Old friends, old haunts

Mother-and-daughter sculpture in downtown Kirkland, WA

Been a very busy week. Not so much working, but visiting people. Some of whom I planned to visit; others just popped up out of the blue. As for dining, went to old favorites and found new ones as well.

Old haunts:

• Cafe Ori in Bellevue, of course - That's practically home.
• Malay Satay Hut in Bellevue/Redmond - Mango pearl drink that (do I dare say?) rivals Cafe Ori's.
• Tropea in downtown Redmond - Tira...mmmmm!...misu.
• Typhoon in Bella Bodega in Redmond - Curry salmon with sticky rice. Not as impressive as I remembered it, but still good.
• Coho Cafe in Bella Bodega in Redmond - Grilled salmon is as great as I remembered.

New favorites:

• Lynn's Bistro in Central Way in Kirkland - Great salmon!
• Royal India near Juanita Beach in Kirkland - Mango curry chicken to die for! And don't forget the garlic naan.
• PF Chang in downtown Bellevue - Roast duck with hoisin sauce, yum! With the steamed buns, too. (Except the buns stick to your teeth.)
• Tiger Mountain Grill in Issaquah - Surprisingly good salmon burger.
• Firenze at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue - Had their salmon special but I wasn't too impressed.
• Meze in Kirkland - Well, to be honest, the food is just okay, but the very friendly wait staff made the dinner memorable.

There are two restaurants that I don't remember the names.

• A Polynesian restaurant a couple of blocks from Seattle Art Museum on First Avenue - I can't remember what my entree was, but I couldn't stop eating the pineapple fried rice. Nice view of the water too.
• A grill in downtown Kirkland - Melt-in-your-mouth Kahlua flan.

These two were my "regulars" for workday lunches. They're chains but they're fast and delicious.

• The deli inside Larry's Market at NE 8th St and 120th Ave NE in Bellevue - Four words: "Rubbed With Love Salmon". And I consumed it with love.
• Taco del Mar in the same strip mall - Super burrito on spinach tortilla with guacamole, whipped cream, rice, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, mild salsa. And a brownie for dessert. :-)

Wow. Just one more reason why I miss Seattle.

(BrianM: Are you paying attention? You said to write about all the good food in Seattle....)

International Trade Conference

Yesterday and today, I attended the US-Philippine International Trade Conference at the Madison Renaissance Hotel in Seattle. It was organized by the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest. Last Tuesday, I sent an email to Mr. Bert Golla, the president, to ask for a student discount and, surprisingly, he gave it to me.

It was a very productive day and a half. In fact, I already got my money's worth even before lunch on the first day. I met a woman who represents a Philippine-based company that already does what I want to do, so I could use them as a subcontractor.

It really was a networking event. Philippine business people looking for US partners and vice versa. I met a few key people, including the Philippine trade commissioner for the western US states and employees of the city of Seattle. In fact, one of the city employees and his twin brother were the ones who pointed out this building to me as they walked with me to my parking.


The new Seattle Public Library on Madison and 5th.

It's a public library! I must say, it's not the type of architecture you'd expect a public library to have. I guess I imagine public libraries to have those old classic architecture, made of brick with columns and lots of detail. Hmm, very interesting though.

Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle

At the Butterfly Garden. This one is alive.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I went with Alex and his boys to the Woodland Park Zoo. Heather was training for the 3-Day Walk and couldn't join us.

We saw the reptile exhibit, petted the goats, fed the birds, oooh'd at the bats, mingled with the butterflies. And the boys rode the ponies.

It was a personal visit and a business visit. I was asking Alex to be on my board of advisors, so we talked about my business idea, and he gave me some advice both from a technical standpoint and a business standpoint. When we got back, Heather had returned home and I got more advice from her. Heather has an MBA from UW, and she had given me advice in the past about b-school. All in all, it was a heartwarming afternoon. And productive to boot.