We hit the Westside of Seattle today (there is a strong psychological divide between the East and West shores of Lake Washington). It appeared that the Traffic Apocalypse over there had passed. Unwilling to stray far from familar territory we hit Espresso Vivace's Alley 24 Outpost, Urban Beast, REI and new Southlake Grill.
The folks at the 'beast' provided us with dog snacks that shouldn't poison our dog (thanks China - you really should do something about pet food safety). I'd like to see the domestic pet food manufacturers step up here and sell some premium products with a better safety record. I'd be happy to pay more than the cheap Chinese stuff found at Costco etc.
Vivace provided the usual high end coffee fix. I'm always puzzled at the nature of the barista. A relatively new 'craft' which has emerged - it may only be with us for a few years before automation and the soft drink companies kill off espresso. A Vivace barista typically does a year's apprenticeship as a bar assistant before being allowed to pull shots. The price is the same as a 'normal espresso' anywhere else. Yet, just meters away, out the front of REI there were barbarians lining up for some dodgy espresso stand. I watched the 'coffee technican' at the stand ply her trade. It was ugly. Like watching TV wrestler play a violin solo. I can only hope that the strong coffee culture of Sydney and Melbourne stays strong. The locals there value a good cup over the automated stuff (civet cat coffee notwithstanding).
We lunched at the Southlake Grill (just around the corner from Vivace). It's located in one of those bare concrete ultra modern office/apartment complexes (you know the type). Service was confusing (good - just confusing). A nice feature of the place is 1/2 price Sundays: everything on the menu is 1/2 price. A nice unexpected surprise. I liked the look of the place and I liked the menu. The service could be a little more 'crisp' and 'precise' - but that's no big deal (I tipped well). My dislike was temperature, specifically the temperature of my food. It wasn't cold yet it wasn't warm. During my meal it became apparent as to the cause. The chefs were turning out the food at a prompt rate and a large amount of plates were sitting under 'warmers' (I use the term loosely) wating for wait staff to collect them. About a dozen plates sat attended for 5+ minutes. Not good. The place probably needs a decent manager to sort out some business process issues and it will be great.