No Thank You

Sure, it was election night when we went to this Indian restaurant. Sure, it was totally empty and when we got there at 6:30 they were getting ready to close shop. Sure, we were hopeful with the great reviews we heard from the interwebs. But we were all a little disappointed. The Tikka Masala was decent but not great. And according to one friend the lamb naan tasted a little bit like vomit, but slightly better. Because it was a friend's birthday we were hoping for ice cream, but they ran out weeks ago and hadn't been able to get any since. I wonder if they've heard of a supermarket before? Or Ben and Jerry's? Either way, this restaurant might be great for some, but for us it was nothing to rave about.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  1 comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • Ravenna

Full Disclosure

I have been a vegetarian for 16 years. In that time I have never gone vegan for one reason: Cheese. There's just no suitable substitute. There are acceptable soy versions of milk and rice versions of ice cream. But that orange nacho sludge at 7-11 seems more real than any vegan cheese I've ever had, even realer... than cheese itself. So a vegan pizzeria is a risky venture. Of course vegans will love it. They will claim it tastes "just like pizza" the way I claim grilled Portobello mushrooms taste like steak. But they are meaty and flavorful and that's good enough for me. The Pi chefs certainly know how to make delicious food. Their rustic crust recipe, the basis for most menu items, is salty and satisfying. Their topping options are wonderful (though they inexplicably include pineapple in everything). If you have bad impressions of the place, blame the old owners. The new ones know that you have to keep regular hours. But if you're not vegan, and like cheese, this isn't for you. If, however, you just like good food, forget the whole pizza concept and just enjoy the menu for what it is.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  2 comments

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • Ravenna

Little Woodstock

Just a sandal's throw away from the vegan pizzeria Pizza Pi and not one but two head shops, is Sidecar for Pigs Peace. I like to call this area Little Woodstock. Sidecar, a vegan goods store owned by the Pigs Peace Sanctuary, is a vegan treasure trove run by wonderful people working for a worthy cause. All proceeds go to the non-profit Pigs Peace Sanctuary, which provides amnesty to abused and abandoned animals and spreads "the message of compassion and respect for all animals." Sidecar packs a lot into their tiny space, including packaged vegan snacks, canned soups and proteins, frozen entrees and delicious sandwiches made fresh every day. If you're wary of feeding mystery meat to Fido, check out their line of vegan pet food. And they don't just cater to the stomach. They also offer various and sundry guilt-free wares from adorable handmade wallets and bags to greeting cards. It's a little known fact in the omnivore world that vegans are experts at desert-making. So even if you don't abstain from the dairy, you will have no regrets about stopping in for some chocolate or a donut. The little piggies will be glad you did.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Shopping • Ravenna

Knarr-ly

The Knarr is perhaps the most aptly named denotative dive bar in all of Seattle. I imagine the vibe is very similar to that of the Viking trade ships of yore: alcohol-infused, aggressive revelry, singing of songs, playing of games and generally getting into lots of trouble. The amnesia-inducing dirt-cheap drinks (emphasis on dirt) retrospectively make throwing sharp darts around seem like a bad idea. Feed the juke box (frozen in 1994) and utilize the power of grunge (or Jim Morrison) to aid you in defeating the pool table regulars. Grab a pile of quarters from the bar and be the Pinball Wizard of Medieval Madness all night. Challenge a pair of UW students who were brave enough to travel so far up the Ave to a game of Shuffleboard. It doesn’t so much matter how you decide to allocate your time at the Knarr. You’ll have a blast that you won’t likely remember.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Nightlife • Ravenna

Bundles O' Bagels

Although I now call Seattle home, I have retained my native East Coast superior attitude. This certainly extends to the quality of West Coast bagels, which in most cases are absolute crap. Square bagels? Are you friggin' kidding? Then I found Bagel Oasis, which truly is a refuge from all the other bad bakery pushers. These bagels have some fight in them and don’t back down after the first bite. They’re just the right combination of crusty outside and chewy, dense interior. And they have salt bagels, the mark of an authentic bagel bakery. Usually I get my bundles of everything goodness to go, since the interior resembles that of a storage unit.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • Ravenna