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Sometimes it's better to do a few things really well than a lot of things just ok. I think food is one of them. The Cheesecake Factory is chain and has an enormous menu. This is a good place to...
Sometimes it's better to do a few things really well than a lot of things just ok. I think food is one of them. The Cheesecake Factory is chain and has an enormous menu. This is a good place to take a large group of people that you don't know very well, since everyone is sure to find something that they like. The cheesecakes are really good and they have a huge selection to choose from. The bar is also a decent place to check out for happy hours with work friends, although they don't have any happy hour specials. Like most chains, the food doesn't seem particularly fresh to me, and it's a little generic. Overall, this isn't a bad place to eat though, just not very remarkable.
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Similar to my review of the downtown Seattle location (http://members.judysbook.com/posts/content/review.aspx?ci=253220 ), I am wary of the Cheesecake Factory due to it's ridiculously large menu. ...
Similar to my review of the downtown Seattle location (http://members.judysbook.com/posts/content/review.aspx?ci=253220 ), I am wary of the Cheesecake Factory due to it's ridiculously large menu. Since it's a chain, the food is what you would expect - ok but pretty mediocre. Although, the cheesecakes are quite good! They have tons of different types and they also have a good bar area, but they don't have happy hour, and overall I prefer the downtown Seattle location's ambience over the Bellevue location's.
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The PCC carries very high quality produce and products, but you certainly pay the price for it. When it comes to what you put into your body, though, I think it's often worth it if you can afford...
The PCC carries very high quality produce and products, but you certainly pay the price for it. When it comes to what you put into your body, though, I think it's often worth it if you can afford it. The PCC in Fremont is in a brand new building and is beautifully laid out.
The produce is great. They have a large variety of fruits and vegetables, though because they tend to sell what's in season and available locally, you won't always be able to find what you are looking for, which is fine with me.
The eggs and dairy section is also great. They sell Cascade Fresh yogurt, which I love since they are one of the few brands that don't use corn syrup in their yogurt and even the fat free versions don't have any sugar substitutes or anything like that in them. They sell milk from local dairies and you can even buy the glass bottles and bring them back when you are done.
The Fremont PCC has a small selection of fish, meat, and poultry. The fish I've purchased there hasn't seemed very fresh so I try to buy fish elsewhere. I don't buy much beef or chicken, but they've been fine when I have. They also sell sausages.
The cheese selection at the Fremont PCC is large and varied, which is wonderful. They even sell mozzarella, parmesan, and a few other cheeses in bulk.
The deli is very nice as well. They always have a variety of sliced meats (turkey, roast beef, etc.), tons of various salads, cooked breasts of chicken or fillets of grilled fish, as well as many vegetarian entrees. There is also a section with bulk olives and capers. They sell packed sushi, salads, and sandwiches to go. They even have desserts and slices of cake and cookies you can buy.
The baked goods are always fresh and they offer a good variety. Of course the bagels aren't great, but that's because we are in Seattle. They do the best they can.
I do believe they are very focused on providing a great wine selection as well. They have a fairly large offering and occasionally have wine tastings. They even have chilled whites on hand for any last minute purchases!
PCC Fremont has a great bulk foods section, offerring many types of rice, pasta, cereal, grains, trail mix, and things like chocolate chips and nuts. They also sell bulk spices. You can choose either organic or non and I think this is a great way to save money! I've often needed a spice just for a specific recipe and have been able to spend less than 50 cents to get what I needed.
Finally, they round it all out with a large selection of vitamins, personal care items, baby food, miscellaneous items like tin foil, cereals, chips, and the typical frozen foods. They have what you would expect from a grocery store.
The only thing that makes the store not perfect for me is that absolutely everything they sell, it seems, is organic or all-natural or whatever, so everything is expensive. When I need to buy something like plastic wrap or food coloring etc., I just want to get something cheap, and you can't really do this here. That is why I really like Marketime market just up the road on 45th. It's small but it has a great balance and is very affordable. Trader Joe's is also a good alternative to the PCC for many items. But, I haven't seen anything other store with the quality and selection of produce that the PCC has.
You do not have to be a member of the coop to shop here, but if you do decide to join (I think it's like $50 maybe), you save 10% on a certain day everything month, plus (I think) 5% or so on another day. It could add up to being worth it if you shop there a lot.
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Pagliacci's is the best pizza I've found in Seattle.
Pagliacci's is the best pizza I've found in Seattle.
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This place does South Indian food. I didn't know what south indian food was, so it wasn't what I expected (no saag paneer etc.), but it was still very good. The lunch buffet was good and most of...
This place does South Indian food. I didn't know what south indian food was, so it wasn't what I expected (no saag paneer etc.), but it was still very good. The lunch buffet was good and most of the people eating at the restaurant were Indian, which seems like a good sign to me. It's easy to get to and park at since it's at the Crossroads mall. It was $17 for two people for the lunch buffet, no extra drinks or anything.
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I have only been here once, and you can never know for sure what a place is really like based on only one experience, but Ponti's was great! The food was outstanding. I had seared Ahi tuna. The...
I have only been here once, and you can never know for sure what a place is really like based on only one experience, but Ponti's was great! The food was outstanding. I had seared Ahi tuna. The fish was sushi grade and beautifully presented on a bed of sesame coleslaw and a sesame coconut rice patty, with delicious pickled ginger and wasabi sauce. The Ahi was grilled/seared to perfection and was unbelievable. Everything on my plate was absolutely delicious. My fiancé ordered paella and it was very good. I think my dish was better, but I did try his and the saffron flavoring was excellent. We also ordered grilled scallops for an appetizer. They came on a bed of thinly sliced sweet potato "chips". The scallops were very good but the sweet potatoes were incredible! Not the very best scallops I have ever had, but WAY better than most. We also ordered a bowl of the soup of the day, which was New England clam chowder. Being from Massachusetts, I have to say it wasn't very New England-y, but it was delicious nonetheless. Even the bread that accompanied the meal was excellent and high quality.
The prices were pretty expensive, but not more so than I had expected. The Ahi was $27 and the paella was $21. The scallops were $11. Wines by the glass started at about $7, and they had beer both by the bottle and on tap. We easily spent $100 without dessert or wine.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was very fancy and I noticed that many of the men had on ties (it always surprises me to see this in Seattle!). There seemed to be quite a few business people there, although there was also a table with a toddler, and lots of other couples and groups. The view over the canal was beautiful.
The wait staff, and especially the busser, were very available and professional. I was impressed.
Overall, I will definitely go back there.
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This place gets very crowded but it's a really nice bar on top of Queen Anne right across the street from Safeway. If you walk all the way to back, there is a small back room with a fireplace, that...
This place gets very crowded but it's a really nice bar on top of Queen Anne right across the street from Safeway. If you walk all the way to back, there is a small back room with a fireplace, that is good for large groups. They don't let you split checks though, which was a bit difficult for our group of 15. The beer selection is great and the food was quite good. Nice pub-like unpretentious atmosphere overall. Highly recommended.
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I've only been in here briefly but the store's main focus is on games and they have all types! If you have something in mind, you could call to make sure they have it, but you should be able to...
I've only been in here briefly but the store's main focus is on games and they have all types! If you have something in mind, you could call to make sure they have it, but you should be able to find a large selection of board games here if that is what you are looking for.
Also, they are located in Redmond Town Center, although they may have a Bellevue location as well - I'm not sure.
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ING Direct is an awesome bank! I wish all banks were so simple and pleasant! No fees, very straightforward rules, and helpful customer service. You do everything from their website, which is...
ING Direct is an awesome bank! I wish all banks were so simple and pleasant! No fees, very straightforward rules, and helpful customer service. You do everything from their website, which is clean and intuitive and secure. You get a very high interest rate on a regular savings account, which you can schedule recurring deposits into from whatever account you have it linked to, and you can earn money by referring friends to join! I guess they can have such a high interest rate because your money isn't completely liquid - it can take around 3 or 4 days to complete a withdrawal, but it is certainly a good place to keep money for weeks at a time or longer. I know they also have short term high interest CDs too, though I haven't looked into that option too much. Before using the ING automatical withdrawal option (every two weeks some money is withdrawn from my checking account and deposited into my ING savings account), it was difficult for me to accumulate savings. Now it happens automatically and I don't even see it. It's great! Highly recommended.
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I really like Bouchee, located in the heart of Fremont. The atmosphere is great, the decor is dramatic, and the food is delicious and not ridiculously expensive! It can get crowded and it's seat...
I really like Bouchee, located in the heart of Fremont. The atmosphere is great, the decor is dramatic, and the food is delicious and not ridiculously expensive! It can get crowded and it's seat yourself, which I find annoying, confusing, and inefficient. The salads and appetizers are good, and they have a good variety of entrees. They also, of course, have some delicious dessert crepes!
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