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When it comes to deli sandwiches, there's a quantum gap between good and great. If you start at the bottom (days-old vending machine sanwiches in the triangular packages) you can travel to the...
When it comes to deli sandwiches, there's a quantum gap between good and great. If you start at the bottom (days-old vending machine sanwiches in the triangular packages) you can travel to the lower middle (Subway), on through the upper-middle (Quiznos), and still be miles away from a truly excellent sandwich.
While it doesn't quite cross over into the (appropriately rare) 5-star territory, I'm happy to report that Brooklyn Grinder puts a comfortable distance between itself and the best of the offerings introduced above. Quality ingredients, a great range of hot and cold combinations on the menu, handcrafted care and suprisingly warm personal service add up to a top-notch experience. Like Josh H., my personal pick is the Turkey, Bacon & Swiss, but the Rueben, Rachel, and Roast Beef and Cheddar Melt offer tough competition, and that's just in the hot category.
If you live or work near the Ave and value a quality sandwich, Brooklyn Grinder should be on your lunch-break shortlist. Just give 'em a try, you'll see.
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If you're passing through Mount Vernon on your way to the San Juans (or to take in the Tulip Festival), Mexico Cafe is a perfect lunch or dinner stop.
The Skagit Valley is home to thousands of...
If you're passing through Mount Vernon on your way to the San Juans (or to take in the Tulip Festival), Mexico Cafe is a perfect lunch or dinner stop.
The Skagit Valley is home to thousands of Mexican-American families who play a big role in the local agricultural scene. One fringe benefit of this group's local influence is the presence of several high-quality Mexican food stores and restaurants, and Mexico Cafe is among the oldest and most popular of these.
There's nothing fancy about the late '70's decor - complete with hand-painted murals of Aztec pyramids on the walls - and the food is just what you'd expect: tacos, enchiladas, burritos and 'especiales de la casa' like Chile Colorado and Chile Verde. But everything is prepared fresh on premises, made with high-quality ingredients and served with a smile (by a staffer wearing a Mariners jersey if there's a game on that day). The restaurant is often packed - expecially on Friday and Saturday nights when it seems like every extended family in town stops in - so leave a litle extra time if you're trying to make a boat in Anacortes. But if you love Tex-Mex and want to feel like a local, Mexico Cafe is the place to be.
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According to fellow Seattle-area community site 43 places, the top user tags associated with Twist are:
bar, belltown, cheesy, fratty, la, meat market, nice view, and restaurant
Not exactly a...
According to fellow Seattle-area community site 43 places, the top user tags associated with Twist are:
bar, belltown, cheesy, fratty, la, meat market, nice view, and restaurant
Not exactly a ringing endorsement...
Here's a http://www.43places.com/places/view/562524
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They aren't birthday cake specialists, but Simply Desserts in Fremont bakes the best cake in Seattle. My personal favorite is their chocolate fudge cake, but they make a wide range, and everything...
They aren't birthday cake specialists, but Simply Desserts in Fremont bakes the best cake in Seattle. My personal favorite is their chocolate fudge cake, but they make a wide range, and everything is absolutely top quality - dense and moist, incredibly rich, and made from the best ingredients.
If its the cake you care about and not the decoration, Simply Desserts is my hands-down winner.
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A colleague and I were recently in Pasadena on business and needed a comfortable place to grab coffee and a snack. After walking a few blocks on Colorado, we chose Mi Piace, owing largely to its...
A colleague and I were recently in Pasadena on business and needed a comfortable place to grab coffee and a snack. After walking a few blocks on Colorado, we chose Mi Piace, owing largely to its stylish interior and pleasant sidwalk cafe atmosphere.
Despite the late morning hour, the cafe was well-patronized with both leusirely coffee-sippers and a few late-morning couples at breakfast. At our request, we were seated in one of the comfortable booths along the wall, and were quickly drawn in by the appealing menu -- our "light snack" turned into hearty egg breakfasts without a second thought. The service was prompt, the coffee (as expected in an Italian cafe) was excellent, and the open, high-ceilinged space made for an unusually pleasant meeting room.
At $30 for breakfast, coffee and tip for two, Mi Piace is not an inexpensive choice, but the inviting setting and well-executed service make it a solid value if you're willing to pay a little extra for style and comfort.
(There's an equally-stylish tapas bar right across the street - next time we're in town we'll try that for comparison and let you know how it goes).
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I can't claim to be a dedicated yoga practicioner -- I tend to use it as low-impact cross-training and injury prevention for other activities -- but I've taken my fair share of classes at studios in...
I can't claim to be a dedicated yoga practicioner -- I tend to use it as low-impact cross-training and injury prevention for other activities -- but I've taken my fair share of classes at studios in Seattle, LA, and New York, and I have a strong sense for what I like (steady pacing, strong flow from position to position, balanced work for all parts of the body) and what I don't (too much chanting or psuedo-medico-philosophical "discussion" about my chakras -- or anybody else's for that matter).
This past weekend I was visiting my brother in Park Slope and at his suggestion we dropped by for a 90-minute Vinyasa class at Park Slope Yoga on Union (in the same block as the Food Co-Op). Here's my take on the good and the bad of my experience at this studio:
First, the good.
- At $10 a class (plus $1 mat rental fee), a drop-in class here is a great value.
- The studio was reasonably clean and pleasant to be in.
- The instructor -- once she got past the chanting part of her program -- put together a great series of poses with excellent pacing and continuity.
- The other students -- with just a few notable exceptions -- were respectful of the instructor and their fellow-students.
Now, the less-good:
- This studio is affiliated with another in Manhattan (a small local chain?), and the drop-in registration process included a scripted spiel, including "required" reading about discounts for signing up, and a demand that I check back after the class to give feedback on my intent to join as a member. This felt a little jarring at a yoga studio, and could at least be more gracefully handled (if not dropped altogether).
- Too much chanting in languages that - I'd be happy to wager - not one person in the class actually speaks or understands. I always enjoy the collaborative series of "om's" at the beginning and end of class -- no matter what health or spiritual benefits it may offer, it sounds really cool -- and it's hard to argue with a little 'namaste' now and again (apart from Dick Cheney, who doesn't believe in peace?). But to sing for 5 minutes (I'm not joking) a song to which nobody knows the words, just to establish our cred as serious yogis, strikes me at so much my-chakra's-bigger-than-your-chakra posturing.
It may be that Vinyasa is just a bad choice for me, given the nature of my objections. And despite the minor annoyances detailed above, I think Park Slope Yoga Center offers a good class at a great value, and I'd go again next time I'm in town. But if you're allergic to yoga-related sales pitches and would rather skip the chanting altogether, it may not work for you.
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My brother is a corporate lawyer. He also has three kids under the age of six. As a result, he doesn't get a lot of sleep. Following from that, he's a major caffeine junkie / aficionado. His top...
My brother is a corporate lawyer. He also has three kids under the age of six. As a result, he doesn't get a lot of sleep. Following from that, he's a major caffeine junkie / aficionado. His top pick for coffee in NYC? Gorilla Coffee in Park Slope.
We both grew up in Seattle, which is pretty much mecca for US coffee addicts, so we take our coffee pretty seriously. My personal preference is for Peet's Coffee from Bekeley, CA (even their drip coffee is absolute rocket fuel), but a recent visit to Park Slope offered several opportunities to sample Gorilla's wares, both from their 5th Ave storefront and in various incarnations of homebrew (french press, stovetop caffetera, etc.). After a thorough evaluation, and with considerable initial skepticism on my part, I have to say that Gorilla is giving Peet's an honest run for their money.
If you love coffee so much you are like a junkie -- and if you live in Brooklyn or can get there without getting on a plane -- Gorilla Coffee is the serious joint. Do yourself a favor and skip Brand X in favor of this local star (unless you really really need a shot to tide you over -- in that case, I competely understand).
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...Alpine Inn is worth a visit.
This is NOT fine dining by any stretch, but it is a fun, informal place for a crowd to get together to eat, drink & make merry.
As previous reviews have noted,...
...Alpine Inn is worth a visit.
This is NOT fine dining by any stretch, but it is a fun, informal place for a crowd to get together to eat, drink & make merry.
As previous reviews have noted, this is an historic (1850s) roadhouse that serves a wide range of draft beers and solid grill food: burgers, fries, etc. The highlight is the outdoor seating - a big, sunny (in the daytime, anyway) fenced area with lots of room for kids to run around and adults to sit and chat over a beer.
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With a 10-month-old at home and full-time+ jobs, my wife and I don't get out as much as we used to. We'd almost forgotten we had a babysitter for Saturday night when a friend emailed about his...
With a 10-month-old at home and full-time+ jobs, my wife and I don't get out as much as we used to. We'd almost forgotten we had a babysitter for Saturday night when a friend emailed about his birthday celebration at Barca, also planned for Saturday.
Sensing an opportunity for a proper night on the town, we headed off in search of a good restaurant within easy walking distance of Barca -- meaning somewhere in the Pike/Pine corridor of south Capitol Hill. Our pick -- based on a brief visit for drinks late last year -- was 1200, located on the corner of 12th and Pike.
1200 is really two establishments in one: a small but stylish cafe/bar located directly on the corner, with a quieter and more private bistro-style dining room in "back" (actually in the the next-door storefront, but without a separate entrance). We walked in around 8:30 without a reservation and, after scanning the menus in both rooms, opted for a table in the bar (in part for the livelier setting, but also because I'd heard the bar-only steak frites was excellent).
The night we visited, the bar crowd offered a fascinating cross-section of Capitol Hill scenes: stylish, middle-aged gay men and women; a smattering of legit urban hipsters; and a handful of square couples (like us) rounding things out. No group seemed to dominate, and the overall vibe was comfortable and relaxed, with very little see-and-be-seen posturing going on.
In addition to a closely-spaced row of barstools, the bar offers seating at six or eight small dinner tables, plus a few high stools and cocktail tables tucked against the windows. The entire area is served by one waiter, covering both drinks and dinner orders with remarkable efficiency and poise. We selected an open table against the far wall (perfectly positioned for people-watching), ordered our first round of drinks and took a closer look at the menu.
The bar menu offers a subset of the main dining room options, plus a few bar-only items. Pricing seemed fair in both rooms, but the bar menu offers some notable bargains. My wife and I split a house salad ($6), a half-dozen Hamma Hamma oysters (a $10 special that night, not on the regular menu), my anticipated steak frites (just $13) and the burger with goat cheese ($9?, and another bar-only offering).
Everything arrived quickly, in the correct sequence, and with little delay from plating to serving (the fries accompanying both the burger and steak were piping hot - a winning sign). The salad was very good, the oysters excellent, the steak and burger both solidly respectable, and the fries very good (if a little thickly cut for my tastes). Our total bill for dinner, several drinks, and a tip reflecting the excellent service came to well under $100 - a welcome surprise when compared to similar places elsewhere in town.
Based on our experience, I highly recommend 1200 for its winning combination of well-executed food and drink, inviting atmosphere, enjoyable people-watching, and proximity to other notable Pike/Pine watering holes. Next time you head out for a night on the town, give them a try and let me know if you agree.
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I haven't been yet, but I drive by it every day on my way to my son's school, and it's gotten great writeups in the local papers (and even a profile in Sunset Magazine, if that doesn't make you...
I haven't been yet, but I drive by it every day on my way to my son's school, and it's gotten great writeups in the local papers (and even a profile in Sunset Magazine, if that doesn't make you nervous). By all accounts, it's a great spot and one of the most "authentic" Irish bars in town (whatever that means).
Give 'em a try and share the scoop at JB - inquiring minds want to know...
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