New Years Eve-Ballard Style

This Gossip Girl is torn on where to spend her New Years Eve. Does anyone have any suggestions? Hatties? BalMar? Hazlewood? Smoke Shop? Moshi Moshi? Kings? WaterWheel? This list goes on and on.

Let us know Ballard where you will be and maybe I will see you at midnight for a kiss.

Santa Baby

Ho Ho Ho!
We just wanted to let you know that we saw the Macy's Santa again today and he waived to us. Santa! It made our day.

If you are going to get your picture with Santa or just really want to sit on his lap (you know who you are!) we at BGG would highly recommend the Macy's Santa! He has a REAL beard and is very Santa-like. And Moms and Dads should know when we have walked by there was no line! All those suckers going to Nordstrom's to wait outside in the cold are going to waste a lot of time.

Seriously do we need another hamburger joint in Ballard?

On my drive back to my office today passing Malena's (I don't get why people love this place so much) Tacos I noticed a new hamburger joint going in next door! Seattle Hamburger the sign read. Really? Another hamburger joint in Ballard? Let's count the number already established:

1. Scooter's

2. Zak's

3. Hamburger Harry's

4. Zesto's (I would never eat here)

5. Ballard Brother's Burgers

6. The Counter

7. Lunchbox Laboratory

8. Dick's (I consider Holman Road...North Ballard)

Plus the countless fast food and full service restaurants that sell burgers beyond their normal offerings (Louie's Cuisine of China has a great burger). Enough Ballard; we don't need another burger joint!

Things I miss in Ballard at the Holidays

Driving home tonight on Market Street I was sad to see another year without the snowflake lights hanging from our lamp posts. I thought maybe this year they would return.

Other things I will miss:

1. Olsen's Scandinavian Foods and all the hustle and bustle of hungry Scandinavians buying their Christmas staples.

2. Scandinavian Gift Shop....I know this was gone last year too but it still hurts.

3. Sunset Bowl...how sad it is too look at the big space left to deteriorate in front of us.

4. Denny's ditto

I am sure I will remember more and more things but I am off to eat my chocolate from my advent calendar.

Have a great week.

Halloween = Dress Up

We added a poll on the left to find out what you'll be wearing!

Email us at gossip@ballardgossipgirl.com if your costume's not on the list.

Jeff wrote in to suggest Leif Bearickson (is that a naked Viking?) and the Discovery Park Cougar. We're not technically old enough to be considered a Cougar, but we like how you're thinking!

Holy Sheet, It's Almost Halloween!

Ballardites - where are you going to party on Halloween? We want to know! Mostly because we haven't been invited to any good parties. Actually we haven't been invited to any at all and haven't heard of any huge events happening in our hood.

Let us know what are you dressing up as this Saturday and tell us where you're going. We're trying to decide if we're just old and lame or if Ballard is wimping out on this spectacular dress up holiday.

Happy Fourth Birthday Hazlewood!

Has it really been four years? Today is Hazlewood's 4th Anniversary.

To celebrate, it's Happy Hour all day today. They'll have DJ's spinning til close so get your arse down there celebrate Sunday Funday the right way.

Cheers to the Wood!

Encanto in Ballard

We were intrigued to see that the lovely Encanto Barcelona is opening up shop in Ballard. We adore their store on First Avenue downtown! This weekend we were able to take a sneak peak in the store to see what they're setting up. It looks great people.

The shop owner said they'll be opening in a few weeks. And he mentioned a discount code but we're not giving it up! Go talk to him to get it. The new store is on Old Ballard Ave where Kavu was located. (Kavu moved next door.)

Ballard Barkeep Stabbed

The Seattle Times is reporting that the manager of a bar on the 2200 block of Market Street was stabbed after he and a patron got into an argument last night. Shocking! The manager was treated and released from Harborview.

What bar is it? Anyone know? I'm thinking it's either Lombardi's or Matador. We'll have to chalk up another stabby bar - you know, like Goofy's and Golden City. If it was Matador, we were there hours before. Freaky. I thought the manager was a woman as well. That sucks.

Sunday is Funday!

Perhaps inspired a Pho shop opening RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Anne's Teriyaki, which also happens to serve Pho, we were so pleasantly surprised to learn that Anne's is now open on Sunday. People, this is God's day and we can't think of a better way to celebrate Him than with a nice plate of affordable food from Anne. We ate there on Sunday and were so Happy It Was Open! Probably because we are firm believers in their Tofu Sate as a miracle cure for hangovers. We highly recommend it. Now go get some.

Market Street = The New University Ave?

=







Have you noticed that Market Street is starting to look a lot like the Ave? The recent addition of another Pho Restaurant, Buffalo Exchange and an upcoming Head Shop made us think so. Vote in our Poll (at left) and let us know which new business will make it more like the Ave!

The Votes Are In

Great job voting folks! Thanks for participating. As you can see in our poll to the left, most people think that a head shop will tip the scales on Market making it more like the Ave. We agree! So go welcome the owners of Market Street's newest "smoke" shop once it's open. It's located next to the liquor store (how convenient) and is called something like Best Smoke Shop.

Golden City Expands!!

Hallelujah!
Our sources tell us the Old 'n' Sh*tty has expanded to accommodate more strong drink awesomeness. They are now occupying the space next door - you know - where Scream was. Imagine expanding in this economy! We're thinking it's the bar business that's keeping them going since we never really see anyone in the actual restaurant place.

The Ballard Gossip Gals now have something to look forward to this fall besides tailgates, rain soaked trudges down Market, and happy hour pub crawls. We'll check it out and post some pictures as soon as we can. If you beat us to it, send us your pics.

A Blogger We Like

We were reading the Seattle P.I.'s police blotter blog and came across this item about our neighbors to the North. We just wanted to share it with you because we read it quite often and find the writers hilarious.

Teens catch break after being caught with booze on Aurora

Four teens who were boozing on the roof of an Aurora Avenue North strip mall caught a break after being caught by police last week.

About 1:20 a.m. Tuesday, police were called to people partying in the 9900 block of Aurora Avenue North. An officer saw a long ladder attached by a chain to the north end of the building, and while investigating another found a half empty 1.75-liter bottle of Pancho Villa Tequila.

"At first the group said they saw the ladder and decided they were just going to explore," officer Marcus Inouye wrote in his report. "When the liquor was brought up (one of the young women) said she had brought it and carried it up the 30-40 foot ladder, such that the other individuals knew that it was there."

The teens – two young men, a woman and a girl – were released after police dumped the alcohol on the ground. The report does not detail why they were released.

It's presumed they warned the teens about the dangers of drinking, though it's not clear if they were reprimanded for their taste in tequila.

Bravo to those sassy mouthed staff writers! Keep the zingers coming. Oh, and we would have lectured them about the hazards of cheap tequila as well. Teens have to learn it somewhere!

Ballard Rejects Nickels

How'd We Vote?

Well, we like Nickels less than the rest of the city. While he managed to get 25.6% of the citywide vote, according to King County's preliminary web results, only 21% of Ballard voters picked Nickels. Actually, our district includes Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, Greenwood and Belltown but close enough. Here's how our district voted by our rough calculations.

McGinn - 28%
Mallahan - 27%
Nickels - 21%

So now that he has conceded, who do you think should be our next mayor? And what should they do for Ballard? Here is our list.

1. Synchronize traffic lights along Market Street from 8th to 24th.
2. Stop or reduce development of multi-family dwellings (condos!).
3. Fix the Missing Link.

What do you think?

Nickels 86'd?

It's not looking good for old Nickels. He's trailing McGinn and Mallahan but it's very close. In fact, so close there will most likely be an automatic recount.

The bag fee is failing which just goes to show you that big chemical companies still have the power to overturn grassroots campaigns! Well, at least we can count on something these days.

Which brings us to another topic. As we're busy picking Seattle's mayor we should consider who we would like as the Mayor of Ballard. Thoughts?! Perhaps we should do a poll.

Please Remember to Vote Today!

Please remember to 86 Nickels today. It's the last day to mail in your primary ballot. We know you have it sitting at home on your coffee table, so get that thing filled out!

We approve of these folks:

King County Executive
Dow Constantine

Port of Seattle
Rob Holland
Max Vekich

Mayor
Mike McGinn!

We're thinking of voting against the bag fee. We think it's a regressive tax that will impact the poor more than the rich. And seriously, what will we scoop poop with? On the other hand, plastic bag pollution is out of control. Hmmm. It's really out of control. Okay, maybe we'll vote for it. Plus, we have really cute shopping bags.

We just can't talk about the election without talking about the Goodspaceguy. Seriously, this guy is running for King County Executive and that's his name. Check your ballot. "Goodspaceguy requests that you think of yourselves as crew members of Spaceship Earth. Goodspaceguy wants you to help solve world problems by example: How high can you help to raise knowledge and the quality of living in King County?" Wow!

Here are some links to other endorsements and information:

Progressive Voter's Guide (don't pay attention to the part where they endorse Nickels. Remember the snow storm fiasco? Just to name one of his f*ck ups)

The Stranger We like their endorsement of McGinn, "He's mayor-shaped."

King County Elections

League of Women Voters

We also wanted to let you know you can drop off your ballot without postage at the ballot drop box in Ballard at the Seattle Neighborhood Service Center - 5604 22nd Ave NW. It's at the library in case you aren't familiar with it.

Strange noises in the night?

We received an interesting email from a reader about strange noises in Ballard last night. Devin was wondering if anyone else living around 15th was sleepless. It sort of sounds like a small remote control plane to us. What do you think? Here's what he says:

I live at 15^th and Ballard and couldn’t sleep last night, and started to fall asleep at around 2:15am. As I was trying to fall asleep I heard to me what sounded like a very loud leaf blower, turning on at full force, and then relaxing. Went on for about 40 minutes and bugged the hell out of me.

A buddy I work with lives in Greenwood actually heard the same noise. He claims it sounded like a plane overheard, and reported the same intervals of coming on strong and then relaxing.

Have you heard anything else from peeps in Ballard about what the hell this was?

We looked at the 911 dispatch list for last night and didn't see anything around 2 a.m. that would make a bunch of noise. Very curious! Maybe they're spraying for moths in the dark of night again. We, unfortunately, have been suffering from insomnia lately and have earplugs and a fan to help us sleep so we didn't hear a thing. That we remember anyway.

I Want My MTV!

Be on MTV this afternoon at the Tractor Tavern! According to their Facebook page, MTV is shooting The Maldives at the Tractor. Here's what they say:

Who wants to be on MTV? Who want to be on MTV with The Maldives? MTV is shooting an episode of “$5 Cover” feat. The Maldives this afternoon at the Tractor. If you or someone you know wants to be an extra come on down. It’s from 3pm to 9pm. Dress as you normally would, BUT no white, no corporate logos, no images of real people etc. and you must be over 21 so leave the kids at home, sorry.

In case you're not familiar with the Maldives, they're a local alt-country band. All you pretty people of Ballard who happen to be not working on a Monday afternoon better get on down there.

Best of Ballard

It is that time of year again when the Ballard News Tribune puts out the Best of Ballard poll. We think it's a shame that they don't have a Best Blog category because we know we would win ...sorry My Ballard. :)

But make sure to fill out the ballot and support your favorite businesses. I know some of ours include: Oaxaca, The Smoke Shop, Ann's, Moshi Moshi, Clover, & Hazlewood.

Some additional categories could include:

Best Bridge:

Best Vacant Condominium Building:

Best Parade:

Nicest Homeless Person:

And what happened to Best Bartender?

Vote strong Ballard! And remember to ask for Best Blog next year!

To vote click the title link.

Representin' Our Hood

Update!

It came as quite a surprise to us when we received an email from our representative, Reuven Carlyle, asking if we would add a link to his site. If you recall, we linked to his legislative site when we were urging the public to protest the new liquor tax.

It turns out that our Silver Fox politico likes our site and gets some traffic from us! "Hey, I get a number of clicks from your awesome site...not sure if you get many from me. Could I get a link from your site since I represent Ballard in the Legislature and try and be relatively cool (that a father of 4 can muster in a minivan!). "

Well, we think you're pretty cool! Especially if you can help repeal that stupid new liquor tax. Oh, and our other pet peeve about our fair city - WHY CAN'T WE GET SYNCHRONIZED LIGHTS ALONG MARKET STREET?! This is the 21st Century people. So, Reuven, anything you can do to help with that would be awesome. Thanks!

Update:
Reuven responded to our plea. Here's what he found out - basically, our lights are old and tired and too many old and tired people are walking around Ballard for them to fix it.

BGG,

Here's the response from Seattle DOT about the signals along Market that you asked me to tackle for you.

Hum....how's this for a non answer answer?! Always takes more, more. Sheesh.

"The signals on NW Market St. between 8th Ave. N.W. and 24th Ave. N.W. were synchronized in 2008. SDOT does re-calibrate the signal synchronization periodically as needed.

There are a few items to take into account with respect to optimizing this corridor. There are high volumes of pedestrians. As a result, we need to balance the needs of the pedestrians and vehicles traversing the corridor, which will result in less than optimum conditions for vehicle progression. In addition, with the close proximity of the fire station just west of 15th Ave. N.W., Market Street experiences a high number of emergency responses throughout the day, resulting in the signal system not operating in a coordinated fashion for periods of time. Parking activities along Market Street also contribute to less than optimal conditions for progression. This corridor also has some of the oldest electronics running the intersections, limiting our ability to provide the very best results. We have applied for grant funding over the past years to upgrade the system in downtown Ballard, but to this point, we have been unsuccessful in doing so."

I have no idea what this means in English.

Your partner in service,

Reuven "Ballard's Foxy Pol" Carlyle :-)
State Representative
36th District--the heart, soul, passion and spirit of Seattle

Motorcyclist Injured on 24th and 56th

We saw a FedEx Kinkos van hit a motorcyclist this morning at about 8:10 a.m. The van was turning left onto 56th and hit the cyclist. The driver of the motorcyclist was moving around but we are pretty sure they were hurt badly. Thank you to all of the motorists who stopped to help. Our thoughts go out to everyone involved.

Wash and Fold Service?

Wash and Fold Dry Cleaner or Laundromat...


Anyone know of a wash and fold service in Ballard or the surrounding area? You know, the kind where you can drop of laundry and they weigh it, wash, dry and fold it for you.

Toad and Salmon's Chowder Bowl

This sounds fun....see you all there I hope!



Toad and Salmon's Chowder Bowl July 18, 10:00amThe chowderbowl in Seattle is a one of a kind event that has a skateboard bowl contest, as well as a chowder cook off. This event will take place Saturday July 18th at the Ballard Commons park. There are cash, and product prizes, with skateboard participants being judged in the bowl and the chowder being judged against other entrants. There is a world class panel of judges for both.The production crew expects close to 250 spectators and close to 75 entrants. This event is free to the public, and everyone is welcome. The event starts at 12 noon and goes until 5 pm. The chowderbowl is going to be off the hook! Come support Seattle's skateboard and chowder scene!

Friday Rush Hour Ship Canal Nightmare - maybe

Alert Alert Alert!

We just found out that the Ballard, Fremont, Montlake and University Bridges will all close intermittently during rush hour tonight! Beware drivers, it could be a mess. A barge carrying a huge part of the I90 bridge will be passing through the ship canal according to Q13. Here's a link to their article.

We absolutely cannot believe they would allow the bridges to go up during rush hour. What would Chris Tucker say? I mean, really.

Let us know if you see the barge pass - maybe they'll get it done early!

Portage Bay Cafe Open Today

Update - Portage Bay Cafe is open Today! Go check them out and let us know what you think. 2821 NW Market St.

We're thrilled to hear that PBC has most of their permits ready. Amy says they are looking to open this Friday. This could be the best brunch weekend in Ballard yet.

Edith Macefield Would Be Pissed

We're just saying...this is a whole lot of attention she might not have wanted for her or her house.

Hold on to what is important to you. It's not necessarily a publicity stunt for a motivational speaker - or scam artist depending on who you believe. According to the Seattle Times, Greg Pinneo has served time for a loan scam in 97.

" A Seattle-area entrepreneur who ran a real-estate loan scam has been sentenced to 13 months in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Gregory Pinneo, 38, was among four people sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge William Dwyer in a so-called "no money down" real-estate-financing scheme."

From the P.I. in '07, "I liked the old Ballard," Macefield said. "The new one -- you can have it."

We all know what she meant to us. What do you think?

Portage Bay Cafe Will Open in July!

Portage Bay Cafe owners John and Amy say the local, organic and sustainable restaurant will open on July 7th. They'll be located at 2821 NW Market Street where Grace's Kitchen was located.

This will be a great addition to Ballard's booming brunch scene and another alternative for lunch. They'll be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We can't wait to try the food with a conscientious philosophy behind it. They get their food from local farms like Full Circle, organic joints like Great Harvest Bakery and feature Fonte Organic coffee. We're bringing our appetite!

Max is Back

Hattie's Hat is being sold by its current owners to Max Genereaux who you may know as the owner of Al's and The Sunset. What you might not know is that Max used to wash dishes and bartend at Hattie's. Yep, just a little old Ballard history for ya.

The Seattle Weekly says that Max will be removing that Gawd Awful fish tank from the back room and re-introducing music nights. Thank the Lord - it's about time someone took that hideous tank out of the back room.

Personal Note to Evan Dando...

Lemonheads, Tractor, Friday Night

Okay, this is a terrible picture, but we just wanted to take this opportunity to say, "WASH YOUR F*CKING HAIR EVAN DANDO!"

We probably wouldn't care about your hair that much if you hadn't delivered such a lackluster piece of crap performance. Mumbling and uninspired are the best things we can say about it. At least you looked like you wanted to get it done with as quickly as we did.

You should know that your status as an Indie Rock Sex Symbol and one of the only truly Hot Guys in an alt-band is hereby revoked. Actually, it probably was revoked long ago but it took us this long to get around to seeing you.

I Want You to Take Me Home

Hey Ballardites - June is Adopt-A-Cat month at the Seattle Humane society. They're waiving all adoption fees on cats over a year old if you bring in a donation of cat food. This weekend they're also adding a seriously great incentive - Popsicles for kids! How could you resist?

This little lady to our left is named Ziggystardust and we think she's really cute. If we didn't already have our fill of pets, we would be making our way down to the Human Society to check out some kitties. We'll be donating to the Humane Society instead. Here's a link if you want to help out!

There are a number of really great reasons to adopt older cats instead of kittens. Everyone loves kittens so they are usually adopted quickly, but there are many great cats looking for a home. Older cats are more mellow than kittens which makes them much more sutiable for children. They're less likely to claw or scratch kids. Adult cats have developed personalities and are less likely to surprise you with unexpected behavior or temperment. And older cats really like to cuddle. What's better than that? Oh, yeah, owning cats lowers your blood pressure and fights depression. You can see the cats and dogs that are available for adoption on the Humane Society's web site - www.seattlehumane.org/adopt. People, it's serious cute overload.

The Seattle Humane Society is located in Bellevue (what? I know!) at 13212 SE Eastgate Way. They're open 7 days a week from noon to 6 p.m. Now, go adopt a cat and send us pictures!

Beware of the Bicycling Meter Maids!

We're very careful about paying for parking in Ballard. We know the drill, we pay at the pay station, stick the sticker in our car and go about our business... We also keep an eye out for those pesky parking cops on their Segways and Scooters.

But alas, we weren't paying attention to the time and we have received a parking ticket - at 10 minutes to 6 for cripes sake. But what shocked us was that this new breed of Ballard parking cop is handing out tickets from the seat of their bicycle!

Yeah, we know we were in the wrong, we should have paid parking during our 2 minute errand. And we'll suck it up and pay. But we thought we'd warn you parking risk takers to be on the look out for these two wheeled harbingers of annoyance.

Chase Online Can Suck It

As a long time Washington Mutual customer, we've been muddling through the conversion to Chase. But we've finally had enough. No, not when they changed the signage on the Ballard branch, but when they switched us over to Chase Online. We just wanted to say we think their online interface sucks. You can't drill into more details on transactions and it's poorly designed. We just wanted to gripe about it. Oh, yeah, and it's going to be a scorcher in Ballard today.

Any suggestions for a new bank?

The WaterWheel's new menu

The Waterwheel Lounge is hosting their first annual DrunkFest, on Sunday May 24th. Sounds like it will be a good time. Stu has mentioned he will annouce his new BBQ menu that day. The Waterwheel is changing their menu, and going all BBQ. (Don't worry, the fried chicken isnt going anywhere!)

I have tried his homemade BBQ sauce, and it's quite delicious. So, come see for yourself on May 24th. Would love to know what you all think!

Stupid Liquor Board Ruining Our Life Again

The price of booze is going up drinky friends. Beware! Expect to see price increases at your local liquor store and at bars and restaurants. The Washington State Liquor board approved a tax increase of more than 10% to go into effect August.

According to the sin tax loving board's whiskey example, here's what you'll be paying:

Premium whiskey priced today at $41.95 would be approximately $45.65 under the new formula. A value whiskey priced today at $10.95 would be approximately $11.85 as of August 1, 2009.

And who knows how much bars will start marking up drinks. What should a recession stressed liquor lover do?

• Start hoarding liquor now!
  
• Email the liquor board and suggest they open all liquor stores on Sundays to make up for lost revenue instead of increasing sin taxes. Write to them at comments@liq.wa.gov
• Tell your state reps you're pissed! Ballard is in the 36th district. Here's who to contact with links to their contact information:

Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Rep. Reuven Carlyle
Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson

Rise Up People! Rise Up!

Waterwheel Street Side Sign Alight!

It's Alive! Wheel Be Able To Find You Now!

The sign at the Waterwheel is lit up after years and years and years of being dark. Isn't it amazing? We think we'll be craving a martini and cheeseburger dinner more regularly.

Thanks go out to the new owners decided it was time to light the beacon of hope on 15th. We think this will help us find that tricky parking lot as we fly by.

It's Industry Night

Monday Night is Industry Night in Ballard

We thought we'd be kind to our local bartenders and waiters by letting them know where they can go out in Ballard for Industry Night deals. While some of these deals are exclusive for servers, I think some places may give these deals to everyone.

Waterwheel: $2 Beers and $4 Jagers. And have you looked at their new site?
BalMar: Happy Hour food til 10 p.m.
Loft: Manic Monday Industry Night (must show industry proof)
MoshiMoshi: They have an industry special - ask about it if you're industry

Okay where else do they have industry night? Help us Obi One, you're our only hope.

Syttende Gay Returns! Hej!

IT'S BACK!

May 17th (or Syttende May in Norwegian) is Ballard's biggest day of the year. It's Norwegian Constitution Day and it's one of the largest Norwegian parades outside of Norway. The Syttende Mai Parade will again feature the fabulous Syttende Gay event at BalMar - their event name is quite clever. All of the local Scandigavians will be there to watch.

Where will you watch? The BGG has our patio reserved and we've started planning for the day. The parade starts at 4:00 p.m. near Adam's Elementary on 24th and 62nd. The route follows 24th down to Market Street where they head east toward Bergen Place.

It's actually not too late to apply to march in the parade. You can get the application here.

As we've said before, we really love the Seattle Police Motorcycle Drill Team. Here's a video of them we found on YouTube. Enjoy!

Dirty Little Party and Famous People

In case you have been salivating since you heard Lindsay and Sam split, you can get your chance to see the high profile man-waif spin here in Seattle. "DJ" Samantha Ronson will be spinning at DList Magazine's anniversary party in Fremont. (Although we're way more fond of her brother's work - especially the lovely remix of the Klaxons' Valerie featuring Ms. Winehouse.)

They're promoting a pretty interesting group of people including tan-o-riffic Blayne Walsh from Project Runway.

You can get some tickets at BrownPaperTickets.com for the May 14th show. Now's your chance for you to famewhore around in your own neighborhood!

New BECU Branch in Ballard Square

We confirmed with BECU that they will be moving from their current location to the Ballard Square building at 2232 NW Market St. BECU's Media contact Todd Pietzsch says they have outgrown their space in Safeway.

BECU be in the building where SuperCuts and The Tux Shop were located. According to BECU, "We are projecting opening in July."

Thanks go out to BGG reader Anna Jacobs for the question!

Quick Gossip

• We hear there's a time capsule buried in the cement in front of Hazlewood. They put it there when they were replacing the sewer lines a while back. Do you know what's in it?
• The Waterwheel made the top 10 in Mike Seely's new book Seattle's Best Dive Bars. Go Wheel!
  
• Beloved former Lockspot bartender Kevin has been seen making a few guest appearances at the Spot.
  
• Is it just us or have there been an amazing number of lights-flashing-sirens-blaring ambulances and fire trucks screaming down Market lately? WTF!
  
• Kiss Cafe has a new(ish) addition to their bar after a holiday remodel. You haven't been yet? Get in there! Great grilled sandwiches, amazing rotating bottled beer selection and really great staff. Ladies - The 99 Bottles of Beer Club is being sorely under-represented by women. Drink 99 bottles, get your own etched beer glass (they are super nice) and become part of the Ballard Drinking Team. Why is that cool? Well, we happen to know a lady who is a member and they throw wild parties. Just sayin'
  
• What Market Street bar is already preparing for the 17th of May Parade? Where will you watch?
• Have you tried the Blue Plate Special at Hi-Life? We did and it's a recession era gem! Get while they still offer it.
  

BGG to Mariners - We Can't Take It Anymore!

Note to the Seattle Mariners:

Seriously, Mariners, get your game together! We're fans and all but we don't have the emotional strength to take another crappy year. I know you're playing right now and you might win with Washburn on the mound, but starting out the season with two stinking losses and a weak pitching lineup doesn't bode well for us.

Yeah, we know there are a lot of games in the season. But come on! We need you to be winners. Please? Pretty Please?

Update: Okay! You won. Thank you. Really, thank you. Keep it up. Nice Job Mr. Washburn. We mean it. We'll see you at Safeco and we want you to be awesome.

Mayoral Election Buzz - Nickelsville in The News

We noticed the upcoming Seattle Mayoral election is starting to get more press.

First of all, we'd like to remind you who we won't be supporting this fall! Please refer to our previous rant about our current mayor. After the colossal F*ck Up Job the Mayor and his staff did during the Great Snow Storm of '09 we added another item to our list of Things We Think A Golden Retriever Can Do Better Than Our Mayor.

Nickels did a really nice job today of getting mentioned on the mother flippin' FRONT PAGE of the New York Times in an article about the spread of Tent Cities across the nation! Looks like stigma of Nickelsville, much like our homeless problem, just won't go away on it's own, will it?

We're very excited to see some folks in Seattle actually step up and run for mayor. We laughed when Dan Savage said he'd run and the city took him seriously.

Now it looks like sexy former Super Sonic James Donaldson has thrown in his hat along with beard-o-licious Michael McGinn. Hurray! We're really excited to see who else will be on the ballot.

Deadliest CatchCon

A little tidbit I picked up from the Seattle PI big blog.

Deadliest CatchCon is coming to Seattle. Here is your chance to be on TV! :)


Register now, because I imagine seats will go fast.

Unsure About Your Bracket? Ask a Gossip Girl!

March Madness is upon us and we could not be more excited. (Homage to our BB hero at left.)

We would like to remind everyone of our tried-and-true recipe for success in picking winning brackets. The girls have a pretty good record .

Being benevolent and adoring sports fans, we will once again share with you some tips for your picks.

How A Gossip Girl Picks Her Bracket

We have much better things to do than to pour over stats and watch Sports Center. We have come up with a surefire way to pick wins. We're sharing our secret because sometimes it's painful to keep this much genius inside.

Our method involves looking at the players, coaches and cheerleaders. It involves a little TV time and some internet searches. Why waste time with those pesky seeds and field goal percentages? Evaluate each team on the following arbitrary points and make your bracket picks accordingly.

Cheerleaders wear turtlenecks? LOSE

Bare midriff cheerleaders? WIN!

Players with Hot Tattoos? WIN!

Players have black shoes and black socks? WIN!

High socks? WIN!

Low socks? LOSE!

Player with Really Long Jesus-like hair, playing on Easter weekend? WIN!

High percentage of Ugly Knee Braces? LOSE!

One guy with weird Plastic Face Mask Thing - WIN!

Pre-game speech about destiny and God? LOSE!

Pre-game speech about Mom and team attitude? WIN!

Prominent player with Headband? WIN!

Chair throwing Coach? WIN!

Crying coach? LOSE!

And remember, don't choose with your emotions. It's the emotional choices that will burn you in the end although we admit we're developing a serious soft spot for Huskies.

Happy Happy Hour

This BGG stopped by Moshi Moshi for happy hour this evening and I must say, Yummy Yummy. The happy hour menu, unlike some restaurants, actually features several of their mouth-watering selections at prices that will not make your bank account cry. Not only is the food delectable, the owners, chefs and staff are attentive and uber-friendly. Seriously people, get in there! Oh, and they serve food until 12:55am on Friday and Saturday nights for all you Rebel Rousers.

Update: The Seattle Times reviewed the cocktails at Moshi Moshi and profiled tat-tastic bartender Erik Carlson. We don't want to say we told you so, but we will anyway. We heartily agree that the drinks are not to be missed! Check their review here.

It's No Longer Greek To Me - Plaka Explained

Plaka Estiatorio!

We received a nice note from Tony of Plaka Estiatorio explaining what their name means. According to Tony, "'Plaka' is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens, Greece. 'Estiatorio' is the Greek word for restaurant." So there you go, our own Greek Neighborhood Restaurant coming to Ballard.

Tony said they're aiming to open early next month. We'll let you know as soon as we find out.

Their web site is updated and contains a fun construction slide show. We just realized from looking at the photos that they are in the old Watch Repair shop. What a transformation they have made so far. We've included a peek at the inside and our favorite construction picture. It's hard work taking down lights!

They're located at 5407 20th Avenue NW near Epilogue books and the Thai Restaurant.

We can't wait to see what's on their menu!

Review of Shiku sushi

My dad and I really wanted Sushi last night, and was looking forward to trying Moshi Moshi, but to my dismay it was closed. So we walked next door and tried Shiku sushi. I was happy I could get my sushi fix on a Sunday, which is difficult to do. As we entered the door I was glad it was a little chilly, a cold sushi restaurant is a good sushi restaurant. We were greeted at the door by a nice young man, we settled up to the Sushi bar, and were ready to eat.

Johnny-son and Cook were the sushi chefs. Johnny was quite entertaining actually, and their Blues Brothers hats added to the atmosphere.

The sushi I had was some of the best I have had in a long time. The Salmon, Albacore, and Yellow Tail was so fresh is melted in my mouth. There were nice touches as well, a bit of citrus on the tuna, avocado on the Salmon, and lime on the yellow tail. Those slight enhancements really brought out the taste of the fish. I was pleasantly surprised. As we were wrapping up dinner, the owner Robbie, came out and chatted. He is a nice guy, and a lot younger that I expected. But good for him bringing Sushi to Ballard.

I am looking forward to trying Moshi Moshi, which according to Robbie, has a more traditional flare.

Check out Shiku, it is worth it.

I am obsessed with BACON SALT!

About 2 years ago I was at the Viking, and the good bartender Rob had me try some popcorn. On the popcorn was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted.....BACON SALT.

Since then I have had a mild obsession with the stuff. This Christmas, in the blizzard, I walked all over Ballard trying to find the stuff. (Finally located it at Bartells, although Ballard Market carries it but by the seafood case near the butcher). All my people got the 3 flavors I could find (original, peppered and hickory)

Everyone was psyched at the idea of bacon salt but have yet to come up with recipes that would require such an ingredient....so here is my list of things that are better with BACON SALT!!

-Popcorn
-Egg Salad
-Mac and Cheese
-Vegetables (sprinkle over brocolli, it's delicious)
-Tuna Salad
-Fried Eggs
-Fried Pork Chops

Anyone else have some good uses for bacon salt?!?! And I cant wait to try the Baconnaise!!!

New Greek in Ballard

Plaka Estiatorio

We spied this sign up for a new restaurant coming to Ballard. This is the place between The Thai Cafe and Epilogue Books.

It looks like it will be called Plaka Estiatorio but we don't know what that means....and is going to be Greek. Their website says they'll be bringing authentic Greek to Ballard. We at BGG were pretty interested in it since it's about time someone did something different around here.

Let us know if you find out when they open or if you get a sneak peek.

Moshi Moshi Open Open

It was on like Donkey Kong at Moshi Moshi tonight for their soft opening.

We'd like to say we took great pictures of the sushi, but it made its way into our mouths so quickly we forgot to get out the camera. Please examine our afterthought photos of the nice light fixtures by our table instead.

Drinks - Outstanding
Although they don't have any signature drinks featuring our primary liquid vodka, the gin and rum cocktails will blow your socks off. And maybe your skirts, too.

Food - Unbelievably Good
Among our highlights were delicious age dashi tofu, a chirashi bowl with amazing fish and shiitake mushrooms, melt in your mouth tuna, and a seared salmon belly we will dream about.

Get in there Ballard. It's good. Oh, and while we dream about salmon bellies, we'd like to lay on the bar and stare for hours at the LED cherry blossom tree forgetting time and leaving our dignity at the door. One day....one day...



p.s. They say they are hoping to open for lunch in a couple of months.

Private Home in Old Azteca

We at BGG received an email regarding the construction occurring on Seaview Avenue where Azteca used to be. Well it is in fact a private residence and our friends at My Ballard had some info: http://www.myballard.com/2008/04/29/whats-that-building-next-to-rays/

Now we know it says it is going to be a business but we all know the truth.

We love answering your questions; so send them in.

Moshi Moshi Countdown

Update: Moshi Moshi Sushi opens Tomorrow! We'll get some sneak peek pictures and reviews for you tonight.

Looks like the new joint will be ready for a mid-week trial for friends and family but open to the public by this weekend. We'll let you know when we get a definite public grand opening date.

Note: One of our intrepid readers posed this question which we think deserves an answer.

Hi girl,

Do you have an address for this bait shop? What is a $2 PBR?

Thanks.

• The address of Moshi Moshi is 5324 Ballard Ave NW. It's across the street from the Other Coast Cafe if that helps.

• A $2 PBR is a specially priced beverage of the beer variety. A popular sip among the hip, working class, collegiate or destitute, Pabst Blue Ribbon is an American malted beverage originally hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The brand has seen a swell in popularity in the last 7 or so years due to what some describe as their Anti-Marketing Marketing i.e. they don't really do any marketing at all.

Moshi Moshi Maybe Maybe Opens Opens Monday Monday

Ballard Gossip Girl Exclusive!

The hard working crew at Moshi Moshi is getting ready to open to the public on February 2nd once their finishing touches are complete. They let us in to preview the space and to dish about the exciting new restaurant and bar. It sounds like it will be traditional, A-List and is poised to set the new standard in excellence in food, service and drinks.

Sakura!
First things first. As you can see in the picture at left, the decorating highlight of the space is an enormous steel LED Sakura. It's the only one in the U.S. that owner Kevin Erickson knows about and it's here in Ballard. Covered with 8,000 LED lights, these cherry trees are popular outside of restaurants in Japan. Definitely the focal point of the joint, it's going to be awesome when it's lit up. We eat with our eyes and without tasting one piece of fish, we're sold.

Sushi!
We spoke with sushi chef Kotaro Kumita about the Moshi Moshi menu. He's focusing on wild and even live fish which will be flown in daily direct from the Tokoyo Kitchen Market. Some of you may recognize Kotaro Kumita from Shun and Shiro's in Belltown where he trained with the master. Kumita's menu will focus on traditional Japanese sushi. That means all you cream cheese lovin' SoCal nouveau sushi jackasses will have to learn what fantastic sushi is all about. Foodies will recognize executive chef Dan Miller from Cascadia and Wasabi. Talent abounds.

Drinks!
We were also so very excited to learn that while Moshi Moshi will have the finest sushi around in a nod to Ballard's working class, they'll offer $2 PBR all day long. Hot shot bartender Eric Carlson (from San Francisco's Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel and Umami) will be pouring drinks. What a treat! We can't wait to take advantage of TWO happy hours at the sushi bar.

Parking!
Are you f'ing kidding us? Seriously, there is a lack of parking in Ballard, but Moshi Moshi's building (the oft jived Blandmark) has over 100 parking spaces! Best of all, it's $1 per hour. Holy Calamari, it's like the restaurant trifecta of perfection has finally arrived. Sushi, Drinks and Parking.


Start counting the days, kids. Awesome drinks and sushi are right around the corner.

RapidRide transit service

I got a flier in the mail yesterday about the new RapidRide transit system. I got very excited about the prospects of getting to work via mass transit in 15 minutes or less. You see, I work in Belltown and to take the 15 to my job takes roughly a half an hour. I can drive it in 10. So, the bus isn't really a convenient option for me. But, with the prospect of this new system, I would be totally on board with using it. I just hope the city doesn't screw this up. Hmm, what are the chances they will get it right?!?

For more information check out:

http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2009/01/23/news/local_news/news01.txt

(Oh and BTW I found a nice new obession, the SPD police scanner....take a listen:
http://www.komonews.com/news/content/scanner/31214074.html?video=pop&t=a )

Over and out.

Neko Wants to Be Your BFF

Or At Least Help Some BFFs!

Listen to what super-cool former Ballard resident and songstress extraordinaire, Neko Case, has to say about her effort to help Best Friends Animal Society.

She's donating $5 for each person who posts a copy of her totally rad new song "People Got a Lotta Nerve." Take a listen to it. We did and we have to say it's true what she says. She IS a maneater! And we love her. We loved her when she washed dishes at Hattie's Hat and sang in the back room before it had that horrid fish tank back there. Here's to the olden days!

When Spell Check Attacks

Unforeseen and humorous result of the new ban on Styrofoam

Spotted at Ann's Teriyaki today, some signage explaining that they need to charge for the new take out containers. Although an attempt to correct the spelling was made in pen, the original wording is unknowingly hilarious. Although it depends on your idea of humor.

Ann - we really like your food and we're sorry for the incontinence, too.

We Love Moustaches! And Beards!

Gentlemen (and some ladies I guess),

We're sorry we didn't post this sooner, but we wanted to make sure you all know about this totally cool event. Especially if you have hair on your face. Or want to grow some more hair on your face.

The Beard and Stache Fest is kicking off soon so they're looking for some hairy folks to compete in a charity beard event. While the rules don't specifically say it's only for men (I suppose women with beards can join or women who are beards... Katie Holmes?), facial hair growing people who want to compete get their image on a collection can to raise money for Treehouse. Photos of the contestants will be taken Sunday, January 18th in the U-District.

What a great idea!

This hairy festival is sponsoring a number of events in February including a kick off event at Blue C Sushi on Feb. 1. Hmmm....Beards and Tuna. Our favorite! Check out their site for contestant registration forms, calendar of events and all that important stuff.

What zipcode should AmazonFresh deliver to next?

Happy New Year to everyone. It's been awhile, but this BGG has finally crawled out from the elements.
Just thought I would post about the Amazon fresh promotion. I would like nothing more than to sit back and wait for groceries to be delivered to my zipcode! 98107!


Oh how I miss the Kozmo.com days...Kozmo was my boyfriend you know?!?

Ha.