Mahalie

Everyone we talked to at Acme was really nice. There are two guys that do straight razor shaves. I purchased a nice shave kit from them and gave it and a certificate for a straight razor shave to my man. He loved it (both the kit and the shave). Highly reccomend.

P.s. If you like chocolate go next door for a snack, or if you’re coffee freak I highly recommend Neptune Coffee down the street. And if it’s your thing, Neptune is one of few places that offer hemp milk. (I like it a lot!)

Mmmm….yummy. Hemp milk lattes. A little weird at first but they really grew on me. The barista I had the last few times was super nice too!

Ask Angela which lines are organic, made with fair-trade labor, made in the US and/or are by independent designers. Every once in a while you can have it all!

My favorites are the expensive but extremely well designed all organic modern clothes by Imps&Elfs (Danish) and the onesies and small baby things by a new brand Lotus something made out of milk-processed cotton or bamboo fiber – so soft AND affordable.

It’s in the hood (Fremont hood, that is), you’ll always run into a friend there. I’d rather not recommend it to the masses…besides, beyond superb coffee the decor and miscellany aren’t stand-out. But, imho, best coffee in Seattle. Hands down!

The PDX Ace did not disappoint and if, like me, you only have a shower at home, the claw-foot tubs with swiss shower-head and excellent toiletries are just cherry on the sunday of this ultra-hipster destination.

Of course, it’s great architecturally and is conveniently adjoining a Stumptown coffee house, much-like (somewhat related, in fact) Seattle’s beloved Lighthouse ...only more stylish. The lobby is great, there’s an excellent mezzanine for low profile gatherings and every detail there is well thought out. This isn’t a service-oriented hotel, if you like royal treatment, but the visual service is top notch!

NY Times review w/ slideshow has interesting back story and better pictures than the Ace Hotel website as of this writing.

p.s. If you’re not feeling quite cool enough for the lobby crowd there, it’s a short walk to Red Light for some retro-hipster wardrobe therapy.

If you’re going to Thaiku in the evening, eat in the back bar Fu Kun Wu. The restaurant’s services is hit or miss but the ambiance is great at the bar and they almost always have excellent bartenders and a unique cocktail list. On most Wednesdays the owner plays jazz – it’s excellent!

I didn’t even know I liked Greek food until I ate here! Amazing, family-run traditional Greek food. A bit expensive, a love to go here for special occasions.

For those of you who remember ‘Noodles’ in Fremont, this is the same owner. Skip the front restaurant…head back to Ku Fung Wu, the bar…

They have great cocktails and there’s a better ambiance back there. Service at this place is a crapshoot front or back, but the food is pretty good, the sampler appetizer is great fun.

On Wednesdays a great jazz pianist named John often plays with varying accompaniment. Excellent spot for ad hoc Wed. night out!

The food: Always great…it’s about the pizza, fresh ingredients, subtlety and restraint. Think salami, prosciutto, hearty little pepperoni disks, sea salt, arugula, etc.

The service: I’ve had mostly good, one bad and a couple of flat experiences. It’s Capitol Hill, you’re bound to get cool hipster ‘service’. My boyfriend and I try to sit at the bar, if it’s just the two of us, as the bartenders have all been really cool and there’s a big olive tray up there.

The environ: This place stays hoppin’ so go early or expect to wait a little. I think it’s pretty romantic…dimly lit and intimate. The music is of Dean Martin variety, however one time we were seated right under the speaker blaring the Italian equivalent of bad pop music (booth adjoining the server-station), never again!!

Of the dozen or more times I’ve eaten here, everyone we’ve taken has loved it and I’ve only ever had the one bad service night (The hipster boy who is too cool to wait tables should really get another job).

A couple of tips: The menu is entirely in Italian (I love that they haven’t given in to translating it yet!), not all the salads have greens so ask! The espresso/gelato dessert is amazing!!