Kimberley "linguistically pertinacious" D.'s Profile

Awww, they closed and I forgot to review the place before it closed.

I really liked the owner. My veggie dog was only so-so. I would've returned anyway because I liked the overall vibe of the place and the Chicago decorations and it was reasonably priced. I guess the Ave is a revolving door when it comes to restaurants, though, especially the northern parts of the Ave. Taste of Chicago's one of 4 other places that I've liked on the northern Ave in the past few years that all shut down or moved.

Long fake nails. A kitten poster with "hang in there!" People handwriting the day of the week multiple times and putting one little sign at each desk area.

My tabs had been expired for a long time. The woman behind the desk began to lecture me. I cut her off with "I wasn't driving. I didn't have the money." She stared at me as though the concept of spending a year without a car was impossible. To Kirkland, I guess it probably is.

A DOL will always feature people who seem as though they long for their own death, decor that resembles an 80s film about the system crushing anyone with a soul, and an hours-long wait to print a piece of paper.

In that context, this one is better than others I've visited. It has free wireless, seats near outlets, sufficient seats so that you don't have to be standing around and/or crammed next to some guy who's eyeing you, etc. The library kindly provides a shelf full of books and magazines for people to borrow while they're waiting.

The numbers are announced on a small screen that is very hard to read if you're in the back of the room. They do announce it out loud too.

My favorite thing about the DOL is how they call out the number and expect the person to be at the desk immediately, even though it's a large room and 15 minutes may have passed between the last number and the next number. They start shouting it over and over again without looking around to see if a person is currently moving across the room towards them. I've never been skipped, but I've seen people skipped because they were walking across the room.

It sounds like Bent took some of the frustrations in earlier reviews to heart. Another reviewer commented that they should be using housemade veggie burgers vs. boring gardenburgers. I'm not sure if it was housemade, but it seemed like it. It had black beans throughout and was thick and flavorful and not machine-shaped. They advertise that their meat is "100% natural", whatever that means.

Yam fries were tasty. They have 13 different kinds of milkshake including pumpkin, green tea and other less common flavors.

Prices - around $6 for a normal burger / veggie burger (comes with fancy sauces if so inclined) or $7 for a fancy topping burger (I chose the human torch with hot peppers. It was indeed quite hot.) Shakes - $4. Fries - $4-5.

Cool, funky interior with a comic book / old school 50s diner theme.

Tofu buns were okay.

Cocktail with Rachel's ginger beer was also okay.

Prices were shrug. $9 for 3 tofu buns, $11 for the cocktail.

Overall, I wouldn't veto returning if someone else was dead set on it, but I wouldn't go out of my way.

Friendly staff. Average prices for the neighborhood ($9 cocktails). Food can be delivered from the nearby fish fry, and despite the name, they have vegetarian fare.

I came to meet friends for Monday night happy hour (which I missed) but I was frustrated because at 9pm the hip hop DJs arrived and immediately began blasting it so loudly that it was no longer possible to have a conversation. I've been DJing on and off for 17 years, and I enjoy having the bass vibrate my face. I frequently blast music loud enough to rock the house. But I'm also a big believer in reading the crowd and the atmosphere. 9pm is not peak party hour at most events. It's when people are chilling, chatting, and only starting to consider the idea of moving some part of their anatomy.

Getting people to dance at 9pm is a noble goal, and I applaud any DJ for trying. But you don't start your set by turning the volume up to 11 and blasting the audience into submission. A good set is like a good night with your significant other(s)... warm them up, get them excited, tease them, take it away, bring it back, and deliver the goods after they've indicated that they're ready.

Anyway, Moe's is a great location and it's decent, but nothing about it makes my heart go pitter-pat.

+
$3 happy hour wells until 7pm
Delicious housemade Rachel's Ginger Beer
Friendly bartender who also seemed skilled & knowledgable
Soundtrack (various indie rock from obscure to poppy, 80s synthpop, various good electronic music)
Dark and neighborhood-y

*
Fernet on tap (I hate fernet, but it seems to excite others)

-
No food. You can have sandwiches delivered from Dinette a few doors down, which is cool, but I need food when I'm drinking and it needs to be more substantial than a sandwich. I had to subtract a star due to hunger.

Atmosphere. It isn't bad, but it also doesn't feel unique. There are some Montana license plates and state signs here and there, but it feels unfinished somehow. Perhaps that's because it is unfinished, but it sounds like it's been open for a few months at least.
.....

Overall verdict: I'd definitely return for another tasty Moscow Mule, but I can't be a regular at a bar without food. Hopefully it'll appear in the future and I can update this review.

I got a Livingsocial coupon and was excited because the food reviews had been promising. Unfortunately, I hadn't carefully read the Yelp reviews that explained that there is no sign that says "Kabab House"... the sign reads "Tandoori Oven". So it was a long journey around the eastside to find this place.

My food (vegetarian chili stirfry) was great. However, the atmosphere was weird and uncomfortable. There was no music playing and we were seated next to the only other table with people. It was impossible not to overhear their entire conversation and vice versa, even when talking quietly. The constant sound of forks scraping on plates began to drive me nuts.

I went to the bathroom. It had no signs, and when you go to re-enter the dining hall, there are also no signs and 3 identical doors. Hmm.

My dining companion wasn't into his beef dish, which he described as "looking like poo". There was an hour left until closing, but an employee / owner came out and sat at a table nearby, talking on the phone and eyeing us. Our server also came out and sat at a table nearby.

My water sat empty after its second refill. I was still eating my food when our server asked if we would like a box. I decided to say yes because I thought I'd feel better eating the rest at home.

I pulled out my phone and said it'd take me a minute to pull up the coupon. The server put two boxes on the table for us to use as to-go boxes, then stood there for a few minutes while I waited for the app to load. Awkward.

The food was good, but if I ate here again, I'd get the order to go and take it somewhere else. It's a good deal with the coupon, but the normal entree price is $12-13. Our server was very friendly but the whole experience was odd.

... ring, ring ...

"Hi, I'm calling to find out whether you have any Kindles in stock."

RS: "No."

"Okay, thank you!" *preparing to hang up*

RS:  "Which one do you want?"

*confused* "Um, the Kindle touch."

RS: "Okay, let me check." *pause* "Yes, we have that."

"Okay, great! See you soon!"

.... drive to Radio Shack ...

"Hi, I'm here to pick up the Kindle touch."

RS: "I'm not sure if we have that."

"I called earlier and was told you did."

RS: "Is it this one?" *hands a box with a regular Kindle*

"No, I'm looking for the Kindle touch." *shows picture on phone*

RS: "Oh, we don't have that."

"Um, okay. Thanks."

.....

How hard is it to check stock in the adjacent computer before telling someone an item is in stock? Or to google a photograph of what the item looks like?

I rarely go to retail stores for electronics, and experiences like this don't encourage me to change that habit.

They serve delicious biscuits until 2:30am. These biscuits can come with either meat or vegetarian gravy, eggs, cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and a variety of other tasty toppings.

Did I mention that they will feed you food that is both good and inexpensive until 2:30am? Please eat it so they keep doing it. Seattle really needs this.

Also, the atmosphere is cozy and comfy and the people are cool despite the drunken aging frat boys who periodically wander in.