ScorchedPalate

Our two current favorites are Chiso in Fremont, and Chinoise (the Madison Valley location). Neither one has California Roll with fresh crab on the menu, but I have asked the chefs at Chinoise to make it for me twice, and they gladly have. Also, Chinoise has a number of dragon-style rolls that they make that aren't on the menu... my current favorite is one they call the Seahawk Roll... in the middle is scallop, surrounded by nori, then other varieties of mild fish (salmon, albacore, yellowtail?), a thin layer of rice, more nori. The whole thing is very lightly tempura'd and very lightly fried. The outer layer of fish gets a sear, and the scallop is still very, very cold. My advice would be to go to Chinoise on a tuesday or wednesday night, sit at the bar, and tell Ken and Jae what you want. They've always been very happy to oblige us with custom stuff. Chiso is equally good, if not better, but further from our house, so we don't go there as often. ~Anita

Another refugee from 'Behind the Orange Curtain' chimes in... Farrell's Pig Trough was nothing compared to the party-sized monstrosity called THE ZOO! (Remember the sirens and strobe lights as its red litter was raced around the tables by two waiters??) They also had a great sundae called the Gold Digger with butterscotch syrup and malt powder on it. YUM! Leatherby's Family Creamery (a Sacto-area chain that had an outpost in Orange where I worked for a while as a high-schooler) made a similar creation with homemade thick caramel and malt-flavored whipped cream over amazing vanilla ice cream. As for Yoshinoya Beef Bowl... SeaCrotty misses this very badly from our year in San Jose. We went to the one in Tustin the last time we were in OC, and it was dreadful. I hope the others aren't as bad. I think they're suffering from El Pollo Loco syndrome: They should have stuck to the thing they did best and not mucked up the menu with so many terrible things. (BTW, the meat and onions are actually stewed in a salty broth, not sauteed... and I won't tell you where on the steer that thin-sliced beef comes from!) I don't miss Green Burrito so much as I miss Taco Mesa, mostly because it still exists in its original glory. We ate there 3 times in 3 days on our last trip down south. Not authentic, just amazingly good. <sob> The thing I miss most, though, is mexican "plate food": combination plates of enchiladas and rellenos covered in chile sauce, alongside tacos and other stuff... 2 items for 7.99, 3 for 8.99, plus rice and fijoles. The closest I've seen 'round here is Rosita's in Greenwood, but even theirs is a pale imitation of El Conejo, Don Jose, and their ilk. FWIW, I missed plate food even when I lived in SF, but at least there I could get a good burrito to console myself. I also miss the so-cal pie-and-burger diners, like Pie 'n' Burger in Pasadena, Polly's Pies in Orange (and elsewhere), and pre-chainification Marie Callender's. ~Anita Villa Park HS class of (mumble)

Not to mention rent, which I would bet is a lot cheaper in Seattle (not to mention Jacksonville) than in SF or NYC.

I remember seeing a sign that they do, but if it's anything like their lunch... run away fast.

I had a discussion recently over email with the managing director of Chow Foods regarding my 5Spot/HiSpot bet. We even covered topics like "Did you ever own other places? Has there been a chef that's worked at both?" And there's no mention of Mecca on the Chow web site (see link above). If you like lunch at 5 Spot (which I find rather blah), then you'll love their breakfast. Dinner is inconsistent -- sometimes it's divine, sometimes it's embarassing. I, too, like Costal Kitchen. It's not the strongest member of the Chow family, but it's close to home. If you want more eG opinions on Crave, check out this thread. Fai Jai: I haven't eaten at HiSpot, but our Madrona friends tell us that the wait-times and prices far exceed its homespun results. ~Anita

Egg-doneness is a huge weakness there. Cam routinely orders his scrambles "very soft" and they come out well-done. I think the cook either lacks the talent to do this on a hot griddle (much harder than in a pan) or just has a phobia against 'undercooked' eggs.

5 Spot (along with Atlas, Jitterbug, Endolyne Joe's, and Coastal Kitchen) is owned by the Chow Foods group. I once won a bet against a buddy who insisted that the 5 Spot and Hi-Spot Cafe in Madrona were owned by the same chef... come to think of it, he still owes me brunch for that. ~A

Based on that description, I can almost guarantee that the eGulleteer in question was Cameron (SeaCrotty, aka Mr. Scorched). He and Schielke were both implicated in some Salumi lunch photos a while back (which I, for one, would rather forget about...) so perhaps that was the confusion. One easy way to keep them straight is that Ben has hair, Cam has none. Now, to bring this back on topic: Nobody's mentioned Cyndy's House of Pancakes on Aurora (at 105th), which I think of as a kinder, gentler version of Beth's. Same food genre, but substitute 'hon' ladies for Beth's punk waitresses... and no 12-egg omelettes, grunge jukebox, or falling-apart booths, of course. The menu oh-so-kindly offers to put Tillamook cheddar or sausage gravy on your potatoes for a buck.... mmmm! The specialty of the house is a 'dutch baby' pancake, but not really having much of a sweet tooth, I can't vouch for it. Amazingly for a restaurant of its weight class, they rotate the menu quarterly. (I don't want to raise expecations here... there's nothing seasonal about it, other than that truly heart-clogging entrees seem more abundant in wintertime.) If you go, I dare you to make the octagenerian cashier smile. Pay by credit card, and she'll copy the tip amount onto your copy of the receipt... apparently there's a lot of expense account fraud coming from that neighborhood. ~Anita edited for a truly stupid typo

Glad to have lured you to a new addiction, Fai Jai. I, for one, never have the problem of there being too little of the CFS at St. Clouds... I always eat all of it, even when they give me 2 little pieces instead of 1 medium-sized one. And then my poor hash-browns and coffee cake end up unloved (which as Cam can attest *never* happens under ordinary circumstances!). We were actually there on Sunday morning, too. Were you the big party with 3 kids in the main room? There were a couple of servers working who we didn't recognize, so maybe the mutterer was a sub for someone on vacation. (Let's hope!) And yes, the acoustics (not to mention the ventilation) leave a lot to be desired. I think it says a lot for the place that it manages to feel cozy despite its design flaws. ~Anita

I haven't wanted to risk excommunication before, but now I am going to be brave enough dissent. I know that NB is a huge eG fave, but I'm at a loss to explain why. I've been there three times and the food has ranged from passably good (but uninspired) to downright bad. The service has ranged from curt to laughably inept. I've even tried ordering a whole meal of dishes that were recommended by people whose palates I trust, and still I came away unimpressed by the food and annoyed by the service. (And yes, I am used to authentic Thai flavors and laid-back attitude... this was neither.) If I were in Issaquah -- and Pogacha were closed -- I might go back. But I certainly wouldn't make the trip especially to eat there. ~Anita

That was probably me... waxing rhapsodic about the Country Breakfast at St. Clouds: Chicken-fried steak with bacon gravy, served with 2 eggs any style, hashbrowns, and Grandma Hazel's coffee cake. It's so damned good that I have to limit myself to once a month or I'd weigh 800 pounds. ~A

I'll second that. I've eaten at the Pogacha in Issaquah with work friends, and we all enjoyed it.

Cam and I have eaten there a couple of times in the last few months. As I mentioned in this other thread last week: The service there has been very nice, both times, as have the cocktails, wine, and food. It's a credible Eastside riff on Downtown food. ~A

Someone mentioned further back that you should go for the *real butter* versions of these; I agree. They're more than 2 times the price, but they are so much better than the margarine/shortening versions. In dutch, the text usually says something like "met boter" on the real ones. I don't think the fresh ones you get at the street stands are really the same thing as the ones you get with coffee. I'd compare the difference to store-bought and vs. homemade chocolate-chip cookies... they're named the same, but nobody expects them to compare (in either direction!). The ones they sell/give in London starbucks are a pale imitation of the Dutch version, in my snobby opinion. If you aren't in an area with a supermarket, every dutch candy store I've been in sells these... and since the dutch are so sweets-obsessed, you should have no trouble finding a store. ~Anita

Seastar and Ooba's are the only ones I'd miss if the bridges vaporized ...and really only Ooba's. Seastar is good, but I'd be there a lot more often if they came in at 60-75% of the current pricetag. You're not so much paying for the quality of the food/drinks as you are for the convenience of not having to drive to Belltown to get it. Someone else is sure to mention Cafe Juanita and Zmania's, which I haven't yet gotten to try. ~Anita

Just had to pipe up here after reading this comment about Thundering Hooves' chicken. I'm on my fourth one this year, and each one has been amazingly succulent. <snip> I haven't tried any of their other meat yet on account of it not being available, but I've got an order pending for this summer. Can't wait. We've bought grass-fed beef from Thundering Hooves at the Ballard farmer's market last year. Maybe I am too much of a city-slicker, but the steak especially (and even the ground beef) were just too gamey for my taste. If you like really strongly-flavored meats, I'm sure you could get used to the difference, but don't try feeding it to people who are expecting 'regular' (i.e. corn-finished) beef. I might try their ground beef in place of ground lamb in recipes where the stornger taste would be an asset. I'll have to try their chickens. I actually like the chickens you get in Europe, which have a lot more flavor. ~Anita

Has anyone been to the Columbia City market in the after work-ish timeframe? I'd love to hit it on the way home, but don't want to drive that far out of the way if they're going to be rolling up the sidewalks (or mostly picked-over) by 6. ~Anita

Glad you found us, Matt. And thanks for the pointer to The Islander. ~Anita

Cam and I were noticing, a few visits back, that it's very simple to eat vegetarian at Cafe Lago -- about half the entrees are veggie. Just avoid the rib-eye and the sausage pizza.

Definitely do! Everything we've had from there has been good to great. When they say 5-stars spicy, they mean it. ~A

hey all: I keep mulling over the course offerings of Culinary Communion, but I never get the nerve to pull the trigger. Some of their classes seem like a neat way to learn more about cuisines that I love to eat but don't know how to cook; I'm also drawn to the Advanced Baking curriculum. (I probably could teach parts of it, but it'd be fun to have a dedicated time set aside for baking with other semi-serious bakers.) Anyone taken classes there? What's the scoop? ~Anita

Hey folks: Thanks for yet another fun eG hotpot night. Those of you who didn't come missed out on fishballs, pig intestine, and broth that definitely put the HOT into hotpot. WOO-eee! We didn't really discuss it much at the table, but Cam and I thought that the broth, ingredients, and peanut sauce -- not to mention the dumplings o' love -- were better at Lo Sichuan than at Seven Stars Pepper, but it was fun to try a different place. (7 Stars would definitely be my choice for a large group, though, based on its capacity....) What did the rest of you who were at both dinners think? Shall we plan on the Tibetan place in the U-district for "Hotpot, Part III" 6 to 8 weeks from now? ~A

This morning there was a new sign on the awning: "Philly Cheese Steak" Well, hey, guess it worked so well the last time.... ~A

Seven Stars Pepper, 6:30 pm, Tuesday April 6 (tomorrow). Sorry to hear Mr.SeaGal (maybe he should be SeaGuy? SeaDude? MrSea?) can't make it. So, we're back to 7 people... Let me know by tonight, please, if (a) you'd planned to come but aren't able to make it, or (b) you've been lurking and want to join us. I'm not planning on calling ahead since we're less than 8 people and Seven Stars i spretty big, but if the group gets much bigger, I'd probably change my mind. ~Anita

This one is overdue, but I kept thinking Cam would do it for me :) Yet another trip -- it's becoming a weekly thing for us -- to Lago last Sunday night. We started with a pair of caesar salads; I wish the house salad was better, as there are times when I want salad but not caesar. Finally had the pizza -- Cam ordered the sausage pizza, and it was gorgeous, crisp, and perfect, and easily enough to share. I had the special: fettuccine with tiny meatballs in marinara. Most of the time I don't like meatballs with wider pastas, but in this case they were so fluffy and petite that they didn't overwhelm. We shared a slice of tiramisu for dessert, which I loved but Cam thought was a little too cheesy. (He has a strange aversion to sweet cheese, so cheese danish, cheesecake, cannoli, etc. are all off limits). But this, too, was light and tasty, not heavy. Cafe Lago has become a favorite for us because of its consistency, something that's sadly lacking in many local restuarants. It's also welcoming and pleasant -- we had a seat where we could watch Carla throwing pizza dough, which was fun. It also wears many hats: I could imagine going there as a treat for out-of-town guests, a family dinner when you just don't want to cook, or even a casual after-work supper. It's a little bit cozy (borderline miraculous, considering its size and volume) and very neighborly. I'm happy that we live close enough to become regulars. ~A <edited for a typo>