Adam "Last Chance To Dance No-Pants, Perchance" C.'s Profile

It is time to set the record straight about this shop.
My first visit was a couple years ago. I can't remember why, but I needed to buy two tires rather than a full set. The manager spent a good amount of time with me to figure out my options, printed out a list of tires and sent me home to do some online shopping and to read the reviews on the tires. End result: they had the best price on the best tires available for my car.
After getting the new tires, they told me that my front wheels were slightly mis-aligned. They reminded me of this every time I returned, but I wasn't seeing the uneven wear so I deferred the repair. When another shop confirmed that I needed them realigned, I vowed to do it when I replaced the other two tires, which happened just a few weeks ago.
Again, Affordable Tire gave me the options and had the best price on the best tires available. They beat Costco and all the online tire shops.
When I came in, I worked with Mike, who is a newer General Manager. This guy is so freaking top-notch that the world needs to know about him. On the phone and in person, he greeted me and interacted me with a contagious enthusiasm. Plenty of "hey Champ!"s which I've been known to despise, but when coming from him made me smile.
From what I gather, Affordable Tire knows how good Mike is and rotates him through shops to improve the business. Mike is professional, funny, thorough, and an honest player. He's memorable, so I'm convinced he wasn't at this location when I was here a few years ago. I suspect this location's reviews would be higher if the other reviewers returned since Mike showed up.
Mike empowers the other guys to become experts in various topics. He called in Chris to give me the lowdown on the problems they identified with my struts and strut towers. Between the various gents, they talked me out of doing some extra work which was recommended by gearheads on the VW forums, and took care of the actual problems.
Mike offered a "shuttle" (which was a repossessed unpaid client's car) ride to and from work on the day of my repairs. It wasn't fancy or clean, but I didn't care.
With statements like "these new struts will feel like a new pair of shoes; you'll feel the difference everywhere" and "this repair comes with a free car key" as he handed over my receipt and key, I left smiling and would recommend these guys unflinchingly.

It's a Chipotle; it's as good as they all are.
Consistent with their other locations, the line zips by, even during a lunch rush. The staff are smiley and efficient, and the food is tasty.
I ordered the carnitas burrito bowl with half/half pinto and black beans, the corn salsa, pico de gallo, and hot salsa. Throw on some white cheese, and Roberto es su tío! More food than I ever should eat, and for $8 for entree + drink.

It's a rare occasion that I am drunk before noon. In fact, I could count on my fingers how many times I've done it. Maybe on one hand. If I start out a review of a mini-golf joint with that statement, you have correctly assumed that my friends and I arrived in rare form.
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, with blue skies and nary a cloud. Our polyester leisure suits were cooled off by our aviator sunglasses.
Parkland Putters is formed of a lumpy concrete terrain tucked into a cozy armpit formed by highway 512 and its offramp. The red-lettered sign is visible from a great distance, drawing in the intoxicated, the elderly, and beginning readers, all with equal efficiency.
As we bellied up to the cash register, we each selected our own neon-colored ball, matching our outfits, naturally. There are multiple courses to choose from, of varying levels of difficulty.
The owners must have taken warmly to our appearances, as they piped a heaping helping of Hall & Oates, Phil Collins, and other tasty vittles over their stereo system. Or maybe that was just the music in my head. I really don't remember.
In any case, we putted our way around the course, and kept as honest score as possible, given the circumstances. In the end, I scored really high, which, as it turns out, is not the object of the game. But no matter: the owners kindly pinned a pink ribbon to my shirt reading "LAST PLACE". Read 'em and weep.

I found this place to be anything but scary. Maybe on a rainy night, with downtown's expected addicts and neerdowells cowering in for cheap eats, I could see some people being shaken, but at lunch time on a sunny winter day? No worries.
I found it interesting to hear the chefs speaking Thai rather than Korean, or atypically Japanese, but they sure could grill up some tender chicken with a friendly smile.
To me, top notch teri has a little bit of the blackened, charred tips, and Osaka delivered. As you can see by the photo of the menu, there aren't many options, not even spicy chicken, but there are bottles of Sriracha and whatever that other spicy teriyaki sauce is. A few squirts of the red stuff and I was good to go.
Cash only, and $6 flat was the sum for the chicken accompanied by rice and ranch covered lettuce. Simple, sufficient, and someplace I am sure to return to... when I have cash.

For those that know me, it won't be surprising to hear that this is my favorite furniture store in Seattle.
Having purchased and imported wood furniture from Indonesia myself, I can attest that this stuff is top notch quality, and if you were to import it yourself, you'd ultimately be paying a similar price unless you really bought in bulk.
Tip for the wise: their standard prices are expensive. They do, however, have a crazy annual sale where everything is at insane discounts. Get on their mailing list and join the fun.
Another big tip: their business is slow during the winter, so they drop their prices, often to 50% off. I just bought an entire dining room set for the same price I'd pay for one at World Imports. The difference: this stuff is unusual, using reclaimed teak, and not high-production stuff you'll see everywhere.
I love this store.

This was my second lunch place at my new downtown job, and impressed me considerably more than my sandwich from the previous day, at Rex's.
I'd heard of Potbelly in the past, but hadn't ever tried it.
The queue was long, but a girl with a tablet computer took everyone's initial order while we were still in line. Once the basic sandwich was assembled and procured from the oven, a cheerful gent added the rest of the ingredients.
I had an Italian, which reminded me a lot of the same sandwich at Quiznos, but a bit tastier.
The restaurant was raucous and harried, but we all took our orders to-go. Despite the crowd, the turnaround was fast. The sandwich was tasty and the price was reasonable, at $5 or so.
I had the regular size, which my colleagues feel is a hair to small; they say they typically order 3 sandwiches for every 2 people. So maybe get a bag of chips, or follow their recommendation.
I know I will be back to Potbelly again!

This was the first restaurant I visited in my new downtown job. I plan on trying every lunch place within walking distance, so this is sure to be a long project.
This place though? A-OK describes it. It's a quick in-and-out sandwich shop. Boar's Head cold cuts are served in typical configurations. You're free to mix & match ingredients, but note that you'll pay a bit more for a second meat on the sandwich. All told, I was out the door at $8 or so for a half sandwich and a cup of chili. Neither were incredibly memorable, but it did the trick.

It's a slightly discomforting sound... one which reminds me of certain high school parties, or glorious nights at sleepaway camp... the rustling of fabrics, squeaking of chairs, and occasional satisfied sighs and groans of strangers in the darkness.
That might be a little difficult to stomach on paper, but I'm certain you that when you're dropping $27 for an hour massage and foot soak, you'll get over any weirdness associated with the endeavor.
The parlor is a large, darkened room with a dozen or so reclining chairs. Sometimes a TV mutely projects Chinese shows, and the CD player is guaranteed to play innocuous if somewhat cheesy  instrumental music.
Remove your socks and shoes and roll up your trouser legs to your knees. The $27 deal starts with a soak in warm water in a plastic bag-lined wooden bucket while the masseuse works on your temples, head, neck, arms and hands. The bucket is removed and your feet are dried while the masseuse applies some lotion and starts working the knots out of your feet and lower legs. Next, the chair is reclined farther and you flip to your front, placing your face in a paper towel-lined opening in the rear of the chair. Again, your back and neck are thoroughly kneaded. After an hour, expect to open your eyes dazed, somewhat disoriented, and just about a pile of mush.
Despite the reputation of similar massage parlors in Asia, there are no "happy endings" to my knowledge at this place, other than the fact that you've gotten a serious tenderizing for a song.
Next time, I'm listening to my headphones so I don't have to hear the other patrons' satisfaction, even though I don't blame anyone for their sighs and groans. Check this place out. Oh, and they're open late, so a fun way to round out a night of drinking or overeating! Indulge on a budget!

Galileo buys raw beans and roasts them on-site in their giant metal roastery. You can see the roaster through the window from inside the cafe.
I chatted with Cara, one of the co-founders, and she explained that they now supply beans for many of the cafes and groceries in the region, particularly up at Whistler.
They have now also opened a second cafe in the Adventure Center up in Squamish.
The drinks here are exquisite, and made with artful flourishes.
Apparently this little neck of the woods is popular for filmmakers, and Cara told me of watching segments from the A-Team movie being filmed across the street from the cafe. If you chat with the staff, they can tell you a number of other movies in which the cafe and the surrounding environment appears.
The location is easy to access from the Sea To Sky Highway, heading north or south, so it's a great way to recharge after the long drive up to, or to prepare for the long drive home from Whistler!

Who knew Bellevue was a happenin' town on Saturday nights? Not me. We headed here after discovering the wait at Ginza sushi was untenable. We figured this place could accommodate our group of five quicker. But the stated wait was 35-40 minutes when we arrived.
The bar, however, had open seats, so we seated there, figuring we'd order drinks first. Thing was, we were offered a table before we even had time to review the drinks menu.
The food, in a word, was spectacular across the board. We shared the chickpeas/eggplant, flatbread with cheese and chorizo, beets & cheese, ceviche & tortillas, calamari in tomato sauce, "blasted" broccoli, and roasted vegetables. Each dish was excellent and something I would totally return for again.
Of particular note was the eggplant dish: eggplant is one of my least favorite foods, but I took seconds and thirds of this dish. It was that good.
Dishes ran about $10-$14 and are intended to share. All told, with an alcoholic drink apiece, we each were in for only about $26 and departed stuffed. Definitely a place to remember next time you're stuck in Bellevue on a weekend!