David and Becky

Today we were debating about where to go for brunch,  and almost conceded to driving through Jack in the Box, when I blurted out “Smartypants!”  The party in my mouth that followed reminded me that I really needed to write about all our favorite joints to eat.  This place is a great bar/eatery in a surly little neighborhood called Georgetown.  Its allegedly a biker bar, but I have yet to get that vibe from it.  Delicious sandwiches and brunch, cheap beer.  Highly recommended.

In West Seattle, we are known to frequent West 5.  Nice retro ambience, comfort food.  Sadly we tried to go there last week for an extremely late dinner (11:30 PM) and the kitchen was closed.  Tried out Shadowland across the street which had delicious cocktails and a nice late night happy hour menu.  Looks a little pricey for a standard meal, but we would definitely do happy  hour again.

A deep rift has occured between us regarding which is our favorite local pizza chain.  David would give his right arm for the Chicken Pesto pizza at Amante, which I agree is good, but my new favorite just opened up down the block from our home.  Zeeks has amazing crust.  I might end things with David so I can marry it.

We have no troubles agreeing however on delicious sushi.  In our minds there are three different types of sushi occasion, and we have a favorite spot for each of them.  On any given day, Blue C is sure to be exciting.  Conveyor belts run small plates of sushi through the restaurant.  Eat to your hearts content, and save the plates, and they charge you accordingly.  Need your server?  There’s a little button at your table to press and get their attention.  If you’ve not eaten a lot of sushi, this is a great place to experiment.  To make ourselves feel really hip, we like Umi.  David took me here for our third date.  Located in the Belltown area downtown, parking can suck, but proximity to other places for cocktail hopping is more than ideal.  The ambience and food are totally worth it.  If you like sake (which I don’t), this is also the place to be.  I hear their happy hour is the shiz.  Finally, when we are starving and ready to go for the gold, there is Todai.  It’s definitely expensive, but its a BUFFET.  Eat all the sushi you want, and then for some connection that I truly don’t understand, there is also a chocolate fountain and made-to-order crepes.  Bring some sweatpants to promptly change into after your meal.

Another special place is called Kingfish cafe.  I guess its supposed to be soul food.  I don’t care.  It’s awesome.  Brunch, dinner, dessert, whatever.  Once upon a time, David and I had a sort of “make it or break it” turning point in our relationship (don’t we all?)  We decided to make it over a dinner of red beans and rice, and splitting a piece of red velvet cake.

Here is where David would say in response, “I’ll show you a stimulus package!”  Now that we have a newer car that is capable of being driven outside of the greater Seattle area, I hit up the factory outlet mall north of Everett.  I only really need 3 stops there: Gap, Banana Republic and LeSportSac outlets, and then I have the whole drive back to prepare a speech for David of how I actually SAVED us money by shopping today.  Stopped and met a friend at Bonefish Grill in Bothell for happy hour, enjoying a delicious pomegranate martini and some calamari.  Then, ended my day of shopping at my all-time favorite bookstore Third Place Books.  I had to buy this month’s choice for book club, and since I found a used copy for $7, I felt justified in buying another book, brand new at $15.  This store is great.  I used to frequent the Ravenna location all the time when I lived in that neighborhood, but stopped at the larger Lake Forest Park one yesterday.  The book store has a food court people!  Lots of titles, new and used, and a nice gifty section.  Just doing my part for the economy.  You’re welcome.

Yesterday, what could have been an ordinary night of watching House episodes (David’s latest obsession) ended up being a very fun cookout and campfire at Alki Beach.  Some of David’s friends were there for a sand volleyball tournament and we met them down there.  Uniquely located in West Seattle, it’s ocean water from the Puget Sound, but has amazing views of downtown Seattle and mountains.  There’s a long path along the shore for riding bikes, skateboarding or rollerblading, all of which can be rented near Salty’s restaurant (great food, if you want to spend the big $$).  It’s also near David’s other new, and very girlie obsession entitled Bubble Tea.  My favorite beverage from the Alki establishments is a Mexican mocha from Pioneer Coffee Roasters.  Mmmmm…coffee+chocolate+cinnamon.  I also have Alki beach (and myself) to thank for the massive sunburn on my back, due to last week’s ill-advised 4 hours enjoying the surf and sun with 0.0 sunscreen.  Now, we’ve never tried this, but keep talking about it.  You can actually take a water taxi from downtown Seattle across the sound to the beach.  That’s a goal of ours for the summer.

We’ve been enjoying some very warm (for us anyway) weather in the high 70s and 80s with clear blue skies and fabulous mountain views.  Tuesday afternoon I took the bus to the “beach” near David’s office.  Coulon Park is on the south end of Lake Washington and I love it because it offers both grassy areas and sand, has volleyball and tennis all set up and a swimming area that is completely marked off by a pier so its not so choppy from boat traffic.  Lake Washington is certainly not as huge as the Great Lakes, but its big compared to most.  I didn’t feel bad at all about laying out to get some sun and reading a magazine while David worked all afternoon.