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Volterra
Category:
Restaurants
5411 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, Washington 98107
(425) 336-1679
Dear GOD! This place is good. No, it's sublime. And I'm not some Applebee's kinda guy. It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers when I go out - I expect a lot. The only negative thing I could say...
Dear GOD! This place is good. No, it's sublime. And I'm not some Applebee's kinda guy. It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers when I go out - I expect a lot. The only negative thing I could say is that the Gelato was in fact sorbet (BIG difference!).
But enough about the "Gelato". When you go, order yourself the Cinghale alla Gorgonzola (Wild Boar with Gorgonzola). I am always skeptical of a plate with gorgonzola because it usually means (Applebees anyone?) that it is the only flavor you're going to taste. But C'mon! Wild Boar! Can you resist the temptation? Neither could I.
I pray the kitchen staff never loses their knack because right now they are on fire! It came out rare, tender, and with a side of perfectly crisped, dainty (yet robust!) little cubes of yukon gold potatoes. The dish also comes with a side of market vegetables which, in this case, was a lightly sauteed bed of pea vines. Innovative, transcendent Tuscan, beautiful plating, even the coffee service is something to behold. I'm moving to Ballard!
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Sea Thai
Category:
Restaurants
2313 N. 45th St.
Seattle, Washington 98105
(206) 547-1961
I just started working in the neighborhood so I checked out Sea Thai during the lunch hour. There is no other reason I ever would have set foot in this place - it looks so junky from the outside. ...
I just started working in the neighborhood so I checked out Sea Thai during the lunch hour. There is no other reason I ever would have set foot in this place - it looks so junky from the outside. But... as the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving.
I now have to force myself to eat elsewhere just to get a little variety. Their Phad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles) are so killer! And it arrives with a salad coated in warm peanut sauce dressing on the side, all for $5.50! Could you ever ask for more? I suppose you could ask for free Wi-Fi while you dine, because otherwise, lunch alone could be oh, oh so lonely.
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Red Agave serves up the most compelling Southwestern cuisine I have had in
Eugene. The bar tender is cute, she mixes big stiff drinks, the chips and salsa are homemade, what more could you ask...
Red Agave serves up the most compelling Southwestern cuisine I have had in
Eugene. The bar tender is cute, she mixes big stiff drinks, the chips and salsa are homemade, what more could you ask for?
We ordered four entrees: The pork tenderloin with tomatillo salsa and polenta cakes, cod cakes with jalapeno tartar and buttermilk onion rings, the green mole enchiladas, and Halibut with stuff I can't quite recall. They were all, especially the first three, to die for. The enchiladas in particular, were strangely delightful. I had low expectations, but when the crema blended with that sultry green mole, Dang!
Order any of these and a Gimlet, or perhaps the House Margarita, and you'll be singing La Cucaracha all the way home.
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Wow. These people know how to do seafood. The scallops and the tuna were seared to rare perfection - easy in theory but rarely accomplished my most restaurant chefs. The squid appetizer was...
Wow. These people know how to do seafood. The scallops and the tuna were seared to rare perfection - easy in theory but rarely accomplished my most restaurant chefs. The squid appetizer was delicious, if not a little heavy on the breading. The mains are where Oceanaire really shines.
There are two kickers to this affair, however, one being the outrageously priced menu. Have you ever in your life paid $7 for a plate of fries? Everything on the menu is priced at a premium above market rate.
The second kicker which, for me, makes the first kicker pretty intolerable, is that the Oceanaire atmosphere is completely manufactured. It has "Trademark" written all over it, a chain of many chains engineered to hit the right buttons of consumer emotion, with kitchy and clever phrases stenciled on the wall, cherry wood veneer booths, and 1950's looking chairs. I think across the board they were trying to evoke the "classy joint" look of yesteryear, yet the cheeseball stock acoustic tiling on the ceiling went untouched. At the prices they demand, the interior should be lavish! I think there are better values around town that will offer a vastly more authentic experience. I would certainly consider going back, but only if somebody else was paying for it.
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La Carta
Category:
Restaurants
5431 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, Washington 98107
(206) 782-8722
Mexican Tapas - an interesting concept no doubt, with a lot of potential, but for the most part the little morsels this restaurant serves are a disappointment.
The chile relleno was laughable, El...
Mexican Tapas - an interesting concept no doubt, with a lot of potential, but for the most part the little morsels this restaurant serves are a disappointment.
The chile relleno was laughable, El Puerco LLoron's (Pike Street Hill Climb) being the same price, more plentiful, and more authentic. The Tacos Al Pastor were passable, while all others we ordered had the consistency I would expect from Taco Bell. The Margaritas were well salted (good) but flat in flavor. The only redeeming quality to our order was the Mole which was excellent, and gone all too quickly
My only thought was, I could be spending the same amount at El Camino and be significantly better off. La Carta is a laudable effort, with great decor and a convivial feel, but if you're going to charge Tapas prices (which truthfully I have always thought to be somewhat of a scam) you better back it up with dazzling quality, and that's where La Carta comes up short.
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Oh dear! Red Mill Burgers, only slightly less a veritable institution than Dick's in the Seattle independent burger joint scene, has some of the finest onion rings I have ever tasted. These rings...
Oh dear! Red Mill Burgers, only slightly less a veritable institution than Dick's in the Seattle independent burger joint scene, has some of the finest onion rings I have ever tasted. These rings were either the brain child of Tom Douglas or he was inspired by them, I can't remember which.
Needless to say their burgers, while not descending from the pantheon of hand-formedness, are formidably tasty. The pepper bacon, if that's your thing, is to die for (literally, it's quite greasy), and they have a green chile burger that's not too bad either.
By all means check it out on a late sunny Sunday morning, but be prepared to wait in line, because everybody else on Phinney ridge had the same bright idea...
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Starbucks is the Wal-Mart/McDonalds of coffee establishments without the low prices. They have homogenized and upsized the coffee industry to such astounding and disappointing proportions I am...
Starbucks is the Wal-Mart/McDonalds of coffee establishments without the low prices. They have homogenized and upsized the coffee industry to such astounding and disappointing proportions I am embarassed to know this culinary disservice blanketing the world (though thankfully not in Italy) originated in my home town. I'm sure the forebears of coffee culture would have blanched at the notion of "Super Big Gulp" lattes and Frappa-whatevers. Starbucks has actually made it possible to increase your girth by drinking coffee. A true feat.
My own soap box aside, the coffee is over-roasted, producing a bitter and subpar brew, hands down. I'd hit up Vivace or Torrefazione or a even a good cup of tea before I ever set foot in a Starbucks, no matter where I am, anywhere in the world.
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... and it'll do a better job. Maybe they've changed over the years, but I stopped going long ago when I came out way more than $13 poorer; I looked like some 80's chop shop hair band revivalist. ...
... and it'll do a better job. Maybe they've changed over the years, but I stopped going long ago when I came out way more than $13 poorer; I looked like some 80's chop shop hair band revivalist. Go somewhere else at all costs!
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Pho Bac
Category:
Restaurants
415 7th Ave S
Seattle, Washington 98104
(206) 621-0532
That dirty, derelict, little pink ship plying the waters of the busy intersection at Jackson and Rainier happens to serve up the finest bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup this side of Little Saigon. ...
That dirty, derelict, little pink ship plying the waters of the busy intersection at Jackson and Rainier happens to serve up the finest bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup this side of Little Saigon. The menu is perfectly simple - beef is in everything and there are only two sizes. I consistently order the Pho Tai and an iced coffee and am never disappointed.
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