Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 2)
We’re blessed to have so many great restaurants in Seattle. We’ve been able to discover a lot of new restaurants, but revisit a lot of our favorites. In reviewing our favorite dishes of the year, we originally had a top 10, but had such a difficult time deciding that we expanded it to a top 15. Truthfully, we could have expanded it to 25, but what would be so special about that many dishes? So 15 seems like a good compromise. We tried to pick a variety of dishes in price range from simple sandwiches and tacos to filet mignon and base it purely on taste.
You can take a look at Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 1) post for our top dishes of 2018 from #15 through #8.
Without further ado here are the top 7 Seattle dishes of 2018….
7. Revel – Short Rib Dumplings with pickled shallots, scallions.
Revel is probably our favorite restaurant in Seattle. They’ve temporarily moved to South Lake Union from their original space in Fremont, but will move back once their new digs are complete. As mentioned in our previous article, there are a couple of restaurants that could have multiple dishes on our top 15 list. Revel is one of them, but the dish we chose is the Short Rib Dumplings with pickled shallots and scallions. First off the dumplings are massive and the savory of the dumplings is complemented by the pickled sourness of the shallots to make a great combination. We love this with a side order of rice.
6. Chiang’s Gourmet – Fish Fillet w/ Spicy Hot Sauce on Soybean Cake
Chiang’s Gourmet is one of the most underrated restaurants in Seattle for various reasons. It’s a difficult location to get to since it’s right off an I5 offramp in NE Seattle. It’s a very unassuming building that used to be an A&W Root Beer Drive-In restaurant. Also, if you’re not careful you might order things off the “American” menu(one of four of their menus), which is a rookie mistake that you don’t want to make. Chiang’s Gourmet is probably best known for their house made noodles, but our favorite dish is the Fish Fillet with Spicy Sauce and Tofu. It may not look so appetizing from the photo below, but it’s damn tasty. It has generous portions of fish, but the main reason you get this dish is the sauce. It’s not overly spicy and ohh sooo.. flavorful. A hack we learned is to take the sauce home even if we eat all the fish. We then pour the sauce over rice at home and create a brand new dish. Two yummy dishes for the price of one!
5. La Conasupo – Carne Asada and Carnitas Tacos
I’m hesitant to even mention La Conasupo because I don’t want any more people to know about and get any more crowded than it already is. It’s located in the back of a small Mexican grocery store in Greenwood. Take a look at these bad boys in the pictures. Each dish pictured below is just two tacos! If you take this home and have some extra tortillas you can easily turn this into 4 or 5 tacos. These are definitely the best tacos when looking at bang for your buck due to the portion size, but these are also the best tasting tacos in Seattle. I defy anybody to name me a better taco in Seattle.
4. Kisaku – Salmon filled with Ikura with a quail egg on top.
The whole Omakase at Kisaku deserves to be on this list but this concoction of Salmon filled with Ikura with a Quail Egg is da bomb! We’re already huge fans of egg yoke. Add the saltiness of the Ikura and fatty cuts of salmon and we just had to have seconds of this dish. Whenever we go here, we always ask for this. It’s not on their menu, so we just have to describe it when ordering it. We believe Kisaku is the best sushi restaurant in Seattle. Yes, better than Shiro’s, Mashiko, Kappo Tamura, Nishino or Chiso.
3. Kokkaku – Ton Katsu, Lan Roc Pork Tenderloin
Excerpt about this dish from our Kokkaku review- The other entrée we got was the Pork Tenderloin Ton Katsu. Normally, traditional tonkatsu is a slender piece of pork and here they replace it with a thicker pork tenderloin. I always have issues keeping pork tenderloin moist whenever I attempt to make it at home, but this dish is a homerun. So damn tender and moist! They provide a mortar and pestle to ground up sesame seeds and then you can put the ground seeds on the tonkatsu and pour the sauce over it or combine the seeds with the sauce and use it for dipping, which is what we chose to do. We also ordered a bowl of rice to eat with the tonkatsu, but they also provide a huge mound of shredded cabbage with citrus
2. Junkichi Robata Izakaya– Yaki Gaki-grilled shucked oysters , chives w/homemade soy sauce
Excerpt about this dish from our Junkichi Robata Izakaya review-All the dishes were good, but the one dish I would order over and over again would be the Yaki-Gaki, the grilled oysters. The oysters are monster huge and normally my preference for oysters is raw, but the char from the grill along with the oyster juice left over in the shell is sooo good.
1. Cantinetta -Co Winner Dishes: Tomato Farfalle, rabbit sausage, basil and Tagliatelle,guanciale, farm egg, black pepper
This little Italian gem of restaurant in Wallingford could have had seriously 5 or 6 dishes in the top 15 dishes we had in 2018. The Lopez Island Clams with Nduja Sausage, Shallots, Vino Blanco, the Black Pepper Tagliatelle, Carbonara, Prosciutto, and the Flank Steak with Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Port Butter also could have made the top 15 but the best dishes of 2018 are….
Tomato Farfalle, rabbit sausage, basil– The main issue we had with this dish is that it was a small portion and it was gone and eaten in no time. We really don’t order farfalle that often and basil is not one of my favorite herbs, but I was really interested in the rabbit sausage, so we ordered this dish. So glad we did. Put it all together and it was perfect. No one ingredient overpowered the others and together worked so well. The minty-ness of the basil, the tomato farfalle pasta combined with the slightly gamey, but so savory sausages. Perfect.
Tagliatelle, guanciale, farm egg, black pepper– So simple, so good. It was like a spin on a carbonara. Again, with a raw egg yoke it already had an advantage to being named a best dish of the year. Combined with hand made Tagliatelle and quality cured meat from the jowl/cheek of pork and it got us wondering how something so simple could be so damn good. We broke the yoke, mixed it all up, devoured it and ordered it again.
After reviewing the 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018, we’re reminded how lucky we are to live in a city with such a variety of quality restaurants with a wide price range. We want to especially thank local friends and the servers at the various restaurants who suggested places we’d never heard of. The top 3 dishes were from restaurants that were suggested to us and we’d probably never have visited these restaurants were it not for these suggestions.
You can take a look at Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 1) post for our top dishes of 2018 from #15 through #8.
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Seattle Fish Guys
Recommended by: After reading our Stop N Shop Poke post, my wife’s co-worker advised we need to hit up Seattle Fish Guys for the best poke.
Description on the Seattle Fish Guys website: “Fish handling is a lost art now. Everything is so processed now.
Being a third-generation fisherman, I handle fish out of respect, heritage, honor and tradition”-SAL PANELO, OWNER
Neighborhood/Type: Central District
Address:
What we ate/drank: Shoyu Tuna/Salmon Poke Bowl with Mac Salad. Shrimp Tempura. Garlic Cajun Shrimp Plate. Scallop Poke,calm chowder.
Comments: As mentioned above, a co-worker of my wife recommended that we had to visit Seattle Fish Guys for what she believed to be the best poke in Seattle. As I mentioned in our Stop and Shop Poke blog post, there’s been a proliferation of poke places in Seattle. So much so, that many of poke places have had to close due to over saturation. I also mentioned that Stop N Shop Poke and goPoke were my two favorites. I have to admit, we rarely venture out to the Central District, so we had never been to Seattle Fish Guys before.
First, the parking situation. There are very limited parking spaces outside of the actual storefront, but there is a lot of designated parking under the building and it’s free. The storefront looks like any other and doesn’t stand out although there are signs, so it’s not hard to find. Seattle Fish Guys is actually a seafood market, but also a restaurant.
As you enter the poke is located on the left and the actual seafood market is on the right and then to the very right are a few televisions and a few seats.This is where you’d eat if you intended on eating in. There’s no hostess. You just find an open seat. Don’t come here with a group of more than four if you plan to eat here due to the limited seating and constant crowds. There was a steady stream of customers when we went on a Saturday afternoon and finding a table for three of us was a challenge and a stroke of luck that a table opened right as we ordered.
After ordering our meals, we paid and they brought out the dishes as they were completed. The poke bowls are very simple- rice(white or brown), salad(macaroni, kim chee, squid salad or seaweed salad), poke(shoyu tuna, tako or scallop(+$2 extra). They also serve fresh oyster shooters as well crab or shrimp cocktails. In addition to some clam chowder this is what we ordered..
Overall, I’ve got to admit, Seattle Fish Guys has the best poke we’ve had in Seattle. It’s family owned and you can feel it in the service and quality. The atmosphere while not fine dining is perfect for the type of food and business. The portions are massive and you will have left overs. Although the Central District is out of the way for us, we believe Seattle Fish Guys is worth the visit. I think our strategy in the future will be to go to Seattle Fish Guys intending to eat there, but if it’s too crowded to just do take out and order some extra to eat for later meals.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.75
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
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- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
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- Most locals know about it
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- Locals “in the know” know about it
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- Only those who live close by know about it.
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- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
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Kaladi Brothers Coffee
Description on Kaladi Brothers Coffee’s website: What began as an espresso cart on Anchorage’s 4th Avenue in the spring of 1986, is now Alaska’s premier coffee roaster. Kaladi Brothers Coffee is made in Alaska, by Alaskans, for Alaskans.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 511 E Pike St Seattle, WA 98122
Music Playing: I Saw You Close Your Eyes – Local Natives
What we ate/drank: Macchiato and Mighty O Apple Fritter
Comments: First of all, this is our 50th review of a Seattle coffee shop! That’s a lot of coffee downed and a lot of cafes visited. Like Eastern Cafe, this is a place we always knew about, but never visited until now. Kaladi Brothers Coffee originated in Alaska and had it’s first Seattle branch in this very spot. It eventually moved down the block and just recently moved back to it’s original spot.
Because we never visited the old Kaladi Brothers Coffee location, we can’t really compare the two spaces, but we can say that the new place is massive. As soon as entering, my first thought was….Whoa, this place is big! Especially for a Capitol Hill spot on Pike St. Seriously, you could probably fit 4 or 5 fellow Cap Hill spots, Ghost Note Coffees or Realfine Coffees in here.
The main floor at street level easily fits 40 and has tall 20 foot+ floor to ceiling windows that make the space really bright. There’s also a rather large sidewalk patio area on Pike St. It’s the first coffee shop I can recall that has outlets in the middle of the floor for those not seated against a wall. Kaladi Brother Coffee would be a great place for groups due to its size and ample seating. It’s also a great place to grab a pre dinner or post dinner coffee(they’re open til 9:00) due to the plethora of hot dinner spots nearby.
There is a loft area that seats about 15 people with mixture of comfy upholstered chairs and wood tables and chairs. This second level reminds me of being in an attic due to the low ceiling height and dim lighting. One nice thing is that there are lots of outlets if you intend to work up there. As mentioned in our Capitol Coffee Works and Eastern Cafe reviews, we’re partial to spots in which we can look down on all the action below.
Besides coffee, which Kaladi Brothers Coffee brews themselves, they have can and draft beers as well as wine. They have a big variety of food options-Mighty O doughnuts as well as pre-packaged sandwiches and burritos. One interesting combo they sell is called a Brew and Brew for $6, which is a very strange combination of a macchiato and a Rainier Beer. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Anyways, the macchiato I had was perfect-smooth.
In some ways it kinda has a lodge feel with all it’s hard wood floors, tables/chairs and shelving. it also has a Zeitgeist Coffee vibe with its display of coffee pots, spaciousness and high ceilings.
One thing I appreciate is that there were 3 people working there at 7:30am. So often you see one person being a one person show-cashier/barista/food prepping/tidying up, which of course slows down the line.With three people working the line runs very efficiently.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 4.75
Overall: 4.55
Eavedropping Convo: There was this bearded guy there who seems to make Kaladi Brothers Coffee his everyday hang out. Whenever a regular came in, he’d shout their name to say hi.
Bearded Guy(BG)- So when do you go to court?
Lady Customer(LC)- The day after tomorrow.
BG – Are you nervous?
LC – No.
BG – I think you’ll win. I wouldn’t worry about it. Anyways, I’m going to sit in one of the comfy chairs, so I’ll see you tomorrow and if I don’t see you, good luck.
Related:
Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 1)
We’re blessed to have so many great restaurants in Seattle. We’ve been able to discover a lot of new restaurants, but revisit a lot of our favorites. In reviewing our favorite dishes of the year, we originally had a top 10, but had such a difficult time deciding that we expanded it to a top 15. Truthfully, we could have expanded it to 25, but what would be so special about that many dishes? So 15 seems like a good compromise. We tried to pick a variety of dishes in price range from simple sandwiches and tacos to filet mignon and base it purely on taste. Without further ado, here at the top dishes, #15 through #8.
- Mammoth – The Hunter Sandwich -Shaved steak peppers, onions, mushrooms, salami, provolone, aioli.
Their sandwiches stand alone as a reason to visit, but add in 48 taps and you’ve got a match made in heaven. Opened for almost 4 years now, Mammoth has such an interesting variety of sandwiches that it’s difficult to choose one. Some of our favorites: Predator with a fried chicken leg, pork belly, swiss, arugula, roasted red peppers, caper aioli and the Cro-Magnon with ham, mortadella, salami, coppa, provolone, lettuce, tomato, giardiniera, Italian dressing, but our favorite is the Hunter. You can see from the picture it’s a massive sandwich and the oil and juices from all the ingredients moisten the Macrina roll that encases it, but is sturdy enough to not fall apart. Pro tip: Keep the sandwich in the paper wrapping and eat it lie a burrito.
- Toulouse Petit – Cured Pork Cheeks Confit Hash.
This dish was actually featured on Food Network’s show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Once we saw that on the menu, we had to order it. Along with the pork cheeks the hash is comprised of arugula, potatoes and asparagus. It’s topped off with two perfectly cooked over easy eggs. We’re suckers for yolk, so when we split open the egg and combined the yolk with the hash….. day..yumm! Pro tip: Toulouse Petit is one of the few places I know of that has a Breakfast Happy Hour from 9am to 11am.
- June Baby – Fried Catfish Sandwich with pickled onion & tartar sauce.
How can a list of top Seattle dishes not include a dish from June Baby? We’ve unfortunately only been for lunches, but man if lunch is any indication of what we can expect for dinner, we’re already drooling. There were a couple of restaurants we went to this year in which a few of the dishes could have appeared on our Top 15 of 2018. June Baby was one of them. Look at how big this piece of catfish is! Cooked perfectly-crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Add the pickled onion and that’s a damn good sandwich. This place really has a chance to get popular someday 😉
- Daniel’s Broiler – Streak Tartare with grilled crostini.
Steak tartare is one of our favorite dishes, so when going out to eat there’s a good chance we’ll order it. No restaurant had a better tartare than Daniel’s Broiler. The presentation of having the tartar on top, a chopped boiled egg in the middle and capers/onions on the bottom was different, but oohh so good. This was also our last meal prior to our daughter being born in October, so maybe there’s also a bit of sentimentality built in.
- Manolin – Grilled Beef with creamed yucca, chimichurri
This year we came to Manolin for an anniversary celebration and a dinner with relatives from outside the country. It seems the times we end up coming to Manolin are for special occasions. This should give you some indication of the quality of their dishes. Whether it’s Shigoku oysters, black rice with squid, chorizon and broccoli or a pink scallop pozole with beans, all taste special. But our favorite was the grilled beef with creamed yucca and chimichurri. If you’re afraid of blood, don’t order this dish. But if seeing blood on your plate, to you, means, “tender juicy yumminess” then this is the dish for you. The generous portions of quality beef mixed with the sweet yucca and then topped with the savory chimichurri provides a mixture of flavors that definitely brings back fond memories. Just reliving this dish makes me want to move it up the list.
- Chan – Kimchi Fried Rice w/Egg
One of the most underrated Happy Hours in Seattle is in the heart of the biggest tourist attraction in Seattle. Chan is hidden away from the main Pike Place Market, but this little secret place is not so secret during happy hour. It’s normally packed. The small size doesn’t help, but people are willing to wait for their caramel glazed chicken wings, spicy pork sliders, ahi tuna poke, but our favorite is the kimchi fried rice. We find that it’s common for kimchi fried rice to be too salty, but Chan’s fried rice is flavorful, but not salty and the egg on top is like the icing on the cake. It’s made in and presented in a skillet, which creates an outer crust of crunchy fried rice. We once went for happy hour and ordered this dish twice instead of ordering anything else on the menu.
- The Metropolitan Grill – Filet Mignon .
Seattleites can argue all they want about who has the best steaks in Seattle. El Gaucho, Miller’s Guild, Jak’s Grill, The Butcher’s Table, Daniel’s Broiler, etc. I’m not even going to mention the national chain steak houses. The Met wins easily for us. It’s not the easiest place to get to since you’ve got to deal with traffic to get to the middle of downtown, but when there are really special occasions that require a steak dinner, this is our first choice. And the Filet Mignon is a no brainer. We haven’t been to their new remodeled digs, but it’s just an iconic Seattle restaurant where the quality has held up for so many years. I have many memories in my younger(and dumber) days of going out for drinks after work, having too much to drink and foolishly going to The Met for steak before going home. In the moment, full of joy stuffing my face with Filet Mignon and then crying the next morning when looking at my bill. On one particular outing, I asked the server why their Filet Mignon tastes so much better than other steak house. He said that all really good steak houses have quality cuts of beef and all know how to cook it, but what differentiates the Met Grill is the special lard they slather on their Filet Mignon. Take it for what it’s worth, all I know is that “it damn good”.
8. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – Tsukemen.
Excerpt from our Hokkaido Ramen Santouka post- I’m not a huge fan of cold soba or somen. Taking all this into consideration, the Tsukemen at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has won my taste buds over and is my favorite and I’d say it’s one of my top 10 dishes in Seattle. For those unfamiliar with Tsukemen, it’s noodles that you dip out a soup and then eat. The soup has a very flavorful dense taste, so there’s an art to eating Tsukemen. It takes restraint to only dip 3 or 4 noodles at a time. If you try to stuff a bunch of noodles in the soup, the flavor will be too overpowering. Having the Tsukemen with the Aji-Tama(half cooked egg) takes it to another level. It’s a good dish to have in the summer for me. It’s not piping hot, but it’s not cold. The noodles are at room tempature and the dipping soup is hot.
Coming Up: Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 2). Find out the top 7 Seattle dishes of 2018.
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Lighthouse Roasters
Description on Lighthouse Roaster’s website : One of Seattle’s original roaster cafes, Lighthouse has spent more than twenty years creating a loyal following of coffee lovers by treating the coffee buying, roasting and drink-making as a noble calling.
Neighborhood: Fremont
Address: 400 N 43rd St, Seattle, WA 98103
Music Playing: Lady by D’Angelo
What we ate/drank: Espresso and Cinnamon Apple Roll
Comments: When I first moved to Seattle I lived exactly one block away from Lighthouse Roasters right on the same street, Phinney Ave.
There were many a time where I missed my bus(5 going into downtown), so I would walk to Lighthouse Roasters for a cup of coffee and wait for the next one. Who wants to wait outside in the cold winter when you can see the bus stop from Lighthouse Roasters window? This was back in the day where there was no app to monitor the buses arrival. I’d get my coffee and listen for the bus coming down the street and then run out the door to catch it.
The layout of Lighthouse Roasters has changed since then, but there is one thing that has not-the old time general store feel. You ever see the movie, Doc Hollywood, where a big time doctor gets stuck in a small town where everybody knows everybody. Go into Lighthouse Roasters on any given morning. Rarely do you see anybody drive up and get a cup of coffee. Most of the people who go there walk from the surrounding neighborhood and they come every single day like it’s a part of their daily routine. Just sit there and watch. People talk to the baristas like old friends. Patrons recognize other patrons and small talk.
The last time I was there, I counted. There were six separate people reading newspapers! Not there looking at their phone, but actually reading a newspaper. That’s what makes it feel like a small town general store where the locals gather and hang out. For me that’s the allure of real neighborhood style coffee shops like Seven Coffee Roasters and Analog Coffee. You’re going through a neighborhood and they are right in the middle of it, like it shouldn’t be there. There are no other businesses near Lighthouse Roasters, only houses. Preserve and Gather and El Diablo Coffee(RIP) also have that neighborhood feel, but those are on main thoroughfares.
It’s really hard to explain why I like it so much. It’s the hustle and bustle of patrons ordering and talking, neighbors constantly walking in coming and going, the sound of the roasting process going on in the background, even the music -Lady by D’Angelo fit in with the vibe of the coffee shop. You add in their smooth and rich espresso and an apple cinnamon muffin and it’s perfect.
It’s one of the few places that I can recall that regularly has the coffee roasting process going on and is a part of the environment. There are places that have the roasting process on site but in a separate room(Café Allegro, Victrola Coffee,), or the roasting process is done on premises in the coffee shop(Elm Coffee Roasters), or some places have small roasters, which don’t make much noise due to it’s size(Armistice). I think having the roasting process right there and having the noise in the background adds something to the atmosphere.
And even if you’ve never been to Lighthouse Roasters, chances are you’ve had their coffee. Off the top of my head I know Bauhaus, Eastern Café and Voxx uses their beans.
The space is not big, but there are probably about 25 normal seats, 6 stools at the counter(my favorite so you can watch the baristas) and the standing counter looking out on the street that has room for about 5 standing patrons. This was my spot when watching for the bus. And I’ve said in posts before, I’m partial to coffee shops on corners due to the light in brings in from two directions.
They have a small selection of pastries, but that’s about it.
Writing this really brought back some memories when I lived down the block. Those were the good ole days when I was younger and dumber.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The small town feel and hustle and bustle of making coffee, but also roasting beans.
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 4.25
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convo: See above
Related:
Morsel vs Biscuit & Bean – The Battle of Seattle’s Best Biscuit Sandwich
Comments: This Seattle Food War is not as juicy as Paseo vs Un Bien or Ezell’s vs Heaven Sent, but they do have history. But before we get to that, a bit of our history with Morsel and Biscuit & Bean. We’ve always known about Morsel. It was known for it’s breakfast biscuit sandwiches and always had a line out the door every weekend morning. They used to be located one block down from their current location in a cramped old spot on The Ave(University Ave). If you wanted to beat the line you have to get there right when it opens. I remember one time I was 10 minutes early before Morsel opened. Nobody was there in line yet, so I figured I’d go to Safeway across the street to grab something really quick. I came back at 5 minutes after Morsel opened and there was a line out the door! Within 15 minutes it went from an empty sidewalk to a line out the door. They do not take call in orders on the weekends.
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The History Behind Morsel and Biscuit & Bean
Here’s the history of how these two places are related. Prior to 2013, the Morsel location on The Ave was a place called Nook, which as also revered for it’s biscuits. It was actually featured on an Anthony Bourdain show. It surprisingly closed down and that’s when Morsel was born and took over the space. In 2014, Morsel’s owner teamed with the owners of a coffee shop and opened up another branch in Ballard, which was called Morsel & Bean. In 2018, the owners went their separate ways and the owners of the coffee shop kept the space and changed the name to Biscuit & Bean while the owner of Morsel went back to concentrate on Morsel. We heard about Biscuit and Bean only this year and visited for the first time, not knowing the history. After trying Biscuit and Bean, we talked about how similar the biscuits were to Morsel’s and that’s when we did some research to discover the history of the two places. There are some subtle differences between the recipes and ingredients. And that’s what made us wonder. Which biscuit sandwich is better? Morsel or Biscuit & Bean?
Here’s the tale of the tape:
- Distance from our house: Morsel(4754 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105): 1 mile vs Biscuit & Bean(5905 15th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107): 3.5 miles
- Coffee Served: Morsel: Velton’s vs Biscuit & Bean: Conduit
- Established: Morsel: 2014 vs Biscuit & Bean: 2018
The Order For this Morsel vs Biscuit & Bean tasting, we tried to compare apples to apples so we got the 2 sandwiches from each location on buttermilk biscuits. You actually have a choice of cheddar, buttermilk and a special(For ex. garlic/oregano/parm). We wanted to let the sandwich ingredients do the talking, so we chose buttermilk. Both locations were very close to the tasting location, so we were able to compare fresh servings side by side.
The Rating System: For this Morsel vs Biscuit & Bean tasting, we decided to rate the meal based on the below. We gave an increased weighting for Service(2x) and Taste(3x) since we feel these are more important.
1. Brick & Mortar- Morsel has just moved into a much bigger and brand new spot when compared to their old spot down the street. There is no dedicated parking. Biscuit & Bean is in a stand alone building and they do have dedicated parking as well as drive thru window. They also have a patio. It’s a bit smaller than Morsel, but it doesn’t feel cramped. Winner: Biscuit & Bean(1)
2. Service – Both have similar systems- you order, pay, sit down and wait until they call out your order when it’s ready. The day we went it was a Sunday morning, so both places were equally busy with about a constant 4 or 5 person line to order. All seats were taken in both places. Biscuit & Bean wins hands down. They were pleasant and quick. We ordered the two sandwiches and it took about 6 minutes. You can peek into the kitchen and they just seemed like a well oiled machine. Morsel took longer, about 15 minutes, which is fine. It’s not outrageous, but the service was an issue. For example I was giving my order to the cashier, I was half way through giving the order and one of the other workers interrupted the cashier to ask a question when we were clearly engaged. Both the cashier and I were frustrated that we had to start all over with the order. Also, both places are busy and noisy, so it’s hard to hear them call out the order from across the room. I went up to collect the order at Morsel and just wanted to confirm the name that was called. The guy just said, “yeah that’s what I said” and turned around. No “Thanks for coming” or “Have a good day”. Truthfully, this is normally not a big deal, but I just felt some of the Morsel workers did not want to be there. This was easy to declare. Winner: Biscuit & Bean(2)
3. Value- The prices are very similar, but Morsel’s prices are a tad lower. Winner: Morsel(1)
4. Taste-
- Biscuit – The Biscuit & Bean biscuits were a little bigger, which is not why they were better than Morsel’s.The biscuits were also fluffier and lighter where Morsel’s were denser. Taste-wise, they were about the same. Due to better consistency, Winner: Biscuit & Bean(1)
- The Fast Break(Morsel) vs The Classic(Biscuit & Bean)-These are basically the same sandwiches with different names. Both have bacon, scrambled eggs, tomato jam. The main difference is that Biscuit & Bean uses Beecher’s Flagship White Cheddar and Morsel uses normal cheddar(orange). As you can see the ingredients are basically the same. The main difference can be seen in the picture above. The Morsel sandwich has a ton of egg. It’s actually thicker than the biscuit. Bigger is not always better. The egg just overpowered the other ingredients. Winner: Biscuit & Bean(1)
- The Spanish Fly(Morsel) vs The Signature(Biscuit & Bean) – Again basically the exact same sandwich which makes it great for comparisons. Both have prosciutto, fried egg, Mama Lil’s Pepper Aioli. The slight difference is that The Spanish Fly has spinach and smoked gouda. The Signature has arugula and manchego cheese. Although these ingredients are different, it’s still very similar. Both were good and not noticeably different. We’ll give the nod to Morsel due to the abundance of arugula, which made a slight difference. By the way, both eggs were cooked perfectly with yoke oozing. Winner: Morsel(1)
5. Other- Morsel has three choices of sandwiches-the two that are mentioned above and a veggie version. Biscuit and Bean also has a veggie sandwich, but also has a Greek sandwich and one called, The Market, which has apple chicken sausage, spinach, mustard aioli and apple butter, which is my wife’s favorite. They also have a cool display of their biscuits so as a first timer, you can see how big they are. More options give’s Biscuit Bean the point. Winner: Biscuit & Bean(1)
The Final Tally
| Category | Morsel | Biscuit & Bean |
| Brick & Mortar | 0 | 1 |
| Service | 0 | 2 |
| Value | 1 | 0 |
| Taste | 1 | 2 |
| Other | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 6 |
Summary: So by a score of 6 to 2, Biscuit & Bean is the Winner!!! Most of our other Seattle Food Wars have been pretty close, but this was a blow out by Biscuit & Bean. Both of the biscuits held up well, the ingredients combinations were spot on and both are filling. The difference is really in the execution of both service and making of the biscuits/sandwiches.
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Realfine Coffee
Description on Realfine Coffee’s website : Realfine Coffee is a locally owned and operated business.
Our purpose is to create a coffee experience of the highest quality in a welcoming environment. Quality is not solely attributed to our high standard in coffee, but is also comes from the attention to detail our staff provides, which is developing a genuine sense of community through the relationships we foster with our customers. It is our uncompromising standards in all areas that allow us to offer the exceptional coffee we enjoy everyday.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 616 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122
Music Playing: Erykah Badu – Next Lifetime
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
Comments: I just happened to pass by Realfine Coffee on my way to Suika for dinner on Capitol Hill. This spot used to be a Stumptown Coffee. The original Realfine Coffee is in West Seattle and opened in 2015. This is the second branch and opened a few months ago. One day I woke up early and decided to check it out before going to work.
It has a very simple decor, but it’s not cold. It’s a small space, but feels airy. And unlike many cafes with this particular configuration of being long and narrow and being bright in the front and dark in the back, because of the lighting Realfine Coffee doesn’t have this problem. It feels warm and bright throughout.
One of the highlights of Realfine Coffee that I’ve not seen anywhere else is the built-in outlets in their long bench. Normally you find outlets under the seat or on the wall. These are located right at the base of the back of the bench. I thought it was really clever. The other seatings are 2 hightop stools looking out on Pine St and another counter that seats 8. The only qualm about this seating is that you’re looking straight into the wall. I understand why it’s designed this way since it provides a clear and open path from the door to the ordering station.
Besides coffee they had a refrigerator that had some juices and prepackaged snacks. They also serve canned beers and serve Macrina Bakery pastries.
Now, the thing that makes Realfine Coffee memorable to me was the cashier/barista, who I later found out was the owner. I’ve always had a hard time with small talk. Both starting small talk or responding to small talk. I even read a book on how to improve on it.
I have to tell you, I stayed at Realfine Coffee for about 45 minutes, but I could have stayed there a lot longer just listening to the owners small talk expertise. The secret to small talk is to keep the topics light and positive. The topic shouldn’t be too random and let the response guide the conversation.
Here are some snippets:
Sticking around for Thanksgiving this year? or Hosting Thanksgiving this year?
Owner: How was your weekend?
Patron: I saw Fleetwood Mac in Tacoma.
Owner: How was it? No Lindsey Buckingham, right?
Patron: I’ll tell ya, the guy who replaced Lindsey Buckingham really held his own. Note: I think it was Neil Finn of Crowded House who replaced Buckingham.
Here’s your latte, my friend. She used, “my friend” a lot.
Patron: I’ll have an Americano.
Owner: Not your normal drink?
Patron: No.
Owner: I could just tell by the way you ordered it, that it’s not your usual order.
Owner to patron: You have the cutest little sweatshirt on.
Owner: How’s it going?
Patron: mumbles order incoherently
Owner: That good, huh?
Patron: Do you own this?
Owner: Yes, I do. It’s a lot of hard work.
Patron: That’s so cool! Congratulations!
Owner: Thank you. It’s exciting
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The nice calm atmosphere and the friendly owner.
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5.00+
Food Options: 4.00
Overall: 4.60
Eavesdropping Convo: See above
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Ezell’s vs Heaven Sent – Battle of Seattle’s Best Fried Chicken
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The Ezelll’s vs Heaven Sent story is very much like the Paseo vs Un Bien story. Except we’re not talking Caribbean sandwiches. This is the Best Seattle Fried Chicken competition which is the next in our Seattle Food War Series. And it has a doozy of a soap opera story behind it. And after doing our taste test, much like the Top Pot vs Might O doughnut competition, you can’t go wrong with either.
The History Behind Ezell’s and Heaven Sent
As soon as I moved to Seattle in the late 90’s, I heard the story of a fried chicken place all the way up here in the PNW that was so good that Oprah Winfrey declared it the best she’d ever tasted and would fly in the chicken from Seattle to Chicago so she could enjoy it. This place was Ezell’s, which had opened in 1984.
Apparently, after many years of having a successful business, there was a falling out with the co-founders and Ezell Stephens of the Ezell’s namesake was forced out of the fried chicken chain that was named after him. So what did Ezell Stephens do? He opened up his own Ezell’s fried chicken chain. So for a time, there were two sets of Ezell’s owned by each co-founder. Of course, lawyers got involved. You can actually read the offical court documents here.
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Once the dust settled, Ezell Stephens opened his chain of Heaven Sent Fried Chicken. And ever since then there’s been a debate in Seattle over who has the better fried chicken. It’s eerily similar to the Paseo vs Un Bien story, isn’t it? We’re here to settle the score once and for all. There’s even trash talk involved, “Their chicken is called Ezell’s,” said Mr. Stephens. “It’s not Ezell’s. Hell, it was only Ezell’s when Ezell was there.” and Mr. Stephens points out he’s the person who cooked for Oprah on her birthday in 1990.” On Facebook, the company declares “you will only find Ezell Stephens, the person who cooked for Oprah at Heaven Sent Fried Chicken.”- WSJ. These quotes are from an article from the Wall Street Journal that actually did a article about the feud. I love it!
If Oprah’s endorsement wasn’t enough, Esquire Magazine named Ezell’s the Best Fried Chicken in the US and it won by a massive margin. You’d think that the best fried chicken would come from the South, but Ezell’s whooped the other nominees from places like Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana.
Here’s the tale of the tape:
- Distance from our house: Ezell’s: 2 miles vs Heaven Sent: 4.5 miles
- Locations:
Ezell’s: 13 locations: Bellevue, Kent, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Renton(3x), Wallingford, Rainier Valley, Central District, Spokane, Tacoma, Woodinville
Heaven Sent: 3 locations: Lake City, Renton, Everett
The Order– For this Ezell’s vs Heaven Sent taste test, we tried to compare apples to apples so we got the 3 piece meal with a side of slaw and rolls. We tried to get mac & cheese also, but Heaven Sent didn’t have any prepared at the time of ordering. We ordered the spicy chicken version at each location. We had tried the original version before at each location prior and liked the spicy version better. Both locations were very close to our taste testing location, so we were able to compare fresh servings side by side.
The Rating System: For this Ezell’s vs Heaven Sent tasting, we decided to rate the meal based on the below. We gave an increased weighting to Value(2x) and Taste(3x) since we feel these are more important.
1. Appetizing/Appearance – Comparing on appearance only, Ezell’s golden dark brown pieces were more appealing. We think maybe Ezell’s chicken having a bit more batter also adds to the appeal. Winner: Ezell’s(1)
2. Crispiness- If it’s fried, it better be crispy, right? Again, having the extra batter on the chicken made all the difference. What a satisfying sound it is to hear that first bite into crispy fried chicken. Winner: Ezell’s(1)
3. Juiciness– After taking two big bites of each, Heaven Sent’s chicken was clearly juicier. So moist. I wouldn’t say Ezell’s was dry or anything, but it was less juicy. Winner: Heaven Sent(1)
4. Sides-
- Roll– The rolls tasted exactly the same to us, but Heaven Sent’s were much bigger, much fluffier and not as dense. Both were sweet with a nice brown hue on the outside. Our personal preference is fluffy instead of dense. Winner: Heaven Sent(1)
- Cole Slaw– Again, very similar tasting, but Heaven Sent’s slaw was a bit juicier and had slightly more spice, more peppery. This was super close, but… Winner: Heaven Sent(1)
5. Taste- We ordered a 3 piece meal at each place.
- Ezell’s: 3 piece meal. Comes with 2 sides and a roll. They didn’t ask what type of pieces I wanted, but they do give a choice of original, spicy or combination of both. They gave us a drumstick, wing and a breast.
- Heaven Sent: 3 piece meal comes with one side, a roll and a drink. They give you the option of 2 thighs and a drumstick or 2 breasts and a wing.
We found Heaven Sent’s batter more flavorful and the spices made it a bit more tasty than Ezell’s. The Heaven Sent chicken’s spiciness is perfect, not too hot, but enough to put a tingle on the tongue. I also like the fact that we were given a choice of the 3 pieces. We like chicken breasts, so we’re happy to get two at Heaven Sent. Winner: Heaven Sent (3)
6. Value for 3 piece meal including tax
- Ezell’s: $12.10. They not only give you an extra side dish, but it’s $2.50+ cheaper than Heaven Sent. Perhaps it’s cheaper because it’s take out only and they don’t have the extra expense of maintaining a sit down eating area?
- Heaven Sent : $14.64. They only give one side dish for this particular 3 piece meal, but they do give a drink from the soda fountain which Ezell’s doesn’t.
Extra side dish and $2.50+ cheaper? Winner: Ezell’s(2)
The Final Tally
| Category | Ezell’s | Heaven Sent |
| Appetizing/Appearance | 1 | 0 |
| Crispiness | 1 | 0 |
| Juiciness | 0 | 1 |
| Sides -Rolls | 0 | 1 |
| Sides- Cole Slaw | 0 | 1 |
| Taste | 0 | 3 |
| Value | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 6 |
Summary: There’s a constant comparison of Ezell’s and Heaven Sent for a reason-the Oprah story, the longevity of Ezell’s, the tumultuous history between the two, but there’s a main reason the comparisons persist. They both make damn good chicken. Both were fast. Both had service that was spot on. Truthfully, there is no loser, but a winner must be declared. So by a score of 6 to 4, Heaven Sent is the Winner!!!
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Elm Coffee Roasters -South Lake Union (SLU)
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Description on Elm Coffee Roaster’s website : The world is full of incredible coffee. And we love that it’s our job to roast and share our favorites with you. Working with amazing producers and importers, we bring you vibrant coffees from all around the world.
Neighborhood: South Lake Union
Address: 230 9th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Music Playing: Cath by Death Cab For Cutie
What we ate/drank: Cortado
Comments: I’ve enjoyed the coffee at Elm Coffee Roasters in Pioneer Square, so when I found out that they opened a branch nearer to my work, I had to check it out. Little did I know that it was in the lobby of an Amazon.com building, so it’s actually more of a coffee stand then an actual cafe.
There is some seating dedicated to for Elm Coffee Roasters to the left of the coffee stands that has individual tables and a high counter, but because it’s located in the lobby of the building you can make use of the comfy chairs and sofas to enjoy your drinks. Just a bit of a warning for the seats located near the stand, I saw only one outlet in case you are thinking of working there.
I was planning on ordering one of their combos- The One & One, which is a macchiato and an espresso, but it didn’t appear to be an option here. At least it wasn’t listed.
While I was sitting there enjoying my Cortado, it dawned on me. I don’t know if this is common knowledge amongst locals and I’m just behind the times, but it appears Amazon picks local coffee purveyors to inhabit their new buildings, which explains why these places exist – Caffe Ladro (1800 9th Building)-Mystery Solved!, Cascade Coffee Works, Victrola Coffee Roasters-The Most Heavily Guarded Cafe in Seattle. I also know there’s Fonte, Zoka, Caffe Vita and Rise(Farestart) in Amazon buildings. I definitely applaud Amazon for getting local companies in their branches and not the typical Starbucks that’s in my building lobby.
Going forward, I’ll keep these coffee shop reviews within a building lobby to a minimum unless they really are stand alone cafe such as the Cascade Coffee Works and the Victrola Coffee Roaster on 3rd and Pine. It’s not really fair to grade against stand alone cafe. I mean it’s a lobby so you can’t expect a whole lot in terms of atmosphere, but in this particular case, it’s Elm Coffee Roasters, so I’m sure I’ll be coming here regularly since it’s way more convenient for me than the Pioneer Square location.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Having the option of enjoying a coffee while sitting in some luxurious chairs/sofa.
Atmosphere: 3.50
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 2.50
Overall: 3.75
Eavedropping Convo: Two guys sitting have a coffee inside when a guy passes the window rolling down the sidewalk on a Solowheel.
Guy 1(G1)- Dude, that same asshole almost ran my ass over last week.
Guy 2(G2) -Really?
G1) Yeah, by Whole Foods. There’s like a million fucking people on the sidewalk during lunch and this asshole is going full speed weaving in and out of people. Stupid fuck.
G2) This guy who used to work in my office had one. One day he came in on crutches because he munched it trying to avoid a dog.
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