Cedars restaurant in the U District

Jana and I went to Cedars in the U District for lunch today. It has a reputation as one of the better Indian restaurants in Seattle. After moving away from some of the best Indian food in the US, we wanted to see what Seattle had to offer. Here's what we found:

• The chai is really good. I don't like tea, but I actually liked the sweet sip of chai I took from Jana. And Jana was very happy that they kept filling her glass with yummy tea.
  
• The service was attentive, especially with water and chai refills.
  
• Almost all of the dishes were available vegetarian, which made us happy. It's nice to have so many choices.
  
• The food was average. We would definitely not repeat the mistake of ordering medium spicy if we went back, because medium might as well have meant bland. I had the Navratan Korma, which showed off the vegetables well, but wasn't at all memorable. Jana had the equally forgettable Vegetable Kofta (seemingly without vegetables). The rice was plentiful and the garlic naan was good, but mostly we were unimpressed.
  
• The bill was mysteriously wrong in their favor. The difference was small enough that I didn't say anything. But between that and rumors that the owner takes the tips from the waiters, I felt suspicious about their financial dealings.
  

So, Cedars was okay, but nothing special. Hopefully it isn't really one of the best Indian restaurants in Seattle because we're still looking.

From the nonspecific Northwest

Last night all the cool kids in Seattle were at the Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem concert. But all the really cool kids were at Croc for the Lucksmiths, Math and Physics Club, and Fred Astereo.

Fred Astereo opened the show to an almost empty room. I hadn't heard him before, but he proved a charming and tuneful performer, a bit like Jonathan Richman and Stephin Merritt. I might have even seen some indie sweethearts swooning.

Next were Math and Physics Club, in a hometown show. I'm a big fan of their EPs and album, but unfortunately they lacked energy and were a bit rusty, forgetting lyrics and making false starts on many of their songs. They performed a new song, "Do you keep a diary," that bodes well for their soon-to-be-released EP, though. And they won the crowd with their self-effacing good humor.

The Lucksmiths were the main draw. They were touring in support of B-sides and rarities double CD Spring a Leak, so they did the smart thing and put together a greatest hits setlist. They played everything from their most fun and peppy song "T-shirt Weather" to their very best song, "Fiction." It was one great song after another. The momentum of the set was slowed, though, by a series of broken strings and charming but uncharacteristically uninteresting storytelling that filled the gaps.

Still, it was a fun night out, a good night for music, and my first concert back in Seattle, at my favorite venue, the Crocodile. It was strange to see how small the place was and think about going to Death Cab shows there back in the We Have the Facts... and Photo Album days.

Upcoming concerts:

Oct 2: The National and St. Vincent at the Showbox
Oct 5: The Weakerthans at Neumos
Nov 8: Emma Pollock at the Crocodile

Seattle novelist Matt Ruff

Seattle novelist Matt Ruff came into the office today for a book reading. I haven't read any of his books, but he was on the Stranger's shortlist of literary geniuses. It's not every day that you get a chance to see a bonafide genius, so I was there.

He read a chapter from his latest book, Bad Monkeys. It chugged along with urgency and humor; I didn't want him to stop reading. Really good stuff.

When he finished reading, we got to ask questions. Here's some interesting bits:

• He tends to choose titles first and then write a book to fit the title. The title of this book happens to be a Cartman quote from an episode of South Park. Seriously. If you get the book, check the acknowledgements.
  
• Matt changes genre with almost every novel. This time he realized that he was entering Philip K. Dick territory, so he considered naming his protagonist Phil. Then he found out that Dick had a sister named Jane Charlotte, who died as a baby, and he switched to a female protagonist.
  
• He likes living in Seattle because he can go on long hikes and think about what to write. He tends to polish his novels as he writes—and he doesn't share them until they are in nearly finished form. With this novel, he shared all but the final chapter with his wife. She really wanted to know how it ended, but he hadn't written it yet. When he was finally finished, he had to go out while she read it.
  

I'm very much looking forward to reading Bad Monkeys, and I have his previous novel Set This House in Order (which is set in Seattle) on hold at the library.

First week back in Seattle

Jana and I drove into Seattle a week ago. It was a sunny afternoon. As we made our way North on 5 we could see Mount Rainier, which just built up the anticipation. A short while later, we had our first glimpse of the skyline. It was like a vision. I was smiling ear-to-ear. Jana mentioned that it had been a long drive up. I thought, yeah, it took us over five years.

After signing our lease and checking out the new apartment, we took Lyra out for a walk. The entrance to Magnuson Park is right out the back door of our apartment, which is great. We made our way through a hilly green trail and down to Lake Washington. The sun was setting behind us as we looked across the lake at Mount Rainier, regally reflecting the sunset. I was home.

The next morning was my first commute to Kirkland. I decided to try going north around the top of Lake Washington on city streets and then back down to Kirkland. That way I could avoid the 520 bridge. It was a gorgeous drive, but it took about 40 minutes. On subsequent commutes I tried the 520 Bridge (very slow during rush hour, not bad early in the morning) and biking around the north end of Lake Washington (not too bad, but a serious one-hour workout each way). After a few tries I found what might be the best solution: Driving across 520 at 7:00AM, going for a run in Kirkland, and showering at work. Still, I'll be a happy man when the Fremont office opens.

Thai Tom. Those two words make my mouth water and yen for peanut sauce. I've yet to find another Thai place to match the hole-in-the wall dive on the Ave that is Thai Tom. As Jana and I took our seats at the counter, Nirvana was blasting on the stereo and the chefs were just returning from their break. We ordered from the painted slab-of-wood menu and watched the chefs hustle their way through the backlog of orders. It was like a dance with fire and pans going everywhere. The food was spectacular, almost living up to the expectations of a five-year absence.

One of the great things about where we live is that we're about two blocks from the Burke-Gilman trail. On Saturday Jana and I rode the trail into campus. She wanted to see where her academic buildings were and we both wanted to enjoy the weather. The trail was busy with runners and bikers, and as we approached campus, it was full of football fans. UW was playing Ohio State that afternoon; we were biking right through the pre-game. The band was warming up along the side of the trail and everyone was wearing purple. I felt a bit sheepish in my red biking jacket, but when someone asked us for directions, he said that he knew it wasn't Ohio State red. Nothing like an early autumn day on a college campus.

The next day was rainy, but I was back out on the Burke-Gilman. This time I ran north to Matthews Beach. The beach was vacant and covered in a misty shroud; the partial views across the lake were surreal, like a poem about the beauty of loneliness. As I made my way back home, surrounded by trees and the misty rain, I felt right at home. This was Seattle, and I was happy. Not bad for a first week.