Nana_Kat

I haven't been to Sea Garden in a couple of years, but I'm assuming it's the wirey, crispy noodles that are usually referred to as "Hong Kong" or "Cantonese" style (To-MAY-to, To-MAH-to...). Or I've just said "crispy" myself before.

It sounds like there has been a lot of success with Restaurant Zoe, but at the last 25 for $25, my friends and I did not have such luck. Our party of 4 waited 40 minutes after arriving on time for our Sunday evening reservation. The host staff did not seem really concerned about this. We did bring this up with management at the time but were only suggested to move to the bar area so we could have more room (waiting area is very small by the way and drafty). Service was pretty apathetic as well: Server (in bored voice): So you're all here for the 25 for $25? Us: Yes. Server: So what do you want then? Our dishes were ok but a little lackluster. Two of us had the Beet Risotto, which was ok but not what we had originally ordered as the 2 other dishes we were interested in, they were all out of (server came back twice to tell us they were out of something we ordered). Granted this could have been an off night, but since management was not really willing to step up, none of anticipate we will be going back. We've had more luck with Campagne, Earth & Ocean (great desserts) and Nishino for their Prix-Fixe menus, both service and food-wise.

So does anyone know what went on with the Savoy Indian restaurant in Bellevue (off of 148th Ave)? Just when I was about to eat there after a strong recommendation from a friend, they've close it down and made it into something else. According to the sign outside, it sounds like it is still managed by the same people, but the food/menu has been retooled and it now also has a new name (what it was called exactly escapes me). I could be wrong but I thought I saw the words "Indian style Chinese food" on the sign. Has anyone eaten there recently?

Pomodoro in Eastlake! Sunday-Thursday 5:30pm-midnight Friday-Saturday 5pm-2am

Just a note about Purple Dot Cafe (which btw can have kind of disgusting food sometimes), many Chinese restaurants that have "Cafe" in the name are modeled after the restaurants in Hong Kong that have Americanized food. A weird kind of irony--they were popular over in China for having Americanized food, then the idea came back over to the US. Another example is Cafe Ori (with better food) on the Eastside. There are a plethora of these cafes in the San Gabriel Valley in California.

If you are interested in non-raw fish options and is family-friendly, on the eastside there is Tokyo Japanese Restaurant. They feature a lot of rolls that are not on the raw fish side and have kind of interesting ones, too. My boyfriend and I had the Aloha roll before which has crab, avocado...and macadamia nuts?! It wasn't our favorite of all time or anything (kind of heavy on the macadamia nuts) but it was a nice change up. They also have a lot of combination dinners/bento boxes available. When we've gone we've also noticed that there are frequently a lot of families with young children (I think they have a kids menu too). If you're interested in it, it's off the Richards Road exit for the I-90 East in the Factoria area (in the QFC/Loehmann's Plaza) on 3500 Factoria Blvd. S.E.. Here's the address for their site (when the page loads, you don't have to download the language--just hit "Cancel"): http://www.tokyojr.com/

Restaurant Zoe: What do restaurant reservations really mean? This month my friends and I had the pleasure/displeasure of dining at Restaurant Zoe during the 25 for $25 promotion. While the food we felt was good--from what we had, the stand outs were Pear and Gorgonzola Risotto and warm Valrhona Chocolate Torte--we were irked by having been made to wait a quite awhile after we had made reservations and arrived on time. We made reservations for 7:00pm but were not seated until 7:40pm--party of 4. We've now seen that one of the Secret Diners at Restaurant Zoe also had this problem: http://www.nwsource.com/contests/restauran...305/sd/zoe.html . While we acknowledged that during the promotion these restaurants are very busy, with that along with some other disappointments during our meal there, we are reluctant to repeat a meal there. I really hope that Zoe realizes that the impression that one receives from there during a promotion of this sort really does have an effect on whether people come back. I plan on calling the manager now that I have seen that others had problems with this as well. As my friend said it was just like the episode of Seinfeld where they said "Well obviously you guys having no problem MAKING reservations. I think the problem you have is HOLDING them."

I was just at Trader Joe's last week and they sell vanilla beans for either $2.99 or $3.99 for 2. Sorry I can't remember which one was the exact price, but either way it's still pretty inexpensive.

This recipe is my favorite for zucchini bread. It's a reciped that's stayed with me for awhile--Sunset magazine circa 1987. It is both moist and sweet, just how I like my Zucchini bread, too. Though sometimes I do cut down on the oil and or sugar to about 3/4 of what they ask for. Using the sesame seeds I feel is optional as well.

I have not tried Wild Mountain Cafe yet. But after looking at the site, my interest is piqued. This sounds interesting (I love French Toast): "Persian Sun ~ Tahini-stuffed French toast topped with chopped fresh pineapple and a lemon-honey drizzle, and served with a side of ham."

Boat Street Cafe had a good classic Eggs Benedict but they are gone .

I've only been to the one in Bellevue, but I looove Meditteranean Kitchen and there is one in Queen Anne on 3rd and Roy that is very close to McCaw Hall. The entrees are wonderfully spiced. However, since you are going to an event after dinner you would have to not be afraid of smelling like garlic afterwards :\.

Seattle has plenty of places for bento but nothing as cheap as the $4 in Portlabd or other cities may have, however. Tuna House in Bellevue has bentos for lunch, and Bento Sushi on 15th Ave NW in Ballard obviously always has bentos available all the time (I like their spicy crispy chicken roll BTW). There is also Bento Box in Redmond which has already been mentioned here. Alas. I've been dreading the day Fuji Sushi in the ID was mentioned here. It's a secret no more! They have a dinner special Bento every day--I've yet to eat there for lunch--with your choice of two main courses (Sushi, Salmon or Saba Shioyaki, Chicken Katsu, Tempura, Teriyaki, etc. ) for $9.95, along with tea (when asked for), miso soup and rice. There are probably other places to take your taste buds for more refined Japanese cuisine but it's such a deal and everything--like the food, atmosphere and service--is so reliable there! To note though, Fuji Sushi apparently when under a renovation recently and I've yet to see if their menu has changed as well.

I've eaten there a few times at Tuna House in Bellevue and they serve nothing but quality, quality sushi/sashimi. They located in part of a strip mall that was based on a now-closed K-Mart--but they have surprisingly nice decor inside and serve quality, quality sushi/sashimi, and other specialties. They hours can be kind of odd sometimes so I would call before heading over there. Dinner can be a little spendier--prices you would normally see in downtown Seattle--but once you taste their large slices of sashimi, you know you will be paying appropriately. If you are interested for lunch, they have reasonably priced lunch/bento specials as well. BTW If you are interested in Nishino--I've only eaten there once (excellent though)--my sister's friend used to be a waiter there and always recommends the black cod with ponzu sauce, but I'm not sure if it is on the menu anymore.

Seeing as how we're tending towards the Indian buffets here, I'm adding my favorite one, the lunch buffet at Moghul Palace in Bellevue.

I'm afraid I have to agree with Kinch about City Kitchens and the "customer service". Sometimes I know I may have to end up going there because I know they may have a good price on a specialty item, but I end up gritting my teeth as I go in because I know it's hard to get someone to help me. I was just in there this week to buy a gift for someone (a digital scale for someone who likes to bake often). It was a good deal on the scale -- digital Salter with an 11lb. capacity for $49.95 -- but as I came in I couldn't resist getting some Emile Henry ovenproof bowls on closeout (they'd be nice for individual cobblers maybe?). I didn't see any shopping baskets around, so having stacked them up tall and doing a balancing act with my hands while at the same time trying to look around for about 20 minutes, someone finally asked if I wanted to put them behind the counter. Of course I would! I admit it should have occurred to me go up to someone and ask if they could help me with the bowls, and maybe this should not have been a really big deal except the store was not that busy, there were at least four people on the floor doing NOTHING except walking around, and the store is not that big. I'm all for the laidback/low pressure sell and I'm sure they're knowledgable, but please at least notice your customers and not try to avoid eye contact with them! This is not my first occurence of this type there (maybe it's time to send these posts to their manager). Sadly, I'm sure I'll have to go back in there someday, but I will definitely try to look at one of the other stores that you lovely people have posted here first.

Is the "cheap greek place" on the Ave you are talking about "The Continental Restaurant" kieran? With the blue sign? I think there are just off of 45th. They have good "fries" there. Circles of potatoes, scallopped cut and herbed. Yum.

I went with my bf around New Years to see the John Pizzarelli Trio (which was excellent BTW!!!) and we were in the same debate regarding whether to eat there or not. We had heard the food there can be sort of hit miss so we ate beforehand and then came in just before the show and just had cocktails and shared their (flourless?) chocolate cake, which was good yet nothing special. It did feel kind of weird to nurse just a glass of wine and dessert for the whole show. We could of course have ordered more cocktails but we didn't want to catch the waitstaff's attention too much as the music was going on--although they make a really great effort to not be as obtrusive as possible while the musicians are playing and to still check around if you need anything else. Nothing on the menu really did leap out at us in any way, but in retrospect we were thinking that for the next time we go, it would be more fun to just go ahead and eat there at least once. It's a great venue to be at and there's not much else similar to it around Seattle.

Well just in terms of those lovely sesame ball wonders, they them sell at Banh Mi 88 also on Jackson at the corner of 12th and Jackson. They have nice large ones over there. It's a good way to top off a banh mi sandwich over there--if only parking wasn't such a problem. They are also very plentiful at most places for Chinese dim sum at restaurants like Top Gun or Noble Court, etc. Sometimes I think they have a darker paste, probably make with red bean, but it's not that far off from the yellow bean (mung bean) paste in flavor. Extra note: Some asian grocery stores (like Ranch 99) sell them frozen and you can fry them up yourself--not as good as having them fresh of course. Or there are recipes to make them yourself --lots of rice flour, sugar, sesame seeds, bean paste and oil for frying.

Oh I forgot to mention: if you are going to dinner early, Elliott's Oyster House is supposed to have an excellent Happy Hour during the week--never got to take advantage of it since we'd always end up going to dinner late. I think they still have it Mon-Fri 3-6pm.....actually i just called Elliott's they still have it. Might be a good option

How about Oceanaire? Or Elliot's Oyster House? Both have big seafood selection. They are kind of pricey though, but very close to where you are going. Less pricey option: International District.

I think they had them at Larry's in Queen Anne a month or two ago. I just remembered them because the cashier hadn't seen them before, neither had I. Errr...I bought them just because they were on sale :\, quite plump and juicy though. Don't know if they are still there.

Hmmm Extra MSG...while I can take note that Il Fornaio can be inconsistent at times but I wouldn't really compare it to Olive Garden--who doesn't make fresh housemade pasta everyday, use fresh speciality mushrooms (funghi ;) ), make their own bread every morning, or get national awards for their wine list every year. But all tastes can differ, I guess--to each their own! Hope people can get to sample some of their stuff if they haven't tried it yet :).

That's it I can't resist not talking about it. I just had to talk about some amaaaaazing pasta that I had at Il Fornaio at Pacific Place about a month ago. Yes it was a month but it was so good I still can't stop thinking about it. My sister and I stopped there for lunch on a weekend and I decided on having the Cappellacci di Zucca: fresh ravioli filled with butternut squash and walnuts, a creamy tomato sauce and here's the kicker: crispy fried sage leaves encrusted with parmesan--something that I've been seeing a few other restaurants do but Il Fornaio I think has done exceptionally well. The butternut squash was velvety smooth and flavorful and I think a great item if anyones looking for any good fall flavors to eat. My sister also had a great melt-in-your mouth smoked salmon and gnocchi dish. I think the only thing to complement our meals even more would have been a good glass of wine but my sister and I thought it too early in the day. Also not to be missed was their beautiful dessert cart! We ended up sharing the Rosina al Cioccolato, chocolate mouse over a small layer of sponge cake covered in shaved chocolate with a few raspberries underneath and a raspberry with cream sauce. They also had tiramisu, gelato, a fresh fruit tart, and some sort of chocolate creme brulee among others desserts. A very decadent lunch I'd say. The down side I think to lunch is it's the same price as dinner so no savings really for lunch but in hindsight I have no regrets :) ! I think Il Fornaio gets a little underrated sometimes since they are a chain but even my 100% Italian classmate in college said it was one of her favorite places to eat. All in all a terrific meal!

There are also durian popsicles sold in many of the Asian grocery stores in the ID. Uwajimaya sells them in a stand-alone freezer (along with other flavors: mango, red bean, etc) near the ice cream section.