Your insider recap of what's going on around Seattle and ideas for getting away.
Inspiration from the blog
 
 
 
Seattle events this week
 
Let's plan you a trip
 
Take a self-guided food tour
 
Recent discoveries
Restaurants are coming together for Maui. Those who've been around for a while know that I deeply love Maui. I was devastated to hear that Lahaina, where we stay every year, is gone. The videos and stories from locals are heartbreaking, and so I encourage you to donate to the Maui Mutual Fund, one of these resources, or one of these curated by the community. Another way you can help is dine out at one of these Seattle area restaurants donating proceeds to the relief:
 
The Works is moving up north. One of my favorite local craft class provider is moving from Pioneer Square to Fremont. I'm excited that they'll be closer to my hood!
 
3 businesses I want to try:
 
Vacation spot of the week
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Let's get you out of the house and staying at a place like this stunning cabin near North Cascades National Park in WA. It's right on the river, so you get great views from every angle of the house. There's a fit pit, chef's kitchen, and hot tub perfect for a cozy night in after a day of hiking.
 
What I'm up to
Tried a few new restaurants. Here's what I thought:
  • Sunflower Garden - This takeout-only Chinese restaurant in Greenwood is well reviewed, so I got dinner from them last night. The spicy wontons were quite good, but overall I thought everything we got was just fine. The Mongolian Beef had more onion than meat and the General Tso Chicken everyone raved about was chewy. It's possible I ordered wrong, so I'll give them another shot in the future.
     
  • Smash That - This food cart outside Rooftop Brewing has been on my list for a while, so we finally made it happen Friday. The smash burger was excellent, sopping with cheese, sauce, and onion. It's definitely going on my list of the best burgers in Seattle.
     
  • Arc - This Korean-fusion spot in Phinney surprised me in that it's more of a psychedelic bar in ambiance. The music was (a bit too) loud and there were eclectic Instagrammable moments everywhere. We got the beef taco, fried chicken, a salad, and kimchi fries. Everything was solid, but the kimchi fries were a hit. The kimchi went SO well with the queso and other ingredients. I'd definitely come back here for another order of them along with drinks.
     
  • El Qetzal - We used a trip to SODO as an excuse to detour to this Beacon Hill Mexican spot. I'm glad we did, as I really enjoyed the tacos. queso fundido, and a huaraches, which is a large corn pocket stuffed with beans and cheese and then topped with meat, salsa, and fixings. All of the meat was tender and flavorful, particularly the pork adobada.
     
  • Noi Thai - We tried this Green Lake restaurant the night of our move, looking like a mess, as we didn't realize it's kinda fancy. But it was a good excuse to get a cocktail and wow are their drinks good. I got the Basil Margarita and loved how refreshing it was. I don't typically like salt rims, but they served it with a salt and sugar rim that was so good. Food wise I though it was just fine. They could really pump up the heat, as we got a 3 out of 5 star and tasted barely any spice. The best dish was the crispy garlic chicken. It was cloyingly sweet, but addictive with fried basil.
     
  • Picolino's - I passed by this Italian restaurant in Sunset Hill hundreds of times, so we finally went this week. I had no idea it has the most adorable and large back patio that feels like you're tucked away in a rooftop restaurant on the Amalfi Coast. There's live music every night with a violinist playing hits like Katy Perry (swoon). Food wise the pasta were really good. We got an excellent bolognese, cacio e pepe, and a goat cheese ravioli that needed more cheese, but it was my favorite dish of the night thanks to the fried sage.
     
  • North Star Diner - I heard this Greenwood spot is good for breakfast, so we went last weekend. The corned beef Benedict was just fine, but we loved the biscuit and chimichanga. It was HUGE and had a lot of good filling stuffed inside.
     
  • Arigato - We tried this new sushi restaurant in Phinney. It was deceptively large since most of the tables are in back. We thought the food was just fine, but I was disappointed that most rolls have imitation crab (which I hate). We ended up getting dessert at Tres House of Cheesesteaks afterwards because we saw The Whit's End was next door and that's Tres' new location. As always his OG cheesesteak was gooey and addictive just like the ones I grew up with on the east coast.
Moved to a new house. If it wasn't obvious why we're eating out so much, it's because we finally moved into the house we bought in July. I actually get a big high out of purging things and reorganizing, but it's always a lot having to navigate around all the boxes. We got our rugs cleaned so we literally have our living room furniture still wrapped in plastic in the corner until we pick them up this week. 🙃 But we're getting there. 
 
Drowning in contractor management. The real reason our move is so slow going is that I'm coordinating with way too many contractors. Our old house needs a new roof and we're redoing the bathroom and adding a wall so we can rent it out. Everything is happening so fast and I'm distracted obsessing over finishes and all the tiny decisions that need to be made.
 
Headed to LA and Seabrook. On top of the move and reno, I'm also headed out of town. 🤪 First up is LA briefly for a quick trip to Disneyland and then to the Washington coast for my family's annual trip to Seabrook. While it's stressful having a reno going on while we're away, I'm excited to just lay around and do nothing for a week. We need it!
 
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