We also had an amazing lunch at Salumi that I haven't gotten around to posting
and a very decent dinner at
Ponti Seafood grill

It says something about the quality of this forum that a year after leaving Chicago that I am coming back to this forum for recommendations on where to eat in Seattle, where I now live.

I will echo the earlier recommendations of Walrus and Carpenter and Joule, both of which are excellent. If you find yourself with a wait at Walrus, the bar next door Barnacle is excellent.

Some highly recommended highlights from a recent trip to Seattle.


#1 by a wide margin is Il Corvo, a place I'll never skip on any trip to Seattle as long as I'm in town 11-3 on a weekday. The small downtown stop serves up three pastas a day and a few anitpasti. That's it. I assume the antipasti are good but there were two of us and I was determined to try all three pastas, a decision I couldn't regret less. On my visit, they had pappardelle alla bolognese; baked mafalda (pictured, made with spinach pasta, parsnip and kohlrabi cream, tomato and broccoli); and a pasta misti with braised pork leg ragu. Every piece of pasta was cooked absolutely perfectly. Perfect is grossly overused in describing food but I can't think of any other way to describe what I ate at Il Corvo. It's almost certainly the best pasta I've had (I think only Flour + Water in SF is close), but take the casual ambience and low prices ($9/plate) into account, and Il Corvo is unparalleled.


The fried chicken at Ma'Ono more than lived up to the hype. Absolutely loved it. Really enjoyed everything I had at the restaurant this twice-fried, umami-laden crusted bird was as juicy and crunchy a chicken as I've ever had. Served with kimchi because why not? Ma'Ono runner up was the banana cream pie. Ma'One second runner up was the Mac n Kimcheese, a super creamy kimchi spiced version of mac and cheese and I must try to recreate.


I thoroughly enjoyed my brunch at Revel and the ramen hit the spot on a cool wet morning, but the highlight of that meal was unquestionably the lemongrass cream puff with poached quince. Actually, the highlight was the sweet painting of Macho Man Randy Savage on the wall, but the cream puff was a very close second.


Schilling Cider House had the best selection of cider I've ever seen in one place. 30+ on draft, including a handful of their own creations, and several coolers full of bottles. We stumbled on it when we had some time to kill and I'm thrilled I did.

Pro tip for those wanting to try Walrus and Carpenter, which doesn't take reservations. If you're going on a weekend, either go early or be prepared to wait a very, very long time. We got there around 7:00 on a Saturday and were told there was little chance we'd get in that night at all. We didn't risk waiting to find out.

Il Corvo
217 James St, Seattle
(206) 538-0999
ilcorvopasta.wordpress.com

Revel
403 N 36th St, Seattle
(206) 547-2040
www.revelseattle.com

Schilling Cider House
708 N 34th St, Seattle
(206) 420-7088
www.schillingcider.com

I wish we had a place like Il Corvo in Chicago. Next time you go he will have opened his "pasta workshop", so you can purchase some pasta to bring back to Chicago.

dagrassroots wrote:I wish we had a place like Il Corvo in Chicago.

We do. Check out Monteverde.

stevez wrote:

dagrassroots wrote:I wish we had a place like Il Corvo in Chicago.

We do. Check out Monteverde.

Nope--Monteverde's menu is probably, conservatively, 3x the size of Il Corvo. Hoping to get to Seattle this summer and this place is at the top of my list!

boudreaulicious wrote:

stevez wrote:

dagrassroots wrote:I wish we had a place like Il Corvo in Chicago.

We do. Check out Monteverde.

Nope--Monteverde's menu is probably, conservatively, 3x the size of Il Corvo. Hoping to get to Seattle this summer and this place is at the top of my list!

Sure, the menu is bigger, but the point is that the pastas being served at Monteverde are of the same high quality as those being served at Il Corvo, there's just more of 'em...and there are daily special items that come and go as quick as an eye blink. Granted, the price point is higher than Il Corvo, but price doesn't usually enter into the equation for me when it comes to the quality of the food being served, and then when you factor in the price of the airline ticket to Seattle... Check out Monteverde. You won't be sorry.

No doubt there are good places to get pasta in Chicago. I am more thinking about the feel of Il Corvo. It's a lunch place with counter service and you can get in-and-out in under 30 minutes. I look forward to trying Monteverde but 9 dollar pasta it is not.

I took my inaugural visit to Seattle recently and ate really well. It was actually my first trip to the Northwest which is every bit as beautiful as the postcards portray it to be. Just a quick three nights so we stayed in city limits but I hope to get back sometime in the summer and do some exploring and outdoor sightseeing.

Greetings from Seattle

Usually I throw all of my trip reports into one big round-up but I decided to split this one into two and focus exclusively on the Japanese food I consumed in part one and the rest after that. Never been to Japan, though that will change, but I've been fascinated with the food culture ever since I started reading all about it which in many cases happened right here (h/t to BR amongst others). Anyways there's some good intel here on Japanese food in Japan as well as Vegas, Los Angeles, Vancouver, NYC, Toronto etc and now Seattle as well. Though I really only scratched the surface as there were handfuls of other spots I wanted to try but we only had so much time.

Corner Shot in International District

First up would be an Izakaya with roots in Vancouver. I liked what I read and then saw on them. They're open all day and were a short 20 minute walk from our downtown Hotel so it was the perfect first stop.

Suika Seattle

The atmosphere inside was pretty relaxed, as was everywhere else in Seattle. I knew what we were here for and wasted no time in getting the lady fed. First up was an order of Smoked Tataki with sesame soy dressing and housemade chili oil. Simply outstanding. I'm sure the fact this was the first thing we ate all day played a part but it was also pretty much the only thing on this trip we ordered a second round of, aside from oysters and cocktails of course. You get to try a little more this way.

Smoked Tuna Tataki

Moving onto the Grilled Yellowtail Cheek with grated daikon and umami soy. Every bit as good as the tuna tataki. This was a great opening act for what was to come later on in the trip.

Grilled Yellowtail Cheek

We also got a round of Battera aka Osaka style pressed sushi where wooden blocks are used to mold the rice. I believe mackerel is the common topping in this style and it's usually lightly seared as it was here. Another tasty dish.

Aburi Saba Battera

While it's no longer an active enclave the Japantown district in Seattle still has some interesting remnants from it's heyday as it's said to be the most intact historic Japanese American district in the U.S. It's located in the International District which is where I headed to check out the Uwajimaya Market which is basically like Mitsuwa Market times twenty. I browsed through some things but because I carried on my luggage I wouldn't be able to bring back any sauces, whiskeys, or anything else fun. But I did hit up the food court.

Tako Kyuuban Takoyaki

Had to stop for an order of Takoyaki. These little balls of batter and octopus were good but I feel like they could've been been slightly more browned. But then again I've never eaten these on the streets of Osaka so I'm not too well versed in them. But I thought the Love Balls Bus in Austin was better. Though still enjoyed these.

Takoyaki

Upon entering Uwajimaya Market I spied a food truck parked across the street and then again when leaving. I wandered over and was soon greeted by the sweet smell of fresh cooked waffles.

BeanFish Food Truck

These guys are cooking up made to order Taiyaki which is a favorite Japanese sweet consisting of a waffle shaped fish stuffed with some sort of filling. Most common being red bean paste. So although there were some really delicious sounding options I stuck with the Jiro "a.ka. the original; sweetened organic azuki bean."

Taiyaki

Staying in the International District I had wanted to catch the Sweet 16 games on Friday night and had the perfect stop to do, while eating food of course. Located on the second floor of the building pic'd below is a neighborhood drinking/eating favorite.

Fort St. George

Fort St. George labels itself as a different kind of sports bar and while there is a bar frequented by older regulars there's also a dining area frequented by younger couples and families out to eat. Foodwise they specialize in Yoshoku which is Japanese interpretation of western cuisine. More commonly known dishes like Tonkatsu (Fried pork Cutlet) are served as are less known plates like Hamburg Steak and Tarako Spaghetti. I was all over the Doria which is a rice casserole that has a Swiss connection. I chose it with bacon and mushrooms, half and half. That being half bechamel sauce and half tomato. Loved this dish. It was perfect with a few cold Asahi's. It all made up for the crappy pre-HD TV's they had at the bar. This place isn't for those looking for a nice night out. It's anything but fancy.

Bacon / Mushroom Doria

Umi Sake House is located downtown. Because of that as well as the fact they sport couple different Happy Hours it's a popular spot for both tourists and locals.

Umi Sake House

If you're staying downtown this place should be a short walk from your hotel and makes for a nice spot to grab a drink. I'm just getting well versed in Sake and learned some stuff here. Happy Hour is around the normal post work time and then also later in the night after 11p. The menu for it offers a bunch of different options both cooked and raw. We ordered a few to go with the booze. Good stuff, maybe not great as great as elsewhere around town, but better then you're finding in any landlocked areas.

Sashimi Platter

Tuna Poke

Crunchy Prawns wrapped in Ramen

With the two hour fallback I was up pretty early for West Coast time. Not much on offer in the early hours, especially if you're not big on breakfast to begin with. But I did find a cute little old school Asian-American style diner.

Mia's Off Broadway

I had read some reviews that made this place sound like Seattle's version of Hamburger King (now Rice 'n Bread). As soon as I entered it felt just like that classic Asian-American diner you'll find here and there. There was a couple behind the counter and a few regulars sipping coffee. Can't do a trip to Seattle without chowing on some teriyaki. It's as commonly found there as the hot dog is here. Every Seattlean? / Seattleite? has a spot for teriyaki in the same way we have a spot(s) for hot dogs. Mia's is located right next to a Seattle College so it's easy to see why it's so popular. Big plate of food with both juicy (on the inside) and crispy (on the edges) bites of dark meat chicken. Perfect with some white rice drizzled with the teriyaki sauce that dripped off.

Chicken Teriyaki Plate

Sticking with the Japanese fast food options I kind of wanted to try Katsu Burger when reading up on spots and then decided to do so when we were near there. Place was packed for lunch.

Katsu Burger

This is a local fast food spot with a few locations in Seattle. I guess you could say they specialize in Asian Fusion burgers. They're putting Japanese ingredients into a burger focused menu. I believe katsu is short for katsuretsu, the Japanese word for cutlet. Burgers here come in beef, pork, or even chicken cutlets and are dressed in a variety of ways. I rolled with the Katsu Curry option which comes with a Natural Pork Cutlet topped with American cheese, curry mayo, tonkatsu sauce. Everything includes cabbage, tomatoes, red onions, and pickles. This was a mighty sandwich, tasty too. The side of Nori Fries are kind of blurred but they were also awesome.

Katsu Curry Burger with Nori Fries

Last up from my Japanese Eats portion of the trip was the best part of the trip. I knew I wanted some sushi while in town. A little bit of research led me to a few spots. One of the most popular places is Shiro's which was formerly owned by Seattle legend Shiro Kashiba until he sold it. Though he recently opened a new spot called Sushi Kashiba inside Pike Place Market. Problem with that was they don't take reservations at the sushi bar thus getting there when they open at 5p is best bet to indulge in the Omakase. But Pike Place was packed all weekend when we visited so I wasn't sure we'd get a spot there. Enter Wataru.

Sushi Wataru

I read up on this place in a recent Seattle Times article as it opened not to long ago. Chef Kotaro, the owner, trained under Seattle icon Shiro Kashiba who was a longtime student of Jiro Ono in Ginza. He told the story of when he joined Shiro at Jiro's spot as well as a bunch of other interesting stuff as he stuffed us up. Really nice guy, and very proud of his work. As he should be.

Chef at Work

Chef Kotaro explained how it took him over ten years of training to feel confident in opening his own spot where he's specializing in Edomae style sushi. So don't go in expecting any California Rolls. He's using a combination of fish flown in that morning from Tsukiji Market in Tokyo as well as some locally supplied product such as Sockeye Salmon, King Crab, and Geoduck. We were there for the Chef's Choice Omakase but had to start with an order of Black Cod Cheeks. HOLY SH!T. Straight butter. Best thing I've ate in forever.

Black Cod Cheek

I was able to reserve some seats at the bar (5:30 / 7:30 seating times) where we would indulge in the Chef's Choice Omakase. He throws together a bunch of amazing stuff and you just eat until you cant anymore.

Sockeye Salmon

King Crab

For us that was after round 22. Not going to post all the pics but I will share some. Wataru is small as it only has six seats at the bar and 16 at tables. But you really want to sit at the bar and do the omakase. Reserve your spot if in or headed to Seattle soon. Word is starting to spread!

Tuna Two Ways - Zuke

Spot Prawn (complete)

Up Next: Everything else, and there's alot of it.
__________________________________________________________

Suika Seattle
611 E Pine St
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 747-9595

Tako Kyuuban Takoyaki
600 5th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 682-8256

BeanFish Food Truck
Check site for locations

Fort St. George
601 S King St #202
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 382-0662

Uni Sake House
2230 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 374-8717

Mia's Off Broadway
1601 Harvard Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 325-4992

Katsu Burger
6538 4th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98108
(206) 762-0752

Sushi Wataru
2400 NE 65th St
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 525-2073

Awesome report. Can't wait for the next.

Then there was everything else. Which was quite enjoyed. As I mentioned up above I didn't get to hit many of the spots I had hoped for but did save my google maps guide for next time. Seattle is a large city so I used to it figure out what spots were near others so I wasn't going from one end of the city to the other and back and forth. Gotta make a stop at Pike Place Market if you're an inaugural visitor which I was.

Pike Place Market

It was a nice 60 degree day on the Saturday we walked over and thus it was a madhouse. It actually made the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco seem tame. I got a nice chuckle when I saw a line extending almost a block long and came to realize it was a Starbucks when walking by. I assume it's the original. Another long line spotted for a place called Piroshky Piroshky which is pushing Russian Pirozhki .

Piroshky Piroshky

Wasn't going to wait then and there but I did walk back down this way on our last day and decided to give them a try when there was no line. Pirozhki are baked buns stuffed with a variety of fillings. Everything from hearty to fruity. I tried a beef and onion option and liked it. Good for a quick snack but not something I would wait in a long ass line for.

Beef and Onion Pirozhki

The place in Pike Place that should have lines out the door is a semi new spot from Seattle's locally famous Szechuan chef. It sits tucked away thru a hall and up some stairs but it's easy to find with the signs leading you there.

Country Dough

The star of the show here is the Guo Kui. The premiere street food of Chengdu, China. They're flatbread sandwiches where the dough is sizzled in oil and crisped up in the oven. They're labor intensive and require high turnover thus Pike Place is the perfect spot for this shop.

Making Flatbread

They offer a few different meats and also a veggie filling in a few different styles. I loved the Szechuan chicken version which was both sweet and spicy with a wonderful texture in the bread. I tried to return but they weren't open yet. Would've liked to have tried a lamb cumin flatbread and taken an order of hand shaven noodles home. They also do Chinese Crepes and Meat Wraps and offer an assortment of teas. Definitely worth a stop on your Seattle food itinerary.

Szechuan Chicken Guo Kui

If there was one spot I was going to make sure I made it into Din Tai Fung was it. With a location in Seattle now, as well as Bellevue, this was my chance to finally try the Taiwanese based Soup Dumpling giant.

Din Tai Fung

I got there maybe 20 minutes before opening and a line was already forming. This would be a commonplace on this trip, lots of lines in Seattle. I was able to snag a seat at the bar and immediately placed my order for a Pork/Crab Xiao Long Bao as well as an order of Shrimp/Pork Shao Mai.

Xiao Long Bao

I thought these were going to be better. Not that they were bad but they weren't better than an order I had in Dallas recently. That umami bomb of both crab and pork flavor just wasn't there. Some of the spots I went to in Frisco gave off much bigger explosions. These just didn't seem to live up to the hype or the $14 pricetag though I'm sure they vary by location.

Shrimp/Pork Shao Mai

The Shao Mai were a bit better but again not as good as I was hoping. Thought the skin could've been more delicate. I probably went in expecting the best dumplings ever so the bar was set way high.

Making Dumplings

Not a big brunch guy but when on vacation it's all about having a good time and where there's brunch there's booze. There's lots of Vietnamese to be found all over town ranging from pool hall grub to chef driven spots in hip and happening neighborhoods.

Monsoon

Her pick for a spot to meet up at after I finished over at DTF. No counter offer from me as the brunch menu here actually looked appealing with the dim sum part of it standing out. So even though I had just put down 20 something dumplings I was ready for more.

Shrimp Wonton

These wonton were a candidate for best bite of the trip. First and foremost as far as why was the shrimp itself. Nice sized specimens still fully intact were full of succulent shrimp flavor and the skin was perfectly crisp and not too thick. If I hadn't ate so much I would've tried more of the dim sum menu as it all looked good. She got the Dungeness Crab Benedict which was loaded with crab meat and served with a side of simple but delicious breakfast potatoes. Everything on the plate was cooked perfectly.

Dungeness Crab Benedict

If looking for some good food and drink late night this place in the Central District is also very hip and happening. They're doing Vietnamese Cuisine with Craft Cocktails in an industrial setting.

Ba Bar

Street Food made with as many local ingredients as possible is the way here. Starting off with an order of Bánh Nậm was a good call by our waiter. Described as Vietnamese tamales these rice based treats get mixed with locally raised pork and cooked in a banana leaf. These were great with the potent dipping sauces served on the side.

Bánh Nậm

Also got the Bún Chả Cá Lã Vọng option from the Vermicelli Bowl portion of the menu. Served with Idaho Catfish, crispy imperial roll, cucumber, dill, roasted peanut, shrimp sauce, turmeric. Very fresh and very little substitution of funk but plenty of sauce options on the side to add more should you so desire.

Catfish Vermicelli Bowl

Continuing on with the hip Asian spots we head over to the 2015 'Best New Restaurant' in Seattle. Located near the stadium(s) they're doing Korean Style Sssam Plates with Steak and other meaty options.

Girin

It's basically a Korean steakhouse and it's huge inside. The design is pretty sweet. Same goes for the food. Just a Happy Hour session here but it still allowed us to try their housemade ginger sausage in ssam form. Also got to watch some of the tourney. Would love to head back to further explore the menu if the chance was there.

Ginger Pork Sausage

I didn't have much of an opportunity to explore some of the less touristy traveled neighborhoods but I did get a chance to break away one day while she looked at dresses. I chose to roll over to the White Center Neighborhood where there's a bunch of different ethnic options. I went with Cambodian food. I know people are starting to detest the word "authentic" but I have to use it here as I didn't feel like I was in Seattle anymore upon entering.

Queen's Deli

Just me and a few locals speaking in native tongue over some coffee. The menu was a whats what of Khmer dishes I've never tried. All of it under $10 and in many cases $8. I would wind up settling on the Num Banchuk aka Khmer Noodle. "Old and very traditional noodle soup made from ground lemongrass and spices, served with many kinds of vegetable." This was a vegetarian dish but it still had substance. Underneath all the noodles is a bunch of different greens that worked well with the creamy lemongrass broth. I enjoyed it as well as the housemade egg rolls. Hard to find a better deal, so much food, for just $10.

Num Banchuk aka Khmer Noodle

Taylor Shellfish is an oyster farm outside of the city that has a few different oyster bar locations within the city. If you can manage to squeeze in during happy hour it's one of the better deals in town. Much cheaper than the regular prices.

Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar

I'm pretty much a fan of all oysters but tend to prefer the cold water west coast options. These were an assortment of Taylor Farms oysters with the Shigoku and Kumamoto being most enjoyed.

Assortment of the days fresh Oysters

Always down to check out a city's doughnut scene and did so at a spot that gets lots of love. General Porpoise is owned by the group behind Seattle heavyweights Walrus & Carpenter as well as The Whale Wins amongst others.

General Porpoise

They're doing custard creme filled doughnuts and coffee. I got an original and loved it. Cant say I've had one like this in Chicago but I don't get o the trendier donut spots too often. The shop sits in Capitol Hill right next to Bar Melusine and Bateau which are two other hotspots from the aforementioned group.

Stuffed Dougnuts

As long as I'm talking about Sea Creatures, the Seattle Hospitality Heavyweight, let's get their most popular Seattle food stop up.

The Walrus & the Carpenter

Here's a place most tourists make it too, and plenty of locals as well. Considered by many of professional to the one of the better restaurants not just in Seattle but also the country. Happy Hour is a good time to go but since the oysters are MP you're not getting any sort of crazy good deal. Still the oysters themselves are divine.

View at the Oyster Bar

Aside from the actual dining space being small, the menu is too. Just a few options on top of the oysters. We rolled with an order of Grilled Sardines with Shallots and Walnut Parsley that was just perfect. I'd advise travelers to go early and guarantee yourself a seat though should you have to wait there's a bar next door.

Grilled Sardines with Shallots and Walnut Parsley

The people behind Manolin are former employees of Walrus & Carpenter so we wanted to check them out too. Similar setup although this space is a bit bigger especially if it's warm enough outside where there's a big area surrounding a fire.

Manolin

Menu setup is also similar to Walrus although there's not any oysters here. The focal point is the wooden grill on display in the open kitchen. That and fish. First order up was a plate of Smoked Salmon that I'm still thinking about.

Smoked Salmon / Dill, Turnip, Mustard Seed, Sour Cream

The salmon itself was as good of smoked salmon as I've had, which I guess makes sense considering the area I was in. The flavor combination of smoked salmon and dill with some sort of cream is one that gets me excited. After that we had to get a taste of the first halibut of the season that had just come in. Grilled over the fire this too was a harmonious plate of food. The grub itself was good enough to be satisfying at almost any pricepoint but nothing on the menu was over $13 so it's an excellent deal and a good way to taste a few things. Highly rec'd.

Grilled Halibut / Epazote, Buttermilk Crema, Navy Beans

I'd give the city's cocktail scene a solid B+ not quite on the level of places like Chicago and San Francisco but better than Nashville and others. Canon was as good as the critics say it is, beautiful space as well, whiskey fans should enjoy it. Rumba was the spot for rum drinkers with 100's of bottles on display as well as island vibes as far as food and music. Really liked it there. E.Smith Mercantile was the definition of hipster with a store selling toiletries for your beard as well as bitters in front and a cocktail bar in back. Bathtub Gin & Co. was hidden behind an apartment building in an alley but worth finding. Enjoyed a big boozy coconut drink at Stateside where they're doing elevated Vietnamese food and drink.

Rumba

Also available for your indulgence is a wide selection of cannabis and cannabis related treats available at the city's Recreational Marijuana shops. It's not quite like Denver where there's stores all over over but there are about 50 something stores where the average age of those in line is somewhere around 40 years old. Unlike San Francisco I never really smelled or saw people smoking it so you wouldn't even know unless you visited one of the stores. I doubt much has changed for the worse since weed became legal in the state of Washington.

Checking out the Menu at Uncle Ike's (for research purposes only)

Continuing on with the drinking spots we were near a place called No Bones that had tiki drinks and a totally vegetarian menu.

No Bones Beach Club

Stopped in for some drinks which were good, not great, but an order of cauliflower wings was enjoyed. These were meaty and sauced well but a tad too big for one bite so a bit of a mess.

Cauilflower Wings

If you talk best sandwiches in Seattle there's always going to be a mention of Paseo which is a spot serving Caribbean style sandwiches. Long story short the owner of that place got in trouble and had to sell his business and did so minus the recipes to a local guy who then hired the old employees to make the sandwiches like they used to. Not too long after Paseo returned the sons of the former owner opened up their own spot.

Un Bien

I guess this place is pretty much the same stuff as Paseo but loyalists will tell you which one they like better. Un Bien is known for long lines so I was delightfully surprised to find maybe 3 people in it when we arrived. Got the signature Caribbean Roast Pork Sandwich and it was indeed as glorious of a mess as it was said to be. That pork is cooked in some sort of crack sauce while the onions are memorable and the bread is fantastic. Seattle seems to be an excellent baking city. As good as this was it wasn't even the best sandwich on this trip (read on).

Carribean Roast Pork Sandwich

Lots of spots to get fish and chips in Seattle and Spud Fish & Chips on Green Lake seemed like nice place to eat some with the views of the water across the street.

Spud Fish & Chips

Cool looking spot and I love the old time places (Since 1935) but these F&C were just average at best. Overfried and the breading itself was nothing special. The fries were better but overall I assume there's better elsewhere in town.

Fish & Chips

Was able to slightly satisfy a crave that's always coming to me when I checked out one of Seattle's favorite late nite spots.

Pelmeni Dumpling Czar

Those familiar with Paul's Pelmeni in Madison will find this place to be alot like it. Down to the pelmeni topped with hot sauce, cilantro, curry powder. What gives? This guy used to be partners with Paul in Bellevue. These hit the spot but when I said slightly it was because I didn't think they were made with as much care as Paul's where the perfect amount of toppings goes on and the dumplings are bit better in texture.

Half / Half (Beef / Potato) Pelmeni

Rounding out this trip report with the Italian spots visited. Neither of which are any sort of hidden gem however both were must stops on my itinerary. If you get into Seattle in the morning this should be your first stop for lunch. They don't dinner so if not day one make sure you go on day two so you can go day three as well. That's how good it is.

Il Corvo

Lines start forming before they open but they move fast as it counter service and you sit after you order and pay. There's three daily pasta selections as well as some small bites like a plate of olives that was the best I had since Spain. I got the Pappardelle Bolognese and she got an order of Sicilian Perciatelli and both were perfection. I'd eat here twice a week if I lived in Seattle. Only catch is they're only open Monday-Friday.

Pappardelle Bolognese

Perciatelli with Anchovies, Sardines, Garlic, Chilies, Chicorices, and Toasted Bread Crumbs

Last stop up! Long heard good things about Mario Batali's Salumeria and sandwich shop. Me and many others. Get here early because there will be a line. I'd say it moves medium fast.

Salumi

Everything looked and sounded good so I eventually just got what the guy before me got which was a salumi sandwich with everything and their famous pork meatball on the side. The meatball was good, sauce was top notch but I prefer some beef in my Italian style meatballs. The sandwich was downright glorious.

Salami Sandwich

Man I was so disappointed in myself for not taking one to go home with. The peppers and onions are something special, almost as much as the salami itself. If someone wanted to call Salumi the best sandwich shop in America they wouldn't get much of an argument from me. See ya next time.

The Insides


Piroshky Piroshky
1908 Pike Pl
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 441-6068

Country Dough
1916 Pike Pl #14
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 728-2598

Din Tai Fung
2621 NE 46th St
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 525-0958

Monsoon
615 19th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 325-2111

Ba Bar
550 12th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 328-2030

Girin
501 Stadium Pl S
Seattle, WA 98134
(206) 257-4259

Queen's Deli
9808 14th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98106
(206) 767-8363

Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar
410 Occidental Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 501-4060

General Porpoise Doughnuts
1020 E Union St
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 900-8770

The Walrus & the Carpenter
4743 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 395-9227

Manolin
3621 Stone Way N
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 294-3331

Rumba
1112 Pike St
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 583-7177

Uncle Ike's
2310 E Union St
Seattle, WA 98122
(844) 420-4537

No Bones Beach Club
5410 17th Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107

Un Bien
7302.5 15th Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98117
(206) 588-2040

Spud Fish & Chips
6860 East Green Lake Way N
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 524-0565

Pelmeni Dumpling Czar
3516 Fremont Pl N
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 588-2570

Il Corvo
217 James St
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 538-0999

Salumi
309 3rd Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 621-8772

I used to live in Seattle and you hit some of my favorite spots. Ba Bar was a late night favorite for me and Taylor Shellfish has some of the best oysters anywhere in the world. Great report.

Da Beef is Da Man, vivid and delicious post. Thanks for taking us along.

Here's where we ate on a brief visit to Seattle:

The Whale Wins: A lovely dinner here which reminded me of Vera or Avec. We ate all small plates (they have entrees but we didn't eat any), mostly vegetarian (those dishes just looked the most interesting), all with big bold flavors. The highlight was a sardine dish that consisted of a slab of excellent bread, covered with a saffron aioli, on top of which was a large sardine and fresh parsley. Salty, creamy, chewy, herby and great. My dessert was roasted zucchini bread with creme fraiche.

Wataru: Alerted to this place by Da Beef (many, many thanks for that), we reserved the 7:30 seating at the sushi bar, where the chef feeds 6 people for 2 hours (you cannot get this meal anywhere but at the 6 person sushi bar). Best sushi meal we've ever had. We had about 22 pieces, mostly nigiri plus a few hand rolls. In the middle somewhere we had 5 types of tuna! Watching the chef prepare everything added to he pleasure of the experience. After cutting the fish and putting it on the rice, he'd put the six pieces in his hand for final seasoning (a drop of lemon or some sea salt) and then from his hand hand out the six pieces. At about $110 (including tax but not tip), I actually found it quite reasonably priced. All in all, an epic meal.

Mamnoon: We had brunch at this "modern" middle eastern restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had Shakshuka, eggs atop a spicy sauce of tomato, onions and feta, and my wife had fatteh, a dish with crunchy pita chips, chickpeas and yogurt. We also shared "kaak bi knafe," described as a stuffed purse-shaped sesame bread, toasted vermicelli, fresh cheese, and orange blossom. Tasted to me like a wonderful marriage of a bialy and a blintz.

As there is no separate thread for the San Juan Islands, where we spent most of our time, so here is a quick summary.

The Place Restaurant Bar and Grille (Friday Harbor, San Juan Island): a nice, not fantastic restaurant. This is a white table cloth, slightly upscale, place. They use local seafood to good effect.

Friday Harbor House (the restaurant in the hotel): A great meal eaten on a patio with a perfect view of the postcard ready patio. The crispy brussels sprouts and burger (yes, I ate a burger on an island surrounded by ocean) were fantastic.

The Mansion at Rosario (Orcas Island): historic building with a very upscale restaurant. It was good, but not great. The cooking attempted a bit more than they were capable of.

The Inn at Ships Bay (Orcas Island): My favorite meal on the Islands. They grow a ton of fruits and vegetables on the property and use them to great effect. The shaved vegetable salad and the plum crisp with plum ice cream will stay will me for a long time.

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:Some highly recommended highlights from a recent trip to Seattle.

#1 by a wide margin is Il Corvo, a place I'll never skip on any trip to Seattle as long as I'm in town 11-3 on a weekday.

My bus from Portland (Boltbus - highly recommended) arrived in downtown Seattle at 11:30 on a Thursday, and I walked straight to Il Corvo and got in a short line. Any fears I had the food wouldn't live up to the memories went away with my first bite.



Can't say any more about how good this place is. Seattle is lucky to have it.


I also checked out The Wandering Goose for the first time and came away impressed. I wasn't so into the idea of going out for southern food in Seattle, but my traveling companions humored me enough during the trip and this was right up their alley. Turned out it was right up mine as well. The biscuits and gravy, pictured, was fantastic. Indeed, biscuits seem to be the house specialty as I tried bites of a couple biscuit sandwiches and those were also great. If you go, don't skip the hand pies if available.


Safeco Field is a great place to watch a baseball game, but take a hard pass on the grasshoppers. Not sure what they're using for the lime part of the chili-lime seasoning but it was really bad.

I have one night in Seattle. I will be near the Westlake train station. I want to walk, not spend more than $40 total, and don’t have a cuisine preference. Where should I go?

I went to Le Pichet for a glass of wine and duck pate. Le sigh. It was very good. And a very large portion. No complaints at all. I would happily go back based on the excellent pate to see what else they have to offer.

I followed up by going to Seatown Seabar and had the bristol bay sockeye salmon. This was a letdown. The salmon was beautifully cooked but it was very bland. The wait person was very attentive and brought more sauce from the kitchen but, all and all, it did not live up to it’s great reputation. I don’t think I’d go back.

Both restaurants include the tip in the bill. I have no problem with that. Service was great both places.

I was in Seattle for a work conference when – holy of holies – I saw that the conference center was right around the corner from Din Tai Fung! Now the conference was already providing some pretty good chow but… fuck that! I’m using up my per diem.

For those who don’t know, Din Tai Fung is a Taiwan based chain that does high quality renditions of many Taiwanese and southern Chinese classics. Their most famous dish is the xiao long bao, or soup dumpling. Basically this is a very delicate thin skinned steamed dumpling filled with pork and a rich meat stock that bursts when you bite it and tastes like heaven. It’s hard to find great XLB outside southern China and the West Coast, so they are an occasional treat for me, and DTF did not disappoint this time.


But believe it or not, the XLB is not my favorite meal at DTF. No, that would be the spicy wontons / fried rice 1-2 punch. A buddy turned me on to this: first you eat the dumplings (which it goes without saying are plump, crunchy and perfectly cooked), then you drizzle the chili oil on the rice for a killer combo.


The only so-so dish at DTF was the beef noodle soup. Now don’t get me wrong, this is a perfectly above average rendition of the dish. But after having it at Katy's it’s hard to be impressed by anything less. The broth was well made and meat tender but the noodles just don’t have that irreplaceable Katy’s robustness and chew.


Later that night the booze was flowing at the official networking event and I excused myself to take on some internal ballast for the ordeal to come. The Seattle Dog comes off a street cart griddle and it’s a split all beef frank with brown mustard, cream cheese, and grilled onions and jalapenos. It won’t replace the Chicago dog in my heart but it’s tasty enough and a good decision to make when you’re stumbling around on Pike St.


Now for my favorite Seattle joint. Thai Tom by the University is an awesome hole in the wall. And I mean that very literally. Like you walk into a dark, smoky doorway, the woks are roaring, people are balancing their dishes on the narrow counter, it’s loud as shit and there’s barely room to turn around. Thai Tom is the closest thing I’ve found in the US to a back alley stand in an Asian country where people are sitting on plastic kiddie chairs and spitting shrimp shells on the floor. It’s the kind of place where you put on an old t shirt before you go because you are guaranteed to smell like a grease fire afterwards. But the reason you would even put up with this is the unreal wok hei infused into every one of their dishes. The chef moves with perfect coordination, like a Muy Thai master training blindfolded above a bed of coals, dipping his ladle into sauces and aromatics and assembling a sauce and noodle dish in the blazing hot wok in seconds, not 6 feet away from where you’re sitting.


Everything is cooked just right. The vegetables are crisp, the noodles drunken, and the meat tender, all transformed by the breath of the wok:


Thanks for the good eats Seattle, til next time.

Din Tai Fung
600 Pine St #403, Seattle, WA 98101

Seattle Dog Cart
??? Pike Street, Seattle WA

Thai Tom
4543 University Way, Seattle, WA 98105

eating while walking-

You have been on a roll! Great posts. Thanks for sharing.

Great post, EWW!

Not to hijack the thread, but your description and these pictures made me sadly nostalgic for a place here in Chicago that, AFAIK, only Octarine would remember with me. RIP Deja and River Kwai

The GP wrote:eating while walking-You have been on a roll! Great posts. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! I'm just going through my camera roll and finding pics of places from 2019 I had put off writing about. A few more to come.

boudreaulicious wrote:Great post, EWW! Not to hijack the thread, but your description and these pictures made me sadly nostalgic for a place here in Chicago that, AFAIK, only Octarine would remember with me. RIP Deja and River Kwai

Out of curiosity I looked up River Kwai and found this old Chicago Reader article, sounds my type of place. Wish I could have eaten there!

eating while walking wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Great post, EWW! Not to hijack the thread, but your description and these pictures made me sadly nostalgic for a place here in Chicago that, AFAIK, only Octarine would remember with me. RIP Decha and River Kwai

Out of curiosity I looked up River Kwai and found this old Chicago Reader article, sounds my type of place. Wish I could have eaten there!

Oh, the stories I could tell River Kwai was equidistant between my local (Gunther Murphy's) and my condo (corner of Belmont and Paulina). Total distance was about 50 yards. Common practice was to stumble out of one at closing time, on the way to the other, stopping at RK to place an order for those noodles.

The line was out the door at 2:00 a.m., no matter the weather. The practice was to put in the order, go home, sleep (??) for an hour or two (!!) get the call, go back and grab the food. The owner knew my phone number by heart after one telling (I kid you not). The set up was a bit "Soup Nazi-ish"--you didn't spend time on pleasantries with Mr. Decha and you'd better know your order when you stepped up to the register. On the rare nights that we didn't stop, he would yell out to my SO and me as we passed, "your girlfriend love my food" and laugh maniacally.

Many years later, I found out that Octarine was also a GM/RK aficionado. Yet another confirmation of the unsurpassed greatness of the people who frequent LTH Forum! Good memories...

p.s. I JUST read the article--wow--I'd never seen that. And the last line is particularly tragic, since Decha was the one who had the heart attack one night (it might've been a stroke--we never really got a definitive answer on that) and eventually passed away. The restaurant closed and Gunther Murphy's followed soon after. But oh the memories...

eating while walking wrote:Now for my favorite Seattle joint. Thai Tom by the University is an awesome hole in the wall.

This sounds great. Long ago, I lived a 5-minute walk away. Next time in Seattle, I'll be sure to visit.

boudreaulicious wrote:Not to hijack the thread, but your description and these pictures made me sadly nostalgic for a place here in Chicago that, AFAIK, only Octarine would remember with me. RIP Deja and River Kwai [twisted evil emoji]

I wasn't a regular, but I remember River Kwai. Home of the 32-ounce coffee with free refills, right?

RK still remains the very best fried rice I’ve ever had at any price point. With satay pork on the side I was in heaven.
If I wasn’t in a rice mood, I’d get the Potak seafood soup or the Panang curry. Both of those were made by the sister so they would arrive far faster than the always in the weeds wok.

Fond food memories of a special time.

Well this sucks. Il Corvo, probably the best pasta shop in the US, is done.

Not sure if it's virus related or not as the owner didn't mention it in his Instagram post: "Seriously, it’s been fantastic, and exceeded our wildest expectations, but sometimes good things must come to an end. We here at Il Corvo Pasta thank you all for your 9 years of patronage, but unfortunately we will not be re-opening our downtown pasta joint."

Il Nido, their newish, more formal restaurant, is still going.