94 Stewart

this new Bistro at Pike Place Market needs your support

This spot opened on April 1st in the old Garlic Tree location. It is somewhat hidden and has had a bit of trouble bringing in a crowd. We had brunch there this morning by ourselves. The service was good, the food is good. The food wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was good. What I was really impressed by was that the chef seems really to be taking some chances. This isn’t standard fare, if you are looking for a good piece of fish, cooked well, you can do that in a lot of places. If you are looking for some truly unique flavor combinations, this place is the most original that i’ve found in Seattle yet. You can check out their menus on their website.

Plus, they allow dogs! Inside! For that alone they need to be supported.

Brasa

consistently good

Here is my first completely positive review. For a little while, I’ve avoided posting it, not wanting to give away the secret. Of course, it isn’t a secret, it has been around for a long time and is consistently highly rated everywhere. And now, I’m tossing in my $.02.

Brasa is excellent. It was excellent the first time we ate there, years ago. It was excellent when we ate there a few nights ago.

Brasa services Portuguese and mediterranean food, the atmosphere is somewhat dark, but comfortable. It is expensive, but the bar menu has most of the same great food in smaller portions for a lot less money. We usually will eat in the bar, unless we have a special occasion to celebrate. The service is great and friendly. The only complaint is that the bar allows smoking (the dining area does not, but there isn’t a wall between them). This means that we’ve occasionally had to switch tables because we were sitting next to chain smokers. The staff has always accommodated us cheerfully when this happens.

[11.25.06 update – smoking is no longer allowed indoors in public places, so that isn’t an issue anymore]

I recommend Brasa unequivocally.

Welcome to the police state, citizen

The Bush administration is now classifying documents at the rate of 125 per minute, an unprecedented rate. At the same time, the administration is demanding more and more information about its citizens through instruments like the Patriot Act. If information is power, George Bush wants to make sure that he has the power. The purpose of this is two-fold. If the administration controls access to the facts, it is hard to prove government allegations a lie (just ask the 9-11 commission); secondarily, it allows the administration to dig up dirt on its enemies.

some references:
The Bush Administration – a civil liberties scorecard (the ACLU)
U.S. government secrecy reaches historic high – By Scott Shane (The New York Times)
Rove talked to reporter but denies leak – By Richard B. Schmitt (Los Angeles Times)

doomsday

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is retiring

Seattle PI story

This sucks. Driving the country into war and into billions of dollars of debt wasn’t enough for this president. Now he’s going to try and ram the scariest, crazy-as-all-get-out right-wing nutcase he can onto the supreme court.

Democrats, it is time to “D” up. We need a plan NOW. We need to shut the government down if he proposes someone like Alberto Gonzales or some other far right idealogue for the bench. Even scarier is the possibility that Bush will get to put a new chief justice on the court. If that happens, anyone who likes some civil rights should just give up because you won’t be getting them in the US for the next few decades.