This place takes the MS prime card so I thought I’d try it out. I was quite disappointed.

The food was pricey and not well-prepared or tasty. Our nonchalant waitress provided below-average service. The decor and atmophere were neither upscale, nor original/warm. With that kind of prices, I think they’re positioning themselves as a high-end restaurant, but instead, this is an unwelcoming place with overpriced meals.

I don’t think I’m going back, and I can’t imagine going there without the prime card.

This place is almost diagonally across from Maneki’s. We ended up here because we were turned away (almost literally) by Maneki’s because we had a big group and didn’t make reservations in advance. It was a Friday evening. Maneki’s just too popular – if you want to go there on the weekend as a group you really need to plan ahead.

This is one of the more spacious Japanese restaurants in the International District. So next time you know: if you can’t get into Maneki’s there’s a safe bet diagnally across the street.

This place is between a 3 and a 4 in terms of food and service. The sushi quality was only okay. The selection’s not bad though. They have the standard stuff as well as some interesting, more unconventional dishes such as chicken cartilage, ox tongue, etc, but I didn’t try them.

The decor is more modern than traditional Japanese, but they do have two Japanese rooms at the back. It’s definitely nice enough for a romantic dinner.

I thought I’d give it a 4 though I could give it a 3 because if it wasn’t for them, we’d probably be scrambling to look for a place to eat and not make it to karaoke at 10pm. :)

I really liked Cafe Flora, but I was enchanted by Carmelita’s. The food is elobortate, well-prepared, and just plain yummy. The decor is unique and charming. The place is warm, comfortable, and welcoming. Service is very good and the price is reasonable. On top of it it was a nice day and we sat at the beautiful patio. It was the perfect evening.

You would love the food even if you’re not vegetarian. Great place to impress your date, your friends from out of town, your in-laws… but make sure you bring yourself because you don’t want to miss out on a great meal!

This was my first time there. I sat at the lounge area for drinks and dinner. It was evening time on a week day and thus was very business-y downtown Bellevue. The place is very polished and is pretty much a high-end hooters (just describing it as it is. :)) If you sit at the lounge when you go there I’m sure you’ll see what I mean.

I guess in downtown Bellevue you can’t expect anything too down-to-earth but if I’m in that area, I’d much prefer Z’tejas, or even Manzana, or shooting pool at the Parlor while having dinner.

In general I don’t like the Cheesecake Factory, something about it just makes it feel very manufactured. The decor is nice, but the selection is a bit too much, and the service a bit too robotic, etc, etc. Plus I don’t find the food that great. Even the cheesecake feels “manufactured”.

But I came here for brunch for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. The food was good and very resonably priced. I’d come back for brunch definitely.

Several reasons why I like brunch here (Sundays only):

• Not small but cozy: dim lighting w/ the open “fireplace” in the middle – very warm, literally and figuratively. :) A setting that’s great for both couples and families.
• A variety of choices, from more traditional breakfast stuff to southwestern selections. At brunch time you can choose from either the brunch or the lunch menu.
• Slightly pricier than average but your brunch includes access to the fruit and dessert bar, which includes Mexican hot cocoa.
• Pretty good service.
• Parking’s not a problem at brunch time.

On the top floor of Ala Moana Center is a bunch of restaurants. We ended up picking this one because it was the cheapest.

We had no idea this was Jackie Chan’s restuarant until we had been seated and saw a few of his movie posters on the wall. There was also a flat-screen TV playing one of his movies. The menu had his pictures and references to his movies. The ambience was actually really good, on the fancy side (more fusion than asian), but personally I think the theme was not strong enough. They can play with the decor a lot more to make it much more fun and much more kung-fu master Chan’s.

The food is not superb but not bad. It’s Asian but with kind of a fusion twist. It’s definitely on the cheap side for Ala Moana Ctr and its surrounding touristy neighborhoods. The wait staff was a bunch of surfer dudes. :)

I must say that the cheesecake was surprisingly yummy!!!

I had no idea about this place until a friend brought me there recently. What a great find!

The place is simple – it is definitely not a place you’d bring a date but definitely a great place to have a casual dinner with a small group of friends.

The food is cheap and yummy. Their menu is the pictures above the cashier counter. You go up to the counter to order and pay for your food, grab your own cup water or hot tea, and then grab your own table. They then bring you the Korean small dishes and then your food.

Oh, note that the $12 meat dishes are probably enough for 2.

I’m really happy I found this place! I thought it was just a coincidence that they were playing operatic gospel music, but I read other reviews and found out that it is apparently what they do! It kind of fades into the background after a while though. :)

This place has been around for a long time and is pretty much the only authentic Chinese restaurant in this area. The food is definitely up-to-par, and the owner lady definitely tries her best to make sure you have an enjoyable dining experience.

This restaurant is very spacious and is great for both small and large parties. You can choose to be seated at a regular table, a booth, or the bar area, where you can enjoy your cocktail and their dumplings (which they make from scratch – yum!), while watching your favorite program on their flat-screen TV.

This is Japanese pub-style food. It’s not just a meal, it’s an experience. It’s sort of like having tapas or dim sum – there’s a social element to it. When you have a large group, you also get to sample many dishes!

Everything here is well-presented and tasty. You have kababs that are served in a kabab-length dishes, pieces of cow tongues that you have to grill yourself, and items that you don’t expect to see in a Japanese restaurant, like fried Brie or seafood paella. Each dish is a conversation piece – so maybe it’s also a good place to take your blind date or people you know that are really boring then? :P

But most of the dishes (at least the ones we ordered) are deep-fried or greasy so a meal at Guu may not be the most satisfying. Also, although the decor is fairly nice and trendy, the restaurant smells a bit greasy. Those are reasons why the place didn’t get 5-stars from me.