Critical Eater

Last week, on the way to the Nada Surf show at the Moore, we stopped by Serious Pie, the new Tom Douglas pizza joint behind the Dahlia Lounge. Tom himself was there hanging out and supervising in the small kitchen. The lighting and wood used throughout the space gave me that warm and inviting feeling that I look for when dining out. We loved the comfortable leather stools and the general vibe of the place.

We started out with a large carafe of the house chianti ($15). Even though it tasted “cheap”, I found it to be a good value considering three of us got a couple glasses each out of it. Next, we started with 2 appetizers, the roasted red haven peach with prosciutto ($10) and the zuchetta al forno ($7). Completely disappointed with both of them. What a waste of money. They are a bit stingy with the portion of the proscuiutto (considering the price and amount you get in other Seattle restaurants). The peach served on the side just does not work. It tasted more salty than sweet. Yuck. Even though it’s a horrible appetizer, I’m sure the interesting-sounding combination of peach and prosciutto will ensure they sell loads of these. The zucchini dish was no better. Small portion and the anchovy and garlic sauce grossed me out. I should have asked what was in bagna cauda sauce before we ordered. My bad on this one.

We waited a loooooong time for the pizzas to come out. The staff is very floaty and tends to casually “ignore” anxious, hungry, waiting tables. 20 minutes later, the pizzas finally came out - we tried the house mozzarella ($11) and cherry bomb peppers with sweet fennel sausage ($13). I liked how they were cut into semi-rectangular pieces; reminded me of Little Caesar’s Pizza from back in the day The pizzas were good, but not great. They were about $2-3 pricier than I would have liked. For this kind of money, I would much rather go to Tutta Bella or even get a small cheese pie delivered from Pagliacci (I love their sauce!).

Four of us got out of here for ~$60 and I was still hungry. Just like past Tom Douglas restaurant experiences, I left underwhelmed. It’s not that the food is horribly bad, in fact it’s usually pretty good, it’s just that there’s little bang for the buck, and that’s unacceptable for this critical eater. If you MUST eat in this neighborhood (the culinary wasteland of downtown), and you don’t feel like going to Assagio, then Serious Pie isn’t a bad place for some cheap wine and a quick snack. Just go in with low expectations and stay away from the appetizers.

Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA

It’s been a while. I’ve been enjoying the summer and have had no time to update this site. I’ve been eating less and am 10 pounds thinner as a result. I hope to post on here semi-regularly as I have a bunch of old pictures that I need to write posts for.

Stay tuned…

I love July. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and the Bite of Seattle are two events I look forward to every year. It pains me to tell you that Bite of Seattle sucked this year. Sorry, I meant the Comcast-sponsored Bite of Seattle sucked this year. I’ve gone the past 4-5 years in a row and it seems like I enjoy it less and less. I’m completely ok with the hot weather and crowds. That’s a given. What really gets me down is the declining number of food booths and increasing number of corporate booths. I came here to eat. Not apply for a mortgage loan, buy a timeshare, learn about lasik eye surgery, or meet my “favorite” radio station personality. Even my favorite Horn of Africa was booth was missing this year! Imagine the horror of rushing to the Horn’s usual spot right above Fisher Pavillion and finding a fucking Harley Davidson motorcycle tent in their place!!! A sad day indeed.

However, many of my favorites were still there. Tom Douglas’ booth has some tasty donut and smoked salmon samples. The Indian booths had their $2 mango lemonades. Enjoyed some great $2 value tastes from a couple of the BBQ joints. Piecora’s Pizza had some slices for the regular price of $2.75. $1 coconut prawns from Racha. Speaking of Racha, even though their booth was less than half a mile from their restaurant, they are probably the only Asian restaurant worth checking out at the Bite. I don’t know why the other Asian joints even bother showing up. Who the hell wants to eat sushi rolls when its 95 degrees out. Who the hell wants to spend $6+ on yakisoba and/or pad thai noodles when there are so many other interesting, cheaper options available.

Saving grace of the Bite this year was the benefit for Food Lifeline. I decided to be generous and do my part for charity by donating $10 for a plate of some great food. Little bites of steak, hush puppies, blueberry salad, crab cake, pork, cupcake for dessert, etc… Really high quality stuff. Tom Douglas himself even sliced and served me my steak. Probably the best value at the Bite of Seattle, considering how much many of the booths were charging for small portions. After spending an hour and half at the Bite, we gave in to the heat and walked home. Overall, fairly dissapointing Bite of Seattle compared to previous years. Hopefully next year they place more emphasis on the food and keep the non-food booths to a minimum. Either way I’ll be back in 2007.

I had never heard of La Casa Del Mojito until a friend suggested we try it out for dinner. It’s a hidden gem that serves some of the tastiest Latin American food I’ve had. This tiny restaurant was packed inside and out when we visited on a recent warm Sunday evening. It’s also pretty well hidden from Lake City Way, so make sure to print out the map and phone number before visiting.

The four of us started out with a round of refreshing mojitos and caipirinhas ($7) followed by Luam’s Platter ($10.95) which is basically a platter of various fried finger foods. For dinner I went with the Vaca Frita ($12.95), shredded beef with a side of rice and beans. I also got to sample a couple other dishes: the Parrilla De Luigi ($15.95), a few huge pieces of citrus-marinated steak surrounded by rice, beans, and other fun little bites on the side. The Guiso De Pollo ($11.95) was a nice half chicken with rice and beans. All of these were really tasty and a pretty good value considering the amount of food. My favorite dish was the steak. I only got to try a few bites, but liked what I tasted and will order this next time. By the time we left, we were buzzed and STUFFED! Great meal. Wow.

We decided to skip dessert at La Case Del Mojito and instead head over to Bouchee Creperie & Cafe in Fremont for their delicious crepes and Kir Royals. Turns out they were closed (seems like they are never open whenever I am craving crepes). UGH. Still craving dessert, we headed up the hill to Tutta Bella for their incredible tiramisu.

Those of you that know me, know that its really hard for me to stop eating. Even when I’m full, if an opportunity arises to nibble on scraps or finish off someone else’s plate, I’ll find room in my stomach. So we sat down at Tutta Bella and decided to start off with another round of snacks before dessert. The four of us split a small Naples Salad ($6.95) and the Flatbread ($2.95). Naples Salad is my favorite salad here and didn’t dissapoint this time. We also got a bottle of their house red wine, the Stella Montepulciano ($19). Among the many things I love about Tutta Bella is the fairly priced wine list. Most are in the low-mid $20s. We somehow managed to finish all this food as well as the delicious Tiramisu ($5.95) and a round of Cappuccinos ($2).

Thousands of calories later, it was time to call it night. Wow, what a party!!!

La Casa Del Mojito
7545 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA

Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizza
4411 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA

I’ve been on a blog vacation for the past week. Plenty of eating, just not enough time to post. I’ve got a backlog of 4-5 places, but have to take a minute and talk about my second visit to Tamarind Tree in the international district. Walked in around 9pm for a late dinner and was surprised to see that they were packed. Had to wait 10 minutes for a table. Tamarind Tree looks absolutely gorgeous at night. The lighting really helps here and gives the restaurant such a cozy feeling. Walking in from the strip mall parking lot, one would be shocked at how nicely decorated this place is. I wish I hadn’t forgotten my digital camera at home (oops!)….

I like how they have a full bar with cheap-ish drinks. We sampled the mojito, lemongrass martini, and lychee martini. $6 each and all very very good (and strong). To start, we had the spring rolls ($4) and coconut cakes with shrimp ($6.75). Loved the spring rolls. Coconut cakes weren’t as amazing as I remember them. With this dish (and others on the menu), they give you a huge serving of lettuce, basil, mint, etc ….Like $3 worth if you were to buy it all in the grocery store. So we took the lettuce, etc to go. I figured I can use the mint to make a couple mojitos at home Next up was the chicken pho ($5.75) and some sort of chicken dish with chili oil and lemongrass. It was on the specials list and was only $9. Super greasy, but really tasty. Unfortunately we were too full to order dessert. Our bill finally came and we ended up ordering $24 in alcohol and $25 in food. Not too bad. We were satisfied. Until next time. I’ll be back very soon….

Tamarind Tree
1036 S Jackson St # A, Seattle, WA

Sitka & Spruce has received plenty of buzz in the short time they’ve been open. I was fairly apathetic about them until I read this review in the Seattle PI. My mouth started watering at the description of the tri-tip steak sandwich mentioned in the article. I was sold! I stopped by for a weekday lunch about a month ago. We rolled up at 11:30 just as they opened the doors for lunch. There were already 6 people waiting in line. The word was definitely out. We walked in, grabbed a seat, and perused the menu written on the chalkboard. Since this menu changes daily, I didn’t think they would have the steak sandwich that I read about. And I was right. Too bad. Nothing on the menu really called out to me, so 2 of us went with the sea bass ($12) and another companion went with the porcini mushrooms over greens ($8). We ordered a bottle of white wine ($26) to go with our meal. I couldn’t help but notice the attitude of the guy behind the counter who took our order. He looked bored and could have cared less if we’d set foot in his restaurant. He had this sense of aloofness about him that bordered on pretense. Call me strange, but I notice little things like this….

Sitka & Spruce is fairly small with only a few small tables and one large communal table. Our waiter (same counter dude) brought out our meals. There was a moment of silence at the table as he set down our plates and left. We were all thinking “uh, that’s it?”. Please note that I’m not the type that necessarily likes humongous fat-American sized portions (unless its Mediterranean Kitchen), but at the same time I’m not anorexic. I enjoyed the sea bass even though I’m not a huge seafood fan. The pickled carrots and peppers on the side were a nice touch. I felt sorry for my other dining companion whose dish was only a few pieces of mushroom over a small pile of greens and a slice of bread. We finished eating in a matter of minutes. For the prices they are charging, a few extra bites on each place would have been nice. What a rip-off!

At this point we felt cheated because we had just paid our bill and were still hungry. So we said FUCK THIS PLACE, left, and rang up our standby favorite - Paseo to order some sandwiches for the road. I went with the Midnight Cuban ($6 or 7) which was the perfect finish to our long, expensive lunch. At last I was full! Even though I felt Sitka & Spruce was a poor value, I’m slightly curious to see what their dinner experience is like. Although at these prices, I’m probably better off going elsewhere for table service, bigger portions, and a more comfortable atmosphere to dine in. Oh, and get here early if you want your own table, otherwise you get to sit at the communal table, a concept that works great in my dining room or lunch spots like Salumi, but feels out of place here.

Sitka & Spruce
2238 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA.

I love eating pho. This simple vietnamese noodle soup is reasonably healthy, delicious, and cheap - all key elements for this critical eater. The Than Brothers chain are easily my favorite pho joints in the Seattle area. A medium bowl ($4.25) is all you really need to fill yourself up. I typically order the Pho Ga (chicken pho) because as with most pho places, the beef tastes bland to me and has a weird texture. Chicken is healthier anyway.

To be honest, pho tastes the same almost everywhere I go. The broth and flavors don’t really change much, and part of the fun is adding the right mix of basil, lime juice, sprouts, hot sauce, and hoisin sauce to the soup to give it the right flavor you’re looking for. The reason why Than Brothers stands out and why I favor them above the rest is because of the free cream puff they give you with every order. They’re the best fucking cream puffs I’ve ever had!! I usually end up getting 3 ($1.25) for the road and enjoy them on the way home. GODDAMN these things are addictive.

Than Brothers Restaurant
516 Broadway E, Seattle, WA. (various locations)

I wish there were more Middle Eastern restaurants in Seattle as its easily my favorite type food. Sadly, there are few to choose from (I’ve been to them all), and because of this, I usually end up at my favorite Mediterranean Kitchen. Trying to break this cycle, I decided to check out Palmyra in Wallingford.

I finally had a chance to stop by a couple weeks ago. Both of us were starving and overdid it on the amount of food we ordered. Of course I like to start off with my favorite cauliflower appetizer, Zahra ($5.50). Very tasty and well-priced. Next up was the fatoosh salad (good - $8.95). Then our lentil soup that came with the meals (also good). I can’t remember what the first dish in the picture below is. I think it was either lamb or chicken on top of rice and hummus. Whatever it was, we devoured it in a matter of minutes. And without fail, I ordered the Shish Tawook (11.95), my staple dish at Mediterranean Kitchen. Nothing will ever top their version of the Shish Tawook, but Palmyra’s version was very enjoyable. Not as much garlic as I’d like, but sometimes that’s a good thing.

To finish we went with the baklawa ($2.75) and rice pudding ($2.75) for dessert. Both were wonderful and went along nicely with the shot of arabic coffee they bring at the end of the meal. Overall, I really liked the food at Palmyra and would definitely go back when I’m in the neighborhood.

Palmyra Mediterranean Cuisine
1913 N 45th St., Seattle, WA.

Tamarind Tree has been on my list of restaurants to try for quite a while. I finally got a chance to visit them during my Vietnamese phase a few weeks ago. They are pretty well hidden in the back corner of a strip mall between 10th and 12th on Jackson. Luckily my friend knew exactly where it was. We walked in and I was surprised at how nice the atmosphere was. It was a comfortable feeling as I’m the type of person that is very picky about warm lighting, furniture, ambience, etc when I go out.

To start, we ordered the shrimp cake appetizer - a little bun/cake type thing with a small piece of shrimp on top. Really tasty and a great start to our feast. We then dove straight into the Seven Courses of Beef. Nothing too exciting here. Ate tons of food, stuffed my face, blah blah…In fact, the seven courses were exactly the same as what I’d had at Green Leaf, but not as good. Of course we saved room for dessert and ordered the Grilled Banana Cake ($3). Besides ice cream, it was the only non-”weird” sounding dessert and turned out to be quite tasty.

Overall, I wasn’t that impressed with Tamarind Tree’s Seven Courses of Beef offering. Of course everything tasted pretty good and was filling, but it wasn’t as satisfying as Green Leaf’s version and was a few dollars more ($21 vs $18). Even though there were seven courses, there was not enough variety to keep my interest. However, I really do want to go back and sample the rest of their long menu.

Tamarind Tree
1036 S Jackson St # A, Seattle, WA

Gorditos opened up on the top of Queen Anne hill recently so I finally stopped by to check it out. I’ve been to the main location on 85th and Greenwood a couple times and have enjoyed stuffing my face with their monster-sized burritos. This new Queen Anne location is nicely furnished and a little more upscale than I expected.

Two of us split a chicken burrito and somehow managed to finish the entire thing. Even though the burrito was large, it wasn’t as HUGE as I remembered it. Maybe because we got rice and beans on the side. Anyway, the food at Gorditos has always been pretty decent, but nothing amazing. When it comes to taste, I’d prefer going to my local taco truck over Gorditos any day, but sometimes you want to sit down and relax in a nicer atmosphere. Gorditos is just the place because its such a great value considering two people can easily split a burrito and get out the door for under $5/each.

Gorditos Healthy Mexican Food
1507 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA.