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! ;)