I want to introduce you to my friend Claudette, who I met through her social club: Eastside Social Club on Meetup. I joined her club over a year ago and she immediately realized I like hosting movie parties, tea parties, cocktail parties and events. She drafted me into being an assistant organizer, and now we meet up from time to ...

This week I met my friend Serret (from Serretabella Images) for a healthy lunch, followed by some wine tasting. Too rainy to garden, hike or walk around shopping at outdoor malls, so we thought wine tasting in Woodinville would make a great consolation prize for our afternoon off! We thought Purple Cafe would be a great jumping off point for ...

  This week I took my friend Radonna out to lunch at The Commons here in Woodinville. I was forcefully encouraging her to take a break and enjoy a day off from her jobs. She’s been working extra hard, with the busy festive season approaching, and I’m worried she is exhausting herself. I thought a nice meal out and a ...

Carrie and I were so delighted to be able to dine outside on the patio of the Bistro at the Hollywood Schoolhouse on a 70 degree October afternoon. It was so warm, we even dared to squeeze one more day of wearing sundresses out of this late summer season! On this particular afternoon, we had decided to try more than ...

Serret and I needed to catch up, so I was delighted she and her Frenchie, Lola, could join me for lunch last week. We were both craving breakfast at The Commons, so met before noon for a weekday brunch. The Commons has two dog-friendly patios. (To get to the back patio, they prefer you bring your leashed dog through on ...

We love rainy days here in the Pacific Northwest. (We embrace them, because the alternative is to move away!) Sometimes it’s nice to get out and socialize in the middle of a dark, rainy week though. I like to meet friends (those with flexible work schedules who can make time to meet for lunch) at Hollywood Tavern here in Woodinville. ...

Jen and I eat salads nearly every day – She’s a health conscious bodybuilder, and I’m a lifelong vegetarian. So when we’re out wine tasting, we try to opt for healthy salads instead of carb-heavy meals (though I’m sorely tempted by the delicious French fries on many Woodinville restaurant menus!) We thought we’d share some of our favorite salads we’ve ...

After a friend dragged me into Village Wines recently, I felt really dumb for not knowing this was a restaurant! Judging just by the name, I thought it was a wine store. Every time I came to this strip mall (usually to eat at Mazatlan) I avoided going in, worried I would spend too much of my money on wine. ...