It's a gorgeous day in Seattle, and I'm headed south on a road trip with my friend Jenny, who's moving to Houston.

She had her first Seattle coffee here two years ago, and now she's having her last -- as a resident. It's a tall nonfat latte, and she's tasting the cinnamon notes this morning.

I'm sorely tempted by the vegan brownie by Domovoi Happy Foods, owned by former Victrola barista Curt Waller. He launched Domovoi in 2007 and now sells brownies, wraps, sandwiches and salads at 21 Seattle spots including Victrola, Fuel and Tougo.

The key to his super rich vegan brownies is Earth Balance buttery spread. My other pressing question was about the name Domovoi. "It's from Slavic mythology, a protective spirit of the home," Waller told me last week. "It has personal meaning, because when I was a teenager and young adult, I made newspaper dolls and I called them that. I made hundreds and left them everywhere I went as good luck charms. It's a good symbol for food because it's a litttle man who lives under the stove."

Check out a drawing of a domovoi at Waller's web site.

Here's where I'm hangin' before we head south:

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