****NOTE: This review was done prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Of course, things are much different at the moment, but we hope things will get back to normal soon and hope you will continue to support these local businesses****
Bok a Bok Fried Chicken
Recommended by: While eating our Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwiches at Lil Woody’s., my co-worker mentioned Bok A Bok Fried Chicken. And said they don’t have burgers, but have the best chicken sandwiches. We had to check it out.
Description on the Bok a Bok Fried Chicken website: It’s air-dried, hand-dipped and double-fried to order. This process isn’t fast but it makes for super juicy chicken with an unforgettable crunch. It’s fresh, never frozen, antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken. It’s hand-made biscuits and sides made from scratch, using fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients that we prepare with care and integrity.
Neighborhood/Type: University District
Address:5201 University Way Unit D, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Bowl O’Shame-Kimchi mac n’ cheese, spicy tater tots, chopped fried chicken thigh, 4 chili hot sauce, green onions, crispy garlic, crispy shallots and a poached egg, Umami BBQ Chicken Sandwich-Soft bun, gochujang bbq sauce, ginger cabbage slaw, mint and cilantro. Served with boneless chicken thigh. Bulgogi Chicken Tacos(3) on flour tortilla with ginger slaw, kim chi, cilantro and spicy lime cream. Yuzu Green Chili Chicken Sandwich – Charred pasilla peppers, dill pickles, pea sprouts, yuzu aioli. Boneless Chicken Thigh. 10 pc chicken wings.
Comments: The northern part of The Ave(University Ave) has become quite a hot spot lately. Bok a Bok Fried Chicken is another addition to the area in between Morsel & Koa and Xian Noodles & Snowy Village.
Bok a Bok Fried Chicken’s first branch was opened in 2016 in the White Center neighborhood and soon gained huge following and lines out the door and wings being sold out prior to closing. It was created by a former Skillet Diner chef, Brian O’Connor. He had been cooking fried chicken for many restaurants during his career and decided to make a go of it on his own and Bok a Bok Fried Chicken was born.
This particular branch in the University District is a walk up window only. There are no seats or benches outside either, so take out is your best bet, unless you want to eat it right there on the sidewalk. Their other locations in White Center, Capitol Hill and Burien all have indoor eating areas.
Just a warning, be prepared to tack on some calories. Heavy sauces, fried foods, mac & cheese. Ohh..but your mouth will thank you.
The first thing we noticed was that the fried chicken was not greasy and yet the inside was really juicy. We later found out that a special batter is used the covers the chicken for a crispy outside, but locks in the juices from the chicken keeping it tender. We understand the chicken is brined which also seasons and preserves the chicken and increases the flavor.
We got the wings and a boneless chicken thigh, which is the chicken in it’s simplest form at Bok a Bok Fried Chicken. There are four sauces for $.50 each. They are four-chili hot sauce, sesame soy garlic, bok a bok ranch, and Korean BBQ. Trutfully you don’t need them. The chicken stands on it’s own and is flavorful without using any of the sauces.
The bulgogi tacos weren’t our favorite, but the sandwiches are on a whole nother level. Both the Umami BBQ and Yuzu Green Chile Chicken Sandwiches will be repeat orders for our family on future visits to Bok a Bok. I have no idea where they get these chickens from but they are so big that they dwarf the buns they come on. We especially enjoyed the Yuzu Green Chile Sandwich. It’s spicy, sweet and the slight tart from yuzu all blends very well with the chicken.
The one dish that was truly life changing was the Bowl O Shame. The name of the dish is so apropos, because we did feel shame devouring the whole thing, but we just couldn’t help ourselves. It was so good! We broken open the poached egg and the yolk mixed with the chili sauce along with the kimchi mac n cheese, tater tots, fried chicken bits was sinfully good.
Who cares about the 2000 calories we just put in our body. This is the perfect meal for a hangover or a meal where you just want to cheer yourself up and don’t care about the consequences like when you just got dumped or got fired from your job. Here’s a video from Food Network extolling it’s virtues:
The fried chicken at Bok a Bok is in a different category than Ezells or Heaven Sent. The way their chicken is integrated into their bowls and sandwiches is distinctive.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: N/A It’s a take out stand
Service: 4.25
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.50
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: After publishing our Bok A Bok review, we noticed another Korean fried chicken restaurant, bb.q Chicken opening up in the old Radio Shack spot down The Ave.
Related Articles:
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Seattle Coffee Shops
- Our 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2019 (Part 1)
- Snowy Village
- Seattle Food Wars
****NOTE: This review was done prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Of course, things are much different at the moment, but we hope things will get back to normal soon and hope you will continue to support these local businesses****
Sea Wolf Bakers
Recommended by: We have friends whose daughter shares the same daycare as our daughters. They were aware of our love of cinnamon rolls. They had recently visited Sea Wolf Bakers in Fremont and said we were the first people they thought of when they ordered the cinnamon roll. They said we had to try it. So we did.
Description on the Sea Wolf Baker’s website: Sea Wolf is a Seattle bakery opened in 2014 by brothers Jesse and Kit Schumann, two native Washingtonians. Following the practices of craftsmanship and local sourcing, Sea Wolf offers bread and pastry in a space that’s comfortable and welcoming to everyone.
Neighborhood/Type: Fremont
Address: 3621 Stone Way N Suite D, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Cinnamon Roll – $7
Comments: Ok, first things first. We already mentioned in our Cinnaholic post that we love cinnamon rolls so much, that during our wedding we did not have a wedding cake, we had a pile of cinnamon rolls from a bakery in Pike Place Market arranged into the shape of a wedding cake. My co-workers had two baby showers for us prior to both of our daughters being born. They main course was cinnamon rolls. Wherever we go, if we see a cinnamon roll on the menu, we will typically order it. There is nothing better than a cinnamon roll and a cup of espresso or coffee.
Sea Wolf Bakers opened their brick and mortar location in August of 2016 by two brothers, who according to their Kickstarter, really toiled into the wee hours to hone their skills and hustled from space to space to get their breads made. They are exceptional in all things a baker makes-breads of all types, baguette, rolls, croissants, muffins, even burger buns. And of course cinnamon rolls!
Sea Wolf Bakers is so good at their craft that they were a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Baker in 2019. Surely, this is all you need to know about their quality. If you need any more evidence they apparently provide the bread for Renee Erickson’s restaurants, The Whale Wins, located across the street and The Walrus and Carpenter as well as previously reviewed Vif Wine | Coffee and Preserve and Gather.
Their cinnamon roll is a bit on the steep side at $7, but it is huge. Take a look at the picture of the cinnamon roll compared to our daughter’s hand. The cinnamon roll can be ordered with frosting on the side, but it honestly doesn’t need it. Most cinnamon rolls are soft and dense. The Sea Wolf Baker’s roll has a hard crunchy sugary glazed exterior and a soft doughy middle chalk full of raisins and cinnamon. The inside is almost like a croissant, flaky.
It reminds me of the cinnamon roll they serve at Storyville Coffee Co , which is a tiny little thing that can’t be shared, but it’s delicious and very similar with a crispy outside and soft inside. The main difference is that Sea Wolf Baker’s cinnamon roll is about 10 times bigger. It easily fed our family of four.
Sea Wolf Baker is located right next to Manolin and right down the street from a couple of our favorites, Stone Way Cafe and Joule. The bakery has an open layout so you can see them prepping and baking. It really looks like a commercial spot with a few tables for retail. There’s also a lot of outside seating. You can normally spot Sea Wolf Baker by looking for a line of people on weekend mornings.
Wholesale remains their bread and butter for the business, but luckily they’ve made their cinnamon rolls available to the public.
Summary: As we enjoyed the cinnamon roll out on the patio, we started to debate where this fits into the Seattle cinnamon roll landscape. This roll with its crunchy exterior and flaky croissant-like middle with raisins and perfectly gooey cinnamon is so unique compared to the normal icing topped cake-type cinnamon roll. There was a consensus, Sea Wolf Baker’s cinnamon roll is the best in Seattle. If you want to enjoy this treat. Just a warning, they run out quick so get there in the morning.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 5.00
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
Overall: 4.50
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Related Articles:
****NOTE: This review was done prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Of course, things are much different at the moment, but we hope things will get back to normal soon and hope you will continue to support these local businesses****
Via Tribulani
Recommended by: A local reader of the blog suggested Via Tribulani as an Italian alternative since we’ve talked about Il Corvo , Tavolata, Pasta Casalinga, Cantinetta and now Bizzarro Italian Cafe.
Description on the Via Tribulani’s website: Located in the bustling, trendy neighborhood of Capitol Hill, our first pizzeria has become a primary meeting spot for a variety of visitors. With an open patio that echoes conversations and laughter to the streets, cozy booths that make a dinner more welcoming and a buzzing bar that serves fantastic drinks, Capitol Hill’s location features unique and traditional Italian décor. With a private dining room that is romantic, yet comfortable for parties of up to 16, our first restaurant has everything one needs to feel at home.
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
Address: 913 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122
What we ate/drank: Carbonara Pizza – Fresh Mozzarella, organic egg, pancetta, extra virgin olive oil, Polpette Al Pomodoro – Veal Meatballs, pomodoro, grana Padano, Rigatoni Bolognese – Giuseppe Cocco rigatoni giganti pasta, house-made bolgnese, grana Padano, Lasagna Al Forno – House-made meat ragu, fresh ricotta, smoked mozzarella, parmigiano, Andrew Will Merlot
Comments: Much like Bizzarro Italian Cafe, “Via Trib” has been around for so long we almost take it for granted. They’ve been around since 2004 and currently have locations in Georgetown, Queen Anne and the one we most recently visited, Capitol Hill. They had a location in Fremont, but no longer.
Via Tribulani has pasta and antipasti, but their claim to fame is their Neopolitan pizza. And they take great pride in it. A snippet from their website:
We opened our first pizzeria in 2004 in the burgeoning Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Months before we opened curious onlookers poked their heads in the former auto body shop, and outlandish rumors spread quickly throughout Seattle. One person saw a team of masons reportedly flown in from Naples to build a gargantuan wood-fired oven, someone heard that the bricks also came from Naples rich with Vesuvian ash, a reporter ran a story about a taxi driver leading our owner down a dark Neapolitan street to meet a talented pizzaiolo who was then whisked to an airport…
As it turns out almost all of the tall tales are true – on opening night people began lining up for the authentic Neapolitan pizza and since then our ovens have only gotten busier. Via Tribunali has been called “more authentic than the pizzerias of Naples,” and even though that is a flattering exaggeration, it is fair to say that our pizzerias have grown out of an almost unnatural passion for the food and wine of Southern Italy.
Via Tribulani even has a certificate from the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, which is an international organization officially established to give special designation to pizzerias who meet strict requirements that respect the tradition of the art of Neapolitan pizza making by the Italian government.
So here’s that special oven made of brick from Naples and assembled by masons flown in from Naples:
The oven is supposedly kept running 24/7 and is kept at 1,000 degrees, which allows the pizza to cook in just one minute. We’ll admit the pizzas are damn good. I personally like the thins crust and the ingredients are top notch. The price is a bit on steep side.
On this particular trip we also ordered the lasagna, rigatoni bolognese and veal meatballs. The lasagna and rigatoni were good, but nothing to write home about. We’ve been lucky enough to have had some great pastas in bolognese sauce at Il Corvo – Best Pasta in Seattle, Bizzarro Italian Cafe and even at Japanese restaurant Kokkaku. So when comparing Via Tribulani’s to the aforementioned restaurants, it falls short in our opinion.
On the other hand, the veal meatballs were a hit. Two baseball-sized meatballs in pomodoro sauce with grana Padano cheese sprinkled on top. I always wonder when I see meatballs of this size, how they get the meatball perfectly cooked all the way through.
The other interesting fact about Via Tribulani is that it was created by the same person who created Caffe Vita as mentioned our our Caffe Vita – Fremont post. And for a time the Caffe Vita in Pioneer Square had the same pizza oven in it. This same owner also a financial backer of Lil Woody’s, Hitchcock and Wandering Goose. Wow! What a diverse group of restaurants! This dude seems to have the magic touch.
Update:It seems that Caffe Vita was recently sold by the owner of Via Tribulani to the owners of Bastille, Poquitos, Stoneburner, and Rhein Haus.
In summary, the atmosphere at Via Tribulani -Capitol Hill is romantic, the pizza and meatballs were our favorites, the wine menu had a good variety of locals and Barolos. It’s a solid choice for those who don’t want only pasta or only pizza.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
Overall: 4.35
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: We’ve mentioned Cantinetta in a couple of our Dish of the Year blog posts, but have never reviewed it.
Related Articles:
****NOTE: This review was done prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Of course, things are much different at the moment, but we hope things will get back to normal soon and hope you will continue to support these local businesses****
Outlaw Tamales
Recommended by: Nobody. A testament to how much of a “secret” this place is. I stumbled upon it visiting Tempesta Coffee (RIP)
Description on the Outlaw Tamale’s website: Steve is an artisan, small batch tamale designer making new and original (as well as traditional) tamales in Seattle. Always handmade. Always small batch. Always made with love and care with the consumer in mind.
Neighborhood/Type: Belltown
Address: 2025 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 in a Jiffy Lube parking lot.
What we ate/drank: Sausage, Egg & Cheese- $8, Shredded Beef & Cheese(diced green chiles, onion & pepper jack cheese – $9, Salsa Verde Chicken -$8
Comments: Outlaw Tamale is a couple, a cart and a covering in the Jiffy Lube parking lot in downtown Seattle(Belltown to be exact).
There were 10 choices – 2 breakfast, 7 regulars(classics) and 1 special. The special today was Salsa Roja Chicken w/free roasted tomato, but we opted for a breakfast(Sausage, Egg & Cheese- $8) and two classics(Shredded Beef & Cheese w/diced green chiles, onion & pepper jack cheese – $9 , Salsa Verde Chicken -$8).
On this particular day the tamales had pretty traditional fillings, but my understanding is they do experiment with non-traditional fillings like spicy barbecue beef with bacon, Philly cheesesteak and meatball parmesan.
We got the breakfast tamale heated up to eat and took the Shredded Beef and Salsa Verde Chicken refrigerated to eat later. They offered to open up the tamale for us if we were going to eat it on the spot, but we decided to take it back to the office to eat.
While waiting for them to prepare the tamales, I spoke to the owner. I thought this might be a side hustle business, because they are only open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am – 2pm. He advised this was indeed his full time job and that they are only open on these days because he can only make so many tamales in a day.
First things first, the price is higher than normal, but the size of the Outlaw Tamales are probably twice the size of normal tamales. It’s more of a burrito size than a tamale size. Tax is included in the listed price.
Normally, tamales are 80% masa and 20% or less filling. The Outlaw Tamales do have a thick masa, but the filling is just as plentiful. The ratio is perfect in our opinion. The masa is firm, but moist.
Many times a tamale filing can get dry and clumped together, but the Outlaw Tamale filling is nice and gooey, almost like when you cut open a chicken pot pie. They offer small containers for either a green medium verde salsa or a Poblano hot salsa. Both homemade and both delicious.
The fact that these are made in small batches assures quality control for each tamale. This is really a “mom and pop” operation, so in order to survive they really rely on word of mouth for increased business, which means their product better be tasty enough for people to rave about it to co-workers, family and friends. The common sight of “sold out” on their chalkboard proves word is traveling. We love supporting these small businesses.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: N/A. It’s a cart located in a parking lot.
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.65
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
Related Articles:
Paju – Queen Anne
Recommended by: We were raving about Revel and their brand new location to some friends. They had just tried a new Korean inspired restaurant in Queen Anne that they claim had some similarities to Revel called, Paju.
Description on the Paju’s Google page: Snug, simple restaurant offering contemporary, inventive takes on traditional Korean cuisine.
Neighborhood/Type: Queen Anne
Address:11 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109
What we ate/drank: Paju Fried Rice – Kimchi, bacon, squid ink, smoked quail egg. Yellowtail(Mul Hwe) – Fennel-Cucumber Gazpacho, Gochujang Granita. Mushroom – parmesan cheese, white kimchi, truffle aioli. Rib-eye Steak Bulgogi w/truffle flavor-crispy quinoa scallion, enoki mushroom. Blue Moon Beer.
Comments: Three of our favorite Seattle restaurants fall into the Korean fusion genre – Chan, Joule and Revel. Even Watson’s Counter, one of our favorite breakfast places, can sorta be put in this category. So when we found out another such restaurant had opened to rave reviews and long waits, we had to see for ourselves.
Paju opened in August of 2019 in lower Queen Anne near the Seattle Center and quickly garnered a following that has kept the small industrial space packed. Paju doesn’t take reservations, so when we went on a Friday evening after getting the kids situated with the babysitter, the wait was already an hour long.
We put our cell phone# on the waitlist and headed next door to good ole T.S. McHughs for drinks. We mentioned to our bartender that we were just having drinks while we waited for our seats at Paju. He said he’d hadn’t had a chance to eat at Paju but he was happy to hear that it was doing well. He lamented the demise of the previous business in the location, a nondescript sushi joint.
About an hour later, we received a call from Paju asking us if we could arrive within 5 minutes. We settled our tab at T.S. McHughs and walked over. You could still feel the remnants of that nondescript sushi joint, a very simple rectangular layout with what appears to be a former take-out counter in the back. It’s a bit dim with Edison lights and votive candles providing the lighting. The vibe is industrial and in the way of decor, it’s pretty sparse. No need to fancy up the place. Let the food do the talking. In total Paju probably seats around 40 people max.
The two co-owners have quite the pedigree, having met while working at an New York City, 2 Michelin Star, Korean restaurant. There are a total of only 11 dishes that are served at Paju, but there is a wide variety and should be something for everybody in your party. The dishes are meant to be shared and eaten family styles, so we ordered 4 dishes:
All the dishes have a few things in common. These are traditional Korean dishes with a twist. Like quinoa and truffle with bulgogi, gochujang granita and smoked quail and squid ink with kimchi and rice. Also, none of the dishes are heavy on sauces that overpower. The combination of all the flavors in each dish is very subtle, but works extremely well together.
Our first dish and the one we were most underwhelmed by was the Mul Hwe(Yellowtail). It was sort of like a ceviche. The dish was fine as a starter and the gochujang granita was innovative, but the portion was small for the price or maybe the presentation of the yellowtail spread on the outside of a large bowl just made it seem small.
Beoseot(Mushroom) is a mountain range of seasonal mushrooms with white kimchi and parmesan cheese acting as the snowy peaks. The truffle aioli adds some richness that complements the parmesan. We really enjoyed this one.
The rib-eye steak bulgogi with crispy quinoa, scallion and enoki mushrooms was a beautifully presented dish. We decided to get the optional truffle flavor. We were skeptical of the pairing of truffle and bulgogi, but it really works. Who would have guessed? We also enjoyed unusual addition of enoki mushrooms and quinoa to the dish. We really appreciated the creativity of this one.
Saving the best for last. The Paju Fried Rice contains bacon, kimchi, rice immersed in squid ink with rice with a smoked quail egg yolk in the middle. So many different textures -gooey egg yolk, crunchy kimchi, sticky rice. So many different flavors – smokey, sweet, savory, but none overpowering the others. Such a distinctive dish both visually and taste-wise. You won’t find anything like this in Seattle. This is the dish we’ll get over and over on return visits. I’d love it if they could add more quail eggs. The egg is only able to be mixed with a small percentage of the rice. Definitely, an early contender for top 2020 Dishes of the Year.
The service was attentive and friendly and when my wife mentioned we were there for my birthday, they comped my beer!
Not every dish was a home run, but we really appreciate the updated interpretation on these Korean dishes. When chefs are pushing the envelope creatively and continually experimenting there are bound to be misses, but when a dish hits, the payoff is big. They’ll be dishes so unique that patrons will want to come back over and over to see what new inventive dishes have been created.
Paju is the perfect spot for a dinner prior to going to the Seattle Rep or any other event at the Seattle Center. It will most likely be a Seattle hot spot for sometime if we had to guess.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.60
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.60
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
Related Articles:
Revel – Back in Fremont!
Recommended by: Nobody. Our favorite Seattle restaurant, Revel, moved to South Lake Union temporally while it’s new digs were being built in their original neighborhood, Fremont. We reviewed their temporary location in this post, but now that Revel is in their brand new location, we were giddy to check it out.
Description on the Revel’s website: Originally opened in 2010, Revel is a lively, casual space filled with bright art and music offering a new approach to everyday Korean comfort food. The large butcher block counter in the open kitchen has always been the heart of Revel inviting guests to be part of the family.
Neighborhood/Type: Fremont
Address: 401 N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Albacore tuna, fennel kimchi, escarole $18, Pacific cod, spicy tsuyu, hot ginger oil $17, Pork dumpling, mapo, pickled leek $14, Green noodle, chanterelle, spicy miso $16
Comments: It’s hard to believe that Revel’s been open for 10 years now. When it first opened a few doors down from it’s new current location, we remembered what a different experience it was to sit at the large counter with it’s open kitchen. It was both exciting to see the kitchen in action, but interesting to see how the dishes were made and put together. It was almost like a symphony.
When they moved to South Lake Union we were saddened knowing logistically that lunch was most likely the only meal we’d be able to eat at Revel. We’d occasionally meet up for lunch and were happy to see that they kept the counter with the open kitchen concept at the temporary SLU location, but there were far less seats. Instead of the long counter, it was more of a square and only two sides could be used for seating.
We visited the new Revel location on a Saturday evening. They don’t take reservations for parties under six, so we provided our cell# and headed next door to Aslan Brewing for a beer. When our seats became available, we were happy to see the long large counter with the open kitchen had returned and we were being seated there.
We are huge fans of Relay Restaurant Group, which is the creation of wife/husband chef team of Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi. The group includes Revel and Joule. Sadly, their third restaurant Trove closed down last year. And as you can see here, they are either a nominee or semifinalist for Best Chef in NW by the James Bead Foundation nearly every damn year.
And if you needed any further evidence of our love for Joule and Revel. One of their dishes was in our top 15 Of 2018 and three of their dishes made it into our top 10 of 2019 with one of their dishes being our #1 dish of the year!
Well, we are happy to report the quality of Revel’s dishes have not skipped a beat.
We tend to always order the same things when we come to Revel, but we changed it up this time. And Revel is always changing up dishes on their menu, so no matter how many times you come, there is bound to be a dish you’ve not tried before.
The pacific cod was a generous portion that sat on a layer of tsuyu, which is typically a mixture of mirin, soy sauce and fish stock(bonito based). The other three dishes we ordered were savory, while the cod dish was on the sweet side, which was a nice change up and good complement. There must be a good batch of Enokitake mushrooms in Seattle. This is the second restaurant we’ve seen this week that prominently features the mushroom in a dish.
Similar to what we said in our Trove(R.I.P.) review, the noticeable thing about Revel’s dumplings is that there is no wasted space between the wrapper and the filling of the dumplings. Normally with dumplings, there is the filling and then a bunch of space between the wrapper when the filling inside shrinks when it’s steamed. Not only are the dumplings on the bigger side, so you really get your moneys worth, but they are so tasty we don’t even use any of their dipping sauces.
The green noodle with chanterelle and spicy miso was actually a suggestion from our server at Aslan Brewing. She had eaten at Revel the week before and raved about the dish. She did not steer us wrong. Just the right amount of spice, ample bits of chantrelle, subtle flavors.
We had to order at least one of our favorite repeat dishes. You can read about the dish on our Best Dishes of 2019. This was our #1 dish of the year in 2019!
There were a couple of dishes that we will definitely order the next time we visit Revel. One was the Brick Chicken and the other was the trout with achiote fish sauce & leek oil.
Now on to the new space. It’s definitely more spacious than the previous Fremont location. There were times in the previous location, where you felt you were right on top of each other due to the tables being rather close together. No such problems here. Where before the bar area was in a totally separate room, the bar area now is right off to the side.
Where before there was a narrow patio in the back, the new patio is out front although not being used now due to the weather. The lighting is a lot brighter than before, which doesn’t bother us. Perhaps it’s the higher ceilings that make it feel less intimate than the prior location. Also, not a big deal to us, but just noting the difference in feel to us.
Overall we’re happier for the bigger space, which means less wait times and for the larger counter section with the open kitchen. I’m also grateful that Aslan Brewing is right next door so if the bar area is packed, we can have a beer as we wait for our table.
Service as always was attentive, dish suggestions provided and taste profiles explained.
We’re so happy that Revel is back in Fremont. The dishes are as good as they’ve ever been. The larger space, means less wait time. Selfishly, the location is way better for us than it was when it was in SLU.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 5.00
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.75
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: We were raving about Revel and how the quality hasn’t changed to some friends. They had just tried a new Korean inspired restaurant in Queen Anne that they claim had some similarities to Revel called, Paju.
Related Articles:
goPoke
Recommended by: We discovered that the owner of Dochi is the brother of the owner of goPoke down a few blocks. We really enjoy the poke there, so it’s time for a revisit and review.
Description on the goPoke’s website: Authentic Hawaiian Poke and Desserts.
Neighborhood/Type: ID (International District)
Address:625 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104
What we ate/drank: 12th Man Bowl – Salmon, spicy aioli ahi, spicy aioli salmon, fried garlic, edamame, ocean saled, ginger, krab salad, cucumber. Aloha Bowl – Sweet sirracheeahi, shoyu shaka ahi, mango salmon. Classic Salmon, spicy ahi bowl
Comments: goPoke opened in late 2016 right in the middle of the Seattle poke craze where poke places were popping up like mushrooms. We briefly mentioned the saturation of poke places in our Stop N Shop Poke post. Many poke places have since closed up shop. We also predicted that the only poke places that would survive will be the ones who emphasize quality and customer service and goPoke has both.
Poke in Hawaiian means “to cut/to slice” and is a Hawaiian dish of raw fish cut into cubes and typically marinated in soy sauce, green onion and sesame oil. At goPoke they have pre-designed bowls or you can create your own bowl. Like most poke places they have a Subway/Chipoltle model of picking your ingredients until your bowl is completed with your choices of rice, poke and toppings.
They make a concerted effort to keep line moving fast, but will allow you to sample the poke if you can’t make up your mind. That’s a nice touch.
Depending on how many choices of poke you choose for your bowl – 1, 2 or 3 are priced at $11, $13, $15 respectively. You might be thinking this is a little on the high side for poke. We agree, but the generous portions, various poke choices and quality fish definitely make the few extra bucks justified in our mind.
There’s also something comforting knowing that the owners originated from Hawaii and that they pretty much survived as a family selling poke there. So they must know what they’re doing. I encourage you to read this Seattle Met article that provides some background into the family history of the owners. Their father was a Ahi tuna fisherman and the children sold fish door to door. Their mother created and refined a poke recipe and they sold it at flea markets and small local shops.
A lot of poke places seem like they were opened as an afterthought. Like “Poke seems easy enough. I’ll open a poke place!” goPoke seems like a real sustainable business. It feels like real thought was put into goPoke. The ingredients are quality(that’s obvious), it’s always clean, there’s a Hawaiian theme(shaved ice w/li hing mui powder, Dole whip, keiki menu, Hawaiian Sun, span musubi), their assembly line process is efficient, the space is big, updated and airy for being in the ID(International District).
A true indication of a good business is the mood of the employees. They seem to be hard working, but genuinely happy to be working there and friendly.
We’re pretty certain that you won’t see anymore poke places reviewed here. Unless some new outlier brings something totally fresh to the poke Seattle landscape, goPoke, Stop N Shop Poke and Seattle Fish Guys are our defacto poke places in Seattle.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.65
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
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Dochi
Recommended by: After our Donut Factory review posted, a reader tipped us off to another doughnut(actually a mochi doughnut) place that opened in the International District called, Dochi.
Description on the Dochi’s website: Mochi donuts are a pleasant cross between the sweet and chewy Japanese rice dessert and the classic American fried donut. As you bite into the dochi, you will feel a slight crunch on the outside with a soft, and chewy center. They’re glazed with our many exotic flavors and delicious toppings you won’t find anywhere.
Neighborhood/Type: ID (International District)
Address: 600 5th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
What we ate/drank: Cookies & Cream w/ Cookie Butter, Ube Glazed, Matche Oreo, Strawberry Shortcake
Comments: Very similar to when hot spots like Cinnaholic and Snowy Village first came to Seattle, there were massive lines, long waits and a billion Instagram posts when Dochi opened. Dochi opened in August of last year and now that 6 months have passed, we figured that it was safe to go now without the waits. Our hunch paid off. When we went this past Friday afternoon, there were only a few people ahead of us. A far cry from a line out the door and down the block as you can see in the attached video below.
Dochi is not from LA, not from SF, not from NY, nor Hawaii, but a transplant from the hotbed of Japanese food, Orlando FL. Orlando?!?! Yes, you read that right. This combination of Japanese mochi and the American doughnut originated in Orlando.
Dochi is actually located in the food court of Uwajimaya. It’s actually in the location of a former takoyaki stand, so that tells you how small it is. For those of you not from Seattle, Uwajimaya is the defacto Asian market in Seattle that’s been in business for close to 100 years. It’s a small little stand and only open Thurs – Sun. Their hours on Sat and Sun are 12pm – 6pm and Thurs and Friday are 11am-2pm, so you have a limited time frame to come here.
The small booth has three workers – order taker, packer and cashier, so the line moves pretty fast.
On the day we went they had four choices available- Cookies & Cream w/ Cookie Butter, Ube Glazed, Matche Oreo, Strawberry Shortcake. Our understanding is that the flavors are always changing. Each dochi is $3 and $16 per half dozen. We got 2 of each flavor, so they charged us for a half dozen and two additional dochi.
The dochi come in a Tiffany blue colored box, which upon opening you see, “You Deserve This”. Genius marketing implying that this is a special treat. This is not a flimsy box either. It’s pretty sturdy, which also adds to the feeling of the dochi being something special.
The main differences between the dochi and your regular doughnut is the texture and it’s unique shape. Dochi is not like a cake or raised doughnut. It’s crispy on the outside and very chewy like mochi. Although it’s chewier than a cake doughnut, we’ve never had mochi doughnuts and were expecting it to be really chewy and gooey like regular mochi.
We really love the shape of the dochi. It’s like 8 doughnut balls that are connected together. You can either eat it as a regular doughnut or tear it apart and divide the 8 little doughnut balls to share. This design is great for our daughters. We can tell them that they can have three balls which is basically 3/8 of a dochi and they can easily measure it out for themselves.
It’s a little food stand, so the dochi are not made on site. If you have the opportunity, microwave them and it’ll make your eating experience much better. If they open a real brick and mortar location with a kitchen, these would be great fresh out of the oven.
We had about 10 taste testers who ate portions of the 8 doughnuts we got. Here are their cumulative rankings:
- Matcha Oreo
- Cookies & Cream w/ Cookie Butter
- Ube Glazed
- Strawberry Shortcake
As mentioned, we love that you can easily portion out the doughnut due to its shape and the taste of the doughnuts are fine. Is it better than Top Pot, Mighty-O, Tempesta, General Porpoise Doughnuts, Half N Half Doughnut Co or The Donut Factory? Nah. Would we wait in line for 15 or more minutes? Nah. Would we make a special trip to the ID(International District) and deal with traffic or parking for it? Nah. But Dochi will definitely be a regular stop whenever visiting Uwajimaya for groceries and I think it’s uniqueness does make a good pick up for out of town guests.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: N/A – It’s just a stand.
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.00
Overall: 4.35
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: We discovered that the owner of Dochi is the brother of the owner of goPoke down a few blocks. We really enjoy the poke there, so it’s time for a revisit and review.
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Seattle Mealpal Review
Recommended by: A co-worker recommended the service and provided me with a promotional deal that came out to $3.52 a meal.
What is Mealpal and How Does It Work?
Mealpal is a subscription meal service that currently exists in downtown Seattle for lunch. You pay a monthly fee and it allows you to reserve a lunch from a restaurant in downtown.
Once you reserve your meal, you go to the restaurant at your allotted time of your choosing and simply pick up your meal by scanning a barcode. You don’t have to wait in line! You can reserve your meal as early as 5:00pm the day before up until 10:30am that day.
You have the option of a 12 or 20 pack and the meals must be picked up within a 30 day billing cycle. If you do not pick up your 12 or 20 meals during this 30 day period, you are out of luck. You lose those meals.
Due to a referral from a current Mealpal user I got a promotional deal that made each meal $3.52. That’s damn good in downtown Seattle! Even the normal price of $6.39 per meal is pretty good considering the numerous options and also considering you don’t have to wait in line to get your meal.
I was skeptical of whether the portions would be smaller than normal and if the actual meals would really match the meal pictures on the app. So here are the results:
Tuk-Tuk Mobile Feast
Pork Fried Rice, Actual price – $10.00. This was my first meal I got through Mealpal. It was at a food truck down the street from my office. The portion was big. It was spicy and flavorful, but not much pork. It was well seasoned though .I would get it again.
Actual meal
- Closeness To Mealpal Pic: 5/5
- Portion Size: 5/5
- Meal Overall: 4/5
Pasta Casalinga
Pasta Al Pomodoro, Actual price- $11. The actual meal looked nothing like the picture on the Mealpal app. Nonetheless the meal was delicious and filling. It was a bit of a walk to Pike Place Market, but worth it.
Actual meal
- Closeness To Pic: 2/5
- Portion Size: 5/5
- Meal Overall: 5/5
Hurry Curry of Tokyo
Braised Chicken Curry Bowl, Actual Cost – $13. This looks like a smaller portion than what’s served in the restaurant based on the Yelp photos. Although the portion size does look similar to the photo on the Mealpal app, but the toppings were non-existent. It was spicy and flavorful.
Actual meal
- Closeness To Pic: 3/5
- Portion Size: 4/5
- Meal Overall: 4/5
Athena’s Food Truck
Lamb/Beef Sandwich w/ fries, Actual Cost – $10. This is one case where I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of lamb and beef when comparing the actual meal to the photo on the Mealpal app. You can also see that the toppings on the fries in the Mealpal app were not present in real life.
Mealpal photo
Actual meal
- Closeness To Pic: 4/5
- Portion Size: 4/5
- Meal Overall: 4/5
Mamnoon Street
Chicken Shawarma, Actual Cost -$10.00. The photo on the app looked nicer, but the actual portion was rather large. The shawarma itself was a bit bland, but filling.
Actual meal
- Closeness To Pic: 4/5
- Portion Size: 4/5
- Meal Overall: 3.5/5
Mamnoon Street
Chicken Shawarma Salad, Frites, pickled pepper, romaine, tomato, and roasted garlic sauce -$10.00 . This was the first place I made a return visit to. More so, because it was close to my work rather than the food being good the first time around. I got the salad version this time around.
Mealpal photo
Actual meal
- Closeness To Pic: 5/5
- Portion Size: 4/5
- Meal Overall: 3.5/5
Citrus Thai
Chicken See-Ew, llat rice noodle, “gai lan” broccoli, egg and see-ew sauce sauteed with chicken. Actual Cost- $8.95. The chicken was plentiful, but the taste was lacking a bit. The photo from the Mealpal app looks vibrant and fresh compared to the droopy actual meal.
Actual meal
- Closeness To Pic: 3.5/5
- Portion Size: 5/5
- Meal Overall: 3.5/5
Poke Alice
Alice’s Special Bowl – Half & Half (brown rice & kale); (2) Cucumber, seaweed, onion, crab salad; (3) Salmon, shrimp, scallop (1 scoop each); (4) Medium spicy with cilantro aioli; (5) Furikake, ginger, green onion masago, seaweed salad. Actual Cost- $11.99. The portion was huge. The quality of ingredients I felt were subpar in comparison to other poke places.
Actual meal
- Closeness To Pic: 3.5/5
- Portion Size: 5/5
- Meal Overall: 3.5/5
Summary of Seattle Mealpal meals:
Pros to using Seattle Mealpal:
- The cost of $3.52 during the promotional deal is definitely the number one benefit of using Mealpal. Even the non-promotional price of $5.99 or $6.39 is a darn good deal for downtown Seattle.
- Your meal is ready when you get there. There’s no waiting.
- There’s a variety of choices, both in the different types of cuisine and in restaurants.
- Discovery. I went to many new food trucks and restaurants I would have never have visited or didn’t even know existed before participating in Mealpal.
- I liked the feature on the app/website that shows what meals co-workers, who also signed up for Mealpal, ordered so I can get ideas.
Cons to using Seattle Mealpal:
- I did this during a month in which the weather was mild. I don’t know if I’d participate during the cold, rainy, dreary months.
- The meals could have been prepared awhile ago. Anything with egg will be overcooked and cold.
- There are no alterarations to the meals. If I didn’t want onions in my fried rice, there’s no way to signal.
- Some meals from the more popular restaurants sell out quickly since there is only a certain allotted number of meals available per restaurants.
- Only lunches are available. No dinners. Also, meals are only available on work days, so weekends and holidays are not available.
Seattle Mealpal Savings
Summary:
I won’t participate in Mealpal every month, but might do it once in awhile. Mealpal does have the ability to put a hold on your account if you want to take a break. Personally, I’m a creature of habit and content going to a small number of restaurants near my work. I also bring a lot of my lunches from home. I’ve also have business trips often and do take longer vacations which would also preclude me from doing Mealpal during these months.
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Pasta Casalinga -The Secret Pasta Place in Pike Place Market
Recommended by: After proclaiming Il Corvo to have Seattle’s Best Pasta, a co-worker of mine let me in on a little secret of his. There was a place very similar to Il Corvo in Pike Place Market, but without the crowds. We had to check it out.
Description on the Pasta Casalinga’s website: Come experience traditional Italian pasta influenced by local Northwest flavors in the heart of the Pike Place Market in a warm and welcoming kitchen with Michela and Nathan.
Neighborhood/Type: Downtown / Pike Place Market
Address: 93 Pike St ste 201, Seattle, WA 98101
What we ate/drank: Tagliolini Con Salmon E Zucchine- Wild Coho Salmon, Zucchini, Capers, Sichuan Pepper and Mint – $13, Pappardelle Con Finferli E Salsiccia- Wild Local Chanterelle, Sausage, Pecorino & Thyme – $13, Lasagna Alla Bosaciola- Sausage, Sweet Peas, Mushrooms, Made-in-house Besciamella-$11
Comments: Pasta Casalinga opened in the Market’s Atrium in March of 2018. This spot used to be a wind-up toy store and then a biscuit company prior to Pasta Casalinga taking over the place. One co-owner was raised in Turin, Italy and learned how to cook from her mother and grandmothers. The other co-owner is a native Northwesterner with a passion for local foods. Add their super powers together and you’ve got hand crafted pasta combined with locally sourced ingredients.
We arrived at Pasta Casalinga at 11:30 for lunch and right after we ordered a line formed. It’s not as crazy crowded as Il Corvo, but Pasta Casalinga definitely has a following. Although the Pike Place Market is teeming with tourists, Pasta Casalinga is away from the main action of the market. We observed that most of the patrons are locals on their lunch. You order at the cashier, grab your utensils and napkins and wait for your name to be called. There aren’t any tables, just a long counter overlooking the atrium.
Similar to Il Corvo, there are three main pasta dishes served daily with a few other side dishes. Pasta Casalinga has three sourcing categories of pasta, ocean, farm and garden. Each dish changes as the in season ingredients also change, so there’s a constant rotation of dishes even though they serve only three a day.
Much like our trip to Il Corvo, we ordered three dishes.
- The ocean dish, Tagliolini Con Salmon E Zucchine- Wild Coho Salmon, Zucchini, Capers, Sichuan Pepper and Mint – $13.
- The farm dish, Pappardelle Con Finferli E Salsiccia- Wild Local Chanterelle, Sausage, Pecorino & Thyme – $13.
- The everyday Lasagna Alla Bosaciola- Sausage, Sweet Peas, Mushrooms, Made-in-house Besciamella-$11.
The salmon dish had ample chunks of salmon as you can see from the photo below. The sauce was very light so that tomatoes and peppers could shine through. The tagliolini pasta was perfect. The pappardelle was our favorite dish. Again they didn’t skimp on the chanterelle and sausage. The mushrooms and sausage mixed with the wide pappardelle and pecorino cheese was perfect. The lasagna was cream based full of sausage and sweet peas. I personally would have liked it a little more savory. It was a little on the sweet side.
One last dish I got was the Pasta Al Pomodoro, which was a dish that they offered through the Meal Pal service(which I’ll write about on a later post). Through the Meal Pal service with a promotion, I ended up getting this dish for $3.52!
Pasta Casalinga is open everyday except Monday from 11:00am to 6:00pm. They close at 5:00pm on Sundays. We both agreed that we still like Il Corvo the best. Their dishes are all under $10 while Pasta Casalinga’s dishes were between $11-$13. I’m sure the rent is higher in Pike Place Market than next to a Bail Bondsman near the court house in Pioneer Sq, where Il Corvo is located. That may explain the higher prices. Overall, we just enjoyed Il Corvo’s dishes better, but Pasta Casalinga is less crowded, convenient if you are hosting out-of-towners in the market and serves very tasty dishes. And who doesn’t enjoy daily freshly made pasta?
Just an fyi, Seattle Magazine disagreed with us and voted Pasta Casalinga Best of the Best Pasta in Seattle.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.35
Bang for the Buck: 4.00
Overall: 4.50
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers local recommendations to visit in the future: I went back to work after lunch at Pasta Casalinga and mentioned it to my co-workers. We talked about Pasta Casalinga and I mentioned some of my other favorites like Tavolata and Il Corvo A co-worker mentioned her favorite was Bizzarro Italian Café in Wallingford. We’d been there before, but it’s been so many years. A revisit is in order.
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