La Luna Restaurant Review

Well it's a sunny Wednesday afternoon and I'm enjoying the evening commuting across the 520 Bridge. There's an old black dude in the Seat to my left blaring Lady Gaga from his Bose headphones, who is now fighting with a young Microsoftie behind him because he politely asked him to turn his music down.
I have to agree with the MS kid- After a long day and a commute that's already an hour and we haven't passed 108th Ave NE exit yet the last thing I want to hear is someone else's music. Needless to say I'm still in a happy mood.

I decided to make use of my idle time and do a quick post reviewing a restaurant Jon and I ate at on Monday night, La Luna.

We did date night before his weekly business trip to L.A. One of our favorite spots in Queen Anne is Sezoni restaurant. Sadly it looked like this little Italian eatery and pizzeria had finally gone out of business so we swung up the hill to La Luna. Located on the corner of Queen Anne Ave and Boston, this new Mexican themed restaurant is in a prime location. A cool outdoor patio with fire pits and right at the beginning of a strip of restaurants and novelty shops at the top of the hill. My room mate mentioned a while back that they had a decent happy hour so we decided to give it a shot.

This was one of the most disappointing meals I've ever had.

Service...
was unbelievably slow. We were waited on a bubbly and ditsy blond who refused to acknowledge anyone but my boyfriend was eating at our table- with the exception of the dirty look I got when I asked for a side a guacamole for our salsa and chips. Let's be honest- that trick might work when a guy doesn't come to a restaurant with a date/significant other. It pissed Jon off more than it did me. What made it worse was she asked us what we'd like to eat and drink without giving us any menus!

Food...
could have been better. Salsa and guacamole were good. Food came extremely slow. Jon's carne asada was ordered medium and was delivered well done. And my meal was mediocre. To be fair I should have read the menu more closely. I ordered veggie tacos thinking, you know, maybe they'd do a yummy saute with bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and top with some pico de gallo. Nope, too great of expectations for this place. My 4 corn tortillas came out with chopped potatoes topped with green sauce and a little guacamole. How depressing that they expected me to eat bland food. I asked for a side of cheese to go with it and was denied twice by the bartender because I ordered "vegetarian" tacos. Come on people! The menu didn't say vegan. Anyway I've posted a picture of them redone to be yummy- extra guacamole, leftover salsa from our chips, cheese, and the pico de gallo they placed on the plate as a garnish. They tasted much better and the green sauce definitely helped the potatoes :).

Ambiance...
is the only thing worth visiting this place for. Jon had great drinks and I chose to play it safe and stick to club soda.

Summing it up the ambiance helped me give it 2.5 stars. They did open in April and I hope that they improve over time. But for now I'll trust Pesos or Laredo's with my palate.

Summer Fun Notepads

This weekend I celebrated my sorority little sister's 30th birthday at a family backyard party. I couldn't help but noticed nearly everyone either checked their cell phone or was texting at some point. We were blessed with clear sunny skies in Puyallup despite the weather forecast of 68 with scattered showers. People gleefully took part in the festivities at the celebration, but it was clear technology was on our minds. It was then I realized that that her daughter, just shy of one years old, will grow up and never know the world without iPhones and Kindles.

In an age where most people in the western world communicate purely through digital means (smart phones, laptops, and now tablets), I was pleasantly surprised to see Lonny Mag's Blog today featuring fun and summer-themed notepads by Linda & Harriett.

The last time I purchased stationery was to write my best friend from high school when he was deployed in Afghanistan for 13 months. I purchased some fun floral (and embarrassing) stationery by Galison and hand wrote him letters for nearly every week of his deployment. It was truly a labor of love and made me proud of my penmanship. It's funny how quickly I had forgotten English classes (you know, back in 5th grade) when you had to hand write your papers in cursive!

Linda & Harriett's summer notepads are refreshing and fun with bright colors of pelicans, crabs, fish , and anchors. The best part is they fit right into this year's Mediterranean and nautical theme. If you're not going to write letters I recommend at least picking up one or two to encourage a daydream of sailing the high seas- or just taking notes :).

Carving Watermelons

Sunny and 65 degrees with overcast- June brings with it the normal festivities of summer. Barbecues, graduations, dry Sounders FC games, and family get-togethers. And so I partook in the ritual by attending Joey's (my boyfriend's brother) high school graduation last weekend. My boyfriend invited me to both the graduation and a family/graduation barbecue a few days beforehand. The pressure was added when that Saturday evening I discovered I would be meeting many paternal side family members for the first time.

As we're sitting on the couch with his family and discussing the final logistics of the barbecue, I realize pitching in will not only give me something to do, but I can make a good impression. My normal routine for coping with uncomfortable situations is to obsess about something.  I asked his mom what she'd like us to bring. She was very polite to say nothing at all, and then suggested maybe a watermelon or fruit.

Bingo! 2 years ago when Jon moved into his new apartment I was absolutely dying for him to have a housewarming so I could carve a watermelon. And yes, I said watermelon- not a pumpkin. My girlfriend sent me a recipe for carving a watermelon turtle and I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity. Low maintenance, no hassles of bringing a hot dish down from Seattle, and it's adorable and quirky. Convincing Jon we were going to have a "couple" project was easier than I thought and soon we were on our way to purchase new melon ballers and a nifty retractable vegetable peeler from Metropolitan Market.

Meeting the extended family wasn't so bad, and Joey LOVED his graduation turtle (as did his other high school friends!). It was beautiful and I definitely recommend mixing in other fresh fruit. Since summer is here and you have that friend's barbecue, 4th of July cabin party, or engagement dinner- why not bring a watermelon turtle? Afterall everyone loves a creative piece of art that's edible!

From Turf to Heels

Bored in my office prepping a tumultuous 117 slide PowerPoint deck for my boss (and freaking out about my 3 hour working session this afternoon) I was startled as my neighbor slides open my door to give me a "OMG" what happened!" look. Our office space at Redmond Town Center is pretty sweet.  All offices have sliding glass doors and walls (unless you share a wall with another office). The effect is modern, a sense of transparency, and openness.

My little Russian neighbor in broken English asks why I have an ice pack in my hand. After the past week, carrying this cold case has become second nature. Half laughing I shrug it off, "minor football injury from last week. Jammed the thumb, reinjured it last night." Last night my team, West Canaan Coyotes, had a double heard for finals and landed second place.

The Russian looks at me wide-eyed and lets out a stream of giggles. "No seriously, I play in a flag football league."

Then the usual comments and questions, "but you're a very lean person", "girls play football?" And my favorite, "But you wear heels?"

I couldn't help but plaster a shit-eating grin on my face (booyah!). I dribble down the usual explanations (I'm naturally athletic, Saints fan, and I play a decent wide receiver, and a mean corner back).

Yes I know I don't have a lot of body mass, and I did wear 4 inch stilettos today;  but that doesn't mean I don't know how to toss one around with the guys. Impressed he leaves with a nod, and I'll carry a little smile every time I see him.