Gastrolust

Es verdad. I didn’t have high hopes for Barrio, especially as I’d eaten at the sister restaurant the night before, and wasn’t wowed. (Purple Cafe is perhaps a good drinking place, but even upon a return visit, the food was disappointing—especially the pork belly, which was again dry as a bone.) But my dining companion [...]

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I found myself in Rock Hill, South Carolina earlier this month looking for a unique place to get something ethnic, when an Internet search (hello, Urbanspoon) led me to Carlos Cafe. Thankfully. These are nice folks doing simple, authentic Cuban food. Given the opportunity, I’d want to sample the sandwiches, fish, and maybe even the [...]

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Seattle seafood consultant Jon Rowley usually has his eyes on fish. Now, his eyes and heart are with fishing families. The Yup’ik Eskimos of the Yukon, who supply wild Yukon king and keta salmon during the summer, are struggling through terrible times, as a devastatingly short salmon season, an early winter with extremely cold temperatures, [...]

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I was recently in Burlington, Vermont and met up with friends for lunch at The Skinny Pancake. One of them decided to play “restaurant reviewer” and emailed me her playful write-up, which I’ve decided to present to the world. (It gives good insight into what it’s like to eat with a food writer.) An out-of-town [...]

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As of today, I’ve now transformed from the Seattle Asian Eats Examiner to the Seattle Restaurant Examiner. (See yesterday’s “finale” post.) In some ways, I’ll miss the exclusive focus on Asian food, but rest assured that I’ll continue covering cuisine from the East, enjoying Vietnamese noodles, Szechuan peppercorns, sushi, and more. But you can see why I’m [...]

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I posted this on Examiner earlier today, as I prepare to transition from their Asian Eats Examiner to their more general Restaurant Examiner. Thought it might be an interesting recap to share here… It’s been about five months since I wrote up my top five Asian restaurants in Seattle. Since I’ll soon be changing my [...]

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Happy anniversary, Monsoon! While the Banhs are celebrating the success of their new Bellevue restaurant (Monsoon East), they’re also commemorating the occasion of opening their Capitol Hill location ten years ago today: February 21, 1999. And you’re invited to the party! Head on over to Monsoon (Capitol Hill location only) tomorrow (Sunday, 2/22) between 5pm and 10pm, [...]

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I’ve been to quite a few pho places in Seattle, and I’ve finally found one that might be a consideration as my favorite. The simple-named Vietnam Restaurant is, in many ways, typical of other pho joints in town: cheap bowls of pho, cream puffs, bright lights, indifferent service, and nasty bathrooms. But as much as the [...]

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Saturday’s a super day to go to the University District for some shopping at the farmers market. And when that day happens to be dreary, I always find myself in the mood for some soup. Than Brothers is my default for comfort and convenience, but for variety’s sake, I decided to give nearby Pho Thy [...]

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We’ve been slurping down news of all the new Japanese noodle shops in Seattle. Samurai Noodle’s pretty good; people like it enough that they’ve got a second location. The noodles themselves are better at Kaname, but the broth is lacking. And we’ve heard some good things about Boom Noodle, though our Japanese friends tell us [...]

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