 Go to Mae's for Breakfast--in Phinney Ridge. Our artist friend and client Kathy decorated the bathrooms there with maps and 3 dimensional pieces like plastic pears and flip flops attached to the walls. Gotta see it! She's the owner's friend so we've eaten there with her a few times. The food is good old fashioned breakfast, with lots of options, and the decor is funkalicious. One room is all about cows, and one is about Elvis. It's often crowded, which is a great sign of good food in Seattle.  Lynette Hensley, Associate Broker Labels: North Seattle, Phinney Ridge, restaurants
 Seattle had a super snowy night last night and it seemed as though everyone was staying in...so we decided to hop on over to Toyoda Sushi on Lake City Way slipping and sliding, for some fresh, much needed Sushi. We thought the place couldn't be too busy since it was such dark weather, but they were actually packed. Toyoda has been up and running for 19 years now, in February it will be 20. Their reputation of having the freshest fish, fun and friendly sta  ff and a very nice atmosphere brings them repeat clientele and gets them referred to on a regular basis. You can tell, because the owners seem to know almost everyone who comes in! Helen Toyoda, owner of the restaurant as well as being one of our team members, pointed out to us a beautiful quilt art piece on one of the walls that a customer made for the restaurant...now that's dedication! Last night we tried the Albacore Tuna Tataki , the Spicy Tuna Bowl along with some sushi rolls. The Toro Tataki is basically lightly seared white fatty tuna pieces (you get a who  le lot of them on a big plate!) that goes great with rice and some soy sauce. The Spicy Tuna is a bowl of tuna mixed with sriracha sauce (best sauce ever) and also goes great with rice. For the sushi rolls we went with Helen's suggestion, the Caterpillar Roll and some Shrimp Tepura Rolls and Futo-makis. I've only had Caterpillar Rolls a couple of times, but this got me addicted...there is some eel in the roll along with other goodies and is topped with avocado. Helen also made us try her own creation of the tempura icecream...I've never tasted anything like it. They freeze a vanilla icecream (wra  pped in a short cake-like, breadded thing) ball overnight and deep fry the ball. It was SO GOOD!! I definitely recommend it as a dessert item, but only if you can share it with someone...the ball's pretty big. Customers love to sit at the sushi bar and talk to the sushi chef, Natsuyoshi Toyoda (the jolly fellow below) who co-owns the restaurant while watching him prepare the sushi and sashimi. He's very entertaining to watch and talk to...and will greet you with a big hel  lo when you first walk in. For those of you who aren't gung-ho on the raw fish, the place also offers yummy teriyaki and noodle dishes as well.  The restaurant is located in North Seattle, in the Lake City community. Lake City Way (also known as Hwy 522) runs east-west, from Seattle to Lake Forest Park to Kenmore to Bothell, and further east to Woodinville and Monroe. The exact address of the place is 12543 Lake City Way NE, at 125th Avneue NE and Lake City Way. Thanks for the always fresh and wonderful sushi...we'll be back soon!  Amy Kizaki Buyer's Agent 206.384.7169 amy@seattlepowersearch.com Labels: Asian foods, Japanese, Lake City, North Seattle, restaurants
 Sometimes you want a break from the high energy shopping taking place nonstop at Bellevue Square, and that's the day you head for Old Main, only just a block away but taking you away from the rush into the eternal. This is shopping as it used to be, and as it always should be, both dreamy and sparkley, timeless and very now. This was a low key day weather wise, but the streets felt dressed up and holiday excitement was in the air as I browsed my way down Main Street in the Bellevue downtown, known for it's  ambiance and flair. Old Main is a two block prominade between Bellevue Way and 100th Avenue NE. There are quaint, delightful shops and upscale eateries, as well as day spas, a yoga studio, and even creative energy bodywork (Health Wise), in fact more than 40 business's signs bedeck the streets. (Anyone who knows where the apostrophe goes in that, don't hold back, by all means let me know at your first opportunity!)  Ladies, you will want to stop in Posh on Main for shoes, especially if you like fluffy pink trees and yummy accessories. The rich perfume scented air will transport you to a distinct fashion flash and that is, as you know, often better than a 10 day vacation, especially at this time of year when no one can leave anyway, as we're all too busy wrapping packages. But wait, what about Christi's on Main, La Ree Boutique where you find.beautiful.style, or Title 9 where Sporty is so seductive you'll fill your entire closet with chocolate-and-leaf-green or misty-blue outerwear with an edge and the ultimate running-around running shoes, mandatory to go with your SUV, and equally at home with your lime green superbeetle. And don't forget Ottica, eyewear was never this delicious, and I love their little snowmen gazing wistfully through the glass onto the wet streets (but wait, I'm told we'll have snow tomorrow...). And speaking of delicious, there's restaurants you won't want to miss. Like Bis on Main, Salute of Bellevue Restaurante, 520 Bar and Grill, and the popular La Cocina del Puerco (try the carnitas) with the amazing colorfulful flags, streamers, signs, and fun stuff hanging in the ceiling space...how to chose? I guess it's what you're in the mood for. Or for coffee and desert it could be Belle Pastry with a scrumptious selection in a bakery case, or it could be Amore Chocolate on Main for Italian coffee and the best Espresso Dark Truffles I'VE personally ever had. The propriator explained that the freshness makes the difference...wow! This calls for some serious Christmas shopping NOW. They will soon have a website where you can order these goodies, too, I'm told. You may also want to consider your table's desire to be elegant and drop in at The Sophisticated  Swine for silver, antiques and collectables ( The Sophisticated Swine). Next door is Patina Collections (for the home) with amazing can't-leave-without-it everythings. Or Veritables, home decor...fantastic furniture. Or Ming's Asian Gallery. Or Villa for "fine kitchen and bath cabinets." And you will certainly spend time at the windows of several fine jewelry stores...ok, you get the idea! Let me know how you like it...
 Labels: Bellevue, Bellevue Downtown, Old Main, restaurants, Shopping
 There are better known neighborhoods in Seattle, maybe neighborhoods with a little more edge or more shopping along the main thoroughfare (although I'm not so sure about that) but when I was in Greenwood the other day the answer to this question presented itself over and over again. Seattle PI describes Greenwood as "Seattle's hidden treasure," an old fashioned neighborhood with a trendy edge. In Balderdash Books and Art I chatted with a customer...a librarian from Gig Harbor who has an apartment there with her husband too as he works in the city at the moment. She told me her husband loves it because it's such a distinct community, with activities and trends and established traditions and a definite character. You would never need to go out of the neighborhood to eat, have coffee, shop, or any of the daily tasks and enjoyments of life.
Balderdash was a true neighborhood used book store, with loads of character and a white cat  sitting on top of one of the bookshelves overlooking the shop. They had some great photographs on the wall, and told me all about the first Greenwood Art Walk, scheduled for Dec. 12. You can read about it on the PhinneyWood, a Phinney Ridge & Greenwood Neighborhood Blog. The corner I decided to explore this time was 85th and Greenwood Ave N, where there were so many intriguing little signs and shops that I didn't know where to look first.
 As I strolled around peeking into some of the shops and generally soaking up the atmosphere, I agreed with my new friend's husband. This corner of the city has character and then some, a wonderful place to spend a few hours shopping, dining, and otherwise amusing oneself. The Taproot Theatre offers a seasonal production The Christmas Foundling by Norman Allen, and there is even a Moter Vehicle office to give you a good excuse to stop by, and take care of an errand at the same time.
Olive You, a Medeteranian Eatery, is on the corner of Greenwood Ave N. It not only offers a great menu and impressive bar, free parking, and delivery, but also offers cooking classes! Might be a winner for my  daughter and I, we like to take cooking classes together when we get a chance...why don't some of you join us? Sounds like fun...
Olive You Restaurant is right next to a pair of personality filled shops, Tibet treasures at Pema Kharpo and Emma Jean's Consignments and Antiques. Next door is Sip and Ship, where surely Greenwood residents and visitors will be lined up sipping warming caffinated beverages while waiting to Fed  Ex holiday packages to loved ones. I loved the Greenwood products here, t-shirts, caps, and water bottles all celebrating Greenwood. The water bottle would be a great stocking stuffer (hint hint...).
The espresso and organic chocolate shop Sweet On You is  certainly cute looking enough to make me drive around the block again to find a parking space, but when I checked people's ratings of this shop on Yelp, oops, nobody really liked it, it seems...why not try some of the other places after checking them out on Yelp or another restaurant review site. Well, I could have spent another hour or two just exploring these few places, and that's just about 100 feet worth of sidewalk... Greenwood, I'll be back, probably by Wednesday!  Edy Kizaki
Realtor & Team Leader Labels: bookstores, coffee houses, Greenwood, neighborhoods, restaurants, theaters
 Sometimes Queen Anne can be an all day event, sometimes it's enough just to go over to Silver Platters in jeans and a hoodie and stop by what's arguably the city's best fast food Sushi place, Sushi Land. Silver Platters is a great place for all kinds of shopping now that the holidays are approaching, as you are bound to find something for literally everyone on your list. This is not the downtown glitzy rush, it's more an understated, laid back, Seattle cool kind of a twilight visit. Silver Platters is a music and movie store with four locations in Seattle. The one in Queen Anne is where the old Tower Records used  to be. It's a great store with so much atmosphere they should charge admission, but instead you find great stuff at reasonable prices, and that includes used DVDs and CDs, and they still do videos. Even more fun,  take a few of your cast-offs (in good condition) and get part of what you'll be spending in credit for the old DVDs and CDs that you no longer want on your shelves. They have great selections in every category you can think of, friendly staff and a great deal of knowledge if you have questions or are looking for something. They can also fill you in on various aspects of the Seattle music scene!  We found some cool t-shirts, a documentary about living with wolves, a classic Marilyn Monroe movie, a modern spy film I've been wanting to see, two kids' movies (dragons and transformers, what else) and a kung fu moive...something for everyone! Checking out we got into a fun conversation with the woman at the register which ranged all across the board and included ways of saving bags, whether they still take and sell used videos (they do) and my friend's son's electric guitar. It felt a little strange to walk out without at least inviting her over for dinner some time, but that's how Seattle is, laid back, friendly, eclectic, and people are just plain interesting and pleasant. We walked down Roy Street there in lower Queen Anne where there are at least four Asian  restaurants to choose from all in a row, Thai (Pahn Thai in an old Craftsman), Upscale Pho and Curry (Pho Viet Anh), a Vegetarian  Chinese (Bamboo Garden), and another interesting looking Thai one (Thai Heaven) that served cocktails, but finally decided to go back to an old favorite, Sushi Land. It was so early there wasn't even a wait, which there usually is. Three sushi chefs rapidly arranged delicious maki (rolls) and negiri (the sliced fish on rice), as well as edamame (salty boiled soy beans to pop out of the pods), fried wontons, octobus bites and rolls, and other little treats onto plates color  coded as to price. Waitresses brought drinks, miso soup and whatever else we ordered from the  kitchen. Perched on stools at the counter in front of the conveyor belt, we had a ringside seat! The prices are really great too! The green plates are $1, the pink ones are $1.50, the blue ones are $2, and the purple ones (the really special stuff!) are $3. These include bowls of  Udon (fat noodles in broth), small and tasty. Wow, unbeatable. We had 5 green plates, four pink plates, two blue plates, and my son had the Shrimp Tempura Udon on a purple plate. We also had a Sapporo and green tea, all for under $25.  How does it work? All the little plates are loaded onto a conveyor belt and they circle around in front of the delighted diners who are lined up on stools at a counter in front of the stream of passing sushi! There is the added pleasure of watching the sushi chefs prepare the different dishes and anticipating what's coming around next. You just reach out and take whichever ones you decide you can't resist. Great fun, easy on the pocketbook, and something for everyone! Down 5th Avenue the other direction you will find Crow Restaurant and Bistro, well-known and well-beloved Seattle dining spot, but you'll probably need a reservation several days or weeks in advance, although sometimes it's possible to find an impromptu seat at the chef's counter where you can watch them prepare and assemble the artful plates of heavenly fare. You know who you are, take me there for my birthday!  Edy Kizaki Realtor & Team Leader SeattlePowerSearch.com Labels: Queen Anne, restaurants, Shopping
 You don't expect to have to wait for a table at a neighborhood tea shop, but Teashop Kuan Yin in Wallingford (on 45th) has been full several times lately when I've stopped by with a friend to  have a cup of my favorite Black Ceylon tea ("Nuwari Estate...fresh, bright, and slightly floral, brewing to a golden red...best without milk.") and hear the lastest. Ever since the teahouse opened on 45th Avenue in the popular, walkable Wallingford main shopping area in 1990, Teahouse Kuan Yin has been serving specialty tea and filling orders from far away. When current owner Marcus  Gramps became propriator in 2006, he innovated in various ways, adding gifts and bringing gelatto and many yummies to the teahouse. The serene atmosphere, both Eastern and yet very Seattle, is the perfect place to spend and hour with a friend catching up or planning your attack on the holiday rush. Open at 9 a.m. every day of the week and open until 10 p.m., 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, it's  also a nice place to go after a movie at the Guild 45th Theater just down the street. Besides the wonderful assortment of tea, Kuan Yin serves light meals and deserts, has live music some weekends (check their calender) and wi-fi which makes it a popular work and study spot (really it's just down the street from the U District!). Wait, there's more! Oasis Gallery sponsors the art, so there is always something new and interesting to see, and they are part of the Wallingford Saves program, which means a receipt from a participating Wallingford merchant will get you a $1 discount on your pot of tea! Try the Teahouse Kuan Yin website for more information and inspiration (click "home" to see the catalog!). Oh, and if you're by yourself and in the mood for an armchair adventure while you warm up and have tea, why not visit the Wide World Books and Maps bookstore a block away and pick up something to read while you sip your favorite brew...it has the distinction of being the first travel-only bookstore in the United States. Enjoy! 
by Edy Kizaki, Realtor, Team Leader
and future co-author of I Love Seattle! (just kidding)
Labels: restaurants, Wallingford
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Go to Mae's for Breakfast--in Phinney Ridge. Our artist friend and client Kathy decorated the bathrooms there with maps and 3 dimensional pieces like plastic pears and flip flops attached to the walls. Gotta see it! She's the owner's friend so we've eaten there with her a few times.
Lynette Hensley, Associate Broker
