Uhura J.'s Profile

I'll admit it: I turned up my nose haughtily when I spied the "Coming Soon" signage for Tea Republik a few weeks ago. After falling in love with loose leaf tea a few years ago, and telling anyone who will listen about how great Remedy Tea is on Capitol Hill, I thought there was NO WAY I could *possibly* have room in my heart for another tea shop.

But I was wrong.

My beau and I were out for a leisurely exploratory walk on The Ave (that's University Way NE for you non-local types), where the game was "visit at least two places we've never been before". After leaving the Gargoyle shop, he noticed the new tea place was open and I begrudgingly agreed to check it out. The dark decor tripped me up at first, but it quickly gave way to a calming and cozy space set back from the craziness of the Ave.

We were greeted immediately and ordered a couple of teas, him Earl Grey and Dragon Well for myself. The menu was pretty straightforward, offering several types of tea in either medium or large sizes. They took our debit card payment using a payment app on a smartphone (I think Google Payment), and as the nearest tables were taken by a moderate sized group, we headed for the leather couch to wait for our beverages.

The couch was heaven. I need to find out where they bought it because I want it for my house. I sank in, felt immediately relaxed, and took in the decor. The simple bamboo on the walls, the gorgeous giant paper lotus flower light fixtures above, and even their pillow selection, well - the simple serenity of it all was perfectly executed. "Yeah", I thought. "I could hang here." And they have wi-fi, which could make it a decent work spot.

Our teas arrived piping hot. Undrinkable, which I thought was weird for a green tea (generally you want just under boiling temp for green teas), but shrugged it off. The teas arrived in cute ceramic pots, but without any holder for the tea strainer inside. For my selection this wasn't a big problem, but it was the kiss of death for the Earl Grey. Though it arrived perfectly sweetened (as requested), the tea was great for only one cup before it started to turn bitter from over brewing. We decided that next time we'd request extra cups to hold the tea strainers so as not to waste perfectly good tea. The large was about $4 (probably at least 4-5 small cups), and the medium was about $3.50; I was able to get 3+ small cups out of it) - we spent about $10 between the two of us, and to be honest we could have shared a large with no problems.

Lastly: I love their bathroom. It's gorgeous dark slate with golden and natural brown accents, complete with two red doors. And it has hands down the best bathroom sink fixture I have EVER SEEN ANYWHERE. There was even a small cabinet with a matching Buddhist statue. It was clean and of decent size, and because it's the Ave - see the cashier for the key.

Now, Remedy is still my local fave - but this is a solid backup choice.

Thank merciful heavens for the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog and its Shop The Hill focus this holiday season, or I wouldn't have finally scoped out NuBe Green and found basically the bestest holiday gift idea EVER for just under $20.

Their website is clean, straightforward, organized, up to date, and had all the information I needed to park on Pine with 3 minutes left on my meter, walk into the shop, ask for the item I needed, pay, and be back to my car on time. The store seemed to have even more than I saw online and I really wanted to browse, but hey - I wasn't risking a $44 ticket because I was distracted by shiny jewelry.

I'll definitely drop by again sometime though. While they specialize in green, organic, and repurposed items - it's a nice place to go for people who are Hard To Shop For. Especially if they care about the environment or their community.

Everyone loves dollar stores, right? Or at least they used to, back before so many of them were just endless piles of junk crammed into filthy aisles and the food items were highly questionable.

But *this* dollar store is shiny and new. Clean, well organized, with great staff.  We popped in to grab some delicious Nintendo gummy candy that is incredibly well detailed and I left with at least 5 other things I probably would have bought elsewhere and spent more money on. This place is so nice, and so cheap that I can in no way trust myself to "just drop by to check out the latest deals", because if I do, my home will be filled with even more piles of crap I don't need.

If you're disciplined, however, this place is a great place to hunt for basics or to start on your shopping list. They had well known, name brands, clean merchandise, and organized shelves. The food seemed fresh - or at least edible. And they even have books, toys, and toiletries.

I've been to a few different Bartell Drugs and I gotta tell you, this location totally saved my bacon when I needed to come up with several quality, low cost stocking stuffers for a holiday party.

The employees were helpful and plentiful. I was surprised at the selection of toys, food items, candies, and games that weren't crazy expensive. I also found my new favorite lip balm here (eos, in case you're wondering)!

Is it *real* ice? No. But it was definitely real fun. My friends and I had a blast here late one night. There were probably about 6-7 people skating already and everyone seemed to be having an equal amount of fun as well. Having not skated in years just made it all the more hilarious, and I honestly think that it was because we went into it intent of having a good time. It was a perfect activity for a slow winter weekday night; something that wasn't yet another bar or restaurant.

The worst mistake the organizers made was one of marketing and advertising. When I first went to their website, there was no mention of the rink's material, how it was made, etc etc. Only after the big push was made to get CapHill residents out to try it were many people put off by the technically incorrect call to come out and ice skate. After the FauxScandal broke, the website was updated, but it was a little too late. I think had they been more clear and upfront in the beginning, the explanations that came later wouldn't have seemed so disingenuous.

While I hobbled around the rink, I noticed a deal offering $1 hot toddies at the Sorrento Hotel Hunt Club just by showing our wristbands. So of course we did! I really hope it comes back next year, or at least that all the people who complained so vigorously about it get involved with the community and try to come up with something better.

Every neighborhood needs a basic hardware store. For your big stuff, sure you could trek over to Home Depot or Lowe's or whatever. But if you're near the Ave and find yourself in need of provisions this is a perfectly fine place to get them.

We dropped in for hooks, and I realized I needed a cedar hanging thing for my closet to repel moths. A small shop, the place definitely felt well stocked to the point of a little chaotic, but the employees were quick to direct me when I asked.

As a sucker for random toys, I lit up when discovering a dinosaur that roared and shined a light through its mouth. It now sits on my desk.

I don't even know what to say in this review. Finally after weeks of thinking about going to Nook but finding it closed, deciding on the Farmer's Market or I Love New York Deli instead, we finally were up early enough to avoid the crowd and get there before they closed.

It was worth it.

I asked for my goat cheese on the side, and they obliged. This is a big deal since there's literally ONE PERSON in the kitchen. The other person is ringing up customers, serving beverages, and taking orders. The place is tiny. Almost like a quaint roadside stand serving up the best biscuits and gravy you've ever had.

Which brings me to my only pet peeve about Nook. The dish is "biscuits and gravy". BiscuitS. With an S. Plural. So even though my breakfast was impossibly good, filling me up without the telltale gutbomb of inferior biscuitry, the Word Nerd in me must prepare you for the fact there is in fact, only ONE BISCUIT in this dish. Not two or more. Yes, their biscuits are large. Flaky, buttery, and so dense that one cut in half with toppings was more than enough portion wise - but still: only one biscuit.

It's a shame Nook is so small. It's the kind of place you'd love to linger over the paper or quietly with a friend. But really, I'm just happy they're serving up community love in the form of good honest food done with care.

"Oh man. This place is so good it should be on the Hill".

Yes, indeed. This fine little restaurant on the Ave would be perfect for Capitol Hill with it's clean, earthy, and simple decor and delicious food capped off with warm and genuine service - but it should absolutely stay on the Ave.

Some reviewers mention that Noodle Nation is expensive for a lunch spot on the Ave in the middle of the University District. That is plain rubbish. Is it "student cheap"? No. I mean, you can get the best Vietnamese sandwich I've ever had for $5, and a very tasty one for $3 so I understand how $12 feels expensive for a complete meal - but if you eat out with any regularity you know that twelve bucks for a generously portioned entree and drink is a great deal.

The spice level here is out of control though. Everywhere else I start at a baseline for 3 stars, since I like spicy food and ordering a 3 helps me determine the restaurants system. But here, the server immediately warned me that the 3 star is pretty hot. I briefly felt insulted by his impudence, but have learned that in many things, the server is best friend. And he was right. My papaya salad would have been inedible at 3 stars, but the slow burn building with each delicious bite made the dish sing at 2 stars. Plus he brought me a spice rack so I could add chili pepper at my discretion.

Basically he is now my favorite server: Happy Guy Wearing V-neck t-shirts In Winter. I feel blessed that I now have 3 solid Thai options in my food travels, and Noodle Nation is one of them.

The worst thing about this store is that the website is annoyingly bereft of basic information. It's my own little nerdy pet peeve about where the worlds of e-commerce and brick and mortar small businesses intersect. But I digress, nearly everything else about this store is fantastic.

There are socks. Lots of different types. Looking for fabric type? There's at least cotton, bamboo, polyester blends, wool, and reclaimed yarn to choose from. Color and style? Yeeeaaah, you could spend an hour easy browsing them all. But also, and most critically: brand and price range - everything is mid to high end, good quality, and from $8 to $22 or so per pair.

It pained me to walk away from a gorgeous grey merino wool blend pair of tights for these winter months. And after years of half-heartedly searching, I found a new small local place to get The World's Greatest Tights - the only tights I've ever worn that is truly "one size fits all', breathable, comfortable, and last for ages. So yeah: tights, leg warmers, and sock garters are not at all out of place in this cozy shop.

The owner knows everything there is to know about foot and legwear. I feel like if there's anything you needed to know about making a choice she'd be prepared for it. Maybe you don't like socks that will "bunch up funny". She'll ask a clarifying question or two and then lead you to the exact item you need. It's like magic. In fact, while I listed off a short description of a pair of socks my boyfriend's mother was looking for, she overheard me and zeroed in on the perfect pair.

I ended up getting 3 pairs of socks for myself that I adore, plus another pair of dinosaur socks that were extremely well received. Sock Monster also has a very well curated selection of gifts, from handmade soap and bath salts to fashion reusable bags and stylish metal water bottles. But the best thing about Sock Monster is that it makes the most boring and perfunctory of shopping trips (needing new socks) super fun.

I've been to this grocery store a few times while visiting friends in Walla Walla. Basically it was the closest, easiest to find option for our myriad of needs. Despite the fact that there are newer, nicer, bigger chains available to shop at - I like this store.  The employees are nice, the wine selection is pretty fantastic, and there's an amazing array of well, diversity in food items. If you're looking for ingredients for traditional Mexican cooking or spices, Super 1 is your destination.