Day 36: 14 Menus To Go

Clue: 206-xxx-1968

With Blake Light still stuck in Utah, it was up to Hot Sushi and me to solve the clue for the day.  We were ready all morning, anxiously awaiting a clue.  Unfortunately we had a meeting at 3 that lasted longer than expected (but Hot Sushi aced his presentation at this meeting!).  By the time I got back to my desk, the clue had already been announced!  I tried some Google searches to see if I could come up with anything, but short of calling Frank at the phone number listed like everyone else, I couldn’t come up with it at all.  When the menu was found in Issaquah, we knew that even if we had figured out the clue, there was now way we could have made it.

Of course, when I got home and called Ma and Pa Wink to whine about the clue, Ma came back with “oh, XXX Rootbeer?  We used to go there all the time!  I loved that place!”  I think Ma and Pa may need to become official members of Team MI very soon.

FAIL!

Day 35: 15 Menus To Go

Clue: A historical drinking lesson: Don't let the mann get you down.

Again, I was not in the Seattle area on Saturday, so I knew there was no way I could get the clue.  However, Pa Wink and Little Wink were both very excited to at least trying to guess what it meant.  We all immediately got on our phones and began searching historical bars/taverns in the Seattle area.  Pa Wink immediately guessed Wild Ginger or The Triple Door in the Mann building downtown.  Little Wink thought it had to do with the Rainier baseball team because they once had a “Mann” on their team.  However, I wasn’t quite following his logic on that one.  He was quite insistent though, even when I told him that there had already been Rainier baseball clue.  My guess was the Old Rainier Brewery that had recently been condemned (and where Team MI had recently spent an afternoon scouring for a menu). 

However, we were all wrong, as it was found at Gus’s Tavern on 23^rd and Cherry.

I’m excited to have the rest of Team Menu Impossible back this week, as the pressure was obviously too much for this Wink.

FAIL!

Day 33 (and 34?): 16 Menus To Go

Clue: Two brothers go shopping downtown in disguise. Both on a mission: gifts for their wives. (Head to Frango's birthplace)

Well, talk about being at the right place at the right time.  And then going to the wrong place at the right time.  As I sit here writing this, I feel defeated.  Heartbroken.  And on the verge of tears.  Let me explain….

I had just finished a delicious downtown lunch with Ma and Pa Wink and some other friends and was walking back to work when I got a text from Blake Light saying that the menus were at Macy’s.  What??  I didn’t realize they were going to post so fast!  As I received this text, I was standing in front of Nordstrom.  So I took off running towards Macy’s.  I was going at lightning speed, dodging shoppers and jay-walking across busy roads (those wind sprints have really paid off!).  I got into Macy’s, but where do I look?  I scoured the first floor (jewelry, shoes, purses – everywhere my future husband should be shopping for me) but didn’t see anything.  As I made my way through each floor of the building (occasionally pushing small children out of my way on the escalator), I started getting the distinct feeling I was in the wrong place.  Just as I suspected, Blake Light called and told me that Frango’s were actually first started at Frederick and Nelson’s, now home to Nordstrom. 

I started running again, this time faster (not necessarily because I was running out of time, but because it was actually downhill this time).  I ran into Nordstrom, which seemed to be even more crowded than Macy’s (if that’s even possible).  After combing through the shoe and purse floor (again, that is where you can buy me presents) I headed up the escalator towards women’s and lingerie.  On the escalator I met a nice guy who casually mentioned while looking at his phone “Have you heard of this Canlis menu hunt?” to which I scream “That’s what I’m doing right now!!!”  But at that exact moment I refreshed my phone and saw that the second menu had been found!  Noooooooo!!!!!!!  I felt like I could cry.  I told the guy, but he didn’t believe me.  The poor guy thought he still had a chance and went off running towards Chanel (also, a good choice for me).

I roamed the floors for a few more minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse of B Canlis to make my life complete, but finally had to hang my head and make it down to street level, where I called Blake Light to tell her we once again failed.  I also called Pa Wink to tell him about the clue and my adventures, to which he said “oh, of course.  I knew Nordstrom was the home of Frango’s.”  That’s what you get when you don’t enlist the help of Pa Wink from the beginning. 

I can’t believe we missed this one – again – by seconds!  And I can’t believe I spent sooo much time at the wrong place!  And I can’t believe I’m still sweating as I sit here typing this from running around the stores in my winter coat, gloves, and hat! 

FAIL!

Day 32: 18 Menus To Go

Clue: In the 88th year a secretary's pen softened insensible hearts. What place have we to be thankful for?

I really started feeling the pressure when Hot Sushi told me that he was also leaving the Seattle metro area for the rest of the holiday weekend.  With him and Blake Light both gone, I have to carry the team by myself all weekend!!!  I stayed downtown as long as I could on Wednesday, but with the threat of new snow and Thanksgiving traffic, I decided to leave the city in the afternoon to head up to Ma and Pa Wink's house.

At around 8PM, the clue was announced.  Ma and Pa were so excited to finally be a part of the hunt (even thought we were more than an hour away from Seattle).  Even the cats got excited!!!

I read them both the clue.  Since Ma Wink was preparing the Thanksgiving meal, she wasn’t too helpful.  Pa Wink, however, started throwing out ideas left and right.  Women's suffrage?  Washington's birthday?  Voting rights?  He even almost had me driving to Olympia!!  (This, my friends, would’ve taken hours.  Thankfully, the idea was nixed quickly).

When we finally found out the clue was in Seward Park, we were ok with it.  There was no way we could've gotten there to represent Team MI before anyone even remotely closer.  And to get another person on the side of Team Menu Impossible is always beneficial towards our ultimate goal.  One member of the Wink family was so embarrassed, though, that he couldn't even show his face.

Now that I've initiated Pa Wink into the wonderful world of Canlis menu hunting, he's decided to spend all of Friday in Seattle at a chance for one of two menus.  It's a good thing, because I'm not sure I can handle all of the pressure on my own.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

FAIL!

Day 31: 29 Menus To Go

Clue: Follow the trend for what “Brian” should have been. Where does 4:4 and an old glacier leave you?

I spent all day Tuesday working from home after the disaster filled 5 hour commute Monday night from downtown Seattle to Green Lake.  I was exhausted, cranky, and cold.  By the time the clue dropped, I was cozy in my pajamas (let’s be honest – when you’re working from home, you’re in pajamas all day) and settling down to a big bowl of pasta.  After texts to both Blake Light and Hot Sushi (neither of whom responded – come on Team MI!!!) I figured it was a loss.  I anxiously checked other hunters’ comments, hoping to find some clue that would help me claim victory.  I even Googled “old glacier Seattle” and “4:4 Brian” but to no avail.  When someone mentioned Green Lake, I dropped my pasta bowl and started to put on my shoes.  I live at Green Lake!  With the training the team has been putting me through, I could have run to the other side of the lake in well under an hour and grabbed the menu.  However, I was again beat.  Someone figured it out before I even had a chance to tie my scarf and slip on my mittens.  On the bright side, when looking at the map, Cowen Park is not as close to my house as I had originally thought, so I didn’t feel as bad.  Had the weather been a bit warmer and the roads a little less frozen, I may have been able to do this. 

The team will be without a driver for the rest of the week, so it’s up to Hot Sushi and myself.  I see wind sprints on icy hills in our near future.

On another note, look how pretty it was in Seattle!

FAIL!

Day 30: 20 Menus To Go

Clue #30: 18% without 18K could prove a little dicey. So grab your sled and come on down, we’ll meet where it’s less icey.

I will start out by saying that math is not my strongest subject. I will also add that treacherous weather and an appetite unsated by Canlis cuisine drove me to get a fix on my burger jonze:

Here it comes...the inner monologue. Hot Sushi, don't do this. Don't make excuses. You are always jonzing for burgers; and weather, no matter how blustery and blistering cold it is, should not keep you from the goal. I will give you poor math skills, but this one was all you and you let the team down. End self-deprication. (It was really bad out there though!)

The Menu: Impossible team was dispersed across the city blanketed in snow and ice. Blake Light to West Seattle, Wink Wink to Geenlake, and me to Upper Queen Anne. UPPER!! We had a good geographical spread, but would need to cover any ground on foot.... no one wants Blake Light on these roads! The clue came around 10.30, Blake Light was calling me, as it was in my jurisdiction of Queen Anne. And where was I??? Asleep! It was the burger, I tell ya, the burger! I didn't have no choice in it!

When I saw the news after waking up, I was in agony. The only consolation I had was that the menu was in Counterbalance Park at the bottom of the Queen Anne hill and I live at the top. Short of jumping in my toboggan and sledding down the hill, I don't think I would have made it. Regardless, I should have been on point for the team. I will do better next time Wink Wink and Blake Light. I promise.

FAIL!

Day 29: 21 Menus To Go

Clue: XMBMZAIXIZBUMVB

Dear Canlis,
Team Menu: Impossible has never had an issue with the level of complexity applied to the clues. In fact, in most instances, we have found them quite difficult.Self promotion aside, we have been known to dabble in some sudoku, crosswords, and spelling bees, but the history of Seattle is not commonly known among the three of us. While we may be inching closer to a menu, we attribute all of our near successes to our team training (and Wink Wink's tuck-and-roll).
Admittedly, today's menu at Canlis has now thrown off our entire game plan. Camping out at Canlis on December 11th will now be out of pure desperation as opposed to the assumption that on the last day the menu must be there.
This will not deter us though, and we must move on.

See you Monday, Brian.

FAIL!

Day 28: 22 Menus To Go

Clue: Seashells below, smoke rising above, the old Canlis landlord and a colonel unite.

Another work week done. Wink Wink, after a an impressive show of sprints and other grueling training exercises, was taking a well-deserved night off. Blake Light and I had packed it in and anxiously awaited in the car for the clue.

It came, we pondered. This was a tough one and we only had one phone between the two of us to do a lot of heavy lifting. We searched and searched and came up short each time. Finally, we hit. A magical combination of words and bam! we had the address (though still were not 100% sure of the meaning). There was no time for understanding, we had to get from downtown to 7201 Aurora, during rush hour, in the rain. It did not help that Blake Light initially tried to go without actually starting the car.

We made pretty good time. Stuck at the left turn light and seeing other hunters racing towards the prey, Wink Wink's spirit entered me and gave me the courage to perform her patented tuck-and-roll out onto Aurora, hop the median and haul Hot Sushi tail to the address.

I arrived and was seconds too late - literally. I saw the winner, menu in hand. We were closer than ever and instantly all of the things we could have done differently started to race through my head faster than Blake Light racing through a red light. And then it happened.... B. Canlis appeared and the introduction was made. His words of encouragement gave our sails a second wind and a renewed sense of focus. We will succeed (just not today).

FAIL!

*DISCLAIMER: while today was a Technical FAIL!, meeting the man who started the frenzy definitely made for a mini-SUCCESS!

**DISCLAIMER 2: though Blake Light's full head rarely makes it into the shot, rest assured she does have a full noggin.

Day 27: 23 Menus To Go

Clue: A roar of purple overhead, come echos of elation, but to and fro blue shirts would go when Owens ran the nation.

I, Wink Wink, was sitting in Blake Light’s office discussing the previous night’s events (of which, we are still contractually obligated not to discuss with you) when a semi-clue was posted, saying that Canlis would highly recommend wearing black for tonight’s hunt.  Blake Light immediately got it, saying “Isn’t tonight the Husky Black Out game?”  Bingo!  We were pumped!  We knew where it was!  Except……none of the Menu Impossible Team had tickets.  And since Seattle traffic was less than desirable around the stadium on game day, we decided to take B Canlis’ advice and stay home and warm, which involved some hot cocoa (Hot Sushi), cozy slippers (Me) and a Snuggie (Blake Light).

B Canlis – thanks for the tip to stay home.  We appreciate it.  If you could maybe next time just hide the clue at my home, we’d appreciate it even more.  Just a thought.

FAIL!

Days 25 & 26: 24 Menus To Go

Clue:  On either end of the judge’s trail two menus lie in wait. Be quick my friends, steam on ahead, now go or you’ll be late!

To summarize today's hunting we would like to begin with a little game we like to call “two truths and one lie”:

1. Team Menu: Impossible racked up a healthy $186 bar tab (happy hour prices - no food, mind you) Well done!
2. Team Menu: Impossible had a dance party in the street to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"
3. WE FOUND A MENU!

Needless to say, today's day started off full of excitement and hope.  Two menu's to be found today!  AND, we’ve reached  the half way point of the hunt!  Onguard - Team Menu: Impossible!  Stay on your feet. 

By the end of the work day (e.g. Team Menu: Impossible's co-location) no clue had been announced.  To prolong our co-location we decided it was best to go for a happy hour cocktail.  After recruiting a much higher paid and morally less inclined co-worker we headed off to the closest watering hole.  Following two (or three) rounds too many the clue was announced.

WE HAD IT!  Myrtle Edwards trail - also has train tracks close by and both end and beginning are in Seattle limits.  We split teams: Hot Sushi and I to the north, Wink Wink with the co-worker heading south.  Wink Wink called our rogue agent to confirm our suspicions, but he informed us we were on the wrong path – it was the Burke Gilman.  We turned around, but it was too late.  Quickly realizing our folly, once again, we called it a day for the hunt. 

However, the night still held a roller coaster ride of events. A vow of secrecy has been taken by the Menu: Impossible team to never speak word of the debauchery that followed.

Let's just say there was a questionable pit stop, a few tears, another tuck and roll, and more cocktails.

 FAIL!

Days 22, 23 & 24

Clue 22: 和牛 at the flagship ya

Clue 23: Like, wow! Seattle was saved 34 years ago today

Clue 24: Annie Reed follows her heart 1:07:22

Okay…. we are approaching the halfway mark and still no menus for the Menu: Impossible team. We had a rough go of it over the weekend after several tried and true attempts in the week, all leading to a big FAIL! We were feeling hopeless, lost, and hungrier than ever. What we needed was some good ol’ fashioned R&R to recharge our collective battery. Unfortunately, Wink Wink’s telepathy was misfiring again and the Canlis boys booked the hiatus for Monday and Tuesday, not over the weekend, as directed. Good luck with Martha, by the by!

Poor scheduling aside, we took some time apart for reflection on our strategy and deployment. We knew that we were getting inside B. Canlis’ head, as the clues were all dropping at locations pre-identified on our list. Our clue solving times were down 32% - a great improvement, if I do say so myself. But where are we going wrong? A few theories on this one:

1. Blake Light’s driving, while fast and effective, shakes Wink Wink and me to the core, altering our performance upon landing at the site.
2. My taste for Arby’s has deterred my appetite from the end goal.
3. Wink Wink has been showing vast improvements in her agility and determination, but is still not quite up to speed (literally) for those inner city sprints.

We have consulted with our life coach who has provided some very sound advice:

1. Wink Wink and I need to bolster our nerves and learn to accept Blake Light’s driving – it is in her nature and cannot be changed. She does get us where we need to go after all, and that is what matters. We appreciate your understanding, Seattle City Police.
2. A prescribed weekend of wine tasting and fine food has hopefully helped to put my palate back on track (thanks Voltera!).
3. Wink Wink will be sporting a sweat suit and trainers at all times, with required wind sprints at intervals throughout the day.

With a renewed sense of energy and an iron will, team Menu: Impossible is ready to approach the second half with guts and glory. We are also using “The Secret” and thus, the universe should make it happen for us. We’ve got two chances tomorrow and I can’t see how we won’t walk away with dinner for four. As for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday:

FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!

Day 21: 29 Menus To Go

Clue: "danger of crammenbeer" -- say thanks to John G.

We got the notice that the clue would drop in less than 30 minutes.  Hardly anytime to prepare!!!  Hot Sushi was meticulously studying his list of possible hiding places while Blake Light and I sat anxiously in front of my computer.  Finally – the clue!  But…..crammenbeer?  Huh??  With Google being absolutely no help, we decided to split up the word with “cram” and “beer”.  What we found made perfect sense!  Bob Cram used to design beer cans for the Old Rainier Brewery.  That was even on Hot Sushi’s list!

We dashed out the front door, where, once again, our security guards looked equally confused and amazed at the 3 of us racing through the lobby every few days.  I, Wink Wink, set the pace and was applauded by my improved speed over the course of these hunts (we think B. Canlis is trying to get me in shape for the big meal at the end of our adventure).  With some questionable lane changes and an even more questionable U-Turn, we finally could see the Old Rainier Brewery!  

Blake Light and Hot Sushi jumped out of the car to search the premises while I lagged a bit behind, still Google searching to make sure it wasn’t at the previous home of the Rainier Brewery in Georgetown.  They scoured the building, but where was the menu?

With the search yielding no results, we decided that it must be at the Georgetown location.  After all hopping in the car and driving through the parking lot, Blake Light jumped out and took one more look around the loading dock.  That’s when I got the news – clue found at Garden of Remembrance downtown.  Um…what?!?!?!  The Garden of Remembrance??  Canlis – are you now stealing our ideas?  That’s where we were YESTERDAY!!!! 

We drove back to work in silence.  Hot Sushi was especially disappointed.  We even heard him mutter “I like Arby’s” as we drove past the fast food chain. 

Was this a reference to the fact we may never dine at Canlis and from now on will be forced to eat fast food?  NEVER.  We are a team.  A winning team.  And the reward for this team is a Canlis menu.  Watch out Canlis – here we come.

FAIL!

Day 20: 30 Menus To Go

Clue: Three elms to remind us.

There we were: me, Blake Light, and Wink Wink…. getting as much work done as possible to be well poised for when the clue dropped. The latest FB post mentioned that we could expect word before noon. It was 11:13 am, coats were on, keys were in hand, potato chips and string cheese were eaten. Our team was in prime hunting condition.

The clue dropped. The team ran. Our building security and reception are starting to get a little suspicious of the Menu: Impossible team running through the lobby sporadically throughout the week, but what do we care about others’ suspicions? We were out for the kill! We were in the car and on our way - following driving off a curb and making a less-than-legal turn through a less-than-green light… go Blake Light!

Heading to our destination, the Remembrance Garden outside Benaroya Hall on 2^nd and University, we were faced with a gauntlet of red lights, construction, and competition.

I, Hot Sushi, jumped ship about 6 blocks away and started running for it, taking the southern approach. Wink Wink, noticing some other menu hunters on the chase, did a tuck and roll out of Blake Light’s car, and headed to the Garden from the North. With military-like strategies like this, we were sure to succeed.

Wink Wink and I met in the middle, Wink Wink fatigued and broken by her choice in running apparel.

We searched high, we searched low, we search far and wide, but no menu! Blake Light was parallel parking (not her strong suit) and joined us minutes later. The amount of competition that turned out was impressive. What was not impressive was that we were in the wrong location. We did one last sweep for good measure before learning the menu was in Bellevue.

Really? The Eastside?? Canlis is a SEATTLE institution, not a Bellevue institution. Just sayin’.

We were down-trodden, weary, and hungry; those jalapeño chips only sustain a guy for so long, after all. Then we saw it:

"Man was not made for himself alone" - Plato

These words from one of our many mentors helped us remember why we were doing this in the first place: Three friends in search of the impossible. We are not just one lonely sad guy searching a tree.

No! We are three lonely sad guy and gals searching in a tree. All for one and one for all, right? Right.

FAIL!

Day 19: 31 Menus To Go

Clue: Avoiding germs is simple, just don’t take a sample (for Semple’s sake)

Dear B Canlis,

All day I was sending you telepathic messages telling you I was going to be at Pike Place Market after work.  Apparently, what I neglected to tell you was that I was going to be there at 7:30PM, not 6:30PM.   Next time I’ll try to be more exact.

Warmest regards,

Wink Wink

So there I was, primping and prepping to go to the Showbox to see Ben Harper (call me, Ben!) and his new band, Fistful of Mercy.  Plans were to meet at Steelhead Diner at 7:30 for a quick bite before the show.  I figured this was perfect - close proximity to the market and downtown area.  I would be able to leave at a moment’s notice and grab the coveted menu and return in time to see Ben (and maybe even invite him for a late night bite at Canlis!  Sorry Blake Light and Hot Sushi).  After changing into my concert outfit, I did a quick check of FB, only to find the clue had already been posted and found in less than 5 minutes – what?!?!?  How is that possible?!?!?  And how is it that it was mere yards away from where I was having dinner in less than an hour!?!?!  This can’t be right!  But alas, it was at the frightening  yet intriguing gum wall in Post Alley.  I wanted to cry from defeat of having been so close, yet so far.  But Ben needed me, so I powered through.  The show was great, but the feeling of defeat lingered long after the last notes were played.

FAIL!

Day 18: 32 Menus To Go

Clue: Return Again, if Only He Could

There we were, me and Blake Light, once again working hard. With presentations to prepare, interviews to conduct, and projects to award, we were like drones keeping the hive in operation. Wink Wink was next door, busy crunching numbers and keeping her nose to the grindstone.

We were getting nervous. Blake Light and I had a meeting at 2.00 and the clue was coming anytime. Wink Wink was too busy. We were in a bad spot. Then it came: Return again, if only he could. I do not know if it was the Cantonese past lives I've lived, or divine intervention from above, but as soon as I heard the clue, I knew: Bruce Lee's grave! After confirmation from Blake Light's impressive wikibilities, we were at once delighted at solving this riddle and just as quickly crushed by our work confines. We were desperate, even trying to recruit Mini Impossibles to the team to run through Lakeview Cemetery on our behalf, but no one had the time! So close, but millions of miles away.

I hate to say it, but faith seems to be leaving me... what if we don't find three menus?  What if we don't even find one?? Can Menu: Impossible really fail? What is your plan for us, B. Canlis? How much more of these tests can you put us through?

The good news: we are solving clues and well prepared with Menu: Impossible's patented list of possible upcoming menu locations.... and we even seem to be projecting correctly!

The bad news:

FAIL!

Day 17: 33 Menus To Go

Clue: Moch to the eagle: When is half way enough?

While supporting a failing football team on a rainy Saturday afternoon (no it was not the Huskies), I maintained a level of interest (for those who cared), while still easily distracted by text messages from Wink Wink to keep me on my toes. 

When the clue came through I was on it.  The game was officially over and I could flaunt my hunting skills without potential ridicule for any hardcore fans around me.  I had it within minutes.  Moch, the former coxswain for the winning crew team of the 1936 Olympics in front of Hitler, had lead his team to a win in the final half of the race.  THAT MUST BE IT!  If only we could find where that winning boat was. 

Meanwhile, I had to balance my drive to find the clue between the ever so swift and growing competition to Team Impossible.  While continually checking the status to see if anyone had made any progress it was clear: no one was close.  While making a quick stop in Easy Street Records I made my decision and announced for all other shoppers that, "WE MUST GO NOW.  THIS IS OURS". 

Being with someone who has yet to be initiated into the Team Impossible ways, I was at first concerned.  However, as we ran out the door towards the car he made a fair attempt to show me he was dedicated.  The sandwich board sign that he failed to clear with his leaps and bounds was nonetheless a promise that he was in it to win it.  Yet, should his lack of hurdling skills have been a foreshadowing for the fail that was to come?

We had bridges to cross, but nothing could stop us.  We were well on our way to the Pocock Rowing Center where the boat that led Robert Moch to victory in 1936 now rests.  With plenty of legal and swift driving, it was Blake Light behind the wheel.  After all, it only took us roughly 20 minutes to get to the location.

Upon our arrival we searched thoroughly.  There was nothing to be found.  Another check to Facebook and we got the bad news.  We were at the wrong location.  The halfway point for the rowers was 1000 meters past the cut on Foster Island in the Arboretum.  The sign indicated just how far we had been from the answer.

Although we failed, our continued dedication for the gold is nothing short of that of Robert Moch.  There will be no "weigh enuff's" heard here - we are well on our way and at 100%.

See you soon menu.

FAIL!

Day 16: 34 Menus To Go

Clue: By and by, 21 left him to fend for himself.

After our near victory Thursday, the Menu Impossible team was hoping for another work-time  clue that we could solve (successfully) together.  Unfortunately, as the clocked ticked away the hours, Blake Light and Hot Sushi decided to go their respective ways and call it a day.  I, Wink Wink, thought that perhaps a few happy hour drinks might help my problem-solving skills, so to lower Queen Anne and Ballard I went.

Finally, the clue dropped at 6:40PM.  I was at a complete loss!  Maybe those several happy hour drinks weren’t helping as I had originally thought.  A few texts between Blake Light and myself discussing possible sports teams got us no where, so we gave up.  And with Hot Sushi in a burger and beer coma, he wasn't much help either.  A little while later I read it was found at the Denny Monument on Alki.  Blake Light!  You live in West Seattle!!!  What were you thinking???  To her credit though, the MI team didn’t help her out on this one.  We were all apparently too busy gulping down another fail.

The night wasn’t a total loss though.  In an attempt to solicit an answer from Hot Sushi and myself, Blake Light mistakenly texted a Canadian friend the clue.  The Canadian in question responded with “ooh, was this meant for me?  How mysterious…..”  Now the Canlis hunt and the Menu Impossible team have  gone international!  Unfortunately for us though, the night ended in another

FAIL!

Day 15: 35 Menus To Go

Clue: Reminiscing

Never. Never in the 15 day life of Menu: Impossible have we come so close to victory. This is today’s story… in picture!

Blake Light and I were busy at work: equal parts preparing for our 2 o’clock meeting and refreshing facebook for the clue that was to drop before noon. Blake Light was good to go with her running shoes on, keys in hand, and an “Eye of the Tiger” in her heart. Wink Wink was next door getting on her own shoes and doing some stretches to prepare for the chase. I, Hot Sushi, was not allowed the comfort of tennis shoes or stretching, as I was being punished for yesterday’s lack of participation.

Then it came, a picture of B. Canlis with Seattle Sounders’ head coach, Sigi Schmid, “reminiscing.” We were on it like Wink Wink on mac ‘n’ cheese: Memorial Stadium. Running to the elevators and cutting off more than one co-worker to nab our ride down, we raced through the lobby and around the corner to where Blake Light’s car awaited us.

After some tailgating and a few illegal u-turns (par for course with Blake Light behind the wheel), we were deterred by red light after red light.

We finally approached our destination, parked one too many blocks away and started to run. Wink Wink, being the law-abiding citizen that she is, suggested we pay for parking. Blake Light, being the outlaw that she is, said no.

Again. Wink Wink was not happy, but the prospect of the $4 lobster kept her momentum up.

After searching the parking lot for our way in, we found the entrance and made our way to our meal ticket. Only to be met by a field hand with the greeting. “Been found.” Wink Wink collapsed, not from exhaustion of running a quarter mile in a skirt – no – from the disappointment that hung heavy on her heart.

COME ON! We were under 10 minutes! Unless you are practically sitting on B. Canlis’ lap (slow down, Wink Wink) when the clue is released, what chance does a three-man team have in achieving their dreams? We thought we would at least be in time to meet the man himself, B. Canlis, but he too was already gone.

Despite our FAIL! our spirits were somehow lifted. 

(Note that above picture will also be the cover of our forthcoming emo album)

This is the first clue that we actually had a chance at! We figured it out and were on the ball, lickety split! Our training and drills have been paying off. So, while we walk away empty handed, we walk away with our heads held high and a message to B. Canlis: reservation for 3 please, because we are on our way. 

 

FAIL!

Day 14: 36 Menus To Go

Clue: With Leschi behind her Atlanta would bear, to where steam and gun smoke off filled the air.

I, Blake Light, was anxiously trying to enjoy a night at home while constantly checking the Canlis Facebook page to make sure nothing had been released. To keep my waistline and menu hunting skills up to par, I decided I could leave the computer behind and go for a run on what could be one of our last beautiful nights in Seattle for quite some time.

Shortly after my return I received a text from Wink Wink indicating that Canlis had let us know, “Be patient… its coming”. I proceeded to update my web browser approximately every thirthy seconds following this post. From a female perspective, when you hear the words, “its coming”, it is fair to assume that the action is quick to follow.

The tantric capabilities of the Canlis Brothers kept us waiting for roughly an hour and a half before sending the clue. When it came through Wink Wink and I were on the case. Roughly five minutes of internet searching and we had figured it out! It must be at Leschi Park where the Atlanta Steamboat has once been docked!

As I prepared to run out the door after the menu, I got a shocking text from Wink Wink. We were wrong! But how? This never happens to Team Menu: Impossible! She indicated it must be at Mercer Island where the Atlanta had headed into the gunsmoke. After a look at my new direction to correct my path – I got the news that the menu had been found.

Yet another fail for the Team Menu: Impossible. We do feel slightly optimistic that a menu may be in our future. We’re definitely on the right track, but where was Hot Sushi??

FAIL!

Day 13: 37 Menus To Go

Clue: O’er 100 steps and the view will show, where death once lay, waters now flow.

The Menu Impossible team spread out across the city last night to prepare for the hunt.  If it was at SeaTac, Blake Light was on it.  Hot Sushi was keepin’ it real by the water, and I, Wink Wink, was still downtown finishing up work and waiting for the clue (I may have been caught red handed on Facebook refreshing the Canlis page around 5PM, but I’m sure if he knew what I was up to, he would drop everything and join the search with us).

The clue dropped right at 5PM and my phone lit up with tips from other team members.  I instantly started to Google flooded cemeteries in Seattle (I swear I don’t have an obsession with cemeteries) but nothing seemed to really come up.  Then I remembered the memorial for a sunken ship out at Alki – maybe the clue was about a watery grave?  But how did 100 steps play into that? 

Then the text came from a coworker stating she knew it was in Volunteer Park, but unfortunately was caught in traffic on the 520 and there was no way she could get there.  Hot Sushi, in an attempt to stay “hot” and remain limber for the menu chase, was out running Discovery Park. Good effort, wrong park. With Blake Light stuck at the airport (why do out of town visitors have such horrible timing?!?!) it was up to me to get up to Volunteer Park.  I was on it!!! 



I began looking up bus routes since I didn’t have my car (what was I thinking????).  I found one right by work, but it had just left!!  I knew people were going to get it quickly, and I was going to have to race to the finish.  Let’s be honest though, I’m not the quickest runner in the world.  I prefer to run/walk, emphasis on the walk.  This was going to be tough.

The next bus would come in 10 minutes – I figured I could wait.  But as I got outside and refreshed my phone, I saw the news – the menu had been found!  NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!  We actually knew this one!  Had the teams’ planning been a bit more cohesive (Running? Airport? Working?), maybe we could have stuck together and got this one.  But once again,

FAIL.

Day 12: 38 Menus To Go

Clue:

It was a dark, cold, and miserable day in Seattle. Fall had arrived and it made my feet wet. Wink Wink and Blake Light were at an all day retreat (why does work always get in the way of our imminent success?), leaving it up to me, Hot Sushi to make the day’s success.

After finishing up in the office by one o’clock, I decided it was best for my health to run home, put on some dry socks, and finish at a neighborhood coffee shop. But which coffee shop?? Choose wisely, Hot Sushi, as your cup of joe’s location could be the key to your menu. I opted for Zoka in Tangletown. First, it was convenient to that evening’ plans. Second, Tangletown seems like a good answer to a clue, right? Or at least Green Lake. Either way, I felt prepared. So I waited for the update and got some work done… we really do work, I swear.

The clue….er, picture… was released and I was on it. With a few texts between Blake Light and myself, I actually solved this riddle! Maybe it wasn’t the hardest nut to crack, but it was the first one that the Menu: Impossible team had actually solved with 100% accuracy!! The cruel irony was, that menu was on the red monorail train, downtown, mere blocks from work. Mother nature, why must you mock me? If your relentless rain had not soaked my socks, I would not have felt the pressure to go home to avoid pneumonia! Just one more sunny day and my boots (which were in fact made for walking, but could easily run with a menu at stake) would have stayed dry and toasty, all geared up to hit that pavement and score that menu from B. Canlis’ jacket!

But alas, I can only sing what is becoming an all too familiar song for the team:

FAIL!

Day 11: 39 Menus To Go

Clue: “egg’iasm keds”

The blog told us around 1:15pm that the clue would be coming within the hour. While at home baking some birthday cupcakes for a special someone I immediately called and texted Team: Impossible teammates to keep them on the lookout as well.

When the clue arrived egg’iasm keds, I thought to myself, really? I have not the slightest idea where to start. With virtually no help from the Team: Impossible teammates, responses being: ‘Wink Wink: “well that makes sense.”’ and ‘Hot Sushi: “shoe breakfast?”’, I was truly at a loss.

I tried checking out the Canlis Facebook page as some people have been leaving some “suggestions” to help lead people in the right direction. However, I’m not sure I understand everyone’s logic that flocked to Beth’s Café following someone’s helpful addition, “where would an egg go to have an orgasm, on foot”. Since when does cannibalism get eggs excited?

The menu was actually found at Warren Magnuson's desk at Suzallo Library.  Huh?

FAIL.