Mora Ice Cream Company
Other people seem to rave about this place, but to me it was just a huge disappointment. What they sell comes nothing close to real Italian gelato. And they charge $5.50 plus tax for a single ball of ice cream, not including the cone! This is real pretension, or perhaps monthly rent at Bellevue Squares is really out of this world. You cant even see the ice cream they offer because theyre in covered metal containers, supposedly a revolutionary way for keeping ice cream fresh. I sampled the marron glace expecting a creamy chestnut gelato, only to get some sort of dense vanilla with small chewy chunks. Yuck! I didnt even bother buying anything after trying the sample and seeing their prices.
Blue Ginger Korean Grill & Ssh
Though their business address is listed here as in Seattle, their restaurant presence is actually in Bellevue on Northup. Korean food seems to be much more difficult to find on the Eastside than all other Asian restaurants. Luckily, this Korean BBQ restaurant just opened up a couple of months ago and offers both barbeque and standard Korean fare. The prices are decent for Seattle, (but expensive compared to places like LA), and they have a wide selection of Korean foods and drinks. For those who dont know, the meal starts out with some small plates of a variety of pickled vegetables as appetizers, and kalbi is a pretty tasty (and standard) cut of meat to order. This place packs up quickly, and they dont take reservations on the weekends, so arrive early.
Ken's Artisan Bakery
The big windows at Ken's Artisan Bakery let in a lot of light and give the place some nice ambiance. They serve sandwiches, quiches, and pastries, and my favorite is their almond croissant, the best in town in my opinion. Drop by for some fresh bread or for a lunch break between shopping in the Nob Hill neighborhood.
Four Seasons Bowling Ctr
Our work group went here for an outing and was able to order meals from their restaurant ahead of time. Food's quite good for a bowling place, and though the place is a little old, the lanes work fine and the staff's very friendly and accommodating. It's a good place to bring a group and right next to the MAX metro line too.
About Face & More
This is probably the best deal in town at $70 for a 90 min. facial, which includes a hand and foot massage followed by warm mittens and booties. They use the MD Formulations line of products, which is pretty effective for oily skin. Though the ambiance can use a little work, it's probably still the best deal in town for day spas.
Center For Wooden Boats
The CWB is much more than a maritime museum and is one of the only places in the country that preserves old boatbuilding ways. It offers classes on boatbuilding, sailing, rigging, and many other topics for individuals, women, or families. On a summer day, there's nothing better than walking around the piers and viewing so many beautifully restored boats on display, including some large specimens, which offer tours. On Sundays, there's an hours free sail on Lake Union. You can even rent rowboats or even classic wooden sailboats for a whistle.
New Seasons Market-Orenco Sta
We did our weekly grocery shopping mostly at WinCo for essentials, and then at New Seasons for organic meats and gourmet items. They do usually have a great selection of berries and fruits in the summer. My advice would be to stick to regular grocery stores for most of your items and use this one for special items; otherwise, youll be paying 50% or more for items that can be found elsewhere.
WINCO
The Hillsboro location is the newest, and it shows. At first, we didn't want to shop here because we thought it was a large-quantity-discount store, like Costco. But it's really just a regular grocery store thats run by a co-op. Be sure to check out their bulk foods section and be astounded by how much you must be paying for packaging for off-the-shelf items. WinCo doesn't accept debit or credit cards though, so bring cash.
Horowitz Lewis - Lane Powell Pc
This is one of the largest lawyers offices in the Northwest. I used them to prepare a will and was happy with the results overall, though it did cost a pretty penny. The good thing is that they were very friendly and not intimidating, walked me through the entire process, and a free initial consultation is standard (I was referred to them through my CPA). The senior members charge around $330 per hour, though keep in mind that in an office of this size, most of the leg work will be done by junior members.
Cunningham Jocelyn Cpa Cfp
I used Jocelyn's services for filing tax returns and the like. She's also a CFP, though I never used those services. My taxes weren't complicated and ran around $200 for her to prepare for me each year. (As a reference, I've heard quotes of around ~$500 for other CPAs to do the same.) For better or worse, she's not a CPA who looks for loopholes, but if you're looking for someone who can deal with an otherwise unappealing task, she's very approachable.