[SEA] A tourist's recap

[thereuare]

Here are excepts from my food adventures in Seattle. I was there on a family trip so i didn't have much of a say in most of the restaurant selections. As well, the extended family aren't planners or foodies, so restaurants were often picked at the last minute. Only restaurant i chose was Brasa as it was on the last day and everyone else had already left; we could have left the city early that day but i insisted on staying so i could try their happy hour dinner (thanks to the recommendations on this board):

Wild Ginger, which I was very pleased and impressed with. Service was excellent and the food was great. Started with chicken satay and some spring rolls (which weren’t fried) and the satay was a winner! Main dishes were duck and seven flavor beef which were both recommended by our server, as well as a shrimp dish (the second one listed on the menu) and a chicken dish. I didn’t try the duck but it got very good reviews from others at the table… the chicken dish was ‘ok’ but the shrimp and beef dishes were superb. Upon seeing what we were ordering our server also recommended the smaller serving size for two of the dishes (always appreciated and noticed when a server has your best interest in mind ahead of their own) and the amount of food was perfect. Prices for food were as expected for a ‘nicer’ restaurant although beer/wine prices a bit higher than the rest of the city (which I found to have VERY low beer prices).

For dinner we couldn’t get a reservation for our large party at Flying Fish so we ended up at Anthony’s Pier 66 which was able to accommodate us. Service was good and the setting was great, but I wasn’t thrilled with my meal and the limited menu; and view this type of place as a tourist trap that is typically available in every major city. Better choices can be had, but given the lack of advanced planning this was what was available (and given that i didn't have a say in the planning i had to go with the flow).

Finally worked out way over to Brasa and let me say that if their happy hour isn’t one of the best deals in town I’m not sure what would be. This is an excellent restaurant with a Middle Eastern slant; from 5pm-7pm their bar menu is half price with a drink purchase. I had the steak sandwich ($16 reduced to $8), which was truly great. Surprisingly it wasn’t served in a bun but rather some sort of Middle Eastern pita-type bread. It was done extremely well and had tremendous flavor... outstanding! My wife had an order of hummus ($10 reduced to $5), which was also very good, but the steak sandwich was the clear winner. As with the rest of the city, beer prices were extremely reasonable as a pint of the local brew I had was only $4! ($7+ at an equivalent NY high-end restaurant). Happy hour dinner at this restaurant will once again be on my must-do list when I return to the city.

While walking around the block waiting for Brasa to open we also stumbled upon a Mexican restaurant called Mama’s, which we said we would also try next time around… just looked like the type of local/homestyle place we would enjoy. Anybody know anything about it?

Thanks for the tip on Brasa as i really enjoyed my steak sandwich there! I think we'll be in Seattle about once a year so am already thinking about a repeat visit to Brasa along with some other places (like Mama's if i hear good things about it from the board).

[tighe]

For dinner we couldn’t get a reservation for our large party at Flying Fish so we ended up at Anthony’s Pier 66 which was able to accommodate us. Service was good and the setting was great, but I wasn’t thrilled with my meal and the limited menu; and view this type of place as a tourist trap that is typically available in every major city. Better choices can be had, but given the lack of advanced planning this was what was available (and given that i didn't have a say in the planning i had to go with the flow)

....

While walking around the block waiting for Brasa to open we also stumbled upon a Mexican restaurant called Mama’s, which we said we would also try next time around… just looked like the type of local/homestyle place we would enjoy. Anybody know anything about it?

Thanks for the report, always fun to read visitors' impressions of food in Seattle.

I don't understand why Anthony's Pier 66 is so problematic when it's supposed to be their flagship restaurant. I really enjoy the Anthony's Homeport in Des Moines, near my house, where the food is consistently far better than the Pier 66 location. Theories?

Mama's Mexican Kitchen, now there's a blast from the past. Used to go there after work for $1.50 margaritas, back in the day. I always liked the food there for what it was. Not authentic, the place is terminally kitchy, but damn it, it tasted good.

[Schielke]

Mama's is ok. The food is Tex-Mex, but not bad. The service can be across the board.

Ben

[little ms foodie]

I agree about Anthony's. I just feel that the menu is a safe 1980's type of selection (don't they still do coconut prawns? )

Mama's kitchen is fun and funky! the food is good, the margaritas are better and it's a place we always take friends and have group gatherings!

Across the street is the Wasabi Bistro, worth checking out for their happy hour too.

Glad you had a good time in Seattle!

[thereuare]

Mama's Mexican Kitchen, now there's a blast from the past. Used to go there after work for $1.50 margaritas, back in the day.

Must have really been back in the day as i looked at the menu and Happy Hour margaritas were listed at $5.00 (can only guess as to price at other times).

As a side note, the bartender at Brasa really put a lot of effort into her margarita (i didn't have one, but saw a few being made)... first wtih limes and ice in the glass, then a long fork in order to hand puree them, followed by the liquor.

don't they still do coconut prawns?

They sure do... as an appetizer. I almost ordered two servings as my main dish (as i had done at Salty's my last trip to Seattle... another tourist trap!) Can you tell i had nothing to do with that selection either

Also on the last trip we went to to a thai place that i may have mentioned in a previous post here. I asked our host the name of it this time around and it was Racha Noodle... very good.

Edited August 20, 2004 by thereuare (log)

[LaurieA-B]

The food is Tex-Mex, but not bad.

Ben, you must not have read the recent Q&A with Robb Walsh...

[girl chow]

While walking around the block waiting for Brasa to open we also stumbled upon a Mexican restaurant called Mama’s, which we said we would also try next time around… just looked like the type of local/homestyle place we would enjoy. Anybody know anything about it?

Thanks for the report! Love reading those.

Mama's is a great place to fill your stomach up after a night of drinking. I used to hang out in the Elvis room at Mama's more times than I care to admit when I was in my early 20s and living in Seattle (ages and ages and ages ago...)

I was last there in May (with eGulleters who shall remain nameless).. and as I recall, our service was absolutely horrible and the food cheap and mediocre. Ahhhh, just as I remember it.... the good ol' days...

There are dozens of better Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in the region (Scorched Palate can point you where), but Mama's is gritty, cheap and full of 'tude... and great for midnight eating.

[tsquare]

girl chow,

Glad you said so. Since I haven't been in a dozen years, I didn't want to comment - but all I remember was a mass of food with lots of fat. Not necessarily a bad thing, but nothing I'd recommend.

[jbonne]

a mass of food with lots of fat. Not necessarily a bad thing, but nothing I'd recommend.

my recollection as well. and service to match. not on my list.

[phaelon56]

Although my recenet trip to Seattle was far too compressed time-wise to fit in many restaurant visits, the local eGulleteers I met for dinner one evening all raved about Salumi, Mario Batali's father's place. It's a must-visit on my next trip.

Music fans take note: the new jazz Club "The Triple Door" is owned by the owners of Wild Ginger. It has a very nice dinner menu with reasonable prices. I had only coffee and dessert when I went there but everyting from food quality and portion size to presentation and service were impeccable. It's the first time I've ever sensed the potential for really good food in a music venue. Also... although it's a more cerebral and aesthetically informed sort os place for music that I usually like, it does have fantastic sound and lights not to mention great line of sight to the stage from every seat in the house.