Ballardblog.com

As someone with partial Scandinavian heritage, I felt a kinship with Ballard the first time I visited.  Of course, back then there were more Scandinavian oriented gift shops and bakeries along NW Market and throughout the neighborhood than exist now. 
 
However, while walking on 15th Ave. NW I was always curious about a house with the sign Galway Traders.   I wondered about this for quite some time before I finally stepped inside one day and found myself in a store stocked full of the most Celtic items I have seen outside of Ireland and Scotland. 
 
Intrigued by this Celtic oasis amid the strong Scandinavian heritage that Ballard is better know for, I interviewed the owner, Hugh Murray. 
 
Question:  With all the Scandinavians around Ballard, which Seattle neighborhood has/had a high concentration of Irish people?  Scottish people?

I don’t know that one can answer that clearly, though we often find Ballard Scandinavians to have family connections with Irish people who, so to speak, “require their attendance” at the store, where they find that there are many very close ties between Scandinavian and Irish culture and language. There are small towns in Ireland named, on the standard bilingual road signs, Baile Ard/Ballard (Baile Ard means “High Town”, and we have at times stocked such road signs though not at present. And our store is in a 1912 home built by an Irish contractor, who carved shamrocks into the eaves, so we are much at home in Ballard!

Question:  Do Irish or Scottish people living in Seattle shop at the store?   If so, what do they buy?

Many Irish and Scottish-born people do shop here, with heavy emphasis on familiar foods from home, teas, and books/CDs, though also on a wider range of gift items. Those who are Irish- or Scottish-American buy a similar range, especially in Celtic and Claddagh jewelry, though of course they also buy across our entire stock.

Question:  What is the most popular item you sell in the store?

Perhaps jewelry is our most common item, though at some seasons sweaters, and always foods and teas, are among our best sellers.

Question:  What is the most unusual item you sell in your store?

Perhaps the most unusual are Bibles in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic., though we also have some ancient Irish chess sets and figures beautifully carved.

Question:  Are there certain items you started carrying in the store based upon requests from customers?

We have many such items and always try to be responsive to such requests so long as they are within our very wide range.

Question:  Do you carry special holiday items around Christmas?  If so, what?

Various foods including whisky cakes, candies and also a variety of Celtic tree decorations, musical Santa figures and the like.

Question:  When movies about Ireland or Scotland come out, such as “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” or “Braveheart”, do you experience an increase in customer visits?

Usually we do not notice such an effect, though the popularity of “Riverdance” of course increased a general interest in things Irish.

Question:  As a small business owner, how are the current economic conditions affecting you?   Do you think the government should be doing anything to help small business owners?  If so, what?

Current condition which most affects us is the gas prices, and our business correlates closely to the rise and decline of that price. Macroeconomic panics etc seem less to affect us. The best way for government to help small business owners is to tax them less rather than to see them as cash cows to support plans politicians dream up to maintain full employment for themselves, aka “getting elected“.

Question:  What is the best thing about having your business located in Ballard?

Ballard is a very friendly, down-to-earth, and colorful place with all kinds of ethnic music, shows etc going on much of the time, though the local media are extremely indifferent to printing such exciting event schedules I.e. they show almost no curiosity about this side of Seattle life. 

Question:  What is the one thing everyone should know about Irish culture?

Irish culture strongly reinforces an indomitable spirit combined with complete acceptance of the dark sides of life, and strongly discourages self-pitying wallowing in misfortune.

Galway Traders
7518 15th Ave NW
Phone 206-784-9343

When was the last time you visited the Nordic Heritage Museum?  Was it during the summer fest to have some tasty Scandinavian baked goods or was it even longer ago – when you first moved to Ballard and decided to explore what it had to offer?   While I am thrilled to have such a unique museum in my own backyard I haven’t taken full advantage of opportunities offered by the museum – such as lectures or classes.  This week I plan to remedy that by attending an evening lecture, which is part 1 of a 3 part series.  The other lectures in the series will take place in the spring and will feature Helle Soeholt of Gehl Architects and Eva Ora of Copenhagen X.

Thursday, October 23, 2008 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm

“Lessons from Copenhagen:
Planning for a Lively, Walkable Neighborhood.”
Louise Grassov will briefly talk about Gehl Architects and their involvement with the City of Seattle. She will then use the example of Holmbladsgade in Copenhagen to show how Gehl Architects addresses walking and biking issues. Holmbladsgade is a neighborhood that has been redesigned paying attention to the public realm and is considered a successful neighborhood revitalization project. This project will be tied into similar projects in Seattle.

There will be a wine and cheese reception after the talk sponsored by the Northwest Danish Foundation.

This event is co-sponsored and organized by Scan-Design, the University of Washington and the Northwest Danish Foundation.

Members: Free, Non-members: $5

Have the events of the past week in the stock market and econcomy caused you stress?  One great stress reliever is massage.

Ballard Massage, a business on 15^th Ave. NW opened its doors in November 2003.  Currently 13 therapists work there.  Eric, the owner, took the time to answer my questions about not only his business, but about massage in general.

Question: What kinds of massage do you offer?  Is there anything your center specializes in?

Answer: About 25% of the people we see are just here for relaxation. Most people have some form of pain or discomfort they want to be relieved of. That can be anything from a chronic back pain that’s been nagging them for years to something more isolated, like a strained neck from driving or sore wrists and arms from spending lots of time on a computer.

Question: With people having extra stress due to the economy, traffic, political situation, etc. – are you seeing an increase in business?  Or have the current economic conditions slowed business down as people are spending more on gas and groceries and consider massage a luxury?

Answer: There has definitely been a transition lately. People are feeling the pinch. We basically have three types of clients: the casual user, who comes once or twice a year at the most, the frequent user who can afford once or more a month on a regular basis, and insurance clients who typically do a series of six to twelve visits in a short period of time. The casual clients are declining right now. They’re holding onto their money. The frequent users are cutting back a bit as well. Fortunately for us there are plenty of insurance clients who are filling those spots so we are still thriving, but the impact of the economy is noticeable.

Many people are watching the Presidential debate tonight as I type this.  That’s good, people should exercise their right to vote and most importantly make their vote an informed one.   I have to admit that I haven’t been following national politics as much as I once did.  I admit that I grew frustrated with politics at the national level a while back, it was sometimes hard to feel that I, as one person, could truly make a difference.   So I turned my attention and energy to politics and issues at the local level.   The Ballard District Council meeting tomorrow night gives you a taste of politics both on the national and local level as the agenda includes a speaker from the Seattle League of Women voters as well as a local vote for officers for the Executive Committee of the Ballard District Council.

BALLARD DISTRICT COUNCIL
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Ballard Library – 5614 22nd NW
(Free parking below building – accessed from NW 56th)
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Chairperson:  Andy MacDonald (VP)

AGENDA

7 PM  Short Announcements by Member Organization Representatives
Please hold announcements to not more than one minute.

7:15  Your Ballard Branch Library – How are we doing serving the
community and how should we plan for future enhancements to library
services?, Barbara Knight, Friends of the Seattle Public Library

7:30  Understanding What’s at Stake on the November 4th Ballot, Betty
Sullivan, Seattle League of Women’s Voters
Betty will provide a briefing on the November 4 general election
ballot, upcoming changes to the voting process, and informational
resources to the voters.

7:50  2009 City Budget and Revenue Forecast, Dwight Dively, City Budget
Director
Dwight will present an overview of the Mayor’s proposed 2009 city
budget, provide a forecast of city tax revenue and discuss how the 2009
budget will directly affect the Ballard community.

8:20  Staff Report, Rob Mattson
●    SDOT rolls out detail plan to extend Burke Gilman bike Trail
through Ballard
●    SDOT proposes new polices for RPZ’s (Residential Parking
Zones)

8:25  Annual Election of Officers, Jody Grage
Each October, the Ballard District council selects four member
organization representatives to serve as its Executive Committee.  These
positions are president, VP, and two additional officer positions.  The
current officers, elected in October of 2007 have all agreed to be
nominated for an additional term.  These are:
●    Steve Cohn, president
●    Andy MacDonald, VP
●    Catherine Weatbrook and Jennifer Macuiba
Other nominations from eligible organizational reps are welcome.  If
interested please contact Rob Mattson at 684.4051.  Nominations may also
be made at the outset of balloting.

8:30  Executive Committee
Ballard DC wishes to establish several committees or study groups whose
purpose will be to examine more thoroughly several issues of importance
to this community.  These three topics are:
●    Passenger ferry service to Ballard proposed by King County Ferry
District
●    City proposal to expand street car system including a line which
could serve Ballard
●    Review Ballard DC by laws to consider how the Council might
expand its membership and  general participation by the community

8:40  Adjourn

Last week I wrote a post about the fact that the Ballard bus lines, already dealing with increased ridership due to the “Ballard Boom” is also being hit with the double whammy of the influx of students with the start of the school year.  Adults have been left standing at bus stops unable to board the bus in either direction when commuting due to the overcrowding.  Excited to see the headline in today’s Sunday Seattle Times, “Region’s buses overflow, squeezing riders, system” I was fully expecting to see Ballard commutes sited in the article, particularly in a sidebar called “Where riders get passed by.”   However, Ballard routes #15 and #18 failed to nab a place in the Hall of Shame.   Has anyone from Metro ever ridden these routes at rush hour?  Do the good folks at Metro not pull reports, which can be produced by the swiping of bus passes, which would detail the ridership woes from these routes?

The only time Ballard’s bus routes were mentioned in the article was in the following statement, “But it’s not clear if Metro can provide everything it promised voters in Transit Now, including new bus rapid transit lines serving Overlake, West Seattle, Ballard, Aurora and Federal Way by the early 2010′s.” Does this mean when I purchase something I will get a refund of the portion of my sales tax that goes to Transit Now if they will not be fulfilling the transit needs promised?

It’s interesting that this week’s Ballard District Council Meeting includes a representative of Ballard Rapid Ride, Paul Roybal, Project Manager for King County Metro, along with Jonathan Dong, Project Manager, for Seattle DOT.  The agenda states “the Ballard Rapid Ride corridor is next up for planning and design.”  Really?  After what the Seattle Times just printed?   Their talk at the meeting will also include discussion on the ‘potential benefits.’   Wow, I think anyone who rides a bus in Ballard could easily give a presentation on that.

As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  Please attend this week’s meeting to speak out on behalf of Ballard bus commuters.

BALLARD DISTRICT COUNCIL
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Ballard Library – 5614 22nd NW
(Free parking below building – accessed from NW 56th)
7:00 – 8:30 PM

Like a lot of Americans I just wasn’t getting the message.   I listened in horror on the I-90 bridge on my way to work to the events happening in New York on 9/11.   I watched footage of Katrina and the effects on New Orleans.  I talked to coworkers during the storms of 2006 who had lost power and were without heat and lights and were happy to be in the office.  However, I still did nothing, nothing to prepare myself in case a disaster, whether man-made or natural, happened in my neighborhood.

I don’t have any excuse for this lack of planning or preparedness, particularly in light of the fact that I am a person who plans for everything else in my life.   I plan my calendar, my errands and even my laundry.    It’s frustrating to watch news coverage showing people sick from lack of water or food because they don’t have emergency supplies, but I looked around my own basement while doing laundry the other night and realized I don’t have the things I need to get myself through a disaster.   I know that there are a few items I should buy and put down there: some gallons of water, some non perishable food items, an extra flashlight, etc.  However, even those items would hardly help me survive a prolonged or severe situation.   

So what is stopping me?  I guess from a psychological viewpoint many of us don’t prepare at all because we don’t want to even think about ourselves or our community dealing with such a terrible situation.    Maybe we are a little superstitious too.   If we don’t plan for a disaster, then we won’t invite it to happen.   It’s the equivalent of children pulling the blanket over their heads to hide from monsters.  

I cannot pinpoint exactly what has changed.  Have I matured?   Has the rate of disasters seemed to have speeded up?   Is it my belief in global warming and involvement in groups that are predicting dire circumstances for our future?   Or is it just simply that someone had the brilliant idea to create a class making it too easy and convenient for people like me to not do something?

We Ballardites are fortunate to be given the opportunity to educate ourselves on how to prepare to take care of ourselves and our neighbors in the event of an emergency. 

Ballard Library SNAP community organizing meeting:

6:30 – 8pm Sept. 11th

For more information on Seattle Neighborhood Preparedness:  http://http://www.seattle.gov/emergency/programs/snap/

When I stepped onto the #15 bus today I was confused that all the seats up front were taken.  I take the same bus at the same time every day.   At  the stop where I get on there is usually plenty of room.  It took me a moment to register all the faces and realize that most of the seat occupants were teenagers.  That’s when it struck me that today was the first day back to school and I was back to bus hell. 

Over the years as condos have been put up at dizzying rates the Ballard buses have gotten more and more crowded.  Then add in the increased price for gas over the past few years and the Ballard routes were already at maximum capacity.   However, last year when the Ballard School District decided to stop providing school bus service forcing students to take Metro buses to get to school, it pushed an already overburdened route to the breaking point.  People like me who use the #15 to commute to jobs were not given any warning about the impact to us by this poorly planned decision.  Last year I suddenly found myself being told that I couldn’t board the bus as there wasn’t even standing room left.  Adult riders who depend on the bus to get to their jobs were suddenly left stranded.  When I found out the cause for the sudden increase in riders, I called Ballard High School to complain.   I received a voicemail from the principal indicating that he had worked with Metro when it was decided that students would no longer have access to a school bus system.     I wonder how much ‘collaboration’ actually occurred between the school and Metro as the schedule was unchanged.  There weren’t any additional buses added to the route to account for extra capacity needed by this flood of additional riders.    It’s also obvious that the high school did not alter its start time to be slightly before or after the peak commuting hour so that workers and students would not be competing to get to where they need to go.     Also, students don’t appear to have been directed to take the local #15.  Instead they pile on the Express bus which is specifically used by commuters to get to downtown jobs. 

When the Transit Now initiative to expand Metro Transit service was approved by King County voters in 2006, the measure was supposed to enhance existing service to produce a network of core high ridership routes with all day, two-way bus service connecting residential, business and recreational centers.  The frequency goal was for service on these routes every 15 minutes as ridership studies show that when passengers can count on service being available, even commuter ridership increases.    These improvements are paid for by the people through another add on to our already high sales tax.   I of course assumed that there would be additional buses added to the #15 and #18 routes, two of the routes with Metro’s highest ridership statistics (hence the reason the Monorail was going to have its stations all along Ballard).   Instead for reasons that were not made clear, the route chosen by Metro to increase capacity was the #48 which runs from Ballard to the U District and points beyond.

The fact that both Ballard to downtown routes have long had riders standing from front to back make me wonder why Metro wouldn’t choose to use the Transit Now funds for these routes, at least from a liability standpoint.  Having so many people standing, combined with the way some drivers suddenly brake hard, it seems as if these factors create a certain amount of risk for Metro.  In case of a very hard stop, or an accident, I wonder about the effect of overcapacity on the injury rate and the potential for lawsuits. 

Today I wasn’t turned away from the bus, but I wonder whether that will last based on my experience last year.  I was, however, late to work due to the fact that boarding and unloading is a long process when the bus is packed full.  Is it too much to ask in this supposedly ‘green’ city that encourages people to get out of their cars, that those of us who actually do so, be able to board a bus, take a seat and get to where we need to be in a timely manner?   

Quick Update:  Today, Thursday August 4th, 15 adults were denied boarding on the Express #15 bus due to influx of students and lack of planning by Metro and Ballard High School. 

Before I actually moved to Seattle, I spent 5 weeks renting a house here between leaving one job and starting another.  I had been to Seattle only once before on a business trip in February and had fallen in love with this part of the U.S. but I wanted to see if living here was the same as coming for a business trip or vacation.  This was during a period when Seattle had for several years made those “Best Places to Live” lists in various magazines and was getting a lot of press due to grunge, the Starbucks phenomena, etc.   I have never been one to believe the hype so I took the opportunity to rent as my control in my little experiment on what it would be like to live here.  I didn’t have a car while here, so I used the bus to get around from the place I was renting in Greenwood.  It was easy to get downtown to the more touristy sites such as Pike Place Market,   etc.     However, when it came to scouting at neighborhoods, I guess the bus may have created a natural inclination towards neighborhoods such as Greenlake, Wallingford, Fremont and Ballard. 

I was charmed by Ballard.  At that time, the Scandinavian flavor of the neighborhood was more pronounced.  There were a number of Scandinavian gift shops and food businesses along Northwest Market Street, streets lined with cottages and bungalows and few condos.  An Italian friend came to visit me once and told me that she suspected I had paid people to walk around the neighborhood and say hello to her.  She sputtered, “It’s like that movie ‘Pleasantville.  It’s almost too perfect.” 

So I was shocked to read something recently that listed the worst streets in Seattle and placed 15^th Ave. NW right after 99/Aurora.  My eyes bulged out at the preposterous idea that our main north and south thoroughfare could be seen as anything like Aurora.  After all, Aurora has prostitutes in full view, worse traffic, businesses that make you wonder how they pay the rent and a strange cast of characters with wild eyes who mutter to themselves.  There are  a number of seedy motels and Ballard doesn’t even have a motel.  Ballard in contrast seems like such a wholesome place.   This was simply slander!    I was especially appalled as a resident who lives only a couple of blocks from 15^th Ave. NW.    

Unable to scrub this affront of an article from my brain, I have now found myself mentally noting disturbing images on my rides up and down 15^th Ave NW.  Across the street from businesses needed by the community such as the QFC and Walgreens, is Daffy’s, a seedy looking place and then there is Centerfolds further down the road.   While I love the fact that Crown Hill Hardware survives despite the competition from big box chains like Lowes’ and Home Depot, right across the street is the unholy trinity of:  the Love Zone, the Plasma Center and the liquor store.  Let’s hope that those lining up to sell their plasma didn’t make a quick stop into the liquor store first.    There have been car thefts and other disturbances in my neighborhood over time and when I would hear about something, I would be so shocked as it’s the kind of community where people look out for one another.  However, when I consider the kind of clientele these nearby businesses attract, even Nancy Drew would be able to draw some pretty accurate conclusions as to the spillover affect into the neighborhood. 

When you consider 15^th Ave. NW there is a lot of potential there, but unfortunately it’s currently a mishmash of chain stores such as Kinko’s and TMobile mixed in with small unique businesses such as the Celtic Trader and the Ballard Massage Center.   Food options range from the ubiquitous fast food places like Pizza Hut and Taco Bell vs. the Scandinavian  Bakery as well as Scandinavian Specialties, Jimmy’s and Lunchbox Laboratory which cater to people who like their food to be somewhat unique and not entombed in a cardboard or Styrofoam box.  It makes me wonder how the development of 15^th Ave. NW turned out so differently than NW Market Street.     The way NW Market Street has developed has made it a desirable neighborhood for buyers and renters as well as a destination spot for tourists and hipsters alike.

When Safeway wanted to put in a gas station there was quite an outcry from residents due to its impact on the surrounding neighborhoods.    I wonder why there hasn’t been as much pressure from the community to clean up 15^th Ave. NW and encourage the kind of creative and independent businesses that residents could be proud of?

So what’s the connection between Coldplay and eighty year olds?  Read on to find out…

Seattle is a fairly youthful city full of single hipsters.  When I first visited Ballard, even before I moved to Washington state, the joke was that the drivers were so bad as it was a neighborhood of old people who could barely see over their steering wheels.  Their cars would inevitably have bumper stickers such as “Honk if you’re Norwegian.”  These old folks would populate the Eagles Club on 24^th Street or the Leif Erickson Hall by the old QFC.  These were people who had grown up in the area and purchased their cottages and craftsman houses for prices that make present day buyers cry.  Ten years ago Ballard was far from hip.  However, there was something about it that charmed me, I kind of liked the fact that the streets were full of the elderly, to me it was like having a whole neighborhood of grandparents.  However, I didn’t always feel so drawn to the elderly.

When I was a little girl my grandmother, though she was old herself, used to take me along during her volunteer visits to nursing homes.  I fully admit to being terrified, as I was too young to understand what I was seeing.  The old people some of who couldn’t talk well due to missing teeth or breathing problems seemed like monsters to me, as they would reach out to touch me with their gnarled hands.  I didn’t understand that they were happy to have visitors, particularly a young child to fuss over. 

 Over the years I have lived here, I noticed that instead of the older faces I was used to seeing on Ballard streets, the faces have gotten younger and younger.  I first clued into the fact that Ballard had become hip when the Tall Grass Bakery opened on 24^th Street.  When I talked to one of the owners, they mentioned that Capitol Hill was just too overdone and had chosen Ballard.  Like mushrooms springing up new bars and restaurants such as Bal Mar, the Matador, Volterra, La Carta de Oaxaca, etc.  A younger population was drawn to the nightlife and the condos rapidly being built at the same time the older population was dwindling. 

However, Tuesday night these generations cross paths at a special  showing of the movie “Young at Heart.”  This film festival winner is about a real group of east coast seniors who rock out to Coldplay, the Ramones, James Brown and many groups you wouldn’t expect to even be known by this age group.  This amazing group performs this music for others startling everyone by the song choice, passion and emotion of their performances.  Don’t be put off by the fact that this movie is being shown at the Greenwood Senior Center as the event if open to all age groups with a suggested donation is $3.   I dare you to watch the following You Tube clips and see if it spins your notion of aging on its head. 

UNFORTUNATELY THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Event is Tuesday, August 26^th and  located at:  The Greenwood Senior Center is located at 525 N. 85th St.   For more information call 206-297-0875. 

Young at Heart Sings Talking Heads “Road to Nowhere”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wgrM-R6yfY&feature=related

Young at Heart Sings Coldplay “Fix You”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-3IT4TeSxY&feature=related

Unfortuately this event has been cancelled

I had been hearing a lot about the trend of comfort food at gourmet levels.   Then I saw this trend come to Ballard via the opening of Lunchbox Laboratory on 15^th Ave. NW.   It’s located in the former Ballard Brothers Burgers space next to a nail salon.  From the outside it reminded me of the little clam shacks you see in New England.  A small painted structure with some picnic tables outside for dining.   But this is not a seafood place, but a burger place, though that doesn’t fully describe choices such as the ‘Dork’, a duck and pork burger, nor fries that have rosemary salt on them. 

Before I ventured over to check it out for myself, I checked out the reviews on a Ballard website and Yelp.   The results were surprising.  On the Ballard website the reviews were decidedly not in favor of the Lab citing service, cost, inability to order a certain temperature and amount of grease.   However, Yelpers as a whole were strongly positive about the place and the ironic thing was that most of the reasons they felt positively were the same reasons people on the other site felt negatively.   On the issue of not being able to order a burger well done, the gourmands on Yelp pointed out that meat shouldn’t be ordered that way as it dries out and isn’t as flavorful.  The high cost for burgers cited by the Ballard website was explained by Yelpers as justified due to the more exotic choices of meat as well as the higher quality than a typical burger joint supplies.   Yelpers also argued against the complaints about the food being too greasy by defending the grease as the reason you visit a burger place and claiming that the entire flavor is in the grease itself.  These completely opposite positions were reason enough to pay the place a visit. 

I arrived at 6:15pm on a weeknight which turned out to be the optimal time as there were only two customers ahead of me and no one waiting behind me so I could figure out the ‘system.’  Yes, there is a definite system to the place.  There are daily specials posted but its more fun to create your own burger vision.  A large board outside helps you build your burger by labeling the steps.  Step one is to choose your meat, which is not as straightforward as it sounds, not when the choices range beyond ground beef to prime rib, the aforementioned dork, buffalo, durken (duck and turkey) though the latter was not on the board the night I went. The next step is to choose the type of cheese, another complex decision as the choices include feta, gorgonzola, and havarti in addition to the usual cheddar and Swiss.  However, my favorite step was number three, choosing a sauce or two sauces if you prefer.  This is where I spent the most time pondering.  Varieties such as Jalapeno Ranch, Basil aioli, 7 pickle dill tartar sauce, sweet and sour pineapple kept me standing lost in thought for several minutes.  If you are the type of person who goes out to Baskin Robbins and orders vanilla ice cream, there are bottles of ketchup available too.  For French fries you can choose because skinny, sweet potato and tater tots and then choose a flavored salt.  I was torn between the bacon salt and the rosemary.  A custom blend of ice tea, which I was glad included refills, was my drink of choice, although there was an extensive menu of shakes with similarly exotic flavors. 

The portion size of the food brought to me was more than adequate.  I did understand the comments made about the amount of grease as the burger was literally dripping when I picked it up in my hand.  The cheese had the glossy greasy feel, but maybe Havarti doesn’t have the same melting ability as other types of cheese?  The burger was good, but was it almost $10 worth of good?  Personally I feel that’s a stretch – I think somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 would be appropriate.  The surprise was liking the fries even more than the burger, plus at $3 they were a better value.  I usually don’t like skinny fries as I don’t like mine too crisp. However, the fries reminded me of the ones I have had in countries like the Netherlands, where they are cooked to just the right amount of crispness on the outside, but are soft and fluffy on the inside.  The magic may also have been in the bacon salt I chose.    I would visit again to order the fries again and maybe even try another salt flavor.  I also hear the chef makes a mean macaroni that I would be tempted to see how it compares to Beecher’s.  Hailing from the Midwest, I appreciate a great Mac and cheese.  

So in the end who got it right?  I think this is a case where the only way to know is to try it for yourself.