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.