Ligaya "rhymes with papaya" T.'s Profile

Breakfast is the meal you want here. Rounding up .5 star for their white truffle, egg, argula, and sundried tomato breakfast sandwich. Outrageously good.

While Spreegold lacks the quirky character I find charming about my most beloved Berlin establishments, there are some dishes which they hit out of the park. Their schtick is five variations of funny shaped pasta that grips the sauce like sand when you're fresh out of the ocean. The only problem here is that of the two that I tried (pesto, marinara) neither you'd want in your mouth. The other products such as teas, coconut water, baked goods, smoothies, etc. are grade-A.

The space is perfect for plunking down with your lappie and banging out 60 minutes of work on their limited wi-fi, and the aesthetic ain't bad. (I'm a fan of the Eames eiffel tower base with the black matte seat.) The staff is consistently polite, too. And they've got loads of outdoor tables for basking in the sun. Thumbs up!

Man, I don't know what all the fuss is about. You know a good BBQ place when all the locals big it up, and with a cursory pass at these reviews I should have skipped it. But convenience is the devil - darn you SXSW!

We ordered cafeteria style just before the rush. Brisket on a flat, untoasted bun, plopped on a styrofoam plate, bland potato salad. Give me some kick, smoke, something to work with! But no, three varieties of sauce that were all unremarkable. The salad bar could have been transplanted from a Country Kitchen.

The semi-outdoor dining experience was pleasant enough though, and the bottled root beer was good to wash it all down. Not much for a silver lining. Kevin N, I'll have to go again with you and hopefully they'll give me the good stuff.

There are those critical times when a company truly goes above and beyond that I wish I had a gold star to pin on the lapel of the owner and watch their beaming smile and graceful bow to an auditorium's standing ovation. Let this review represent that for Great Feasts!

As the story goes, I was in a bind. My catering company bailed the day before an event, and in my frantic search, I came upon Great Feasts. With one phone call to Alex, my woes were behind me as he promised to have the charcuterie, fruit, and cheese platters delivered by 5pm the next day.

You can imagine my anxiety the day of the event, but it was quickly assuaged by their timely and polite communication and drop-off. Our guests much enjoyed the tasty, well-presented nibbles as I made the mental note to add GF to my permanent rolodex.

Sure, sure! This isn't really Parisian. (Go ahead and question an establishment's authenticity and pitfall into review cliche #1.) Ahem. In any case, I am not one who shakes a fist at a breaches of "authenticity" anyway. I want what tastes good, and no surprise, the formula we're hard-wired to love never lets me down: carbs smothered in dairy.

In BATC's case, it comes in the form of a glorious croque. Slabs of ham or turkey and gruyere between thick, Texas toast slices, layered with whipped bechamel is a damn good reason to get out of bed each weekend afternoon. From benedicts to stuffed baguettes, I've never had anything I didn't like here. Between my dining companions' eye rolls and groans, the splendiferous plates, and regular spying into the kitchen, the caliber is high all around.

The waitstaff smiles and makes sure you get your eats and handmade truffles at the end of the mea, pronto. There's longevity with the crew too; it's nice to see a restaurant that's not a revolving door. And the cherry on top, the location is swell. Right on South Park, so you can bask in the sun while you wait, or do as I do and hop over to Jeremy's for a little shop. The line goes quickly, and before you know it, you'll be whisked into the bistro to chow to your heart's content.

PBS rules my 'do. As one who gets cuts on impulse, I've played musical chairs from Steve to Sarah, to most recently Brianne. Inevitably, the next morning I look in the mirror, beam them thanks, and give myself a high five. (It's just as awkward as it sounds.)

Due to having a quarter of my head buzzed and the remainder past my shoulders, my haircut sometimes makes stylists nervous. Brianne was all, "I got this," and layered and thinned the longer parts for a more cohesive cut while we talked punk shows and exes.

I didn't get offered a beer this time around, but I got served a damn fine haircut and blow for $55. PBS, you've got me.

First off, their hair removal product is called Poetic Wax. Cute, eh? Nice job, copybots. Now to talking about lady bits. Well, sometimes they need to be cute, too. And by this I mean... well, think Patrick Stewart. Wait, weird time to think about him.

Anyway, sometimes things just need to go, and Gailee at Bliss will make it happen. In fact, I got squeezed in for a last minute Valentine's Day 'scaping appointment and she tackled the whole garden in no time flat. I'd like to say I took it like a champ, but really her hand was so deft I can't take any credit. In fact, it happened so quick I barely noticed the sterile room (but damn did it smell good in there).

$70 is a reasonable price to pay for feeling like you've got a fab surprise for someone. And there's no walking like a penguin afterwards, either. Show owner comment »

Oh, Janet's magic fingers!

From small Thai men standing on my back to merciless bodybuilder types at Kabuki, I have been lucky to enjoy many a massage in my day. But none of them have prodded and unfurled my tension quite like Janet has.

Fifteen minutes in her chair at my office, fingers and elbows exploring the crevices of my shoulders and neck, she released and enlivened parts of me that had previously lay untouched. She has an uncanny sense for finding problem spots, and firmly yet gently works them out. In the words of Snap, she's got the power.

Above and beyond customer service. Less than 24 hours before our company's first event in Seattle, our catering company cancelled. In crisis mode, I called up the Wedge to see if they could throw together platters for our fifty guests the next day.

Although Ben was unable to fit us in, he referred us to another caterer that rang us within five minutes. He also made a follow up call to make sure that our bases were covered. All you business owners out there, take a page from the Wedge's book! This is just the type of reliable, caring operation that the community should get behind.

Diligent, communicative customer service and great printing with lightning-fast turnaround time. We had an issue with our alignment and cut marks and their team reformatted the doc for us at no extra charge. Their online system made uploading a breeze, and they were very accommodating with our particulars.

If the mundane parts of life were like a bad Choose Your Own Adventure book, the scenarios would go like this:

In between having to spend lunch taking your bulimic schnauzer to the vet, finding out your car's at the impound lot, and your boss dumping an investor slidedeck on you at 5pm due tomorrow, the day looked like it couldn't get much worse until you learned your custom holiday card order featuring Hans in a santa hat and knit sweater from your ex-wife was botched at Kinko's. And the date is Friday, December 22nd.

You decide to:

a) Tell your "superior" he can bite it and that you hope the company doesn't get another penny. Crumple the sample of the holiday card and stuff it into the open mouth of the incompetent Kinko's employee. Then celebrate by sucking down a pint of Cherry Garcia while feeding Hans peking duck and later watch fascinated as it dribbles back out his mouth in liquid form.

b) Mainline three 5-hr Energy shots and bang out that slidedeck like a good worker bee. Write a three star review of the terrible Kinko's on Yelp. Then give Hans his favorite diet Iams, and disregard the errant screw in your Swanson's TV dinner.

c) Invite your old college roommate who has a finance degree over for dinner in exchange for her whipping out that slidedeck. Then go to the Speedway website, upload your doc, enter the specifications and paper type, and watch the Daily Show until May calls to confirms that she can resize the card just a wee bit to be able to print two to a page, saving you half the cost, and that your order will be ready at 11am for pick-up.

There are some decisions worth mulling over. But for others, the right choice rings loud and clear.

Recchiuti has become an evening ritual: I run up to the fella with our treasured black box of assorted goodies, eyes shining in excitement, my breath coming out in little gasps of anticipation. It sounds dramatic, I know, and it really is. We mull over each description, learning new words, "gianduja" and "couverture," as speak of "enrobing" and "infusions," the language of chocolate poetry. We choose two, hoping they will pair well together.

One of us sniffs and takes a bite, then passes it along to the other, then back before a delicate layer melts, and finally, the slow, finger-licking finish. Everything pauses. We ignore ringing phones, blinking IM windows, our pleasure like a good dSLR, the background fading, only the chocolate is in focus. We marvel at the varying sheen of each confection, the distinct flavor of each piece, the chocolate shell somehow encasing the true essence and nuance of each ingredient.

When passing through the ferry building, I now know never to neglect Recchuiti again or feel guilty about the price tag. Each visit, I will curate our perfect box: sesame nougat, kona coffee, tarragon grapefruit, spring jasmine tea, star anise & pink peppercorn, piedmont hazelnut. I will relish every treat.

Bravo, this is true mastery.