Sunday, July 21, 2013

This 'n that


Fat Salmon makes landfall


The 350 swimmers participating in the 14th Fat Salmon Open Water Swim arrived on Madison Park beach yesterday morning after successfully completing a cold swim (with or without wetsuits) over a 3.2-mile course which began at the I-90 floating bridge. Participants were required to be able to swim the distance in under two hours (laggards would be pulled from the water if they didn't accomplish that mission). The first swimmer from the first wave arrived in well under 90 minutes (that's her in the wetsuit above), and as far as we know no one had to be pulled. The event is sponsored by the Green Lake Aqua Ducks, and winners in each category were awarded (eventually, since there was a delay in determining the race results) a big fat salmon.



Sewage leak in Canterbury?


On Friday we posted a link on our Facebook page to a KIRO-TV story with the provocative heading "Sewer Detectives Search Madison Park for Sewage Leak." KIRO's photo (above) shows the vehicle of a Seattle Public Utilities team at 40th and E. McGraw that was investigating which residence, precisely, is responsible for an increase in fecal coliform in the Lake. The detected increase  is not sufficient to cause an immediate health hazard, the homeowner responsible will have to pay for repairs to the residence's connection to the sewer system.

There is no increase in fecal coliform levels at Madison Park beach, which is a long way from the suspected leak area (which has, according to KIRO, been pinpointed to a two-block radius of Canterbury).  As of Monday, King County was reporting fecal coliform levels of virtually zero at the Beach.  No worries.



Madison Park eatery a 'gem'


The current issue of Seattle Magazine has a nice little review of Madison Kitchen, which is described as a place with "seductive", "unexpectedly good" and "knockout" items on the menu. In what was an overall laudatory commentary, the only negative note was a ding at the "sometimes standoffish service."  Bottom line:  "It's worth it.  The place is a gem."

20 comments:

  1. A story about swimming in the lake and the nice new restaurant in the neighborhood sharing a column with a sewage leak affecting the lake/neighborhood?

    Mmmm. Appetizing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rabies and fecal contamination....what's next, locusts, hail or pestilence?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gotta agree with the service- I am paying $5 bucks for a latte-- and don't like being treated like I am an inconvenience. Was tempted to write the owner a few times... ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think the food service industry has become a little too hip for its own britches.

    You're no different than the humble old lady in the hairnet who used to serve me my whatever-that-stuff-was in HS.

    Get over yourselves already.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow. From your tone I think you meant "no better" not "no different". Perhaps you should get over yourself already.....

      Delete
    2. "No different" would by definition include "no better."

      If you read this blog, or watch TV, you should have learned that "food" and those associated with it all of the sudden hold a place in this society right behind actors and professional athletes. There are at least two TV NETWORKS, not shows, but NETWORKS dedicated to nothing but food. There are countless reality TV shows, "celebrity chefs," etc, etc. You should also have realized that baristas who are rude to their customers and chefs who behave like tyrants are celebrated.

      If you are going to tell me that young people who work in restaurants do not get caught up in that frenzy, well, then, they are not human. What they do not understand is that what they are doing is taking customers orders, taking their money, and serving them food, just like it has been done for thousands of years.

      So, when the person you are waiting on is paying your salary, treat them with respect. Regardless. Every time. Otherwise, you shouldn't be working in an industry that interacts with the public, because you can't count on the public to treat you the way you need to be treated so you can choose not to be rude.

      Delete
  5. I took a moment to say hello to the staff and found they are wonderful people, but like many in the service industry in this neighborhood they were quickly beat down and became withdrawn. They were not accustomed to the onslaught of guests that have treated them as a lower life form because they do these jobs.

    I've found treating others as equal to myself gets me the best results. Talking down to another is the surest way to get poor service. Take a moment to get to know someone in a genuine way and you'll often be amazed to find you have something in common - humanity.

    And before you tell them what to do next perhaps give them a moment to surprise you and do it all on their own. That is often a major component of great service, predicting your expectations before you realize you even had them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. As far as the employees, typical for Madison park. I swear to God that the employees come to work on a day one with a chip on their shoulder, having to serve "the rich"

    As far as the owner, no use complaining to him, I lost complete respect for him. not a nice person. fake business man

    ReplyDelete
  7. Trust me, I am in my twenties, and work an industry job, I am always overly friendly, smiling and tip well. They are just plain rude. Oh, and sorry, correction to the above, was always polite there, I stopped going and now shell out my $6 latte to another coffee shop. Hope they make it, but with poor attitudes most places around here don't last long.... best of luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A 12 oz double shot latte at Madison Kitchen is $4.00 including tax, at least get your facts right if you are going to berate the place!

      Delete
  8. Just a general comment:

    I find it ironic that anyone who pays $6 for a cup of coffee would be surprised to find snobby behavior involved in the trade. Think about that for a second.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed. I can not imagine getting this worked up because a barista is not sufficiently sucking up to me. Madison Park egos are fragile things!

      Delete
  9. This comment thread is hilarious. I kind of agree with all of you. Yes, they are a bit surly at MK but not worth getting all worked up over. Some people are just not overly-friendly. It's called "being real." Every Seattle coffee shop I have ever gone to with delicious coffee has surly hipsters working there. Think of Vivace, Stumptown, Vita. That's Seattle for ya. Take it or leave it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But you must remember, Madison Parkers deserve better and, in their own minds, they ARE better and must be treated as such! Also, it is always a mistake to lump MadPark in with the rest of Seattle. The rarified and highbrow residents do not appreciate being compared with the unwashed masses from beyond the Arboretum.

      Delete
  10. If you have such disdain for Madison Park, why even come down here? I find it ironic that you love coming to this amazing neighborhood - but make fun of the residents, who by the way keep this neighborhood so lovely. Stay in your own neighborhood if we are such snotty residents - oh wait, your neighborhood sucks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gotta bank somewhere, Sunshine! And I'll take the diversity, community and character of my neighbors in decidedly non-sucky Fremont over the bland, social climbing automatons down in MP.

      Delete
  11. To those commenting,

    Hello, my name is Kyle and I am one of the baristas at Madison Kitchen. There is much I would like to say in regards to what has been written above. But I am going to refrain from writing a witty quip and or a wrathful counter point because it will not produce the results I wish to accomplish.
    I am going to say this: If you have received poor service from me at Madison Kitchen, I sincerely apologize. If you waited longer than intended, I forgot your order, or I came off surly/brash/insincere I promise you it was not done maliciously, it was purely accidental.
    We get extremely busy and I can't do every task as fast as possible, as accurate as possible, and as composed as possible every single time. Sometimes I have a bad day, sometimes I'm tired, and some days I don't feel that outgoing. It's the nature of being me (or any-other person behind the counter), I'm imperfect.
    I really want you to have a great experience at the cafe which I work. I want you to walk away feeling like you got your monies worth, I honestly do!. Also, I deal with chronic Anxiety/Depression. Waking up with a genuinely happy disposition is the biggest luxury in my life. So I would truly appreciate your patients with me, because sometimes I have to go to work when I don't feel 100% happy and or chatty and or want-to-meet-the-world-with-a-smile.
    So, if you have received bad service from me I will buy you lunch on my dime. Seriously.

    your barista,
    -Kyle Lockhart

    ReplyDelete
  12. I for one applaud Madison Kitchen for your social media such as Twitter to promote their goodies. It would be nice to see other businesses in Madison Park do the same!

    Lets give credit where it's due and Madison Kitchen deserves credit for shaking things up. Oh, how soon we forget the "Park Deli"!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many of us do ;-)

      Here are some of our links to such:

      https://twitter.com/CafeParco
      https://www.facebook.com/CafeParco
      https://cafeparco.com/blog

      Delete
  13. I'm hoping I'm not so late on commenting that no one will see this. I'll just have to post it on the Seattle Mag website as well.

    I live in Madison Park, in an $850 awesome studio apartment. I'm not rich or a snob. The complaints about MPK service are pathetic and these comments are actually hilarious. Especially the ones complaining about a $5, $6 coffee. Have you BEEN to Starbucks? A 12oz latte, which needs additional shots to give it any coffee flavor, costs $5. I was excited from day 1 when I heard we were getting a new deli. I peered in the door as soon as I saw work being done. I met the owner, an awesome guy who with a friend is living their dream: To Own Their Own Place! Every detail has heart and soul in it, and I appreciate how nice and warm and different the place is than any other place in the Park. The prices reflect quality and portion. A fresh, made to order giant 1/2 sandwich is cheap and awesome compared to the packaged food at Starbucks.

    As far as having to wait on line, or wait for a to-go order, it's an ORDER AT THE COUNTER deli! It is busy because it is good and popular. If you don't like to wait, don't go. How awesome is it that a new business is doing so well so fast! Speaking of new business's, especially in the food industry, it takes a while to figure out the flow and how to best staff for it. And even if you figure it out, it changes, so you might have too many people working or not enough. Work with it people!

    Lastly, regarding the "aloof" staff, ARE YOU KIDDING ME! No one is aloof! They are busy, focused, and sometimes overwhelmed because there is a line of people and they want to get the orders right! It is not a Subway, or the deli counter at Safeway. They have attention to detail and quality and you may have to wait. I know the front staff by name because I asked their names! I talk to them and make conversation. They are busy, they are sometimes stressed. Give them a break! Be happy there is a new, awesome, eclectic, upscale deli in the neighborhood offering an option to Starbucks and all the other restaurants.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.