D’La Santa Mexican Cuisine & Grill
Recommended by: We advised in our Senor Moose review that we thought Senor Moose was the best Mexican restaurant in Seattle for the mid-tier level(see below) 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.
Description on the D’La Santa’s website: We pride ourselves on being 100% family owned. A team of brothers, uncles, aunts and daughters serving grandmothers old recipes. Combined with new rustic and old traditional Mexican food we thrive to serve you the best quality prime meats and organic vegetables.
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
Address: 2359 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
What we ate/drank: Tuetanos-Fire roasted bone marrows boat with cotija cheese and green onion, Picocitos- Jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese & bacon, Tacoarte-Platter filled with a variety of delicious taco fillings: carne asada, pollo asado, cochinita pibil, pastor & refried pinto beans. Tortillas served on the side. (serves 2 people)
Comments: Not taking into account taco trucks, because you know we love us some taco trucks, but in our opinion there are three tiers of Mexican restaurants in Seattle.
- The fancy modernish ones like Barrio, Mezcaleria Oaxaca, Chavez, Fogon Cocina Mexicana, Poquitos
- The mid-tier ones like La Carta de Oaxaca, El Quetzal, Casco Antiguo, El Borracho, 418 Public House, Senor Moose
- The hole-in-the-wall cheaper ones like La Conasupo, Mendoza’s Mercado, Taco Chukis, Gorditos
D’La Santa falls in the mid-tier category.
As mentioned above, a reader suggested D’La Santa as a worthy adversary for best Mexican restaurant in Seattle. We’d never heard of D’La Santa, which opened in late 2017. And I don’t think anybody could blame us since it’s located near a secluded stretch of businesses in North Capitol Hill on 10th Ave E away from the more popular areas of Broadway and the Pike/Pine Corridor. It’s almost borderline Eastlake. Regardless, we gotta give props to this reader for pointing us in the direction of D’La Santa. It is indeed a worthy adversary.
Because the area is away from the more popular streets, parking is no problem at all. The outside has a façade of hanging lanterns that continue inside with a massive tree in the middle of the restaurant also with hanging lanterns. The lights are dimmed, so it definitely gives a romantic vibe that would be a perfect date spot. It did seem like a lot of couples there were on dates, but there was also a good number of groups there with kids in tow.
Another thing that makes this a perfect date spot is the dish that literally every table we saw ordered. That dish was the Tacoarte, which comes as two platters. One filled with a variety of taco fillings: carne asada, pollo asado, cochinita pibil, pastor, pork chorizo & refried pinto beans. For those keeping track at home that’s one steak, one chicken and three pork. The price of this dish is $31.99, but it serves two people, which we feel is totally reasonable. You can definitely fill up 3 people with this dish. Along with the meat fillings, came another platter of toppings, which included onions, cilantro, salsa, pico de gallo, radishes and pickled red onions. The refried beans are really creamy, not lumpy like what you see in most restaurants. This is the perfect date dish because you’re interacting, sharing, you can discuss your favorite fillings, topping and combinations. We quickly ran out of tortillas since the fillings and toppings will easily make 15 tacos minimum. We were asked if we needed extra tortillas, which we did. Every single table had ordered this dish and if when we go back, we’d definitely order it again.
The filling rankings:
1) Carne Asada (my favorite)
2) Al Pastor (wife’s favorite)
3) Pork Chorizo
4) Conchinita Pibil
5) Pollo Asado
One other item that most tables ordered, but we didn’t, was the House Margarita that came in a coconut shell. I noticed there were four tables in a row that each ordered it. We also ordered some appetizers. The Picocitos, which are jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese & bacon. This dish was $4.99 and again we felt it was a very reasonable price considering how big the peppers were and how much cream cheese was applied. It had just the right amount of bacon for a very balanced dish.
The other appetized we got was the Tuetanos, a fire roasted bone marrow boat with cotija cheese and green onion. This was more of a dish for me since my wife doesn’t really enjoy bone marrow. The frustrating thing about bone marrow is there’s just so little of it per bone, but oh how I love me some fatty goodness.
Picocitos $4.99 (3) Jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese & bacon
I have to say that service started out a little rough. We arrived and we had to wait awhile to be seated as there was no workers to be seen even though there were about 6 tables already being served. Somebody eventually came out from the back and we were seated with menus. Again, we waited quite a while before our order was taken. In fact, in thinking back we actually had to flag down somebody to take our order.
To their credit, after this service was impeccable. Our server answered our questions about the dishes, warned us that the bone marrow would take a little longer due to the preparation, periodically checked on us, took away dishes as we finished, asked if we needed more tortillas and also asked if we needed anything boxed up.
Aside from the dishes we got there are so many other interesting dishes that we’d love to try in the future like the Torta Caramelo, which is bread stuffed with anaheim pepper and melted asadero cheese, filled with your choice of meat. Taco Gobernador, which is shrimp sauteed with garlic, onion, butter & cheese.
Let’s not forget their extensive steak menu, starting with a reasonably priced (Wagyu) Mishima Reserved Ultra, grade 8 at $29.99 all the way up to their 40oz Tomahawk for two that’s $119.99. We’ll save that one for a very, very special occasion.
Finding this undiscovered(to us) restaurant is the main reason we try to ask locals where they like to eat. We would have never visited D’La Santa without a local reader suggesting it. This quaint family run restaurant would probably never appear in a Seattle city guidebook. We’re not quite ready to hand over the mantle from Senor Moose as Best Mexican Restaurant in Seattle. We’ll take a few more visits and try a few more dishes, but they are in fact a worthy adversary.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.75
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: Up above we mention La Conasupo Market,which is one of favorites.
Related Articles:
Ada’s Technical Books Cafe
Description on Lighthouse Roaster’s website : One of Seattle’s original roaster cafes, Lighthouse has spent more than twenty years creating a loyal following of coffee lovers by treating the coffee buying, roasting and drink-making as a noble calling.
Description on Ada’s Technical Book Cafe’s website : Everything we serve is made in house and prepared to order. Tasty. Thoughtful. Wholesome.
Address: 425 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
Music Playing: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Frank Sinatra
What we ate/drank: Cortado
Comments:
It’s not often we come to this stretch of coffee shops and restaurants on 15th Ave E. in Capitol Hill, so this was the first time visiting Ada’s Technical Book Café. Ada’s Technical Books Café was founded in 2010, but moved to it’s current location in 2013. It reminds me of Meg Ryan’s children’s book store in You’ve Got Mail, except Ada’s is a STEM-centric book store. It’s got that community feel in a niche book area.
Ada’s is bright and airy, coffee and food, books to browse, display tables to discover. It’s the type of place that you can stay for hours and come back over and over. Ada’s is named after Ada Lovelace, a mathematician, who is considered the first computer programmer ever. She lived from 1815 to 1852. Her silhouette is the logo of Ada’s Technical Books.
Their pastries are cooked in-house and they also provide various vegetarian meals, such as Spicy Southwest Black Bean Burgers, Seasonal Potato Hash, Biscuit & Country Mushroom Gravy and Ada’s Breakfast Sandwiches.
So where do we begin. Once ordering your coffee(and meal) you can grab a seat at one of their various display tables. Oh, no tipping policy by the way. Each one is unique and interesting. It’s like sitting at a museum display case. Check out the one below with various old locks and lock picks. We truthfully wanted to go from table to table to see each one. You could come back multiple times and just sit at their various display tables and be entertained each time.
They have an area dedicated to puzzles and books for youngsters. When my daughters are old enough, we’d love if Ada’s became one of their favorite place to come to. Because this was a former residence, in addition to all the technical books there are separate rooms to sit down in. The first room off the main store area has a long bench and some counter seating along with a huge checkboard. There’s also an area called the Lab that offers a rentable event space in which cocktails can be served. That’s not all. There’s also an area called The Office, which provides desks that can be rented daily or monthly with 24 hour access.
Check out Ada’s Technical Books Cafe website for more details and their events. Some examples of classes that definitely foster a neighborhood feel – More Than You Ever Really Wanted to Know About Coffee, Seattle Music Machine Salon(discussion on aspects of making music with computers/electronics), Aphrodisiac Tincture Making Workshop(making aphrodisiac potions).
Ada’s Technical Books is definitely one of the more memorable cafes in Seattle. The geekiness of it, the fact that it’s for all ages, the interesting décor from the display tables to the hanging collage to the maze of rooms. It’s really unique. I’ll admit Ada’s might become our new Coffee Place to Impress Seattle Visitors.
Breaking News-5/21/20: Ada’s has acquired the three Fuel Coffee branches. You can read about the details here.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: Everything!
Atmosphere: 5.00
Service: 4.75
Food Options: 4.50 (only because we like meat, but admittedly they have a good variety)
Overall: 4.75
Eavesdropping Convo: Guy and a gal who seemed to be doing a long distance relationship.
Guy: I can’t keep traveling back and forth.
Gal: Can’t you take sick leave? If you said you needed time off for your mental health, I don’t think they’ll say no. It’s not their culture.
Guy: Alright let’s see how it goes.
Gal: You never really thought about that in the beginning, so don’t just dismiss it.
Guy: I don’t feel right about it. It’s dishonest.
Gal: Ok then……..pouts. Where do we go from here?
Guy: Let’s see how things go.
Gal: Looking demoralized. Ok, but I’m not feeling optimistic though. I gotta tell ya.
Related:
**********Unfortunately, This Restaurant Has Closed Down**********
Recommended by: We’re huge fans of Revel and Joule from the wife/husband team of Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, but had never been to Trove in Capitol Hill. We were in the mood for some Korean BBQ, so off we went.
Description on the Trove website: Korean barbecue is at the heart of Trove, the ambitious culinary playground Yang and Chirchi opened in 2014. Trove BBQ’s dining room holds tabletop grills on which diners can cook their own deeply flavored meats.
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
What we ate/drank: Pork Kimchi Dumplings w/mapo sauce, Meat Tower for 2: Beef sirloin with salted black bean cure & pork belly with garlic chili cure. Stoup Pale Ale.
Comments: We knew about Trove since we are fans of Revel and Joule and remembered when it opened, but we were shocked that it was over 4 years ago. Well, we finally made it out here. First of all, Old Village Korean BBQ, this ain’t. We’re in Cap Hill, so of course we’re dealing with a very chic place.
Trove seems to be split in 5 different compartments. You have the truck that is attached to the building that serves parfait from the truck window. Although this section was closed when we visited on a Friday night. The entry leads you to the second compartment, which is a noodle bar with a few seats that are right in the store front on Pike. At first we thought this was the entire restaurant and thought, “Wow, this place is tiny”, but when the host appeared, he took us back to the main bbq area. Although, they don’t have the built in bbq grills into the table at this section, I did see that they had portable grills that they could put next to your table if you wanted bbq.
Before reaching the main dining area, we passed by the third compartment, which is their bar area that’s got a dark romantic vibe to it. The forth compartment is the main dining area which has the tables with the bbq grill built in. This is wear we ate. The fifth compartment is a slightly elevated private room area.
For starters we ordered some drinks and the Pork Kimchi Dumplings w/mapo sauce. One thing I notice about these dumplings is that there was no wasted space between the wrapper and the filling of the dumplings. Normally, there is the filling and then a bunch of space between the wrapper when the filling inside normally shrinks when it’s steamed. Not only are the dumplings on the bigger side, I really feel like you get your moneys worth when the dumpling is all the way full of pork.
As our main course we ordered the Humble Meat Tower that included beef sirloin with salted black bean cure and pork belly with garlic chili cure. This was perfect for two of us, but oh how I wish we had more people so we could have gotten the Baller Tower Plus for 6 people, which include pork collar, beef tri tip, leg of lamb with cumin and Sichuan peppercorn rub and duck with carmelized plum sauce. We’ll definitely have to come back with more people or bigger appetites.
With the Meat Tower comes three dipping sauces-a jalapeno sauce, a seafood sauce and a miso sauce. The Meat Tower is literally a tower of meat. It also comes with leafy veggies so you can wrap your meat and eat ssam style. We did use the lettuce to wrap our cooked meat, but we also ordered rice to eat that way too. So you get your tower of thinly sliced raw meat, they provide some tongs and you place the meat on the grill. Once done you use a pair of scissors they also provide to cut up your meat, put in your lettuce wrap, put a little bit of the sauce on and devour. You can cook the meat at your pace, so you can take breaks in between.
Some might think, “I came all the way to this fancy restaurant in Capitol Hill and I have to pay to cook my own meal?!?” But there is something fun about cooking your own food, especially when you’re out with groups. And like I said, you can eat at your own pace, which is nice. What you’re really paying for is the spices/marinate and quality of the meat that you can’t get anywhere else.
We really enjoyed our meal at Trove, but if we’re being honest, it’s a distant third to Revel and Joule . I know it’s not fair to compare since Trove’s niche is Korean BBQ which is very different from Revel and Joule , but we consider those two to be two of the top 5 in all of Seattle so our expectations were high. All in all, it was fun and tasty and we’d love to come back to see if we could take on the Baller Meat Tower so we can get more of a variety.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 4.25
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.60
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: Our server mentioned Il Corvo as her favorite lunch time pasta restaurant.
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Kaladi Brothers Coffee
Description on Kaladi Brothers Coffee’s website: What began as an espresso cart on Anchorage’s 4th Avenue in the spring of 1986, is now Alaska’s premier coffee roaster. Kaladi Brothers Coffee is made in Alaska, by Alaskans, for Alaskans.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 511 E Pike St Seattle, WA 98122
Music Playing: I Saw You Close Your Eyes – Local Natives
What we ate/drank: Macchiato and Mighty O Apple Fritter
Comments: First of all, this is our 50th review of a Seattle coffee shop! That’s a lot of coffee downed and a lot of cafes visited. Like Eastern Cafe, this is a place we always knew about, but never visited until now. Kaladi Brothers Coffee originated in Alaska and had it’s first Seattle branch in this very spot. It eventually moved down the block and just recently moved back to it’s original spot.
Because we never visited the old Kaladi Brothers Coffee location, we can’t really compare the two spaces, but we can say that the new place is massive. As soon as entering, my first thought was….Whoa, this place is big! Especially for a Capitol Hill spot on Pike St. Seriously, you could probably fit 4 or 5 fellow Cap Hill spots, Ghost Note Coffees or Realfine Coffees in here.
The main floor at street level easily fits 40 and has tall 20 foot+ floor to ceiling windows that make the space really bright. There’s also a rather large sidewalk patio area on Pike St. It’s the first coffee shop I can recall that has outlets in the middle of the floor for those not seated against a wall. Kaladi Brother Coffee would be a great place for groups due to its size and ample seating. It’s also a great place to grab a pre dinner or post dinner coffee(they’re open til 9:00) due to the plethora of hot dinner spots nearby.
There is a loft area that seats about 15 people with mixture of comfy upholstered chairs and wood tables and chairs. This second level reminds me of being in an attic due to the low ceiling height and dim lighting. One nice thing is that there are lots of outlets if you intend to work up there. As mentioned in our Capitol Coffee Works and Eastern Cafe reviews, we’re partial to spots in which we can look down on all the action below.
Besides coffee, which Kaladi Brothers Coffee brews themselves, they have can and draft beers as well as wine. They have a big variety of food options-Mighty O doughnuts as well as pre-packaged sandwiches and burritos. One interesting combo they sell is called a Brew and Brew for $6, which is a very strange combination of a macchiato and a Rainier Beer. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Anyways, the macchiato I had was perfect-smooth.
In some ways it kinda has a lodge feel with all it’s hard wood floors, tables/chairs and shelving. it also has a Zeitgeist Coffee vibe with its display of coffee pots, spaciousness and high ceilings.
One thing I appreciate is that there were 3 people working there at 7:30am. So often you see one person being a one person show-cashier/barista/food prepping/tidying up, which of course slows down the line.With three people working the line runs very efficiently.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 4.75
Overall: 4.55
Eavedropping Convo: There was this bearded guy there who seems to make Kaladi Brothers Coffee his everyday hang out. Whenever a regular came in, he’d shout their name to say hi.
Bearded Guy(BG)- So when do you go to court?
Lady Customer(LC)- The day after tomorrow.
BG – Are you nervous?
LC – No.
BG – I think you’ll win. I wouldn’t worry about it. Anyways, I’m going to sit in one of the comfy chairs, so I’ll see you tomorrow and if I don’t see you, good luck.
Related:
Realfine Coffee
Description on Realfine Coffee’s website : Realfine Coffee is a locally owned and operated business.
Our purpose is to create a coffee experience of the highest quality in a welcoming environment. Quality is not solely attributed to our high standard in coffee, but is also comes from the attention to detail our staff provides, which is developing a genuine sense of community through the relationships we foster with our customers. It is our uncompromising standards in all areas that allow us to offer the exceptional coffee we enjoy everyday.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 616 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122
Music Playing: Erykah Badu – Next Lifetime
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
Comments: I just happened to pass by Realfine Coffee on my way to Suika for dinner on Capitol Hill. This spot used to be a Stumptown Coffee. The original Realfine Coffee is in West Seattle and opened in 2015. This is the second branch and opened a few months ago. One day I woke up early and decided to check it out before going to work.
It has a very simple decor, but it’s not cold. It’s a small space, but feels airy. And unlike many cafes with this particular configuration of being long and narrow and being bright in the front and dark in the back, because of the lighting Realfine Coffee doesn’t have this problem. It feels warm and bright throughout.
One of the highlights of Realfine Coffee that I’ve not seen anywhere else is the built-in outlets in their long bench. Normally you find outlets under the seat or on the wall. These are located right at the base of the back of the bench. I thought it was really clever. The other seatings are 2 hightop stools looking out on Pine St and another counter that seats 8. The only qualm about this seating is that you’re looking straight into the wall. I understand why it’s designed this way since it provides a clear and open path from the door to the ordering station.
Besides coffee they had a refrigerator that had some juices and prepackaged snacks. They also serve canned beers and serve Macrina Bakery pastries.
Now, the thing that makes Realfine Coffee memorable to me was the cashier/barista, who I later found out was the owner. I’ve always had a hard time with small talk. Both starting small talk or responding to small talk. I even read a book on how to improve on it.
I have to tell you, I stayed at Realfine Coffee for about 45 minutes, but I could have stayed there a lot longer just listening to the owners small talk expertise. The secret to small talk is to keep the topics light and positive. The topic shouldn’t be too random and let the response guide the conversation.
Here are some snippets:
Sticking around for Thanksgiving this year? or Hosting Thanksgiving this year?
Owner: How was your weekend?
Patron: I saw Fleetwood Mac in Tacoma.
Owner: How was it? No Lindsey Buckingham, right?
Patron: I’ll tell ya, the guy who replaced Lindsey Buckingham really held his own. Note: I think it was Neil Finn of Crowded House who replaced Buckingham.
Here’s your latte, my friend. She used, “my friend” a lot.
Patron: I’ll have an Americano.
Owner: Not your normal drink?
Patron: No.
Owner: I could just tell by the way you ordered it, that it’s not your usual order.
Owner to patron: You have the cutest little sweatshirt on.
Owner: How’s it going?
Patron: mumbles order incoherently
Owner: That good, huh?
Patron: Do you own this?
Owner: Yes, I do. It’s a lot of hard work.
Patron: That’s so cool! Congratulations!
Owner: Thank you. It’s exciting
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: The nice calm atmosphere and the friendly owner.
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5.00+
Food Options: 4.00
Overall: 4.60
Eavesdropping Convo: See above
Related:
Porchlight Coffee & Records
Description on Porchlight Coffee & Records website : Recently, Food & Wine Magazine listed us as one of their favorite cafes in Seattle, going on to deem us the least snobby on the list! We pride ourselves on offering a pleasant and genuine space to enjoy good music and good coffee.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 1517 14th Ave, Seattle WA 98122
Music playing: Shake by Sam Cooke
What we ate/drank: Macchiato
Comments: Porchlight Coffee & Records has been around since 2009. The first time I went there they were located around the corner right on Pike, but are now located on 14th between Pike and Pine on the east end of Capitol Hill.
The space really reminds me of Revolutions Coffee in terms of how big the space is, the configuration, the white walls, how it’s bright in the front, but kinda dark towards the back. And both use beans roasted by Herkimer. One difference is that Porchlight does have rotating art that is lowbrow in nature, which I like. I have to give props to Porchlight for turning me on to an artist named, Adrian Tomine and I ended up ordering a print called, “1965”. They also have a Porchblog on their website that reports about new music, events, new art.
Porchlight also doubles as a record store, although I didn’t see a record player. Seems to be a common theme of records and coffee in Seattle. I know Convoy Coffee, Slate Coffee Roasters and Analog Coffee have record players and you also have Victrola Coffee Roasters that has the phonograph as its logo.
There are a few tables right outside the store front, there’s a brown leather couch with a couple of tree stump tables. The rest are 6 pedestal tables that each have two white wooden chairs. The record section is located in the back. And as mentioned earlier while it is quite bright in the front, towards the back it gets darker. I noticed they also have beers and a limited pastries section.
Ratings(1-5)Favorite Thing: Their Porchblog that reports about new music, events, new art
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.50
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.00
Eavedropping Convo: None. But did you know that Porchlight Coffee & Records is actually featured in an Uber video
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Ooink
Recommended by: Brandon from Junkichi Robata Izakaya
Description on Ooink Ramen website: OOINK’s preparation is simple & traditional, with the number one focus always being, “respect the ingredients.” The pig is often the star of the show, but every ingredient that enters the OOINK kitchen is given the chef’s full attention, leaving nothing to waste & no detail overlooked. The preparation is classic in style & one that has been tested & tried over & over; always striving to achieve perfection, a labor of love you can taste in every slurp. So please, sit back… enjoy a drink, let the broth warm you, the flavors comfort you,
& please slurp. No other sound could be a better compliment to the chef & OOINK team.
Neighborhood:Capitol Hill
Address: 1416 Harvard Ave, Seattle, WA
Type: Ramen
Music playing: None
What we ate/drank: Kotteri Ramen(Pork broth, Hawaiian sea salt with pork chasu, bamboo shoots, aji tamago(marinated egg), scallions, garlic chips, black garlic tare
Comments: In our Battle of Seattle Ramen post, Ooink made the field, but didn’t make it past the first round. It’s not that Ooink is not good, it’s just that the influx of really good ramen restaurants the last few years in Seattle, has made the competition fierce.
Ooink is located in Harvard Market, a little shopping center located in Capitol Hill right on Broadway Ave. It’s not exactly the most posh looking place, but for a relaxed informal environment it’ll do. Just a warning, if you plan to come here during a busy lunch or dinner time, don’t come here with more than two people. You might be waiting awhile. There are about 8 small tables that seat two, so parties bigger than that will have to wait for two tables to be moved together. The only other seating options are 3 stools at a high counter by the front on either side of the door. There’s also a small table right next to the cashier. In total, it probably fits 20 people.
You get a menu with an accompanied sheet to mark what meal you want to order and any extras or exclusions. I was told the Kotteri Ramen was the most popular, so that’s what I got. Some callouts:
- Noodles were a bit on al dente side, which is fine.
- I found the egg a bit on the small side.
- The char siu pork is something you don’t normally find in ramen. I’m used to seeing it in Saimin.
- The broth is really flavorful, but not salty.
- I noticed the spoon is smaller than normal ramen spoons.
- They have aprons hanging on the wall that you can put on so you can slurp away without having to worry about hitting up the dry cleaner after your meal. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that, but it totally makes sense. I wonder why other ramen places don’t do this?
I like ramen places that really focus on the ramen and don’t have a lot of other dishes. Ooink serves only ramen with the exception of a few small dishes-gyoza, mapo tofu + rice and ayam goreng, which is fried chicken. All the other ramens are either traditional(Shio, Shoyu, Kotteri), vegetarian or with a modern twist(Mapo Tofu, Mala w/umami chili tare). They also serve beer and sake.
One thing that Ooink does that I’d like to give them props for. There’s been a trend to include tips or service charge into the price of meals. You can debate about the merits of this all you want(I briefly discuss this here), but when restaurants do this, I appreciate that they highlight it and bring it to your attention. I hate restaurants that have tiny fine print on their menu about the service charge/tip being included, are very discreet about it on their check and then include an additional tip line even when tip is included! I get that people may want to include an additional tip if they received exceptional service, just don’t be shady about it. At Ooink there is no mistaking that the service charge is included because they highlight it on the bill and there’s no line on the bill for tipping. I applaud Ooink for doing business this way.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 3.75
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 4.75
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!
Eavesdropping Convos:
Related:
**********Unfortunately, This Restaurant Has Closed Down**********
Recommended by: Amy/Emmy? from Hokkaido Ramen Santouka.
Description on the Junkichi Robata Izakaya website: Junkichi Robata Izakaya is an upscale authentic style of Japanese cuisine utilizing a live fire charcoal grill. Dating back centuries to northern Japan where fishermen would gather around a communal hearth for warmth and to prepare their food, fishermen were searching for a way to prepare their meals aboard their vessels and created a way to enclose the charcoal to protect their boats from the high heat and thus robata was created. Originally a method for northern Japanese fishermen to be able to cook aboard their vessels the definition of Robata is a charcoal grill guests can be seated around used to slow cook skewers of the freshest ingredients over hot coals and can literally be translated to “fireside-cooking”.
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
Address: 224 Broadway East. Seattle, WA 98102
What we ate/drank: ASAZUKE- house made Japanese pickled mixed vegetables, ginger, kombu kelp, shaved red chili pepper, SHISHITO PEPPERS, TORIKARA-deep-fried crispy organic free-range chicken w/original soy sauce flavor, shishito pepper, lemon, YAKI-GAKI-grilled shucked oysters , chives w/homemade soy sauce, BATTERA-vinegar marinated mackerel, shiso leaf, gari ginger, roasted sesame seeds ,whiteboard kelp, seven spice seared tuna, avocado, cucumber, spicy tuna tartar, flying fish roe, serrano pepper, cilantro, bbq sauce, spicy mayo, habanero sauce, tempura crunch, JUNKICHI TSUKUNE- duck & organic free-range chicken, shrimp, jew’s ear fungus, meatloaf Junkichi Style , GINDARA SAIKYO-black cod marinated in sweet saikyo miso, grated daikon radish, vinegared tiny gingerroot
Comments: Robata means “fireside cooking” in Japanese and is basically Japanese barbeque in which fatty meats and vegetables are cooked over coals. The coals used are not the black chunks we put in our normal outdoor barbeque, but compressed wood. Something with fatty content is best for robata because the intense heat creates a tasty crust. The tradition started in Northern Japan where fisherman took lit coals out on to their boats so they could grill food while out to sea. It was difficult to start fires on wooden boats, so bringing lit coals from the mainland to be used for meals was the main option. Izakaya is casual, informal dining with normally small dishes sorta like Japanese tapas.
We went to Junkichi Robata Izakaya for dinner and met up with friends one of which is from Japan. We relied on her to do most of the ordering although our server had really good suggestions and more than able to answer all our questions about preparation, taste profile and how big the servings would be. Being on Capitol Hill and having a more modern feel, I was worried about how authentic the food might be at Junkichi Robata Izakaya, but my friend assured us it’s very authentic preparation with more local ingredients. In the grand scheme of things, authenticity matters less to us than being tasty. You often here people say that Un Bien and Paseo are not authentic Caribbean sandwiches. Who cares?! They damn good!
As mentioned Junkichi Robata Izakaya has a modern feel to it and an open kitchen with various ingredients laid out at the counter near the open prep area. They also have a small patio out front. I’ll admit the food is a little on the higher-priced side, but the food preparation and tastiness of every dish we had was spot on. They also have a wide variety of food so it feels like you can go back over and over and try many different dishes. Having a group and sharing dishes is definitely the way to go.
All the dishes were good, but the one dish I would order over and over again would be the Yaki-Gaki, the grilled oysters. The oysters are monster huge and normally my preference for oysters is raw, but the char from the grill along with the oyster juice left over in the shell is sooo good. See the rest of our ratings down below.
A funny note. As mentioned above the local who recommended Junkichi Robata Izakaya worked at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. When we walked in to Junkichi we noticed the little robot that is supposed to recognize you if you sign up and have been there before. We said, “That’s the same robot they have at Santouka.” We later discovered that Junkichi Robata Izakaya and Hokkaido Ramen Santouka are owned by the same company! So we wondered whether or not this was a genuine favorite of a local or if she was “trying to keep it in the family”. Regardless, both restaurants are at the top of our favorites list.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5
Food/Drinks: 5+
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
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!
Eavesdropping Convos: None
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: Brandon suggested Ooink down the street as a favorite.
Bonus recommendations to visit in the future: Our friends we dined with suggested Kamonegi.
Related:
Capitol Coffee Works
Description on Capitol Coffee Works website : Capitol Coffee Works takes coffee in a new direction, delving into facets of coffee we’ve always dreamed of offering. It was conceived as a studio for Specialty Coffee, with a bright, clean, plant-filled interior that beckons to those interested in exploring lighter-roasted, fruity coffees. The space feels like an art gallery with coffee at center stage. A sleek ModBar undercounter espresso machine invites authentic interaction between baristas and customers. Our expert team provides start-to-finish table service on cozy lounge seating, elevating coffee drinking into a refined experience. They serve super-premium quality coffees – some of the best coffees in the world – made in the most exacting brewing devices available.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 907 E. Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122
Music playing: This Land is Your Land by Chicano Batman
What we ate/drank: Macchiato, Mt Bakon breakfast taco from Sunrise Tacos
Comments:
Capitol Coffee Works is the 3rd iteration of Seattle Coffee Works. The 2nd being Ballard Coffee Works and the 4th being Cascade Coffee Works. This location has more similarities to the Cascade Coffee Works than Seattle Coffee Works. Although all the branches have a no tipping policy and a slow bar, the Capitol Coffee Works is similar to Cascade Coffee Works in the modern look and brightness due to large front windows. A unique feature of Cascade Coffee Works is the 2nd floor area that allows you to see over the front portion of the café and the barista. It makes you feel like a cat observing everything from the highest point. They also have table service, which I don’t believe the other locations provide.
The location is located in Capitol Hill at the centrally located Pike & Broadway. You can’t be more centrally located in Capitol Hill than here. Although the store front faces north it still provides a ton of light. There are a few tables and chairs outside. The front portion on the inside has a long wood bench along the front window with 4 small tables. Above the barista station is a giant photograph of a bee and directly across on the other wall is another giant photograph of a coffee bean. Right in front of the barista is are a few more small tables and towards the back is a large table that seats about 6 and a few more smaller tables with leather stools. The back wall is painted with a mountain landscape. It reminds me of a painting you might see in a 70’s arcade. There’s also a seat that’s suspended from the ceiling.
Near the spiral staircase that leads to the upstairs portion is a leather sofa with a small table. On the second floor are just a few tables and chairs, but the partition is made of glass which allows a lot of light up there. Although I love being perched up there on the 2nd floor to watch the customers coming in and the baristas making the drinks, while I was up there it did get a little hot.
I really enjoyed Capital Coffee Works. I like the aesthetics here more than Seattle Coffee Works. and it’s more relaxing than the hustle and bustle of Cascade Coffee Works.
And again, I want to point you in the direction of their website, which I explained in more detail on our Seattle Coffee Works post. It’s a great resource for where their beans are sourced and the huge effort they take in making costs transparent to the customer and fair to the farmers.
Ratings(1-5)Favorite Thing: The second floor area with glass partitions that give an unobstructed view of the first floor.
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5.00
Food Options: 4.25
Overall: 4.65
Eavedropping Convo: Guy having an informal coffee with a gal before her first day on the job.
Guy-They probably won’t expect lot out of you on your first day. It’s basically getting to know you, meeting everybody, getting logins set up, badges, etc
Gal-Have you been with the company long?
Guy-Yeah, I’ve been here a little over a year. <<That’s long? For all intents and purposes Gary is your boss, but if you are uncomfortable or think this is not what I signed up for, having personal issues with colleagues, then you come to me. Since you’re a contractor you’ll be here only until the project ends, but you can contact me at any time if there’s an issue. Sometimes, it’s not a good fit for all personalities.
Gal- For sure, it’s like dating. You need to be compatible with the company and the people you work with. The last job I was at, I knew with the first few days. This is not gonna work out.
Analog Coffee
Description on Analog Coffee website : Modern American coffee shop located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Serving a rotating cast of exceptional local roasters and Fresh Breeze Organic dairy.
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
Address: 235 Summit Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
Music playing: 4th Chamber by GZA
What we ate/drank: Macchiato & Mighty O Sprinkled Donut
Comments: First of all, all hail the WU! When I walked in 4th Chamber by GZA/Genius was playing not on Spotify or Pandora, not from a iphone playlist, not from a CD even. It was playing on a motherfucking turntable, yo! This is the 3rd coffee shop I’ve noticed with a turntable, Slate Coffee Roasters and Convoy Coffee, being the others.
If you’re not looking for Analog Coffee, you’ll miss it. There is huge burgundy awning that wraps around this corner spot, but there’s no signage with the exception of a small wooden sign they place on the sidewalk. Because this is smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood, finding parking might be a challenge. But being on a nice quiet street away from the hustle and bustle of Broadway Ave and the Pike/Pine corridor is a major part of it’s appeal. My understanding is that it used to be an old gym, but it feels like an old general store that you might find in Mayberry.
It has an intimate feel, but it doesn’t feel crowded. The walls, ceilings, stools are all white and there’s art/posters hanging on the walls, but the linoleum floors and weathered counter sure does make it feel like an old general store. Outside, there are a bunch of chairs out front and also around the corner. There’s a high counter with stools that run all the way from the door to the back of the café. Along the wall above the counter are the days paper and some magazines clipped to a cable for your reading enjoyment. On the left near the front is a L-shaped wooden bench with a coffee table stacked with comic books. My nerdy jr high school self would be jumping for joy. The very back has a community table that fits about 8, which would be the best place to work on a computer if you needed to. Also in the back is a standing counter if you want to watch the barista do his thing. I also noticed they have a projector so they could show videos/tv on the white walls if they ever wanted/needed to.
The food selection was pastries. Unfortunately, I didn’t peruse the selections once I saw one last sprinkled donut from Mighty O and ordered it. Add Analog Coffee to the long list of coffee places that carry Mighty O. On the day I visited they had two brews from Herkimer(Honduras Benigno Mejia, Ethiopia Kochere) and Camber(Honduras El Tanque & Ethipoia Guji Uraga) each, but I ended up getting a macchiato. They also sold beans from each of the roasters.
To me, the vibe is definitely a relaxing-coffee-in-the morning place, but not really a working/studying place. I don’t know it just has a relaxing nature about it that would make me not want to work/study. We just love these neighborhood cafes that are right in the middle of neighborhoods and not on main streets like most coffee places we review. I understand that putting cafes on or near main streets get volume customers, but there’s something to be said for these neighborhood cafes that either rely on the people who live in the neighborhood or have such great drinks or atmosphere that people will travel from outside the neighborhood to patronize the spot. I’m talking about places like Seven Coffee Roasters, Lighthouse Roasters and to a lesser extent, Zoka in Tangletown. Add Analog to the list.
Ratings(1-5)
Favorite Thing: What makes Analog Coffee different-The comics, the newspaper/magazines hanging from the wall, the fresh tunes on the turntable, the neighborhoody reel.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Food Options: 3.75
Overall: 4.5
Eavedropping Convo: Two guys having a coffee. It appears they hadn’t seen each other in a while and may have been ex-coworkers catching up.
Dude 1(D1) – I’m been consistently working over 40 hours a week and every two weeks I have to turn in a timecard, so if I have over 80 hours worked in a two week period I leave early, so that it comes out to an even 80 hours a week. So I worked 83 hours the last two weeks and so I told my boss that I was leaving 3 hours early on Friday.
Dude 2(D2) –Ok
D1- He told me I needed to deduct 3 hours from my time card and report 77 hours!! I explained to him that I worked an extra 3 hours and because he didn’t want me to go over 80 hours I was leaving 3 hours early. He just couldn’t understand and insisted I deduct 3 hours if I left early, so I just stayed and worked til 5:00. Then on Monday I submit my timecard with 83 hours, but I didn’t send it to Human Resources, I only sent it to him because I knew he’d blow up. Sure enough, he came to me and said, “I thought I told you that I didn’t want you working more than 80 hours every two weeks?” I told him, “yeah, but you wouldn’t let me leave early and told me if I left early I needed to deduct 3 hours. You can’t have it both ways. You either pay me for the hours worked or you let me leave early so my two weeks come out to an even 80 hours worked.” He knows he was wrong, but was trying to scare me into working longer. I’m one of the top salesman in the company. I just saved this company millions by talking a customer out of leaving us and to come back when they already made the decision to leave us!
D2-You really need to tell this to Rick to make sure he knows.
D1- Oh, I did. Another thing my new boss wants me to do. If I make a sale, he wants me to double check with him before agreeing on the terms and price. I’m not gonna act like a used car salesman, where I have to pretend to check with my boss to make the deal final. I told him if he wants me to check in with him before finalizing a deal with a customer, he’d better call them himself and explain the situation. I’ll look like a spineless dumbass if I don’t have the authority to seal the deal with a handshake right there on the spot.