Fat Burger

The name alone implies that this place is probably not for me.  Fat Burger opened on Alki  around a year ago.  

At first they were very busy, we went and had a beer the first week and met people who came from far away lands, like Auburn, to try Fat Burger.

They had no happy hour and the menu was mainly meat, so we were in no rush to come back.   A few months went by and the new restaurant thrill ended. They announced a happy hour!  Ok, now I am interested. 

We went back. I had a pint of Bud Light for $3.75.   Not great, but better than $5.  I had a happy hour salad with my beer. Bronwen had wings.   We both felt it was adequent, not exceptoinal.

A few months back, they offered new items, including shrimp and chips and  mahi sliders.  B and I decided to go back. I had a boca burger, Bronwen had a meat burger.  We both felt it was adequete, not exceptional.

Our friend Pat came over one day so we decided to go back. I wanted to try the shrimp and chips.  It was a sunny day and the place was pretty busy.. They brought our food, everything except B's salad. Our waiter had apparently thought we had everything, he wasn't making an effort to come back to our table.  Finally I caught the managers eye. He came over and I explained how we were missing a salad.  He left and promptly returned with a salad.  Then a few minutes later he came back and gave us a few orders of fries on the house!  He was trying at least.

The shrimp was not great.  Way too much breading and not very many for the price.   They did have tartar sauce, which is not listed on the menu.

Finally back one more time to try the Mahi sliders.  B ordered chili fries.   I wolfed down the two happy hour sliders. I was really hoping for more here, but it was the same mince Marlin patties that you can buy at Costco.  Cheap scraps of Marlin and if I recall, 49% pollock.   These are not good.  I envisioned a small filet on the bun.. yeah right.

I then decided to get some steak fries ( they call them Fat fries)  since B had a ways to go with her meal and I was still hungry.  No one offered me any sauce at all.  Not even ketchup.  B said I should ask.. Ya know what? I am done asking.  I am done.

We may come in for a beer now and then, but this place is yet another drink only establishment on our list.  Maybe an order of onion rings or something... but we won't be back for dinner again.

I hope Blue Moon burger can do a better job when they open in our neighborhood someday.

South Lake Union

wow, its been a year or so since I walked down to Whole Foods in SLU.   I need green tea.  I can't find any I like anymore.  Side note(rant)..  seems like if I took all the foods I bought five years ago, at least half of those are not made anymore.   Lately my green tea has come under attack.  My favorite over the last year has been Good Earth Lemongrass Green Tea. A month ago, they stopped making that blend, replacing it with Citrus Kiss, Tropical Rush and Pomegrate Burst.  All with bold new labels and lots and lots of sugar.yuk.  Citrus KIss tastes like licking a bowl of sugar..   sigh

Now it appears Tazo has joined in. I can't find the Green Ginger they make. It was my second fav. It may be gone now too.

Sometimes I feel like an outsider in my own country.  But is it me? Or is it the youth of today who have been hooked on sugar since birth?  There is very few American foods I like anymore.









Ok, rant over.





On my way to the Whole Foods, I discovered a whole bunch of new places that seemingly have popped up overnight! well, within a year anyways.

First one I ran into is in that new building on 7th and Virginia. There used to be an UpTown Espresso or some local coffee shop here,, but now it is a trendy Mediterranean restaurant called Petra Bistro.   http://petrabistro.com I saw a falafel sandwich listed for $6.99.. While a bit pricier than Zainas, I would be willing to try it.

Further down was a new Asian fusion Taco place. Not my thing, but the price was right. $3.00 tacos and htey have a prawn taco. Hmmm


But the biggest surprise was the food trucks I encountered just South of Whole Foods.  In one lot was Fez on Wheels, an Egyptian themed truck I have wanted to try. An Indian place that had decently priced wraps and the biggest surprise, an Ethiopeian truck! I don't think Portland has one of these!  It is called Mesob. 

I walked through Whole foods and it was packed at lunch hour. I decided to try my luck on one of the food trucks. I went to Fez on Wheels and had  a dish called "Ful Mudammas".  $6.99.  It was listed as "the national dish of Egypt"   and it is vegetarian!  The  dish is pronouched "fool".  It is a fava bean stew with onions and tomatoes.  It was pretty darn good! I could eat in Egypt!



I didn't take any pictures on account of the pouring rain. 

Pane Pane 3rd and Union

I had to try it twice to make sure it was not a fluke.  It was not.

This little sandwich shop arose from the ashes of another failed sandwich shop. They opened a year ago at least and there branding and signage looks very professional. However, I find the menu confusing. It lists prices at the top, then three columns but then each sandwich has a price too.  I was super hungry one am, so I decided to try it out.

I ordered the Egg, spinach and cheese sandwich. They make their own bread and it it very fresh and tasty. The egg is scrambled just right. A slice of provolone ands some spinanch leaves hold it together. They recommended the chiptlole sauce, they have many custom sauces for a vareity of sandwiches. It was perfect, topped with some oregano and basil seasoning.  YUM!

I am looking forward to trying a lumch sandwich. They feature a curried egg salad that sounds good, along with an artichoke and hummus, and a few other vegetarian options. Plenty of meat of course for the gluttons! ;)

Bay Cafe - Fishermens Terminal

Bronwen and I moved to Seattle almost exctly two years ago.    Since we have moved we still reminince about old Seattle.   Sometimes I bring up my life in Fishermens Terminal, a place I worked out of for 15 years.
One night we were taliign about old Seattle and I was talking about the Bay Cafe and then it hit me... I live in Seattle. I can GO there now, I don't just have to reminisce!!!!  Bronwens new schedule gives her Saturdays off, so Bay Cafe here we come.

I have not been down here for years.  It was kinda weird. The old Insurance Agency my mother owned is gone. Even the Bank of America that gave me my first credit card is gone!  But the restaurants are the same. Highliner tavern, Chinooks and Bay Cafe.

When I walked in, it was like deja vu. It hasn't changed at all. In fact, I think it's the same manager!

I was worried about crowds but I forgot how big the place is.  We were immediately seated.
The menu appears to be the same. I remember the big omelets. I ordered the Spinach Feta and B ordered the California omelet.  Kimmi and his friend joined us and ordered Waffles.

The omelets were good, mine had maybe a bit too much spinach, but it was still tasty. The hash browns are shredded!  and they were cooked to perfection.  B and I both were pleased.  Kimmis waffles looked perfectly golden brown.

The place continued to fill as we ate and we did have some delay in getting the check. Not an issue normally except Kimmi was flying out soon.

All in all, great breakfast experience. I look forward to checking out Ballard soon. I hear its unrecognizable from my early 1990 memories.

Vegas dining recap - Aug 2013

Here is a run down of the dining we enjoyed or didnt enjoy in Las Vegas.

Peppermill. A Vegas institution. Been coming here since '91 when Glenn took us. It was his favorite place.  The first day we ate dinner there. I had nachos,  just cause and B had the Fettucine Alfredo.  Both plates were enough for  2 people!   My Nachos were decent with beans on the side just the way I like them.  B has still not stopped talking about that Alfredo. She took most of it back to the room and actually did eat some of it.  Leftovers rarely seem to happen on Vacation

We started and ended with Peppmill. We ate our final breakfast here too. WOW! my first breakfast at the Peppermill It was awesome. HUGE omelets with shredded hashbrowns!  Cooked to perfection. Great way to end the trip.

Circus Circus Buffet. WHY?  Never again. I went for the breakfast buffet. The next day I went to Mc Donalds..

Lobster Me.  What  a fun fast food place. Lobster being the main ingredient and their signature dish is the Lobster Roll. We had the Lobster shooter whcih is  a Lobster bloody mary basically. We came back for the Lobster on a Stick. Deep fried and  served with a side of melted butter.   YUM!

Spice Island Buffet at Planet Hollywood   We had a choice of 6 different restaurants that came with our time share offer.  I chose this one. Everyone tried to tell us it was too busy, to go to one of the other restaurants. Nice try. It was not too crowded, but it was super good.  The buffet has separate areas each serving a nationality food. Asian, Italian, Indian, and more. Everything was so good we ate ourselves sick.  Kelsey and I dined for breakfast here a few years ago and it was great.

Rice and Company - Luxor.  Super good rice based dishes. Sushi prepared in the main dining room. B had great Phad Thai with Chicken and Shrimp. I had an Avacado roll and Seared Ahi. Really good and not too pricy.

fool me thrice?

ugh, food trucks..   They have a lot working against them already and now, for the third time, a truck I like disappears.

Yep, Lumpia World truck hasnt been at Westlake since the day I ate that wonderful Pancit..

1. Falafel Salam.  Best Falafel I have ever had.  They left Morgan Junction for Edmonds.  I thought Morgan Junction was an odd location anyways, since the neighborhood is primarily Ethopian, it didnt make a lot of sense to me for a Jewish dude to sell Falafels there.  

2. D Jung on Wheels.  This one is on me, I saw them everywhere, but finally tried them when they came to Alki. The fish cakes are amazing. I really wanted to try the Phad Thai. They packed up for S. Lake Union.

3. Lumpia World. There were at Westlake for over a week. I waited in line one day when they ran out of food, then I finally was able to try the Pancit. It was great!  That's the last I have seen of them.

It is clear that these trucks just don't have a lot of success downtown. Too much competition I suppose.

Lumpia World! yet another food truck!

I really should just name this the Food Truck blog. I can't help it, I am fascinated with them.  Why? The are typically over priced and over hyped.  But here is the reason, because these are small, locally owned and operated trucks, which means that what is coming out is the best they can do. Restaurants can be hit and miss as different people prepare the food each day.  I truly appreciate the quality and consistency of these food trucks. The price is not always good though!

Last week I discovered a new truck, Lumpia World. I  had to check it out. I ate a lot of Phillipine food as a kid, loved Lumpia and Pork Adobo.  But, how can you have vegetarian Phillipine food? My experience in Southcenter at the Seafood Market a few weeks ago was confirmation that its Pork, Pork and more Pork! The first thing on the buffet is a whole roasted pig! head and all.

I looked over this Lumpia World truck with optimistic skepticism.   Sure enough, they offer Vegetarian Pancit and Vegetarian Lumpia! 

Today I bit. I have a full lunch in the kitchen here, but I had to take a look and sure enough they offer a side of Pancit for $4.00.  This is always a complaint of mine, no smaller portions or sides. Its a big ol entree or nothing. 

I ordered the Pancit and asked about the Lumpia.  The menu made it sound like it had sweet potato in it, but not the case. They have a sweet potato  lumpia for dessert.

well, I wouldn't have put down my bowl and started typing if it wasn't FANTASTIC!  I will probably end up going here tomorrow for the Veggie Pancit and Lumpia combo. $8.50

Who needs pork?  Not me. And not Lumpia World although they do have pork. Last friday Veggie Pancit was sold out!

Another food truck? In W. Seattle? Falafel Salam

Falafel Salam

Yes, the food truck craze is spreading to the burbs.  I read on the W Seattle blog that a new Falafel truck was looking for a home. Last Sunday, I found the home!

I do love Falafel. I turned around and went to get me one.

I was the only one there when I got there. 1pm on a lazy Sunday.  A man reached out of the truck window and handed me half a Falafel fresh out of the oil. It was really good. I ordered the regular Falafel. It was huge. It was also $8.00!  I can get a good Falafel in an actual restaurant for $6. I will never understand why these trucks charge more than brick and mortar places.   But I felt compelled to try this new Falafel Stand.

The truck is sporting a nice new paint job. It looks good, makes you trust that these four guys hanging out in a truck in W Seattle, dangerously close to White Center, can make good food!

My Falafel was probably the biggest Falafel I have ever had, and it comes with a side. I chose Dolmas. They gave me one. It was decent.  The Falafel was good too, good spices, good flavor. Fresh veggies. It was a quality Falafel.  But again, it was $8. From a truck. I am just not hip or ironic enough I guess to grasp this fancy food truck craze. I'd rather sit down and have a glass of water with my meal.

All told, I may stop here again when I find myself too far South on 35th SW. again...

Back to Bang Bar

Bronwen wanted to go here for her birthday.  Last time is was crowded and we were packed in at the bar, this time we got there earlier and had a nice booth. The decor is pretty cool. There is a water fall thing, and the bar has lights under it that change. It's a nice decor.

This time we had the room and the time to really check the menus out thoroughly and we did.  The specials menu was interesting. The first dish was Dungeness Crab Phad Thai. Wow, now that almost sounds too decadent!   Neither of us ordered it.

The drink menu was extensive,  and they have a whole page dedicated to Tea!  I settled on the classic, Jasmine Tea but I want to come back here again just for the Tea!  The Tea comes in a heavy squat Thai style (I guess) pot. It is hot.  It was very good tea, freshly made.

Bronwen couldnt help herself, she ordered the Bang Bar noodles again!  It is a combination of Wide rice noodles, lots of veggies and your choice of protein, with both Yellow and Red curry sauce.  She says its fabulous and I believe her. I almost ordered it myself.

I decided to go with the Garlic Tofu. I didn't want the the noodles today (diet) so that sounded like a good choice. West Seattle seems obsessed with the Crispy Garlic Chicken, so I thought this would be a close substitute. It wasn't crispy though! 

It was good, the garlic sauce was probably the best I have had. It was just strong enough to not overpower the meal and I didn't taste it all night like other Asian garlic sauces I have had.

This place is good, no doubt about it. As we were leaving around 6, it was getting very busy.

Tower Bistro - Sacramento

My cousin is the Executive Chef at Embassy Suites in Sacramento. The restaurant on site is called Tower Bistro, named after the Tower Bridge next door. I call it the Gold Bridge, since it's painted gold.

Last year Chef Clay hosted a birthday dinner for his Mother, my aunt Joyce. He created an extensive dinner, many courses. It was fabulous. Of course, it was all off the menu items.   I don't often eat at the hotel I stay in, I prefer to get out and see the city and eat at a place I find.  However, we did eat the Calamari before the basketball game.  It was fabulous.

The Calamari came in a big basket, like a basket that would hold a burger and fries, but this basket was FULL of Calamari. It was very tender, and perfectly cooked. I enjoy Calamari, it is one of my favorites, and this Calamari ranks right up there with the best.  I wish we had tried other dishes, besides of course the huge Breakfast buffet with an Omelet bar. Another favorite!

Looking forward to visiting again and trying more things at the Tower Bistro.

Budda Ruksa!

It was Wednesday evening,  we didn't have a dinner plan and tonight, Valentines Day, I have to go to Bainbridge for a school meeting. Why not try Budda Ruksa again? It was still early.

We got there about 5 pm. Plenty of street parking available. We were immediately seated, I mean, we weren't even in the door yet when the Host was asking us how many and leading us to our seats. That set the tone for the rest of the night.

We were seated in a two person table by the window. The place was maybe half full. The server gave us three menus. A drink menu, a bar menu and a dinner menu. I passed the drink menu to B, and scanned the bar menu. The menu was an 8X11 laminated sheet, white background with busy Thai patterns on it.  It was a little hard to read, especially in the dim lighting.  It wasn't that interesting of a bar menu.

I grabbed the dinner menu and opened it. It started out with appetizers. Calamari, Crab Rangoo, the usual Tha apps. The last thing on the menu, hard to read because the menu has a gradient background that starts white at top and blends to a dark red at the bottom. The last thing on the menu was fried bananas. Cool! I don't even like bananas much but this was fun to see.  

The entree menu was equally impressive. An amazing collection of dishes. Lots of seafood. Lots of everything. It was a very expansive menu.   I read it all, every page with great scrutiny. Everything sounded fantastic.  I knew before I walked in I was getting Phad Tha with Tofu. It is my barometer of a Thai Restaurant. If it's good, I'll come back and try something a bit more exciting.

We ordered beverages and Salad Rolls. The appetizers came before the server even left the table! Ok, exxageration, but not by much.  I swear we had three servers, all filling things and bringing things. Practically hovering.  It was impressive, borderline over the top, but they were all very nice and sincere. They truly wanted us to have a good dining experience.

The salad rolls were fine. What can you do with a Salad roll? Everytyhing was very fresh.

Dinner came minutes after we ordered it. My Phad Thai was simply amazing. It may very well be the best I have ever had. Not too orangy, like so many places do, cheating with Orange Juice concentrate. The closest I could compare it to was Thai Simple Curry. Not over the top on seasoning, just right. Three stars was a little mild, but that is what chili sauce is for.   I actually used all of the sauce. I left the jar out on the table, so they could fill it for the next table, before I took my hand off of it, a server grabbed it and refilled it!  Wow. How did they see that?  Oh, and the Tofu. Did they make it fresh to order? I have never had such fresh Tofu before. It tasted really good.

B had the Crispy Garlic Chicken, the fan favorite. Everyone I have heard talk about this place has said to get the Garlic Chicken.  She loved it, couldn't stop eating it.  

We will definately come back here again!





http://www.buddharuksa.com/

I need some decent Phad Thai!!!!

Back in early January,  I went to a wedding reception at Phayathai on Lake City Way. http://www.phayathaiseattle.com. It was really good, great Phad Thai.   I have been craving more ever since, but don't want to go to Lake City to get it.

We went to the Thai Landing on Alki. The place has changed names a few times in the little over a year I have lived here. Its not good. In fact, its really really bad. It has a view and free wi fi though.

I've heard people speak of a really good Thai Place near the Taco Time on Fauntleroy and 35th SW. I have looked and looked and looked, and have never found it. Last week I heard someone talking about the place, and got the name. Buddha Ruksa. http://www.buddharuksa.com/.  I googled it, found the location. It is N of Taco Time, on the corner of Genessee and 36th.  A residential street and nearly impossible to see from the arterial.

We set out to eat, late due to afternoon appointments. We are never out this late, 7 pm. So much traffic, its still dark and so many people.  I don't like going out at this hour!  The place has no parking, we parked a few blocks away and were under dressed for the walk. It was cold and windy.

The place was PACKED. Its not that big, and it was overflow this evening. We managed to get to the host and where told it would be at least 30 min. We left.  We will come again at 4 pm.

Well, we still needed dinner. I really didn't want to sell out and just go to Taco Time. But it was tempting. Then I remember the same person who was last speaking of Buddha Ruska was also saying how he finally tried Bang Bar on California Ave. and thought it was even better.  So, we decided to check it out. http://bangbarthai.com

Who says the economy is bad? So many people. We again had to park several blocks away. We passed the Irish place, packed.  Bang Bar had one other couple waiting for a table.  We waited.

The host seemed frazzled. He came up to us after 5 minutes or so and offered us a table. I looked that the couple who was there before us. They were staring at us in disbelief. I told them to take the table, they were there first.  They were pleased and went and sat down at the table.

Two more parties came in and seemed to have been seated right away.  I noticed that a table had opened up in the bar and they snatched it.  Later the Host came and started complaining about a table who had paid 30 minutes ago and wouldnt leave! He asked us if we wanted to sit at the bar. We took it. It was getting late.

The Menu was pretty good, but I wanted Phad Thai.  Bronwen took her time reading the menu and settled on the Bang Bar noodles. Wide rice noodles with Chicken.  She loved it. My Phad Thai was good, not great. Half way thought I noticed tiny chunks that resembled pork in my dish. I pulled one out and fed it to B. Tofu. So, they have big fresh fried chunks of Tofu AND small diced pieces of Tofu. Ok. 

The Bartender was very attentive to us, he was good.   The place never settled down by the time we left.  Good dinner, I was pleased, despite the crowds and parking!  I look forward to trying Buddha Ruska soon.  Thai Simple Curry still remains my favorite, followed by Sawaday on Bainbridge, but this was good enough to return to.

Wednesday food trucks

Today Jemille Cajun truck was there, and they had an Oyster Po Boy today! $9.99.

I brought lunch from home, but came down to see what was happening. Again, and older person asked me what the truck was selling. I explained that this one sold Meat Pies. He said it was expensive, I agreed, then asked if I could give him money to get a meat pie. I told him I was just looking, and left.

$12 grilled cheese anybody?

Meat Pies. Its hard to read, they run around $8

More Food Trucks

Yesterday we had two,  Lucky Devil and Nomads. Nomads features Hamburgers, $10 average.  I was just passing by today, no ordering. Tuesday was a different story.

Today, we have three. Marination, Jemils and Nomad.

I decided to get a Shrimp Po Boy at Jemils, Cajun food.  $9.50 with tax. It was really good.

As I was waiting in line and old lady came up to me and asked me what kind of food the truck was selling. I told her it was Cajun. Nope, she didn't know what that was. New Orleans, Louisiana? Gulf Coast? nope.   Based on French Creole. uh uh, "is it Asian?"  no. "is it spicy?" yeah, a little. She wandered off.  How does one explain what Cajun food is to someone who doesn't even know what New Orleans is?

Small gathering at Jemils, no one at Jerk Station and 30 people in line for Marination. This truck is so popular, they opened a real restaurant on Alki, at the dock. We went in once, but didn't eat anything.

Jerk Station

$16 dollar Lobster Roll! - Jerk Station

Line for Marination

PO BOY!

The food truck craze continues!

I believe I wrote about this last year, the resurgence of the food truck in Seattle. Now there are spaces outside the downtown towers reserving the parking for food trucks. However, these are hit and miss, the real action is now taking place on the corner of 2nd and Pine.

Dog Japon   has been there for years. It's not a truck, it's a covered hot dog stand. They have ridiculous dogs and pictures of famous people eating them. They tried to open up a smaller stand in Westlake Park, but it didn't last very long.  I've never eaten a Japon dog for obvious reasons.

The other trucks rotate, or fight each other for the spots, I don't know. Today there was Saffron Spice, Buns on Wheels and Monti Cristo Mobile.  Yesterday I had my eye on the Cajun truck with Po Boys.

I find the fascination a bit odd. This is not the "roach coach" that shows up to industrial areas, this is gourmet food, sold out of truck and eaten on the street. Bizzare.    I am kinda thinking about the Prawns wrap at Saffron though. at $7.99 its a steal for the city. I wonder if Prawns wrap is actually Prawn wrap! ha ha.

RN 74

Finally! I have wanted to try this place since it opened up a year or two ago. It is located on 4th and Pike. Next door to our other favorite, Pot Belly Sandwich.

I invited a client to lunch here and she cancelled at the last minute, but Prashant and I went anyway.

Prashant had CROQUE MADAME - COUNTRY HAM, EMMENTHALER, MORNAY, FRIED EGG*  $12. He said it was great.

I had Halibut Fish and Chips of course!  $14. It was WONDERFUL! dang, that was the best I've probably ever had. The crust was so light and crispy, the menu says "beer batter', but it was very different than any beer batter I have ever tried.

The service was impeccable. The interior very clean and professional. The tables are pushed together a little too close, but luckily it wasn't that busy.

They have a lot of wines, if that is your thing. I am a beer guy and the beer menu scared me. One beer was $19 for one beer! it was a large beer, but still, that is pretty steep.

I would like to try dinner here some night.  If I can get past Wild Ginger!

http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/rnwa.php

Hop Jacks

I remember reading about this last year in the newspaper. This is a new restaurant, from the ground up in the space where that sleazy Sandpiper was in Silverdale.  There is also a brand new Taco Time on the grounds.

My mother and I decided to try Hop Jacks last week on a Saturday.  We arrived about 1pm.  The space is open, with high ceilings, and lots of TV monitors. A decent size bar appears to occupy the center. There are outside tables with a nice view of Dyes Inlet. It was very clean and new looking.

The place was probably half full. We were immediately greeted and shown to a table.  Shortly after, the waiter came over and asked if we had ever been there before. Neither of us had, so he gave us his spiel.

Homemade hamburgers, never frozen beef. A few specials, he indicated that the fish tacos were popular. He told us about the beer and how it is kept at 34 degrees. Yum. I decided to have a 16 oz Bud Light.  They also have bottomless Lemonade at 34 degrees.

I ordered the fish tacos, my mother ordered the Santa Fe grilled cheese. Cheddar and Pepperjack, jalepeno slices, avacado and tomato on Texas Toast! wow! 

The drinks came out quickly and that was one cold, tasty beer. If I lived in Silverdale I would probably watch a game or two there and drink cold cold beer.

The food came out soon after. I was surprised at how quickly it came out.  My plate contained three fish tacos that appeared to have several deep fried pieces of Cod in there along with lettuce, grated cheese and a southwest sauce in a flour tortilla. It was ok. The fish was decent, but it lacked something. It was plain. It was a lot of food though. I ate it all and was very full.  I would order it again but it is by no means my favorite fish taco.

My mothers Grilled Cheese looked amazing. She said it was very good. I will probably order this next time I go there.

In search of: Vegetarian Pho

Since moving to Seattle in December, I have yet to find a decent Pho restaurant that serves vegetarian Pho.  Ok, before I go any further, I realize there is no such thing, true Pho is made of Beef brisket. I know, I know.

However, some places do make a vegetarian Pho, cause, this isn't Vietnam.

T and N Pho in Poulsbo has the best veggie Pho I have ever had. We love that place. Bronwen loves thier chicken stock (also not REAL Pho). We both have yet to find a replacement. That being said, B has found plenty of decent chicken Pho, but I have yet to find a decent Veggie Pho.

I've actually been searching for this before I moved. I first tried the  place at the Greyhound station on 8th and Stewart. This is when I first learned that just because they have veggie Pho on the menu, it doesn't necessarily mean it is vegetarian. This place (since closed) gave me veggie pho, Tofu and vegetables, in Chicken stock!  DOH!

My boss loves the place on 6th and Pine. Cafe Saigon I think its called. It is downstairs. They do have a vegetarian Pho. I have had it a few times. It is ok. It's no T and N.

Pho Bac in International District was decent, I tried it a year ago, I might have to give it another try.

Since we moved here,  I have tried:

Than Brothers http://www.thanbrothers.com/    I actually thought this was a small family owned place. There are 14 of them!  The best part of this Pho is the cream puff they give you with your check. Yum!

The Pho is decent, and vegetarian. They are fast food. You sit down, order, they go in and get it. Its pre made. It's ok, but no T and N.

Saigon Boat Cafe - Alki Ave.  It's on the beach, that is the best part. It was decent. No T and N.

Pho White Center - 16th and Roxbury. I think it has a new name now. We went there last week. I asked if they have vegetarian Pho. She went to the back to talk to the cook. Yes.  It took forever.

It was decent, but it was no T and N.

Pho 99. 15th and Roxbury.   I was super hungry Sunday am after a nice run down the beach. I wanted something healthy. I was super tempted to go to Christos and pig out on a big omelet and hash browns.  I went to Yelp and entered  "Vegetarian Pho"  I found a place in White Center. I raced up there. I sat down, I  read the menu. No vegetarian Pho. In fact, they didn't even have Chicken stock. Beef only. bummer, they open early too. I want Pho for breakfast. That only makes things harder.

I found a place down the street called "Deli and Pho" I think. It is next to the Huong Long Asian super store. I went in and hesitantly asked if they have vegetarian Pho. She went to the kitchen to ask. Yes!  This time mine came out fast. It came out before other people who ordered before me!

It was lame. It was basically a ton of veggies, a few noodles, served in hot water! No taste at all. So bland. I added stuff to it, but I couldnt salvage it. I ate most of it out of sheer hunger and it was the most vegetables I have even seen in a bowl of Pho. I couldn't even eat it all!  It was definitely no T and N.

Thai Taste... it's your fault Thai Curry Simple

I love Thai Curry Simple. I have said it before and I will say it again. It is a great Thai restaurant located in the International District.

When I moved to Seattle, the first weekend the kids were over, I took them to Thai Curry Simple. They were closed. Ok, it was the day after Thanksgiving. I can accept that. Thier main business is M-F lunch crowd.  But then I went back in January.. it was still closed.  A poorly written note in the window said "closed till Jan 9", the date was Jan 12.   I checked the website and the website said "closed until Jan 16".  Very dissapointing.

I have been skeptical ever since. If I go to the ID, 10 minutes from work, will they even be open? The website seems to indicate that they are back open.

Today I was heading to Thai Curry Simple. I had a few errands to run in Pioneer Square, so I figured I would keep on going and get some lunch.  As it happened, I found a new Thai place. I really didn't want to try a new place, but I still feel let down by TCS.  I walked in to Thai Taste on 2nd and Cherry and ordered Phad Tha w/ Tofu to go. $8.60 with tax.

The serving size was bigger than TCS. I liked that. They use Fried Tofu, which was nice, but, it was no TCS. It reminded me of Mae Phim Thai. The dish is ok, but to orangy, like they used the cheater method of adding orange juice concentrate as flavoring. Boring.

I may actually come back here, they have lunch combos for $8.25.  You get a spring roll, Phad Thai AND an entree. I think the only one you can get with Tofu is  the Swimming Angel which I like.

This place is no Thai Curry Simple, but it is closer to work and affordable. It is clear that TCS has to learn to be more reliable and also hire a staff so you can take a vacation and still keep the doors open to your once loyal fans.  I can we won back, but any more unexpected closures will probably signal my last visit.

Ocean Shores dining - Bennetts Fish Shack and Alecs By the Sea

Typically I have had some of the worst meals in my life on the Washington Coast....

We arrived Saturday ready for lunch. I went to my old favorite, Mikes Fish Market. We pulled up to it, it looked exactly the same as it did two years ago, only with 2 years of Ocean weathering.. It looked run down and no one was there. It wasn't closed, just not popular obviously. Caddilac Jacks next door is closed.

I turned the car around and headed back to a new place I saw on the way. Bennets Fish Shack. We walked in, and there was a big paper menu on the wall behind the counter. You order at the counter, and the bring your food to you. Like a fast food place, except that there is a bar also.   Kelsey ordered a Dungeness Crab Caeser ($15.99) and I ordered a Halibut Sandwich ($12.99) after inquiring if it was frozen Halibut. The counterperson told me it was fresh.

We sat at a small table, the boothes were full. I could see the bar and the TV in the bar from my angle. I watched two bartenders tending an empty bar, while the two counter girls were running around like crazy with a full lunch crowd. I realized they were new and lacked experience. Soon though, the bartenders did come out and run food.

The bar began to fill up, the UW Huskies were playing Colorado. The bar tvs were on King of Queens. sigh... The bar customers asked for the game and the bar tender went to find it. He had no idea where to look for a UW Husky game. He started searching by title.. UGH,I just wanted to scream, 627! But I watched him fiddle with the remote for close to 5 minutes before finding the game.

The food came. My sandwich was HUGE. The fillet must have been at least 8 ounces. It was topped with a quality kaiser style roll, Romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, cheese and tartar. It was fantastic!  It didn't really need the cheese, but it didn't hurt. The fish was fresh and cooked to perfection. Kelseys Crab Caesar was also great, topped with a generous helping of Crab meat.  We both ate every bite.

For dinner, we went to Alecs by the Sea. I have been meaning to try this place for years. We had to wait 20 minutes for a dinner table, it is a popular place.

I was torn, I really wanted the Captains platter, but do I really need a plate of deep fried fish? No. I ordered the Lytle Oysters. Locally harvested. They were fantastic. I think there was a dozen oysters on my plate!
Kelsey gambled on the Razor Clams, lightly breaded and grilled. She was not pleased by the fact that you need to use a steak knife to cut them! They were tough. I tried them. I didn't care for them that much either.
Overall, this place is average at best. It did not live up to the hype. This "Chef" wouldn't make it far in the city, but it's good enough for the coast. I watched droves of people turned away from the bar, Reserved signs at most the tables. No one ever did come sit in those Reserved tables.

Breakfast at Shilo. It was good! I was shocked. A man was complaining loudly at the hostess station when we got there. As we were being taken to our table, we passed by a 6 top, 4 of 6 plates were untouched, and the party was gone. I don't know what happened there, but we had good food and service.