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About a year ago my company moved offices to the north end of Eastlake. Since then, I and my co-workers have eaten at nearly every lunch spot within easy walking or driving distance, and the plain...
About a year ago my company moved offices to the north end of Eastlake. Since then, I and my co-workers have eaten at nearly every lunch spot within easy walking or driving distance, and the plain fact is that Eastlake isn't exactly overflowing with tasty, inexpensive lunch options.
Almost every time I walk to lunch - whether to Louisa's, Pazzo's, Grand Central, Subway or even Eastlake Teriyaki (?) - I pass by the Quick Stop Grocery & Deli without a second thought. Today, at the suggestion of a co-worker, I decided to stop. Their sign says "Seattle's Best Sandwich", which I don't believe for a second, but even a decent deli sandwich would be a welcome departure from the norm.
As it turns out, Quick Stop *doesn't* serve Seattle's best sandwich (that honor goes either to Paseo or Ballard's Other Coast Cafe, depending on who you ask). But they do turn out a very respectable one, made to order in a hurry, and served with a smile. Mine - a whole turkey & cheddar on sourdough, with dijon mustard, pickles and jalapenos - cost me less than $5, and came with a Clark's mint patty that I didn't even know was there until I got back to my desk.
It may not seem like much of a victory to get a decent deli sandwich for a fair price, but in Eastlake, you can't take that kind of thing for granted. If - like me - you're getting tired of going to the same average places for lunch, take a break from your routine and try the folks at Quick Stop. You won't be blown away, but I bet you won't be disappointed, either.
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It's tough to find a place in Seattle that has great drinks, good food and a credible dance/club scene, but isn't actually a club. There's only one place I know that meets this decription, and it's...
It's tough to find a place in Seattle that has great drinks, good food and a credible dance/club scene, but isn't actually a club. There's only one place I know that meets this decription, and it's the Alibi Room, located under the Pike Place Market in the lower end of Post Alley.
From its alley location and easy-to-miss entrance, the Alibi has an appealingly understated, speakeasy feel. The main level offers a small bar area and a 15-20 table dining room, with windows overlooking the Sound. Donwstairs is a small dance club, staffed on weekends by solid DJs, generally spinning house/electronica (check to make sure there's a DJ scheduled for the night you plan to go).
Overall, the Alibi has a welcoming vibe - not too hip for everyday folk to enjoy, but defintely not a dopey B&T joint. The drinks are well-crafted, the food is solid (especially the fries), and the hideaway location adds to the feeling that you're in on a Seattle secret. Check it out.
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As you can see from my photos, I'm not the most fashion-forward guy in Seattle. But when my team at the office asked for a little incentive for hitting an upcoming deadline, somehow I found myself...
As you can see from my photos, I'm not the most fashion-forward guy in Seattle. But when my team at the office asked for a little incentive for hitting an upcoming deadline, somehow I found myself signed up for a platinum dye job. So sure enough, they hit the date, and all of a sudden I need to figure out just what's required to turn my brown-turning-gray hair into a shocking white mop.
I don't know too many men who dye their hair, but almost every woman I know has done it at least once, and many make it a regular thing. When I asked them if I could do it myself, the unanimous feedback was NO WAY! So, not eager to find myself in the hands of a fancy-pants salon, I did what any self-respecting Seattlite would do and called Rudy's.
Their Fremont store was booked for the day so they sent me over to their Phinney Ridge location, and that turned out to be a lucky break. Turns out they have a great color specialist at the Phinney store - her name is Stefanie, if I remember correctly - and she did an amazing job, first by helping me understand how the whole process would work, then by picking a dye color that would prevent me from looking dead (or like Billy Idol), and finally by patiently working with me for the TWO HOURS it took to actually get the job done.
I keep my hair pretty short, so the dye job is mostly grown out already. But for a while there the teachers at my son's school we're calling out "hey, it's Brad Pitt" every time I walked in the door to drop him off, and that alone was worth the $100...
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A work colleague has been signing the praises of this Eastlake patisserie for months, but I hadn't made the half-mile walk from the office to sample their lunch offering until today. What a...
A work colleague has been signing the praises of this Eastlake patisserie for months, but I hadn't made the half-mile walk from the office to sample their lunch offering until today. What a revelation!
First and foremost, Le Fournil is a French bakery in the most exacting sense of the phrase: they create magically light and flaky pastries, as good as anything you'll find in Paris, right in their little Eastlake shop. As an amateur baker myself, I know hard had it is to achieve the precise taste and texture of a traditional French croissant, and Le Fournil creates this and other hard-to-execute pastries with absolute perfection.
If that weren't enough, Le Fournil also boasts a pleasant-if-spare eating area where they serve baguette sandwiches and other lunch treats built around their own bakery offerings. The best deal is a $6.99 lunch special, including a sandwich, drink and any one of their excellent individual pastries.
If you live or work anywhere near the University Bridge, Le Fournil should be on your short list of local stops, both for their excellent baked goods, and for a quick and satisfying lunch.
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Patina
Category:
Antiques & Collectibles
3519 Fremont Pl N Bsmt
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 545-7329
If you didn't know it was there, you'd never find Patina - a basement storefront tucked down a steep alley in North Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. But if you have a passion for mid-century modern...
If you didn't know it was there, you'd never find Patina - a basement storefront tucked down a steep alley in North Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. But if you have a passion for mid-century modern and love a bargain to boot, this little shop is worth a visit.
The store offers a mix of styles, ranging in period from the 1930's (at the early end) to the 1970's. Most of the stock is American or Scandinavian furniture from the 1950's and '60's, including original Eames and Saarinen pieces, plus interesting finds from "unknown" designers of the period.
In addition to the core furniture offering - sofas, chairs, dining sets, etc. - the store stocks a small selection of decorative items and artwork. My favorite find so far has been a 3' x 5' oil painting riffing on a 1968 LBJ campaign poster in op art style.
The stock turns over frequently, so if you don't see what you're looking for on your first visit, stop in again - you may find the perfect item at a price you can love.
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If you travel for business - and especially if your travels take you outside major cities - a hotel isn't just a hotel; for as long as you're on the road it's your office, your home, and often your...
If you travel for business - and especially if your travels take you outside major cities - a hotel isn't just a hotel; for as long as you're on the road it's your office, your home, and often your kitchen, too.
I recently stayed in this Hampton Inn while on a business trip to the Hudson Valley, and it delivered everything I was looking for in a business hotel. Of course the rooms were clean and comfortable - pretty much any hotel worth it's salt can deliver that. What made the difference for me was the business-friendly extras: free WiFi throughout the hotel; a free breakfast bar that actually offered a range of attractive and healthy choices; a convenient location with restaurants within easy walking distance; and even free use of an ethernet-to-wireless bridge when I ran into trouble with my wireless card.
If you're used to luxury or boutique hotels, Hampton Inn won't satisfy your need for Frette sheets, down pillows and brand-name bath products. But if you're on the road pretty much anywhere in the U.S, and need to be productive and get a good night's sleep for a fair price, it's hard to do better than Hampton Inn.
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Looks like my dad already weighed in with his own review (he splits time between Lopez and Seattle, so he's the real authority on the subject), but I have to agree that the Bay Cafe is the one...
Looks like my dad already weighed in with his own review (he splits time between Lopez and Seattle, so he's the real authority on the subject), but I have to agree that the Bay Cafe is the one restaurant Lopez visitors shouldn't miss. A writeup in the New York Times travel section made it a little harder to get a table, but that's never a problem in wintertime.
The people are nice, the food is consistently good (with occasional flashes of greatness), and the waterfront setting offers a great view, whether of summer sunsets or winter storms.
Don't miss it.
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My wife and I were married on Lopez and several of our guests stayed here and raved. They have 4 or 5 private cabins for rent, all recently built and with nice amenities like fireplaces,...
My wife and I were married on Lopez and several of our guests stayed here and raved. They have 4 or 5 private cabins for rent, all recently built and with nice amenities like fireplaces, mini-kitchens with refrigerators, etc. Not super-fancy, but private, cozy and well-located (on the north end of the island, near the ferry landing and Lopez Village).
Pretty sure they're available year-round, but call ahead to make sure.
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The Volunteer Park Conservatory is one of Seattle's hidden gems. Concealed in plain view on the northern edge of Volunteer Park, the conservatory is a miniature botanical wonderland, packing native...
The Volunteer Park Conservatory is one of Seattle's hidden gems. Concealed in plain view on the northern edge of Volunteer Park, the conservatory is a miniature botanical wonderland, packing native plants from around the world into five connected greenhouse rooms. The intimate scale of the exhibits - the entire structure covers less than 4,000 square feet, and huge plants overhang the narrow walkways at every turn - creates an in-your-face nature exhibit for children of all ages. Best of all, on a cold winter day the steam-heated greenhouse is like a free tropical vacation in your own backyard.
My wife and I took our 9-month-old for a quick visit to the conservatory this last weekend, and he was fascinated by the huge leaves, bright colors and touch-and-feel intimacy of the experience. Best of all, apart from a few neighborhood families with their young children, the structure was almost empty, a nice contrast to the crowds and noise of other public indoor spaces in wintertime.
If you have kids, or just love new and out-of-the-ordinary experiences, the Volunteer Park Conservatory is a free community resource you should have on your list.
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With gentrification sweeping the ski towns of the West, Whitefish is working hard to hold on to its authentic roots, and Great Northern is as bedrock as it gets.
From the battered wood bar and...
With gentrification sweeping the ski towns of the West, Whitefish is working hard to hold on to its authentic roots, and Great Northern is as bedrock as it gets.
From the battered wood bar and coin-op pool tables, to the gruff-but-frendly bartenders, to the sketchy restrooms and 'decor' of signs from failed local businesses, GN doesn't move a muscle to cater to the big city crowd, and that's just the way it should be.
If you prefer white aprons and wine lists, they can be found elsewhere on Central Ave, but if whiskey shots and bar-band rock and roll is more your speed, the GN is the place to be pretty much any night you care to drop in.
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