Mio Sushi, Cake Envy - Greenlake and Unicorn - Capital Hill

Country Girl and I visited two neighboring Greenlake eateries, Mio Sushi and Cake Envy this week.  We'd been to Cake Envy once previously and this was our first trip to Mio.  

Mio is a NW chain with a handful of restaurants in Washington and Oregon.  The Greenlake location is in a space formerly occupied by an Italian place we tried once and enjoyed.  Despite it's less than stellar reviews on Yelp, we decided to give Mio a go for happy hour last week.  Two rolls, a couple of appetizers and a big Sapporo later, we were both glad we did.  Very nice service and tasty food.  Only sad news was no nigori sakes on the happy hour menu.  Likely to make another trip there. 

Just next door is Cake Envy, a specialty cake and cupcake shop.  They also make wee, mini-sized cupcakes which are very nice.  We first came here as a result of an online coupon I bought.  In addition to wee cupcakes, they also serve sparkling wine.  They make an excellent pairing.  To sweeten the deal even more (so clever!), they have a daily happy hour where everything is half off and cupcakes are buy two get one free.

We went a show at Neumos later that evening and on the way stopped by Unicorn on Capital Hill for a beer.  It's very spacious with two levels and an interesting, rather ornate interior.  Lots of bright, stripped painting with circus themed knick knacks affixed throughout.  Loads of booth seating to go along with tables.  Beer selection is sorely lacking though the food menu looks, interesting (unicorn balls?  oh my).  They music played while we were there was good, albeit quite loud.  Big upside is the 6 or so pinball machines and handful of retro arcade games.   

Grilled Salmon with MediterraneanRub, Butternut Squash, Brussel Sprouts and Cous Cous

Simple rub of Dijion mustard, olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, basil, salt, and paper. Country Girl said it turned out splendidly!

Hudson Public House - Maple Leaf

A few days before the big summer holiday trip to visit Country Girl's family in Utah, we stopped by Hudson Public House in Maple Leaf.  We had noticed its opening some time before as well as the newish beer shop next door to it, The Last Drop Bottle Shop.  Given the esteemed company (Last Drop has turned out to be quite the gem), we thought it worth a stop by.   We've since made another visit there and had varying experiences.

Limited, off-street parking is available on the side of the building which is nice when available.  Hudson shares the lot with a Pagliacci's and the Last Drop so there aren't loads of spots to choose from.  It's located just south of the Lake City Way intersection so there's limited street parking in front.  We were lucky both times there parking wise as we got in the lot once and the other time we found a spot on the street just in front.

The interior has a clean, modern look to it.  Lots of wood paneling with medium dark tones.  It's fairly spacious, having both a good size bar seating area and booths and tables lining the outside.  Country Girl pointed out that the ladies room is very nice as well.  Their extensive craft beer list is impressive in length, if not variety.  In addition to the usual array of ambers and IPAs (boo), they have a couple of porters and stouts (yay!).   We also tried one of their burgers (taking advantage of the fried egg topping, natch) and it was very tasty.

Unfortunately, the bartender on our first trip left much to be desired.  Despite it not being terribly busy and our being sat at the bar, we were ignored for stretches at a time.  He appeared much too busy helping out his bffs sitting next to us.  The second go-round was much better service wise.  Again, business wasn't bustling and even though we sat at a table, we got prompt service.  The bartender even changed the TV to the Olympics upon our request.

All in all, I recommend Hudson with one reservation.  It's a very nice facility with a cozy, modern feel and their dedication to craft beers is commendable.  Sadly, they suffer from the typical Seattle malady of way too many IPAs,  pale ales and ambers to the exclusion of most other varieties.