Long Live Rancho Bravo

March 31, 2008

I just learned today that Rancho Bravo in Wallingford had its doors forcibly shut by the health department.

I’ve been a devout patron of Rancho Bravo ever since it was parked at a Chevron down in Totem Lake, and it makes me sad to see it go. Yes, towards the end the quality of the food did decline steadily and yes, the price jump did make the food hard to stomach. But the pescado tacos were to die for in the summer time, and their mole was indeed the best mole I could get in this chocolate-bbq sauce deprived town.

Rancho Bravo’s popularity skyrocketed ever since it moved near the UW, and with it came the haters. But while food elitists will point to their own hole-in-the-wall taco trucks (taco’s aren’t music; obscurity doesn’t equal quality), I’m happy that, for a short while, one of my favorite taco trucks came close to home. RIP Pepe’s on the ave. RIP Rancho Bravo. Time to go find a new truck.

I just drove by Rancho Bravo this evening and it looked to be going strong. Take that, health department!

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Dante’s Nachos

March 19, 2008

I do not come here to praise these nachos. At best they are good nachos, greasy and temporarily fulfilling coupled with regret the following day. At worst, they’re unappetizingly soft on the top and unnaturally crusty and hard on the bottom, flavorless in between. But hey, they’re nachos, and they’re in the u-district. What do you expect?

However, it is the condiments served with the nachos that has my mind reeling. Dante’s features the only guacamole I know that is completely flavorless! By flavorless I don’t mean bland. Bland is a flavor. And it’s not watered down. Water has flavor. Even the saliva in your mouth has a flavor. This sauce has no flavor! It is like a big mouthful of cold creamy nothing. And if you eat it with a nacho chip, the nacho chip’s flavors simply disappear as well. I once asked the bartender what the guac was from and he said it was a doctored mix. But doctored with what…? Magic flavor canceling pixie dust?

My friends now say that the guacamole actually tastes better, and there was this one time where the nachos were unworldly rather than a petty crime against mealtime. But like a Mystery Spot, or The Worlds Largest Ball of Twine, Dante’s deserves to be noted for it’s Black Hole of Tastiness.

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Canton Wonton House in Seattle

March 12, 2008

Beef Noodle Soup? Big fan. When I go back to Taiwan it’s pretty much all I eat. I have asked on many an occasion, where can I get the best noodle soup around? The answer, of course, is at my Mom’s house. But that answer doesn’t really help anyone else. So, of course I have to try to find another decent bowl somewhere in Seattle.

There’s two main variations of Beef Noodle Soup, the Hong Kong style and the Taiwan style. Of course there’s a Chinese style, but these vary greatly due to region and can all be placed on the spectrum that is bookended by the Taiwanese/Hong Kong style. Of course you have pho and stuff from other countries but I’m not talking about that stuff. The point is, comparing a place like Szechuan Noodle Bowl to Mike’s Noodle House is a futile effort. Apples and oranges.

So, in light of the many options in Seattle, probably the most accessible is the much overlooked Canton Wonton House, right around the corner from Shanghai Garden in the International District. It’s a small shop with a lot of seats and a big kitchen in the back. They serve noodles, soups, noodles in soups, some veggies, and congee. The hot sauce is potent and oily, and they have both red vinegar and white pepper on the table (very important!). Their menu hasn’t changed in years. It’s all very consistent.

For this particular trip down, my friends and I were actually planning on eating at some tofu shop (I’ll post it when I actually go there), but they were closed. So, lacking solid options and pressed for time, we agreed that the Canton Wonton House would be the best bet. And it was!

I got a Wonton/Beef Brisket bowl, regular size.

My friends got a Chicken Congee and a Minced Beef Congee. We also ordered a side of bok choy just for good measure.

The noodles are skinny by default, you can get either wide egg noodles or skinny egg noodles. It’s Canton/Hong Kong style, so the noodles they use are egg noodles rather than the wheat noodles. Also, the broth is lighter than the Taiwanese style, so it tastes more like beef than the salty stew I grew up loving. What the broth excels is really picking up the flavor of the special ingredient you get with your noodles. You can get one or two meat ingredients for your noodle soup, including beef brisket, fish balls, beef balls, suikau and their delectable wontons. They have like 30 combinations of those 5 or so ingredients, and that makes up their menu.

If you’re coming for the beef, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s a fine brisket, but they don’t include the particulars such as tendon or big pieces of fat. There’s a bit of the top layer on there, but it’s not like Szechuan Noodle Bowl or anything. It’s actually really good if you dislike those parts and prefer a lean brisket. The fish balls and the beef balls are also nothing to write home about. Or blog for that matter!

The wontons and suikau are the true star of Canton Wonton House, perfectly married with the soup and noodles to warm you up on cold nights and refresh you on warmer days. Throw in a couple pieces of bok choy, add a hint of red vinegar and a good shake of white pepper and it’s a perfect meal. The regular is more than enough for any person and it’s just under 5 dollars.

Even though a couple of them come floating in the soup, I always opt for the extra order of bok choy. They’re generous with it and it comes with the requisite side of oyster sauce.

The hot sauce is oily and hot and all kinds of awesome. It’s actually rather flaky too, almost like dimsum hot sauce.

A good soup is unbeatable in almost any cuisine.

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Gyros 2 Go in Redmond

March 9, 2008

I write about Redmond/Bellevue food because I have to more often than I want to. I find that Redmond is a black hole when it comes to lunch cuisine, offering little more than strip mall fare and the office cafeteria. There are a lot of choices for sure, but it’s difficult to find something actually worth having to eat, picking between such gold medal establishments as Fatburger and Jimmy John’s. I do have a couple favorites, relative standouts in the microcosm of blah that is the eastside.

The sign

I had to run some bank errands the other day, so I wanted something quick and easy to eat. I ended up going to Gyros 2 Go (16855 Redmond Way). There are a few places to get a gyro around here, but most of them seem pretty sterile and unappetizing. I hear that Santorini’s in Kirkland is the best place, but I really have no desire to drive out to Kirkland for gyros. Maybe someday I’ll go out there and see what all the hooplah is about.

Anyways, even though the sign looks nice this isn’t a chain of any sort. The interior has a long glass case (like a meat display at the grocery store) with a few non-sandwich type items, such as baklava and those grape leaves with the stuff inside of them, I can’t remember the name. I really ought to start taking pictures inside the restaurant.

I got a lamb/beef gyro and a side of fries.

The order

The fries aren’t anything special, just the thick, frozen bag-o’-fries variety, like you can get at the Gyro-cery in the U-district. You can get greek fries, which I think are just fries with that red spice all over them and a side of tzatziki sauce. They give you more than an ample amount for the price, around $2 or so.

Speaking of ample, the gyro sandwich itself is also more than enough for a normal appetite. My sandwich is literally busting at its seams with meat and sauce. They put a little tomato and red onion in for good measure (no lettuce, most likely because there’s no room for it).

The sizeThe guts

I realize that these pictures are far from appetizing and that gyros themselves are not the prettiest of foods. But hey, it tasted pretty good. The lamb/beef meat was juicy to the point of leaving a small amount of essence in the pool of my wrapper. The sauce tastes homemade, it has a cool bite to it that’s subtly unique to the other gyros I’ve had. The food comes out fast, 10 mins from ordering to carrying out. They have a couple tables, but, like their name says, they expect you to take it “2 Go.”

I end up eating this thing too fast and feeling sleepy all day. The next morning is like “Prison Break,” except I am the prison. It’s a gyro, what do you expect? Happy bowels?

I’ve had falafel there before too, and while it was nothing amazing Gyros 2 Go is at least on par with the Gyrocery and the other gyro places that people swear by in Seattle. The sweetened desserts are actually fairly good. The baklava is the best baklava I’ve had from a gyro place, crisp and sweet and a large portion for under two dollars. it never feels like a raw deal when I get a piece.

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Hopvine on 15th

March 6, 2008

So the semi-strange thing about this blog right now is that there’s these two groups of people (theoretically) reading this. One is very familiar with all the stuff I’m talking about in Seattle, at least the stuff on 15th and Broadway and anywhere within walking distance of where I live. The other predominantly lives on the eastside. Inevitably, I’m going to probably talk about places that you know or don’t like or whatever and that’s fine. I’m going to talk about what places I like to eat at from time to time, and what I get when I go there. I’m not trying to be Anthony Bourdain here.

Hopvine Pub

On that thought, I’m going to talk about the Hopvine on 15th. Not because I eat there a lot, but because I ate there recently. I had a craving for soup and a sandwich the other night, so a roommate and I went down there to eat a little something something. It was pretty empty (I think it was a Monday night), even during happy hour.

They have a rotating soup list and a rotating beer list. Everything else is pretty much the same every time I go. Consistency is good! It’s good to get what you expect from a place. I’ve been there a few times before, and I tend to enjoy their soups. But their French Onion Soup is a sodium A-bomb, so stay away from that unless you like peeing crystals.

This time, I got a cup of the Roasted Garlic.

Roasted Garlic

And I got a Smoked Gouda w/ Artichoke sandwich. Side of greens with a vinegarette.

Gouda

My cohort got a turkey grinder.

Turkey Grinder

Beers were 2.75 a pint. I got some IPA, I forget which one exactly.

Hey! This is a great spot to ask if anyone wants to talk about beer. It would be great if there was someone reading this right now who would love to talk about beer as much as I love to talk about food. I’m not talking about an elitist beer-hater. I don’t need someone to tell me why X brewery sucks. If you wanna post semi-regularly about beer leave a comment or something (or just find me since you probably know who I am). I’m probably going to have a couple people contributing to this blog as it grows, and a designated beer reporter would be a good addition.

The soup was great, a warm creamy concoction with a good amount of garlic and a cheese surprise at the bottom. Some bread on the side and some croutons floating on top and I’m set. The sandwich I think is a little overpriced, but I’m a sucker for artichoke. An $8 cheese and artichoke sandwich seems a bit steep to me, but it goes well with the soup so what can I say really. The greens are unremarkable.

Now if you look at the online city guides for Seattle, you’ll notice that an overwhelming amount of them talk about the issues of “clientele” and “atmosphere” when they’re denouncing some establishment. I’m not oblivious to things like that; a bad atmosphere (be it from the people who eat there or from Seattle in general) can ruin a meal. But honestly, in a world with the Outback steakhouse and T.G.I.Friday’s, I’m not going to bitch about how the people at the Hopvine seem to be getting more wealthy every time I go. There are tons of yuppies in Seattle. They’re everywhere. And they’re going to eat where I eat. That’s fine with me. I’m eating without the politics, unless the restaurant chooses to make the clientele part of the dining experience (more on that when I finally get to Boom Noodle).

But anyways, the Hopvine. It’s got good soups and decent food. Somewhat pricey, but go for happy hour and get a beer to offset the cost. Service was just fine. They have Celebration Ale on tap sometimes! I love Celebration Ale. There’s also a trivia night on alternating Tuesdays, but I think it’s a cash pot so it’s pretty busy.

Soup, Sandwich, Salad side, Beer. $16 after tip? I forget. Somewhere around there. About an hour for the meal. Go with a friend, maybe two, but don’t go with more than four. This isn’t a restaurant! Your food will take a long time to make.

1 Comment | Pub, Seattle, Soup | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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Lunch at Regent’s in Bellevue

March 4, 2008

Today I had lunch with a friend at the Regent Cafe in Bellevue. It’s next to the Arby’s on 152nd, near both the Malay Satay Hut and Jeem’s Chinese Restaurant. Though I’m not at all shy about my dislike of the Eastside as a place to live or even spend good amounts of time in, I have to admit that Bellevue and Factoria do have their fair share of quality restaurants, especially in that little nexus right off of 520.

When I got there, the lunch rush was in full force as there wasn’t much room to sit down. The store’s not that big to begin with anyways, it seats about 30 and that’s being generous. Primarily a bubble tea/chinese pastry store, most of the floor space is taken up by a large glass counter filled with various buns and cakes. On the wall is your typical bubble tea menu, large and imposing with only some buns to supplement your visit.

Despite the crowd we get seated fairly quickly, which is good because I’m in somewhat of a rush. I start to peruse through the thin lunch menu. It’s readily apparent that the cafe is serving a Hong Kong style lunch., not unlike other asian bistros such as Purple Dot in the ID. Noodles and cream sauce, pork over rice, tofu hot pots, that sort of thing. I tend to do my small talk as I’m searching for something to order, but nary 5 minutes of shooting the shit pass before the waiter comes by and asks if we’re ready. My friend, being a regular here, is definitely ready. I on the otherhand, somewhat anxious because this is going to be my FIRST FOOD BLOG POST EVER, order the first thing I see.

He gets the Beef with Udon Noodle. (fuzzy picture, sorry)

Beef Udon Noodle

I get the Beef with Tomato Sauce over Chow Mein (soft noodles). Sorry about the photos, I need to remember to take the time/date off of these pictures.

Tomato Beef

About 3 seconds after ordering, I spot something else that I’d really like to try but it’s too late. A wave of regret washes over me.

The food comes by really quickly (I’m very pleased about that), and we dig in. The tomato sauce is as expected, slightly flavorful, reminiscent of the water that collects on top of ketchup when it’s been in the fridge for a while. There are real tomato slices in the meal just in case you forgot what the sauce is supposed to taste like. I should’ve gotten the crispy noodles.

My friend’s dish is actually pretty good. It’s like the Home-style shanghai chow mein you get at Chiang’s Gourmet, but instead of handshaven noodles you get Udon noodles (which aren’t all that different in if you think about it). It would be amazing if it had just a little green in it (some green onions would do just fine). I was far more interested in his food than my own.

The meal came out to be about 10 dollars a person after tip. Lunch took about 30 minutes total.

I want to go back and have some tofu hot pot, it looked and sounded a lot more appetizing than what I ordered.

A couple things I learned about my experiences at Regent:

1. Don’t think about the blog when you’re eating. It makes the food taste worse.

2. Find someone with a better camera to take pictures for me.

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First Post

March 3, 2008

Hi.

My name is Allen. Welcome to my food blog.

I’m going to try to write a few words (hopefully with some pretty pictures) every time I eat somewhere nice. And maybe even if I eat at a not-so-nice place! There’s a lot of good food to be eaten in the Northwest, and it shows with the plethora of (excellent) food blogs that originate from around here. As far as adding something new to the mix, I’m going to try to specialize in hole-in-the-wall Asian joints that can be found all over the place. I’ll probably wax ecstatic about Richmond, BC from time to time as well. Maybe I’ll even post about home cooking once in a while (though I don’t know how that helps the readers).

I have another blog too, but it’s mostly terrible and is filled with stuff that doesn’t really make any sense. The goal of this blog is to talk about good food, show some pictures of good food, and above all make some goddamn sense doing it. I’m really just going to concentrate on the places I enjoyed eating at, but I’ll try to say something about every place I get a good picture of.

No Comments » | Not Food | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by hojodimsum