Anyways, to get back to my story of the relatives who were underwhelmed by other burger joints in Seattle that were publicized on the Food Network. Of course after trying Uneeda Burger, they admitted, “You were right, Seattle Unexplored, this is much better and one of thee best burgers we’ve ever had”. Uneeda Burger is the perfect place to bring any visitor who craves a burger. It’s low key enough to bring my parents who want simplicity, but has the superior ingredients for those snooty friends who have a more discerning palate. I’ve brought friends from France, my parents, my wife’s family from overseas, country bumpkin friends whose ideas of a good burger is Burger King, my snooty co-worker who dismissed Uneeda Burger prior to stepping foot in the place(“There’s no way this is as good as Palace Kitchen). Every single person is won over by the end of their meal.
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.
-
- 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:
Stop N Shop Poke
Recommended by: An in-the-know co-worker brought it to my attention back in April of 2016.
Description on the Stop N Shop’s website: They ain’t got one.
Neighborhood/Type: Wallingford
Address: 2323 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank:
Comments: If we’re being honest, this post should have been published two and half years ago. It was around April 2016 that a co-worker in my office spilled the beans on a little secret poke place inside of small convenience store. What made this secret so tantalizing was not only was it secretly located, but if memory serves it was thee first place to serve poke dishes(not counting the seafood markets that sell it by weight). As word of mouth spread, the secretive nature added to the allure of the shop. Almost immediately there were lines out the door.
. 
I used to live in Fremont and I’d typically take N 45th to get to the I5, so I used to pass by the location all the time. Prior to a Stop N Shop, it was home of the famous Erotic Bakery, which used to make X-rated cakes. From the nondescript outside, you’d think it’s just a normal convenience shop where you’d pick up some gum or some cigarettes. It is that, but as you enter you’ll see a little poke stand to the right.
The convenience store portion.
IIt still gets crowded, but due to the proliferation of poke places all around Seattle shortly thereafter the opening of Stop and Shop, the novelty quickly wore off. But whenever I take out of town guests, they still get a kick out of “this secret place”. I find the Stop N Shop Poke bowls to be a decent size, has quality ingredients and I think it’s faster because they automatically add on the side items instead of letting the customer pick and choose. I think this makes the orders go quicker.
So you start with the bottom of the bowl-either rice or a salad or you can half/half. Then you can choose one fish($11), two fish($12) or three fish($13). Choices are tuna, salmon, izumidai, shrimp or veggie(tofu). They also have unagi for an extra two dollars. You can have the fish with a regular sauce or a spicy sauce. I prefer spicy myself. Then they add on krab salad, seaweed salad, edamame, ginger, tobiko, pickled cucumber. Voila. There are only a few tables, so we always take ours to go. A normal practice for us, is to order poke from Stop N Shop and then eat it at a local brewery which allows outside food.
A note about Seattle poke places: It seems as soon as Stop N Shop opened a poke place, so many poke places opened up that in less than one year after Stop N Shop opened many of these poke places were closing down due to saturation. So in less than one year, the poke craze started and went down in flames. Here’s an article from The Seattle Times talking about the Seattle poke saturation. It’s easy to understand why so many poke places opened. Most places use the Subway Sandwiches model where you start with rice, add the fish and then the toppings. Everything is already prepped, so you just need somebody to listen to the customers and put the poke dish together. Also, there is no cooking involved(except for the rice) since the fish is raw and mixed with sauces. Don’t get me wrong I love poke, but you can see it’s an easy business to replicate. The only thing that will separate the poke places that survive and the ones that won’t, are quality of the fish and customer service. My two favorite poke places are Stop N Shop and goPoke in the International District.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4 Cmon, it’s a convenience store, but due to the secretive nature it gets a 4.
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 4.5 on the poke scale
Bang for the Buck: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
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:
Uneeda Burger – The Best Burger in Seattle
Recommended by: Nobody. We discovered Uneeda Burger on our own.
Description on the Uneeda Burger’s website: Uneeda Burger is a casual, roadside-style burger shack with seriously delicious burgers, sandwiches, sides and shakes created by Chef Scott Staples. A great selection of fine wine and craft-brewed beers complement the menu’s premium quality and locally sourced beef burgers, chicken and veggie options.
Neighborhood/Type: Fremont
Address: 4302 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: #8 Crimini Mushrooms Burger – porcini & black truffle salt, shallots, gruyere cheese. Croque Madame -black forest ham, gruyere, dijon-mayo & truffled shoestring potatoes with sunny-side egg.
Comments: Update 9/22/19: Uneeda Burger just made Seattle Met’s 100 Best Restaurant
From our very first visit to Uneeda Burger, it’s always been our favorite burger joint in the city. Red Mill Burger has been here longer and gets most of the national pub outside of Seattle. They’ve been featured on many shows, including Man vs Food. Lunchbox Laboratory has also gained some national exposure with their Burger of the Gods being named #1 Burger in all the US on the Food Network.
I’ll never forget the moment that my wife’s family visiting from outside the country were watching Food Network during the episode and my wife and I were gobsmacked when the #1 Burger in the US was from Lunchbox Lab. Of course her family insisted on visiting Lunchbox Lab and also had Red Mill Burger on their Seattle To Do List. After visiting both, they were a little underwhelmed. Perhaps, unfairly, the publicity and build up played a role in their feelings. It’s not that the burgers were bad, but not mind-blowing. Once their feelings of being underwhelmed were known, we suggested our favorite, Uneeda Burger. They were skeptical. How could this place be better than Lunchbox Lab and Red Mill Burgers when those two places were publicized on the Food Network?
Uneeda Burger is housed within an old automotive/boat repair garage, which explains why it looks like a garage with huge garage doors, concrete floor and bare bones walls. The name of the former garage was Uneeda Auto & Boat Rebuild, hence the name Uneeda Burger. The actual signage from Uneeda Auto & Boat Rebuild was actually incorporated into the counter at which you order your food.
Keeping the original garage feel gives it a laid back atmosphere. The outside patio are simple wooden picnic tables, the inside have simple tables made from 2 X 4s and the chair are of simple metal. You line up and order at the counter, then find a table after ordering and then they’ll bring your burgers out to you. One note is that all burgers are cooked to medium, but the cashier always asks how you want it cooked. This laid back atmosphere definitely invites a family-friendly atmosphere. I guess you can say this of most burger joints, but one Seattle food critic once said something to the effect that the parents who let their kids run rampant at Uneeda Burger, “don’t need a burger, uneeda babysitter”.
I enjoy Uneeda Burger so much that during my last birthday, my wife asked where I wanted to celebrate? It wasn’t Revel, Junebaby, Adana or Sushi Kashiba. It was Uneeda Burger. I don’t know, I’m just simple that way.
We’ve tried most of the burgers here, but we’ve settled on our favorites, so we always order the same burgers over and over again- The Crimini Mushroom Burger and the Madame Burger. This is why you see only two pictures of burgers. It’s all we ever get.
I’m a huge fan of the French breakfast staple, the Croque Madame and of egg yolk in general. Add a hamburger patty to this breakfast staple and you’ve got me hooked. Everything about it is perfect. The egg yolk and burger of course, but also the gruyere cheese, black forest ham, truffled shoe string potatoes and the switching of a burger bun to buttered toast.
The Crimini Burger is my wife’s favorite. She’s a huge fan of mushroom burgers in general, but she loves the truffle flavor added to it and of course the gruyere cheese tops it off.
We also sometimes get a side order of fries, chile cheese fries or poutine. These sides are nothing to write home about, but what are burgers without fries? So they’ll do.
Poutine – fries topped with beef gravy & cheese sauce (3.75/5)
I would say the ingredients they use are not innovative or trend setting, but definitely quality ingredients from the burger patty to the cheese, ham and sauce. This plus the preparation is what sets it apart from other burger joints. You can increase the quality of your patty for $2 or $3 more. I actually have never done this, but some local Food Critics swear buy it. Maybe I should try a regular burger and an “upgraded” burger as an experiment to see if it’s really worth it.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 5.00
Bang for the Buck: 4.75
Overall: 4.70
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: The order taker at Uneeda Burger, Mark, suggested a place down the street called, Roxy’s Diner for good pastrami sandwiches.
Related Articles:
Kokkaku
Recommended by: The hostess at Kamonegi mentioned Kokkaku in Miyabi 45th former location, as having interesting presentations on Wagyu beef and staying within the Japanese food theme.
Description on the Kokkaku website: Kokkaku, a “Japanese inspired Meat House” where whole beast butchery is the focus and local sourcing of farmed, foraged, and artisan craftsmanship is at the forefront of interpretation and creativity.
Neighborhood/Type: Wallingford
Address: 2208 N 45th Street, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Wagyu Four Ways-A5 Wagyu sashimi and sushi, and two American Wagyu tartar, one with quail egg and one with nori. Ton Katsu, Lan Roc Pork Tenderloin, Wagyu Bolognese Linguine, 2 Asahi beers, Shoyu Ice Cream
Comments: As mentioned in our Kamonegi review , my wife and I were always big fans of Miyabi 45th. Well, the ex-chef/owner of Miyabi 45th opened up Kamonegi, but whatever became of the space that Miyabi 45 used to be in on the main street of Wallingford neighborhood on 45th Street? We actually had no idea, but the hostess at Kamonegi suggested it as another Japanese restaurant to visit and mentioned they had unique presentations on Wagyu beef.
So what is Wagyu? It’s basically four types of Japanese beef cattle breeds, the most famous being Kobe beef. So what makes Wagyu beef so special? The main difference is that Wagyu beef is highly marbled, which means it’s highly fatty and leads to a better taste and a buttery flavor. The Japanese have taken developing Wagyu cattle to a whole new level through distinct breeding methods, special feeds and longer periods of fattening the cattle.
Let’s first talk about the restaurant. As you enter on 45th Street, you’ll notice their herb garden as you enter the front door. There are two tables near the window, which is where we were seated. Like most of the places in Wallingford on 45th Street, the space is long and narrow, so besides the two tables near the window, the rest of restaurant is pretty dark. It’s a little too dark for my liking, but it does set a low key romantic ambiance for a perfect date night. Soft instrumental jazz playing overhead also adds to the romantic ambiance. I wouldn’t call the type of décor here minimalist, but it is very simple. On one side of the wall are white hexagonal tile and the opposite side of the wall are plain white walls. The middle portion has two long benches on either side of the wall for larger groups. The rest of the space comprises of a bar that seats maybe 6 people and 5 tables of two.
The staff was very attentive throughout, refilling water, general check ups and explaining the dishes. We didn’t order straight up steaks since we had just been to Daniel’s Broiler the week before, but we did order two dishes with Wagyu meat. First the Wagyu Four Ways, which is served as sashimi, sushi, steak tartare on nori and steak tartare with a quail egg. The Wagyu of course melts in your mouth and all four were delicious, but I’m a sucker for steak tartare and I’m an even bigger sucker for anything served with a raw quail egg, so that was my favorite of the four preparations.
The second Wagyu dish we ordered was the Bolognese Linguine. This was also a super tasty dish, although I don’t know if the Wagyu really added to this dish. The sauce and cheese are what really make this dish.
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. We washed these down with a couple of Asahi draft beers.
Ton Katsu, Lan Roc Pork TenderloinWe were definitely stuffed and don’t normally order dessert, but when our waiter explained the desserts they had, one caught our attention. It was the Shoyu(soy sauce) Ice Cream that is made in house. We were so curious we had to order it. Surprisingly, it was quite good. It tasted like salted caramel, but based on the after taste you could tell it was shoyu. You can take a look at the pictures of all these dishes and see how the presentation was flawless. As far as bang for your buck, I would say the dishes we got were fairly priced when taking into consideration the portion size, the presentation and the yumminess.
It’s always good to try different things on the menu whenever you do a repeat visit to get a variety of dishes, but we enjoyed these particular appetizer and entrees so much, I fear we’ll just order the same exact dishes on every visit to Kokkaku.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 5+
Food/Drinks: 4.75
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 Local reader recommendations to visit in the future: After a reader read our post about Kokkaku they suggested another upscale Japanese restaurant, Tamari Bar. Took us a year to get out there, but we finally tried it.
Related Articles:
Northlake Tavern & Pizza
Recommended by: The cashier at Stone Way Cafe suggested Northlake Tavern & Pizza for what she called the “best pizza in town”
Description on their web: The special kind pizza we feature here is from an old Italian recipe. It happened one day as the original owner of this establishment expressed his dissatisfaction with the pizza. “Pshew, what garbage!” he exclaimed. “I’ll bet I can make a better pizza than this.” So a bet was made.
Neighborhood/Type: University District / Pizza
Address: 660 NE Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98105
Music playing: None. Trailblazers game was playing.
What we ate/drank: Logger Special Pizza- Canadian bacon, Italian beef sausage, black olives, fresh cut green peppers and onions. Combo – Pepperoni, Italian beef sausage, black olives and mushrooms
Comments: This place had been recommended to us by the cashier at Stone Way Cafe. And although I had been here before, my wife had not. It had been at least 20 years since I’d been there, so you’d think the décor would have been upgraded since then. But stepping into Northlake Tavern & Pizza is like stepping back in time. It had not been changed one bit. The cartoons on the wall are still there, the tables covered in plastic picnic table coverings are there, the bar is exactly the same. I guess you could say this is both good and bad. Bad because nothing has been upgraded and refreshed. Good because it’s nostalgic and not having any upgrades means hopefully no substantial increase in prices. Northlake Tavern & Pizza has been open since 1954 and I would not be surprised if there have been no renovations since then, but that’s part of it’s charm. As mentioned there’s the old cartoons on the wall, there’s UW sports memorabilia and autographs, the neon beer signs are not Fremont or Georgetown Brewing, but Pabst and Budweiser. I’ve already mentioned the plastic picnic table covering, but all you get with your pizza is a paper plate and fork. You read that right, a paper plate.
Let’s get down and dirty. We know there’s a lot of good pizza in Seattle and the sheer number of pizza places make the competition for pizza pretty ferocious. To separate themselves some have carved out a specialty or niche- Deep dish Chicago style, Fusion, Northwest spin, Neapolitan, Vegan. Just off the top of my head for pizza places we’ve been to or ordered from in the last few years-Serious Pie, Flying Squirrel, Pagliacci, Alibi Room, Windy City Pies, Frelard, Dino’s, Rocco’s, Zeeks, China Pie, Turnpike, Veraci, Ridge. So where does Northlake Tavern and Pizza stand out in the Seattle pizza landscape?
- Ambiance? No
- Exceptional Service? No
- Fast Service? No
- Great Location? No. It’s directly under the I5 going over Lake Union
- High end ingredients? No. There’s no truffle cheese or pecorino sadro
- Unconventional ingredients? No. There’s no clams, mandarin oranges or chocolate hazel nut spread.
- Cheapest price? No
- Kid Friendly? No
- Place to impress your first date, in laws or hip/trendy friends? No, no and no.
- Massive amounts of toppings? YES YES YES
This is the place to go for just plain ole great pizza. The one thing that makes it stand out is the massive amount of toppings. The diameter size of the pizza is like any other pizza place, but the huge toppings make the height taller than any pizza in Seattle. For this reason, we always get a small size pizza, because after eating two slices, we’re full. Due to the weight of the toppings, it’s difficult to eat a slice with your hands, so having fork comes in handy. Our go-to pizzas here are the Logger Special Pizza and the Meat Eaters(see below pics for ingredients). And although we know what’s coming, whenever the pizza arrives to our table we always say, “Wow!”
The atmosphere is very relaxed and informal and you get the feeling that most of the patrons have been coming here for not years, but decades. On a particular Saturday night visit we noticed that 80% of the patrons seemed to be 40 years or older, so it really does seem like a place that has some history among those who go there.
One callout, because it’s technically a tavern, you must be 21+ to enter, so no kids. There was a 6 week stretch where our neighbor watched our kids so we could go out on a few date nights. We had a hankering for pizza and came here three times. I mentioned I had not been here in 20 years. I kind of just forgot about Northlake Tavern & Pizza as an option, but the Stone Way Cafe cashier’s suggestion to come here rekindled my affection for their pizza and gave my wife an opportunity to try their pizza for the first time. Coming here 3 times in 6 weeks shows it’s in the forefront of our mind now.
The one area we’d like to see is improvement in would be the time it takes to make the pizza. Perhaps, with the size of the toppings it can’t be helped. On average I would say it takes 45 minutes to an hour for the pizza to be made. Granted, we’ve always come on a Friday or Saturday night which are definitely busier. There’s not a lot of small talk from the servers. It’s pretty much taking the order, which is fine by us. There was one time where the server gave my wife a free soda, because our pizza was taking a long time to come out, which was a nice of her.
If we want ambiance, we might go to Via Trib. Fast service, we might do take out from Zeeks or Pagliacci. Great location, we might go to Dino’s in Capitol Hill. High end ingredients, we might go to Flying Squirrel. Unconventional ingredients, we might go to Serious Pie. Kid friendly location, we might go to Freland Pizza. But when we have a hankering for a relaxed environment with just plain old great pizza, we’ll come to Northlake Tavern & Pizza.
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 3.75
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 4.5 (Small pizza is $23, but it’s so filling due to the huge amount of toppings. This is really 4 meals)
Overall: 4.25
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:
**********Unfortunately, This Restaurant Has Closed Down**********
Recommended by: When we raved about Little Ting’s Dumplings to some friends, they recommended Little Kitchen as an alternative for dumplings.
Description on the Little Kitchen’s website: They ain’t got one.
Neighborhood/Type: University District (on The Ave)
Address: 4508 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Shan Dong Boiled Dumplings, Pork Wonton in Chile Sauce, Pan Fried Chive Dumpling
Comments: When we advised friends of Little Ting’s Dumplings, they countered that a new place opened on The Ave(University Ave) that they believe are the best in Seattle and cheaper than Little Tings to boot. As mentioned in our Little Ting’s Dumpling post there are a lot of dumpling places in Seattle. When most people mention Chinese dumplings you mainly hear about Din Tai Fung or Dough Zone. Some others mention J’Dumpling House(Ravenna), Ping’s Dumpling House, Xian Noodles, Jiaozi! Dumplings House, Chiangs Gourmet. Looks like we can add another dumpling alternative to the Seattle dumpling fray.
Whenever we here a restaurant recommendation located on The Ave, we know two things. One, that it should be cheaper than normal. Two, most likely only UW students know about it, so if we go prior to school starting it will be empty. Sure enough when we visited in mid-September, we were the only ones there on a Saturday afternoon. Apparently, Little Kitchen just opened in August, so that also worked in our favor
When we first entered Little Kitchen we were quite surprised how big it was and how nice it was on the inside considering it’s on The Ave and the outside of Little Kitchen is not a true representation of the inside. This has got to be one of the nicer places on The Ave.
When ordering we had to ask some questions since the menu on the chalkboard doesn’t have a whole lot of details. For example, the menu does not state what’s inside a Shan Dong Boiled Dumpling? (Answer:Pork) Once we got our questions answered, we ordered three dishes – Shan Dong Boiled Dumplings, Pork Wonton in Chile Sauce, Pan Fried Chive Dumpling. The dumplings are made to order, so it may take a while, but we’re more than willing to wait for freshly made dumplings. You order at the front counter and then they bring it out to your table.
One advantage that Little Kitchen has over Little Tings Dumplings is that the plates are smaller, so you can have more of a variation of dishes. The dumplings at Little Kitchen typically come in sets of 6. The dumplings at Little Tings Dumplings come in sets of 15. The interesting thing is that when comparing Little Kitchen to Little Tings, if you figure out the price per dumpling, it comes out about the same. The Shan Dong Boiled Dumpling comes out to $.67 per dumpling and the Pork & Chive Dumpling at Little Tings Dumpling is also $.67 per dumpling, so being on The Ave didn’t make it cheaper in that respect like you would suspect. The Pan Fried Chive dumpling came out to $2.50/each.
Pork Wontons in Chile Sauce is one of our favorite dishes and we always order it when available at any of the restaurants we go to. This was our favorite dish, but would have liked a bit more spicy. For an interesting perspective here is the price per wonton at Little Kitchen compared to Dough Zone and Din Tai Fung. Surprisingly, Dough Zone is the cheapest.
Pork Wonton in Chile Sauce (score: 4.5/5.0)
Atmosphere: 4.25 (for The Ave this is above average)
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.25
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
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: None
Related Articles:
Best Cream Filled Doughnut Award: General Porpoise Doughnuts
Recommended by: After our Top Pot vs Mighty O post and our post on the doughnuts at Tempesta Coffee, a co-worker advised me that General Porpoise Doughnuts puts all of these places to shame. Let’s see.
Description on the General Porpoise’s website: Made fresh doughnuts—filled with handmade curds, custards, creams, and jams—paired with remarkable coffees from roasters near and far.
Neighborhood/Type: University District/Laurelhurst
Address: 4520 Union Bay Place NE, Seattle WA 98105
What we ate/drank: Chocolate Marshmallow, Vanilla Custard, Peaches & Cream, Rainier Cherry Jam and a Macchiato.
Comments: As mentioned above, I told my co-worker that I found a place called Tempesta Coffee that had perhaps better doughnuts than either Top Pot or Mighty O. She then told me although she’d never been to Tempesta Coffee, there’s a place called General Porpoise Doughnuts that puts Top Pot and Mighty-O to shame. We’d heard of Renee Erickson’s new doughnut place that had opened in Pioneer Square and Capitol Hill, but we never made it out. We’re big fans of Renee Ericsson’s sea-themed restaurants such as The Whale Wins, The Walrus & Carpenter, Barnacle Bar, so we were looking forward to trying General Porpoise.
We’d see the beautiful pics of the filled doughnuts on Instagram and salivated. Then we heard a branch was opening near University Village, which is closer to where we live. It finally opened in late July, so one Saturday morning we took the family to see if my co-worker was right.
As mentioned the new location is near UW/University Village off Union Bay Place that has only a few parking spots, so beware. The interior is super minimalist and more conducive for taking out and enjoying the doughnuts at home than eating there although we ordered enough to do both. General Porpoise doesn’t have your traditional doughnuts with the hole in the middle. They specialize in cream/jam filled doughnuts. We ordered four doughnuts
- Chocolate Marshmellow
- Vanilla Custard
- Peaches and Cream
- Rainier Cherry Jam
It wasn’t hard to pick since they only had 5 types to choose from. We ended up eating to there and taking the other two to eat at home later in the day. All were really delicious, but the four doughnuts totaled over $18+, which includes a 10% service charge, so it’s pricey.
On one of our visits, they had a group of doughnuts that did not pass their standards, so no filling was inserted. These doughnuts were only $1.00 a piece and we don’t know why they didn’t pass muster, but they were perfectly fine to us.
They have locations in Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square and within the Amazon Spheres, but this location is only open to Amazon employees. It is open to the public on every other Saturday from 9am-3pm by reservation only.
On General Porpoise’s website you can pre order online the day before pickup. You can’t pick doughnuts individually like Mighty-O, but you can ask for favorites, but it’s ultimately the bakers choice. The orders come in increments of 10 doughnuts up to 50 and can be ordered up to one week in advance.
Although the doughnuts are creative and tasty, the price will stop us from making this a regular stop. For now we’ll stick to Top Pot, Mighty O and Tempesta. We will reserve visits to General Porpoise to special occasions,such as visitors from out of town or special birthday desserts.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 3.75
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: None
Related Articles:
Arashi Ramen
Recommended by: Nobody. Arashi Ramen was a participant in our Battle of Seattle Ramen post.
Description on Arashi Ramen’s website: The essence of ramen is in the soup, out signature Tonkatsu(pork bone) soup is handcrafted by master chef Daisuke Ueda with premium ingredients simmered over 16 hours.
Neighborhood: Ballard
Address: 5401 20th Ave NW, Seattle WA 98107
What we ate/drank: Black Garlic Ramen(Salt based, pork belly chashu, seasoned egg, bean sprouts, green onion, fried onion, black garlic oil), Arashi Ramen(Salt based, 3 pork belly chashu, seaweed, seasoned egg, beansprouts, green onion, Honey Garlic Kaarage(Japanese fried chicken with our special honey garlic sauce), Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen, Asahi Dry Beer
Comments: Arashi Ramen first started out in Tukwila and opened a branch in Ballard in March of 2016. Since then, we’ve come to Arashi Ramen whenever we have a ramen hankering and in the Ballard area. Just a warning, if it’s crowded, it’ll be difficult to get a table for a party of more than 4. There are only 6 stools along the front window counter. There’s also 6 solo wooden stools along a narrow counter. There’s also a long wooden bench with individual tables that can be pushed together for parties of more than 2, but you’ll have to wait for two of these tables to open up simultaneously. Most of the tables are accompanied by traditional small wooden stools that some might find uncomfortable, but were fine for us.
Arashi Ramen specializes in Tokotsu style ramen, which is known for boiling and simmering pork marrow or pork bones for long amounts of time anywhere from 12-16 hours. This typically leads to a cloudy flavorful broth. Arashi Ramen has the three basic broths of Shio, Shoyu and Miso, but also have variations such as Tantan, Arashi Ramen(appears to be Shio Ramen with more pork belly chashu) and Black Garlic Ramen.
We started with the honey garlic kaarage, which can be hit or miss if not cooked correctly, but it was nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside as it should be. The Arashi Ramen was a bit on the salty side, but the black garlic ramen was the star here. I was expecting the garlic to be overpowering, but the garlic oil is very subtle and tasty. And I don’t recall seeing this in any other ramen place, but the spoons provided are the abnormally long and the exact angle that allows you to scoop up every drop of soup.
Overall, we like Arashi Ramen. We like the ambiance although the space is on the small side. It’s easy to find parking. The service is quick and most importantly the ramen is very good. We’d rate Arashi Ramen in our top 5 ramen places in Seattle after Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Ramen Danbo and Kizuki Ramen.
Ratings(Scale 1-5)
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 4.75
Food/Drinks: 4.5
Bang for the Buck: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
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!
Eavesdropping Convos:
Server recommendations to visit in the future:
Related:
- What Visitors Think of Seattle – Japan(36 F)
- Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – Best Ramen in Seattle
- Battle of the Seattle Ramen Restaurants
- Fremont Bowl
Kamonegi – Best Soba in Seattle
Recommended by: Friends we went to dinner with at Junkichi Robata Izakaya
Description on the Kamonegi website: Our soba, traditional japanese buckwheat noodles, are made by hand in the nihachi style of 80 percent buckwheat flour and 20 percent all-purpose flour. our restaurant is one of the few in the nation to showcase handmade soba noodles. unless otherwise specified, our soba can be ordered as seiro (cold noodles with warm dipping sauce) or nanban (hot noodles in hot broth, like soup noodles). we also feature bukkake soba dishes with all toppings, noodles, and sauce together in one bowl.
Neighborhood/Type: Fremont
Address: 1054 N 39th Ave, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Creamy morel mushroom and pork belly soba, Yakitori duck tsukune with soft egg, Shrimpcado Bukkake – shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, daikon oroshi, wasabi, Anago Tempura -(sea eel), curry salt, lemon
Comments: Update 9/22/19: Kamonegi just made Seattle Met’s 100 Best Restaurant
My wife and I were always big fans of Miyabi 45th. In fact, we had one of our first “getting-dressed-up” dates there. It was the first place, I’d ever laid my eyes on a Yamazaki Whiskey bottle for the first time. So we were heartbroken, when we heard that the chef/owner was stepping away from the restaurant, although it was to care for her daughter, so you can’t begrudge a parent for making that decision.
We were so happy to hear that Chef Mustuko Soma was opening a soba restaurant in the old Art of the Table space. We never had issues getting into Miyabi 45th, so we decided to drop by Kamonegi on a random weekend, but the place was packed. So we tried the following weekend. Same result, it was packed. We soon learned that this Kamonegi became a “hot spot” and had to learn the hard way that you either need to get there super early or make a reservation. We were unaware that Kamonegi had accumulated some accolades over the summer.
- It was named one of the Top 50 New Restaurants in Bon Appetit Magazine in July.
- It was also featured in a New York Times article (along with Analog Coffee), What To Do in Seattle.
- A co-worker of mine also mentioned Kamonegi was featured on a popular TV show in Japan that revolves around Japanese people who move overseas and become successful, so visitors from Japan also want to visit.
We normally decide to eat out on a whim, so it was difficult to really time our visit to Kamonegi without a reservation, but we finally did.
We got there on a Friday at 3:45pm. I suggested to my wife that we just wait in the car and go in right when it opened at 4:00pm. She wasn’t having it and wanted to get to the door early and she was right. As we walked up to the door, there was a line already forming. When the doors opened, there was a total of 15 people in line. The host asked if we had reservations. We didn’t, so the host asked if we can make it quick and get out by 5:00 because she had a reservation for our table. We had to pick up our daughter from daycare by 5:15, so we told her we’d be out by then.
The space is shaped like a triangle which makes the configuration of the restaurant a little odd and cramped. You’ve got the bar area to the right, which seats about 4 people, you have the 5 seat high counter where you can watch the chefs prepare the dishes, there are 3 seats at the middle window and to the left is the main seating area that with a wooden bench and individual tables. This area probably seats around 18 people.
Soba and Tempura are the stars here, but the dish we enjoyed the most was the Yakitori Duck Tsukune w/soft egg. This was taken from the Happy Hour menu. This is normally a $14 dish, but I believe it was $9 during Happy Hour. I love me some egg yolk. Add that with tender duck tsukune meatballs with shishito peppers and you got me licking the plate for every last drop of yolk. The next plate we had was the Anago Tempura. I’ve never had Anago(salt water eel) in this fashion before. The curry salt was a good compliment instead of the usual Tempura dipping sauce. I don’t normally get my soba in the bukkake style(cold noodles and broth), but it was super hot in Seattle the day we went, so ordering the Shrimpcado Bukkake made perfect sense. We also ordered the Morrel Mushroom and Pork Belly Soba Seiro(hot) style. This was also a hit with us. The morrel mushroom really comes through in the dipping sauce and the pork belly is so tender. The hot dipping sauce was really concentrated and flavorful so when it came time to pour in the sobayu(the left over water from cooking the soba noodles that has the expelled nutrients that they give you later in the meal), it turned into the perfect consistency for a soup. This dish really makes me look forward to their Fall/Winter soba dishes.
Creamy morel mushroom and pork belly soba 5/5
We’re definitely interested to come back in the winter to try some of warmer soba dishes with denser soups. We’ll be making reservations in the future, because I don’t think Kamonegi is going to get any less popular.
BTW, “Kamonegi” is Japanese proverb used when a stroke of luck happens. The literal translation is “a duck comes along carrying a leek on its back”. Duck soup is made with duck and leeks, so having the two main ingredients appear at once is a stroke of luck. That explains the duck and leek on their signage.
UPDATE: 3/19/20 -Take out during the COVID-19 Shutdown
Japanese Vegetable Curry-Vegetarian curry, potato, bell pepper, carrot, onion, side of rice w/pork katsu
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 5 (hand made soba, cmon! If you want a true appreciation of what you’re eating see the video below)
Overall: 4.85
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!
Eavesdropping Convos: None. But here’s a Youtube video of the chef making the soba
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: The hostess at Kamonegi mentioned Kokkaku in Miyabi 45th former location, as having interesting presentations on Wagyu beef and staying within the Japanese food theme.
Related Articles:
Senor Moose
Recommended by: Reader who recommended after reading our Varsity Inn post about secret Mexican breakfasts.
Description on the Senor Moose website: Our love for Mexican food began nearly 30 years ago. As we traveled deeper into Mexico, we quickly discovered it’s heart. The food.At Señor Moose, we celebrate comida tipica, the cooking found in central plateau Mexico’s fondas and backroom kitchens. From moment one I have written down recipes, watched and made notes as I have talked to women in fondas (small homey restaurants) road side places, houses and markets, most often in the states of Michoacan, Jalisco and Nayarit as well as in Mexico City. We have been fortunate to have had wonderful creative women helping me in the house who cooked with what there was that day, what was interesting at the market, food they prepared for their families from memory, recipes from mothers, grandmothers and aunts—and a few of my favorite men as well. We took notes as they cooked, or as we cooked together. The food at Señor Moose is a result of those jottings. Not to mention a stunning effort from our amazing staff. We try to stay true to real FONDA food, food that tastes as much like it does in Mexico as possible.
Neighborhood/Type: Ballard
Address: 5242 NW Leary Way, Seattle, WA 98107
What we ate/drank: MACHACA CON PAPAS – Hash made with shredded beef, potatoes, and onion cooked together and topped with two eggs. Served with tortillas and refried beans and tortillas. CARNE DE PUERCO EN CHILE VERDE – Tender pork simmered in tomatillo sauce, served with refried beans and tortillas. Horchata Latte, Hot Chocolate
Comments: Not taking into account taco trucks, because you know we love us some taco trucks, but in our opinion there are really three tiers of Mexican restaurants in Seattle.
- The fancy modernish ones like Barrio, Mezcaleria Oaxaca,
Chavez(RIP), Fogon Cocina Mexicana, Poquitos - The mid-tier ones like D’La Santa, La Carta de Oaxaca, El Quetzal, Casco Antiguo, El Borracho,
418 Public House(RIP) - The hole-in-the-wall cheaper ones like La Conasupo, Mendoza’s Mercado, Taco Chukis, Gorditos
We believe Senor Moose is in the mid-tier and is the best Mexican restaurant in this category.
I’ve been to a Senor Frog’s, Senor Iguanas, Senor Bear. So whenever I hear the word “senor”+ an animal name, I don’t really have high expectations. The restaurants are typically American versions of Mexican food that specialize in happy hours and flowing tequila, but lacking in food quality. We have an exception here in Seattle. Don’t let the name fool you. To say that Senor Moose has some of the best Mexican breakfasts in Seattle is not an accurate statement. To say Senor Moose has some of thee best breakfasts in Seattle is a more appropriate statement.
Our understanding is that the owner lived in Mexico for 20 years and upon her return to the US opened Senor Moose having accumulated recipes over those years and now the restaurant is run by her daughter. Senor Moose was opened in 2004. For some reason in my head, it seems to have been around longer, but one thing is for certain, as long as I can remember there has always been wait times to get a table due to its popularity. If it’s a weekend and brunch time, forget it. Dinner time, forget it. Our time to go if we can is normally weekday mornings, which is rare. We typically go to Senor Moose either before or after doctor appointments to Swedish Hospital down the street. After our latest visit to Senor Moose, we were reminded of how good the food is and how infrequently we come here. For us Senor Moose is the perfect candidate for a delivery service via Caviar, Bite Squad or Uber Eats. We can still enjoy the food, but won’t have to deal with waiting especially with an infant and a toddler. Although we rarely use these services, I think we’ll need to for Senor Moose. We’ve only been here for dinner once, but have been to many breakfasts.
Senor Moose’s location is in an old house over 120 years old. They open every day at 8:00am, where most places only serve breakfast on the weekends. The space is filled with Mexican folk art, gorgeous photos for sale and colorful décor from the pink and red walls with blue trim to the green bar wall to the bright blue floral pattern on the dining counter. Senor Moose is divided into 3 sections. The first section is counter seating, diner style, when you first walk in the door. The second area is the main dining area to the right with individual tables that probably seats 25 people. The last section is the bar in the back.
Senor Moose is known for their chips, but be careful that you don’t ruin your appetite before your main dishes come out. We started off the day with a hot chocolate and a horchata latte. I don’t normally drink sweet coffee drinks, but it’s not often you see horchata lattes in Seattle and I figured if they do food so well, the latte will most likely be good too. It is a bit on the sweet side for me, but my wife who doesn’t normally drink much coffee, loved it. On this particular occasion we had the Machaca Con Papas and the Carne De Puerco En Chile Verde. The Machaca Con Papas is shredded beef, potatos and onions cooked together. You also get two eggs. I think most people get it scrambled, but I like to get my eggs over easy so I can mix the yoke with the rest of the dish. Sooo good. As much as I loved the Machaca Con Papas, the Carne De Puerco En Chile Verde is my new current favorite. Look at the picture below. They are not chintzy with the pork. Also, sometimes I find tomatillo sauce to be a bit sour for my liking, but Senor Moose’s is tasty with a hint of sourness, but not too much.
Machaca Con Papas-Hash made with shredded beef, potatoes, and onion cooked together
and topped with two over easy eggs
The portions are massive. I happened to finish mine, but didn’t need a lunch and actually had a late dinner that day, because I was so full. My wife ate about 1/3 of her portion and boxed up the rest. Our server was nice enough to give her extra tortillas to take out and transferred her hot chocolate to a to-go cup before we left. Both dishes were superb, but Senor Moose has a selection of so many dishes it’s difficult to have a “favorite” and order the same thing over and over again like I do for so many other restaurants. I tend to order something different every time I come to Senor Moose.
Because the portions are massive and you can basically split one dish into two or even three meals, the bang for the buck is definitely there. I’d probably wouldn’t take a visitor who wants to go to the most trendy hip place to Senor Moose. I would take somebody who has a great appreciation for tasty authentic Mexican food first and foremost, who doesn’t care seeing and being seen at new hip place. For example, my parents who have lived almost their entire lives in Los Angeles and love Mexican food would love Senor Moose.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 5
Bang for the Buck: 4.75
Overall: 4.85
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!
Eavesdropping Convos: None
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: None when we visited Senor Moose, but as mentioned above we thought Senor Moose was the best Mexican restaurant in Seattle for the mid-tier price level and probably the best overall Mexican restaurant in Seattle. A reader suggested that we try D’La Santa Mexican Cuisine & Grill and promised we would be impressed.
Related Articles:
- Varsity Inn – The Diner With The Secret Mexican Menu
- Battle of The North Seattle Taco Trucks
- D’La Santa
- Our Top 15 Best Seattle Dishes of 2018 (Part 1)