Gravelly Lake Brownstones- a Tri Lake Treasure

If you are a renter and want to live in the Tri Lake area, the Gravelly Lake Brownstones may just be your very best bet.  The Townhomes are new construction and have an open appealing lay out that feels much much more like a 3 story home than a town home. 

 

 

Part of what does this is the middle floor entry exterior entry into the main floor living.  The open lay out in the kitchen, living room and dining areas is appealing and simply works.  Some of the homes have dark cabinets and darker flooring and some lighter and some are a mix so there likely is a choice that you like.  You will find 2 bedrooms upstairs ( one master) plus another bathroom as well, downstairs, an additional entrance and another bedroom.

 

The location of these town homes is close to bases, close to the lakes, close to schools ( about a half a block from Lockburn Middle school), close to H and L produce, close to Lakewood Towne Center, close to parks, close to the freeway, close to St. Clare Hospital, restaurants, Movie Theaters and much more.

 

These Town homes also feature something rare in town homes, a garage, plus each has it's own dedicated parking space as well as guest parking and an easy drive way to turn around in. 

 

Rent on these homes is affordable and gives you the benefit of no yard work, as well as being close to everything you would ever want AND a beautiful new construction home.  The first phase of this project is has openings for new renters periodically and a 2nd phase will be built in the near future.

 

To find out more about these homes feel free to give me a call.

 

Anna 253 353 2662

 

Tri Lake Treasure- Edmondshire Estate

I have been privileged to know about this particular Tri Lake Treasure long before moving to the Tri Lakes area.  It is the Edmonshire Estate, and I was first introduced to it and the beautiful lady who redesigned the entire place inside and out by one of my developer clients who was at the time had hired her to work out a lighting plan for a project he was working on.

I was impressed with both Connie ( the designer) as well as the design in her home immediately.  The estate is impressive, with out being imposing.  Beautiful and at the same time perfectly comfortable and livable.  The entire place invites you feel welcome and want to stay.  The space simply feels wonderful. 

Here is a link to more information and pictures of the beautiful home.

http://www.edmondshireestate.com/

Scenes from Lakewood WA ( Tri-lake area)

 

Author's Daughter plays on Park Lodge Elementary's playground

 Sign in the window of Vinotique's window

 fall color in contrast with picket fencing.....

 folliage from one of the many chestnut trees in the area.

                                                             Ivy climbs a white oak *

 

Blog author walking home with youngest son*

 

 

"Big Trucks"  Electrical improvements in progress

 

 

 

                                           Fall has come Water and falling leaves *

 

Bakery goods @ Panera Bread

 

Contrasting leaves and bushes and ivy

*These photos taken by Chlo'e Matsunaga all others by Anna Matsunaga

Tri Lake Treasure Garlic Jim's great ( including gluten free) pizza

Want a take out pizza that's pretty special?  Tired of the ordinary pizza?  Or maybe you want an old stand by and you want it to taste really good?  Maybe just did not have time to cook and want some really good pizza.  Kids having friends over and don't want a big mess in the kitchen?

All of these reasons would be a great reason to call Garlic Jims.  Conveniently the store is located in the Lakewood Towne Center.  This works well for you if you'd like to pick up and you can also opt to have it delivered.  The menu is quite varied for a pizza restaurant and even better yet for those who are going gluten free, most of the options can be ordered with a gluten free crust in fact you can order a totally gluten free pizza.  I was excited to be able to actually eat a pizza I did not make at home myself recently when I had to work late delivering keys to a client who had just closed on her new home.  I had a gluten free crust and the cheese was goat cheese.  ( I seem to be able to tolerate goat milk and cheese and not cow milk or cheese) 

The pizza was delicious! 

My husband loved the other 2 kinds of pizza we ordered as well as did the 2 older kids....the little ones, well they were less happy, we should have just ordered a plain cheese pizza....which was available, ( build your own pizza)  we forgot that when we ordered....

Garlic Jim's is definately a treasure to the tri lake area.

Tri Lake Treasure Ardesson's Shoe Repairs and NEW shoes too

One business that can be hard to find most places these days is a shoe repair shop.  Our society has become rather throw away making a business that at one time was common a rare commodity in deed.

Thankfully if you live in Lakewood WA, you don't have to look far.  Ardesson's shoe repair has been around for over 4 decades.  They repair shoes, boots, luggage, purses, tack ( horse bridles saddles and so on) and sports equipment (golf bags, baseball gloves etc.) and more.

 This is a GOD send for anyone who would rather purchase high quality shoes and leather goods instead of buying throw away items that are not meant for longer term wear.  Buying high quality goods can save money in the end as well as being better for your feet and our planet, so I am happy to have a close by business that can repair these items for our family.  I'm glad too that we can replace heel taps easily, which is better for my back as well.

The store is well lit and staffed with friendly people who know shoes.  Each time I have been there the store has been busy so clearly we are not the only ones who think the place is great.

Since these days many shoes are mostly made to throw out and most shoes are not the best for anyone who needs orthopedic support the owners of Ardesson's decided recently to add more space and offer new shoes.  Shoes that would help those who need orthopedic support and also shoes that would be totally worth repairing.  When you come in you will want help so you know what size to look for since most of the shoes they offer are European sizes instead of American sizes.

The store offers a large variety of brands you may have a hard time finding elsewhere.  

So got a pair of shoes that need new heel taps?  Have you damaged your hand bag, have a belt that needs help?  Bring them in to Ardesson's for repair.


 --My newest pair of Fall and Winter shoes....got them at Ardesson's last weekend.

Living and (grocery) shopping in Lakewood WA- Paldo World

If you would like a place to shop for Asian groceries in Lakewood, your best bet is Paldo World.

While there are many places to shop for Asian groceries, Paldo World is an Asian Super Market.

 

  As you enter the store itself immediately you will be presented with a produce section larger in many cases than your average supermarket.

 The produce section sports pretty much all of the choices that you may be used to ( carrots, lettuce, apples, grapes) AND you will also find more exotic choices as well, varying of course with the season.

 On a recent trip we found Japanese Persimmons, several varieties of cucumbers including Lemon Cucumbers ( also known as Chinese yellow cucumbers),

 many varieties of melons and lots of veggies used in traditional asian cooking ( fresh okra, lime leaves and so on).

 Better yet, many of the items are far less expensive than other local grocery stores, so even if you are not cooking any Asian food this week, it might be worth stop for the produce section.

Further into the store you will visit an impressive sea food section where you can get your fish cut to order ( fillets, steaks and so on)

















  Again, you will find fish you are unlikely to find at Fred Meyer or Safeway for instance.  You can also pick up fresh sashimi  ( salmon, tuna, snapper and more)  Want a very fresh crab?  Well there is a tank of live crab for sale right in the middle of the seafood department.












Not in the mood for seafood? 

 

That's fine there is also a pretty impressive meat department too with beef, pork and chicken as well. There you will find thin cut beef for stir fries and some other hard to find cuts.

 

 

Besides these departments you will also find a dizzying array of crackers and snack items.

  More types of noodles than even the iron chef would know what to do with, more sauces than I know what to do with ( thankfully they stock the ones I do know what to do with and have a hard time finding elsewhere), tofu in all types and descriptions, miso,



and kim chee made from the most basic ingredients as well as veggies you may not have even known existed....and lots more.

Need to make a really quick dinner?  Pick up marinaded pork, beef or chicken breast ready to pair with rice and cook and serve.  Head to the freezer section to find many heat ( or fry) and eat items including pot stickers, dumplings of all types, egg rolls and more.

Like rice?  Paldo world carries so many types of rice that there are several isles just of rice and you can find the in all different quantities as well need 10lbs you can get that, prefer 50, that is there for you too.  Long grain, short grain, sushi, basmati, white, brown, easy cooking, what ever you want they have it.

Want a break from you usual wine or beer?  You will have many choices of popular Asian wines and beers to choose from as well. 

The store is rather clean and well organized.  The only problem you may have in shopping there is that many of the products have most of their labeling in a variety of Asian languages.  You will also find the isles marked in Korean, thankfully for those of us who do not speak Korean, there are also some English writing identifying what you'll find there. 

If you are new to Asian cooking and would like to be adventurous and prepare a new Asian dish I would suggest bringing an Asian cookbook along. ( preferably one with pictures of the items you will need from the Asian grocery store)

You will find Paldo World at  9601 South Tacoma Way Lakewood, WA 98499
They can be reached via phone at (253) 581-7800

Inside Paldo World you will also find Boulangerie Bakery and Cafe, convenient if you want to pick up a quick lunch or bakery items to take home with you for dessert or to pair with your dinner.

Living in and eating out in Lakewood- Cho Dang tofu restaurant-

If you read my blog for any time what so ever you will conclude I enjoy ethnic food, and you would be correct.  Prefer it to all others.  Which is my favorite?  Well depends on the day.

One of my favorites is a Korean restaurant called Cho Dang Tofu Restaurant.  Really the name is a bit misleading since they serve a whole lot more than tofu and for the average American with little exposure to Korean fare tofu conjures up mostly mush and bland.  Let me assure you when you order one of their tofu dishes it will be anything but bland.

What can you expect when you go to a Korean tofu restaurant?  It it is Cho Dang, expect a laid back and casual atmosphere

 and you can expect to be greeted with a friendly smile and a cup of steaming hot tea.

  This will be followed by an assortment of tiny dishes filled with all different kinds of vegetables, most of them as kim chee.  ( a fermented spicy way of preparing many types of veggies)  You will also receive a tiny breaded fried fish.  These in themselves are worth the trip to Cho Dang and your main course is not even there yet.  Better yet as you meal progresses you will not just have your water or tea refilled the kim chee dishes will be refilled as well.

For your entree you will have many choices, I would recommend the soups, most any of them, just be sure you are ordering something that suits your taste for spiciness, if you are unsure, ask.  The soups range from mild to wild when it comes to the level of heat and you can get them starring sea food, beef or tofu.  ( like I said the name tofu restaurant is a little misleading)

My other favorite there is one of the rice dishes, all baked in a hot pot with toppings cooked right on top of the rice.  I like the one with squid and beans and herbs best....once it cools enough to eat ( they will be really hot temperature wise as well)  I mix the ingredients all together ( not sure this is how you are supposed to eat or not, and it sure tastes good that way)  and eat them all down to the crunchy rice stuck to the sides of the baking dish.

The service here is good, there are many choices ( including dishes with just seasoned meat and rice for the slightly less adventurous or those who do not like their food spicy), the service is good, the atmosphere is pleasant.  ( if you don't mind a large screen with Korean shows running during your meal)  and the prices are affordable. 

Looking to add a little spice to your day?  Head over to Cho Dang and when you are done you can finish your Asian grocery shopping at Paldo World Asian Grocery and pick up your bakery items at boulangerie bakery.

Cho Dang is located at -

9701 South Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98499
(253) 682-1968