MsRamsey

This is what you get from Hana (Capitol Hill, on Broadway) when you order sushi to go. Mini-nigiri (and sometimes inferior, chewy sections that should probably be scrapped). It prevents me from ordering takeout from them. I go out of my way to order takeout sushi from Saito in Belltown.

Cool! Thanks for explaining it!

Hmm . . . the menu has the 3 things you ordered listed separately with 3 separate prices. I still wonder if they made a mistake.

How'd you manage to spend less than $10? Did they forget to charge you for something?

I like turkey gravy with giblets too.

I was afraid that the "kwityerbitchin" comment would really cut this discussion off at the knees. I'm glad to see that it hasn't. I'd like to see people continue to bitch, criticize, and praise to the skies, and everything in between. I'm from the Midwest, but I don't intend to take some Iowan's feelings into account when discussing our restaurant scene.

Actually, Ponti is located near the south end of the Fremont bridge. I'm hoping to try it soon.

At a sushi bar last night, I observed the sushi chef prepare some uni nigiri (the horrible stuff from the wooden flat). On top of each piece of uni, he placed a raw quail egg. That's a new one on me! Sound familiar to anyone?

Funny . . . when we ate there last December, we sat at a communal table. I thought it would be "fun." Before the meal, one very new-agey lady asked everyone at the table to state their name and the greatest love in their life. That crap just totally chafes me, so I did a quick :::shun::: Shoulda told her my greatest love was my dildo collection or something. That would have shut her up, surely, but it was my husband's birthday and I was trying to pretend that I have manners.

Tee hee . . . when I was there last December, there were 3 guys whose dates were obviously call girls. The guy across from us joked, "And we thought OUR dinners were expensive!" That said, I loved the food, and the wine was great for us too. I enjoyed the dog and pony show. It was festive. Probably because it was around the Christmas holidays, I didn't reactive negatively to it. I think it's entirely consistent with their homey image.

I was in the I.D. earlier today. Bahn Mi 88 was open. Kathy

Seattle Deli used to be tucked away, but its new location should be easy to spot. Stand at the door of Bahn Mi 88, looking mournfully at the "Closed" sign. (Note: Wear rubber tongue guard.) Then turn around and look due north. See Asian Plaza across the street. Look a bit beyond that, and you will see Seattle Deli straight ahead, on 12th, on the west side of the street. New building, I believe somewhat beige-ish. I haven't had the steam table fare yet, but I'd like to try it. LainerX mentioned that she had a very tasty tofu/mushroom dish there. I was surprised that the new store isn't much bigger than the old one.

That's a bummer, because those 88 folks are really nice. Mamster, take this opportunity to procure some Seattle Deli bahn mi.

A group of 8 of us went to Blue Onion on Friday night (are you listening, papachef??). We had a great time. The food was excellent ("upscale American," they call it) and beautifully presented. The place is filled with lots of kooky, nutty stuff to look at. I kept wondering if Scott wanted the 1940's parking meter that my husband dragged home from the antique store.

Casserole?

And the WORST ahi tuna steak.

Do you use a nonstick pan? From what I've read recently in Cook's Illustrated, this may be a cause of your problem. Kathy

Yes, it's addictive. "If you came to see David Bowie, which many fans did, then most of the show up to this point was less than interesting until Bowie came out on the stage with his name in lights and dressed in black suit vest and an untied blue tie. He was certainly dressed for the occasion and so was his music." From a Jimmy Buffett concert review: "For those who have to work the next day, don't worry the boss will excuse you if you come in late, in fact he may have been at the concert himself and will have to look for an excuse of his own for the lay still around his neck."

It's the magical combination of Sol Tucker and Tracey Sprovtsoff: "Something from Mars, Or a Piece of Art, No, They are Speakers." This begs to be a sig. "We liked these speakers so much that we wanted to grab a hold of them like a firm cantaloupe." WTF?

Somewhat uninteresting update: I had called the Kirkland(?) Malay Satay Hut weeks ago asking when the I.D. branch would be open. They said "end of month," meaning the end of July. (They probably get a lot of these calls . . .) Today I ate at Nha Trang (which was wonderful, BTW, and perfect prices for a mamster Seattle Times review). Anyway, I made a point of noticing what's going on at Malay Satay Hut. Unfortunately, it's pretty empty and doesn't look anywhere close to being ready. The front door was open, so at least there are people working in there. Maybe by Christmas??? Kathy

I love the sign on the Pioneer Square branch of HITW. It says something like, "Open 11-2 or run out." I walked by there at about 1:00 and they were already closed.

girlchow, thanks so much for the comprehensive post! You always have such excellent and thorough information, and it's greatly appreciated. I have seen fresh lychees in the past few days at Pike Market (in the main market). I do love Uwajimaya's produce, but of course some things are overpriced. I also get my coconut milk much cheaper up the street. Mamster mentioned that coconut milk is $2 at QFC. I saw it for $2.99 at DiLaurenti's! Yikes! Uwajimaya is the only place I know of that carries a decent selection of good sake. Is there anywhere else in the Seattle area? I have searched to no avail. Kathy

Thanks for posting the info about Boomtown, tsquare. Is anyone interested in joining up to make reservations? Someone on the other site mentioned that Avenue One is about to bite the dust. Can anyone confirm this? I looked for something from Nancy Leson at the Seattle Times site, but there was nothing. I'm wondering what the situation is with "Taste of the Town" at the Times. The website says her column is "each Wednesday," but clearly this is not the case (unless the Times is for some reason not putting them up on the website). It seems as though the Seattle Weekly has now filled in the gap with coverage of openings, closings, and rumors thereof, and the Times is lagging far behind. Just curious.

Um, as soon as someone builds a PCC or Whole Foods in my densely populated neighborhood, I will happily shop there. I do not have a car, and QFC and Safeway are the only options. I constantly lug things home from Pike Market. I'm not willing to also lug things home from Fremont (closest PCC) or 65th (closest Whole Foods).

Tiki lounge style for me is like catnip to a cat!