Tamari Bar
Recommended by: 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.
Description on the Tamari Bar’s website: No comments, but their Instagram says, “Capitol Hill’s IZAKAYA, “Japanese Tavern &Eats”
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
Address: 500 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122
What we ate/drank: Shokado Bento Box, The Rockin’ Wagyu Beef, Sashimi 7 Sampler, Seafood Bibimbap, Sapporo Beers.
Comments: The presentation of the dishes that we ordered at Tamari Bar are so beautiful that it’s almost as if the owner said, “Let’s create some dishes that will be plastered all over Instagram!”
Tamari Bar is right down the street from their sister restaurant, Suika, on Pine Street in Capitol Hill. The space is rather oddly shaped. It has a patio in front, a huge bar area and some tables and a couple seating compartments on a second level.
We started out with the The Rockin’ Wagyu Beef, which is served with a smooth hot rock that you put the pieces of raw thin zabuton on to cook. The thin pieces of wagyu beef cook very quickly, so no worries about the rock cooling down before you can cook all of it. The beef is served with a Japanese bbq sauce, garlic flakes, wasabi. This is a fun dish with the novelty of cooking on a sizzling rock. Be careful not to overcook which will keep the beef tender and tasty.
Next up was the Shoka-do Bento Box, which is limited to a certain count every evening. This was surely the highlight of the night. There are a total of nine squares with each being the perfect size for two bites, making it the perfect date night dish. You get nine different dishes, nine different flavors. It’s fun having so many choices at once and then discussing which are your favorites. Or both of you can try each grid at the same time and discuss after each tasting.
From the top and left to right with scores out of 5:
- Fried Crispy Salmon(4.25), Wagyu Beef Tataki(4.5) , Potato Salad (4.0)
- Aburi Scallop Carpaccio(4.5), Tamari Bar Sushi Roll(4.5), Aburi Salmon(4.5)
- Fried Oyster(5.0), Zuke Maguro(marinated)-(3.0), Tuna Tatsuta(fried)-(5.0)
Each appetizer was beautifully presented and each had at least 5 different ingredients and it was a good mixture of fried and raw. We just really enjoyed this concept.
On the way to our table we saw another table had the Seafood Bibimbap with seared salmon, salmon caviar, salmon flakes, umami soy, sea urchin(uni), butter on rice and knew we had to try it. Like traditional bibimbap, it’s served in a hot stone bowl and was mixed on our behalf by the server. It turned into more of a fried rice than a bibimbap but we were surprised even after all the mixing of the ingredients you could really taste the uni, one of our favorites.
The Sashimi 7 Sampler is the most photogenic of the dishes. It’s presented on a wooden staircase with garnishes of ikura, tobiko, cucumber and onion. What can you say about fresh sushi? You can’t beat it. If I could change one thing, I’d swap out the octopus for another fish sashimi. Just a personal preference.
From bottom to the top -Mackerel, Shrimp(Ama Ebi),Tako, Hamachi, Scallop, Tuna, Salmon.
It appears they put just as much effort into their cocktails, but we just had pints of Sapporo. Their sake list is extensive as you might have guessed.
Our server told us we got 3 of the 4 most popular dishes. The only one we didn’t get was the Aburi Wagyu+Uni Nigiri Sushi, nicknamed the The Best Bite, which we’ll be sure to get on our return visit. Some other interesting dishes we’d like to order on our next trip to Tamari Bar are Crazy Journey, which is their spicy fried chicken and the Dan Dan Ramen, which they call, The Living Legend. Got to give Tamari Bar credit for over-the-top dish names.
The proof is in the pudding when it comes to Tamari Bar dish presentations. Instagram is littered with photos of the 7 Tier Sashimi, the Shoka-Do Bento Box and Rockin’ Marinated Wagyu Beef. But the dishes are just not pretty pictures, there’s substance behind it. All are tasty, the Rockin’ Marinated Wagyu Beef is fun, we love the variety the Shoka-Do Bento Box provides and the 7 Tier Sashimi is memorable for it’s unique presentation.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 4.50
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.25
Overall: 4.40
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
Related Articles:
Fremont Bowl
Recommended by: After writing our post about Seattle Fish Guys – Best Poke in Seattle, a local recommended Fremont Bowl as another place that has great poke.
Description on the Fremont Bowl’s website: Just a team of people who love food, like really love food – we have a slight obsession. We love to eat. We love food. We love Seattle. We love people who love food and eating. Most importantly, there’s no better feeling than seeing people enjoy and love the food that we’ve made. Our goal is to make Fremont Bowl a spot where people can just quickly stop by and pick up their order, but also be able to meet up with friends, family, or even a casual date. If you have any events coming up, let us know!
Neighborhood/Type: Fremont
Address:4258 Fremont Ave N Ste #4262, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Chirashi Bowl 14.95. tuna, chopped fatty tuna, salmon, yellowtail, albacore, shrimp, fresh water eel, masago with fresh wasabi + yuzu kosho (pepper). Una-Gyu Don 16.95. unagi + sukiyaki beef don. Crispy Tonkatsu Don 11.95 fresh pork loin, Aburi Sake Don-Seared salmon with sea salt with fresh wasabi + yuzu kosho (pepper)
Comments: As mentioned, a local recommended Fremont Bowl for quality poke, the funny thing is that since visiting we have never ordered poke from Fremont Bowl. They have so many other unique dishes that there’s no need to get poke here when you can get poke from a million other poke places in Seattle.
Fremont Bowl is located in a space that was formerly home to Suga, which had some really good curry dishes and Dot’s Delicatessen, which had some really good sandwiches. Unfortunately, those businesses didn’t last, but based on the traffic we’ve seen at Fremont Bowl, I don’t think Fremont Bowl will need to worry about staying in business. The place is packed and meal delivery drivers were coming in so often they should install a turnstile. For every party that came into eat at Fremont Bowl, there were three drivers to pick up meals.
I don’t think any changes were made to the space in it’s former incarnation as Suga. They have the open kitchen, a small high counter near the kitchen and a row of seats/bench along the wall. The place probably seats about 30 people max and it’s a tight squeeze. Getting to your seat without bumping into your neighboring party is a bit tough.
You order at the cash register. There’s a menu on the wall. After ordering you sit down and they’ll bring out your meal to you.
Due to how packed Fremont Bowl typically is, we order take out most of the time, but there are some advantages to eating there. There’s one dish the Aburi Sake Don that they only serve when you eat there. It’s a seared salmon with sea salt and yuzu kasha, which is made from citrus, chile pepper and salt. The pieces of salmon literally melt in your mouth and the citrus and salt a perfect compliments to the fish and rice.
seared salmon with sea salt with fresh wasabi + yuzu kosho (pepper)
seared salmon with sea salt with fresh wasabi + yuzu kosho (pepper) Score: (4.75/5.00)
Another advantage of eating in is that you get to enjoy their house made soy sauce(Dashi Jouyu). You can also ask for additional rice and sauce if you need more. Observing the workers while waiting for our dishes, you can tell they are a well oiled machine when it comes to making the dishes, preparing the trays for delivery to the tables and prepping for delivery orders.
One lone disadvantage of eating in is that you cannot take home any left over raw fish due to Health Dept restrictions, so you’d better finish your raw fish.
The cashier advised the Chirashi Bowl is their most popular and it’s easy to understand when seeing the dish. The different cuts of fish make for a colorful presentation that makes it one of the most photogenic dishes in Seattle. What separates chirashi from poke is that poke marinated in sauce with a bunch of different toppings. This can mask the quality of fish as well as the quantity of fish. Chirashi is just pure raw fish, so the fish quality and quantity is apparent.
Here are some of the other dishes we’ve tried at Fremont Bowl.
Although their other dishes are very good, The Chirashi Bowl and Aburi Sake Bowl are definitely our choices here.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4,50
Service: 4.75
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.50
Overall: 4.65
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Related Articles: