Saturday, January 19, 2008

Tidbits ( On Toast)

Was it the power of the Renton Hipster?
Yes, Mimosa on Airport Way, Freakazoid Freddy's choice as "the worst restaurant in Renton" has changed hands and changed names. It is now Tri An Quan, with hours from 7AM-1AM.
I'm assuming it's Vietnamese ( like duh. With a name like that, it should be a Jewish delicatessen?)
Their parking lot is frequently full. Which doesn't mean anyone's eating there. Maybe the new owner owns a lot of cars. I will check it out and report back.

Golden Indian Curry, with branches both on Southcenter Parkway and on the East Hill of Kent, has one of the better Indian lunch buffets, and at 7.99, one of the better deals. The only Indian lunch buffet in Renton can be had at Pabla, across the way from the downtown Fred Meyer.
Naan and Curry no longer does a lunch buffet, but I still like 'em for dinner.

Opening soon at The Landing, Renton's new shopping and residential complex will be a Red Robin.
So far, the Landing doesn't really impress me, with Lowes, Target, Staples, and Panda Express.
I'd rather see stores that were unique, not big chain stores that could be found in Dubuque, Iowa, or Hightstown, New Jersey...But Red Robin does have a cheeseburger salad, a nice big mixed greens salad topped with melted cheese and sauteed onions and mushrooms.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Renton's One of a kind veterinarian

About 9 days ago our cat suffered a stroke. We found her lying next to her food bowl, seemingly unable to move, seemingly close to death. We hoped we could get Dr. Lemmon to squeeze her in, and sure enough, he did.
Dr. Michael Lemmon, at the Highlands Veterinary Clinic ( 1409 Union Ave NE, Renton 425-226-8418) is a practitioner of holistic veterinary medicine. A lot of vets now claim to incorporate holistic medicines into their practices, but Lemmon has been doing it for 20+ years at his very unpretentious digs in the Renton Highlands. He's really an odd duck. He doesn't have great people skills, but he has great animal skills, and is far less expensive and more effective than most vets. About 6 years ago, this same cat had some kind of kidney issue, and we took her to Lemmon. What he prescribed seemed pretty witch doctory at the time, but it worked. Colostrum, oxygenated water, and a homemade food, to be fed by dropper, consisting of liver, raw egg, and brewers yeast. It worked like a charm, and the cat was back to her old obnoxious self in no time.
A stroke is a far more serious matter. But arnica homeopathics and a special kitty massage and a prescription for an algae bioconcentrate...the kitty is now walking again ( with a lot of sway, and some falls) but she's walking, she's climbing up stairs, her vitality is back, and her appetite is fully back. She's improving every day, and Dr. Lemmon believes she has a good chance at a full recovery. The good doc is holding off on acupuncture for now, believing that at this point, she's progressing quickly enough in her recovery that she doesn't need it.
If you're willing to suspend belief in traditional veterinary medicine, Lemmon is quite effective in making animals better. He doesn't have much charm, doesn't seem to know how to relate to people very well, but if I want charm I can find a used car salesman.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Edokko

I go through phases of cuisines I like. Most recently I've rediscovered Indian, and then, just the other day, Japanese.
In the Great Wall Shopping Mall, on the Renton/Kent border 18230 E Valley Hwy, is the Edokko Restaurant( 425-656-0556), and boy is it good! Some foods just make me feel good, and a bowl of miso soup and a plate of Saba Shioyaki( broiled) does the trick. Saba is mackerel, and Edokko has it and salmon shioyaki and sushi and sashimi and sukiyaki and teriyaki, and it's inexpensive and just plain good! This is a good one, folks.