Restaurants, events and festivals

Mexico Cantina y Veracruz Cooking: The restaurant commemorates the holiday each year with a live mariachi band that starts serenading patrons at about 5:30 p.m., at 600 Pine St., Seattle (206-405-3400).

Agua Verde Café: Order enchiladas tricolores and guava margaritas made especially for Cinco de Mayo. The U-District Café, 1303 N.E. Boat St., Seattle, will have music in the park adjacent the cafe if the weather’s good today (206-545-8570 or www.aguaverde.com).

Taco Frenzy at Brouwer’s Café: Brouwer’s in Fremont hosts DJ Delene Cion’s Cinco de Mayo Gauntlet Showdown, starting at 10 p.m., while the kitchen will serve up tacos and Mexican canned beer. Brouwer’s, 400 N. 35th St., Seattle; no cover (206-267-2437 or www.brouwerscafe.com)

Siete de Mayo Fiesta: Szmania’s Restaurant will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo Thursday, May 7, this year, but with all the Cinco de Mayo accouterments — tequila margaritas, cervezas and maybe even piñatas. Patrons will feast on three small-plate courses by Señor Ludger Szmania. 6 p.m. Thursday at Szmania’s, 3321 W. McGraw St., Seattle; $32 for prepaid reservations (206-284-7305 or www.szmanias.com).

In the nightclubs

The High Dive: Performances from Dyme Def, Big World Breaks and Theoretics beginning at 9 p.m., 513 N. 36th St., Seattle; $8 (21 and over; 206-632-0212 or www.highdiveseattle.com).

Nectar: Rhythm Syndicate headlines the Fremont music lounge’s Cinco de Mayo celebration at 7 p.m. at Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., Seattle; no cover (21 and over; 206-632-2020 or www.nectarlounge.com).

Tiki Bob’s Cantina: Cinco de Mayo fun at Tiki Bob’s includes a bikini contest (with $500 in cash and prizes), at 166 S. King St., Seattle (206-382-8454 or www.tikibobsseattle.com).

The Capitol Club: Live flamenco with Eric and Encarnacion from Children of the Revolution, 9 p.m. at The Capitol Club, 414 E. Pine Seattle, no cover (206-325-2149 or www.thecapitolclub.net).

 Concert dates listed below:

Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai Cuisine is a hidden jem, that is embedded between Chocolate Cafe and Murphy’s Pub on 45th.  If you drive by too fast you might miss it, but it is definitely worth stopping in.  When you enter you are warmly greeted, and rarely have to wait for a table.  Jhanjay’s chef’s are at the forefront of restaurant constantly surrounded by steam as you take in the aroma of fried tofu curry, stir fryed asparagus, and their classic mountain of mushrooms.  Though this is a vegetarian restaurant by name- Jhanjay meaning Vegetarian Dish in Thai, the dishes are hearty yet healthy leaving your belly full but not guilty.  Service is fast and meticulous and prices are extremely reasonable.  I love the Tofu Tom Yum soup which costs a measly 5.5o.   The downside to this restaurant is the space between the tables, so if you are not intersted in easdropping on the table next to you or you are going to breakup with your girlfriend, this would not be the best choice.

LTD Bar and Grill is a relatively new bar to the Fremont area and I give it great remarks. It is by far the best sports bar in Fremont and finally is an alternative to George and Dragon bar in Fremont which has a tendency to show lots of Soccer and Rugby games. LTD has a a lot of high quality TVs that are easily seen from anywhere in the bar. The food is good for your typical bar munchies of burgers, fries, and sandwiches. The shuffleboard and pool tables are in great condition with minimal lines if any on regular nights. Another plus of LTD is that they hve ordered UFC fights and not charged a cover. If youre looking for a place to watch a game, I highly recommend stopping in for beer and dinner, you wont be dissapointed!!

http://www.ltdbarandgrill.com/

309 N. 36th Street 
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 632-7876

Final Grade: 4 Stars

Growing up in Bellevue, I found out about Rock Bottom Brewery through my older brother when it had first opened up.  I had stopped in for a drink during the summer and fell in love.  Living less than a mile away, it became the local watering whole for 2 years.    The Rock Bottom Mug Club is quite incredible, and if you go enough it is definitely well worth it.  $2 Tuesdays is always a hit from 4-9 for cheap mugs of DELICIOUS beer. As you gain more visits, you get prizes ranging from hats, t-shirts, barbeque tool set, growler, and then you get your name on a keg plaque at 50 visits.  Also, for every ten visits, you gain $10 in Rock Bottom club cash.  What seperates this chain from others is how good the food is along with the beer.  The monthly beer tappings are great also as Beer Master Brian Young perfects them.  Strongly recommend the Big Batch Wheat if you stop in there for a Beer and like a good Hefeweizen.  In my opinion, it is second to none on a hot summer day!  I’m getting thirsty thinking about it…

550 106th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 462-9300

Final Grade: 5 Stars

Zen Asian Bistro is another restaurant that was located close to where I lived and convenient in the sense that the underground parking was free. This is a diamond in the rough.  It is an excellent place to stop by at a whim for Sushi without reservations.  The service is fast and staff is very nice.  The Sushi was good and they have an extensive offering.  The atmosphere is good for an outing or date, but not too kid friendly during the weekends at night I would say.  The biggest problem that Zen Asian Bistro faces is that their location is in the building of a high rise and doesnt have a lot of advertising or walking traffic to stop in and grab a bite.

989 112th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 453-2999

Final Grade: 4.5 Stars

Taphouse is similar to Rock Bottom but has more of a hip type atmoshpere feeling.  It doesnt have the same setup as Rock Bottom does in the sense that it doesnt have many teelevisions.  It is more of a formal place to eat and have drinks but does have a great happy hour.  obviously the biggest upside of Taphouse is that variety of beers they have on tap.  They offer over 160 beers at all times on tap which makes it easily to find a good pairing to any kind of food you order.  The location is great in The Galleria located by Rock Bottom Brewery and across the street from California Pizza Kitchen.  The free parking garage allows for easy access to the restaurant without any headaches.
Overall, good place to meet up with friends for a few drinks to catch up or for a happy hour after work.

550 106th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 467-1730

Final Grade: 4 Stars

Flo restaurant is cool with a great atmosphere.  I like the layout of the restaurant however the food is quite pricy.  The service is good too but the mood is really dull. Flo is a good place to go if you’re on a date but if you’re just going to stop in some place for sushi with some friends, there are other places in Bellevue that will be faster and save on your pocketbook.  The restaurant has room for a lot of occupants and has cool dishware and layout.  The staff is nice and good about checking in on their patrons.  Parking can be a tad bit frustrating as it is only street parking that I know of, and with the city growing so fast, it’s only going to get worse.  If you’re looking for an upscale Sushi restaurant for a date, Flo is one I would recommend.

1150 106th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 453-4005

Final Grade: 3.5 / 5 Stars