Urbane –  http://www.urbaneseattle.com/    Urbane promotes their fare as from farm to table, bringing regional farmers goods and quality to the table.  Modern yet comfortable.  Water (in a pitcher) was placed on the table which was nice.  As Urbane is located in the Hyatt Olive 8 hotel (corner of 8th Ave and Olive Way), it is the perfect opportunity to view the hustle and bustle of the city.  We enjoyed the Caramelized Onion Flatbread (blue cheese and walnuts) and the Charcuterie & Cheeses  (lamb pate) selection.  This was a starter for us as we were headed to see Grease at the Paramount.   Since I am not doing a separate review of Grease, I will include it here.  Grease was only here for a three-day gig (January 7-9, 2011) and it is one that featured additional songs from Grease, the hit movie. We were treated to a special appearance, Eddie Mekka, from the popular 70’s show Laverne & Shirley, came out prior to the show to encourage the audience to participate in a sing along and hand jive.  Eddie also played Vince Fontaine/Teen Angel.  Grease itself was enjoyable and entertaining.  It followed the movie but some scenes took place in different venues (as to cut stage cost I imagine).  Matt Nolan, who played Danny was very good.  I would have preferred one of the other gals to have played Sandy though.  “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop, A-wop-bam-boom!”

Spice Route – http://www.spiceroutecuisine.com/#  Located at 2241 – 148th in Bellevue (Overlake).  Spice Route is Indian cuisine (north, south and Fusion) and is recommended – for the Grand Lunch Buffet and courteous staff.  This is a favorite stop for the Microsoftees that work nearby.  Enjoy!

Blazing Bagels  –  this stop was on 1st Ave S at Safeco Field (SODO).  This location gets great reviews and based on their menu, I think you will find something that will please.  I won’t mention what I ordered (although it was really good) but I will say that the gentleman behind the counter was awesome…I liked that he called the men that came in “Boss”, and I believe he called me “sweetie”, although I can’t remember for sure.  Check out the www.blazingbagels.com for a menu or find it here:  Download Menu Page 1 (PDF)
Download Menu Page 2 (PDF)

Chantanee – http://www.chantanee.com/  As the choice of the birthday girl, this was a nice evening out among friends.  The hostess was most pleasant!  On this night, Martin Luther King day, it was a little slower as it was a Monday night and the usual business crowd was away.  We ordered brown rice and shared four dishes… Heavenly Beef, Phad Gang Paa, Crispy Garlic Chicken, and Green Bean Pric Pao.  All were delicious, especially the Crispy Garlic Chicken and Green Bean Pric Pao (ordered with Prawns).  I liked the entire meal.  What they didn’t tell me though was, by ordering the Prawns with the Green Bean Pric Pao, an additional $6 was charged for this selection.  Due to it being a birthday celebration, they were nice enough to bring out a scoop of ice cream for the birthday girl as well.  Chantanee is considered upscale Thai and is located at 106 108th Ave NE  in the Key Center building in Bellevue, WA.  Those friends who are considered experts in Thai, choose Chantanee.

Check out updates on prior posts of A Terrible Beauty, The Ram, Pearl and Rock Bottom Brewery.

Note:  not all outings or visits to fast food or chain restaurants are reviewed on www.within4hoursreach.com