Featured Stories
- Recommended Asian Restaurants in the Seattle Area: Master List
Here’s a compilation of links to lists of my favorite Asian restaurants broken down into different categories. - Published in Lucky Peach: A Dumpling Crawl Through Richmond, BC
This crawl will steer you toward some of Richmond’s gems while offering an introduction to the wide variety of dumplings available in the area. - A Dream Trip to Chengdu, China
Someone told me you come to China for food, but you come to Chengdu for flavor. I found plenty of flavor and fell in love with the city.
Jay Friedman is a freelance food writer and gastronaut—willing to travel the world for what he wants to eat. His work has been featured in publications like USA Today, Lucky Peach (RIP), Eater, and Serious Eats, to name a few. He’s been hailed as “Seattle’s authoritative voice on Asian cuisine,” and this website aggregates some of his writing about Asian restaurants from Seattle to Chengdu. But Gastrolust is much more, from burgers in Seattle to dining/travel guides throughout Washington state, the United States, and beyond. (Note: Jay is on writing hiatus during the pandemic.)
Asian Food in Seattle
- Eric Banh on the Business of Vietnamese Food in Seattle
Banh believes that Seattle is now the most sophisticated city in America for Vietnamese food. - Recommended Asian Restaurants in the Seattle Area: Master ListHere’s a compilation of links to lists of my favorite Asian restaurants broken down into different categories.
- Jay’s Five Best Asian Bites of the Year
Selecting five favorite bites of the year is a great challenge. My picks come from places both new and old, and naturally feature a lot of noodles.
Other Food in Seattle
- Where to Get Dessert Near Pike Place Market in Seattle
Pike Place Market is a working market for locals as well as a central attraction for tourists and business travelers alike. There are plenty of places to satisfy your sweet tooth, but here’s where we recommend you start. - 7 Places to Find Great Fried Chicken in Seattle
From Southern-style gizzards to crackly Japanese karaage, Seattle is a fried chicken lover’s paradise. Here are seven of my favorite spots to satisfy your craving. - We Eat All 11 Sandwiches at Paseo, in Seattle
Paseo. Mere mention of the word gets my mouth watering. Even before you hit the location, you’ll likely catch a whiff of caramelized onions and roasted pork wafting down the street.
Washington State – Food & Travel
- Farms, Fermentation and Food-Related Fun on Vashon Island
An easy escape from Seattle leads to some interesting food finds. - A Food Lover’s Foray to Bellingham
Situated between the culinarily sophisticated cities of Seattle and Vancouver/Richmond, is there good food to be found in Bellingham? Here are my finds. - A Great-Tasting Overnight Getaway to Olympia
An hour’s drive a world apart from Seattle, here are my suggestions of inexpensive eateries (everything under $10) and activities to consider in Olympia.
U.S. – Food & Travel
- Some Super Bites in Stumptown
Highlights included fantastic Thai food at Hat Yai, Middle Eastern food at Tusk, and super bites at SuperBite. - Three Delicious Days in Las Vegas
You don’t have to party to enjoy Vegas. People-watching provides lots of entertainment, and you can enjoy plenty of over-the-top pleasures as well. That includes great food from hole-in-the-wall to fine dining. - A Little Overnight Trip to Lafayette, Louisiana
A trip into Cajun country provides an interesting contrast to the urban party scene of New Orleans.
Canada – Food & Travel
- Published on Eater: My Recommended Restaurants in Richmond, BC
Eater Travel put together a first-ever list of the most dynamic food cities in the world right now, and I was honored to be invited to write about one of the nineteen. - Three Delicious Days in Victoria
The ever-improving food scene in Victoria continues to impress me. Here are some highlights of places to check out, plus more to do, in Victoria. - Published in Lucky Peach: A Dumpling Crawl Through Richmond, BCThis crawl will steer you toward some of Richmond’s gems while offering an introduction to the wide variety of dumplings available in the area.
International – Food & Travel
- Return to Chengdu: A Photo-Heavy Food Journey
This trip, like my last, offered the usual noodles, ma po tofu, and other spicy Sichuan dishes. But, as a bonus, I also had an amazing chance to shop and cook a few favorites. - Published in Lucky Peach: A Guide to Chengdu Noodle Dishes
One of my writing highlights of the year was my first published piece for Lucky Peach, which invited me to share my discovery of the wide variety of noodle dishes in Chengdu, China. - A Fast Feeding Frenzy in Shanghai, as Chronicled on Facebook
From xiao long bao to hongshao rou to delicious sesame wontons and sesame noodles.
Miscellaneous
- Continuation of My Coffee Education
I had good equipment and a good sense of what kind of coffee I like. But how to describe it? Stumped, I went to Stumptown, and then explored other coffee places around the continent. - The Mein Man Makes Biang-Biang Noodles
I’ve obviously exhibited a lot of enthusiasm lately for hot oil-seared biang-biang noodles. They’re addictively delicious! So, I’ve wondered, why not make them myself? Here’s the start of the journey… - Where to Get Dessert Near Pike Place Market in SeattlePike Place Market is a working market for locals as well as a central attraction for tourists and business travelers alike. There are plenty of places to satisfy your sweet tooth, but here’s where we recommend you start.