Purple Cafe and Wine Bar
14459 Woodinville-redmond Rd Ne
Woodinville, WA
(425) 483-7129
Cuisine:
American, Casual dining
September 30, 2006
Great ambience with great finger food.
Purple cafe has 3 stores around Seattle area. The one in Kirkland downtown has great outdoor seatings. The one in Woodinville has a loft which is nicely decorated with a fireplace and comfy sofas. It is a great place to hang out with friends with a glass of red wine. On the taste bud side, I loves their salad menu and their unique appetizers.
December 4, 2007
Nice, Trendy and Romantic
I came to this restaurant with family last week. We were pretty impressed with its decoration and service. Our server was very friendly.
Food-wise, I personally think it’s a miss or hit. My sister’s dish was really good while my duck config dish was just ok. Hence, I gave it a 3 star. I would bump the rating up to 4 stars if the dish quality is more consistent.
Lombardi's Cucina of Ballard
2200 Nw Market St
Seattle, WA
(206) 783-0055
Cuisine:
Italian, Vegetarian
June 9, 2007
What a surprise!
We came here for an early dinner. The restaurant has 2nd floor and we could have the Ballard street view in a Sunday afternoon, not bad at all!
The restaurant is not too dressy, not too casual. Just right for what it claimt for “your neighborhood Italian restaurant”! The food is surprisingly good, full of garlic and tomato flavor. I recommend this restaurant if you get a chance to pass by Ballard neighborhood. Btw, I believe this is a chain and they seem to have another one in Issaquah as well.
Dishes I tried:
Italian Sausage Penne
I had a lot Italian Sausage Penne before, so I did not expect anything out of ordinary. However, the first bite of this dish actually surprised me due to its strong flavor. Quite memorable dish; hence, I gave it a 4 stars.
Porcella Urban Market
10245 Main St
Bellevue, WA
(425) 286-0800
Cuisine:
Mediterranean, Italian, Tapas
Burgermaster of Bellevue
10776 Northup Way
Bellevue, WA
(425) 827-9566
Cuisine:
Hamburgers, Burgers, American
March 31, 2007
A TRUE in-and-out restaurant
Instead of “drive-thru”, this restaurant provides a true “drive-in” experience. If you’d never been this place before, you definitely should try this out. Upon driving into this place, you will realize there is NO sit-in area for customers. You can either order take-out directly in the cashier; OR, you can park your car outside of the shop, and order right at your car. A waiter will come to your car and take your order (menu actually is posted right in front of your parking spot)! Of course, food is also delivered to your car when it’s ready. How convenient!
Upon you received the food, you pay the bill. You can drive out whenever you finish the yummy burger. Now, this is truly what a In-and-out restaurant should be!
Dishes I tried:
Burger
Simply a great burger. What can I say?
B & O Espresso
204 Belmont Ave E
Seattle, WA
(206) 322-5028
Cuisine:
Desserts, Cafe, Bakeries
March 18, 2007
The best dessert place in Seattle
This cafe will be one of many reasons that makes me wanting to move to Capitol Hill. This is simply a great hang out place with friends. Funky decoration seems to be unorganized and random, but everything coming together just makes it look and feel right. The menu selections are big, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. To me, the dessert menu stands out the most! I just have to wonder why I did not discover this place earlier?!
Dishes I tried:
Muddy River
I can’t remember the name exaclty, but it is ???? Muddy River. It is made out of chocolate mousse (my favorite), rum and cream. Very chocolatty, fluffy and with “a lot of” rum… By the way, the portion is pretty big, which ensures you can sit there for longer time and have a great chat with friends.
Oriel Cafe
101 Central Way
Kirkland, WA
(425) 822-7319
Cuisine:
Breakfast, Cafe, Brunch
March 18, 2007
New cool east side breakfast place
This cafe used to be the “Triple J” coffee shop in Kirkland downtown. I think it changed to be “Oriel” less than a year ago. I finally got to try this place last week for brunch. Surely, it did not disappoint me. The atmostphere is almost the same as the previous “Triple J” cafe. Most furniture remains, including the black sofas and the cozy fireplace. It wasn’t overly crowded. Defintely a great place to hang out with friends for a lazy and relaxing Sunday morning. Oh.. another great thing, it still provides free wireless connection. So if you decide to try this place alone, don’t forget your laptop.
Dishes I tried:
Meatloaf sandwich
In house made meatloaf. Not too meaty, and I love it having salad on the side :) Healthy combination.
Asia de Cuba
237 Madison Ave
New York, NY
(212) 726-7755
Cuisine:
Fusion, South American, Pan-Asian & Pacific Rim
December 10, 2006
Modern atmosphere with fusion food
The atmosphere of this restaurant is exactly what you are looking for in New York City. Trendy, romantics with a bit of edge. Food is good though I would not say fantastic… I guess my expectation runs a bit higher in New York City. If you are looking for some trendy restaurant to hang out with friends, this is the place.
Dishes I tried:
Beef
I forgot the name of the dish, but this is a roast beef dish. It tastes good!
Salad
I remember we ordered 2 different salads for our table and both of them are delicious!
Sangria
We order a jar which is good enough for everyone to have a try on the table (~10 people). Not bad!
A big plate for pig
If you love chocolate and hazelnuts, this is the dessert for you. Don’t say I did not warn you, this is big enough for a table of 10!!! (that’s why it is named for PIGS!)
Peter Luger Steak House
178 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
(718) 387-7400
Cuisine:
Steakhouse, American, Steak
December 10, 2006
Indeed the best steak in the nation
Missing one star because even with reservation, you still need to wait for an hour for a table. However, once the steak is presented on your table, you know exactly why there is such a long wait. The steak is just simply …. GREAT. The big draw of the restaurant obviously isn’t the service nor the ambience, so don’t expect coming for a fancy / romantic dining experience. For some of us, that means skip the touble of dressing up (even it is in New York City).
Dishes I tried:
Steak for 4
In most steakhouse, there will be at least 4 or 5 different steaks on the menu. In Peter Lugar, you don’t have to scratch your head to decide which one you want to order, since there is only one type of steak. We order “Steak for 4” for 6 people.
Luger's Sizzling Canadian Bacon
Yes. This is good and fatty. Well, but you are coming for steaks anyway… Why not have some more fun?!
Brief Encounter Cafe
2632 Bellevue Way Ne
Bellevue, WA
(425) 822-8830
Cuisine:
Brunch, Breakfast, Cafe
November 3, 2006
It's OK
I guess I have high expectation since I saw some good review about this cafe. I think atmosphere is pretty good: causual and fun. However, I think it is a bit dirty. The food feels very homey, but I am not too impressed by the food nor the service.
Dishes I tried:
alex's veggie scramble
Not bad, but nothing special.

john
09/30/2006The loft sounds awesome! I’ve only been to the Kirkland one, which is pretty nice as well. I’m adding this to my to-try list. =)