|
I "inherited" Frank Baron from my grandmother. He used to practice in a group clinic on First Hill, near Swedish Hospital. My grandmother was a regular patient of his, and loved his professional and...
I "inherited" Frank Baron from my grandmother. He used to practice in a group clinic on First Hill, near Swedish Hospital. My grandmother was a regular patient of his, and loved his professional and personal manner. My mom - who took my grandmother to the doctor - started seeing him as well, and soon after, so did I.
Dr. Baron moved his practice to Mercer Island several years ago to reduce his commute time and see more of his family. Even with the extra drive, whenever I have a dermatology question, I always make the drive over from Seattle (it's not *that* far). I've also seen a few of his partners when he wasn't available and -- while they don't share his personal history with my family -- they've been equally skilled doctors, as well as great communicators (a big selling point for me with medical professionals).
I haven't seen Dr. Baron in a few years, but I believe he's still actively practicing. If you live in Seattle and need a dermatologist, I highly recommend you pay him a visit.
Hide
|
|
Every residential construction crew has its types -- the quick-and-dirty rough carpenters, the jack-of-all trades-master-of-none generalists, and the no-detail-too-small-to-matter finish guys.
I...
Every residential construction crew has its types -- the quick-and-dirty rough carpenters, the jack-of-all trades-master-of-none generalists, and the no-detail-too-small-to-matter finish guys.
I first met John Bettman as a crew member on a house remodel, and it didn't take long to figure out he fell into the third category. No matter what he was working on -- from framing to trim carpentry -- he always took the time to get it right. All the interior detailing on that job was designed on site, and John was my go-to guy for the details that mattered: stair railings and newel posts, wood wainscoting, crown molding, etc.
Turns out, John was trained as an architect, but decided he'd rather see his designs through to completion than hand them off for others to build. He's worked for a series of high-end local construction firms, but recently hung out his shingle as an independent design/build professional. If you appreciate quality detailing -- and are willing to pay a small premium for the extra time and thought it requires -- I strongly recommend you give John a call for your next home remodel.
Hide
|
|
Yes, the name is weird. And yes, there IS a huge papier mache asteroid on the roof. But walk inside this tiny storefront restaurant and you'll soon forget about all that.
Asteroid Cafe is my...
Yes, the name is weird. And yes, there IS a huge papier mache asteroid on the roof. But walk inside this tiny storefront restaurant and you'll soon forget about all that.
Asteroid Cafe is my favorite kind of restaurant: tiny, one-of-a-kind, and owner-operated. In a dining room no bigger than your own, owner Marlin Hathaway delivers fabulous cocktails, excellent (and fairly-priced) wines and superb, hand-crafted Italian food to an always-packed house of Wallingford residents and in-the-know pilgrims from across Seattle.
A few things you should know before you go. Due to the small dining room, only complete parties will be seated; if you're meeting friends not known for their punctuality, be prepared to stand on the sidewalk until they arrive. And once you do sit down, be prepared for your conversation to include diners at the table next to you; the tight spacing and informal atmosphere can lend a dinner-party air to the entire restaurant.
But if excellent food, great wine and warm-but-professional service are your goals, Asteroid Cafe delivers like few other neighborhood restaurants. In addition to a thoughtful printed menu of starters, pastas and main courses, the chalkboard typically features a handful of incredible seasonal specials. The wine list is packed with a remarkable breadth of selections, from sturdy table wines (starting in the low $20s), to elegant and complex selections from Italy and the western U.S. A short but well-executed dessert list and a constantly changing artisanal cheese selection help bring things to a close.
I'm currently on a hunt for the best neighborhood restaurants in Seattle. If you've got one that you think gives Asteroid a run for its money, I'd like to hear about it.
Hide
|
|
I was going to title this review "eating my own dog food, and loving it", but I wasn't sure anyone would get it. If you haven't noticed, I'm one of the wild-eyed lunatics responsible for Judy's...
I was going to title this review "eating my own dog food, and loving it", but I wasn't sure anyone would get it. If you haven't noticed, I'm one of the wild-eyed lunatics responsible for Judy's Book, so I always get excited when the idea works the way I think it should.
Case in point: my wife and I are in the middle of a real estate transaction, and one of the issues we've been working to resolve is the resubmission of a septic easement that was misfiled by the previous owners (thrilling stuff, I know). Anyway, turns out that this filing requires my signature to be witnessed by a notary. This is not something I need every day, and I don't really know where to start looking.
My answer -- and what I mean by "eating my own dog food" -- is to rely on Judy's Book. Getting help from my local community (and offering help in return) is what Judy's Book is all about. And getting a recommendation for an out-of-the-ordinary need -- like finding a notary -- is a great test of how well Judy's Book works.
So I posted a question two days ago on the Seattle site, asking for referrals for a notary in North Seattle. And nothing happens. I wait a day, then a day and a half, and I'm starting to be a little disappointed. And then, out of the blue, from a new member I've never heard of who isn't a friend of anyone I know, I get this very specific recommendation for Notary One. Turns out the guy who recommended them went to college with the founder, and they're a new notary service that makes house calls.
So far so good, right? But what if Notary One turns out not to be that great. So I send an email to Scott Krager, the president and founder, asking him how his service works. Minutes later I get a reply, and (a) Scott's as nice as he could be, (b) a big part of his service is that he comes to you (and not the other way around), and (c) he's available TODAY and will meet me in a couple of hours.
Now I'm really getting excited, because this is EXACTLY how I want Judy's Book to work for everyone. And to top it all off, Scott shows up precisely on time, he notarizes my document, and he tells me about his business - which is a startup itself, and a great idea. So not only do I get my business done, I meet a really interesting person who I never would have met if it hadn't been for Judy's Book.
So anyway, sorry for the long rant, but I just love it when this idea works - and it's starting to work. And if you need a great notary who comes to you, call Scott - he's a super-nice guy and he'll do a great job.
Hide
|
|
I hate to rain on the recent parade of great reviews for Pasta Freska (especially after just one visit) but if last night's dinner was any indication, this restaurant's selling point is the owner's...
I hate to rain on the recent parade of great reviews for Pasta Freska (especially after just one visit) but if last night's dinner was any indication, this restaurant's selling point is the owner's charm, not the food.
And Mike is charming, no doubt about it. He sits down at your table, chats about your dining preferences, and brings over glasses of wine at the slightest provocation.
After that promising start, our meal went downhill. Yes there was plenty of food -- a thin slice of eggplant swimming in a basic tomato sauce, a bland seafood linguine swimming in cream, and a tough chicken roulade overstuffed with ricotta -- but none of it approached the transcendent experience described by previous reviewers, and most dishes could best be described as 'adequate'.
It may be unfair, but our table's interpretation of the Pasta Freska format is that Mike (or rather, the cook behind the wall) makes whatever food he feels like making, all of it prepared in quantity ahead of time, and then makes an elaborate show of asking your preferences before serving you whatever he has in the kitchen. This makes for good theater, but -- at these prices -- a disappointing dining experience.
I hope our experience wasn't representative, but I'll think twice before visiting Pasta Freska again.
Hide
|
|
If you like to listen to commercial radio, stop reading right now.
If braying, ass-grabbing DJs, grating advertisements, repetitive playlists packed with inane studio-packaged 'bands', and 10...
If you like to listen to commercial radio, stop reading right now.
If braying, ass-grabbing DJs, grating advertisements, repetitive playlists packed with inane studio-packaged 'bands', and 10 minutes of 'music' in each hour of programming are all your cup of tea, you and I probably won't see eye-to-eye about what makes a great radio station anyway.
If you're still reading and you aren't already a KEXP listener, stick around - I think you'll be happy you did. If you're passionate about all types of music and like to stay plugged in to new bands and new sounds, you may never listen to any other station ever again. Ever.
When I was a little younger - in my teens and twenties - it seemed like music was everywhere. Friends talked about it, shared new recordings, played it at parties, even argued about it. But as my friends and I got older, music was often crowded out by other things - work, family, etc. - and our musical interests became historical artifacts, vestiges of our more youthful selves. But even as our musical tastes calcified around generationally-specific formats (think 'Adult Alternative', or 'Album-Oriented Rock'), the world of music kept spinning, turning out great bands and great new ideas.
Naturally, commercial radio stations have honed their programming to address stable listener segments, each cannily catering to a different slice of musical nostalgia, all in the name of 'moving units' (whether albums or hair tonics, it doesn't really matter as long as the money rolls in). Sure, there were always college stations to keep things alive, but a widening gulf has emerged between the world of musical innovation and the realm of nationally-programmed music radio.
Enter KEXP: product of an unlikely marriage between an aggressively independent college rock station (KCMU), and an arts-loving billionaire.
Like many Seattleites, I was concerned when Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen offered to co-fund the University of Washington's student-run music station (under new call letters) and associate it with his struggling popular music museum, the Experience Music Project. I was worried that too close an association with a whimsical billionaire would undermine the station's hard-fought independence and eclectic programming, dragging it into uncomfortable servitude to Paul's personal whims.
I need not have worried. Since the rebranding of KCMU as KEXP, the station has excelled on every front: more diverse musical programming (from American roots to World to Electronica to Hip Hop, all anchored by a steady pulse of new and emerging stars from the college rock scene), more one-of-a-kind shows (including tons of live, in-studio performances with up-and-coming artists), a phenomenal website (offering both live and archived streaming downloads in a range of formats), and a broad array of talented, passionate DJs. In fact, if you took all the money in the world and tried to create the perfect music radio station, I'm not sure you could improve on KEXP.
Oh, and did I mention that KEXP is listener-supported radio? That means no screaming car dealers, no fast food jingles, no booming monster truck rally promos. Like most public radio stations, you *can* expect a quarterly on-air fund drive, which is your cue to mail in a check and leave town for a week until it all blows over.
So calling all hipsters -- from legit out-every-night scenesters to aging hangers-on like myself: Tune in to KEXP today (at 90.3 FM in Seattle, 91.7 in the South Sound, or online anywhere at www.kexp.org) and I promise you'll never look back.
Hide
|
|
The first time I came across Retro Image Apparel, I didn't even know it. I was Christmas shopping for my nephews at Clover (a great kids store in Ballard), but after a quick tour of the store I was...
The first time I came across Retro Image Apparel, I didn't even know it. I was Christmas shopping for my nephews at Clover (a great kids store in Ballard), but after a quick tour of the store I was struggling for inspiration. Then, in the back corner, I zeroed in on a stack of kids t-shirts silkscreened with classic commercial artwork for a long-defunct French bicycle manufacturer. As an avid cyclist as well as a fan of great design, I rifled through the pile, picked out two favorites and happily shipped them off to New York.
Fast forward to this morning. As my wife and I were making a quick pass through the Fremont Sunday Market, we were both drawn to the same booth by a visual feast of graphic design -- Russian social realist propaganda, classic art deco product labels, and dozens of examples of commercial art for European cycling and motorcycle companies, emblazoned across everything from men's and women's t-shirts to infant onesies to aprons and jeans jackets. The mysterious purveyor of Clover's kids t-shirts turned out to be Roger, the owner, manager, and production chief of Retro Image Apparel.
In the process of picking up several baby gifts, plus a birthday present for my brother (also a cyclist, and father of the now-stylishly-clad nephews), we learned that Roger has been accumulating out-of-copyright graphic design for over twelve years, and has been turning them into unique and stylish clothing in his Ballard workshop for the past two. His cycling designs were recently featured in a national cycling magazine, and orders have started to roll in from across the U.S. and, increasingly, from Europe as well.
In addition to his occasional appearances in Fremont, Roger sells t-shirts - both pre-produced and custom orders - through his website: http://www.retroimageapparel.com. Click through his extensive catalog of classic designs and you're sure to come across an image that strikes you. Pick a color, order it soon and you're likely to have a cool shirt that your friends have never seen. Wait too long and you might have to settle for something your crowd has seen before - Roger's orders are taking off, and it's safe to say that his designs will be seen much more frequently on the streets of Seattle (and New York, and Paris) before too long.
Hide
|
|
When I think carpet, I tend to think of shifty-eyed hustlers with "liquidation sale" banners hung all-year 'round - not my idea of a happy consumer buying experience.
That's why I want to give a...
When I think carpet, I tend to think of shifty-eyed hustlers with "liquidation sale" banners hung all-year 'round - not my idea of a happy consumer buying experience.
That's why I want to give a Judy's Book shout-out to Arnie Vogel and his shop at 82nd and Aurora. My wife and I worked with Arnie a few years ago on a major remodel project, and I've just called him again for some follow-on work in our basement. He's always a pleasure to deal with -- exactly the opposite of the pushy sales type -- and his installers do an excellent job.
Vogel's may not have the infinite selection of a warehouse store, but for a single-location business he deals in a suprisingly wide variety of flooring choices, across the full range of materials, styles and prices. We particularly like his selection of high-quality New Zealand wool carpets -- offering the same quality as major brands like Karastan, but at significantly lower prices.
If you're in the market for new carpet and want to deal with a nice, honest person, I strongly suggest you stop by Vogels and talk to Arnie.
Hide
|
|
After incubating for several months in my basement, Judy's Book just moved into a 'real' office on Eastlake, an easy walk from the neighborhood's retail core. We just started exploring the local...
After incubating for several months in my basement, Judy's Book just moved into a 'real' office on Eastlake, an easy walk from the neighborhood's retail core. We just started exploring the local eateries for lunch, and hit an early home run at Louisa's Cafe & Bakery.
Located in an airy corner storefront near the corner of Eastlake and Roanoke, Louisa's specializes in hearty, healthy bakery & cafe fare, most of which is prepared onsite in their open kitchen. A long row of bakery cases is loaded with great breads and sweets, and the menu features a rotating selection of soups, salads and (my personal favorite) absolutely massive sandwiches, served on thick slices of their own store-made bread. On weekends, they serve breakfast all day -- centered around traditional favorites like omelettes with toast & potatos, oatmeal and granola.
The decor can most accurately be described as "college town eclectic" -- salvaged church pews, a random assortment of sturdy wooden chairs, and an equally sturdy (and random) array of cafe tables. The general mood is equally informal -- everyone behind the counter boasts a sunny, relaxed disposition, accessorized with a minimum of two tattoos (and an optional piercing). Patrons bus their own tables, and free wi-fi attracts more than a few all-day regulars.
I'm looking forward to exploring the many competing lunch offerings along Eastlake, but I know that Louisa's will be a regular stop on the circuit.
Hide
|
|
...it might make it harder for my wife and I to get a table.
Thanks to Nancy Leson of the Seattle Times for pointing out an amazing pick right in my own backyard. Owners Phred Westfall and Laura...
...it might make it harder for my wife and I to get a table.
Thanks to Nancy Leson of the Seattle Times for pointing out an amazing pick right in my own backyard. Owners Phred Westfall and Laura Riedeman have turned a hidden storefront in a North Seattle condo complex into a haven for excellent euro-american food, coupled with equally excellent (even extraordinary) wine pairings.
I read about them Friday, walked over on Saturday, and am writing them up Saturday night (yes, they are that good). They may not want me to suggest this, but I'm convinced that part of my great experience is due to the fact that I told Phred I was in his hands - I wanted to see what they were all about, and I asked him to select both food and wines to show me the way.
Two half-course starters, one entree, one dessert, five wines and one liqueur later, I'm prepared to anoint Elemental the best overall dining experience in North Seattle. Not every dish was a slam-dunk - all were very good, and two (the goat cheese salsa and the banana-rum bread pudding) were exceptional. But the overall experience was what I think all restaurants should be about -- a highly personalized passion for food and wine, made plain in both execution and presentation.
Among the many charms of this restaurant is its intimacy (I counted five tables, two pairings of cocktail chairs and two counter stools as the total available seating) and its open kitchen. Reservations are not taken, so be prepared to wait. But if you choose to wait, you can count on personal service from Phred, including unannounced wine selections that reflect both his mood, and his assessment of yours. And if you eat at the counter (as I did), you can see the entire operation in action - from Laura manning the gas burners, to her assistant plating the composed meals, to the dishwasher scrubbing up the completed rounds.
If you're looking for something to complain about, the only thing I can offer is this: Phred and Laura are clearly pouring their hearts into this restaurant - which is why you should go as soon as possible. I don't think anyone can maintain their combination of a high-quality dining experience, great hospitality and very fair prices without being forced to make changes out of sheer exhaustion. So go soon (just not when I want a table...)
Hide
|