Tucked away in an 800 square foot corner of Pioneer Square—shrouded by the comings and goings of a busy bus stop—is a little Caribbean hideaway. Opened at the end of 2013, La Bodega is a Dominican food shop/eatery run by Manu Alfau, former cook at Blind Pig Bistro. At La Bodega, Alfau brings traditional Dominican street food and childhood favorites to a Seattle food scene lacking in Latin American flavors. Continue reading
Something about the dreary winter weather had me craving a burger and fries lately. At the same time, my eating habits haven’t been too healthy as of late so I felt conflicted about the idea of contributing any further toward a late-20s heart-attack. Here’s the solution I came up with: “How about something vegan?” (Note: I’m not naive enough to think that every vegan meal is inherently healthy, but I choose to forego that knowledge when it happens to suit my present desires).
Some of the best vegan food in town is coming out of Plum Bistro on Capitol Hill, but that’s much further than I cared to drive. Luckily for me, Plum Bistro has a food truck that happened to be right outside my neighborhood on said night. Plum Burgers is Seattle’s first vegan food truck, and a mobile extension of Plum Bistro’s commitment to 100% vegan and organic food. Continue reading
You don’t have to be from Kentucky to know that bourbon and barbecue go together like peanut butter and jelly. The processes for making each employ techniques such as charring, caramelization, and wood-flavoring, which makes the two a natural pairing.
Ever wish you could enjoy the flavors of both with only half the amount of mouth-opening? Pinky’s Kitchen, the BBQ food truck settled in a Shell parking lot in Wallingford, has solved that problem with their Maker’s Mark pulled pork sandwich. Continue reading
When one door closes, another one opens. In this case, it’s literally the same door but what’s inside is something entirely new. When the owner and head chef of Ballard’s O’Shan Sushi retired last summer, his family thought it the right time to go in a new direction. Thus was born Kimchi House. The Korean deli reflects the family’s heritage and also serves as the only Korean offering in Ballard. Continue reading
Many proclaim Hilltop Ale House’s Red Reuben to be the best Reuben sandwich in Seattle. While I tend to shy away from proclaiming anything “the best,” I had to at least see how good this thing was.
Situated on top of Queen Anne, Hilltop is one of a group of three Seattle Ale Houses dotted around the city. Each is focused on providing the communal, neighborhood atmosphere of an English-style pub with quality food and, of course, a solid selection of beers.
The Red Reuben gets its name from the red cabbage used to make the sandwich’s sauerkraut. The pickled cabbage has less tang than traditional sauerkraut, which fits Hilltop’s version of the sandwich. Continue reading
Here we go again. I’m back on the hunt for some of the best burgers that Seattle has on offer. But this time I want to take a break from the dressy burgers that Seattle chefs are cooking up—away from the brioche buns, truffle aiolis, and unending uses of bacon. I want something simple. Continue reading
If I haven’t already covered this before: I love to eat a lot. And by that I mean I like to eat large amounts of food until I’m incapacitated for several hours.
I blame it on my mom. For all of my life, she’s made way too much for dinner and then guilted me into having more because “it’s not good the day after” and “I’m just going to throw it away.” Now I’m the guy who takes satisfaction in finishing off everyone else’s plates to attain some sort of supremacy that only I may really care about.
All of this is a poor lead-in to the topic for today: food challenges. I love them. I eat up reruns of Man vs Food (re-read for great pun) and scour the internet for local challenges that I can get in on. Seattle’s most well-known food challenge, and the one that I will be attempting at present, is the 12-Egg Omelette at Beth’s Cafe. Continue reading
Phinney Market Pub is a restaurant that takes the term “community” quite seriously. Known for its truly family-family atmosphere, it can feel a little bizarre to look around you at the beautiful copper-tiled ceiling and vintage mirrors juxtaposed with young children playing. On the food side of things, the focus is on in-season, organic, sustainable, and local.
When deciding what to order at a new restaurant, my eye tends to catch on items that aren’t prevalent on every menu—at Phinney Market Pub that was the Espresso Rubbed Burger. The patty is Painted Hills beef rubbed with a mix of spices and espresso from True North Coffee Roasters in Ballard. It’s topped with poblano peppers, bacon, Swiss cheese, romaine lettuce, and chipotle aioli, and served on a Macrina bakery brioche bun. Continue reading
This week marks the start of a new path in my culinary exploration of Seattle. My dear friend Nix, who is severely gluten intolerant, wants to break out of her usual routine and has decided to embark on her own food journey—to discover more of the gluten-free restaurants that Seattle has on offer. Being the world’s greatest friend and adventurous spirit that I am, I will be joining her on her adventures. With the extremely gluten-free/vegetarian/vegan-friendly city that I live in, it’s probably high time I opened my mind to that portion of Seattle’s dining scene. Continue reading
Po Dog is one of those places that always delivers on exactly what I’m looking for—uniquely and generously topped hot dogs that leave me happy now and guilt-ridden later. And I can’t get enough of those brioche buns. They make regular hot dog buns taste like matzah.
I use to only grab Po Dog when I went out drinking in Capitol Hill, which is quite rare. I was ecstatic when I first heard about one coming to Ballard a year ago, but for my health’s sake I’m glad I still go just as infrequently. One occasion that I can always justify is a night out with the guys.
Sausage-fest. Continue reading
Fork and Map 