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Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008
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From coffee to massage to chocolate, three places to escape the holiday frenzy |
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| From coffee to massage to chocolate, three places to escape the holiday frenzy | ||
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by Albert Rodriguez -
SGN A&E Writer Holidays, schmolidays. The most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into the most stressful. Gift shopping, year-end work reports, staff parties, out-of-town visitors, and, in my case, family feuds, can add up to a sudden case of the blahs. If just for an afternoon, transport yourself to another world and forget the holiday madness. Here are three places to escape to in Seattle. BOKA KITCHEN + BAR 1010 1ST AVENUE WWW.BOKASEATTLE.COM Sexy people need a place to mingle, don't they? And here it is. Attractive Gays, straights, and those still undecided, are making a beeline to downtown's chic-meets-casual BOKA Kitchen + Bar. Illuminated in oranges, blues, reds and purples, this trendy hangout is known for its dapper clientele and double happy hours as much for its sumptuous food and wine offerings. Bar menu items like house-made mac 'n' cheese, short rib sliders, pear-blue cheese bruschetta, signature grilled cheese and soup, truffle fries and buttermilk-fried young chicken are each $10 or under. An American Wagyu burger (similar to Kobe-style) and steamed manila clams go for $12. Restaurant entrees include pumpkin risotto, wild king salmon, butter-basted petrale sole and grilled filet mignon (grown in Washington state). While the food is downright tasty, the page-turning wine list is divine. I usually sip my wine slowly, but at BOKA I drink it like Kool-Aid. An Argentinean reserve in particular, 2006 Mendoza-Finca El Reposo, must be tried on your next trip to downtown Seattle. It's smooth, fruity, sweet, rich in color, and entirely bursting with flavor. Located on the ground floor of Hotel 1000, BOKA Kitchen + Bar would easily be on my Top Ten everything list, if there were such a thing. Hip in ambiance, terrific bites, extensive and well-chosen wines, attentive service, TV sets (think college bowl games), and a sophisticated group of mostly locals, some visitors, equals a fabulous new place to swing by. Two happy hours, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to close, feature select beverages at reduced prices. At $5 during happy hour, I doubt you'll find a better glass of red than the Finca El Reposo. LEVEL III MEDISPA 925 8TH AVENUE NORTH (AT WESTLAKE AVENUE) WWW.LEVELIIIMEDISPA.COM Upon walking into Level III Medispa, you'll be greeted by flashbacks of a doctor's office. Front desk receptionist, manila folders, ho-hum décor, celebrity magazines, and that all-too-familiar odorless odor. Don't run off. Stay. Voted best Medispa of the year by Seattle Magazine readers, this Westlake clinic approaches massage as a mandate for ongoing good health. Not that deep tissue and hour-long facials aren't forms of pampering, but this spa - located on a quiet street behind Marriott's Residence Inn - focuses on massage being first and foremost a therapeutic enhancement. Sure, you'll feel absolutely spoiled as a therapist glides their hands from your neck to your toes. You'll tingle in all the right spots. You'll also relieve yourself of weighed-on stress, tired muscles, poor blood circulation and, believe it or not, cellulite. I've had my share of great and not so great massages and, honestly speaking, I left Level III Medispa a very happy camper. My therapist had strong, skilled hands and what I appreciated about my treatment was that it came with useful tips. I was given advice on how to properly stretch throughout my day at work, and how to avoid further stress on my body. My therapist found every knot in my neck, shoulders and back, not to mention tightness in my calves (from daily walks around the lake). For an active guy in his late thirties like myself, a top-notch massage and gratuitous, useful tips are investments for overall better health. If you can get by the fact that you're in an actual clinic, with available chiropractic and physical therapy services, Level III Medispa is worth a visit. The only drawback is that all treatments are 50 minutes or longer - a challenge for those of us with on-the-go lifestyles and/or limited budgets. A 20% off coupon is available in the current issue of Lucky magazine, and combo packages can save you 5% on services. CHOCOLATE BOX 108 PINE STREET WWW.SSCHOCOLATEBOX.COM As men need to be separated from boys, chocolate lovers need to be separated from chocolate fanatics. The difference between these two camps is that the latter's palate for chocolate goes far beyond candy bars. In Seattle, this sweet tooth clan has a new oasis called Chocolate Box. Opened in June, the downtown shop began its operation on knowledge that the Emerald City is a leading producer of chocolate as much as it is of airplanes, coffee, and time-tested rock stars. Chocolate Box is independently owned and dedicated to showcasing local product - consider it the Easy Street Records of sweets. Seattle-based chocolatiers such as Fiori, Theo, Fran's and Dilettante are the main attractions here with an array of items, stretching from individual bars to gift boxes. On the afternoon I visited, a salesperson persuaded me to sample a Thai curry-flavored chocolate that my mouth received as a strange, yet refreshing, wake-up call. Instead, I opted for a cup of gelato - made on the premises. Chocolate Box also has a beverage counter with a quaint seating area to enjoy steaming mugs of hot cocoa, espresso-chocolate creations, or just plain coffee - if you're going to be that way. A variety of tempting desserts for eat-in or take-home are available as well. This is where I shop for gifts en route to the airport because I love surprising my friends and colleagues with Seattle-based products, and a gift bag of Pike Place Market tea (not sold here) and Chocolate Box treats is a thought-out, special way of bringing Seattle to them. Upcoming events at Chocolate Box, open to the public, include eggnog hot chocolate and chocolate truffle samplings. A full list of events is available on the store's website. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Chocolate Box is located a block from Pike Place Market. |
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