One of our favorite things to do is to clear the calendar on a weekend day and plan a few activities around a visit to our favorite weed shop in Bothell, Have a Heart Bothell. Sometimes we go all out and five-star dining, other times we prefer to slum it, because we know that no matter what, after our visit to Have a Heart Bothell, our spirits will be lifted, and we’re ready for encounters, especially, of the culinary kind. So, we’ve rounded up a few of our greatest experiences and present them here for your consideration if you’re looking to try something new when you’re in town.
When we have Carolina on our minds, or more plausibly, when we are jonesing to tear into some animal flesh, it’s to Carolina Smoke we go. Carolina Smoke is the place to be if you have time on your hands. This is the place to sit a spell while you carve out some time to yourself and await the arrival of your meticulously slow-cooked BBQ that is all about the TLC maestro chef Dave Hayward puts into it. You’ll get an authentic taste of the deep south here (South Carolina to be exact) and if you’re a first-timer, you’d be well-served to order to BBQ sampler; otherwise, how could you possibly know what to order since everything is sinfully good and smoked and prepared proper?
The sampler will get you four meats (baby back ribs, beef brisket, beef tri-tip, hotwings) and a side (get the baked beans) and we can’t get enough of the cornbread with butter and honey. It sounds innocuous enough, but once you taste it, you’re in trouble. We doubled up on the smoked mac-and-cheese and dove into the collard greens which, if you’ve never tried them before, you must, as they lend southern street cred to your feast—and they’re fantastic. If you’ve already dropped in for some of the finest recreational marijuana Bothell has to offer, you’re going to have a time with appetite control. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Carolina Smoke is located in Bothell’s Country Village, at 23806 Bothell Highway. Stop in.
Also located in Country Village, Vivendo is a charming little Italian restaurant with live music and an intimate outdoor patio. The portions are large, the prices are fair and the quintessential Italian entrees like Gnocchi, Fettuccini Alfredo and Risotto de Mare do not disappoint. This is a great place for romantic interludes with that special someone, thanks in part to the killer ambience and mood lighting. Watch the garlic, though. Get blazed before you get there and you and your special friend can take down apps like Bruchette (Napoletana or Melanzane), Mussels and Clams (in white wine and pesto sauce) and Calamari. There’s a full bar and gluten-free menu items and your vegetarian friends will be able to order a few interesting salads with non-garden variety ingredients like eggplant and artichoke.
Nearby in Mill Creek is the Twisted Lime Island Pub and we include this place because of the overall uplifting vibe. The Twisted Lime Island Pub is a surfer-themed bar with nachos that one recent customer gushed “will change your religion,” and we believe it, especially if you’ve already stopped in at Have A Heart Bothell for some pre-meal edible snacking or smoke. What we like to do is plan our trip around Karaoke Night, get ripped and belt out our favorite feel-good, sing-a-long classics that infect everyone within ear shot and provoke them to sing along. We can’t reveal our secrets or our song titles here but we can tell you a little Girl Scout Cookie or Green Crack in advance definitely takes away any and all signs of stage fright. Enjoy the spirits of the full bar and five stars for all the dishes that are messy and piled high with comfort food, coated in melted cheese. What’s not to love? Get there for daily Happy Hours with Food and Drink Specials Mondays from 3 PM to 2 AM; Tuesdays through Fridays from 3 Pm to 7 PM. Nightly Happy Hour Food Specials every night from 10 PM – 12 Midnight. Not to be missed: Mondays are Beer Pong and Steak Nights, Wednesdays are Gold Fish Racing (!?!) with half-priced bottles of wine. It’s worth the trip to this corner of 148th St. SE.
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