RA Scion Lends his Words to a Whim...

RA Scion (of Seattle based hiphop group Common Market and Victor Shade fame) is branching out in Seattle Art- and lending his words to a uncommon artistic medium - Dance.

First meeting PNB Principal dancer and Whim W'him creator and director Olivier Weavers through his daughter's dance school - RA Scion had a respect for the medium and for the newly blossoming company, Whim W'him, that Weavers had created. As one of this months Dance Magazines "25 to watch", the newly born company is gaining recognition amazingly fast. It wasn't until one afternoon over coffee, that a possible collaboration between the Music/Hiphop scene and the Modern/Ballet stylings of Weavers dance company, Whim W'him was discussed and deemed possible.

Weavers company has just been named the Intiman Theaters in-house dance company when Scion and Weavers began discussing a collaboration. Weavers said he is thrilled to be opening their 2nd season entitled "Shadows, Raincoats and Monsters" at the historic Intiman. The show opens this weekend and runs just 3 days, January 14, 15 and 16th. This collaboration, both Olivier and RA Scion hope - will create cross interest in the dance and music communities. Seattle has a very distinct music fan as well as a very seasoned dance supporter - and it is rare you will find one person a supporter of both.

RA Scion has written spoken word poetry as intros to the three part Monsters piece - choreographed by Weavers. The piece exposes the Monsters that lurk in us all - each of them different - these are just 3 examples of Monsters that can take over our lives. The first Monster, Society, explores the monster of Homophobia and how two lovers have to hide who they are, and put on a different persona in public, in order to please society. RA Scion wrote stirring pieces to this and the other two Monsters, Addiction and Abusive Relationships - that bring the dance medium up to the understanding of the new audience, who may not be seasoned in watching dance and understanding the story behind the movements.

The Whim W'him dancers consist of the best and brightest in ballet, modern and contemporary and from various Seattle dance institutions, including PNB, Spectrum and Cornish College. The beautiful lines and intensity of PNB dancers Chalnessa Eames, Andrew Bartee and Lucien Postlewaite, to the raw and unchained energy and intense technique of Donald Byrds Spectrum dancers Ty Cheng, Vincent Lopez and Kylie Lewallen - the talent in this company is thick and evident with the first muscle movement. In addition to these names and more - there are amazing guest dancers and choreographers from Amsterdam, Houston and Santa Cruz ballets that lend their amazing facilities and talents to Oliviers vision.

The 1st season sold out with a week of opening night - so get your tickets to see next weekends show before they sell out. RA Scion will be there opening night to celebrate in the collaboration as well. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students and can be found at http://www.brownpapertickets.com. Come out and support this exciting new dance company, Whim W'him as well as hear RA Scion's contribution to the production.

Is this the last time we will see RA Scion collaborate with Whim W'him? No likely, RA Scion said he looks forward to integrating Oliviers Choreography in future music and video projects in this new year.

A sneak peek of the Monster of Society (Homophobia):

Delightfull Drosselmeyer, Flawless Flora, Priceless Peacock and the Captivating Clara - PNB's Nutcracker sets the bar at the horizon....

"Delightful Drosselmeier, Flawless Flora, Priceless Peacock and the Captivating Clara - PNB's Nutcracker sets the bar at the horizon..."

Pacific Northwest Ballet's

Nutcracker

Choreography: Kent Stowell
Sets & Costumes: Maurice Sendak
November 26th - December 27th
Tickets: http://www.pnb.org/


The Northwest has several things during the holiday season that people flock to see. Our wonderfully lit Space Needle and Seattle Center, the our snow capped mountains that can be seen clearly on a gorgeous day, and amazing downtown Christmas Tree and Ice Skating rink - and - one of the most unique and magical productions of the Nutcracker in the United States. Previous director, Kent Stowell in collaboration with "Where the Wild Things Are" illustrator Maurice Sendak created a production that has become, throughout the years, a tradition in the majority of the households in the Northwest. Kids receive tickets under the tree as gifts, families get dressed in their best and make it a holiday family event together.


As a proud Northwesterner, I can say I have been going to see PNB's nutcracker since I was a young child - so off and on for 30 years. However I must admit I didn't truly appreciate the magnitude and magic of it all until my daughter started attending the school and became part of the production last year. Now, spending the majority of my life in the halls of the PNB School - we have the honor of watching the company dancers practicing for upcoming shows etc - and in time, we get to know them by name, and have created favorites.

Our family tradition, though rather new - is to see our daughters opening night - still full from Thanksgiving dinner - with my visiting in-laws from Florida. We make it their Christmas presents for the year (as GOOD seats are pricey but very worth it). The company cast isn't announced until the week before opening weekend, so its really luck of the draw as to who you have performing the night you see it. Overall - Peter Boal has a lovely and extremely talented group of company performers, so whoever you see, you are sure to get a good show.

Now -- that being said -- I am CONVINCED - we saw one of the best casts I have ever seen - perform together this past Saturday night.

From the prologue - and Uncle Drosselmeier, all the way to Flora and almost every character in between - it was sincerely a magical work of art and proof that the story can touch every age and every heart.

I have seen countless Drosselmeier's in my time - even the artistic director Peter Boal has played him - and no one has played the character quite like PNB Principle dancer and Whim W'him company creator Olivier Weavers. Often seen as the "pot stirrer" of the show, this character, I feel is very important and a huge part of if the audience understands the story or not. Weavers eccentric and excellently animated the roll of the creepy and mysterious Uncle to Clara.


He hilariously bounced around with the same agility and excitement as the children in the scene with him - often times catching them off guard, making for a naturally wonderful response from the children. I found myself finally understanding the dynamic between Drosselmeier and Clara and how his conniving makes what is the essence of the story. I credit this all to Weavers brilliant performance.

Clara - the part every girl dreams of being as a child...was danced breathtakingly by PNB Principle dancer Carla Korbes. Her technique flowed like water and she played the part with every inch of her being. Her Prince - PNB Principle dancer Batkhurel Bold was the epitome of testosterone and strength and was an amazing support for the countless lifts of Korbes - high enough to make little girls in the audience gasp. Unfortunately, like most Prince/Princess pairings, the sparkly princess gets more of the attention - and Carla easily steals the show when they share the stage. Her effortless develope up to her ear, flawless ponche's and ridiculously high and perfect grand jete's - had my grandmother, a ballet mega-fan and aficionado yelling "Brava!!" after each combination.



The children consist of over half of the cast, ranging from party girls and boys, battle attendants, mice, and servants. Arguably the best dance part for ages 17 and under is the part of Chinese girls. The part is for 4 girls, on pointe, and each holding a ribbon helping contain the Chinese Tiger - that looks wonderfully like one of the monsters one of Sendak's books.



The girls, dressed in vibrantly colored costumes have quite a fun but difficult looking dance, considering their ages. This time is was fun to watch because we knew the dancers and because the dancing was so light, fun and well done - the girls made it seem effortless and were beaming on stage. It was tons of fun to watch.






One of the most popular pieces and characters of the show is the Peacock. This part was hard for me to warm up to at first - as I was a fan of the classic tale - which instead of a Peacock was "Arabian Coffee". I was not won over until I saw this role danced last year - by PNB Soloist, Lindsi Dec. We were lucky enough to see her dance it again this night. She embodied the persona of the Peacock and had the perfect attitude, along with the amazing extension of her legs and arms to really transform herself into the character. I looked high and low for a photo of Linsdi in this roll but came up empty handed, but here is a photo of another PNB Dancer in the roll so you can see the costume.

Lastly but certainly not least is Flora - the lead dancer roll in the Flowers section. Flowers is known in my family, after the Snow scene - as one of the easiest parts to be lulled to sleep during. Every dancer I have ever spoken to who has had to dance that lead says its the hardest women's part in the entire show, because of its length and difficulty. We were blessed enough to watch PNB Principle dancer, Carrie Imler as Flora this night and she was beaming and flawless. Her strength is a force to be reckoned with in that company and her technique never waivers. Our entire family talked over dinner after the show, and we all came away with the same thing after her performance - she seemed RADIANT and so happy! Its always amazing watching someone talented do something perfectly and love every minute.



I hate to leave out the other parts - as every piece of the show is memorable in its own way. Act I is full of lovely small solo's as part of Drosselmeiers enchanting magic - the Doll, the Sword Dancer Doll and of course the Masque dancers.



















And of course no Nutcracker would be complete without the Snow flakes - who close Act I, so magical, the dancers float as if on air.



Every family's holiday traditions are different, however this production is the type of event I can see all types of families and religious backgrounds making part of their holiday tradition. No matter how long the show has been around, I always meet someone who has never seen it but always wanted to. Peter Boal has pieced together such a strong, diverse and amazing company, that virtually ANY show you see will have wonderful and amazing dancers in it. They say that you are only as strong as your weakest link - and there are over 150 parts in this show. Living, breathing and dancing parts from age 6 all the way up to Grandfather age! Thankfully, Peter Boal has just as high standards for his school aged dancers as his company dancers, because class, maturity and professionalism radiates from everyone in the cast.



No matter who you treat to the Nutcracker this season - daughter, son, sister, brother, parents, grandparents etc -- it is sure to be more than just a treat, it will be an experience they will never forget.

Rating: ***** - Excellent all around!

Men In Dance - La beauté des hommes (The Beauty of Men)

MEN IN DANCE


8th annual Festival


October 8-10 + 15-17, 2010

I entitled this La beaute des hommes (The Beauty of Men) because it is what this entire performance embodied. Everything you have always loved about Men. Think of every man in your life. Your father, son, brother, uncle, grandfather, best friend, lover....these pieces show us every side of Men we love.

Instead of picking the pieces that I felt were the strongest - I decided to touch on them all - because art is subjective to each of us - and this event was so touching as a whole, I refuse to take away from any choreographer by judging what may be better or worse in my opinion. We must each see it through our own souls and let the art guide us.


Piece #1 - Small Spaces - Choreographer Alia Swersky w/the dancers.
As we walked into the theater - bought our tickets and walked into the main lobby- we were immediately halted by improvisational dancers who were using the lobby space as their stage. They had combinations of tumbling, flowing pieces and soft improvisational mumbling that made you just stand and stare. They used each other as parts of a puzzle, intertwining and weaving like a piece of fabric. We made our way to our seats as they danced - thinking their show was over. As we sat and read our program - my daughter exclaimed "Mom - they are dancing down the isles!". Just as she said that - all 5 dancers collected to the front of stage on the left right where we were sitting. The first dancer drew a line with his finger and said "This is my space." and then soon the rest of the dancers vocalized where their "spaces" were (one saying his looked like Nevada ahah!). Directly in front of me - there was a Space - where it seems there used to be a seat, that was removed. One dancer picked this as his Space. He stood inches from me - expanding his movements within his space, as did all of the dancers. At one point he looked at me and said "I would like to take this moment to let you know you have a great bag". It was hysterical. Towards the end of this humorous piece - the new dancer friend I had made - was in the fetal position on the ground next to my feet. He proceeded to stealthily grab my bag, he had so admired earlier - and slowly hid it between him and another dancer as they made their way out the door, on the floor - with my bag! It had us in stitches and then someone said "Reverse" they all reversed their movements and my purse was returned as comically as it was taken! These men had a great way of creating their own world and letting us be a part of it. A wonderful way to start the show.

Piece #2 "15 to 20" - Choreographer: Cheryl Johnson
The curtain opened. A youthful drummer with a snare drum sat stage left "He's cute!" my daughter exclaimed. I quickly told her to Shhh and that I'm SURE that was not going to be the last time she said that statement during this show. 3 young men entered the stage - and it was clear quickly they were tappers. They were energetic but quietly sweet compared to most tappers I have seen. They were minus the hoots, hollers and grunts that you sometimes experience. They had several solos and then combined synchronized pieces that were a pleasure to watch. The youngest - (I assumed) with glasses was quite adorable - almost seeming like the "Annie" of the bunch. His awe of what he was doing and the audience watching with baited breathe - made me chuckle. To watch a youth with so much innocence and happiness dance, it was awesome.

Piece #3 - Cypher - Choreographer: Barry Kerollis
3 dances - all from Pacific Northwest Ballet. The choreography had them all following in a circle/cypher. All men - bare chested (yes it sparked another breathy comment from my hormonal teen) in black shorts. This piece exemplified Strength for me. All men showed amazing strength in their jumps, their ability to keep the time within the cypher and their ability to assist each other. I always am amazed when men partner in dance, because it has to be so much more difficult. These three artists made the entire piece look like cake. Barry obviously chose these men for specific abilities that complimented this work - because they all meshed together beautifully.


Piece #4 - Hillside - Choreographer: David Lorence Schleiffers. My synopsis - male dancers and how they are constantly running to and from everything in their lives. My first thought was "interesting", however then I began to see between the lines. I saw relationships begin and fail during the daily "running". I saw the humor of those people we let pass us by as we are running to and from things. I saw the ability of the performers, to create one fluid piece that had so many connected moving parts. It was what a dark comedy would be if translated to dance. I need to watch that one a few more times to really GET it. I was left intrigued and wanting to talk in depth to the choreographer and pick his brain as to how close my ideas were...


Piece #5 - Breath of Light - Choreographer: Wade Madsen. Two words. "Mature Love". The lights rose to two men. This was the first real costume I loved. These two men, looked like bronzed male Gods. My daughter quickly proved the fact by saying "The one in the short sparkly gold shorts...GOOD LORD, his lines are unreal...". Aside from her teen aged gasps, I agreed totally. These two men perfectly displayed the maturity of a seasoned love. The intimacy, the pantomime of each others movements without the need for touch - but the touch was in the mind, you saw it as the energy between them. The tests, trials and disappointments you have to overcome in every long running relationship - was painfully evident. It was truly like watching two men underwater at times for me. Their fluidity and the amazing lines they created was magical. Wade Madsen showed his maturity as an artist and as a man who has loved and lost. It was one of two pieces that left me with little to no words.


Piece #6 - Me Over You - Choreographer: Eva Stone. Using the famous Female Diva piece "Pas De Quatre" - Eva brilliantly translates this classic estrogen filled, diva-esque into what would have been the perfect comic male version. All men - clad in white, one even strutting around in a white tutu. I was impressed at the amount of commitment with both their dancing and their commitment these men had. One dancer, who had shorts on - was especially humerus. There was nothing "safe" about any of his solos - he took every line and movement to the teetering edge. I appreciated the absolute abandonment these guys had - diving into the Diva roles of original dancers, Gahn, Grisi, Cerrito and Taglioni. This piece - was surprisingly long but lovely and had quite a bit of technical difficulty, peppered into the comical portions - that created wonderful bursts of laughter and chuckles from the audience.

Piece #7 - Ascent - Choreographer and performer: Jason Ohlberg. One word. BEAST. Jason is a beautiful beast of dance. His ability to show strength but vulnerability in one movement was amazing. This piece said so many things to me, but what stood out was the brute strength that comes out of overcoming pain. He was so involved in the journey of the peice - it was almost as if whatever inspired the creation of the dance, he relived everytime he performed it. He filled the stage with such brute strength, at points it even overflowed. The tests and tribulations in this piece were so evident but so severe it almost left me afraid to ask why...




Piece #8 - Monster - Choreographer: Olivier Wevers. It seems I have been on a role with this One word exclaimation thing so here it goes. This piece left me officially SPEECHLESS. Thats right, it took me a good bit to find words for this piece. Unlike me, my daughter had plenty of words throughout the performance like "Lucien is my new favorite dancer" and her ending statement:"That is the best piece I have ever seen in my life". From the mouth of babes. The piece was an excerpt of a 3 part series that will premier in January with Olivier's new company Whim W'Him. The piece explores the different "monsters" we encounter at times in our lives. Just before the dancers began - a voice came over the speakers and stated that the following dance was dedicated to the families of the youth that took their own lives as a result of bullying against homosexuals. This touched me deeply because my brother took his own life in a similar situation - so at that point - "they had me at hello". The two dancers had grey shirts (much to my daughters dismay lol), blood red shorts and matching socks. The simple but dramatic costumes really made the piece complete. Both men used the subject matter and choreography like veterans, when neither seem to be pushing even 25. I read a dancers review (youdancefunny.wordpress.com) where he reviews the same show and said he would like to ask Lucien "how it feels to have super strong, obedient legs". I laughed when I read that because its true. When I watched this piece - Lucien especially made me think, for a split second, that I could dance. For a fleeting moment he shares the exhilaration with you. But the moment I dreamily saw myself doing a perfect Develope (Carla Korbes-esque) - I was jarred back to reality the first time the dancers used their hands to hide their faces. That was the part that kept making the entire piece so real to me. How tragic is it to have to hide what you are, what or who you love - because you live in a world that refuses to let you be who you are? This piece was a constant struggle between these two men, trying to find themselves, helping each other but then hurting each other - each at one point had a moment of aloneness that was excruciating. I must emotionally prepare myself for the other two Monsters that Olivier has up his sleeve...





Piece #9 - Carveresque - Choreographer: Donald Byrd. I know I have only mentioned a few dancers - which doesn't seem totally fair - however I must announce that the PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal was the solo dancer in this piece. First of all - we went randomly to this show - not with an agenda to see any one person - and we certainly weren't aware this piece was part of the show. The 40 something retired NYC Ballet dancer stood stoic on the stage in loose fitting jeans, a T-shirt and athletic shoes. My daughter - stunned to silence. This is the director of the Ballet school she attends. This is the man she hopes to one day DANCE for in his company. She talks about him like "the all powerful OZ" at times - it makes me laugh. So this was a defining moment. To see this person she held with such regard - dance. I didn't know who to watch - Peters dancing or Madison's reactions! The art of Donald was a lovely mix of modern lyrical steps mixed with Peters strengths - classic ballet combinations - and they complimented each other greatly. Peter Boals porte bras are flawless even in his retirement. The placement of his head, chin, neck, breastbone, and arms - are just textbook. It was like a classic Balanchine dancer in jeans! All at once my daughter was able to put together what her teachers are drilling into her about the upper body presentation and how important it is. Overall - it was inspiring to see him dance and impressive to see he still had it.

Piece #10 - Frattura - Choreographer: Deborah Wolf. 5 dancers in dark red velvet pants poured through an open space in the curtain. The piece had a reoccurring pushing and pulling action that gave it great depth. The first thought that came to mind with this piece is that of a third eye. I felt as though it was a very spiritual journey. At once point it almost seemed like each many was a different stage of one man - and with each movement, constantly evolving. The music was was simple and striking. A beautiful ensemble of men overall.

My recommendation - see and support this program. It shows again this weekend - however not all the same pieces are showcased. About half of them are and half are new!

Rating: ***** - a gorgeous display of Men in Dance.

http://www.menindance.org/

The Fourth Kind - Fact or Fiction, it gets the job done

The Fourth Kind
Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi
2009

What job did this movie get done? Let us review.

1) It made me think
2) It scared the living shit out of me
3) It made me not want to visit Nome, Alaska...ever
4) It made me question what was real and what wasnt.

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1768424729/


This movie starts out oddly. Milla Jovovich (who plays Dr. Abbey Tyler) addresses you, the audience, as herself and not her character. She basically gives you a warning. She warns the viewer of what you are about to see, and also warns us that your reality will be questioned. She urges you to have an open mind and not to listen to others and to come to your own conclusion.

The movie, from that point on had my attention. Putting ANY doubt in my mind that it COULD be real...that opens a whole new thing for me.

The movie is set in Nome, Alaska - which has the top number of missing persons of any city in Alaska. The movie follows Dr. Tyler in a series of sleep studies on Nome residents, who all report having similar side affects and visions. Abbey realized soon that these visions are not sleep related and decided to dig deeper into the subconscious of her patients to find answers.





With every main character and especially if they are psychiatrists, they have a tragic back story. Dr. Tyler is no different. Throughout the movie we see flash backs and video of her loosing her husband.

Speaking of flash backs and videos - thats really what makes the movie. This is not just a movie of actors re-enacting a story. This movie is brilliant in the way it puts the "REAL" footage in a split screen next to the movie version. You have NO idea how creepy that is/can be - until you see it first hand. The craziest parts were the videos from her sessions with her hypnotized patients. If I say any more I will ruin it. Just prepare yourself. Ms. Jovovich was not lying when she said that some of the video was "Very disturbing".


The actors all were great in the movie. Milla was almost convincing, however I felt she could have given just a bit more in the shocking scenes. I would have been much more shaken, however that also added to the mystery of it all.

Will Patton and Elias Koteas were both great support for Jovovich but never I felt really dove into the parts as the real character would have. Part of it was I guess having the "real" characters as well in the movie, you were able to compare.

The end of this movie is as startling as the rest of the movie. It caused me to immediately google the details and try to indeed find out what was fact, and what was fiction.

I will let you decide....and share with me your thoughts after you watch it for yourself.



Rating: **** starts - near perfect horror flick/documentary

The Steelhead Diner - Worth the wait, minus the Huskers

Steelhead Diner

95 Pine Street

Seattle, WA. 98101

206-625-0129

http://www.steelheaddiner.com/

I am always on the hunt for a good place to take someone for a birthday or to take family from out of town - and so a week before my husbands 36th birthday, I started to ask around -wanting to find somewhere special to take him that was worth the extra cash it may cost per plate. His only preference - he wanted a good crab cake and some GOOD fried chicken, like he would get at his Granny's house.

SO the overwhelming consensus? Go to Steelhead diner. Its a bit pricey but worth every penny. So i visited their site, and after salivating with my co-workers over the online menu - I conveniently found the place to make online reservations.

Friday night came a long and our close friends double dated with us. Turns out it was a downpour - but providentially we found parking literally right out front - so it wasn't too bad of a walk in the rain. For a Friday night at Pike Place - we were lucky indeed.

We arrived about 5 minutes before our reservation time of 7:30. The hostess staff was kind and accommodating, explaining that our table was being cleaned and set and it would be just a moment. When I made the reservations - I made sure to note it was my husbands birthday, so when coming back to check on us - the hostess was even sweeter and said they had a better window table that was about to leave that they would rather put us at and that it would be just 5 more minutes. They were very kind and lovely about the extra wait that it seemed like nothing at all.

When we did get seated - we were brought a lovely basket of mixed breads and a seasoned butter. It was pleasant and the presentation was very pretty, the photo doesn't do it justice.

If you are a drinker - their bar is very extensive and I highly doubt there is anything they could NOT make. For us - the Pomegranate Martini's were lovely.

For appetizers - we had to order the Crab cakes - it was on the birthday boys wish list. We also decided to order the fried cheese curds - we had had them before and were interested to see how they fared here. The appetizers were pricey, the same cost as a meal - so we were a bit skeptical. When they arrived - we keep looking for more when it came to the Crab cakes. Correction, it was ONE Crab cake. For $15?? I was shocked. HOWEVER - it was GIGANTIC and it was the best crab cake any of us had ever had. Huge chunks of fresh crab - wonderful blend of spicy and lightly friend perfectly, not too much oil. It was lovely. Perfect way to start off the meal.


The Cheese curds were also good - not as phenomenal as the crab cake, but a great companion. They came with a light mustard sauce and tartar which both were yummy with the lightly fried cheese bits. They were very rich and you really couldn't eat more than a few.


Our dinner took a bit longer to get to us than seemed normal. It was a Friday night, and they were packed - however it seemed a bit long. We had our appetizers to munch on, and good company so it was forgivable. The only downside was that somehow - some random Nebraska Cornhusker fans found the place and were quite a distraction in my opinion. The Nebraska/Husky game was to be the next day and the fans were all in their teams gear and half way tipsy. With Husky fans across the restaurant - they would throw playful but LOUD banters and BARKS across the establishment. At first it was cute, the third time, chuckleable, and at the end of their meal (the middle of ours) it was downright annoying. I felt like telling them to go find a Red Robin...but then they left, and all was well in the world (until they beat the huskies the next day and I'm sure they raised hell somewhere else as well).

Our dinners came and were WELL worth the wait for every one of us. I had the American Wagyu Kobe Beef Burger. I love burgers and was so intrigued with this special Kobe meat. The waitress explained how special this meat was, with its captivity, its feeding and its location and how its marbled specially. I had to pick up my chin from the floor and wipe the drool to order it. I ordered it medium rare and I must say - I rarely get a restaurant to actually produce that. But they did. The meat was juicy, amazing texture and cooked to perfection. It was topped with sauteed and caramelized mushrooms and onions. The only surprise was the pickle, which I am not fond of - but it was easily removed.


The birthday boy ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken sandwich with a tangy coleslaw dressing. He said it was amazing, the coleslaw dressing was sweet and it complimented the salty fried chicken perfectly. With above average fresh french fries served on the side - the meal was perfect to fulfill his birthday wish.


Our friends ordered the Southern Fried Draper Valley Farms half chicken with creamed Spinach, and the Kasu Marinated Oregon Black Cod, served with Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms,and a baby buck choy and carrot ginger salad.

I watched my friend with the Cod - she ate it with her eyes closed half the time, saying she was enjoying tasting the distinct flavors and that the fish melted in her mouth. It was one of those kinds of dishes that you savor. When the fish was gone, there was a lovely dark broth left and she stole my spoon to enjoy more of it - fearing that putting the bowl to her face wouldn't go over well in this type of restaurant ha!


Her husband had the fried chicken - and said it was amazing. We had gone to Highlife in Ballard for their Sunday friend chicken weeks before and he said this was 10 times better. Not as heavy or greasy. It was served over a rich dark gravy with creamed spinach on the side. The only issue he had was that he would have enjoyed some mashed potatoes with this meal - he said it needed it. So he ordered french fries - which he said helped to make it feel complete. Overall - he said the dish was top notch.


With our bellies full we tried to decide whether or not to have dessert. At one point, while enjoying the full silence one of our friends said "This food is MEDICINAL!!" It was true, we were relaxed and happy. Watching various choices being served to tables around us - we were convinced. Their selection is really vast, considering. There were so many things I wanted to TRY. With such imaginative and amazing choices - my only suggestion to them would be to do small bites or tapas type servings and have a plate where you can order a small taste of them all. But alas - that is the suggestion from a sweet tooth with a never ending appreciation for wonderful and new dessert inventions.

So my friend and I had the Red Haven peach and blueberry crumble, with Cinnamon Ice Cream and caramel sauce. His wife had the Earl Grey tea Creme Brulee and the birthday boy had the Theo Chocolate peacan pie w/cocoa nibs and bourbon chantilly cream. The crumble was scrumptious. Lovely homemade crust - almost like an individual pie. Not too much fruit as sometimes happen.



The creme brulee got mixed reviews. She just kept saying "it is interesting", but no other words - she didn't finish it, so I'm sure it wasn't amazing but rather, interesting.


Finally - the birthday boys dessert. Theo chocolate pecan pie. In Kentucky they make a pie similar to this but its called Derby Pie -and its made during the Kentucky Derby traditionally. He said the pie was wonderful, with big chunks of locally owned Theo Chocolates. He said it was the perfect finishing touch to an amazing dinner. They topped it with a candle - sparred him the goofy singing and clapping most places do - and at the end of the night didnt charge him for his dessert.


The end of the night had arrived and we all were in the first stages of our food comas. A few days before when searching for a good place to have Friend Chicken - a few people also mentioned the King Fish Cafe. We have been there twice and both times, while the food has been great, the service is below average - even teetering on apathy which in my opinion should never be the attitude of people trying to sell a restaurants food and experience.

The Steelhead Diner was leaps and bounds ahead of the rest on the topic of service. Every employee smiled, greeted, the waitress was pleasant, sweet, attentive but also stayed away the perfect amount of time as not to meddle. Many restaurants could learn from this one as far as customer service skills go.

The food - phenomenal - the service - lovely. Total rating ***** You must eat here!