Aloha Ramen in Seattle

I found the best ramen place in Seattle, Aloha Ramen!  I been on a quest for a good bowl of ramen for years in Seattle and finally discovered Aloha Ramen in Seattle by a recommendation from a friend.  I packed my appetite and anticipation and went to check it out with couple of my friends.

We got there just in time for their door to open for dinner, which is 5pm to 9pm.  My first impression was that Aloha Ramen is unpretentious and that it is extremely TINY restaurant.  There were several small tables, mainly for party of two and a bar seating for about four people, but I’m not joking when I say it is tiny.  We were greeted and seated right away by the owners and a waiter who were all very welcoming. Although we were the first people in, both walk-ins and phone orders quickly came in.

Full Story on Aloha Ramen in Seattle

Aloha Ramen in Seattle

8102-B Greenwood Ave N
(between 81st St & 82nd St)
Seattle, WA 98103

Hours:  Wed-Sun 12 pm – 2:30 pm, Wed-Sun 5 pm – 9 pm

Seattle Real Estate

ABOUT CHRISTY KIM

Mike's Chili Parlor in Ballard

Now a word of caution, because technically it’s a bar so you can’t take your kids in there, but other than that once you go you’ll probably be back many times.  There is a great variety of food on the menu.  It has chili, chili dogs, also chili burgers and chili cheseburgers, and for a change try the chili fries.  There’s a great variety of beer too, on tap and in bottles, and then a full range of the hard stuff, but let’s face it, this is a sports bar and you are there either for the chili or the game (or the video games), or both.  If it’s both, you’ll be really really happy.  Look at my website for more Mike’s photos and chili commentary.

Down the block is a Trader Joe’s in Ballard Blocks, so you can roll that into your lunch hour and feel productive too, why not get some of that great eggplant spread or the Trader Joe’s famous tomato soup.  Well, you know what to get, after all none of us get in there enough before running out of some of the bargain gourmet essentials.

And a slight stroll down to the ship canal, or where it opens out before Ballard Bridge, and you can gaze at the beauty of Queen Anne Hill across the water, or check out the local ducks.

eat, drink, and eat and drink

http://www.dragonfishcafe.com/

The menu is comfortable and inviting.  Our server let us know that recent revisions have added some very interesting bites to the choices.  We loved the Steak Salad.  I’ve had that at other places recently with good results, but this was the hands down winner with lovely crispy onion frittes on top, black olives, and baby romaine as well as truly excellent grilled steak slices.  There was also a great flatbread with garlic and spreads that I would recommend, and a slammingly satisfying double chocolate decadance cake.   If you happen to get to Julia’s, please let me know how you liked it!

My brother, the retired bank executive, began his long and successful career as a dishwasher at Costa’s in the University.  Thirty years ago, I fell in love with the lovely spices of oregano, garlic, and how they would bring color to these round french fries that he would bring home for us to eat.  I still love them and every bite brings back those fond memories.  On my last visit I tried a traditional chicken soup with rice and a lemon and egg whipped inside.  Very unique flavor that really balanced well.  But their Gyros Sandwich will remain my absolute favorite at this neighborhood place.  The pita bread has got to be freshly made with that just baked texture, the lamb and beef meat sliced so tender and spiced so fragrantly to perfection, and the vegetables so crisp, topped off with the yogurt sauce.  If you haven’t tried this dish, you have to do it, and soon.  After a week of the flu, this dish literally brought me back to life.

And for many of us, me included, food is definitely one of the pleasures in life.  Costas, a Seattle landmark by now, for sure, is the spice of life!

Owned and operated by New York native Anthony and Seattlelite Angeli Donatone since their opening in 2001,  this intimate and robust restaurant has more personality and character than most.  With a warm and cozy rustic country feel, this comfortable modest eatery offers traditional pastas, salad, and desserts freshly made with an open kitchen and an on site fresh herb garden in the back. As you walk in and smell the wonderful aromas, you are surrounded by rich and dark woods, counter and table seating with wine bottles set and ready to uncork, and framed old photos of the family giving you that feeling of walking into a cafe in a quaint street in Italy. They offer musical entertainment and poetry reading nights, perfect for sipping a glass of wine and relaxing with.

Don’t miss the nightly specials and desserts.  Angeli bakes the wonderful breads and ricotta cheesecake and grows herbs in her fabulous on-site herb garden.  With a glass of delicious yet well priced wine to compliment your savory famous meatballs, you will feel like you are in a little cafe in Italy that you just happened to stop into off the cobblestone path.  Great neighborhood joint.

Realtor

One of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods, the International District was at first Seattle’s Chinatown, which emerged at the edge of Pioneer Square in the 1880′s as Chinese immigrant workers arrived to work on the city’s emerging railroads, coal mines, and salmon harvests.  Now over 100 years later it has matured into the only neighborhood in America where Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Vietnamese and Southeast Asians live and work together, side-by-side.  For Seattlites, the bounty of authentic and diverse asian cuisines is first rate.  But as I said, my family can’t resist the dim sum.  The restaurant we went to has a long history in Seattle, not to mention it’s own parking lot which is important in the crowded area where parking is at a premium and the lot charges are pretty high.  Inside are tanks with live fish, shrimp, crabs and lobster, and a row of roast ducks hangs invitingly behind glass as well.

You can also take a Chinatown Tour, and there is the yearly Seattle’s Chinatown-International District Summer Festival 2009 taking place on July 11 and 12 at Hing Hay Park! There are dancing dragons and lion dances, firecrackers popping, taiko drumming and a whirl of food and treats.  There is also a special kid’s activity corner where the whole family will find enjoyable themed activities.

605 Seventh Ave. S.
Seattle, WA
Phone: 206-623-1670

by Edy Kizaki,
Realtor & Team Leader

The Purple Cafe offers an outdoor patio

that is central to the Eastside and close enough to Microsoft’s campuses.  It’s natural that it would be in demand as a great place to raise kids.  But the wineries make it unique in the area and a wonderful afternoon or evening destination if you’re coming out from the City or surroundings.

Vinyard tasting rooms, summer concerts, and great restaurants offering a wide selection of local vintages.  One of our very favorites, and with a name that echos far beyond the borders of the Seattle Metro area, is Purple Cafe & Wine

The wine bar

Bar.  There are now three locations.  In 2001 the first Purple was opened in Woodinville by Larry and Tabitha Kurofsky.  The Kirkland location opened in July of 2003 in Kirkland, and July of 2006 in Seattle.  By the way,

Chilled Carrot Ginger Soup is wonderful on a hot day.

check out their Purple website not only for addresses and information, but to read the great foodie blog as well.  June includes something about “sippers” with wonderful suggestions for tasty summer wine choices and sangrias.

When we stopped by the Woodinville Purple’s recently it was the top suggestion from the folks at a nearby tasting room.  No question, a wonderful choice.  The soups, salads, and entrees were seductively delicious and we vowed to be back soon.  We sat on the patio enjoying the sunshine and the side game of admiring the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cool sports cars in the parking lot.  This is a place to bring your friends, a real destination!  We also saw families dropping by to take a patio table and share a thin-crust pizza with Mom and Dad sipping a glass of local wine in the twilight.  Don’t you love waiters with sparkling eyes fussing

Waiters and bar tenders serve in high good spirits and with flare.

over you?  I do, and the parade of friendly and energetic waiters with a bounce in their step and a sharp interest in whether we had what we needed definitely added to the experience.

Inside a few early patrons sat at the bar which stretched the length of the restaurant, which was vaulted high and dim.  Soon the tables began to fill with crowds of friends out to enjoy what is definitely one of the highlights of the restaurant scene in a town very well endowed with great places.

If you’d like to go wine tasting or visit some of Woodinville’s finest, why not take a look at the Winery Map and get a sense of what’s available.  It would be impossible to cover everything in one day, but there’s a great Woodinville Wine Country website that will help you get started.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor & Team Leader
edy@seattlepowersearch.com
cell:  206-249-2914

We have a great listing in Snohomish!  3600 sqft Executive Craftsman Style home, 5 bdrms, 3.5 baths, den, lovely big bonus room, stylish chef’s kitchen, spacious master with a master-bath-to-love, grassy entirely fenced lot over half acre, views of Olympics and Mt. Rainier, and so much more, come see your dream home!  See my blog for more information and photos.  Priced to sell quickly at $460,000.  Snohomish real estate never looked so good!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirkland-Seattle-Woodinville/Purple-Cafe-and-Wine-Bar/98942589187#/note.php?note_id=90909056595&comments&ref=mf

Some of my FAVORITE PEOPLE IN SEATTLE, the Seattle Weekly crowd, has issued a great little guide in this week’s free Weekly, their Happy Hour Guide.  Be sure to grab one at your favorite coffee house, or if you are out of town drop me an email and I’ll put one in the mail to you, as I have a stack in the office.

The Seattle Weekly Happy Hour Guide has five picks for Queen Anne, which are The Spectator, Genki Sushi, McMenamins Pub, Paragon, and Ozzie’s Restaurant and Lounge, with Happy hours listed below.

The Spectator   …   Monday all day, Tue-Sun 4-7 p.m.
Genki Sushi   …   daily 3-7 p.m., 9 p.m. to close (beer $3, sushi $1, side dish $1, daily cocktail $5)
McMenamin’s Tavern & Pool   …   daily 4-6 p.m., 10-close
Paragon Bar & Grill … Mon-Fri 4-7 p.m. (Very Live Music)
Ozzie’s Restaurant & Lounge … daily 11-7 p.m., food 3-7 p.m. daily (5 bars and a summer patio)

There is also a great Happy Hour in Seattle website I recently found, which lists 15 spots in Queen Anne, with ratings (note I found 3 had closed, so I took them off my list…check before you go).  Hands down winner is Peso’s, which a client of mine who bought a condo in Queen Anne also told me is his top choice most times!  Here is my list of places to visit as they got a 4 or 5 rating on the site (I’ve been to Peso’s to meet clients and it’s great, but got no photos for a blog…sorry, next time!):

Jabu’s Pub … 4:30-6:30 daily … “fun little place,” Monday night Bingo
          (Home Fries $2, 2 baby BBQ Onion Burgers or Beer Battered Shrooms $2.50, Wells $3, Drafts $2.50)
Ozzie’s Restaurant & Bar … 3:30-6:30 daily…offers happy hour during Seattle Center events, unusual in QA
          (2 Salmon or Beef Tacos, Shrimp Cocktail, Cheeseburger & Fries, Mini Pizza, Fish & Chips  all $1.95,
            Drafts $2.25, Wells $2.50)
Peso’s Kitchen and Lounge … 4-6 p.m. & 10-1 a.m. daily … busiest & most popular happy hour on QA!
          (22 different appetizers, $4 each)
Ponti … 4-6:30 & 9-close daily … it’s on the Queen Anne side of the Fremont Cut, next to the Fremont Bridge
          (Calamari $5, Scallops $5, Prawns $5, Cheeseburger w/Bacon $5, Wells $3.50, Beer $3.00, Wine $5)
Sport Restaurant and Bar … 3-5:30 p.m. M-F (near Seattle Center, award winning martinis)
          (Pizza $3.55, Wells 4.95, Bud Lite/Kokanee Drafts $1.50)
The Sitting Room … 5-7 p.m. daily

Two other sites that offer great insight on the Happy Hour scene in Queen Anne are SeattleTravel.com, which has great resources for travel here, and the website for Seattle’s nightlife rag, The Stranger, a full resource website that includes a neighborhood bars section.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor, Team Leader
edy@seattlepowersearch.com
cell:  206-402-9155