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So I have this business trip and need to get a bunch of networking gear, cables etc. for a client. Looking at various computer stores - I'm able to get all of the hardware I need, but cables - a...
So I have this business trip and need to get a bunch of networking gear, cables etc. for a client. Looking at various computer stores - I'm able to get all of the hardware I need, but cables - a different story. Nobody seems to have precisely the quantities and the grades of cable that I need and I'm leaving in 2 days. Yikes!
I ask my associate to order the appropriate cables at Redmond Cable. Initial response - they have everything we need by the deadline. I stop by to pick it up and find out that a few cables that we needed they didn't get in time, due to their vendor's whatever. At this stage I didn't care about the 'whatever' part, because excuses don't solve my dilemma.
Enter Suzanne at Redmond Cable. She said she'll go and check and see what she can do and the woman returns in a few minutes with a box full of cables and tells me that ALL of the ones I needed are in there. Certainly made my day!
I've ordered from Redmond Cable before, always very happy with the service, the quality and the competency, especially considering the myriad of technologies and cables for various platforms etc.
If you have a need for any kind of cable - give Redmond Cable a call first, especially if you're looking for rare cables (you can even still get Amiga cables from these folks). You'll be glad you did. I know I certainly was.
For more info see their comprehensive web site at http://www.redmondcable.com/
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So I go to New York for a few days and during the trip the Mrs. informs me that she had a meeting with a certain pole in our van... going at "zero miles an hour", according to her. As long as she's...
So I go to New York for a few days and during the trip the Mrs. informs me that she had a meeting with a certain pole in our van... going at "zero miles an hour", according to her. As long as she's ok - the rest isn't that relevant... cars get screwed up and get fixed, part of life... but what happened here is slightly beyond belief.
I decided to visit several body shops and get some quotes. First, the Showcase in Kirkland - a great place, I've dealt with them before, they are very nice, do a very good job and I'm pretty happy to have them handle it. But I thought I'd get some additional quotes as well.
In Bellevue I pulled up to this place called "Eastside Auto Rebuild", part of some Carstar network that supposedly provides a better service. I walk in and the front desk woman asks what I need. I tell her that I need someone to appraise the damage and she replies "Let me see if ??? can look at it?". That should've been my first clue, but I let her check. She came back with a semi-smile stating that ??? can look at the car and for me to fill out the Appraisal Form, something they had an abundance of on the counter. I filled out the form, although was somewhat perplexed at one of the questions, which was "are you going to repair the car with us?", with possible responses allowed being 'yes' and 'no'. I wrote in 'maybe', since that's the choice they really should've had at this stage.
A man comes out, not very friendly fellow, but I wasn't looking for companionship.. and we step outside. The guy looks at the damaged side, then pops the hood. I tell him that she barely touched this one side, but he continues... I figured he is simply trying to be thorough. Then he went to the other side, the side that was only touched by dust and ran his finger along the hood lines and looked here and there and everywhere and was writing something. After a few minutes of this he asked to go back to his office... so we did.
His office was filled with all kinds of diploma's of attending various car-related repair schools, some photos of vintage cars etc. He sits at this totally messy desk and gets going on the old computer and that's where 20 questions started.
He asks if I had any other quotes, and I answered that I did. Then he asked why I was here... which threw me for a loop a bit, but I said because I'm trying to get some more quotes. He asked if I had insurance and I told him that I did, and it has deductible and I'm trying to get several quotes. He asks "to get a better price?"... to which I replied "yes, possibly". Then the guy irritatingly says that if I'm looking to get the best price - I'm at the wrong place. He can pretty much guarantee that he'll be more expensive than others and if my insurance pays for it anyway, what do I care about the price. I felt like telling the guy that none of this is any of his business, but kept my cool. Then he asks if I'm planning to get it fixed here. I said that I don't know, possibly. He then fires back that if I'm looking for the best price then, and I quote, "we're done here!". I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. That's how you run a business? By practically kicking potential customers out the door unless you know they'll pay you through the nose? Unreal!
So, I left... and walked across the way to another body shop where I was greeted by a very nice gentleman, who immediately came out, inspected the car and within 2 minutes I had a quote and time frame for repair as well as some other useful insurance-related info. None of the idiotic questions as above, just exactly what I was expecting from a body shop at this point.
If you have to fix your car - there are many choices, but most definitely steer clear of Eastside Auto Rebuild, you'll be doing yourself a favor. If the guy I talked with is the owner - he deserves to go out of business with that kind of attitude and approach. If he isn't - the owners need to rethink their staffing, if they want to get business.
P.S. An interesting side note was that while I was waiting for the 'guru' to come out, another gentleman was signing his papers, he was apparently unfortunate enough to deal with this outfit. I heard a part of the conversation where he stated that some part was replaced without any reason, they replaced a perfectly functional part and charged him for it. He wasn't happy.
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Santa Fe is located in a small strip mall and from outside you can't really tell much, except for the name and that's is a Mexican restaurant. However, looks can be deceiving.
Walk in and you'll...
Santa Fe is located in a small strip mall and from outside you can't really tell much, except for the name and that's is a Mexican restaurant. However, looks can be deceiving.
Walk in and you'll be instantly greeted by a friendly smile and a very nicely decorated, warm and inviting and rather large and open area. On one hand it's open, but there are still booths that also make it very private at the same time.
Variety of Mexican art and color can be found all over the restaurant and relatively dim lighting create the atmosphere.
You might be greeted by Hector, the owner, or his sister Yvette or a number of other faces that are always courteous, friendly and efficient. It's always a pleasure to deal with anyone at Santa Fe.
And then there's food. And there's plenty of it - the menu is very varied and large with one of the largest selections of seafood I've ever seen in a Mexican restaurant. All of the dishes I've tried were great, literally. A lot of the dishes are similar to other Mexican places, but there are plenty of dishes that aren't. Yesterday I tried such a dish - Chipotle Chicken. Exceptional sauce, exceptional taste - highly recommend it!
Being a great restaurant that Santa Fe is - they do have a web site at http://www.SantaFe-MexicanGrill.com and offer online ordering for takeout via Takeout-Online.com.
On weekends they have special Mexican brunches. See their site for details and online ordering.
If you're looking for a great Mexican meal in Kirkland - Santa Fe Mexican Grill can easily satisfy your needs.
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I deal with many restaurants in my line of business (www.takeout-online.com) and most of the time it's just another place, regardless of cuisine... but once in a while I come across a gem, one of...
I deal with many restaurants in my line of business (www.takeout-online.com) and most of the time it's just another place, regardless of cuisine... but once in a while I come across a gem, one of these places that isn't well known (yet), but should be and Cocorico Cafe & Bakery is such a place, without a doubt.
The new owner is young, but she has a very impressive resume when it comes to cooking savvy and management of restaurants. She also has many innovating ideas for the future. One thing she already did is change some of the recipes and add some new dishes for some mouthwatering results.
The bottom line is - you now have a large selection of incredibly tasty, freshly made - soups, sandwiches, salads & pastries for lunch, breakfast & dinner. They're all very reasonably priced, even though they truly stand out from just about any other restaurant. In fact, I don't think there's another restaurant in Kirkland that can match the selection, variety and uniqueness, yet offering great taste no matter what you order. Definitely recommend it for anyone wanting something new & delicious.
Chelsea, the owner, is also very friendly and even though she's only been there a short while, knows favorite dishes of many repeat customers. Once you come in and talk to her - you feel like you've known her for a while and talking to a friend. She wants that kind of friendly, "Cheers"-like, atmosphere to be at the restaurant and she certainly does a great job facilitating it.
I rarely recommend a particular restaurant so intently, but I do this one. It became my favorite place for lunch in Kirkland very quickly (also I'm a sucker for a good dessert and this place is it for those). Do yourself a favor - go there for lunch or dinner, recommend it to friends - they'll thank you for it. Highly recommend it!
P.S. It is my understanding that Cocorico is providing catering services for parties of any size, custom desserts & more. Contact Chelsea for details.
P.P.S. Last but not least - a shamelss plug... they were also savvy enough to offer online takeout ordering via Takeout-Online.com, so feel free to look at their menu there (and order), go to their web site @ www.Cocorico-Cafe.com and stop by the restaurant - you'll be glad you did!
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Vida Placer is one of these little shops that's located on a corner and since it's pretty small - it's very easily overlooked. The name certainly doesn't invite anyone in (at least anyone who...
Vida Placer is one of these little shops that's located on a corner and since it's pretty small - it's very easily overlooked. The name certainly doesn't invite anyone in (at least anyone who doesn't speak Spanish), but once you come in - shield your eyes, because they will get a blast of most brilliant color on very original and beautiful artwork on ceramic, metal and other materials, mostly priced low enough not to send you out the door as soon as you walk in.
This place is quaint, but it's got some gorgeous gift ideas. The owner, Maria, is a pleasure to talk to and knows all there is to know about the art and the people who create it. Most of it is imported from high end artisans of Mexico and it's all carefully handcrafted and painted. And the paint work on some items is truly spectacular.
So, if you're looking to decorate your place on a budget or want to buy a very unique, extremely nice and possibly one of a kind gift - that's the place to go.
They also have a web site at www.vidaplacer.com which shows many items and has online ordering.
Currently (through the end of 2006) she also has a 20% off sale on already unbelievably reasonable (read: some items beg to cost more but don't) prices.
Highly recommend it!
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It was a rainy afternoon in Kirkland and between meetings I thought I'd stop by Oriel and get a cup of coffee and something to go with it, like a piece of decent cake. Typically just getting a...
It was a rainy afternoon in Kirkland and between meetings I thought I'd stop by Oriel and get a cup of coffee and something to go with it, like a piece of decent cake. Typically just getting a piece of cake just doesn't sound right, but when it's a compliment to coffee - then it's totally ok.
As soon as I sat down a friendly young man came to my table to take the order. I asked him a few questions regarding the cake selection and made my choice to go along with my cappuccino.
Few minutes later I had a large size cup in front of me, as well as not necessarily the healthiest piece of cake, but certainly excessively tasty (the usual compromise).
I was expecting to see some decoration on top of my cappuccino (like a design or sort), but didn't, it was plain. And to top it off the friendly waiter apologized for caramel on the plate being slightly runny. I did see that the cake was a centerpiece on a plate that was nicely decorated and when I looked down on the 'runny' part - it was amazing, because it wasn't 'runny' - it actually had my name spelled in caramel - a most nice gesture and touch.
Certainly was a very nice experience. I had my coffee and the cake that came with it and was totally ready for my next meeting.
Would I recommend Oriel? Absolutely. Go check it out for yourself. You may not have your name written on a plate necessarily, but you will get to choose from a large and interesting menu, eat in a nice modern establishment, right in the heart of Kirkland.
Oh yes, they also now have a beautiful web site at www.oriel-cafe.com and you can even order takeout from them via Takeout Online. Oriel's menus (breakfast, lunch, dinner and special Kid's menu) can be accessed at www.takeout-online.com/oriel/
Welcome to Kirkland, Oriel - it's nice to have you here!
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I went to Taj Palace on business and when I came in during the lunch hour - the place was packed and it isn't a small place. Next thing I know I meet a friend of mine who couldn't say enough good...
I went to Taj Palace on business and when I came in during the lunch hour - the place was packed and it isn't a small place. Next thing I know I meet a friend of mine who couldn't say enough good things about this place and how busy it was practically always.
Naturally, I had to try and it was as good as promised. The food was freshly made, tasted great, almost as if someone cooked a delicious Indian food for me right then and there (and for the other 100+ people who seemed to have the same sentiments).
Recently Taj Palace has added ability to order takeout online, via the service called Takeout Online, and they will be changing their Web site very soon. Of course you can always order online from www.takeout-online.com and clicking on Taj Palace.
If you like Indian food or you want to try Indian food - Taj Palace is a great place to go! Definitely recommend it!
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Kahili Coffee is right across Hector's restaurant in downtown Kirkland. It's very spacious, has a nice combination of tables and casual soft furniture to fit whatever style of coffee you're into,...
Kahili Coffee is right across Hector's restaurant in downtown Kirkland. It's very spacious, has a nice combination of tables and casual soft furniture to fit whatever style of coffee you're into, but its store size makes more comfortable than similar but smaller environments at usual coffee chain stores.
The staff is very friendly and courteous and the menu offers a nice variety of items that are both unique and tasty.
The coffee is typically given out in mugs, which is a nice touch and prepared looking like it would from a small, but very caring mom'n'pop shop. The taste matches the rest of the niceties and even though it's not a cheap place for coffee - everything else makes up for somewhat higher price than you'd pay at Tully's.
And as most coffee shops these days, Kahili offers WiFi for their customers. If you expect to pay slightly more for that too - you'll be surprised to find out that it's FREE. That's right - FREE WiFi. They don't make a big deal regarding it on the outside sign, but I think they should. It's a very nice feature and the fact that it's free makes the whole experience certainly better than most other places.
In fact nowadays I hold my important meetings there and it works out very well. Even though we have our share of coffee places and you'd think how much better than Starbucks can it get - well it can at this place and therefore I definitely recommend it.
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The name is intriguing. The location is great. Even though there are possibilities for a great gathering place for coffee lovers right in the middle of downtown Kirkland - the actual experience is...
The name is intriguing. The location is great. Even though there are possibilities for a great gathering place for coffee lovers right in the middle of downtown Kirkland - the actual experience is not that stellar.
Before getting into coffee let's talk bathrooms. I walk in with my little kid trying to you know, she has needs and doesn't know at her age that you go to a coffee place to drink coffee. So, to get into the bathroom you need to get a key, naturally... or not. It's crazy actually, to need to lift a key conveniently placed on the wall, right next to where the food is being handled, with a huge obnoxious thing that makes it tough to steal, I guess, although I can't imagine anyone snagging something as useful as a key to a bathroom without it. So, you take this key with half the place watching you, go do your stuff, on your way out you get a door slam so loud, you have a feeling that Osama just committed suicide right behind you. Certainly wakes you up, in case you were dozing on your way back to coffee.
Enough bathrooms - let's get to coffee. It's nothing special. There. It's not Tully's, not Starbucks, it's just an overpriced cup of liquid, unfortunately, Add to it the highly overpriced piece of pastry and you have yourself an unforgettable experience always reminding you to walk away next time you're in the neighborhood.
I'm joking to a degree, but seriously these guys need to do better if they plan to survive next to Tully's and Kahili. The price needs to be more reasonable and food needs to be better and since it's suppose to be a coffee place - that certainly needs to be better as well.
They advertise their web site (www.realitycoffee.com), which could stand some improvement as well... it would be ok as someone's personal site, but not the .com they're trying to portray themselves as. Heck, you can't even order their coffee or food from the site (reality check: contact www.takeout-online.com and add online ordering). And finally - get rid of the silly bathroom key!
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Raga doesn't inspire one from the outside. But walk in and you're treated to a very intimate restaurant with enthusiastically friendly gentleman, who happens to own the place, whom with the rest of...
Raga doesn't inspire one from the outside. But walk in and you're treated to a very intimate restaurant with enthusiastically friendly gentleman, who happens to own the place, whom with the rest of the staff, will do whatever it takes to leave you happy, fed and smiling.
The lunch buffet has a number of delicious entrées, with typical Indian cuisine, although you have a feeling that you're eating at home, not in a restaurant. The price is very reasonable and the food tastes delicious.
Dinner provides a much more romantic atmosphere and offers a large variety of dishes, all prepared with care and attention to customer satisfaction. If there's anything that's not as it should be - the owner insists on making it right... every time.
Takeout is available and can be easily ordered online (www.takeout-online.com).
The same owner also owns Quiznos Sub on 98th Ave.
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