|
Talk about a hidden gem in Seattle. The Little Red Hen is hidden in the Green Lake neighborhood, which makes it a short jaunt from my house. We went with friends, and what a blast. I'd not been...
Talk about a hidden gem in Seattle. The Little Red Hen is hidden in the Green Lake neighborhood, which makes it a short jaunt from my house. We went with friends, and what a blast. I'd not been there before the city-wide non-smoking ban when into place, and from what I understand it used to be so smoky you couldn't find your way through the place.
I'm from the midwest, so from a red-stater's perspetive, this is a honkytonk in every sense of the word. It's great fun, whether you like country music or not. It's not a pickup scene, and you'll find all ages in the place. They're open 7 days a week, with different things happening each night: free dance lessons on Sundays, Mondays, & Tuesdays (trust me, the regulars know how to MOVE); Karaoke on Wednesdays; and rotating local cover bands every Friday and Saturday.
You won't notice at first, but the regulars are the ones to watch. Talk about dancing; all shapes and sizes, and they know what they're doing. You can identify them by their apparel: cowboy hats, boots (ropers & kickers), and wranglers. The regulars can also identify you as a "poser" if you show up with your new cowboy hat and boots and don't really fit the part. If you go, make sure you don't look like a member of the Village People.
It gets busy on the weekend, and the place says it holds 168 people or 16,800 chickens (seriously). If you go, I would suggest arriving before 8:00 to be sure you can at least get in the door. Go earlier if you want a table. The bands will generally start playing at 9:00 or thereafter, and the place gets jumping.
Also, if you run into someone named "Rahul", don't let him buy you shots.
Hide
|
|
No offense to the high raters, but OCB is just plain wrong. It represents all that is bad in food consumption in America.
Whenever my parents or in-laws are in town, we have to go to this place....
No offense to the high raters, but OCB is just plain wrong. It represents all that is bad in food consumption in America.
Whenever my parents or in-laws are in town, we have to go to this place. I've had to make the trek to this place several times, and each time there was a significant line of people. Oddly enough, it looked like other locals with their parents and/or in-laws from out of town.
We're packed into a place that seats something like 250 people at one time. We proceed like cattle to the food, where we have our pick of everything under the sun. You can *always* get what you need at the salad bar, because the line forms by the good stuff -- fried chicken, fried biscuits, fried steak, fried potatoes, and probably fried fries. You have to be aggressive in your food acquisition; politeness is a sign of weakness. If not, you'll know how the smallest piglet feels trying to feed from the momma sow.
After you roll through two plates of whatever, you toss them aside for the rotating staff to pick up, and you stroll back to get either (a) another plate, or (b) a plate full of dessert. In either case, by the time you get done, you're so full that you're sore. To make matters worse, your parents probably paid for dinner, but then you have to deal with the "get your money's worth" guilt they dish out.
I will give OCB credit, though. They fill the place up, and their sneeze guards seem to be made of real glass. Pretty classy, eh?
Hide
|
|
I admit it, I'm a carnivore and I appreciate a good brat. Not many places in Seattle specialize in these, or at least what I've found. (Hint: if you have a suggestion, please review.)
Diggity...
I admit it, I'm a carnivore and I appreciate a good brat. Not many places in Seattle specialize in these, or at least what I've found. (Hint: if you have a suggestion, please review.)
Diggity Dog is that quirky little place that sits close to Green Lake, near the old Honeybear Ham place. They serve up a variety of brats of different types, along with the standard dogs. Their side condiment bar is actually very good. (1) It's clean, and (2) they have a bunch of different mustards, mayos, hot sauce, etc. plus all the onions, cheese, kraut and other toppings so you can build your dog just so.
I haven't been in a while, but may be returning more often now that I know they have a play area in the back of the place. So, I could have another great brat while letting the kids occupy themselves.
I had the Bavarian, which was very good, though next time I'm looking for something a bit more spicey. The salmon sausage looks good as well, but who are you kidding? Get the real stuff if you can.
Hide
|
|
This coming from a certified red-meat connoisseur. Now, to be fair, I had the steak salad, but a salad nonetheless. It was not only well-done, but done well.
They didn't overdo the dressing;...
This coming from a certified red-meat connoisseur. Now, to be fair, I had the steak salad, but a salad nonetheless. It was not only well-done, but done well.
They didn't overdo the dressing; some places, the lettuce literally floats. They had a side of blue-cheese crumbles, which was handy because I like a little of that but not too much. The steak was the *right* amount as well; not just a few nominal bites, but also not a porterhouse laying on a bed of lettuce.
I'm sure there are other fascinating things on the menu, but I was in the mood for a salad, and it was freakin' good.
Hide
|
|
I know it's used clothes, but they donate proceeds to charity to protect animals.
I know it doesn't feed your Lucky Brands clothing addiction, but maybe some used threads will help you kick the...
I know it's used clothes, but they donate proceeds to charity to protect animals.
I know it doesn't feed your Lucky Brands clothing addiction, but maybe some used threads will help you kick the actual habit. ;-)
Hide
|
|
Volterra
Category:
Restaurants
5411 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, Washington 98107
(425) 336-1679
My wife and I had the rare night to ourselves (twin 4-year olds got to stay at home with Kyla the sitter.) Looking for a chance to sit down and have a meal where we weren't doing the cooking, the...
My wife and I had the rare night to ourselves (twin 4-year olds got to stay at home with Kyla the sitter.) Looking for a chance to sit down and have a meal where we weren't doing the cooking, the serving, the cleaning and the monitoring was welcome. We wanted to be sure we could find a place worthy of the task. We made reservations for a Tuesday evening at this place down in Ballard, and hoped for the best.
Volterra did not disappoint. Great atmosphere, not too crowded or crammed into the small space they have, and an enjoyable place for some friendly adult conversation. The menu was a broad selection of Italian dishes, with a leaning to Tuscan-style cooking. Lots of offerings outside the typical pasta bowls. A very expansive and polished wine list to boot.
On top of it, the wait staff was outstanding. The service was very very good, both in terms of execution as well as menu knowledge and recommendations.
We had reservations, so we were good when we showed up. They have a decent size lounge where you can grab a full meal, but the place was full both when we arrived and after we left. If you want to go, I highly suggest reservations, otherwise you'll be waiting for a seat.
This was a great find for us, we'll return again as soon as our sitter is up to the task.
Hide
|
|
If you're looking to have fun on one of the lakes around Seattle, the Electric Boat Company is a great way to go about it. They rent the neatest electric boats, which are different from your...
If you're looking to have fun on one of the lakes around Seattle, the Electric Boat Company is a great way to go about it. They rent the neatest electric boats, which are different from your standard boat with an outboard motor. They're positioned on Lake Union, and rental rules require you to stay in that body of water; so, no traversing over to Lake Washington or out into the Sound.
Think of an electric golf cart, but with seating for 12 people (no kidding, I've done it). The boats are anywhere from 20 to 24 feet long, and are similar to a pontoon. The boats are equipped with bench seating, a center table, and canopies. Everything is removable, so they can be used rain or shine. They're set to run at a maximum of 7 knots, which is the no wake limit in certain parts of Lake Union.
They rent by the hour for two hours at a minimum. You can bring on your own coolers and food, or you can stop by any of the restaurants on the water (think Ivar's on the north end of Lake Union). We liked them so much, we bought a season pass. The boats have heaters on them, so we can use them year-round.
They're a family-run operation and are great people to deal with. I highly recommend them.
Hide
|
|
This is a great little resort here in Washington, lots of different things around to see and do. The resort isn't really setup to be an attraction for those with tiny ones, but the accommodations...
This is a great little resort here in Washington, lots of different things around to see and do. The resort isn't really setup to be an attraction for those with tiny ones, but the accommodations are comfortable so it certainly doesn't preclude it.
It's a pretty inclusive place: spa, health club, and golf course. However, it's perfectly useful as that low-key, just relax out on the patio or poolside or whatever you want to do.
Hide
|
|
There's barbecue, then there's Gates. More than just a good place to grab a bite to eat, Gates is more on the order of a cultural icon in the world of barbecuing.
The original Gates BarBQ...
There's barbecue, then there's Gates. More than just a good place to grab a bite to eat, Gates is more on the order of a cultural icon in the world of barbecuing.
The original Gates BarBQ location is down in the city, but has expanded as the Kansas City area has grown into suburbia. Nonetheless, the Gates family has grown the business and kept the old-school values that put it on the map in the first place.
When you go, you'll see plenty of traditional BBQ fare as menu offerings, but don't kid yourself, YOU ARE THERE FOR THE RIBS. Repeat after me: I'll take the slab. Please.
I can't do the flavor justice in this posting, it would be the electronic equivalent of proposing marriage over email -- sometimes you just have to do things in person.
Hide
|
|
Van
Category:
Construction & Repair
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 722-0666
See my other review of Van. Super reliable, reasonable rates. Highly recommended.
See my other review of Van. Super reliable, reasonable rates. Highly recommended.
Hide
|