Posts Tagged ‘Taste3’

I (L) Teriyaki

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

I-Heart-Teriyaki-exterior2 OGF: 3/5

A small family run Teriyaki place – aren’t they all – just around the corner from Wibley’s. Nothing about this place screams out awesome or shocks you. It’s an average Teriyaki place serving the meals you would expect at reasonable prices. For those of you not familiar with Teriyaki joints you can expect Chicken/Beef/Whatever Teriyaki, Katsu (breaded and deep fried meat), Tempura (battered and deep fried), yakisoba (a stir fried noodle dish) with rice and a side of vegetables or salad.

Taste:  3/5 – Nothing special just you’re average Teriyaki joint.

Price: 4/5 – It’s a fair price around $7 a meal.

Quantity: Just Right – There won’t be food left over for doggy bags but you won’t leave hungry.

Wait Time: 5 minutes – Straight in, the place isn’t as busy as Sapporo’s so you should get a seat pretty easy.

Rotation: 0.25 – There is quite a few Teriyaki places around and ones that feel just a bit better

% MSFT employees: 50%

Parking: Easy – You won’t have trouble finding spaces nearby.

Prime Card: No.

Don’t Miss: Help yourself to soup free with every meal.

I <3 Teriyaki
2255 140th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98005

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=47.634902~-122.140975&style=r&lvl=15&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=37552880&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&sp=Point.ry4gfc4tm90b_I%20(L)%20Teriyaki____&encType=1

Black Bear Diner

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

Black-Bear-Diner-exterior

OGF: 3/5
Upon entering Black Bear Diner, you may feel as though you’ve been transported out of the software developer cultural epicenter that is Redmond and straight into small town American West.  A chain started in Mt Shasta, California, the Redmond location certainly exudes the National Park family restaurant vibe.  Surprisingly given its proximity, it doesn’t seem to be frequented by many Microsoft employees, but rather a selection of the plaid button down shirt types.

Taste: 3/5 – Typical American restaurant food with burgers, sandwiches, salads and breakfast served all day.  Many of the entrees have a California twist, often by incorporating avocado in some way.  Most of us opted for the breakfast options and were not disappointed.

Price: 4/5 – Undiscounted prices are what you’d expect, however recently they’ve started offering a generous 20% prime card discount.

Quantity: Doggie bag

Wait Time: 20 minutes

Rotation: 1

% MSFT employees: 25% or less

Parking: Easy

Prime Card: 20% off

Don’t Miss: The “hobo” omelet with it’s huge accompanying biscuit

Black Bear Diner

14804 NE 24th St, Redmond, WA
http://maps.live.com/?v=2&ss=ypid.YN925x151462429&encType=1

Thai Chef

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

Thai-Chef-Exterior

OGF: 4/5
Good Thai food at a fair price.

It’s easy to overlook the Thai Chef restaurant as it’s nestled in the Safeway / Office Depot strip mall at 140th Ave and Bel-Red Rd.  But it’s still a pretty popular spot with the soft, inside is a sea of badges and glasses.

Taste: 3/5 – My cashew chicken was a bit too sweet, but cooked perfectly and very pleasing to the eye.  Rated a 3 because it’s pretty generic Thai food, which isn’t a bad thing!  Were it not for luminary Thai spots like Chantanee I could easily rate this place higher.

Price: 5/5 – Great lunch menu prices ($7 for an entree or $8.50 with salad/pad thai).

Quantity: Just right.  But if you have a hearty appetite you should probably get the combination.

Wait Time: 5.  This is a pretty big place and they serve the food up fast.  I could only imagine getting the food faster by calling ahead or installing some sort of ESP device.

Rotation: 1.  Could easily be your regular Thai lunch.

% MSFT employees: 75%

Parking: Easy

Prime Card: No

Don’t Miss: Super heavy chairs!

Thai Chef

1645 140th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005-2320
http://maps.live.com/?v=2&where1=1645%20140th%20Ave%20NE%2C%20Bellevue%2C%20WA%2098005-2320&encType=1

Kidd Valley

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Kidd-Valley-exterior

OGF: 3/5
A local fast burger chain with decent food and good appetizers, but the burgers can’t compare to Wibbley’s.  Don’t get us wrong, Kidd Valley’s still a class above national chains like Burger King, McDonald’s or Wendy’s.  Service was friendly and fast, although not chain-fast, which is a good thing.  However, when compared with all the excellent burger joints that can be found in the Seattle area, it can’t really stand with the Red Mills, Blue Moons and Wibbleys (although unless you head into Seattle, you’re not going to be able to hit up the Mill or the Moon for lunch).

Taste: 3/5 – A good selection of quality appetizers (we tried them all – the onion rings and sweet potato fries were our favorites).  The burgers however were a bit uninspired, and even a bit cold when they arrived.

Price: 3/5 – In the $5-$10 range depending on how much you order.  More expensive than McDonald’s, but cheaper than most sit-down places.  About what you’d expect.

Quantity: Just right – menu items range in size from snack-sized mini-combos to double burgers, it should be easy to find a meal to fit your appetite.

Wait Time: 10 minutes – once we ordered, the food arrived quickly, just took a while to make our way to the front of the line with only one cash register open shortly after noon.

Rotation: 0.5

% MSFT employees: 75% or more

Parking: Difficult – a very small lot, but when we arrived, there was still one spot

Prime Card: No

Don’t Miss: The sweet potato fries and the indestructible, milk-shake-proof straws.

Kidd Valley

15259 Bel Red Rd, Bellevue, WA
http://maps.live.com/?v=2&ss=ypid.YN925x42158560&encType=1

Pizza & Sandwich House

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Pizza&Sandwich Exterior

OGF: 2.5/5
A small family run shop selling pizza and sandwiches along side Chinese food.  Family pictures line the walls.  About half full, immediate service.

Taste: 2/5 – we ordered a pizza, a sandwich and a Chinese noodle dish.  All decidedly average, didn’t find a “crave-it” dish.

Price: 5/5 – Easy to find a $4-8 entree including a full “grinder” sandwich for $4 as a lunch special.

Quantity: Just right

Wait Time: Less than 10 minutes

Rotation: 0.25 – While it would be easy to go several times a week by rotating between sandwhich, pizza and chinese, there’s nothing here to draw you back.

% MSFT employees: 25% or less

Parking: Easy

Prime Card: No

Don’t miss: The warm cookies provided with the bill

Pizza & Sandwich House
2245 140th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA
http://maps.live.com/?v=2&ss=ypid.YN925x15733845&encType=1