Return of the Yummy: July 2008

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Seattle Eats

Here is a list of Seattle-area restaurants that I've visited -- the good, the bad, the ugly. My goal is to keep this list up to date with the different establishments I dine at, along with a brief review, rating (1-5 stars, 5 being best), expected price range per person, and if applicable, dishes to try or avoid. These are personal preferences. Generally, a restaurant gets 5 stars from me not just on food quality and taste, but atmosphere, service, and perhaps most importantly, the value you get. If a place has good food, good service, and their prices are reasonable, on my list they'll likely have a better rating than a place with excellent food, high prices, and poor service.

I'm not a professional food critic, I don't claim to have the most sophisticated palate, and what I look for may be completely different from what others look for. All I know is what I like -- and what I don't. Also keep in mind that I'm allergic to alcohol so I usually don't have any with my meals. Adjust the prices for yourself if you know you like to enjoy a glass of wine or two with your meal. These restaurants may or may not be exclusive to the Puget Sound area.

Seattle

Benihana
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $25-35 for lunch, $35-45 for dinner
Particularly good: Fried rice
Review: Very busy during dinner -- you definitely need reservations. You can hear the crickets chirping during lunch, however. And warning: while they validate parking tickets during dinnertime, they don't during lunch -- and it's not cheap. The money you 'save' during lunch is pretty much blown on the parking. As for the food, I've had better at other Benihanas. They cook their scallops whole instead of cutting them up (which infuses more of the seasoning they add), which goes for their shrimp as well. Their fried rice portions also seem smaller as well.

Chinook's
Rating: 2 stars
Price: $12-18 for brunch
Particularly good: Warm scones served with orange butter
Avoid: All brunch dishes, as far as I can tell
Review: I've only been here for brunch, so my review is somewhat limited, but I've had their brunch menu many times. Good atmosphere, but the food is absolutely nothing to write home about -- every different egg dish I've tried, from scrambles to omelettes, have been pretty much terrible. My friend used to simply order sides -- plain eggs, hash browns, and bacon. That may be the way to go. The best thing they serve is free: a basket of warm scones with orange butter. The atmosphere and the scones gave this restaurant an extra star.

Etta's Seafood (Pike Place Market)
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $17-22 for weekend brunch
Review: Tom Douglas is a famed Seattle restaurateur, but there's nothing about Etta's that stands out, at least, not during brunch. It was certainly not bad, but nothing I'd write home about.

I Love Sushi (Lake Union, Bellevue)
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $13-20 for lunch, $30-40 for dinner
Particularly good: Fresh sushi or sashimi
Review: There are three I Love Sushi locations in the Seattle area; I've been to the Bellevue Main and Lake Union branches. Both had excellent, fresh sushi. Their prices are reasonable for what you're getting, but I would definitely recommend going during lunch to get the most bang for your buck. The I Love Bento, which varies on every visit, can sometimes have everything you want or need so make sure you ask -- and it's only $12.95.

Kabul (Wallingford)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $20-26 for dinner
Particularly good: Lamb kebab "special"
Review: A popular, but small restaurant, I'd recommend making reservations. We had to wait even at 8:30pm (granted it was a Saturday night), and there were still people waiting when we left around 10pm. The lamb kebab was excellently prepared (cooked medium rare without asking), flavorful and fresh. Normally lamb is too gamey for me, but at Kabul it was only delicious. If you get a kebab definitely get the "special," which is $1 more and you get Badenjan Borani (eggplant with yogurt sauce) with your meal, which is also served with flavored basmati rice (a bit on the salty side), salata, and Afghan bread. My cousin had the Qorma-i Sabzi (a sort of lamb stew), which was a bit intense, especially with the flavored rice. She loved the lamb kebab as well, and said that next time she'd be trying the chicken version. I took off one star because they could definitely be a little more generous with their portions.

Kisaku (Green Lake)
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $11-18 for lunch
Particularly good: Fresh sushi or sashimi
Review: High quality, authentic Japanese food for very reasonable prices. Has a similar menu to I Love Sushi (particularly their sashimi lunch), with fish that is just as fresh and costs a bit less. Their menu choices are slightly more limited, and their caterpillar roll isn't as big/impressive (but then, it costs $8.50 versus ILS's at $13), but when the basics are done so well, it doesn't really matter.

Paseo Caribbean Restaurant (Fremont)
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $7-15 for lunch and dinner
Particularly good: Their sandwiches, particularly the pulled pork
Review: Tiny place and the line may be long. Will be totally worth it. Call ahead with your order so you can pick it up (though you may still need to stand in line to pay). My favorite sandwich here used to be called the "Midnight Cuban" -- the name is completely irrelevant. All that matters is the savory pulled pork stuffed into a delicious, perfect bread roll with lettuce, grilled onions, cilantro, and garlic mayonnaise. For extra kick, have them give you a side of their habanero oil. Tip: When you dine in, the sandwich is served with corn on the cob. If you order to go, they won't give it to you unless you specify that you want it.

Sam's Sushi Bar & Grill (Ballard)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $25-45 for dinner
Review: Lovely, fresh fish served in a casual and clean atmosphere. In addition to the lobster roll, I ordered the sashimi plate, which came with a small bowl of rice and miso soup. The lobster roll was good, but the lobster was deep fried and didn't much have the taste of lobster. I'd recommend another roll that would taste about the same but cost less. The sashimi plate came with decent portions of fresh fish, but was a bit lacking on variety. It was supposed to be a "chef's selection" of the day's freshest fish, and it came with several pieces of hamachi; a few pieces of maguro; a few pieces of salmon; a few pieces of albacore tuna; and one scallop sliced in half. My experience of chef's selection plates at sushi restaurants have varied widely, from plates that came with a lot of variety to those that boasted a minimum selection. I suppose the point is that one cannot choose what's considered "freshest of the day" and it could be that, in this case, the more 'typical' fish were freshest. It could also be that, as I had asked the server to make sure there was some hamachi on the plate (my favorite fish), they decided to err on the side of the guest's preference. But it could also be that (and this is my fear when ordering chef's selection plates) they don't actually choose the freshest fish of the day, but what's economical for them. In any case, given the other plates offered on the menu, the plate I ordered was probably still the best value and came with very fresh, delicious fish.

Tamarind Tree (International District)
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $15-20 for lunch
Particularly good: Sugar cane shrimp
Review: I haven't been here often enough to suggest anything particularly good or bad, unfortunately. I remember my one experience to be quite good, if a little pricier than one might expect from a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. However, this is one of the few places in Seattle I have found that serves a wide variety of Vietnamese dishes, rather than just the ubiqutous pho. My favorite Vietnamese dishes involve charboiled meat or seafood that you have to wrap yourself in rice paper and fresh vegetables and herbs, which you then dip in nuoc cham.

Wasabi Bistro (Belltown)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $30-50 for dinner
Particularly good: Chef's choice sashimi plate
Review: Wasabi Bistro styles itself as "modern Japanese food," and this is showcased especially in the type and variety of their rolls. Their fish is impressively fresh, and artfully arranged, making for a great presentation. Their chef's choice sashimi plate (priced at $35, $45, and $55 -- the Web menu is a bit out of date) is possibly the best deal on the menu, as it comes with a generous portion of a variety of sushi, which of course changes depending on what's freshest that day. I was lucky and got a couple of pieces of toro on mine, as well as amberjack, which is apparently a type of yellowtail -- I've never had it before. The only problem with Wasabi Bistro is that it's quite pricey. Even without a drink or dessert I managed to spend $50. One option would be to go during their happy hour, in which they have a limited selection of rolls/sushi/cooked appetizers for $5-6 (and $1 miso soup). Happy hour is every day from 4-6pm, and 11pm-1am Sun-Thurs.

Wild Ginger: Asian Restaurant and Satay Bar (Downtown)
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $25-40 for dinner
Particularly good: Angkor wat chicken
Review: This is what I would call an Asian fusion restaurant. It borrows from various Asian cuisines in an upscale setting. The food is very good and the prices are decent, but I took a star off for: inconvenience of location (middle of downtown) and the necessity of having a reservation for dinner -- or don't even bother. It's always been jam packed the few times I've visited. It's not that good to be worth the hassle. While the food is, as I said, good, I believe the popularity of this restaurant has more to do with its ambience and perceived stature rather than the food itself.

Eastside

Andre's Eurasian Bistro (Bellevue)
Rating: 1 star
Price: $35-45 for dinner
Review: Extremely overpriced for only passably decent food.

Bis on Main (Bellevue)
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $20-30 for lunch
Particularly good: Truffled pommes frites, seared ahi tuna, kobe beef burger
Review: Pricey but worth it. The portions are generous and the food is delicious. I went with a large party and so got to try a number of their lunch entrees; everything was fantastic, from their halibut to the hangar steak. Their fries in particular were extremely tasty; everyone kept eating them and marveling at how delicious they were. The ahi tuna was extremely fresh and wonderful; my only nit here was that I wished it had been served with some kind of sauce involving wasabi -- instead it was served plain, probably because the fish was so fresh the patron was expected to appreciate it on those merits alone, which is not a bad thing.

Blue Ginger: Korean Grill and Sushi (Bellevue)
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $12-20 for lunch
Particularly good: Yuk gae jang (spicy hot beef broth w/ green onion, veggies & shredded beef brisket), fresh fish sushi
Avoid: The barbecue; it is surprisingly flavorless. Good Korean barbecue can be had elsewhere.
Review: I normally shy away from restaurants that have mixed-Asian cuisines for, as a general rule, they tend not to be good at any of them. Blue Ginger is a rare exception. I almost always order a prepared Korean entree as well as an order of hamachi, because their sushi has been very fresh the few times I have tried it. The Korean entree comes with a good number of traditional banchan (side dishes), which I just love. The atmosphere is great too.

Buca di Beppo (Lynnwood)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $25-35 for dinner
Particularly good: Spaghetti with meat sauce, bruschetta (only if you dine in)
Avoid: Pizza -- it's nothing special or even particularly good
Review: Buca is hit or miss with people, but I enjoy it a lot because there are some things they do really well and some things they don't. Luckily, I enjoy the things they do really well, so I'm personally a fan of Buca. It's a little pricey for one or even two, but it's better for large parties (they do serve their food family style, after all).

Cafe Ori (Bellevue)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $8-15, lunch or dinner
Particularly good: Deep-fried tofu with salt and pepper, Taiwanese-style pork chops with rice
Review: Excellent Hong Kong cafe-style Cantonese food found right in Bellevue. The service can be somewhat lacking, particularly when they're busy (peak lunch hours), but in a way that kind of makes it "authentic Chinese," lol. The portions are large, the food comes out fast, and the prices can't be beat. If you go during dinner you can feed a family of 4 for under $30 -- and still have leftovers. A big drawback, however, is that they accept local checks and CASH only.

Canyons (Bothell, Redmond)
Rating: 2 stars
Price: $12-17 for lunch or dinner
Particularly good: Yellow fin tuna tacos, if they don't overcook the fish
Avoid: Ultimate nachos -- heavy and tasteless
Review: Decent southwestern food, but not as good as you might want or expect. The yellow fin tuna tacos are good, but in my experience they're often overcooked when they're best only seared. They used to have "cornadoes" -- French fries made with corn instead of potatoes -- but other than as a novelty they weren't anything special. Looking at their menu now, it seems they realized it and have nixed it from their repertoire.

Coho Cafe (Redmond)
Rating: 2 stars
Price: $25-35 for dinner
Review: I've only been to the Redmond branch. The food is decent, not great, but the worst thing is that nearly every time I've come here the service has been exceptionally bad. The only reason I've been here more than once is because I used to have a discount card that was good for a free entree with every paid entree.

I Love Sushi (Lake Union, Bellevue)
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $13-20 for lunch, $30-40 for dinner
Particularly good: Fresh sushi or sashimi
Review: There are three I Love Sushi locations in the Seattle area; I've been to the Bellevue Main and Lake Union branches. Both had excellent, fresh sushi. Their prices are reasonable for what you're getting, but I would definitely recommend going during lunch to get the most bang for your buck. The I Love Bento, which varies on every visit, can sometimes have everything you want or need so make sure you ask -- and it's only $12.95.

Kikuya (Redmond)
Rating: 2 stars
Price: $15-20 for lunch, $25-35 for dinner
Review: Kikuya in Redmond is a decent Japanese restaurant, though primarily for their cooked food. Sushi can be had better elsewhere. They used to have a daily lunch special (particuarly good on Saturdays) that included a ton of food, including a bento box (with a few pieces of sashimi) and a small bowl of udon. However, the last couple of visits have been subpar; the quality of their food has gone down as they are obviously cutting corners.

Malay Satay Hut (Redmond)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $10-15 for lunch, $20-25 for dinner
Particularly good: Roti canai appetizer, curry beef brisket with rice or noodles
Review: I've only been to the Bellevue location, but the food is consistently good. The restaurant is very open and airy, but the service is often mute and sullen. I've tried several of their dishes and they've all been good, though my favorite is their curry beef brisket with melting tendon. Like many restaurants, you get the best deal during lunch, when you get a generous portion along with soup for less than you'd pay at dinner.

Mayuri (Bellevue)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $10-12 for lunch
Particularly good: Chicken makhani (butter chicken)
Review: This is probably my favorite Indian restaurant in the Puget Sound area, at least for now. It's a bit on the run down side, but that's what makes it comfortable. Like most Indian restaurants I've been to, the best -- really, only -- time to go is during lunch, when a buffet is offered at a fraction of the cost charged for dinner.

Nara Japanese Restaurant (Redmond)
Rating: 0 stars
Price: $20-25 for dinner
Avoid: Everything, as far as I can tell
Review: This was possibly the biggest mistake I've ever made, restaurant wise. I should have turned around and exited when I realized that the restaurant was run by non-Japanese Asians (always an iffy sign when it comes to sushi). The food quality was extremely poor, the portions were stingy, and the prices were astronomical considering what you're getting. Imagine sitting down at a gourmet restaurant, getting served a McDonald's cheeseburger, then being charged $20 for it. That's how outrageous it was.

Rikki Rikki (Kirkland)
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $15-25 for lunch, $30-40 for dinner
Particularly good: Crunchy roll
Avoid: Teriyaki anything
Review: Another Japanese restaurant that has seen better days -- the quality level of their food has dropped even as they've tried to spruce up the place with a more hoity toity atmosphere. They do have some of the best tempura I've ever had; the batter they use is particularly crisp and delicious. But that is tempered by some of the worst teriyaki I've ever had; it's like boiled meat swimming in a pool of glop. As for sushi, it's good -- but the restaurant used to boast that their fish:rice ratio was the highest around, and that started to be less and less true as well.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (Bellevue - downtown)
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $40-60 for dinner
Particuarly good: Filet cut of beef, fresh seasonal berries with sweet cream sauce
Avoid: Non-potato side dishes, as compared to the rest of the menu they are surprisingly lackluster
Review: For a regular, middle-class person, one visit here requires a significant chunk of change, but if you make a reservation, just forget about that and enjoy yourself. The steaks are indeed cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious. The service is impeccable. If you are dissatisfied with anything, speak up -- you're paying for it, after all.

Szechuan Chef (Bellevue)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $10-12 for lunch, $15-20 for dinner
Particularly good: Hand-pulled noodles, Chinese hot pot ("da been lo")
Review: I'm an avid meat eater, but their vegetarian hand-pulled noodles is better than their meat versions; not sure why. And if you're not in the mood for traditional Chinese dishes, this is the only place I've been able to find in the area that serves Chinese hot pot -- a pot of soup (that can be split in two; a spicy half and a mild half) that is kept bubbling at your table while you add your choice of raw ingredients to cook in the soup. All the ingredients are small or thin enough to cook within minutes if not seconds. Afterward, enjoy a bowl of hot broth flavored by all the delicious things you and your companions have cooked in the soup during the meal.

Togo's (Bellevue)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $7-12 for lunch or dinner
Particularly good: #24, avocado and turkey sandwich
Review: A regular sandwich shop -- nothing fancy, but with consistently good sandwiches when you're in the mood for one. One note: Their avocado is basically just mashed up avocado that they scoop onto your sandwich should you order it. It's not fake stuff and they're pretty generous with it.

Tu Casa (Redmond)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $7-12 for lunch, $12-17 for dinner
Particularly good: Enchiladas with shredded beef
Review: Great Tex-Mex food at great prices. Service is fast and typically friendly, and their portions are huge. Go during lunch for the best deal.

Typhoon (Redmond)
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $20-30 for dinner
Review: The food is good, but the portions are small, the atmosphere is snooty, and their prices are higher than the experience is worth.

Udupi Palace (Bellevue)
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $10-12 for lunch
Review: Udupi specializes in South Indian food, which is primarily (if not exclusively) vegetarian. As an omnivore I do just fine, but do somewhat miss meat when I eat here. My cousins (who are vegetarian) absolutely love it. Make sure you order fresh dosas if you go during the lunch buffet; it's included but must be special ordered.

Wibbley's Gourmet Hamburgers (Bellevue)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $7-10 for lunch or dinner
Particularly good: Cheeseburger
Review: Wibbley's is a happy medium between Red Robin and fast food burgers. It's not a sit-and-serve restaurant -- you order at a counter -- and the prices reflect that. But the burgers are made fresh, with quality ingredients, and the ambience -- casual and yet formal at the same time with its polished wooden tables and high stools -- is great. I've tried 3 of their burgers so far -- cheese, mushroom, and onion -- and I like the plain cheeseburger best. The onions were rather tasteless and the mushrooms were overly salty. The fries are usually fresh and hot, and you can grab what condiments you like from two condiment locations. But make sure you bring cash -- they don't take credit cards.

North of Seattle

Alligator Soul (Everett)
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $12-20 for lunch
Particularly good: Their "side" dishes, which includes deep fried catfish and fried chicken (not whole pieces)
Review: I went for their crawfish boil, which as far as I can tell, is fairly rare outside of the South. If that's what you're looking for, they seem to have one every other Saturday. The atmosphere was homey and the service was very friendly. The food was also decent and reasonably priced, though I'd have to go back to give a more accurate rating.

Bonefish Grill (Bothell)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $25-35 for lunch, $30-45 for dinner
Particularly good: Fresh fish entrees
Review: I've been to both the Bothell and Seattle locations (though the Seattle one is no more), and the food at both was equally enjoyable. The food and atmophere are both very good, and the bread with pesto/olive oil dip that comes before the meal is one of the best I've had. I took off a star because I believe it's a bit pricey for what it is, and the service at both locations was somewhat snooty.

Canyons (Bothell, Redmond)
Rating: 2 stars
Price: $12-17 for lunch or dinner
Particularly good: Yellow fin tuna tacos, if they don't overcook the fish
Avoid: Ultimate nachos -- heavy and tasteless
Review: Decent southwestern food, but not as good as you might want or expect. The yellow fin tuna tacos are good, but in my experience they're often overcooked when they're best only seared. They used to have "cornadoes" -- French fries made with corn instead of potatoes -- but other than as a novelty they weren't anything special. Looking at their menu now, it seems they realized it and have nixed it from their repertoire.

Frida's (Mill Creek)
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $7-12 for lunch, $10-15 for dinner
Review: Self-proclaimed "gourmet Mexican food," Frida's is pretty good. Prices are reasonable, but the location is a bit out of the way for me to make a special visit.

Fu Man Dumpling House (Bitter Lake)
Rating: 2 stars
Price: $15-25 for dinner (could probably serve two)
Avoid: Scallion pancakes -- thick, tough, and oily
Review: This was supposedly one of "the" places to go in the Seattle area for true Chinese dumplings. But I was warned ahead of time that that did not mean it was good. Just good for here. In comparison to the dumplings that can be had in LA, this was dreck. But if you're desperate, it'll do. The dumplings were more Taiwanese style; I have yet to find a restaurant here that serves Shanghai-style dumplings.

Himitsu (Bothell)
Rating: 2 stars
Price: $12-20 for lunch or dinner
Review: Average Japanese joint. Nothing is bad, but nothing stands out as being excellent. Their prices are average as well -- nothing to break the bank, but then the food doesn't warrant high prices. I don't think I've ever tried their sushi; what I've seen in the glass cases has never impressed me as being particularly enticing. They don't serve their tempura with the usual tempura sauce, but some table vinegar instead -- a negative, in my view. I get the teriyaki chicken without the sauce -- the chicken is already flavored and the sauce just makes it too sweet.

Ka Won (Lynnwood)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $15-20 for lunch, $20-40 for dinner
Particularly good: Traditional Korean BBQ set menu, salad
Review: I have only been to their Lynnwood location, though there might be others. The food is excellent, though pricier than you might expect to pay. Their prepared dishes are quite good, as is their BBQ set menu. My absolute favorite thing, however, has to be their salad, which comes as a giant mound. Something about the fresh lettuce and sweet/sour dressing is just undeniably delicious. Your cost here can vary widely depending on what you order; the prepared hot dishes run about $9-20 while the BBQ set menu is $46.99 (but can feed 4).

Matsu Sushi (Lynnwood)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $12-17 for lunch, $25-30 for dinner
Particularly good: Sashimi and tempura combination
Review: This place was a delightful surprise. It's located in a strip mall (but what in Lynnwood isn't?) and doesn't look like much. The decor is a bit worn and old, and from a glance you might have doubts. But the food is fresh, the portions are reasonable, and so are the prices they charge. The people who run the place are Japanese, which is always my preference when eating sushi. The difference between Matsu and Nara in Redmond is like night and day. The same dinner combination yielded not only better fish, but better quality of the fish, period, and more generous portions. The tempura was good, with two large prawns and an impressive variety of vegetables. I took a star off due to ambience, but for everyday good value and a casual place to take family and friends, it's a great choice.

Mill Creek Bistro (Mill Creek)
Rating: 1 star
Price: $10-20 for dinner
Review: I pass this place all the time on my way home from my carpool lot. I wanted to give it a try because what if I were missing out on good food so close by? I wish I had let myself keep wondering. The service was friendly, but the food was terrible and extremely overpriced for how bad it was. They claim to be a "Japanese Fusion/Korean BBQ," which means offering teriyaki, tempura, and simple sushi rolls, along with some traditional Korean fare. There was no way I was going to eat Japanese food there (especially since the people who ran it were clearly Korean), so I tried the beef bulgogi. The quality of the meat was so poor that they had to overseason the beef in order to make it edible. The kimchi (the only banchan to come with the meal, unless you count miso soup and a salad, which I don't) was awful. The salad dressing was thick, sweet, and peanuty -- but not in a good way. And I had to pay $16 (with tip) for this meal. For that amount I could actually get decent-to-good Korean or Japanese food.

Outback Steakhouse (Bothell, Kirkland, various)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $13-25 for dinner
Particularly good: Coconut shrimp and seared ahi tuna appetizers, Outback Special, No Rules Burger
Review: An affordable, fun place to go for a decent steak or burger. I'm also a big fan of their coconut shrimp with marmalade dipping sauce, surprisingly fresh seared ahi tuna, and the No Rules Burger, which is no longer on the menu but can still be ordered. The Outback Special is a very good steak for the price, especially when ordered medium rare.

Pasteur Noodle Soup (Everett)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $7-15 for lunch and dinner
Particularly good: Sugar cane shrimp and grilled pork with rice paper and veggies
Review: Don't let the name fool you -- this place has far more than just noodle soup (unlike the vast majority of pho shops in the Puget Sound area). It offers a variety of dishes from Vietnamese cuisine that goes beyond pho, including sugar cane shrimp, and barbecue that you conduct right at your table, wrapping the results in rice paper and fresh veggies/herbs, then dipping into nuoc cham. Their sandwiches are also very good -- and only $2.95. If I worked or lived near here I'd be coming all the time. The atmosphere leaves a bit to be desired -- it's in a strip mall attached to a gas station and across the street from Home Depot, and the place itself has probably seen better days -- but you're here for the food. Reasonable prices for items you can rarely get elsewhere in these parts.

Patty's Eggnest (Lynnwood, more)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $12-15 for breakfast or lunch (closes at 3pm)
Particularly good: The "Big Foot Special"
Review: Very homey food in a diner setting. Their specialty is their breakfast; they serve large portions at mid-range prices. Their Big Foot Special comes with an 11 ounce country-fried steak, 2 eggs, hash browns, and toast for $10.95. It's definitely not health food -- but if you're looking for a comfort meal and a comfortable setting, this is the right place.

The Rock (Lynnwood, Mill Creek)
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $12-25 for lunch or dinner
Particularly good: Their pizzas, especially the "Wild Child"
Review: Stumbled upon The Rock due to having late-night munchies with a friend and it was one of the few places open. Who knew it'd be such a gem? Dark, modern atmosphere and great food. Perfect place for a casual get together after work or any time.

Ta-Ke (Bothell)
Rating: 3 stars
Price: $11-20 for lunch
Particularly good: Beef teriyaki
Review: According to a friend (and my GPS navigation system), this place used to be "Yama San." I've never been to the old incarnation, but the new one is not bad. It's above average Japanese food, with a fairly typical menu (sushi, teriyaki, tempura). The sushi was not the freshest or most generous portions I've ever had, but nor did it come close to being as bad as some places, which serve you sushi that looks old or oddly stiff and off-colored. The prices were about what you'd imagine for an average Japanese restaurant ($11.95 at lunch got me a bento box with soup, salad, rice, beef teriyaki, shrimp (1) and veggie tempura, 3 pieces of sushi, and 4 small pieces of sashimi), but frankly for the same money you're getting a far better/fresher meal at I Love Sushi -- and more, too. However, I Love doesn't serve meat, which is a mixed blessing, and Ta-Ke actually has beef teriyaki that was surprisingly delicious. They also have a choose-your-own-combination plate for $8.95; you choose two items from a fairly large selection -- that could be a decent deal. Bottom line is, for an average Japanese joint, it was above average.

West Seattle

La Rustica
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $25-40 for dinner
Particularly good: The Bruschetta al Salmonaccio starter. Tender and delicious, and generously portioned.
Review: Lovely restaurant overlooking the water and serving Northern Italian fare. The food is very good and they make sure you walk out of there with a full stomach. The place is a bit small and they don't take reservations for parties under 6 so you may have to wait a bit, but it's worth it. They usually participate in Seattle Urban Eats, and that's always a great time to go.

Spring Hill
Rating: 4 stars
Price: $25-40 for dinner, $20-30 for brunch
Particularly good: The hangar steak
Review: Great food -- but you have to be one of those people who have a broad and sophisticated palate and are willing to place yourself in the hands of the chef (in this case, Mark Fuller, alumnus of The Dahlia Lounge), because there's no specifying how you want the food prepared; it is prepared how the kitchen deems it should be prepared. Their steak is served medium rare -- they will not cook it any other way. Don't bother to go in for take out; they feel this compromises the integrity of the food. These standards work just great for me, because in my opinion they sure know what they're doing. Favorite time to go is on Mondays, which is "pasta night." Pastas are $10, and my favorite hangar steak is on the menu. Perfect to share both with a companion and walk away without too much damage to your wallet.

Places I'd Like to Try

Monma Grill of Tokyo: 8440 160th Ave. N.E., Redmond; Closed Mondays; Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; Dinner 5-10 p.m.

Yellow Curry Chicken Legs

When I was young my mother occasionally used to make curry chicken as one of the dishes she served at family dinner (along with others, of course, as per usual Chinese family style of dining). She used whole chicken pieces rather than what one would more commonly get in a restaurant -- smaller pieces or sliced meat. It was a favorite of mine and my brother's. I love curries in general, but recently I've been craving a more Chinese-style curry. I had a can of coconut milk that I wanted to use as part of a curry, but I am almost certain that my mother's curry didn't use milk, which is more traditionally Thai than Chinese, so I couldn't ask her for the recipe. Nor did I want to go online to find a recipe for curry with coconut milk, both because it would undoubtedly lead to Thai-style curries, which I generally don't like due to being too sweet, and because curry seems like the sort of thing that would be fairly easy to improv.

Luckily, I was right. :) Here follows the ingredients I used in mine, with guesstimates as to certain amounts since I didn't do any measuring (marked with an asterisk). Obviously a very forgiving recipe; the ingredients show more what I had in the fridge that I wanted to use than any true planning. For future attempts I'm likely to use an extra carrot and perhaps a red pepper for the contrast in color, as well as more cornstarch to thicken up the curry -- but not too much.

Ingredients

5-6 chicken legs, bone-in and with skin
1/4 pound of fish balls
2 red potatoes, cut into medium-size chunks
1 large carrot, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 brown/yellow onion, chopped into medium-sized pieces
1/2 red onion, chopped into medium-sized pieces
3 large white button mushrooms, thickly sliced
3 large crimini mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 can light coconut milk
5-6 tbsp yellow curry powder
1 1/2 tbsp Chinese BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
3 tbsp water
salt and pepper

Method

Heat peanut oil in a large pot (I used a dutch oven) on medium heat. Brown chicken for 8 minutes, turning once. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Remove chicken to a plate. Do not clean pot of juices. Toss in the onions and potato and cook until they start to turn brown, just a few minutes. Remove as much as is feasible to a plate.
Add in the coconut milk, fish sauce, curry powder, and BBQ sauce. Stir until fully incorporated and bring to a boil. Simmer until slighly reduced, a couple of minutes.
Add in the tomato slices (they will melt and be part of the sauce). Place the chicken legs in the pot, and try not to crowd them. Add the onions, carrot, and potato on top. The sauce at this point probably won't cover everything, but don't worry, there will be more than enough liquid by the time the curry finishes cooking. Cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours or so. It's probably ready sooner than that, but I like for the meat to be falling off the bone so I leave it longer.
Half an hour before you're going to turn the heat off and serve the curry, mix the water with the corn starch. Add into the bubbling curry and stir to mix. Add in the mushrooms and fish balls. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes or so.
Taste the curry and season as desired. Serve hot with white rice.

Pictured here with white rice and hot tea.

Crawfish in Seattle

A couple of weekends ago for lunch, I went to a Cajun-style restaurant in Everett called Alligator Soul. See, about a week before that, I interviewed a woman who was from Louisiana. After the interview portion we got to talking, and crawfish was mentioned. It's been something I've longed to try, because I love seafood/shellfish, but have never been to the South (except for one day in Dallas, but that doesn't really count). Doing some research online, Alligator Soul was the only place even remotely near me that served actual whole crawdads (as opposed to bits of it in a gumbo, or jambalaya, or whatever). It seems that every other Saturday they do a crawfish boil during the lunch hour, so I took the opportunity to go.

The place itself is a little run down, but that kind of added to its charm. The service was really friendly. And the crawfish plate for one that I ordered came with 1 pound of crawfish, along with some fixings. I also ordered a "side" of catfish, because I love fried catfish. When the food came I was stunned at how huge the portions were. I know crawfish aren't that big, but I wasn't expecting THAT many in a pound. And it came with two corn on the cob, three huge red potatoes, two halves of a roasted garlic bulb, and two good-sized spicy sausages. And all this for $10.95. O.o The side of catfish was basically a deep-fried filet with some really yummy tartar sauce that was great too. And it was only $4.50.

I wish I had brought my camera so I could have taken a pic of the giant platter of crawfish that arrived at my table, but oh well -- maybe in two weeks. :D They were good, kind of a cross between shrimp/lobster as many have said, but their shells are so hard that my fingers were hurting part of the way through from opening the shells. The photo is of my leftovers, because it was just too much food for one person. Look at how much is in my leftover box (which was really deep)!

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

This delightful and filling risotto makes a lot -- so be sure you have friends over to help finish it all, or you'll be having risotto for days on end! Though I suppose that may not be a bad thing.

Recipe originally found at MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as oyster and cremini, cleaned
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for serving
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method

Remove stems from mushrooms; set aside. Cut mushrooms into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside two-thirds of the mushrooms and coarsely chop the remaining mushrooms; set aside. Place porcini mushrooms, mushroom stems, and 6 cups water in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Let boil for 2 minutes; immediately remove from heat and let stand 15 to 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into another medium saucepan; discard solids. Place mushroom stock over low heat and keep covered until ready to use.
Cut 2 inches from the top of asparagus; set aside. Cut remaining portion of the asparagus crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil; prepare an ice-water bath. Place asparagus tips in boiling water and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes; drain and immediately transfer to ice-water bath to cool.
Drain and set aside. Repeat process with 1/4-inch asparagus pieces.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat.
Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high; season with 2 teaspoons salt. Let cook, stirring, until liquid is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the warm mushroom stock and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Repeat this process 2 more times.
Add reserved coarsely chopped mushrooms and season with 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue adding mushroom stock, 1/2 cup at a time, and cook, stirring, until liquid has almost evaporated, about every 2 minutes, until rice is al dente, 20 to 30 minutes total.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add remaining two-thirds of the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add asparagus tips and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add 1/4-inch pieces of asparagus to risotto and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove risotto from heat and add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil to risotto, along with butter and cheese. Stir until butter has melted and mixture is well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide risotto evenly among 4 serving plates. Top with sauteed mushrooms and asparagus tips. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

Classic Cheese Fondue

Yesterday a LiveJournal friend asked for ideas about what to do with apples. I suggested cheese fondue, because when Jade and I were in NY not too long ago we went to Artisinal and got cheese fondue, and our server recommended apples for dipping. We were both rather skeptical (maybe because our last experience with dipping fruit with cheese was on our Oregon trip when Amdoch was dipping fruit and cookies on a dare into the pot of Velveeta Rotel that Krim had made), but we were pleasantly surprised by how yummy it was.

So I've been thinking about delicious, gooey cheese fondue, and how easy it is to make. Artisinal is known for its fondue, but what we had tasted exactly like what I myself have made a number of times from a recipe I got at the NY Times. If you have the desire for fondue, make it! You don't even need a fondue pot as long as you have a container that retains heat well, such as a cast-iron skillet. You can get one for like $10-20 new (depending on size), or perhaps even better, find one at a yard sale, sold by someone who doesn't appreciate the years of food memories that have gone into seasoning the skillet. And once you have it, it's good for sooooo much more (traditional Southern cornbread, for instance!).

Many people might say that you can't really have cheese fondue if you don't have a fondue pot, because one of the keys to fondue is keeping the cheese hot and runny to make dipping easy. But you don't need a fondue pot as long as the cheese has a constant heat source -- which you can get from a cast-iron skillet or a small Dutch oven. Since those retain heat very well (and distributes it evenly), the cheese will likely be gobbled up before the heat wears off and the cheese starts to congeal. And even if that happens, it's an easy matter to put the skillet/oven back on the stove, stirring until the cheese is back to a liquid consistency.

Another note is that you want the wine you use to be good. Not good as in expensive, but good as in good. I'm no wine connoisseur, but even I was able to taste the difference when using 'bad' wine in this recipe. Good wine for drinking and good wine for cooking are different things -- so you don't need to get an expensive bottle of wine. I recommend Charles Shaw, which you can get at Trader Joe's. It is a run off of Napa Valley so it is still good, but it is very inexpensive. Depending on where you live, it may cost up to $4/bottle. It's $2.99/bottle where I live, and in California it's $1.99/bottle. And you won't even use the whole bottle in this recipe, so really, it's perfect imo.

Originally posted at The New York Times

Ingredients

1 small garlic clove, halved

1 cup dry white wine (such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)

3/4 pound Gruyère cheese, grated

3/4 pound Emmenthaler, raclette or Appenzeller cheese, grated

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 to 2 tablespoons kirsch (optional)

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (optional)

Crusty bread cubes; steamed broccoli or cauliflower; carrot, celery or fennel sticks; cubed apple; seedless grapes; clementine sections; cubed salami, soppressata or kielbasa; roasted chestnuts and/or dried apricots, for serving.

Method

1. Rub cut side of garlic on inside of large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, preferably cast iron, rubbing the bottom and halfway up the sides. Add wine and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss cheeses with cornstarch. Add a handful at a time to simmering wine, stirring until first handful melts before adding next. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until cheese is completely melted. Add kirsch, if using, and heat until bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if desired. Serve with crusty bread and other accompaniments.

Yield: 6 main course servings or 10 appetizer servings.

If you don't have kirsch, don't worry about it. I personally don't think it adds that much, just a hint of sweetness. Also I love garlic, so after step #1 I sometimes will mince the halves and throw them into the melted cheese for extra garlicky flavor.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

I have failed to make decent pizza crust for many years. After all this learning about sourdough, I was finally successful with a recipe I cobbled together from a simple one I found in various places online and a not-so-simple one from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread.

This all came about because I had ripe sourdough starter (extra from feeding discard) that I didn't know what to do with. So I deliberately used a recipe that used sourdough starter instead of anything that required the addition of active dry/instant yeast. The online recipes seemed too simplistic (like the other recipes I've tried in the past that were failures) while the recipe from the book didn't use sourdough starter at all. So I just kind of combined the two to make them work for my purposes.

Ingredients:

About 2 cups ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration), cold
About 2 cups bread flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt

* If you can, weigh the ingredients and put the same amount of flour as you have starter. Adjust the amount of salt and oil accordingly.

Method:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is homogeneous and smooth (it will be sticky but not too wet).
Divide dough into 6-oz portions (every 6-oz portion will make a 9-12" pizza) or as big/small as you prefer. Discard leftover dough or make into grissini.
Lightly dust each portion. Gently shape into a ball. (At this point you can freeze them by lightly oiling each ball and putting them individually into freezer bags. Defrost the day before you intend to make the pizza.) Lightly oil dough balls and put them on a baking sheet (or smaller container depending on how many balls of dough you have). Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Two hours before you plan to make the pizza, take the dough out of the fridge. Lightly flour your hands and press the dough down to a disc to about 1/2" inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and proof (leave it alone) for 2 hours.
About 45 minutes before you plan to bake the pizza, place a pizza stone on a lower third rack oven the oven and preheat to 500°F or as high as your oven will let you go (the higher the better, but most home ovens cap at 500 or 550).
After the 2-hour proof, dust your hands and put the disc of dough over your knuckles, using them to gently rotate and stretch the dough. If you're brave or feel comfortable, toss the pizza as the professionals do! The gluten should be relaxed (and yet developed enough) for you to be able to stretch it easily and it can get fairly thin without tearing. If it does tear, DO NOT RESHAPE (doing so will almost certainly make the dough too springy and "tough" and you'll have to wait another 5-20 minutes for the gluten to relax so you can try again). Simply pinch the hole closed with dough on either side.
When you have the dough shaped how you like it, transfer it to a peel. Top with sauce, cheese, and your choice of toppings (try not to overload, especially if it's a thin crust). In this order, I used Trader Joe's pizza sauce, basil leaves from my new homegrown plant, mozzarella cheese for melty goodness, and a 3-cheese blend of hard cheeses like parmesan, romano, and pecorino.
When the pizza is ready for the oven, sprinkle some semolina flour on the pizza stone, to make sure that the pizza will slide easily on (and more importantly, off). Use the peel and quickly slide the pizza onto the stone -- don't be too hesitant or it will just be messy.
Bake for 5-8 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and brown and the crust is golden. Use a peel to take the pizza off the stone (should be easy with the semolina base) and wait a few minutes for the cheese to set a bit before slicing.

The Pictorial

After the dough was proofed for 2 hours, it was stretched out to a shape kind of, sort of, resembling a pizza (sadly, I think this is the best I've ever done). I did it right on the pizza peel so that there would be less transferring back and forth.