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El Portal
Category:
Communications Services
522 Wall
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 264-1422
Last Wednesday I had a business dinner here at El Portal. While we were concerned at first for the lack of people being seen through the windows of the restaurant we were pleased once we started...
Last Wednesday I had a business dinner here at El Portal. While we were concerned at first for the lack of people being seen through the windows of the restaurant we were pleased once we started getting food to our table.
The former bartender of El Gaucho, Joe Valencia, started this dining venture about 11 months ago in a location that hadn't been great for any of its former tenants. I hope that this time El Portal will be able to get past the locale to draw in visitors because the food is worth it. Joe happened to be there the night of my dining experience and if you've ever seen Joe from his years at EG you'll be barely able to recognize him. He looks great but gone are the clean cut styles and he's a bit more bohemian - which frankly I liked.
In his own restaurant he's been able to relax and enjoy life a little more. My dinner guest is a former chef and we both enjoyed our meals and we were given a good wine recommendation that wasn't high budget. My meal was the nightly special of a pork tamale - it was wonderful and really hit the spot for me that night. My friend had the daily halibut with a wonderful green sauce that really got the taste buds moving. Prior to our entrees we had shared the tuna tartare El Portal style. Having been a fan of a similar dish at EG I was very pleased to have a good experience with the version at EP - although some people might need to get used to the green color because of the mix of ingredients included in this version.
I've heard great things about the table side guacamole so I'll definitely go back. Be sure to try this place out because if they don't get business they'll fold. The restaurant business is tricky and if a good thing comes to town you should "feed" it so it stays around!
Good luck, Joe, you're doing a great job!
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If you don't itemize then it's usually not going to make a big difference. Also, you should get a different tax preparer if that is what they are doing. I've rated Foster and Company before in this...
If you don't itemize then it's usually not going to make a big difference. Also, you should get a different tax preparer if that is what they are doing. I've rated Foster and Company before in this venue and I'll tell you that you really need to work with a firm that will EXPLAIN the tax issues to you so you know what to do and what to plan for. Most people don't itemize, particularly if they don't own a home, or depending on their income bracket. Even with 70% of the US population owning homes in some areas the cost of the home's interest annually is too low to qualify a deduction larger than the standard.
Try contacting the folks at Foster and Company for next year's return if you want to get a good response.
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Ok, so I just got done looking up online the folks at Pagliacci Pizza to order dinner. (We usually swap between these folks and Zeeks Pizza.) So, I'm ordering my 2 medium "pies" and a large salad...
Ok, so I just got done looking up online the folks at Pagliacci Pizza to order dinner. (We usually swap between these folks and Zeeks Pizza.) So, I'm ordering my 2 medium "pies" and a large salad when the gal on the phone asks if I want to take advantage of their delivery special - it's for SMALLER pizzas and they also will give the 2nd pizza for $5.99!!!! This saves me some money, which is always a good thing, and I'm talking some decent savings - the original medium pizzas were $16.49 and $19.49 each so instead I paid $15.99 for the higher cost one and the other one dropped to $5.99 which more than covered the cost of the additional salad that I was already planning on ordering - and the other side benefit is I'll have less food, which is good since I am now trying to watch portion sizes more than I used to. Now THAT is SERVICE!!!! I love these guys.... Give them your pizza delivery business if you haven't already.
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Since I do a lot of staging of client's homes for my real estate business I have found that Fred Meyer is a great place to go and get good deals on candles, candle holders, pillows, artwork and...
Since I do a lot of staging of client's homes for my real estate business I have found that Fred Meyer is a great place to go and get good deals on candles, candle holders, pillows, artwork and more. I've been very pleased with the overall appeal of their products and I like them better sometimes than IKEA because there is a range of styles to choose from and not just modern European. Just before I left on a recent, and much needed, vacation I went to FM to pick up bedding, lamps, lighting, candles and some other items for a new client's staging. It looked great after all was done and the professional photos that we did really did shine because of it. We sold the condo within a couple of hours of going on market. I'll continue to go back to FM for my staging needs and the bonus is that I often get to use these items in my home once certain seasons go by and styles and color trends change so I get added use from my purchases including making my guest bedroom look comfy and cozy for friends and family that stay with us.
Even better is that they have some really good sales and in-store specials. I look for these to keep myself on budget on these projects.
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Wing Dome
Category:
Restaurants
7818 Greenwood Ave. N
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 706-4036
Every once in a while my partner and I get a hankering for buffalo wings. We just stopped by Wing Dome this past week after Monday night football crowds died down and got our fix with the 4-flavor...
Every once in a while my partner and I get a hankering for buffalo wings. We just stopped by Wing Dome this past week after Monday night football crowds died down and got our fix with the 4-flavor platter. The wings we picked for our wing smorgasbord were Jamaican, 3-star, Garlic, and teriyaki. It was definitely finger-smackin' good and we washed it down with Manny's Pale Ale. Along with our wings we opted for the fried mushrooms and some fries. Careful with those 'shrooms though because they are hot coming out of the fryer! I'd like to see some other healthy options to offset the wings and other fried items on the menu besides the salads (kind of bland here) because we'd likely come more often then but we were still happy.
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I have a medium sized dog (Jake) at 65 lbs and 2 "Jerk Russell Terrorists" at 14.5 and 18lbs. Small dogs can be good in some aspects because if your dog is getting out of line you can always pick it...
I have a medium sized dog (Jake) at 65 lbs and 2 "Jerk Russell Terrorists" at 14.5 and 18lbs. Small dogs can be good in some aspects because if your dog is getting out of line you can always pick it up and move it. With larger dogs that's harder to do. However, we find that our little dogs are generally more aggressive, bark more, and require more entertainment.
Why is this? Part of it is that JRT's were originally bred and trained for hunting - foxes, badgers, rats, and more. Understanding that the word "terrier" comes from the word "terroir", meaning ground, lets you in on their usual problems such as digging. Little dogs have lots of energy. We joke that the JRT's have 2 speeds, on and off - there is no middle ground. If they aren't tearing around the yard or house they are usually napping. One friend has a JRT that we jokingly say turns all houses into a skateboard park for dogs.
The folks at Canine Behavior Center put it best when they say, "a tired dog is a good dog." Usually a minimum of 2 miles of walking each day is good for most pets but in the teen years of dogs you might need a little more. Jake used to need up to 5 or 6 miles of jogging when he was around 2 yrs old to keep him calm. Now that he's 11 he can get exhausted doing 2 miles of walking. I took Jake and all of our JRT's to their classes. They are held in Bellevue and they do a remote class through the Phinney Neighborhood Association. It's really worth it. Usually the class spans about 9 weeks, meeting only 1 night per week for about an hour. You're expected to do training exercises throughout the week to show skill building at each session. It's basically a "train the trainer" type of thing but that's the real catch - it's the owners that need to be willing to train and be consistent with the pet.
Crate training can help to potty train your dog and will provide them a safe place in your home if the dog were to get stressed. It also helps to train for traveling.
How much does a dog cost to own? Well, it depends... is your dog a purebred that has common ailments in its breed? Many purebreds aren't as healthy as mixed pets because of inbreeding. Pets can get the same illnesses as humans, or at least their own version of them, and there is no knowing what may happen over the years of your relationship with a pet when that may or may not occur.
My cat, Morrey, is pretty healthy and he's 19 (I've had him since he was 8). He usually has his annual physical but last year we had a lot of visits to the vet because he decided to take off out of a 2nd story window and ended up with casts on his 2 front legs and with 4 months of treatment. Is he worth it? Yes.
Our previous JRT was found to have a heart problem and we had to give him 2 pills a day for it. There were yearly EKGs and medication costs. In the end, we only had Russell for 2.5 years because he had a heart attack when we weren't home. I still say every dime spent on him, and every rug he ruined during potty training, was worth it because he had the personality of a superstar and we loved him.
Adopting a pet is a huge commitment that comes with a lot of responsibility. Do so with the understanding that this is a life that you are taking into your care.
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At the end of April and early May I did some major damage to my low back and my right leg. It's very likely I had multiple muscle tears (didn't get an MRI) and I was suffering from sciatica as well...
At the end of April and early May I did some major damage to my low back and my right leg. It's very likely I had multiple muscle tears (didn't get an MRI) and I was suffering from sciatica as well as a pinched femoral nerve. Not fun!
Laura was my PT person and she was wonderful! In fact, I don't like to use the word often but I'd venture to say she was "awesome!" She is a former dancer and she is very athletic. She understands what it is like to work with other very athletic people and she is very bright. All of things you asked for are definitions I would use to describe her. While I worked with her while she did some fill in work at the WAC she usually works with the folks at Manual Therapy International.
I highly recommend her!
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These folks have serviced my furnace for a few years now and I've never been unhappy with them. In fact, they were really great a couple of years ago when we got that really cold snap - a plastic...
These folks have serviced my furnace for a few years now and I've never been unhappy with them. In fact, they were really great a couple of years ago when we got that really cold snap - a plastic pipe that comes from the furnace for releasing condensation had clogged up with ice (I didn't know it) and they were able to troubleshoot it over the phone with me and prevented me from having to pay a big bill for an easy fix (put wet, hot towels on pipe to thaw). They also helped me when I first bought my house and didn't realize the furnace was set up on a switch that looks just like all the other light switches in my house. Again, I called for help and they walked me through troubleshooting steps to make sure they didn't "really" need to come out and it saved me money. That's why when I want my furnace serviced I call Smith Heating & Cooling.
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It's a newer place that opened up in the Seattle area - they usually have an interesting collection of glazed pots that are very attractive. Also, check out sales from places like Herban Pottery.
It's a newer place that opened up in the Seattle area - they usually have an interesting collection of glazed pots that are very attractive. Also, check out sales from places like Herban Pottery.
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I bought my car from these folks 5 years ago and I've been happy with the follow up service I've received. It's not quite as personable as what I used to get from my former Kirkland Infiniti...
I bought my car from these folks 5 years ago and I've been happy with the follow up service I've received. It's not quite as personable as what I used to get from my former Kirkland Infiniti dealership (I had a used J30) where the gal (Linda) helping run the service department and I became very friendly and she knew me by name, car, and more. Heck, it's been 5 years since I had an Infiniti and I still remember her name! I'm not sure if she's still there but if she is I highly recommend the service department.
The Honda folks don't know me that well but they do offer online booking of service appointments and some other services which I find very convenient. I've never had anyone be pushy there except for when I bought the car one guy (the proverbial pushy sales manager) did try to push stuff I didn't need. But, I was also a savvy consumer and knew what I did and didn't want. Financing wasn't an issue because I'd taken care of that in advance. It's always important to have your research done ahead of going to the lot and to let the sales staff know your intentions. You might head off a lot of the pushy tactics that way.
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