White Lotus Restaurant

White Lotus serves pho and other Vietnamese dishes.  I also saw some Chinese, Thai and Japanese(no sushi) dishes also. The dinning room is nicely decorated and is a happy departure from some of the "dive" pho restaurants. The food I tried was fresh rolls($3.50) and a small flank steak pho($5.25).  I really enjoyed the fresh rolls.  They are different than others I tried.  It had shrimp and pork in it but no mint or basil.  Inside was a fried wanton roll. Served with peanut hoisin sauce. The pho was very tasty also.  But different than my favorite pho place written about previously   First difference is there is a lot more noodles.  Maybe that is what people want but I thought it was to hard to mix up my broth with different sauces.  I found it nice that they added a lot of meat.  However they don't trim the fat from the meat.  Maybe its traditional not to trim the fat, but I had a hard time getting use to it.  Again Pho on Broadway trims all there meat.  But I would still order it again,  and for the price.  Its a good value.

Things I liked:
Nice dinning amisphere
Good prices
Very friendly wait staff
Takes Cards
Vegitairian options

Things that could be different:
A little less noodles in the pho

White Lotus Restaurant
35 Everett Mall Way SE
Everett, Wa 98208
425-355-8018

Camano Island State Park - Camping

My family and I went to Camano Island State Park for an overnight camping trip on Saturday - Sunday.  The park is pretty popular.  Most of all the campgrounds are in a wooded setting.  None of them have direct access to the beach.  However the beach is very close and is in walking distance.  The camp currently is having a shortage of water.  I recommend bringing 5 gallons from home plus some for drinking.  The water tastes bad.  Expect some noise,  think of this park of a place to drink with your pals or a quick trip out of town.  If you want the feeling of getting away from it all, go some place else.  There is a large field for games and flushing toilet.  Also showers are available. At the time I visited a wood bundle was $7 and kindling was $3. Even if at the park entrance the sign says "Park Full" I recommend going and talking to the camp host.  She/he may know of a few sites that are leaving that day.  Cost of a single site is $22 with one car.
The beach it self is rocky and perfect for a picnic or kite flying and has almost no shade.  The water is calm enough to let the little ones slash and play on toys.


http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Camano%20Island

Things I like:

• Very close
• There is a beach
• Flushing Toilets
• Fire rings and tables
• You can take your dogs

Things that need improvement:

• Water supply

Slices part 2: A Pizza House

A Pizza House Everett, Wa

The one thing I can say about the pizza house is that its cheep (about $1.90 a slice) and for that I will definitely go back.  My son and I went around 1:30 during a week day and the there options for slices were pepperoni  sausage and cheese. The dough was thick and soft, kinda like a bread stick.  No crunch.  The sauce was a little to sweet for my taste, but my son enjoyed it just fine. The restaurant was small and had about 4 or 5 tables.  Decorated nicely. They keep there slices warm all the time. Unlike some shops who reheat slices to order.  Like I said, I would come back but its not my top pick.  More research is need to find the best pizza slice place in Everett. I am not sure when they start serving slices and when they stop.  Safe to say you'll be good for lunch time!

What I liked:

• It was cheep
• They had parking
• Lots of choices for bottled drinks
• Open everyday and open late

The Pizza House
http://everettpizzahouse.net/
2625 Colby Avenue
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 252-5555

Hours 
Mon-Fri: 10:30am-11pm 
Sat: 12pm-11pm 
Sun: 3pm-11pm

Slices Part 1: Major League Pizza

So my son's and mine favorite lunch out is to go and get a slice of pizza.  So my mission in the next few months is to find the best places to get a slice of pizza in the Northwest.  Today's post is about Major League Pizza.  This is a cute/very clean little place on Colby in Downtown Everett.  They start serving pizza around 11am and stop around 2ish.  The pizza we had was tasty and the crust was on the thin side.  They reheat there pizza to order.  I prefer it that way, it does something to the cheese and makes it less stringy! The way I prefer it.  For a slice of cheese and a slice of pepperoni it the total came to $5.46.  Over all I would go back to get pizza and for friendly service.  Please visit the web site for all menu options


Major League Pizza
http://www.majorleaguepizza.com/
2811 Colby
Everett, Wa
425-259-5554
Hours Monday- Thursday 10:30am - 10pm
Friday - Saturday 10:30am - 11pm
Sunday 11am - 9:30pm

Panera Bread

Panera Bread is one of the easiest/healthiest places I can take my family while we are out and about.  I like that they list the calories for each meal on their reader board.  The prices are reasonable and there is something on the menu that everyone like.  My favorite thing is they offer real food for kids.  Turkey sandwich, grill cheese or mac & cheese.  The side for the kids menu is Horizon yogurt tubs.  The price is between $4-$5.  My son also loves the chicken noodle soup.  My personal indulgence is a bagel and flavored cream cheese.

Thinks I like:

• Free WiFi
• Comfortable seating
• Yummy bakery goods
• Water glasses available with out asking

Thinks I would like to see:

• Option for fresh fruit on the kids menu

Lynnwood Pool

Hey you all.  I just to my son to the Lynnwood Pool and felt that I should give people some information and pointers about this fantastic place.  The recreation center had 3 pools.  The water is very warm and the pools have some unique features.  I will not go into them here because the website does a better job than I could. What I wanted to do is give you some need to knows:

• Arrive 30-45 min before open swim.  There is always a line and if your at the back you may not get in. 
• A great time to go is when the Everett Public Schools have a half day or a furlough day. 
• Bring your own pad lock.  The lockers are not coin operated.  
• Bring a snack or change for the vending machines.  My little guy is always hungry after swimming.  
• There is an outdoor playground just out side the main pool for kiddos who are tired of swimming and not ready to leave.  
• The library is right down the street. 

Here is a picture of the line.  I am not kidding, you need to get there at least 30 mins early before open swim! However, it is the one of the cheapest places to take the kids to be active ($4 for kids and $5 for adults)

. 

Lunchbox Laboratory

Few restaurants food give me a food buzz.  Pix Patisserie in Portland, Angel Thai in Bend, Oregon and Espresso Vivace in Seattle are some of the select few who are buzz inducing!  Now I can add Lunchbox Laboratory to the list. Lunchbox Laboratory is located in Seattle (near REI) and Bellevue.  They have been written up countless times and is worth all the praise they receive.   The Seattle location has a very hip and kitschy vibe.  Lunch boxes and lava lamps decorate and they have a rumpus room up stairs.  I think the rumpus room is adult only but I am not sure.

Lunchbox serves gourmet burgers.  All their burgers are artfully make with fresh and whole ingredients.  Hand formed kobe beef style patties, home made mayos, local kaiser rolls and crazy good toppings.  I had the burger of the Gods.  Made with candied caramelized onions, blue cheese and Gorgonzola spread.  Amazing!!  and incredibly sloppy.  Like I said, buzz inducing!  My husband the Tear Jerker!  Pepper Jack cheese, jalapenos, habanero mayo, Satan's tears ketchup.  Sounds crazy hot but my husband thought it the perfect amount of heat.   He enjoyed his burger just as much as I did.  My son order the corn dog off the kids menu.  I was surprised that they make there own batter and hand dip the dogs fresh to order. Our burger came with lettuce, tomato and red onion on the side.  All of our meals came with our choice of sides.  I got sweet potato fries, my husband order shoe string fries and my son got tater tots.  Our fries were made in house and were excellent, how ever the tater tots were not homemade.  We also order home made mac n cheese and a Whopper shake. Both indulgent and so tasty.  Whether you come for cocktails or dinner Lunchbox Laboratory is a fun and tasty place to go to!

Lunchbox Laboratory

Hours 11am-11pm Daily
Happy hour 3pm-6pm Daily

1253 Thomas St
Seattle, Wa
206-621-1090
or
909 112th Ave NE #105
Bellevue, Wa
425-505-2676

Things I liked:

• Retro drinks like Kool-Aid and Tang
• Candy bar shakes
• Homemade kids menu items
• Special salts
• Its just a fun place to go!

Things I would like to see:

• Option for a green side salad
• Option for a slider version of their massive burgers

Whopper Shake!