We’re back for 2026, and this time we’re ordering boldly and asking better questions.
Living Snoqualmie will still be making its way through Valley restaurants, saying yes to the cocktail list and absolutely not skipping dessert, but now each table includes a guest from the Valley who’s doing something worth talking about. The food still takes center stage. The difference is who’s sitting across from it.
Our first guest couldn’t be a better fit for a column that believes in showing up for your community. Susan Burk has spent the last year making sure Valley pets have full bowls, leashes to walk on, beds to sleep in, and toys to drag around the living room.
As one of the founders of Snoqualmie Valley Pet Services, the nonprofit that launched at the end of 2024, she’s been building something that matters for pets and the people who love them across the Valley. We figured that called for good food and better conversation.
We sat down with her at Anejo, a small plates and tequila bar in Snoqualmie, to talk about the first year of SVPS, what’s next, and whether we could get through dinner without ordering a second round. *Spoiler alert, we didn’t.
Añejo has been open since July 2024, tucked just off Railroad Avenue in Snoqualmie. It’s the kind of place that feels polished without trying too hard, with a serious tequila selection, modern finishes, and a patio that earns its keep when the weather shows up. Happy Hour runs from 4 to 6, and the big screens make it clear this is also a place that knows how to have a good time.
The drinks arrived first, as they should.
Susan went with the Fire & Lime Margarita – Lalo Blanco, spicy honey, fresh citrus, agave, and a pink salt rim. “The bomb,” she called it. Not one for fruity drinks, she appreciated that it led with zingy lime and a touch of honey sweetness before the heat made itself known. If you can handle the kick, she says it’s a winner.
I ordered the Maracuyá Pasion – Exótico Blanco, passionfruit puree, fresh citrus, agave, and that same pink salt rim. Fresh and tropical with a noticeable tang, it felt more refreshing than sugary. The tequila gives it structure, and the pink salt rim cuts the sweetness, so it never drifts into dessert territory. Exactly where I wanted to start the evening.
We were barely through our first sips when Susan’s phone buzzed. Then again. She stepped outside to take a call. A community member was in the hospital and needed someone to take her dog. Another neighbor, dealing with social anxiety, needed cat food but couldn’t make it to the pet food bank, so Susan arranged for him to pick it up from her porch instead.
This is what running Snoqualmie Valley Pet Services looks like on a Tuesday night at dinner.
“I love doing this,” she said when she came back. “It’s what I always imagined I’d do, but once I retired, and I’m not there yet. Balancing a full-time job, work, and a nonprofit is tricky sometimes, but I do what I can and know that I can’t do it all.”
Crisp romaine, smoky bacon, creamy blue cheese crumbles, and hard-boiled egg. The Federales Salad made a strong case for itself immediately. The citrus-marinated cherry tomatoes added just enough brightness to keep it from feeling heavy, and the blue cheese dressing coated every bite in that tangy, savory richness that makes you forget you ordered a salad at all. If there’s a heaven, I’m convinced it involves blue cheese and bacon.
Between bites, we got into what surprised Susan most once SVPS was actually up and running. The answer was the pet food bank, which had been founder Dorie’s project before the two organizations combined. “How much pet food is distributed at the pet food bank each month. That was Dorie’s project, but once we combined to form Sno Valley Pet Services, I became more aware of how it worked, who it serves, how much was needed, etc.”
The scale of it changed her thinking in a bigger way, too. She used to believe that if you couldn’t afford a pet, you simply shouldn’t have one. She’ll tell you herself that was narrow-minded. For many people in the Valley, a pet isn’t a luxury. It’s the relationship that holds everything else together.
Owner Marta stopped by as the Street Tacos and Queso-Rito arrived, happy to chat and make sure we had everything we needed.
Three warm corn tortillas filled with seasoned chicken, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, and guacamole, the street tacos were clean and classic, letting the chicken and bright pico carry each bite. My only criticism was that they leaned a little dry, though that may have been self-inflicted since neither of us is a big guacamole fan and likely missed the creaminess it adds.
Our favorite of the night was the Queso-Rito. A flour tortilla drenched in house tomatillo sauce, filled with seasoned taco meat, spicy queso, black beans, fresh pico, and guacamole, creating something warm, saucy, and impossible to eat neatly. Each bite layers heat and creaminess with just enough brightness from the tomatillo to keep it from feeling too heavy. I ate maybe a quarter of it, and it was enough. Susan agreed. “The food was delicious, with my favorite being the queso-rito. It was so good, in fact, I went back within a week to dine there again.”
This is also where the conversation got more honest. Susan was straightforward about what she got wrong early on: taking on harder-to-adopt dogs is difficult, and starting with little money made it stressful. She wanted to do everything and had to accept she couldn’t always. What she wouldn’t change is the work with what she calls their “broken” dogs, finding the right homes for animals that need extra time and patience.
The moment from the past year that stuck with her the most was Batman, a bull-headed rescue who wouldn’t take direction when he arrived. SVPS got him trained with Garry McDonald, who has years of experience working with power breeds and rescue dogs. “He taught Batman to be an obedient dog without breaking his spirit and zest for life.”
Batman is still with SVPS, which surprises Susan. He has some strict home requirements, but he’s been out in the community and collected plenty of admirers. The right adopter just hasn’t come along yet.
Somewhere around the second round, the conversation turned to who had shown up for SVPS in ways Susan didn’t expect.
She knew the community would rally, but local businesses surprised her. Salish Veterinary Hospital, Pet Place Market, Love Bug Pet Boutique, Ace, Mastrogiannis Distillery and Winery, Chickadee Bakeshop, and Pressed on Main all came through.
The North Bend Downtown Foundation made them benefactors of a holiday fundraiser; Real Twin Peaks asked her to create figures for their VIP bags, with proceeds going to SVPS; and Pearl and Stone Wine Co. is currently hosting a fundraising series on their behalf.
That community spirit shows up in the dogs’ stories, too. When North Bend resident Bob Butterfield adopted a dog named Jett, he knew she’d need time and patience to find her footing. He started bringing her to breakfast with his American Legion members, where she learned the group came with kindness, attention, and occasionally bacon. Bob now brings her to community events like Snoqualmie Days and the Mt. Si Festival, stopping by the SVPS booth each time to introduce her to new people.
Marta stopped back by as we were wrapping up, the kind of easy, unhurried check-in that sets the tone for the whole experience at Añejo. The service here feels personal, the dishes came out fast and hot, and she was happy to guide us through the menu from the start.
Añejo feels like one of those places worth the extra turn off the main drag. The portions are generous, the prices are reasonable for the quality, and nothing about the experience feels rushed. Susan put it simply: “The food was excellent, a great value, and was enough for me to take some home for lunch the next day.” She wasn’t exaggerating. She went back within the week.
Añejo Small Plates and Tequila Bar is located at 8032 Falls Avenue Southeast, Suite A, in Snoqualmie, just enough off the beaten path to feel like a find. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram, and when you go, tell Marta that Highly Seasoned Opinions sent you.
Disclaimer – Welcome to our Highly Seasoned Opinions! Just a heads-up: we’re not professional food critics—think of us more as enthusiastic food explorers on a quest to savor every bite the Snoqualmie Valley offers. Our musings are all in good fun, celebrating the vibrant culinary scene around us. So, no harsh critiques here—just genuine, lighthearted tales from our taste buds to yours. And for transparency’s sake, we always pay for our own food.
