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Name: Caffe Ladro
Description on their web: At Caffe Ladro, we strive to provide profound service.
We believe that profound service improves the world.
Neighborhood: Downtown, but has 15 locations(9 in Seattle, 2 up north and 4 on the East Side)
Address: 801 Pine Street, Seattle, WA 98101
Music playing: What Do You Love? by YG
What we ate/drank: Medici, Gibraltar
Comments: Although each Caffe Ladro location is different, this one is way different. Some locations are inviting/homey and others are minimalist modern. I always felt like this location is straight out of the Jetsons. Even though the walls and cashier/barista station are covered with dark wood, the rest of the space looks like what one would envision as futuristic in the 60/70’s. This location is on the bottom floor of the 801 Tower, which was constructed in 1970. Most Seattlites know about this apartment building because it’s a circular building like a rocket and was one of the few high rise apartment buildings in NE part of downtown until recently. The cafe has slanted floor to ceiling windows all the way around the front and side which makes this Caffe Ladro location super bright. Another reason for the Jetson feel might be the 5 planetary-looking hanging lamps.
Caffe Ladro is known for their Medici. And though I’m normally an espresso/americano person, when in Rome….
The Medici is a doppio esprseso poured over chocolate syrup and orange peel, with whipped cream on top. I thought it would be super sweet but it wasn’t and quite good. The Medici was actually created in Seattle at an espresso bar no longer in existence, Last Exit on Brooklyn, which was located in the University District near UW.
They have some limited pastries
As for the seating options. There’s only a short bar with stools facing out on Pine, a few individual leather seats and few small tables with stools. There’s also a small bar near the cashier that seats three and a very small patio section.
The grand Hyatt hotel is one block away, so all the taxi drivers line up on the street right next to Caffe Ladro. One thing I noticed is the number of taxi drivers who come in for their cup of joe at Caffe Ladro while waiting for the hotel to call them to pick up a fare.
Mystery Solved– I asked the workers what the logo of the silhouetted man represented(Got the coffee place right this time). They said Ladro is Italian for thief, so the figure is supposed to be a cloaked mysterious in-the-shadows thief. Ah-ha…..
Mystery Really Solved– See review of Caffe Ladro(1800 9th Building)
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: The unconventional “Jetsons” architecture.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.25
Overall: 4.25
Eavesdropping Convos: A regular comes in…
Barista(B)- Hey, haven’t seen you in a while. Normal macchiato?
Customer(C) –You got it. How’s your morning so far?
B-So far, so good. Does it feel hot in here? *Waves her hand at her face to cool off* I’m feeling hot.
C-And I’m a heating seeking missile. **laughs**
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Name: Caffe Vita
Description on their web: By creating an environment where the customer can see, touch, and taste the coffee they purchase, we provide a unique learning opportunity that allows our coffee to speak for itself. Caffe Vita is always fresh, imported directly from the farm and roasted on-site.
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
Address: 125 Prefontaine Pl South, Seattle, WA 98104
Music playing: Conventional Wisdom by Built to Spill
What we ate/drank: Americano, Frosted Apple Fritter from Mighty-O
Comments: Unlike Caffe Ladro, that seems to have a different vibe per location, Caffe Vita locations all seem to have the same vibe-warm and comfortable. Of all the Caffe Vita locations, this is by far my favorite. Some thing to be aware of — this location is not open on the weekends, but all their other locations are. I guess Pioneer Square is generally a ghost town on the weekends. Another thing I didn’t realize is the Capitol Hill location is open until 11:00pm for all you night owls. They also have locations outside Seattle in Portland, NY and LA.
This particular location has an industrial look with huge steel supports, a huge metal staircase and bar stools made from camshafts. Because of it’s size, it’s good for groups. A huge community table is located in the front along with 3 or 4 tables for two. In the back is more bar seating. That’s not all. They have an upstairs area with a leather couch and a few more table seatings with a really interesting glass coffee table that have a huge cut section of a tree trunk surrounded by a steel mechanism.The ceilings have to be at least 25 feet high, which means the huge windows allow in a lot of light.
For all you vegans out there, you’ll be happy to know that their pastries are from Mighty-O Donuts. I had a huge apple fritter that had an unusually large portion of frosting(see pic above) with my Americano. The cashier said, “Looks like they put extra frosting on this one for you”
People call me a Looker. I don’t mean that as in, “wow, that guy’s a looker!” but more like “wow, that guy likes to look at things a lot.” This Caffe Vita location has a lot of cool things to look at-the coffee grinder in the front window, the coffee table pictured above, their huge siphon, and even the floor tiles, which are definitely original.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: All the cool things to look at-the coffee grinder in the front window, the coffee table pictured above, their huge siphon, and even the floor tiles,
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5 + 1 extra point(see below)
Food Options: 3
Overall: 4.5
Eavesdropping My Convo: Let me preface the story below. I’ve always been interested in Caffe Vita’s logo. It’s dude who looks like a court jester who is offering up a cup of coffee. I was trying to make small talk with the cashier and asked about the origin of of the logo for “Caffe Ladro“. Yes, I asked her about the logo of a different cafe. As you can see from the two logos below side by side, there is nothing in common except both are humans and both are wearing hats.
Anyways, here’s how it went down. I had just put in my order.
Me-You know the logo for Caffe Ladro, the guy with the trench coat? What’s the origin? What does it represent? Remember, my dumbass is in Caffe Vita.
Cashier – Looking perplexed. You mean……..
Me- You know the silhouette of the guy in a trench coat.
Cashier- Well different coffee places have different logos, but Cafe Ladro’s owners probably had their logo of what they envisioned a typical Seattle person looking like, bundled up in a hat and trench coat. She even physically showed me how a bundled up person looks similar to the logo!
Me- Ahhh…. Ok.
Cashier- Yeah, no problem.
I sat at a table and waited for my drink. I started thinking of the conversation. By the way she phrased her answer, it finally dawned on me. I was mortified when I realized I had asked her about another cafe’s logo.
After I realized what I had done, my first thought was, wow I can’t believe she was so nice and actually tried to explain a another cafe’s logo. She was not condescending in any way and was genuinely trying to answer my question. I never did find out about Cafe Vita’s logo, but I did find out about the Cafe Ladro’s logo from Cafe Ladro, which I’ll write about next.
When I do find out about the Vita logo, I’ll report back.
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Recommended by: Lara(?) at Kona Kitchen
Name: Varisty Inn
Description on their web: They don’t have a website
Neighborhood: Wallingford
Address: 1801 N 34th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Type: Brunch
Packed?: Was not busy when we arrived shortly after opening, but was almost full when leaving around 9:00 am on a Saturday
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Beef Fajita Omelette, Carnitas in Tomatillo sauce with corn tortilla and hash brown. Side order of cinammon roll.
Comments: From the outside and from appearances as you first walk in, you’d think this is a greasy spoon diner, that isn’t always the cleanest, but I’ve got to say, the place is dated but immaculate. Varsity Inn is only open for breakfast and lunch. It appears there are a lot of regulars that frequent the place due to many customers being greeted by name as they walk in the door. Where most popular Seattle brunch places are packed with youngsters and young families, Varsity Inn seems to cater to regulars who have been coming here for years and years. They have your typical diner fare, but truthfully we’ve never had any of those dishes. Then why do we go here?
This is listed as a secret but what is the secret? You can see a copy of their menu online and you’ll notice it looks like your standard diner breakfast go to’s. The secret is that they have Mexican specials that are not listed on the menu that are just as good or better than nearby Pablo y Pablo, Senor Moose or Barrio, but cheaper. The portions are huge and you’ll surely need a box for leftovers. Take a gander at these….
We’ve read their Yelp and Google reviews and we’re flabbergasted that most people do not order these dishes. We ask our friends about their favorite places for Mexican and nobody ever mentions Varsity Inn. I think it’s one of those things where people who want normal American diner food go here specifically for that and people who may want Mexican have no idea Varsity Inn serves it nor would they have any reason to know they serve it unless they were tipped off or happened upon it by accident.
The staff is always nice and engage in small talk. I don’t know if they have a bin of toys, but the first time we came in, our server provided out daughter a toy cell phone to play with while we waited for our meals to come out. There is a small parking lot, but street parking can be a bitch especially lately due to the new construction of condo/apts in the neighborhood.Good recommendation, Lara!
Note: This is not to be confused with Ravenna Varsity Restaurant, which is a totally different restaurant.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Atmosphere: 3.0
Service: 5.0
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.75
Overall: 4.40
Locals Only Rating: Locals “in the know” know about it.
Server recommendations to visit in the future: The staff was pretty busy, but a customer sitting next to us made small talk with us since our daughter just started walking. He mentioned a Mojito as a place we’d might want to try.
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Voxx Coffee
Description on Voxx website: We start with our own custom blend of premium beans sourced through farmers in the world’s best coffee growing regions. We are proud to partner with Lighthouse Roasters, a Seattle pioneer in roasting since 1995. We are believers in doing what you love and loving what you do. And we make coffee for people who love coffee.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1200 6th Ave, Seattle WA 98101
Music playing: Lake Superior- The Arcs
What we ate/drank: Americano and White Knuckle Obrien breakfast burrito(eggs, potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and cheddar)
Comments:
Voxx Coffee is on the bottom floor of the Park Place Building right near the entrance. It’s also near the Convention Center so it’s a good option if you happen to be there. First thing I noticed are two phone booth sized express work stations meant for less than 20 minute increments. Good if you need some privacy. Towards the back is a narrow bar meant for enjoying your coffee while standing, but near the front area is a wider bar along the front window with four seats.
There’s a “living room area” with a couch, corner table, seat and coffee table. And along the side are long benches and 6 tables for two. Although it’s a small space, they’ve maxed the areas to enjoy your stay. It would definitely be difficult to find seating if you came with a bigger group. The front area with the “living room area” and benches has warm lighting. The other side of the space with the express work stations seems like a different place with plain exposed concrete walls and darker lighting.
Food options are various Macrina Bakery pastries and White Knuckle sandwiches and burritos. In watching the three folks working the morning I went, they were making a concerted effort to keep the line moving in an efficient manner without being pushy, cognizant of the morning folks trying to get to work. When I ordered an Americano and burrito, the cashier rung me up, a 2nd person filled the cup with hot water and handed off to the barista and the burrito was put in the panini press before I was finished paying. It’s the first time I’ve seen a burrito warmed with a panini press which made it toasty on the outside.
Ratings
This is more of a coffee shop that I’d go to if I was only in the area. I mean their coffee is good and the service is great, but it’s just not the type of space where I’d want to relax and spend some time. On the other hand, their location in Eastlake is bright, airy and more inviting.
Favorite Thing:
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 5
Food Options: 4.0
Overall: 4.25
Eavesdropping Convos:
I heard you’re looking for a house this weekend?
Noooo, looking to rent. Renting. Renting. We thought about buying, but some things are out of your control like if the owner wants to sell to you or not versus renting where I have more control over how much I want to pay, distance of commute or if I want to stay longterm. If we could stay in our little one bedroom apartment with a two minute commute to downtown, I would.
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Broadcast Coffee
Description on their web: We source high quality coffee, roast it carefully, and get excited to share it with you.
Neighborhood: Roosevelt
Address: 6515 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle WA 98115
Music playing: Said So What by French Kicks
What we ate/drank: Americano or double espresso. Mighty-O Old Fashioned glazed doughnut
Comments: We mentioned in Our Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts post that Broadcast Coffee was our Favorite Modern-Style Coffee Shop. I’ve never been to their Central District location, but the Roosevelt location is my go-to coffee shop when I need to concentrate and get some work done.They have lots of seating and outlets, but it doesn’t feel cluttered due to the big open space in the middle and because everything is white. The walls, their mugs, to go cups, even the exposed vents and pipes on the ceiling are white. Food options are limited to mainly Mighty-O pastries, various instant oatmeals and yogurts.
I also mentioned how that previous post how they really take pride in their quality and the story of a barista here remaking my espresso 3 times, because somebody left the front door open as they were leaving and she felt it affected the taste of the espresso due to the change in pressure. It’s not the type of place I suggest when I want to catch up with somebody and shoot the breeze, because it’s normally quiet and due to its minimalist decor, conversations carry. Although when I think about it, I have conducted interviews and met up with our doulas there. It seems that the majority of people who go there are UW students, Roosevelt High students, yoga goers from next door and people who work remotely.
It’s one of the few places I buy coffee beans from. I normally just get coffee outside and rarely brew my own, but I’m a big fan of their Crossfade Blend and so I have some at home. One other thing that sets Broadcast coffee apart from the rest, is that they stay open late for a coffee shop, closing at 8:00pm everyday. Broadcast also goes one step further than Caffe Umbria that has a great resource on their website on how to brew using different devices with video and pictures. Broadcast has a service where you actually bring in your brewing device and for $40 they’ll make sure you’re using your device properly, grinding properly, using best choice of coffee and even the type of water. I’ve not heard of this type of service before. And also like Mr West Café Bar, they have what I believe to have a great music selection that I Shazam often.
Ratings
Favorite Thing: It’s bright due to the massive front windows. It’s normally very quiet, which makes it my go-to spot for working.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.5
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convos: Some quips from a very loud talking real estate agent
Real Estate Agent(REA)-May I ask what you do for a living?
Home Buyer(HB)- I work for Zillow as a software engineer manager.
REA-I have a love-hate relationship with Zillow. They gouge us on advertising. For me, it doesn’t matter because I’ve got a reputation and so many referrals where I don’t need Zillow’s help anymore. Are you feeling secure there?
HB-Yes, I’m pretty secure. Watch, now that I’ve said that I’ll get fired on Monday.
******
REA-Just to prove how long I’ve been doing this, I got my first 2nd generation home buyer from a certain family I’ve been doing business with for ages. When I first worked with this family, this kid was 14. Now I just got him into a house after he graduated college. One day I’m buying him condoms for his 18th birthday, the next I’m selling him a house. Time flies, huh? **laughs heartily***
*******
REA-I’m at your beck and call 24 hours. In this market you need access to houses within 24 hours of being put on the market. If you wait for the open house on the weekend, you’re too late. I can get you to see these houses weekday or weeknight. That’s what it takes right now. Seriously!
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Anchorhead Coffee Co
Description on their web: We are believers in doing what you love and loving what you do. And we make coffee for people who love coffee.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 1600 7th Ave, Seattle WA 98101
Music playing: It Is Not Meant To Be-Tame Imapla
What we ate/drank: Americano
Comments: In our post, Seattle Bars For Each Stage of Dating, we talked about Suite 410 as being the bar where you’d take a date to impress. It had to be quiet, chill and have dark lighting to set the mood for romance. Anchorhead Coffee Co is the coffee shop equivalent of Suite 410. First of all, Anchorhead is located on the bottom floor of an office building so it would normally be hard to spot from the street, but you can’t miss it because of the word, “COFFEE”(see below) in huge letters in the window. First thing I noticed is how dark it is there, which makes it more conducive to a relaxed, winding down from a hard day at work feel. It’s the perfect place to grab a coffee before seeing an evening movie or a show down the street at the Paramount. It does get busy in the morning with all the Nordstrom employees in the building getting their caffiene intake.
There are leather industrial stools along the front glass window facing the street. The same stools are also placed at the opposite end of the space along two long tables. In the middle of the space are two turquoise leather chairs and leather sofa with a narrow wood coffee table between them. Along the side are more traditional tables but with leather rolling office chairs. There’s also some limited outdoor seating when the weather is warmer.
The food choices are above average. They had berry banana oat muffins, banana loaves, bacon cheddar chive scones and croissant breakfast sandwiches with bacon, egg and cheese. All were huge. They have your normal espresso drinks as well as a pretty extensive pour over menu and nitro cold brew. In the winter they also have seasonal drinks like pumpkin latte, mulled apple ciders and mochas with mint. They have a few beers on tap. Bale Breaker, one of my favorites, among them.
There’s definitely a lot of competition in the area. Anchorhead Coffee Co is surrounded by Caffe Senso Unico, Mr West Cafe, Caffe Ladro, Made Coffee and of course, Starbucks, but they more than hold their own.
Note: When I first saw a sign saying Anchorhead Coffee Co was opening, I thought that Anchored Ship Coffee, a place in Ballard was opening another branch. The similar name and very similar logo really tripped me up.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Favorite Thing: Our choice for a nice relaxing romantic atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 4.5
Service: 5
Food Options: 4.75
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convos:
Gal 1(G1)- Have you ever been to Baltic Room?
Gal 2(G2) – Yeah
G1-I was there the other night with friends and there was this guy there. Super cute. This girl goes right up to him and starts flirting with him. I aspire to be that girl someday. You know, just doesn’t care and just goes after what she wants.
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Name: Storyville Coffee Company
Description on their web: A Simple Pleasure. A Desperate Need. A Beautiful Dream
Neighborhood: Downtown-Pike Place Market
Address: 94 Pike Street, #34, Seattle WA 98101
Music playing: Some type of new agey jazzy instrumental spa like music.
What we ate/drank: Doppio Espresso, Frosted Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Cake, Mocha
Comments: As we mentioned in our Coffee Shop Thoughts, this is the coffee place that most impresses our visitors to Seattle. First of all you will normally end up near Storyville Coffee Company if you have visitors in town since it’s located in Pike Place Market. What seems to impress our visitors is that it’d hard to find, so unless you are looking for it, you won’t come across it unlike some of the other coffee places in Pike Place Market, such as the first Starbucks, Local Color or Ghost Alley Expresso, which you’ll stumble across if walking the market or going to the gum wall. Visitors feel like their in on a local secret spot. Storyville Coffee Company is in the building on the NW corner of Pike and 1st. You walk up the stairs and it’s on the top floor.
The other thing that impresses visitors is the place itself. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite coffee place, but you will not find a more gorgeous coffee shop in all of Seattle. First thing you notice is the huge semi-circle ordering bar with warm lighting. There are two stations for making the drinks and if you look right behind the cashier and baristas you can see all their pastries. The next thing you’ll notice are their huge semi-circle windows that look down on the market and it’s famous Public Market Center sign and if you look straight ahead, the view of Puget Sound. There’s a huge fireplace and lots of comfy leather seats and sofa. There are a pair of long repurposed wood tables with stools. The hardwoods look original like some of the other spots in the market. They also have another location down the street on 1st and Madison and a location in Queen Anne, but neither comes close to replicating the experience of the Pike Place Market location for your visitors. I’ll make the bold statement that when it comes to both the inside space and the views, there is no other place in Seattle like it.
Apart from the normal expresso and brewed coffee(including cold brew), there are tea options, hot chocolate and Italian sodas. The food options are a kale salad, homemade tomato soup, oatmeal and a breakfast sandwich, but the real goodness are their baked goods. I’m partial to the Frosted Cinnamon Roll. I have a tradition of visiting Storyville for an espresso and cinnamon roll after visiting my dentist, who is also located in the market. What, no cavities? Give me a sugary cinnamon roll then! You’ll pay Pike Place Market prices, but the beautiful space makes it worth it.
They have a subscription service that ships coffee beans the same day it’s roasted out of their Roasting Studio on Bainbridge Island. They claim that by subscribing the cost comes to 65 cent per cup. Not bad. They also have an admiral mission to stop human trafficking by donating a portion of every cup sold to organizations fighting human trafficking. One quirky thing is that they don’t open at 7:00 or 8:00, they open at 6:59 and 7:59. I’m also curious about their logo, a child playing with a toy airplane. The next time I’m there, I’ll ask and report back.
Ratings
Favorite Thing: The frosted cinnamon roll and gorgeous space.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 4.5
Food Options: 4
Overall: 4.5
Eavesdropping Convos:
Girl 1(G1)-So we visited a financial advisor last week and he says we’re way behind in saving for our retirement. All this time I thought that our company automatically puts money for our retirement in the 401k, but it looks like you have to sign up for it. I had no clue. How am I supposed to know? All these years I thought the company put money in this account for us. I wondered why I never got a statement. I told Gary(her husband?) that I had a 401k, but I guess I don’t. He was pretty pissed.
Girl 2(G2)-Yeah you have to opt in. I try to contribute at least the company match since they match it 100%. It can add up super quick.
G1-What!? What does that mean?!
G2-If you contribute 4% of your paycheck, the company puts in another 4%. It’s kinda like free money.
G1-Are you serious?! 8 years I could have been doing this? Why didn’t HR tell me!!!
Related Articles:
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Seattle Coffee Shops
- Storyville – 1st Ave
- Caffe Ladro -Jetsons
- Mr West Café Bar,
This is the fifth in a series of What Visitors Think of Seattle. We’re big fans of Couchsurfing. We’ve had the pleasure of hosting over 40 visitors from around the US and Internationally. Visitors always have interesting observations about Seattle and it’s great seeing Seattle through the lens of a fresh pair of eyes. We profile some of our visitors and noted their comments about Seattle, the US and some of our learning about where they’re from.
“A” (Female-36) was from Sapporo, Japan. She only stayed one night in Seattle, but before that she stayed at a tree house hotel out in Issaquah before coming to our place. She mentioned she had an infatuation with tree houses and it’s one of the main reasons she decided to visit Washington. Her goal was to one day build and live in a tree house. Before she went to Issaquah she spent 2 nights in San Francisco. She actually spent 3 years in the US going to high school in Orange County on an exchange program. The area she went to school was the same area where they filmed the MTV series, The Hills. She said she was picked on a lot by the popular girls, which if you’ve seen the series, doesn’t surprise me. In Japan, she’s an editor for a local TV station, mainly editing sports footage. She’s used couchsurfing before in India and Turkey. We talked about Akira Kurosawa(movie director) and Haruki Murakami(author), which was refreshing to get a Japanese person’s perspective.
A’s Questions/Observations about the US:
- When it came to bringing back souvenirs to bring back home she wanted to go to a grocery store(Safeway) and knew exactly what she wanted to bring home:
- Cheetos
- Chile Cheese Fritos
- 3 boxes of brownie mix,
- 2 boxes of poppy lemon muffin mix
- 5 boxes of sprinkles for cupcakes/cakes
- 2 bags of corn tortillas
- humus
- 3 cases of frosting
Apparently none of this stuff is in Japan. She also thought about purchasing canned albacore tuna and asked my opinion about giving it as a gift. I told her if I got a can of tuna as a gift I would think, “how strange”. She cracked up and put it back.
-
- She thought it strange that Americans wore shoes in the house since it dirties up the house especially in Seattle where it gets muddy. She told me a story of a girl she hosted from Boston through couchsurfing and although this girl took off her shoes when entering A’s house, she was mortified because her feet were so dirty. So A made the girl from Boston immediately wash her feet.
- She also thought it was strange about genders using the same towel. She had a guy from the Netherlands she hosted through couchsurfing and he didn’t bring his own towel. This is normal when your traveling, right? Not to A. He used her towel after taking a shower and she was again mortified, because “he’s a guy and I’m a girl”! Not sure if this is a Japanese thing or A’s personal preference.
A’s Questions/Observations about Seattle:
-
- She wanted to see the first Starbucks in Pike Place Market. Starbucks is sort of a status symbol in Asia and she thought it was special to get some type of memorabilia from the first store. I didn’t know this, but there are actually mugs and other things that prove you bought it from this particular store. Of course there was a long line to get in but getting items maked, “1st Store” was worth it.
- She also wanted to go to Gas Works Park. Besides tree house, A really loved anything “industrial” and thought it was really ingenious how Seattle incorporated the out-of-date machinery with a green area and thought Seattle was pretty progressive.
- Like other visitors that have been taken to Kerry Park, A declared, “I really feel like I’m in Seattle now!”
My Learnings/Observations from A:
-
- Explained that Sapporo is in Hokkaido, which is the Japanese island shaped like a sting ray and is like the Alaska of Japan. It’s funny she described Hokkaido as sting ray shaped, because I always thought the same thing.
- Advised that Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972 and was the first Asian city to do so. 1972 Olympics are always remembered for the Summer Olympics in Munich that nobody ever remembers the Winter Olympics.
- All Japanese work for 10 hours every weekday until they retire. Her work actually only gave her a week off, so due to having traveling a day each way, she only had 5 days to spend in the US. For this reason she took lots of naps during her time in the US to stay on Japan time since she was going back so soon.
- In Japan they pronounce piroshky as po-ro-she-key.
- Most people in big cities in Japan understand and can speak English, but they won’t talk English because they are too embarrassed. They will however bend over backwards to help anyway they can. From my experience in Japan I can attest to bending over backwards to help visitors.
Mr West Cafe Bar
Description on their web: Easy Drinking. Tasty Fare. Morning, noon, night.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Address: 720 Olive Way, Seattle WA 98101
Music playing: Multi-Love by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
What we ate/drank: Doppio Espresso, Apple Fagotinni, Americano
Comments: As we stated in Our Seattle Coffee Shop Thoughts, this is our favorite coffee place in Seattle. As mentioned it’s just a great combination of cozy and modern with tons of seating options, great food choices and great atmosphere. Honestly, when Mr West Cafe Bar first opened, I wasn’t sure it would survive. At the time, my bus stop was across the street, so I could see if it was full or empty inside and most of the time it was empty. It’s in a weird area right on the outskirts of downtown and South Lake Union, but walking distance from Capitol Hill. I’m glad they persevered, because now the place is always packed. The scummy Greyhound station used to be across the street, but now a brand new Hyatt Regency is replacing it, so I’m sure it will be even more crowded. It goes without saying the coffee is superb, but what separates Mr West Café Bar from the rest is their variety of food options and atmosphere. They have your normal sweet pastries, but they also have sandwiches, salads, toasts with cheese, avocado, cured salmon and cheese/meat boards. If you’re not in the mood for coffee, they also serve wine, cocktails and have beers on tap. There are all types of seating-single seats along the front window, booth seating, long tables for groups, bar seating and patio seating. It feels comfortable whether you are working/studying, catching up with friends or having a group outing. The barista and food prep is located in the middle of the cafe and everybody is seated around them. If you are staying for drink and/or food, they will give you a number on a stand, which you place on your table and they’ll bring out your order when it’s ready.
For me personally, what I really like is their music selection. It feels like I’m constantly Shazam’ing the music they play. They’ve turned me on to The Radio Dept, Whitney, Leisure, Tora, Real Estate, Day Wave, Hazel English, The National, Hooded Fang, Harlem, Skaters,
Ratings:
Favorite Thing: Their music choice and atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food Options: 5
Overall: 5
Eavesdropping Convos:
These were two co-workers having a meeting while having some coffee, but I couldn’t tell if it was a boss and subordinate or just two colleagues.
Girl 1: I just wanted to talk to you. It’s really nothing.
Girl 2: Well it’s not nothing, it must be something. I’m a very blunt person so you won’t have to worry about me providing feedback.
1: I get the feeling that you don’t like me and it’s fine if you don’t like me, but I feel it’s getting in the way of working together. I just want to clear the air and find out why.
2: I fully admit I’ve been in a funk lately, but I’m not going to take all the hits. From the very beginning I asked you out to lunch a couple of times and it was never reciprocated. I also asked you to coffee before, I didn’t know if you drink coffee, but again never reciprocated. I’m the type of person where I’m going to try and if I’m ignored, I’m going to stop and not try anymore. Also, you know my cat just died, that was a big deal. I’m still not over it and you’re the only person who didn’t console me. The only person. (long pause)……. As a woman that’s a big deal.
1: I own that, but I feel that you’ve been very cold to me, so it’s hard to talk to you.
2: We haven’t really worked on any projects together, so I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.
The conversation was getting juicy, but in a way it was uncomfortable and tried to tune them out. They were both rather loud, so it wasn’t like I had to lean my ear in their direction. Girl 2 kept saying over and over again …. I don’t hate you, I don’t even know you.
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Name: Kona Kitchen
Description on their web: a casual family dining experience where you’ll find a tempting array of Hawaiian and Japanese dishes prepared with the care of a home-cooked meal
Neighborhood: Maple Leaf
Address: 8501 Fifth Ave NE, Seattle WA
Packed?: It’s always busy, but it’s big by Seattle standards, so we’ve never had to wait. We’ve also never had issues with parking.
What we ate/drank: Kim Chee Fried Rice, Loco Moco, Dah Braddah Omelette(Portuguese sausage, jack cheese, green peppers, onions), Saimin, Hamburger Steak
Comments: They serve lunch and dinner at Kona Kitchen and even have a bar/lounge section for karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays, but we always come for breakfast. It’s the nearest thing to local Hawaiian meals you’ll find in Seattle. We’re familiar with Hawaiian food and while I wouldn’t tell out of town visitors to go out of their way to eat breakfast here, it does hit the spot if you have a hankering for Hawaiian grindz.
I had to translate some of the menu jargon such as Ono, Keiki, Loco Moco, Broke da Mouth, Braddah for my wife when we first started coming here, but she’s now an expert. See below for translations.
Kona Kitchen also feels like a real Hawaiian place, very homey and relaxed. I get the feeling a lot of folks in the neighborhood frequent the place. We overheard a few of the customers say they eat there every morning! It’s also one of the few sit down diners in Maple Leaf that serves breakfast, so it’s always busy, especially on the weekends.
Like most Hawaiian places the portions are huge. Also, Hawaiian breakfasts consistently incorporate two of my all time favorite processed meats-spam and Portuguese sausage! So my go-to is normally the Dah Braddah Omelette, my wife’s go-to is the Loco Moco and my daughters is Saimin. There is a lot of parking but be careful, the parking lot is all buss up.
One fun bit of inside info is that the place is owned by Yuji Okumoto, the actor who played Chozen in Karate Kid II. He’s the one who kicked the Karate Kid’s ass.
Translation:
Ono – Delicious
Keiki – Kids
Loco Moco- hamburger patty on rice with gravy poured over it and a egg on top
Broke Da Mouth – Broke The Mouth, Ex. This Loco Moco soooo delicious it broke da mouth.
Da Braddah – The Brother
Grindz – Food
Buss up-Busted Up / Broken
If I never see you plenny long time, bumbai we go to Kona Kitchen. Dey got big kine kau kau.
Translation: If I haven’t seen you in awhile, let’s meet at Kona Kitchen later on. They have large portion meals.
Ratings (Scale 1-5)
Atmsophere: 3.5
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 4.25
Bang for the Buck: 4
Overall: 4.25
Locals Only Rating: Locals “in the know” know about it
Server restaurant recommendation to visit in the future: Varsity Inn by our server(Lara?)
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