Zen Asian Bistro in Bellevue

The newly opened Zen Asian Bistro is the greatest new addition to downtown Bellevue.
The place has an alluring atmosphere with a clean but classy, minimalistic decor.
Even before your meal arrives, the experience starts. You are presented with a smoky soup, edamame and a pot of tea. At first I thought it was some kind of lunch special but the same pre-meal pamper is served on the dinner menu as well. I enjoyed the Zen’s chicken in soothing lettuce cup and the vegetable tempura. The vegetable tempura was crunchy and not soggy with a great selection of vegetables. The Chicken Pad Thai($10) was a great blend of flavors and really well done. The sate was nothing special which was totally fine considering everything else was well executed. The staff was genuinely friendly and patient considering that I manically asked them if the food had M.S.G. Nope, none in sight. The prices are reasonable for such trendy and presentable fare($10-15 per entree). I am looking forward to my next Zenful evening because I haven't tried the sushi yet. The place is open until 2 am on some nights of the week.
If you want a great atmosphere with impressive food Zen go there soon.

Zen Asian Bistro
989 112th Avenue NE, Bellevue,
Washington 98004
(425) 453-2999

0/8 Seafood Grill/ Twisted Cork

Seattlelites beware! There is a worthy happy hour on the Eastside. I have written about the Twisted Cork before in my other blog because I truly love the place.
Last night, I tried the new menu for the first time.
While we debated on what to order, one person suggested calamari. The thought of a deep fried crusty batter crossed my mind. Do I really want all that grease in my body(pretending to be somewhat health conscious before my wedding)? Then I realized that it's seared. What a bright idea? The seared calamari is so much more delicate than when it's fried and it was cooked up with lemon grass and cashews. As for the scallops, what a lovely plate. Everyone ranted and raved about them including my friend who stated earlier that we should "order anything but the scallops". The ahi tuna poke was surprisingly tasty served alongside a glass of a lemon grass dry soda spritzer(wine and dry soda)used to clean the palate. The poke was then followed by a Chateau St Michelle Muscato. The spicy tuna is made with mango,cucumber and ginger. It is topped with crunchy wonton pieces and toasted sesame seeds. I usually don't care for ahi tuna but I liked it this time with the crunchiness of the wontons and sesame seeds.
Happy Hour is not the only option for those on a budget, you have until the end of the month to take advantage of New Urban Drinks , where you get two small plates and a glass of wine for 15 dollars. We had to do get a piece of the urban drink action as well. The mushroom ravioli with pea vine salad and chive oil is a delightful choice . I won't tell you about all the plates but I mentioned my personal favorites. Now I'll let you look at the pictures.
Allow your palate some eye candy!

0/8 Seafood Grill and Twisted Cork
900 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue
Read my interview with the Chef

Sorry about the dark pics, I was having trouble with my camera. The beautiful glass
podium trio is the "ahi tuna poke" with the wine spritzer and Chateau St Michelle wine.

Girls Night Out at Paper Source in Bellevue

My friends and I have this thing. We pretend not to be girly, we refuse to acknowledge that we like girly things and we pretend to be too cool for girls. The truth is that we are damn girly; let us ooh and ahh over kitchen stuff and were ecstatic. Leave us at Urban Oufitters and we will get lost in the clothes. This week we had girls night out at Paper Source. One of my friends heard they were having a girls night and she signed us all up. It was so much fun. First we got loot bags full of beautiful paper and things; origami instructions, lip gloss, recipes for drinks, stickers and a girly cd. The cd has songs like California Girls, Staying Alive and Tainted love. There was food from Mccormick and Shmick's. There were drinks, popcorn from the movie theater and lots of fresh fruit. There were craft demos. There was even a table where we could use all the craft stuff and make our own crafts. There was a raffle and I actually won something. I got a box for my pictures. Best part of all this: It was FREE!!!!

We had a blast and now it's time to toughen up. I think I will go clean the garborator.

Note: If you want to do something with the girls, this is really fun. Call them and sign up because I am sure there will be a waiting list for the next one.
Oh!!!!!!!!Don't forget to pretend to be macho later. It's part of the game.