Our 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2019 (Part 1)

This is one of the more fun blog posts to create as 2019 winds down.  It provides us an opportunity to review all the great dishes we’ve had throughout the year and debate which ones belong in our top 15.

The list ranges from a relatively simple shaved ice to a traditionally poor man’s Hawaiian breakfast to a couple of Southern-inspired biscuit dishes to a few noodle dishes(both Italian and Asian) to Asian fusion and a few Mexican dishes.

Without further ado, here are our Best Seattle Dishes of 2019, 15 through 8:

15. Xi’an Noodles – $9.95. Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles

As mentioned in our Xi’an Noodles post, this is our main take out spot and this happens to be the first item on their menu. They specialize in biang biang house-made noodles and while they are all good, the Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles is our constant repeat order. The noodles are wide, thick and hand ripped that allows sauce to stick to the noodles. In addition to the chewy noodles you have pepper and cumin to spice and onions and cilantro as garnish. The dish is not overpoweringly spicy, but is flavorful. It’s also a reasonable $9.95.

14. Dough Zone Dumpling House – Beef Stew Noodle $5.95

This is our daughter’s contribution to the list.  Our two year old eats a least half of this dish whenever we go to Dough Zone Dumpling House. At $5.95 the portion is on the smaller size, so you might want to order two. The dish comes with tender fatty portions of beefs, thin noodles topped with green onions and cilantro. As she turns 3, I’m sure she’ll eat the entire portion.

13. Sazon Kitchen – Grain Casserole $18.00. Mix of grains in criolla sauce, braised tri-tip and eggs. Toppings include chicharron, cilantro and pickled red onions + greens and bread.

Excerpt from our blog post:

The best of the bunch is another dish you won’t find anywhere else. It’s the Grain Casserole. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is the dish I’d order again on return visits. It was braised trip tip and some peppers and onions over a bed of various grains- I think lentils, beans, long rice and regular rice?  I’m not sure, truthfully, but with the sauce and generous topping of protein and veggies, it was so delicious. The one minor thing, I’d prefer is tortillas instead of bread accompanying this dish.  Perhaps the abundance of grains wouldn’t be a good match with tortillas? At $18, I was a bit hesitant since it’s bit on the high side, but after tasting it, I’d get it again.

12. Snowy Village– Mango or Strawberry Bingsoo $11.95.

How can a simple shaved ice make our Top 15 list?  The fruit bingsoos, specifically the mango and strawberry at Snowy Village are that damn good. There’s a reason there’s a long wait every time we visit? The fruit is fresh and the real distinction is that their ice is 100% milk, not water like most shaved ice. So you don’t have to worry about the bingsoo getting “watered down” as it melts.  This is the perfect dessert for summers. Our family salivates the moment we decide to take a trip to Snowy Village.

11. Seattle Fish Guys– $15.99. Garlic Cajun Shrimp Plate – Sweet Kauai Shrimp, cajun spices, garlic, butter, rice w/mac salad

Honestly you can pick any of the poke bowls at Seattle Fish Guys for the our Top 15 Dishes.  We know poke is what they are known for, but we’ve chosen the Garlic Cajun Shrimp Plate.  This place is actually a seafood market, but have a little seating section for meals.  When we ordered the plate, we also got macaroni salad and rice with furikake. Lastly is the star of the show, mounds of sweet Kauai shrimp seasoned and cooked just right with cajun spices, butter and garlic. Warning: bring some breath mints.

10. The Wandering Goose–(RIP 2020) $13.00. The Sawmill- fried chicken, sawmill gravy, cheese add poached eggs in between house made biscuits.

  before cutting.  <<After cutting into it

Excerpt from our post:

The Sawmill Biscuit Sandwich-fried chicken, sawmill gravy, cheese, poached eggs.  Like the Fried Chicken Plate, The Sawmill may give another Seattle Food War a new combatant. Wandering Goose may give Morsel and Bean & Biscuit a run for their money for Best Seattle Biscuit Sandwich. Take a gander at the pictures of The Sawmill below!  Your mouth is salivating, ain’t it? I opted for the addition of a poached egg for extra. How could I not have some runny yoke with this bad boy?

Chicken is crispy on the outside and moist on inside. The gravy is the star of this dish. So savory. The biscuit adds a good counterbalance.  As you can guess, this is a heavy meal.  Get ready for a nap.

9. Joule – $29.00. Peppered wagyu steak, ramp, maitake mushroom larb, 6oz

Excerpt from our post:

This was another home run albeit a rather expensive one($29). It’s one of those dishes where you may cringe at the price, but once the first bite is in your mouth, you understand why and say to yourself, “i would’ve paid double”. Tender, just the right amount of char and spice and coupled with the mushroom larb( w/ fish sauce?) was perfect.

8 (Tie) Tavolata – $11.00(happy hour).  Pappardelle – beef and pork ragu, mint, chili,grana padano.  &   Il Corvo -$9.95. Pappardelle ala Bolongnese  

<<Tavolata

<<<Il Corvo

Excerpt from our blog post:

Tavlolata-The papardelle was my favorite.  It had a pork/beef ragu sauce with a hint of mint.  I probably ate 2/3 of it. Sorry to the other folks at the table for hogging it!

Il Corvo-  The Pappardelle ala Bolongnese was my favorite and gets a five out of five rating from me.  Served with flat broad pappardelle, the meat in the Bolognese sauce is blended into a gooey paste. Bon Appetit actually published the recipe for this gravy back in 2015, but I’d much rather have it prepared and cooked by a pasta Jedi.

Stay tuned for our top 7 Favorite Seattle Dishes of 2019.

Related Articles:

• Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 1)
• Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 2)
• Tavolata – Best Happy Hour in Seattle
• D’La Santa