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We went to Bis on Main last night with two friends of ours for the very first time (For us, our friends had been there once before).
We started with a gnocci made with black truffels and ricotta...
We went to Bis on Main last night with two friends of ours for the very first time (For us, our friends had been there once before).
We started with a gnocci made with black truffels and ricotta which was amazing. Flavorful, a little spicy, and just great overall. We also had the black pepper encrusted sliced tuna with ginger soy sauce, which is a family favorite, and something we always enjoy, and what they served at the Bis was no exception. Perfectly cooked on the outer edge, and raw in the center, at about room temperature was perfect.
Our entrees varied from new york strip, filet mignon, a really nice pork rib and since it's in season, of course a filet of copper river salmon.
The meal was great, the atmophere was highly enjoyable.
The only real con was my steak, when it arrived, was way over done, since I asked for medium rare. I did something I normally don't do, and that was send it back. In about 10 minutes, I had a piping hot steak that was right on the medium rare, and tasted absolutely delicious.
We had a bottle of the '99 Col Solare from Chateau St. Michelle and an apparently well known Itailain winemaker, and it is a phenomenal wine. Highly recommended.
Dress was business casual for the most part, though pretty relaxed overall.
Enjoy!
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So, a few years back, my wife and I each bought a bike from Gregg's. Having never had a really good bike before, I was really excited to finally be getting one. It's been long enough now, that I...
So, a few years back, my wife and I each bought a bike from Gregg's. Having never had a really good bike before, I was really excited to finally be getting one. It's been long enough now, that I don't recall all the details, other than when we left, I had a great bike (Trek 700 something hybrid) that would last me until I "graduated" to the next level of biking, and my wife had a great starter bike.
The reason I'm writing this review is the experience we had last Friday night, going in for their free "Beginning Bike maintenance" class. This was a remarkable experience. One of their employees stayed almost two hours past the closing of the store to give me and my wife, and about 4 other gentlemen, an intro into bike maintenance. There were a few things covered that I knew well, such as how to change a tire. But even on topics like that, I learned a lot of new details, and left the class feeling like I could keep my bike in good working order with a minimum of effort. This was really important because I recently started biking to work, having that nice combination of distance between house and work and terrain, and insane gas prices making me look at alternatives.
All in all, both for service, the lack of the "hard sell", and the education they freely give their customers, I would say give Gregg's, whether in Bellevue, or in Greenlake, a chance to get your two wheeling under your own power.
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Twice we have gone to Maggiano's, and twice we have been 30 to 45 minutes late being seated. The first time actually approached an hour, and we finally got fed up and left (On the plus side,...
Twice we have gone to Maggiano's, and twice we have been 30 to 45 minutes late being seated. The first time actually approached an hour, and we finally got fed up and left (On the plus side, corporate was very apologetic and sent us $50 gift certificate). Our second visit was actually at the Bellevue Maggiano's (Prior was in Costa Mesa, CA). Skipping past the long wait to be seated, once we made it into the dining room, the atmosphere was pleasant, the server very nice, and the smells quite good. Using their family style option seems to be the way to go most of the time, but I highly recommend having a party of at least four, because that much food for two people is majorly overwhelming. Certain dishes, such as the mushroom sausage pizza and the rigatoni D were quite excellent. Others, like the pot roast, while acceptable, were nothing special. Dessert was very good, and their selection of wine was ok, but in this case we bought a bottle of our own and took advantage of the $12 corkage fee (May have been $15, it's been a while), and enjoyed our own bottle. Overall, I'd recommend them, though try and pick lower traffic nights (Monday or Tuesday), or expect to wait a while, even with reservations.
High Points: Good dining room service and enjoyable food.
Low Points: Feeling like making reservations served no purpose. They really need to fix this aspect of their booking.
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I first went to see Dr. Neiman AFTER having gotten knee surgery that ended up being not all together necessary. Had an earlier rheumatologist actually diagnosed me properly, that might not have...
I first went to see Dr. Neiman AFTER having gotten knee surgery that ended up being not all together necessary. Had an earlier rheumatologist actually diagnosed me properly, that might not have happened. However, Dr. Neiman, after getting the results of my first blood test, correctly identified what was causing all my joint problems, started a treatment regimen within a few weeks, and now, two years later, I have pretty much full mobility, and only rare occasional twinges from my joint problems. FAR better than I ever expected to feel again. I'd recommend him highly to anyone in seriously need of help with joint or muscular pain.
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While my wife and I won't always drive over to Fremont from Bellevue, just because we rarely have time for it, when we do, Jai Thai is the one place we always go out of our way to eat at. The food...
While my wife and I won't always drive over to Fremont from Bellevue, just because we rarely have time for it, when we do, Jai Thai is the one place we always go out of our way to eat at. The food is fantastic, Fremont is a fun place to walk around, and it's just an enjoyable experience over all.
For those not too familiar with Thai food, a safe place to start is always the Phad Thai noodles. Add a side of their tiny, tasy deep fried spring rolls, and you have a meal right there. For a spicer taste, the curries are always a good bet. I haven't gotten too crazy with my choices at any Thai place yet, but Jai is a safe place to take a bet, because it's all good.
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As part of the wonder that is Crossroads Mall of Bellevue, Half Price Books is at least a taste of the glory that is Powell's Bookstore, for people who moved from Portland. A little taste of every...
As part of the wonder that is Crossroads Mall of Bellevue, Half Price Books is at least a taste of the glory that is Powell's Bookstore, for people who moved from Portland. A little taste of every kind of book you can imagine, and everything is, as the store's name would imply, is at least half off.
This store in particular seems to get a much wider variety of books than the Half-Price in Redmond, and it's staff is just as friendly and willing to help. A surprisingly big used DVD selection, and for the nerdier sect, a small selection of comics, and a pretty decent selection of table top gaming. They also have quite the selection of used and older title software, primarily a lot of games. Unfortunately, through no fault of Half Price Books, selling packaged software suites like Microsoft Office has recently stopped, due to Microsoft and other companies restricting transfer of licenses, making it a tricky legal mess for Half Price to sell it legitimately, therefor the last time I had talked to them about it, they had pretty much stopped.
One of the best features of this Half-Price? It has a Starbucks coffee shop featuring Top Pot donuts right outside it's interior mall entrance. Buy your book, get some coffee, and enjoy your time there.
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Shanghai is one of our favorite places, specifically for one dish. The chicken with sweet chili sauce is one of the best "deep fried" chinese chicken dishes I've found. It's spicy, not too sweet,...
Shanghai is one of our favorite places, specifically for one dish. The chicken with sweet chili sauce is one of the best "deep fried" chinese chicken dishes I've found. It's spicy, not too sweet, and so very tasty.
Other items of note here are their hand shaved noodles in their chow mein, and their fried rice is pretty good, though I've never been a big fan of that specific dish.
Mix and match a little, the beef with broccoli is quite good, and every dish we've had from them has been at least "good". For consistent quality and a few specific amazing tastes, I highly recommend Shanghai Cafe, for takeout or to eat there.
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Whenever my wife and I have something to celebrate, or even just want a really fantastic dinner out, Canlis is always at the top of our local restaurants to go to. The service is always top notch,...
Whenever my wife and I have something to celebrate, or even just want a really fantastic dinner out, Canlis is always at the top of our local restaurants to go to. The service is always top notch, the food is superb. The crabcakes are one of our favorites, and their entrees are always well prepared, well seasonsed, and thouroughly enjoyable.
An extensive wine list helps make the evening complete, as well a very tasty dessert menu. Plan dinner right around sunset to watch the amazing colors play across Lake Union as night falls to help set the mood for the rest of the evening.
It's spendy, but well worth it, every time.
One note: While it isn't necessarily a "black tux" restaurant, show respect for your fellow patrons, and your appreciation of the restaurant by dressing up a little bit. It's worth putting on that neck tie and nice shirt for.
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