Washington restaurants
I've been to 285 restaurants in the state of Washington.
The number isn't necessarily surprising in and of itself; it counts each separate Taco del Mar, Subway, or World Wrapps as a different restaurant, and I enjoy exploring different places.
The surprising thing is that since day 1, I've kept a spreadsheet listing every place I've been, starting with the Subway I stopped at outside Moses Lake on I-90 on the final leg of the 3000+ mile Northern States U-Haul Expo I undertook in May of 2005.
Why do I keep this list? Typically, if friends come to town, and I show them this list, their eyes just kind of glaze over, and they say, "Oh, I don't know. Pick something you like, Vegan." At which point, I say, "I don't like your condescending intonation of the word 'vegan,' Omnivore." Then, this individual will roll his or her eyes, and say, "You must be a joy to live with." And then Jennifer says, "Let me tell you about it." And then I put on something by White Zombie (or similar), and I say, "Oh, it's on, bitches. It's fucking ON."
But, the at-least-partially-not-self-involved idea behind this whole project is such that if someone were to ask me where we could get the best Ethiopian food in town or what's the best restaurant in Wallingford (not sure why we'd be walking around 45th, necessarily, but I come prepared for all contingencies), I could immediately give my Zagat's-like suggestions, and I will know what's vegan.
Q: Best Afghani food in town?
A: Kabul in Wallingford. More generic/less good then The Helmand in Cambridge or the Kabul by the Steppenwolf theater in Chicago, but it's decent and spicy.
Q: Do you have a favorite alehouse for food?
A: I'll go with the Barking Dog for no other reason than it's close.
Q: Where do you go for breakfast if you had to choose?
A: Cafe Flora has really good vegan breakfast items.
Q: Best sports bar?
A: There aren't any like Rafter's in Amherst, MA, that I know of. Sport Restaurant near the Space Needle has high definition TVs at all the tables, though, but sometimes, I want to be with a bunch of people watching the same big screen.
Q: Best vegan sandwich in town?
A: The Baguette Box in Fremont has some pretty good tofu options with truffle fries. I've also had some good food at Sisters European Cafe at Pike Place.
Q: Best Carribean food in town?
A: Paseo in Fremont (and now by Shilshole). Close second was a Casuelita's near my old apartment in Belltown.
Q: Is there good Chinese in Seattle?
A: Probably, but for vegans who prefer the taste of Cantonese, there's not much I can recommend. Genghis Khan near the Showbox downtown is okay. Shanghai Garden in the ID is decent as well.
Q: Your Ethiopian recommendation?
A: Cafe Soleil in Madison Park has the best decor, but of the three I've been to, none stand out. An Ethiopian taxi driver I had in Seattle, when I pretended I didn't live here, suggested Saba on Yesler in the Central District. So far, I prefer Addis Red Sea on Tremont in Boston or Zed's in Georgetown (DC).
Q: Best Indian in town?
A: I'll go with the Tandoori Hut in Belltown in that the naan is vegan, and it USED to be an awesome place to stop en route from Pioneer Square to the Center to see the Sonics. I'm sure there are other Indian food restaurants en route to Oklahoma City. Qazi's in Fremont is good.
Q: You're really counting the Olive Garden as Italian?
A: Yes, but the only one I've been to has been in downtown Yakima. Trattoria Mitchelli in Pioneer Square is my sentimental favorite for reasons that entirely revolve around Jennifer.
Q: Japanese: bistro or ID restaurant?
A: Latter. Fuji Sushi. Tried nattō for the first time here, and despite the warnings of the waitress, I liked the flavor of this bean a lot.
Q: Best Korean in town?
A: I'd go to Table In Gallery in Pioneer Square, though the service can be slow.
Q: Your favorite Mediterranean?
A: Cafe Paloma in Pioneer Square, though since my Mediterranean options are usually just hummus and a pita, I'm more inclined to just eat in if that's what I really want. As an aside, I've never really liked tabouli. I like all the individual ingredients, but tabouli is for me now what eating cole slaw was in my pre-vegan days.
Q: Best non-fast food Mexican?
A: There's a ton of Mexican in Seattle, and so my answer depends. The best salsa, I think, you get at Taqueria Jalisco in Queen Anne (the family-friendly less-bar-and-margarita-intensive version of this restaurant was across the street, but it closed recently). The best decor is Mama's Mexican Kitchen in Belltown, especially if you can sit in the Elvis Room, but on a nice day, Aqua Verde in the University District is my favorite. The best "real" Mexican food would be eaten at Tenoch in the International District. For overall food: Galerias on Capitol Hill.
Q: Got any Mongolian Grills in Seattle?
A: I've been to two, and neither stood out. If I had to pick, though, the Hot Iron Mongolian in Mill Creek (north of Seattle) is okay.
Q: What Pan-Asian/noodle place is your favorite in Seattle?
A: Next to Mama's Mexican Kitchen in Belltown, the Noddle Ranch is pretty good.
Q; Can you get vegan pizza in Seattle?
A: My vote is Pagliacci's, which is spread throughout town. For no apparent reason, I'll pick the one in Queen Anne for decor, but there's limited seating at any of them.
Q: Best Thai food in town?
A: There's more Thai in Seattle than Vietnamese, which is the third thing I mention when people ask me how Seattle is different than Nashua, NH (I say: 'there's a bit more water in Seattle, there's a high school called Bishop Blanchet as opposed to Bishop Guertin, and the ratio of Vietnamese:Thai restaurants is inverted'). Some is very good, and some is pretty expensive. I'd pick Thaiku in Ballard as my favorite, but Bell Thai in Belltown is decent and cheap. Rice 'N Spice in Queen Anne (which has a glut of them) is good, too.
Q: Best vegetarian? You've got to have tried some of these.
A: I think Cafe Flora in Madison Park edges out Carmelita's in Phinney Ridge. While the Millenium (or even Greens) in San Francisco make me want to spend more time there, these places are just as good. I used to love Buddha's Delight in Chinatown in Boston, and that place will always have a special charm for me, but part of that charm was the uniqueness of the place. Seattle has a ton of these kinds of restaurants, and so the allure has subsided. I'll say The Teapot in Capitol Hill is my favorite of that ilk, but the sweet and sour chicken at the Bamboo Garden in Queen Anne is awesome.
Q: Where do I go for Vietnamese if I want more than pho?
A: One of my favorite restaurants in town is the Tamarind Tree in Little Saigon. That being said, the green curry I got at Cafe Hue in Pioneer Square makes me wonder why I don't eat there more.
Q: Best Taco del Mar in town?
A: There's an Indian guy who used to work at Flavor of India (now Maharaja) in Pioneer Square, but he now works at Taco del Mar. I have no idea what happened at the Indian food restaurant. I imagine a fight choreographed to sitar music. Anyway, he's pretty awesome about customizing my vegan burrito at the Taco del Mar in the Pioneer Sqaure location. Least favorite, and I realize this is completely a matter of luck: the Taco del Mar in Ellensburg, WA. The servers were both slow and stupid.
Q: Best restaurants by neighborhood: Ballard?
A: Thaiku.
Q: Bellevue, WA?
A: P.F. Chang's.
Q: Bellingham, WA?
A: House of Orient (Thai).
Q: Belltown?
A: Cyclops for breakfast, Mama's otherwise.
Q: Capitol Hill?
A: Galerias.
Q: Columbia City?
A: Columbia City Alehouse.
Q: Crown Hill?
A: Luisa Mexican Grill.
Q: Downtown?
A: The Pink Door, though menu changes. If nothing vegan, Bambuza.
Q: Fremont?
A: Paseo.
Q: Friday Harbor, WA?
A: Harbor View Restaurant.
Q: Greenwood/Phinney Ridge?
A: Carmelita.
Q: International District?
A: Tamarind Tree.
Q: Kent, WA?
A: Chan Ho Vegetarian.
Q: Leavenworth, WA?
A: Baren Haus Restaurant. The Munchen Haus claimed the vegetarian sausages were vegan, but I later found out they are not.
Q: Madison Park?
A: Cafe Flora.
Q: Mill Creek, WA?
A: La Palmera.
Q: North Bend, WA?
A: Twede's Cafe. See: Twin Peaks. I can't partake in David Lynch's obsession with pie.
Q: Olympia, WA?
A: The Voyeur. It's vegetarian. Ignore the hippies.
Q: Pioneer Square?
A: Cafe Hue, though, again, Trattoria Mitchelli is a personal favorite.
Q: Port Townsend, WA?
A: I'll go with the Silverwater Cafe, though Lehani's catered to vegans better.
Q: Queen Anne?
A: Julia's on upper Queen Anne edges out Rice 'N Spice.
Q: Ravenna?
A: Sunlight Cafe has very good vegan options.
Q: Shoreline, WA?
A: I'll say the Full Moon Thai Cuisine in Richmond Beach, but the Thai Bistro on Aurora is alright, too.
Q: Snoqualmie, WA?
A: The Salish Lodge.
Q: Sodo?
A: Elysian Fields. Pretty good non-Uwajimaya's option before a Mariner's game.
Q: Spokane, WA?
A: Mizuna.
Q: Tacoma, WA?
A: Besides the Taco del Mar, I've only been to Harmon Brewery. That was alright.
Q: Tukwila, WA?
A: Bahama Breeze.
Q: University District?
A: Araya Vegetarian Place.
Q: Wallingford?
A: Looking to drop a fortune for really good food? Tilth. Otherwise? I like Diggity Dog Hot Dogs & Sausages (vegan sausages) near Mighty-O.
Q: Wedgewood?
A: Black Pearl.
Q: West Seattle?
A: Easy Street Records.
Q: If I'm looking to drop a fortune, which is better: SkyCity in the Space Needle or the Salish Lodge?
A: The Salish Lodge kicked my highly satisfied ass off the Snoqualmie Falls.
Q: You can only eat at one restaurant in Seattle. Which one do you choose?
A: Cafe Flora.
Q: And let's pretend you're not vegetarian.
A: Given their rotating market menu, I'd still say Cafe Flora. But, if you must eat non-vegetarian, I guess I'd pick the Pink Door since it's in the middle of Pike Place, and it's pretty good Italian.
The number isn't necessarily surprising in and of itself; it counts each separate Taco del Mar, Subway, or World Wrapps as a different restaurant, and I enjoy exploring different places.
The surprising thing is that since day 1, I've kept a spreadsheet listing every place I've been, starting with the Subway I stopped at outside Moses Lake on I-90 on the final leg of the 3000+ mile Northern States U-Haul Expo I undertook in May of 2005.
Why do I keep this list? Typically, if friends come to town, and I show them this list, their eyes just kind of glaze over, and they say, "Oh, I don't know. Pick something you like, Vegan." At which point, I say, "I don't like your condescending intonation of the word 'vegan,' Omnivore." Then, this individual will roll his or her eyes, and say, "You must be a joy to live with." And then Jennifer says, "Let me tell you about it." And then I put on something by White Zombie (or similar), and I say, "Oh, it's on, bitches. It's fucking ON."
But, the at-least-partially-not-self-involved idea behind this whole project is such that if someone were to ask me where we could get the best Ethiopian food in town or what's the best restaurant in Wallingford (not sure why we'd be walking around 45th, necessarily, but I come prepared for all contingencies), I could immediately give my Zagat's-like suggestions, and I will know what's vegan.
Q: Best Afghani food in town?
A: Kabul in Wallingford. More generic/less good then The Helmand in Cambridge or the Kabul by the Steppenwolf theater in Chicago, but it's decent and spicy.
Q: Do you have a favorite alehouse for food?
A: I'll go with the Barking Dog for no other reason than it's close.
Q: Where do you go for breakfast if you had to choose?
A: Cafe Flora has really good vegan breakfast items.
Q: Best sports bar?
A: There aren't any like Rafter's in Amherst, MA, that I know of. Sport Restaurant near the Space Needle has high definition TVs at all the tables, though, but sometimes, I want to be with a bunch of people watching the same big screen.
Q: Best vegan sandwich in town?
A: The Baguette Box in Fremont has some pretty good tofu options with truffle fries. I've also had some good food at Sisters European Cafe at Pike Place.
Q: Best Carribean food in town?
A: Paseo in Fremont (and now by Shilshole). Close second was a Casuelita's near my old apartment in Belltown.
Q: Is there good Chinese in Seattle?
A: Probably, but for vegans who prefer the taste of Cantonese, there's not much I can recommend. Genghis Khan near the Showbox downtown is okay. Shanghai Garden in the ID is decent as well.
Q: Your Ethiopian recommendation?
A: Cafe Soleil in Madison Park has the best decor, but of the three I've been to, none stand out. An Ethiopian taxi driver I had in Seattle, when I pretended I didn't live here, suggested Saba on Yesler in the Central District. So far, I prefer Addis Red Sea on Tremont in Boston or Zed's in Georgetown (DC).
Q: Best Indian in town?
A: I'll go with the Tandoori Hut in Belltown in that the naan is vegan, and it USED to be an awesome place to stop en route from Pioneer Square to the Center to see the Sonics. I'm sure there are other Indian food restaurants en route to Oklahoma City. Qazi's in Fremont is good.
Q: You're really counting the Olive Garden as Italian?
A: Yes, but the only one I've been to has been in downtown Yakima. Trattoria Mitchelli in Pioneer Square is my sentimental favorite for reasons that entirely revolve around Jennifer.
Q: Japanese: bistro or ID restaurant?
A: Latter. Fuji Sushi. Tried nattō for the first time here, and despite the warnings of the waitress, I liked the flavor of this bean a lot.
Q: Best Korean in town?
A: I'd go to Table In Gallery in Pioneer Square, though the service can be slow.
Q: Your favorite Mediterranean?
A: Cafe Paloma in Pioneer Square, though since my Mediterranean options are usually just hummus and a pita, I'm more inclined to just eat in if that's what I really want. As an aside, I've never really liked tabouli. I like all the individual ingredients, but tabouli is for me now what eating cole slaw was in my pre-vegan days.
Q: Best non-fast food Mexican?
A: There's a ton of Mexican in Seattle, and so my answer depends. The best salsa, I think, you get at Taqueria Jalisco in Queen Anne (the family-friendly less-bar-and-margarita-intensive version of this restaurant was across the street, but it closed recently). The best decor is Mama's Mexican Kitchen in Belltown, especially if you can sit in the Elvis Room, but on a nice day, Aqua Verde in the University District is my favorite. The best "real" Mexican food would be eaten at Tenoch in the International District. For overall food: Galerias on Capitol Hill.
Q: Got any Mongolian Grills in Seattle?
A: I've been to two, and neither stood out. If I had to pick, though, the Hot Iron Mongolian in Mill Creek (north of Seattle) is okay.
Q: What Pan-Asian/noodle place is your favorite in Seattle?
A: Next to Mama's Mexican Kitchen in Belltown, the Noddle Ranch is pretty good.
Q; Can you get vegan pizza in Seattle?
A: My vote is Pagliacci's, which is spread throughout town. For no apparent reason, I'll pick the one in Queen Anne for decor, but there's limited seating at any of them.
Q: Best Thai food in town?
A: There's more Thai in Seattle than Vietnamese, which is the third thing I mention when people ask me how Seattle is different than Nashua, NH (I say: 'there's a bit more water in Seattle, there's a high school called Bishop Blanchet as opposed to Bishop Guertin, and the ratio of Vietnamese:Thai restaurants is inverted'). Some is very good, and some is pretty expensive. I'd pick Thaiku in Ballard as my favorite, but Bell Thai in Belltown is decent and cheap. Rice 'N Spice in Queen Anne (which has a glut of them) is good, too.
Q: Best vegetarian? You've got to have tried some of these.
A: I think Cafe Flora in Madison Park edges out Carmelita's in Phinney Ridge. While the Millenium (or even Greens) in San Francisco make me want to spend more time there, these places are just as good. I used to love Buddha's Delight in Chinatown in Boston, and that place will always have a special charm for me, but part of that charm was the uniqueness of the place. Seattle has a ton of these kinds of restaurants, and so the allure has subsided. I'll say The Teapot in Capitol Hill is my favorite of that ilk, but the sweet and sour chicken at the Bamboo Garden in Queen Anne is awesome.
Q: Where do I go for Vietnamese if I want more than pho?
A: One of my favorite restaurants in town is the Tamarind Tree in Little Saigon. That being said, the green curry I got at Cafe Hue in Pioneer Square makes me wonder why I don't eat there more.
Q: Best Taco del Mar in town?
A: There's an Indian guy who used to work at Flavor of India (now Maharaja) in Pioneer Square, but he now works at Taco del Mar. I have no idea what happened at the Indian food restaurant. I imagine a fight choreographed to sitar music. Anyway, he's pretty awesome about customizing my vegan burrito at the Taco del Mar in the Pioneer Sqaure location. Least favorite, and I realize this is completely a matter of luck: the Taco del Mar in Ellensburg, WA. The servers were both slow and stupid.
Q: Best restaurants by neighborhood: Ballard?
A: Thaiku.
Q: Bellevue, WA?
A: P.F. Chang's.
Q: Bellingham, WA?
A: House of Orient (Thai).
Q: Belltown?
A: Cyclops for breakfast, Mama's otherwise.
Q: Capitol Hill?
A: Galerias.
Q: Columbia City?
A: Columbia City Alehouse.
Q: Crown Hill?
A: Luisa Mexican Grill.
Q: Downtown?
A: The Pink Door, though menu changes. If nothing vegan, Bambuza.
Q: Fremont?
A: Paseo.
Q: Friday Harbor, WA?
A: Harbor View Restaurant.
Q: Greenwood/Phinney Ridge?
A: Carmelita.
Q: International District?
A: Tamarind Tree.
Q: Kent, WA?
A: Chan Ho Vegetarian.
Q: Leavenworth, WA?
A: Baren Haus Restaurant. The Munchen Haus claimed the vegetarian sausages were vegan, but I later found out they are not.
Q: Madison Park?
A: Cafe Flora.
Q: Mill Creek, WA?
A: La Palmera.
Q: North Bend, WA?
A: Twede's Cafe. See: Twin Peaks. I can't partake in David Lynch's obsession with pie.
Q: Olympia, WA?
A: The Voyeur. It's vegetarian. Ignore the hippies.
Q: Pioneer Square?
A: Cafe Hue, though, again, Trattoria Mitchelli is a personal favorite.
Q: Port Townsend, WA?
A: I'll go with the Silverwater Cafe, though Lehani's catered to vegans better.
Q: Queen Anne?
A: Julia's on upper Queen Anne edges out Rice 'N Spice.
Q: Ravenna?
A: Sunlight Cafe has very good vegan options.
Q: Shoreline, WA?
A: I'll say the Full Moon Thai Cuisine in Richmond Beach, but the Thai Bistro on Aurora is alright, too.
Q: Snoqualmie, WA?
A: The Salish Lodge.
Q: Sodo?
A: Elysian Fields. Pretty good non-Uwajimaya's option before a Mariner's game.
Q: Spokane, WA?
A: Mizuna.
Q: Tacoma, WA?
A: Besides the Taco del Mar, I've only been to Harmon Brewery. That was alright.
Q: Tukwila, WA?
A: Bahama Breeze.
Q: University District?
A: Araya Vegetarian Place.
Q: Wallingford?
A: Looking to drop a fortune for really good food? Tilth. Otherwise? I like Diggity Dog Hot Dogs & Sausages (vegan sausages) near Mighty-O.
Q: Wedgewood?
A: Black Pearl.
Q: West Seattle?
A: Easy Street Records.
Q: If I'm looking to drop a fortune, which is better: SkyCity in the Space Needle or the Salish Lodge?
A: The Salish Lodge kicked my highly satisfied ass off the Snoqualmie Falls.
Q: You can only eat at one restaurant in Seattle. Which one do you choose?
A: Cafe Flora.
Q: And let's pretend you're not vegetarian.
A: Given their rotating market menu, I'd still say Cafe Flora. But, if you must eat non-vegetarian, I guess I'd pick the Pink Door since it's in the middle of Pike Place, and it's pretty good Italian.