Julie M.'s Profile

My dad always told me to take my cars to the dealer for scheduled maintenance and other repairs, and I always do.  Since I moved to Pullman two years ago, that became a little more difficult than living in San Jose, California where I had Mazda dealerships all around me -- the closest Mazda dealer to Pullman is this one, 72 miles away in Spokane.  But no matter -- they're worth the drive.

They're very quick, thorough, and honest.  The waiting-around amenities are good -- the lounge is well-appointed (I could take a nap in the big chairs) and there's wired (but not wireless) internet with two desks available for use.  There's also free coffee, and it's pretty darn good too.

I think the best thing about Foothills was yesterday when I asked them "is there any reason I can't get another 80K miles out of this car?" and, with a salesman standing right there and notices about deals and specials plastered all over the place, they said "nope, no reason.  you're good to go."

I make a point of going to Japanese restaurants everywhere I go, if for no other reason than I can't get enough Japanese food (and that's saying something, because I'm pretty big).  When I was in Victoria for a few days, I knew I'd probably only have one opportunity to check out a local restaurant, and I'm glad my friend suggested SenZushi.  I warned her that I eat like a pig when sushi is involved, but she didn't seem to mind.

I had a sushi/sashimi combo sampler, crispy roll, and dynamite roll.  My friend had one of the grilled fish dinners and some nigiri (I don't remember which).  We both had black sesame ice cream for dessert.  I was full, happy, and wanted to come back the next day for another meal or two, but alas my time in Victoria was over.

I had a few hours to kill in Port Angeles before hopping on a ferry to Victoria, so I walked around until I found a coffee shop with WiFi.  I was surprised when I walked into this place because it was very nicely appointed -- not the standard coffee shop tables and chairs, but modern and stylish couches, tables, chairs, etc.  That makes a difference if I'm going to spend money and time in a place -- I would like a comfy bum, I admit.  I only had two drinks -- both iced vanilla lattes (it was very hot that day) -- but they were both good.  Friendly barista.  Strong WiFi, free w/ drink purchase.

Four stars for food and beer, one or two stars for service...that averages out to a three.  I'd come here again, though.  From the get-go it wasn't the dining experience that I'd have wanted due to people who were invited along by others, but that doesn't affect the crappy service we got or the fact that my food was good...so it's a wash.

Three of us had the chicken schnitzel (two with spaetzle, one with potato pancakes) and it was really, really, really good.  Perfectly done.  Lots of chicken.  Sides were also good (although the carrots were on the crunchy side of steamed...it's a delicate balance so no points off there).  Another person had the chicken pie and it seemed quite hearty and she said it was tasty.  The two other people seemed to be all-around snobs anyway so I didn't particularly pay attention to what they had to say.   As for drinks, most of us had the hefeweizen, as you do at Widmer, and it was good as always (assuming you like Widmer hefeweizen).

The service wasn't rude or anything, just not very good.  Took a long time to order drinks, and when they came out the non-alcoholic ones came out first (waters and teas which were supplements to the beers everyone had).  An overworked fellow brought out the pitcher of hefeweizen, but no glasses were to be seen for several minutes.  Talk about a tease: "here's this lovely pitcher of beer you can't have".  We were taking bets as to whether or not, when the glasses arrived, there'd be lemons on the rim or not (the lemons were present).  When she brought the food, it was pretty much just slapped down on the table in a very "here's your slop" sort of way.  Didn't check back often that I can recall.  But despite that, I'd go back--with just my friends (and not hangers-on), and hopefully a different waitress!

I do not fancy myself a wine person, although I have been known to drink the stuff on occasion.  I know the difference between good wine and bad wine, and which color goes with certain food.  I mean, I did live in Northern California for fifteen years--a person learns this stuff almost by osmosis there.

Over Memorial Day weekend I found myself in Portland with some friends, one of whom was college buddies with Lynn Penner-Ash. It also happened to be the Penner-Ash Memorial Day Open House.  Adding these two facts together led to three hours of comp'd wine tasting and a tour of the wonderful facilities.  

Like I said, I can't give a review of the wine per se (although I really, really, really enjoyed the 07 Riesling, liked the 08 Viognier and Roseo, was "meh" on the Pinots except for the 07 Palmer Creek which I liked (but I'm not a big Pinot person anyway)).  But the people are super -- everyone working there was nice and knowledgeable -- the grounds are beautiful, and the overall experience was quite lovely.  Highly recommended for a tasting experience and a picnic destination (but don't be a jerk and bring wine from somewhere else!)

I was in two all-day meetings at one of the businesses around Specialty's, and on the first day a box of lovely-smelling cookies was brought in to the meeting room.  I tried to resist, but the box of snickerdoodles, choc cookies w/ white choc chips, milk chocolate, and even the wheatgerm cookie was too much temptation and I succumbed (I went with the healthiest sounding cookie, and it was tasty and good).  

So when it was suggested that we walk over and have lunch there the next day, I very quickly offered support for that idea!  The 4 or 5 people in our meeting who work in the area apparently eat there all the time, as they quickly ordered their favorites: the chairman, the tomato mozzarella (with turkey), spicy thai peanut salad.  I was too busy focusing on my own sandwich to make a note of what the rest of us had...besides cookies.  In addition to a much-needed milk chocolate chip cookie, I had the Beef & Bleu (w/o red onion, as that's just a meeting-killer) and would definitely get it again were it not for the fact that I would like to try every single sandwich on the menu.

It's a good thing I don't live in the area anymore, because this place would throw a wrinkle in my lifelong goal of not being a fat-ass...which is to say that I would eat here all the freaking time.  I suppose I could go burger-in-a-bowl, where the burger was actually chicken and I picked all the vegetable-related extras, and thus end up with a wonderful customized chicken salad, but I simply do not have the self-control to refrain from ordering fries or onion strings or sweet potato fries or a milkshake or twelve.

So what did I actually have when I was here?  A 1/3 lb burger on the honey wheat bun, cooked medium (and it was a lovely and true medium), with tillamook cheddar, tomato,  sauteed mushrooms, and dijon balsamic as a dressing.  Mmmm, tasty.  Three of us shared a 50/50 order of fries and onion strings, and an order of sweet potato fries.  Other items at the table included what my friend calls "the perfect chicken sandwich" (according to her extremely picky tastes) -- which I think she said is grilled chicken, swiss cheese, bacon, onion strings, and sweet bbq sauce on a hamburger bun.  I am inclined to believe her.

It's always a good sign when you eat good food (and are stuffed) and have several cocktails and you look at your bill and say "is that it?"  So, while I had a great time even before I saw the bill, that sure was an added bonus.  Another bonus was the bucket of peanuts on the table and the encouragement to make a mess on the floor by tossing the shells.  I don't know what it is about being encouraged to act like a child that makes an outing fun, but it was.

Two of us had the fish & chips, which included three big and hefty pieces of beer-battered fish, and good fries.  Also, coleslaw.  Another person in our party had a (veggie) burger & fries, and the fourth person had a shrimp and halibut and potatoes dinner.  All was devoured.  

There was live music in the bar, and we sat around the corner from the bar so we could eat/talk over the band/still hear them.  When we left, we saw numerous people in the bar area dancing and generally having a good time.  It was quite fun, the food was good, the drinks were appropriately strong, and they also seemed to have a good beer selection.  Thumbs up!

Came to town for a conference that was at a (relatively) expensive hotel on the beach. As a poor graduate student on a tight budget, I opted to stay 1/2 mi down the street and on the other side of the road...for $50/night less.  I figured I'd get a standard $80/night place...you know, kind of "meh" but perfectly adequate.

I got that, but also more!  The room was comfortable, spacious, and had a refrigerator AND a microwave -- perfect for people to stock up on food at the grocery store and reduce the need to eat in restaurants for every meal.  The Best Western also had 24-hour free coffee and juice (orange, apple) available, and during the breakfast hours there are free Belgium waffles, eggs, sausages, biscuits and sausage gravy.  Other amenities include a fitness room, sauna, and pool -- probably to work off the free hearty breakfast food.

The only downside was the wi-fi in the room -- I was unable to connect probably 95% of the time.  Could be because I had a far corner room, but "in-room wi-fi" should be in-room wifi.  I just took my laptop down to the lobby, which was fine (and speedy).  There's also a desktop and a printer in the lobby that is free for  use.

If I find myself in Lincoln City again, I would not hesitate to stay here.

This review is based entirely on one espresso-based drink. I realize that's a small sample size.  All the more reason to try it again (me) and for yourself (you).

Two of my numerous personality traits include the following: I'm lazy, and I can tell good espresso from bad.  So, a drive-thru espresso joint takes care of the first, and the ability to watch the espresso pulls from the comfort of my car potentially takes care of the second.  In other words, sometimes I just want to turn away, and I have to convince myself that the espresso pulls were just fine and that the drink is good (I'm looking at you, Daily Grind).  

My 3-shot espresso drink took a little longer to prepare this morning because the barista did not like the first pulls.  He adjusted the grind, pulled a test shot, tested it out, then pulled my shots again.  They were good.  All I got was a non-fancy mocha, but the attention to detail made an impression.  He was apologetic for the extra time (which I hadn't even noticed until he apologized) and explained what he was doing and why.  Quality and service still exists in the world! Hooray!