 p.m., after the late ferry to accommodate those tired hungry arrivers. Beliveau explained that they are setting up their website to enable people to order food from Anacortes so that the meal will be ready and waiting when they get off the boat, and take out will be available.

The menu will consist of fried chicken, as well as several barbecue styles, including a Texas brisket, according to Beliveau. There will be plenty for vegetarians and vegans to eat as well.

“Just because it’s a barbecue place doesn’t mean we only serve piles of meat,” said Prima.

Macaroni and cheese, meatless meatloaf as well as a vegan eggplant dish with a crust made of seeds and nuts and baked in a red pepper sauce are just a few of those options. The menu will include daily and weekly specials utilizing seasonal produce.

“We have already sat down with several local farmers,” said Prima, explaining that ingredients will be as local as possible.

Rumor Mill’s full bar will remain, as well as musical entertainment Friday and Saturday nights, but Beliveau and Prima said they are also planning on expanding live performances to comedy, theater and poetry. Beliveau has been considering the idea of having a murder mystery evening as well, but he said, he hasn’t figured out exactly how such an event would work.

Board games will be on hand. The couple are advocates of interactive activities rather than staring at cellphones not engaging with one another, they said.

“We want to provide more stuff for people to do,” Prima said, “especially in the winter.”

For more information, visit the Mr. Believables booth at the farmers market.

Hermosa

Tucked away in the alley behind the Golden Triangle and Lavender, a new Mexican restaurant, Hermosa, is now offering fresh tamales and street tacos. Hermosa is Spanish for beautiful, as in beautiful Mexican food.

“We have been doing this for 14 years in Seattle,” said co-owner Karyn Moreno, explaining that they also catered and had a booth in the cities farmers market and worked with local farmers. She is looking forward to meeting and working with island farmers soon. They have been so busy since moving to the community, however, she and her husband Ernest Moreno have yet to put up a sign.

“I have it, I just have not had time to install it,” she laughed.

Currently, Hermosa is open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., but closed on Tuesdays. Over Memorial Day weekend, however, they will extend their hours to be open on Tuesdays as well. During the summer, hours will go until 8 p.m. with the bar upstairs will remain open until at least 10 p.m. The bar will have a separate menu, featuring Mexican-style appetizers like nachos, Moreno said.

As for the restaurant menu, burrito and burrito grande are also popular, and the restaurant does orders to-go. Hermosa’s frozen packages of tamales have been so popular they are by pre-order only, Moreno added. One thing that sets these tamales apart from others is that they are unsteamed.

“Most frozen tamales are bought already steamed, so after the customer steams them, they are steamed twice and not as fresh,” Moreno said.

Islanders have also discovered and are ordering up the Tamarrito, a special Moreno creation, consisting of a burrito grande with a fried tamale inside.

Looking to the future, they will begin offering dessert tamales, using seasonal fruits, garnished with creme fraiche.

They are also developing an area of Asian-Mexican fusion dishes, like Chinese barbecue pork tacos, Asian slaw and asparagus leek tamales.

In the meantime, the couple is enjoying the slower pace of island life and the people.

“This is a great community,” Moreno exclaimed.

For more information, call Hermosa at 360-622-8714, or email hermosacafe@gmail.com.

Friday Harbor Boat Rentals

For those who want to get out on the water for the day or even a few hours, beginning mid-April, Friday Harbor Boat Rentals, located on the Spring Street dock below Downriggers Restaurant, will be offering hourly to weekly rentals.

“Our smaller skiffs will be available by the hour. Our larger boats will be available for longer trips,” said owner Noah Easterbook, adding that they will also offer equipment such as crab pots and fishing poles and possibly even camping gear like tents for those that need it. His fleet currently consists of five newer vessels, including sailboats and powerboats, in assorted sizes.

“Our package deals will have a range of different options, in order to accommodate many different situations,” Easterbrook said, varying from quick fishing or crabbing trips to camping trips on the outer islands, or renting a boat for a week while visiting the San Juans.

Washington state requires all boat operators have a boater’s license. Through the state Parks and Recreation Commission, however, according to Easterbrook, it is possible to take essentially a crash course in boating and receive a license good for one day. To learn more about classes and other state boating requirements, visit the commission’s website at http://parks.state.wa.us/442/Mandatory-Boater-Education.

As of press day, April 2, Easterbrook noted his business website, fridayharborboatrentals.com, is still under construction but should be up and running in approximately one week. A Facebook page will be coming soon as well.

Easterbrook anticipates his busy season being from April to September. During those months, Friday Harbor Boat Rental would serve walk-up, spur-of-the-moment customers. He would like to make rentals available by reservation only, as weather permits, during the offseason.

Originally from San Fransico, California, Easterbrook has lived on San Juan Island for nine years, working in the restaurant industry. With sailors as parents, the boating world has been an integral part of his life.

“I’m excited to get back on the water,” he said.

For more information, contact Friday Harbor Boat Rentals at 360-317-5578.

Hardened Arms

Hardened Arms, a company located at 515 Tucker Ave, has products on their website ranging from AR-15 rifles to T-shirts that say, “We live free because of the Brave.”

According to their website, the business machines all of their barrels, hand guards, gas blocks and many other parts in-house to ensure the highest quality materials and state of the art coatings at factory direct prices.

For more information, visit www.hardenedarms.com.

General manager Cali Bagby contributed to this article.

Staff photo/Heather Spaulding The owners of Mr. Believables.