Northwest Gold Coast

Jason Lollar

When seeking a handcrafted guitar or pickup, knowing the artisan behind the work is crucial. Jason Lollar graduated from Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, Arizona in 1975, and has enjoyed life as a professional luthier, ever since. Besides designing and producing extraordinary archtop, solid-body electric and lap steel guitars, Jason is a noted authority on nearly everything related to electric pickups. He is the sole author of Basic Pickup Winding and Complete Guide to Making Your Own Pickup Winder and contributed to Bart Hopkin’s Getting A Bigger Sound: Pickups and Microphones for Your Musical Instrument.

Professional musicians and instrument manufacturers look to Jason’s products to get superior sound. His client list—which includes many internationally known artists—is growing exponentially.

Lollar Guitar

Individual design, and a master craftsman’s passion and attention to detail, mark the tailored guitars produced by Lollar. Five styles await the discerning artist: Concert, Performer, Kona, Koa V and, of course, the Classic. Each of these is sure to please the serious musician. Quality and a uniquely uplifting excellence are hallmarks of all these finely detailed instruments.

Jason Lollar also produces amazing and highly sought after pickups, for electric, bass and steel guitars. With 36 different types, Lollar is sure to offer the exact sound to match the musician and his instrument. He not only knows design and production—Lollar has made understanding the issues, the history, the folk lore—the heart and soul—of pickups his passion and profession.

Lollar Pickups

As a special service, Jason offers pickup rewinding restoration for old, broken coils. True to his principals, he discourages tinkering with functioning units—calling such efforts “an exercise in futility.” Nevertheless, those wishing to bring dead coils back to life, will find a friend in Lollar.

Ultimately, folks who just like to strum on a guitar can find less expensive materials that are “good enough.” However, for the musician who knows that a guitar is more than a tool, and a pickup is more than an attachment, Jason Lollar’s boutique design and production offerings will surprise and delight!

http://www.lollarguitars.com/default.htm

Tags: Dining, Services by Oksu Ellis
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Choices provides the Alliance HealthCard–an affordable, effective voluntary benefit program to help individuals, families, the self-employed, organizations and other groups nationwide. Save your money through health care savings cards, identity theft protection and drug prescription discount programs. Only $9.95/month will cut down your medical bill dramatically. Coverage includes pharmacy, dental, vision, 24-hour nurse line, alternative medicine, senior advocacy line, chiropractic, hearing, diabetic supplies, physical therapy, health clubs and mental health network. Other benefits such as physicians, hospitals, lab tests, emergency travel assistance, outpatient diagnostics, outpatient surgery and x-rays are available as well. Choices guarantees that customers will save more the annual cost of membership within a 12 month period by using their membership only four times. If not, the company will refund your entire fee! Get the protection you need at prices you can afford!

Do any of these statements describe your insurance situation? If so, then Alliance Health Card can help you get the health care you need at affordable prices through their discount network.

> I have a high deductible insurance policy.

> My policy doesn’t offer dental, vision or prescription coverage.

> I can’t afford the insurance I need.

Additionally, dental coverage saving is exceptional. Choices Alliance Health card entitles you to discounts up to 60% on all dental plan services with more than 58,000 Dental providers.

Langdon Drugs LTD of Canada can help you save money on your prescription drugs. Canadian Discount Mail Order Rx Program will meet your needs. There are no additional membership cost or enrollment fees.

Choices helps small and large businesses and affinity groups offer affordable health care benefits and other voluntary benefit programs to employees or members, including 1099, part-time, seasonal and other non-benefit eligible employees. They help small business offer cheap health care rates to their employees.

Choices ID theft assistance program will provide the protection of the premier identity fraud recovery service for your child, self, family and business. The company offers worldwide benefit services engineered all of the services of the program by the bringing together three major operational partners (Trans Union, AffinityCare LLC, Worldwide Assistance) that monitor id theft and provide credit card fraud monitoring, reporting and recovery.

Through Health Matters International their clients can investigate “medical tourism” destinations other than US for medical treatment. Considering surgical procedures abroad one can expect to save anywhere from 50%-90% versus USA prices (depending on the procedure). This surgical escape works under a 4 C’s motto: Cost Savings, Credibility, Culture, Closeness. SurgicalEscape focus on providing a solution to the rising coasts of medical procedures, dental care and Invitro Fertilization.

Choices care for your pets well being. Providing medications and supplies from Langdon Drugs. FDA approved international sources mailed to your door at huge savings. Service available for humans too!

Tags: Dining, Services by Oksu Ellis
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Wiggins Manufactures such high quality, handcrafted cabinetry that this Seattle-Tacoma based company received the prestigious 2008 Best of Tacoma Award in the household kitchen cabinets and equipment. Wiggins is one of the primary contractors for home remodels and, a choice subcontractor for new homes.

They specialize in custom-made mantels to compliment each unique living space, such as corner fireplace mantels with cabinets or with a TV built in. You can express your creativity through Wiggins’ experienced craftmanship. Wiggins Custom Woodworks is the place where you can find handmade custom cabinets, casework, mantels, counter tops, floors and more in kitchens, office, living rooms, and even bathrooms.

Finding a unique corner matching or custom building for an unusual fit, shapes and dimensions are company’s specialty. They design high quality woodwork for all living spaces, book shelves, storage and even to all wood furniture for your home. Wiggins custom woodworks can equip your house with craftsmen design and high quality furniture.

Professional consulting for your home is available by appointment. Let Wiggins help you to find professional craftsmanship and installation, unique custom design living spaces and dedicated customer service.

For more infomation, you can visit: http://www.wigginscustomwoodworks.com/

Tags: Dining, Services by Oksu Ellis
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Bite of Seattle: Seattle Center| Friday, July 18-20, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. | 425-283-5050 | For more info. http://www.biteofseattle.com

Classic Car Show: Des Moines Marina | Saturday, July 19, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Tivoli/Viking Days: 3014 NW 67th St.,Seattle | 206-789-5707 | Free. Small charges for children’s crafts.Experience Viking marketplace with Scandinavian food,craft demonstration,living history dramatic tours. | For more info. http://www.nordicmuseum.com

Summer Splash-tacular: Henry Moses Aquatic Center, 1719 Maple Valley Hwy.,Renton | 425-430-6700. Free|For more info. http://www.rentonwa.gov

Seafair Torchlight Parade: Downtown Seattle | July 26, 7:30 p.m. | For more info. http://www.seafair.com/events/torchparade/

Happy Birthday Boeing Field: Museum of Flight, 9404 East Marginal Way South, Seattle, WA 98108-4097 | July 26-27 | 206.764.5720. Family Weekend Workshops. | For more info. http://www.museumoflfight.org

Chevrolet Cup at Seafair: Lake Washington, Seattle, Aug. 1-3. Hydroplane Races | (206) 728-0123 | For more info. http://www.seafair.com/events/hydro/

King County Fair: Enumclaw Fairgrounds. | Jul. 18-20. Cost: Free | 206-296-8888 | http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/fair/

Seafair Indian Days Pow Wow: Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, Discovery Park, Seattle. | Jul. 18-20. | For more Info: http://www.unitedindians.com/events002.html

Ballard SeafoodFest 2008: Saturday, July 26-27 | For more info. http://www.seafoodfest.org

Momtopia Free Family Movie Series: Regal Cinemas behind the SuperMall, in Auburn | Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. through Aug. 27|Get the kids to the movies! Choose between G rated or PG rated movies for free! |1-800-SAY-VALU

The White River Valley Museum: 918 H St. SE, Auburn|Free on Wednesdays. | 253-288-7433 | For more info. http://wrvmuseum.org

Summer Concerts at The Mount: 4831 35th Ave SW (Between SW Hudson & SW Edmunds), Seattle. | Friday evenings, August 1, 8, 15 & 22,5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | Admission free | 206-938-6194 | For more info. http://www.providence.org/themount (click on calendar of events).

Trash to Treasure Rummage Sale: Des Moines Activity Center, 2045 S. 216th | Aug. 2, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | 206-878-1642

15th Annual Tukwila Community Garage Sale: Throughout city | Saturday, Aug. 23-24 | 206-433-7178. | For more info, including hosting your own Tukwila sale: http://www.ci.tukwila.wa.us/yardsale.html

Brasil Fest: Seattle Center House & Mural Ampitheater | 206-684-7200 | Saturday, Aug.17.|http://www.brasilfest.com or http://www.seattlecenter.com/events/festivals/festal.

Tukwila Days Community Festival and 11th Annual Art Show & Competition: Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave. S. | Saturday, Aug. 16, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Free admission. 206-768-2822. http://www.ci.tukwila.wa.us/recreation/recmain.htm.

Mediterranean Fantasy Festival: Hiwatha Community Center, West Seattle. 2700 California Ave. SW. | Jul. 19-20. 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | 206-824-4751.

Tags: Dining, Services by Oksu Ellis
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California Pizza Kitchen, located at 150 Andover Park West in Tukwila, opened in mid-February 2008.  It serves up a hearty lunch and dinner menu that features a signature honey-wheat pizza dough.

As you enter the double glass doors you’re surrounded by natural stone work, wood blinds, suspended lamps and sunny art deco-style décor.  The half round kitchen to the left sparkles with chrome and bright lights.  Hand paintings of eggplant, artichoke and other produce on the tops of take out pizza boxes serve as trendy 3D art in clear Lucite boxes on the perimeter walls.

There is nice variety in seating arrangements including square expandable tables, corner round booths and interior square step up booths.

A popular appetizer is the Singapore Shrimp Rolls with shrimp, baby broccoli, soy glazed Shiitake mushrooms, Romaine, carrots, noodles, bean sprouts, green onion and cilantro wrapped in rice paper, served chilled with a sesame-ginger dipping sauce and Szechuan slaw.

One favorite entrée is the Wild Mushroom Pizza.  This dish features Cremini, Shiitake, Portobello and white mushrooms, Fontina and Mozzarella cheeses and a wild mushroom  walnut pesto and is garnished with chopped Italian parsley.

Mushroom lovers also enjoy the Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage which includes fresh mushroom, pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, Mozzarella cheese and a restaurant tomato sauce.

Over ten types of pasta grace the menu including Grilled Sausage & Pepper Penne (large penne with slices of grilled spicy Italian sausage, mild onions, red and yellow peppers and Parmesan cheese in a special marinara sauce) and Jambalaya Pasta (blackened chicken and shrimp in spicy Jambalaya sauce with crawfish, Andouille sausage and Tasso ham served on linguini fini and topped with fresh green onions.

The desserts are tasty and sized to share.  The Red Velvet Cake and Caramel Fudge Pecan Cheesecakes are smooth and rich finishes to a great meal.

While the restaurant is a bit noisy during the lunch hour, it is a great dinner date venue as it is relaxed and upbeat.

For more information: visit www.cpk.com.

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Lunch or dinner at Kokiri Restaurant (Elephant Restaurant), an authentic Korean restaurant located at 32703 Pacific Highway in Federal Way, is best shared with a group of friends or colleagues.   Guests should expect to stay at least two hours because the meal itself is an event.

While the menu is varied and extensive, the most popular meal is the Combination Dinner Ko Ki Ri Dinner A for six people.

Just as is common in Korea during the winter season, soothing hot barley tea is served first instead of ice water.  Ice water and other beverages are available upon request.

Next friendly wait staff begin bringing items to the table.  One staff person places large thin sections of marinated meat on the grill at each table.  The meats include:

• Marinated Kal Bi - Thinly cross cut beef short ribs that have been marinated in a special barbecue sauce which are one of the most internationally popular Korean foods.
• Pork Bul Go Ki - pork rib eye, marinated in a spicy sauce, gochujang (red chili paste).
• Marinated BBQ Chicken that looks and tastes similar to teriyaki chicken.

At the same time other wait staff load up the table with:

• “Banchan”- small side dishes set in the middle of the table to share. These dishes are served in small portions which are meant to be finished at each meal. Once any dish is finished, you can ask for more of that dish and more will be brought at no extra charge. Included in these dishes are a variety of Kimchee- fermented, spicy vegetable dishes usually made of baechu, radish, or cucumber.
• Denjang Chi Gae- A soybean paste soup with tofu and vegetables which is often called “Korean Miso soup”.
• Rice cake and pot sticker soup- One bowl of this mild, tasty soup is traditionally eaten on New Year’s day to signify that you will be a year older than the previous year.  In Korea your age is calculated by the number of New Year’s Days you’ve passed rather that birthdays passed. (So do we get two years older than the previous year if we eat two bowls of soup?)
• Pajeon- This pancake-like Korean dish is made mostly of eggs and flour mixed with green onion.  It is like pizza in that several different ingredients can be added to it. Dinner A includes a seafood pajeon which features invertebrates such as squid, shrimp, mussel along with other vegetables such as carrots, onions, etc.
• Purple Rice – While most of the rice in this dish is white rice, the addition of some wild rice and beans creates a deep purple hue and gives it a nutty, rich taste.
• Broiled Flounder- This grilled flounder is seasoned with the house salt rub.
• Jap Chae- These low-calorie potato clear noodles are stir-fried with vegetables and beef.
• Lettuce in which you can wrap the meat, rice and any condiments you want. You can always ask for more at no extra charge.
• Condiments- Soy bean paste, jalapeño pepper, garlic cloves.

Once all the dishes are placed on the table there is very little open space left.  Each person is provided a small plate, soup spoon and chop sticks.  Forks and knives are also available upon request. In addition, each table is supplied with tongs and scissors for turning the meat and snipping it into serving size portions.  And guests typically eat their soup and sample various banchan while the meat grills.

As is common for most Korean dishes, many of the items are seasoned with sesame oil, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), soy sauce salt, garlic, ginger and gochujang (red chili paste).  Surprisingly, Korea is the largest consumer of garlic, ahead of the rest of Asia (particularly China and Thailand,) and the Northern Mediterranean (mainly Spain, Italy, and Greece).

Ultimately, the meal is finished with slices of seasonal fruits per Korean custom.

A reservation is recommended to secure tables with built-in grills.  Ample free parking is onsite and a large semi-private room is available to support banquets and parties.  To make a reservation or obtain more information regarding Kokiri Restaurant phone 253.838.4288.

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Simply Thai III Executive Chef Nitha Moore prepares her dishes with precision. Not with the typical precision that most cooks understand – precise measurements according to a written recipe. Rather, she selects the best possible ingredients and assembles them adding only one ingredient at a time in a precise order at a precise temperature to a precise spot in a large wok. Observing her work is similar to watching a fine florist produce an exquisite, artful arrangement.

Blessed by a heritage that can trace each recipe to the kitchens of the Royals of Laos, Nitha does not compromise a recipe by preparing sauces or mixtures in advance. Produce is bought fresh daily and each item is added as soon as washed and cut so that the flavors are authentic and the dish offers the best possible nutrition.

Especially wonderful is the Salmon Panang. This “melt in your mouth” dish starts with a paste of cumin (which gives the dish its warm color), cinnamon, yellow curry, coriander and sesame oil. The paste is mixed into coconut milk and used to complement red and green bell peppers, “just off the boat” salmon, lime leaves, and basil. As it is served onto a blue and white platter the dish is finished with a dollop of coconut cream that elegantly smoothes out this excellent main dish.

Nitha and husband/business associate Rick Moore state that the aim of their new 406 Broadway East Seattle location is to create a sense of contentment for each patron. They do this with an upscale, yet comfortable, environment that incorporates hardwood and bamboo décor; tropical plants; wine, blue, gold, and emerald fabrics and parasol accents. They do this with their beautifully prepared meals that are affordable, nutritious and delicious.

Simply Thai has three locations, 406 Broadway East, Seattle; 375 Strander Boulevard, Tukwila; and 1001 Andover Park East, Tukwila. They also cater special events or meetings. For more information, call them at 206-322-7600.
To learn more about this business when it first got started, click here.

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Is there room to fit in another chain Mexican Restaurant around here?  We’ve already got Taco Bell, Taco Time, Azteca, Taco del Mar, Torero’s Mexican Restaurant, just to name a few.  And if so, what could it possibly offer that all of these can’t?

Qdoba Mexican Grill has recently opened up next to Acme Bowling at 100 Andover Park West in Tukwila.  And the good news is that there is room for this latest addition to Seattle/Mexican venue because it offers “fast food style” Mexican fare with unique fresh flavors unlike any of the others.

The menu is loaded with descriptions including the word “fresh” and that is the best way to describe everything there.  Qdoba makes its own homemade tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, 3-cheese queso, Ranchera sauce, poblano pesto, fajita ranchera, chicken mole and much more.  These fresh ingredients make even this simple plate of nachos taste delicious (top photo).

The grilled quesadillas come with sides of fresh guacamole, sour cream and choice of salsa.  This Flat Iron Steak Quesadilla has wonderful flavors and by choosing your own salsa, it can be as mild or spicy as you’d like.  Just looking at their Taco salad, you won’t be able to appreciate how good it tastes. What you usually get from a Taco salad–lettuce, meat, cheese and sour cream; that’s all there. There’s also fresh lime, black bean corn salsa, picante ranch dressing and more.

All burritos start with cilantro lime rice and your choice of black or pinto beans (no beans on Fajita Burritos), and are topped off with your choice of salsa and cheese or sour cream.   Their huge Chicken Mole Burrito has marinated grilled chicken topped with a rich and slightly spicy Mole sauce and is a meal just by itself.

Five to seven dollars will get you any meal/menu item and all entrees are prepared in front of the customer and topped with personally selected ingredients.  The first Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurant was opened in 1995 by Anthony Miller and his partner Robert Hauser in Denver. There are now over 300 Qdoba Mexican Grills located in more than 40 states from coast to coast.  You can learn more about Qdoba from their website, http://www.qdoba.com/. If you’re looking for fresh, healthy Mexican food that is also quickly prepared, Qdoba will fulfill your search with fresh vegetables, marinated meats and a terrific blend of spices.

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