elswinger

I went to Chiso Japanese Restaurant http://www.chisoseattle.com/ in Fremont for lunch today and it was very good. Not quite “Saito” good, but as good, if not better than “Chinoise in Wallingford” good. Since Chiso does not offer a Rainbow Roll, I wound up getting an order of Maguro ($4); Kani ($5); a Salmon-Skin Roll ($5); a Rosanna Roll ($6) which was made with scallops, snow crab, carrots, sprouts, tobiko, and mayo; an order of Shrimp Tempura ($4.75 for 3 pieces); a side salad ($3) which consisted of Salad Greens, Miso dressing, and Sesame Seeds; and a Pepsi ($1.50) which refills were provided in a carafe. The sushi bar was full so I sat at a table. More people soon arrived so the place was pretty full within a matter of minutes (they probably all work for Adobe). The service at Chiso was very good, except that when I got to work, I noticed I was given the wrong bill and overpaid by $18 (including 20% tip), so I wound up paying $55 instead of the $37 I should have. Since I spent $50 by myself at Saito’s the last time I was there, I didn’t think twice about the price. I called a few minutes ago and the manager remembered me and said she would put my balance in an envelope for me (I paid cash). Had I paid by credit card she would have just credited my account. Since I won’t be in the neighborhood this weekend, and the next weekday they are open for lunch is next Wednesday, I will pick it up then and probably wind up eating there again, or maybe I’ll just take the money across the street and give Blue C Sushi a try. Below are pictures (sorry the tempura shot is a bit blurry).

Can an experienced Absinthe drinker tell me what the experience is like with the real thing? True confessions, at the age of, nearly 41, in the past* I've been f'd-up on tequila, weed, shrooms, LSD, X, and poppy-flour tea, so my standards are pretty high. My only perception of Absinthe is Nine Inch Nails videos and Francis Ford Coppala's Dracula. I just want to know if $100+ is worth the experience. If it's worth it, I'll keep it on my list of things to try before I die (like Fugu). *I'm not nor have ever been a "druggy" but still smoke the herb on occasion and have cocktails once or twice a year.

Since it's payday, I am going to treat myself to sushi, so I'll try Chiso in Fremont for the first time. After spending $3 yesterday for lunch, I'll probably spend $30 today. I will start another thread and post pictures this afternoon.

By the way, I tried the Eastlake Bar & Grill earlier this week and they still had the Prime Rib Sandwich on the menu (but as the special) and not only did it go up $2 in price, but now it doesn't come with fries, and it was bland. AND they no longer have steak on the menu for lunch, so I will cross it off as a potential return for lunch unless it's a real hot day and I want to sit outside.

I don't know why, but I haven't had a gould BBQ Pork Rib in awhile, and though I might be blocking out the incident, for some reason the though of ribs makes me a bit queasy (and beleive me, pork ribs used to be in my top three food groups).

I think I got the recipe of idrink.com or another website (I just cut and pasted it out of google). I have a bunch of cocktail books dating back to the 1920s but they are all boxed up. BTW, are peppers and bitters the same thing, or by 'peppers' do you think they mean Tabasco?

You know, I had been told for years that Andy's was the place to go, and when I finally went, i had pretty much the same experience you did, except that when I was there, it was fairly crowded, and the burger I ordered turned into a cheeseburger, and when I sent it back, it returned with the cheese scraped off (and anyone who knows, you can't scrape melted American Cheese off anything, especialy a burger and bun. I also thought the place was pretty dirty. I guess the place caters to the truckers and local blue collar lunch crowd, M's fans looking for a pregame lunch, or people looking for a place where they can eat and smoke and get a stiff drink at the same time, (and aparently a lot of groups have meetings there). I guess the lesson if you eat in a restaurant that is inside a bunch of old railcars, you are either going to get an old dive like Andy's, or an overpriced (and over cheery) theme restaurant.

I've been eating at Dick's on Broadway since I moved to Seattle in 1990 and yesterday was the first time they've told me they wouldn't hold the cheese on a Deluxe (hell, it's just a Special with and extra hamburger patty). No big deal. I'll know better next time. Today is payday, so I'm thinking about what I'm going to have for lunch today. Sushi? Pizza? Carne Asada tacos? Or do I save money and finally give Daly's Drive In on Eastlake a chance? I want to try some place I haven't been before, or, I could go to Red Robin and order a Monster Burger with Mushrooms so I can post the picture in the Hardee's/Carl's Jr. thread and make them choke on it).

Here's their webpage by the way: http://www.tarragonawine.com/ It's funny you mentioned them because I was just looking at the Spanish Table's web site for Madeira, I am looking for a bottle to give to my boss when she retires next Spring.

I’ve always liked Dick’s since moving to Seattle back in 1990, (the Dick’s Special reminds me of the burgers I used to get at Big Tom’s in Tumwater when I was growing up). Admittedly, I’d rather go to Red Mill, Red Robin, or the Six Arms if I’m flush with cash, but I’ve always counted on Dick’s for a good cheap hamburger when I’ve been next to broke. Today I was down to my last $3 until payday (tomorrow) so decided I would take the #43 to Broadway and go to Dick’s. It was busy as usual, but no more so than a typical Thursday afternoon. First I noticed the prices had gone up since the last time I had been (maybe six months) but it was still reasonable. A Special now goes for $1.50 and a Deluxe goes for $2. I decided I would get my usual, a Deluxe without cheese (I have never liked the combination of mayo and cheese, so have never been into cheeseburgers) and I didn’t want to get two Specials because I didn’t want to eat that much bread. But when I ordered my Deluxe without I was told, rudely, “We don’t do special orders.” I said, “Since when?” and the guy. Only having so much time for lunch, I said, out loud, “Fuck this,” and went across the street and went to Jack In The Box instead. Believe it or not, at the age of (nearly) 41, I had never eaten at a Jack in the Box before today. Instead of getting the Dick’s Deluxe for $2, I got a Jumbo Jack for $1.29 and I have to say I think it tasted better than what the Deluxe would have, and it was 70 cents cheaper (so I was able to also get a Chicken Sandwich for 99 cents). I don’t know if this has completely soured me on going back to Dick’s, though I won’t go to the Broadway one again, but the next time I’m broke and find myself on Broadway I’ll walk by Dick’s and go back to Jack (or Taco Bell).

No, Starbucks is not evil. (BTW, why aren’t there “I hate Tully’s, Pete’s, Folgers, etc.” websites?) I guess it’s like when a band starts out playing bars to their friends and a few initial fans, then seemingly overnight (ie. years go by) “suddenly” they start getting radio play and play arenas and then people label them “sell outs.” Starbucks, in my opinion, gets the same bum rap. Starbucks started out as a single coffee shop at the Pike Place Market in 1971, and through Howard Schultz’s smart business sense, many they’ve become a huge international business (and, by the way, a pretty big benefactor to charity). They didn’t strong arm Seattle’s Best, Torrefazione Italia, or Tazo into selling. I’ve lived in Seattle for 14 years and Washington State for 37, and if there is an independent coffee shop with a good atmosphere near a Starbucks, sure, I’ll go there instead to support “the little guy,” but I’m not going to go out of my way to do so, ( and until someone else makes a good bottled vanilla coffee drink, I will unashamedly buy bottles of Starbuck Vanilla Frappucino, and buy their ice cream too).

I don't have a particular brand loyalty, though Boylan's, IBC, and Thomas Kemperer are pretty good and I want to try Moxie and Hansen's, my favorite soda is Vanilla Cream (preferably served with a grilled chicken breast sandwhich with lettuce & mayo on a poppyseed Kaiser and potato salad).

I've been meaning to buy Peter's book. I heve been looking for a site online that talks about all the regional differences in pizza, not just NY vs. Chicago vs. California, but Naples ns. Sicily vs. Athens too. (And if any Nyers are listening, is there a difference between NY, NJ, and Connecticut pizza?)

I think Pazzo's may be close to Neo-neapolitan. The crust was thin (maybe 1/4") and crisp and did not sag (though I only had the personal sized, not a 16"=er which should be the standard to judge).

Torakris, Please take a picture of the Flesh Meat sign and post it if you could (or any other funny signs). Thanks.

I am sure this was a contributing factor to my growing up overweight and unhealthy, but when I was a kid my Mom would cut the fat off her steak or pork chops and put it on my plate. I thought it tasted good.

Speaking for myself, not all of us hope to live to be 100 years old, and frankly I'd rather have a good, delicous 45-50 years than a bland 100 years (and at the rate of the cost of living and my inability to save money, since I'll never be able to retire, I will welcome the sweet releif of death by Monster Burger.

Kiliki, I hope my previous message didn't come off as defensive, it wasn't meant that way. I agree that Pazzo's is not Neapolitan style as the crust is not paper thin, has more cheese, and are actual choices for toppings rather than a few preordained recipe pies. And since I am still not 100% sure what NY-Style is, all I can say is that Pazzo's reminds me of Luigi's Pizzaria in Lacey, WA circa 1968, which for me is the highest pinnacle of praise.

I didn't say it was NY-Style, I just said it's the best pizza I've had since living in Seattle.

OK Deborah, you have to try Pazzo's on East Lake. I've been there twice now, both times for lunch, and I have to say it's the best pizza in Seattle, and about as close to my childhood favorite pizza as I am ever likely to find. The crust is thin, but not too thin, and has a nice char to it (because it's cooked in a very hot wood-fired oven). The slices don't sag at the point when you pick them up, so they're perfect for folding. The sauce is tomatoey with a nice amount of garlic and spices, and the mozerella cheese is white and gooey and stretches for miles! The toppings are really good too (the sausage has a nice bite at the back of the throat but doesn't burn the lips). So far I have only ordered the lunch-special, two topping personal pizzas ($3.99 for a 6" pizza that really is closer to 8"). I think I will drag some friends there some night to try the 16"-er. BTW-you can look at their menu (in PDF form) on The Stranger's website, but the prices for some things are about 5% more because of the cost of tomatoes going up about 500% (thank you Florida hurricanes).

That sounds right. Right now it's a big hole in the ground, but at least construction is underway. I might have to add the neighborhood to the list of places I might move to (from Wedgewood).

I noticed that a Whole Foods is being built at the corner of Denny and West Lake. They say they will have 20,000+ bottles of wine, and there will be a huge Best Western Hotel on top of it.