Conscious Choice Seattle: Raves & Faves

December 2005 | Cover Story

Raves & Faves

The 2nd Annual Evvie Awards serve up tasty and healthy food, relaxing spas, eco-wise merchants and websites, yoga mentors, great walks, soul inspiration and more

By EM Staff

Around our offices, we think of “Evvie” as a good pal, the sort who sees the good in people and always looks at the positive side. Evvie’s best trait is knowing the best and favorite places in Seattle for all things conscious, green and grounded in a better quality of life.

Consider it Evvie’s raves and faves. The raves are this year’s winners from reader voting in the 2nd Annual Evvie Awards online survey (and we thank every one of you who voted right up until presstime). The faves are additional choices by some of our own favorite writers in the magazine’s pages.

To review, Evvies are intended to point out the greenest, healthiest, best-tasting, deepest, most peaceful, most meaningful, most socially responsible Seattle and the Puget Sound have to offer.

THE RAVES

Clothes make the Evvie

When we asked readers for the best store for fair-trade clothing, we received no clear-cut winner but a lot of terrific suggestions: Kavu, Crossroads, 10,000 Villages, Far East Handicrafts, Value Village, American Apparel, Not a Number, Terra Hemp and Goodwill.

Greening of home and car

EM readers were more decisive about where to pump biodiesel and other alternative fuels. That would be Dr. Dan’s Alternative Fuel Werks in Ballard (206-783-5728). They were equally sure about the greenest home building supply store. Environmental Home Center was the winner, not missing a beat since a late 2004 fire that forced a move to an interim location at 4121 1st Avenue South (206-682-7332, www.environmentalhomecenter.com). In fact, the store enjoyed its highest sales month ever in June.

Veggie paradise

In an urban foodscape with more vegetarian choices than cities two to four times larger, the 2005 Evvies winner for Best Vegetarian Restaurant is Café Flora (2901 E. Madison, 206-325-9100, www.cafeflora.com), a repeat performer from last year’s inaugural awards. You can speculate that the Oaxaca tacos (roasted corn tortillas filled with mashed potatoes, cheddar and smoky mozzarella cheeses with lime crème fraiche, feta cheese, black bean stew, pico de gallo and wilted greens) keep loyal customers happy and voting at www.evergreenmonthly.com. Or maybe it is the coconut tofu starter and French dip sandwich (using portabello mushroom) than entices even the staunch meat eater. Here at EM, we might argue the best reasons are the restaurant’s airy, inviting space and the committed people who work in the kitchen, serving customers and keeping the mission alive.

Honorable mention among the best vegetarian restaurants include Carmelita, Silence-Heart-Nest and the Bastyr University cafeteria on its Kenmore campus.

Another category for voters was most kid-friendly healthy food restaurant. Silence-Heart-Nest is the Evvies in this important category (that’s tomorrow’s world we’re talking about). Silence-Heart-Nest is now in Fremont (3508 Fremont Pl. N., 206-633-5169, www.silenceheartnest.com) after a long run in the U District. The Sunlight Café in the Roosevelt neighborhood finished a close second with kids and their EM reader-parents.

Things are fluid

Two more repeat winners in the best fair-trade coffeehouse, Caffé Ladro (various locations, www.caffeladro.com) and best teahouse, Kuan Yin Teahouse in Wallingford (1911 N. 45th St., 206-632-2055).

The Evvie for best smoothies goes to Jamba Juice, certainly boosted (get it?) by its location at the Roosevelt Whole Foods store. Honorable Mention to Chaco Canyon, Bee Well Juice Goddess (which would certainly be a top vote-getter for best name), Nature’s Pantry in Bellevue, and, love this one, “my house.”

Laughing all the way

Now for one of our all-time favorite Evvie categories (OK, it’s only two years, but this niche is still a classic). While there is no clear-cut winner, here are nominations for Best Places to Laugh Out Loud in Seattle: church, any soccer field, Seattle Center, Pike Place Market, Volunteer Park, “anywhere,” “everywhere,” downtown Seattle, the zoo, “at the top,” Center for Spiritual Living, bike tunnel over I-90, Green Lake, Not a Number Cards & Gifts, on the bus, theaters, Republican Party headquarters, Planet Earth, Third Place Books

Supplemental votes

Let’s make this clear. PCC Natural Markets has a lot of fans out there. PCC was voted both the best independent health/nutrition store store/Local and best health/nutrition store chain/Local. If you don’t accept that PCC can be tops in both categories, here are other top vote-getters: Super Supplements, Rainbow Grocery and Bee Well Juice Goddess in the city, plus Marlene’s in Tacoma and Nature’s Pantry in Bellevue

The best health/nutrition store chain/National winner was Whole Foods. For best websites about supplements, readers named www.supersup.com (Super Supplements) and www.sunrider.com.

Yoga power

OK, let’s make this clear too. Yoga Centers of Bellevue has a lot of fans out there. For the second year, this vibrant studio won honors as best yoga center/chain and best yoga center/independent, along with best center for beginners. If you don’t accept that Yoga Centers can win as both an independent and chain, here are other yoga centers that inspire readers: 8 Limbs, Ananda, Maya Whole Health, Tree House, Seattle Holistic Center, Om Town and Whole Life, along with Discover Yoga in Redmond and Bikram Yoga in West Seattle.

The votes for favorite yoga instructors were split among many capable and motivating mentors. So rather than name one, here are some of the names that resonate in Seattle’s yoga community: Aadil Palkhivala, Willow Kushler, Denise Carico, John Davie, Sandra Storwick, Matt Queen, Fran Gallo, Eric Odel, Mana Iluna, Ashock Immanei, Dr. Bill Mitchell, Tracy Weber, Connie Zimmerman, Diane Anderson, Aurora, George Carroll, Jill Abraham, Ronly Blau, Lisa Christian, Theresa Elliot, Deidre at Whole Life Yoga and Rebekkah at Santosha Yoga.

Integrative Seattle

Our city and region are fortunate to have ample accessibility to naturopathic physicians in ongoing practices and specialties. What’s more, we can call on all sorts of integrative medicine therapists to address our health problems—or the simple and powerful intention to stay well.

A good amount of credit for this wealth of health practitioners goes to Bastyr University, which is a repeat Evvie winner for “best clinic for comprehensive integrative medicine approach.”

In the healthy practices genre the best spa for natural treatments Evvie goes to Olympus of Lynnwood and Tacoma, with a strong Honorable Mention showing by Habitude.

Buying into it

Remember these letters: PCC. That’s because Evergreen Monthly readers once again named PCC Natural Markets as the best natural grocery chain/local. The best natural grocery store/national nod goes to Whole Foods with Honorable Mention to Trader Joe’s.

In the independent natural grocery store slot, Madison Market won the votes (and apparently stomachs) of readers. PCC was considered the Best Natural Deli Section, followed by Whole Foods getting significant votes.

PCC won honors for best locally grown produce section, best store to explain seafood sources and once again was deemed the most kid-friendly healthy food store.

The favorite farmers market was much less conclusive. Votes were spread out, appropriately, between the U District, Pike Place, Broadway, Ballard, Fremont, Magnolia, West Seattle, Lake City, Redmond, Kirkland, Columbia City, Olympia, Kingston and Bellevue.

Note to pet owners: Readers voted Mud Bay Granary (multiple locations, www.mudbaygranary.com) as the best organic/natural pet food store.

Rising to the occasion

Yum, yum and yum. The Evvie for favorite natural bakery goes to Essential Baking Co., while the best bakery for whole-grain breads is a toss-up between Essential, Touchstone and Tall Grass. Flying Apron in the U District wins for best vegan baked goods.

Talking on Walking

Once again, EM readers overwhelmingly voted the Green Lake neighborhood as the Best Place to Walk for Fitness. Other votes included Burke Gilman Trail, Snoqualmie Ridge Trails, Kirkland’s waterfront, Interlaken, Off of I-90 in the Cascades, Discovery Park, West Seattle, Discovery Park, Cougar Mountain, Seward Park, Fremont, Lincoln Park, Alki, Carkeek Park, Lord Hill Park, Marymoor Park in Redmond, Mercer Slough, St. Edwards State Park, Ravenna Park

Reading and Hearing is Believing

In a repeat, Elliott Bay Book Company (101 S. Main St., 206-624-6600, www.elliottbaybook.com) topped voters’ list for best independent bookstore. In our “Faves” section in this article, check out EM writer Joe Follansbee’s reasons for his vote. No doubt the expansive collection of books is a major reason for Elliott Bay’s popularity. Its longevity is another plus.

Honorable Mention in the best indy bookstore category goes to East-West Bookshop, University Bookstore, Third Place Books and Bailey-Coy.

Third Place Books took the vote for best independent bookstore chain/local with both Twice Told Tales and University Bookstore getting strong support and Honorable Mention. Among national chain bookstores, Barnes and Noble was considered best.

The favorite progressive radio station program was a bit splintered, probably because we used “station” and “program” in the label. Two AM stations, KPTK 1090 and KKNW 1150, were big vote getters, along with Pat Bacilli’s “Crustbusting” show on KKNW. Contact Radio with hosts Cameron Steele and Lucia Monetti-Steele were another strong reader favorite.

Inspiration all around us

One of the closest Evvie votes was for most inspirational local spiritual leader. Mirra Palkivahia at Yoga Centers of Bellevue is a co-winner along with repeat winner Kathianne Lewis at the Center for Spiritual Living.

In the most inspirational local website category, the hands-on winner was www.worldchanging.com, which does our hearts good since we featured the site and founder Alex Steffan in our October issue. (EM, “Blog Wild”).

A new Evvies category this year was most inspirational arts experience. The voting was varied but insightful: Pratt Fine Arts Center, a Stephen Mitchell concert, the Sacred Art & Music Festival, Nature Consortium’s Arts in Nature Festival, ballet, Burning Man, Intiman Theatre, Mirror Stage Company readings, Black Nativity at Intiman Theater, Seattle Symphony, Cornish College dance performances, Bumbershoot, Beatwalk in Columbia City and Thursday Art Walk Seattle.

More inspiration: Here are some of the reader nominations for “local hero you admire for eco-friendly work”: Cisco the Gardener, Raz Mason, David Korten, Goldie Coughlin, Trudy Bialic, George Ostrow, Tim Brincefield, Vic Opperman, Patti Southard, Ty Snethen, Blake Rankin, Harriet Bullitt, Milenko Matanovic, Pieters Bohan and Ronny Bell.

The bright side

One of our favorite Evvie question hits squarely on quality of life. We asked readers to name the best thing about living in Seattle. The answers keep us nodding and loving this city even more: It’s less than two hours from almost anything in nature, trees, lots of dogs, lots of progressive residents, gorgeous summers, rain, water views, a lot of good people, open-mindedness, Mt. Rainer, more focus on recycling/biodiesel/organic gardening, it’s not L.A., all of the green spaces, rainbows, the statewide no-smoking ordinance, co-op mentality, green homes and condos, availability of vegan food/restaurants, the city’s commitment to Kyoto Protocol, Top Pot Doughnuts, a tolerant attitude.

THE FAVES

We asked regular writers Ritzy Ryciak and Joe Follansbee to name some of their favorites in Evvies categories. Here is a sampling:

Spa-tacular heat

In the winter, Seattle is cold. Our drippy weather does wonders for the moss but leaves many Seattleites shivering. Unlace your hiking boots, peel off your Gore-Tex and step into one of the hottest rooms that Seattle has to offer.

"People come to us for the heat,” says John Goodfellow, a Russian Bath enthusiast and one of the owners of Banya5, an urban spa located in the heart of Seattle just off of Denny (206-262-1234, www.banya5.com). “We have the best heat around."

The word banya in Russian means bath and one of the unique features of a Russian banya is its parilka or stove. At Banya5 the parilka measures in at 220 degrees— definitely not a moss-friendly temperature but for many, the perfect anecdote to icy drizzle.

“The heat is not harsh, it is penetrating,” says Goodfellow, describing the experience of sitting in a room at a temperature that could possibly bake cookies. “It is not a surface thing. The heat is deep and it warms your core.”

The experience is similar to a sauna but the air inside of the parilka is much hotter and retains more moisture (most saunas range from 160-180 degrees). Your skin doesn’t dry out and if you take a cold plunge afterward you have just given your body a circulatory experience without exercising—the contrast is exhilarating.

What’s more, Banya5 offers a eucalyptus infused steam room, a plunge pool the temperature of Puget Sound (55 degrees), a hot tub and a tepid salt-water bath, known as the restorative pool.

The writers’ bookstore

A bookstore run by a national chain opened in my neighborhood in 2005, and while I now enjoy more choices, it was a reminder of the slow and steady decline of the independent bookstore. Thank goodness for Elliott Bay Book Company in Pioneer Square (206-624-6600, www.elliottbaybook.com). It consistently makes the city’s “must see” lists, because it keeps some of the quirkiness of the neighborhood bookstore while offering as many choices as a big box bookseller.

Elliott Bay Books has one of the most welcoming atmospheres of any area bookstore. The worn wood of the ancient wooden floor creaks with nearly every step. You’d think the sound would make you nervous, but it brings back memories of an old school library, complete with musty smell of loved volumes.

Even though my tastes have changed over the years, going from the classics to computer books to maritime history, Elliott Bay Book exudes stability and a sense of place. I’m not a bookstore snob, in that I’m not afraid to buy on Amazon.com, which I know hurts the independents. But Elliott Bay Books is going strong, and I buy there when the spirit moves me.

Independent booksellers can offer something Amazon and other online booksellers can’t, and that’s an in-person reading. Having written a couple of non-fiction books myself, I know how much work it takes to get that thing done and out into the world. So I support my friends when they promote their work.

Last summer, I went to a reading at Elliott Bay Books of Pirate Queen: In Search of Grace O’Malley and Other Legendary Women of the Sea by Seattle author Barbara Sjoholm. Grace O’Malley was an Irish pirate in Elizabethan Britain. Elliott Bay Books is renowned for its support of local writers, and that’s more precious that a fat advance on my first novel—if it’s ever accepted by a publisher.

–Joe Follansbee

Nonstop tea time

The scent of ground cinnamon and steeping oolong tea swirls in Teacup, the
exquisite teashop located on the very top of Queen Anne (2207 Queen Anne Ave. N., 206-283-5931, www.seattleteacup.com).

“I bought this shop to make the world a better place,” says Elisabeth Knottingham, Teacup’s owner since 2002 and a passionate tea lover for more than 15-years. “I could talk about tea nonstop for the next 50 years and not have talked about tea enough.”

Teacup has two tea plants growing outside its front door and the staff will happily explain the processes that leaves go through to get to your cup. This shop carries more teas than any teahouse west of the Mississippi.

“I want people to sit down for five minutes, have a cup of tea and generate a little peace,” says Knottingham.

She picks up a canister of Green Dragon Oolong and breathes in the scent.

“Can’t you smell Taiwan?” Knottingham asks. “Can’t you smell the dirt, the air and the ocean? Everything that is a place is distilled in the tea that grows there.”

–Ritzy Ryciak

Deep-blue commitment

I’m fortunate enough to live in a part of Seattle that has a nice view of Puget Sound. I can see the inland sea between Vashon Island and Bainbridge Island. The surface of the salt water is active with ferries, pleasure craft and cargo ships.

I can only imagine what’s going on underneath the surface, and that’s why I’m glad People for Puget Sound (911 Western Ave., 206-382-7007, www.pugetsound.org) is keeping watch. It’s the only local, environmental not-for-profit I know of whose sole focus is the creatures and habitats of this singular body of water.

The mission of People for Puget Sound is protection and restoration of the 90-mile waterway stretching from Olympia to Port Townsend, as well as the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the waterways surrounding the San Juan Islands. The organization wants to eliminate pollution in the waters, halt the destruction of habitat and support environmentally sound economic practices so people can continue making a living on the sound.

People for Puget Sound is not afraid to dream big. For example, it is working with Seattle environmental groups and a landscape architectural firm to promote what it calls the “Elliott Bayshore Opportunity Zone.” The zone covers 13 miles of shoreline in Elliott Bay, and envisions waterfront development with an environmental focus.

The zone features green spaces, native vegetation, public art, a continuous waterfront walkway and “pocket” beaches. Look for People for Puget Sound to become a stronger voice for sustainable environmental policy and down-to-earth action in the coming years.

–Joe Follansbee

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