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World Pies is here and off to a great, and tasty I might add, start. My husband and I were one of the lucky few that were able to get a sneak peak at the delicious food World Pies is serving up. This week they have been having a "Soft Open" by inviting friends and family in to test out the menu as well as work on the restaurant’s operations. I thought the evening was lovely. While you could tell that people were still getting the hang of a new restaurant, I couldn’t find any flaws in the service. Our server was a bit on the shy side, but she was knowledgeable, attentive, accurate and made sure that all here tables were well taken care of.

What I really loved about the evening though was in addition to the food which was great, was that without even trying to plan it, we ran into six of our friends.  To me one of the whole points of a neighborhood restaurant is be able to do exactly that. The atmosphere was nice and relaxing and after a busy day - it was really nice to sit down to a nice meal and an impromptu gathering with friends. 

Their menu is pretty solid with a nice selection of pizzas and salads. I had a wonderful pizza that had all sorts of delicious meats and cheeses. My husband had one that had some amazing pesto sauce and we both really enjoyed the flat bread and hummus. All at our table agreed - the crust is perfect! Apparently it is reminiscent of New Haven style pizza, which I must admit, I have never had the pleasure of trying, but I draw upon visions of "Mystic Pizza" for a point of reference. The Caesar salad tasted great; not overly dressed and not too fishy. The wine was nice although I would like to see them expand their selection by a few.

All in all - it was a wonderful ending to a busy day and I look forward to going back once they officially open.

Thank you World Pies and Welcome!

UPDATE - Here is the phone number for ordering takeout: 425-392-6099

  Well in case you haven’t noticed, the much anticipated arrival of Nine Bar Espresso has finally come to fruition. Nine Bar opened their doors today.  I stopped by for a tasty treat and was very pleased with the indulgence. Their coffee was FANTASTIC! I also personally love that they offer their sweetener in liquid form. Not only does it more evenly distribute sweetness to your favorite coffee beverage, but it cuts down on paper waste by not having individually wrapped packets of sugar. Way to look out for the environment.

The atmosphere is great too. Nice warm colors throughout the space and great tables and booths make it a cozy place to sit and enjoy a cup of joe with some friends. During the warmer months there is going to be a fantastic patio area that I am looking forward to frequenting.

World Pies, the other half to this taste sensation, will be ready to go soon. Hopefully by about the 15th of this month according to the owner Matt Snook. Matt was very gracious and gave me a personal tour of the shop. You can tell he is very proud and excited about this project.

Matt - congratulations and welcome. You and your crew are off to a great start.

They’ll be open this week from 9am to 6pm. Watch for extended hours and Grand Opening info coming soon!

Tuesday night was another Retail Task Force Update.  As usual Judd Kirk and crew did not have much new to report. They still couldn’t give us the names of the possible retailers that are coming to The High Streets. They did however, have beautiful sketches of what the area is going to look like. The plan is to break ground this Spring and is scheduled to have a Fall 2009 Grand Opening with a completely full tenant list.

They also had the person in charge of finding tenants present and while she wasn’t super transparent about Issaquah Highlands, she did point to the types of tenants she has secured for similar projects in the past. The list is quite interesting and varied. It includes the likes of pedestrian retailers such as Old Navy and Starbucks to boutique retailers such as Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company and Blue C Sushi.

Some notable things from the meeting were:

• Drugstore has signed LOI.
• Oregon Company has signed lease on lot for hotel.
• Grocer is still nailing down site plans but has been confirmed. We should see a Press Release in 2-3 weeks.
• Electronics Shop has signed LOI.
• Book Store with a Coffee Shop has signed LOI.
• King County has approved the use of the Park and Ride for future Cinema parking but has not determined what the cost will be to Port Blakely for this privilege.
• 50% of the retail space is accounted for through signed LOI’s. 30% (15% of total) of that should have signed leases in the next 6 months.
• Space is being preserved for a gas station but won’t happen unless the people demand it. Port Blakely and Opus are thinking indoor/underground station like in downtown Seattle.
• Two retailers have signed leases and are now public information…but you are going to have to wait for that one to come in the next post.

 

I am still very excited about it because I think it is going to be a wonderful gathering place for those of us who live in Issaquah Highlands as well as a draw to those from outside our community.

Recently I ran across an interesting editorial piece - 72 hours in the Issaquah Highlands - about Issaquah Highlands. It talks about real estate, retail, entertainment, dining, overall community as well as the lifestyle. At first I thought it was somewhat amusing, but I am continually drawn back to it and each time I read it makes me fume (just a little).

Maybe it was all in good fun. Maybe there is a bit of truth to it. Maybe I have a grey hair or two. But does that give someone the right to point it out and rub it in? I can take a joke just as well as the next person, but I take a lot of pride in the community that I live in as well as the people that help define it. As a resident, I feel it is my privilege and obligation to share all the wonderful things about this great little place I call home.

Just to indulge the author, some of the more amusing quotes from the article include:

Unless accustomed to the intensely exciting pace of Highlands life, you should take a mild tranquilizer (Xanax or Valium) three times a day during your visit.

and

Amateurs often have difficulty identifying which of the 47 shades of grey have been used on the exterior of each home.

and

With hundreds of TV channels available via cable or satellite, Highlanders can choose among an almost infinite variety of nighttime entertainment.

So what’s the point you ask? Well as a resident of Issaquah Highlands, I know for a fact that several of the characterizations in the article are far from true; especially the ones about the sights and people. I’ll give the author credit for the retail comments and maybe even the ones about dining.

I propose a challenge/contest to the residents of Issaquah Highlands. For those that are up to it, I would like to see a “Visitors Guide To Issaquah Highlands” written by a resident. The guide should be written in similar fashion, travel guide style, and should cover the following categories.

• Events
• Dining/Nightlife
• Shopping
• Art and Music
• Activities
• Lifestyle

The guide should be informative and witty. The winner of the contest will be published on this site with full credit and receive 2 FREE MOVIE TICKETS to either Regal or Loews or a $15 Gift Certificate to Cafe Ladro. The deadline for submissions will be January 15th. Please email me all submissions or if you have any questions.

Are you tired of the run of the mill Mexican fare? If so, check out this hidden hole in the wall on Gilman Blvd in Issaquah. Located discretely tucked away behind Denny’s, La Taqueria Venadita is a wonderful little place where the service is friendly and the food is fantastic. I tried their tostada de camerones and thought they were wonderful. Their refried beans are the best I have tasted this side of Baja. Another tasty dish is the camarones el diablo which consists of grilled shrimp sauteed in a spicy tomato and chile sauce with mushrooms and onions. My husband is a fan of their soft chicken tacos and gets at least two every time. And our daughter, well she loves what ever she can pry out of our hands. Tacos are around $1.25 each and the tostadas are about $2.50 to $3.00. Both very reasonable for the quality and portions.

There is also a market and bakery associated with Taqueria La Venadita a few doors down that I have yet to check out, but the last time we were at the restaurant I noticed a delivery truck unloading and the baked goods looked mouth-watering. I will let you know what I think once I have a chance to stop in and check out the market for myself.

As for the taqueria, you can’t beat the cheap prices and the quality authentic Mexican food.

Reviews

Map

If you are looking for a nice place to take your family for dinner in downtown Issaquah and are craving some tasty Chinese food, try Shanghai Garden on Front Street.

Shanghai Garden has become a family favorite not only for my daughter, husband and myself, but for our extended family as well. I wouldn’t say we are regulars there but we do frequent the restaurant quite often. In fact we just went there Saturday night.

A few standard dishes that are a must have on our list are the Hand Shaven Noodles. We like to get them with beef, but you can choose other options as well such as chicken, pork, shrimp or tofu. We are also particularly fond of the Steamed Dumplings, even if they do take about 20 minutes. You can’t beat how fresh they are! My personal favorite is the Crispy Shrimp In Sweet Chili Sauce. Other tasty dishes include:

• Vegetable Fried Rice
• Bean Curd Sheet Roll
• Sauteed Sugar Pea Vine
• Sizzling Triple Delight
• Mu Shu Pork

Service is friendly and fast. My only recommendation is to not go there on Mondays (they are closed) or just before or after the Village Theater performances as they tend to be very busy causing the service to be slower.

So next time you are looking for a reasonably priced (entrees range from $8 - $20) and tasty meal check out Shanghai Garden.

Reviews

Map

Another retail shop coming to Issaquah Highlands was recently announced. Matt Snook, creator and owner, will be taking on the challenge of trying to merge two very different concepts into one venue. World Pies and Nine Bar Espresso will be a concept restaurant located in the South Tower of the Startpoint building at 25th and Park Drive. That makes me pretty darn excited. Don?t get me wrong, I enjoy Cafe Ladro, Marcella?s and Sip, but sometimes I would like to be able to grab a cup of coffee and not break a sweat to get back home.

World Pies is a globally inspired pizzeria that WILL NOT be anything like a traditional pizzeria. I am excited about the concept of World Pies and am looking forward to tasting their creations. If it turns out to be as tasty as it sounds, it will be a huge success.

On the other side of the venue, Nine Bar is going to be a place where residents can come and enjoy coffee or a diverse selection of pastries and deserts. As for Nine Bar Espresso, I am excited about that too, but am disappointed in how limited the menu sounds. I would really love to have a place around here that does something different that just a pastry selection. I just returned from a trip to Aspen where there is an amazing coffee shop called Cafe Zele. They have incredible smoothies, wonderful breakfast and lunch offerings and terrific coffee. If I had the coffee place of my dreams here in our neighborhood - that would be it.

With that said, hats off to Matt Snook. I look forward to your doors opening.

Sip At The Wine Bar made NWsource’s �New Urban Eats� list for the Spring season. �New Urban Eats� was created to give diners a way to affordably experience the newer restaurants entering the local dining scene.

During the month of May, twenty of Seattle’s hottest new, local restaurants are offering a special $30 prix fixe dinner menu. The offer is valid Sunday through Thursday (excluding Mothers Day, May 13) and comes with your choice of appetizer, entr�e and dessert.

As opposed to Seattle’s well known 25 for $25 event that goes on during the Spring and Fall as well, �New Urban Eats� will happen twice per year; once in May and again in September; and will only feature restraunts that have opened in the last three years.

I for one can’t wait to take advantage of this great deal.

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