Gastrolust

Here are five quick bites, culminating with news about a national champion.
Ivar’s is a Seattle institution. No doubt about that. And that institution was in the news this year, with stories about its underwater billboards. For me, the story is whether its food warrants a stop or not. This past year, I had chances to [...]

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This Seattlest writer knows this site is about appreciation of Seattle. We love it here, for sure.
But part of what we love is its proximity to Vancouver, as we’ve discussed before. And to that we must add its proximity to Portland.
Dishin’ disappeared for a week because we were on a feeding frenzy down south. In [...]

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I went a little cooking crazy last weekend.
It was all part of an extended birthday celebration, an excuse to have friends over, and then a guest visiting for New Zealand. I need more such excuses.
In addition to a root beer cake and orange-Szechuan peppercorn ice cream (a David Lebovitz recipe), I made four soups:

mushroom (an [...]

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I’ve been to quite a few pho places in Seattle, and I’ve finally found one that surpasses Than Brothers 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 just as recently [...]

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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 fighting dreariness, but for variety’s sake, I decided to give nearby [...]

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When traveling the country and trying to avoid the Cheesecake Factories, Cracker Barrels and Claim Jumpers that clog the arteries, we get excited whenever we see a Martin Luther King street exit. The same can be said for exit 157 off I-5 in Seattle, where, just to the north, you’ll find a diversity of delicious [...]

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Last week, we described a soup-er stay at Alderbrook Resort & Spa. This week, we met Soup-erman—a chef who really loves to make soup. As we’ve turned the corner into summer and the weather is warming (at least a bit), what is it about soup that’s captured our attention?
Too many diners overlook salad and especially [...]

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This should finally catch me up on my missed meals of note (or not so noteworthy) on the road.
In Worcester (MA), a stop at Dalat Restaurant and a bowl of hu tieu nam vang, per the server’s recommendation. The menu promises a variety of seafood, along with “sliced porks, fish’s cakes,…lever, heart” and more. Promising, [...]

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Still on the road, and still in search of something decent to eat in a hurry. Pho is almost always the answer.
I head to Ben Tranh, but it’s become Taste of Asia and the sign advertises Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese fare. Hmm. I think I’ll go back a block to the funky pho place I [...]

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Szechuan Noodle Bowl is one of those enduring little places that I love in the International District. When Green Leaf (one of my recent Top 5 Asian Restaurant picks) would be too crowded, I always knew I could go next door for some decent noodles. Sure, it’s one of those typical Chinese joints with light [...]

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