Pubdate: Wed, 19 Feb 2014
Source: Seattle Weekly (WA)
Copyright: 2014 Village Voice Media
Website: http://www.seattleweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/410
Column: Toke Signals
Author: Steve Elliott

HAIL CESAR'S SALAD, THE PRIDE OF AURORA

The proliferation of medical-marijuana access points in the Seattle
area has resulted in a (delightfully, in my opinion) wide and diverse
range of shops. A fascinating universe of access points awaits the
adventurous patient (at least until the entire system of
medical-marijuana access is likely shut down in the implementation of
recreational legalization measure I-502): from the really funky,
informal places with their unique charm-or sometimes not so much charm
at all-to the shops with professional signage, logos, and office
space. Cesar's Salad lands definitively in the latter category.

Open for a couple of months on Aurora Avenue just north of downtown,
Cesar's Salad's huge sign makes it hard to miss. If you're northbound
on Aurora, there's easy access; if you're southbound, that maddening
highway divider necessitates getting a little more creative, but
really only adds about five minutes to the quest. Parking can be a bit
challenging in the area, something to be aware of if you have limited
mobility.

Once inside the waiting room, I was immediately struck with its
professional green-and-black design. Everything was agreeably
color-coordinated, and there was plenty of relevant reading material
laying about.

Budtender Kelsey may be young, but she's knowledgeable and willing to
offer her input on flower selection. After I located the clear glass
jars that hold the $8 and $10 strains on a shelf behind the counter,
she pointed out the top-shelf selections ($12 per gram except for Girl
Scout Cookies, which is $16), found in solid black jars on the counter.

Perusing a few of those $12 jars, I selected SFV OG, a phenotype of
Ghost OG developed in California's San Fernando Valley. This
indica-dominant strain captures your attention in a most pleasant way
around the third or fourth toke, at which point you become suddenly
aware you are quite medicated and not in nearly as much pain as you
were just moments earlier. SFV OG isn't quite as heavy as many of its
indica sisters, so it can be useful for effective daytime pain and
nausea control.

I also couldn't resist trying an eighth-ounce of the Violator Kush
strain, which Kelsey mentioned as one of her favorites. Violator's
gorgeous trichome-encrusted indica-dominant flowers are loaded with
both THC and its non-psychoactive but pain-relieving cousin CBD,
making it a very good pain-control strain. These frosty nugs have a
dank smell and taste, and result in relaxation to the point of couchlock.

Cesar's Salad has a great selection of medibles, including Captain
Cosmic items with a very considerable THC dose of 200 milligrams,
according to the labels, for $20 each. For those with truly elevated
tolerance levels, Captain Cosmic's Quad Bars have a whopping 400
milligrams of THC. Also available is a good selection of various
brands of canna-caps (including 100 mg of THC for $12), Rick Simpson
Oil (RSO) for $50 to $60 a gram, and Butane Hash Oil (BHO) in wax,
shatter, and honey-oil forms for $40 to $50 a gram.
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MAP posted-by: Matt