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Last Tuesday was Vidya‘s 25th birthday. To celebrate this monumental occasion, Lauren and I surprised her with dinner at Mistral: the best restaurant in Seattle*. Given the occasion, we kept the camera and any notetaking at bay (I’ll post food pictures after my next meal there). It will have to suffice to say we wined and dined our way through sablefish, foie gras, duck, mushrooms, exotic cheeses, fruit custards, sauternes, white Burgundies, Bordeaux blends, and numerous foams.

William Belickis (the Executive Chef) has an amazing skill in the kitchen, and also happens to be an extremely nice person. What’s even more amazing is that I found out last night he’s allergic to a number of foods (including most seafood). It’s reminiscent of Beethoven writing symphonies in his deafened state.

Over the years I’ve had a number of amazing meals at Mistral. In 2005, when the kitchen missed a beat or two, I was wondering if Mistral was starting to lose its luster. Last night I found out that, William was working in Bangkok at the time, attempting to open “Mistral Thailand”. The Bangkok experiment turned out to be a bust, and Thailand’s loss is our gain — last night Mistral was hitting on all cylinders. They recently hired a new pastry chef, and the desserts have reached new heights of spendor. The food is reinvigorated, and ever course was a delight. This is the Mistral I remember from over the years, and I’m very happy to say that it’s back!

A meal at Mistral is a full evening (3 hours or more), and certainly carries a hefty price tag. But if you have an occasion to celebrate, close your eyes, open your wallet, and enjoy a sublime seven course experience of food and wine. It’s a night you will never forget.

TIP: You can also get to know William (and check out a smaller scale take on the food) at one of his Lunch classes. I’ve had a few enjoyable Saturday afternoons in Mistral’s kitchen learning how to stuff zucchini flowers or blend corn soup. The classes are reasonably priced, and also include a 3 course meal showcasing the dishes you learn about.

*I haven’t yet been to The Herb Farm which also has quite a following

UPDATE (10/15/2006): Went to the Herb Farm last night (thanks Ilene!). The food was very good, but I still attest that William’s restaurant deserves the Kenny crown for best Seattle restaurant

Mistral
113 Blanchard Street
Seattle, WA 98121
206-770-7799
5:30PM-midnight (Dinner only)

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On the northwest corner of 148th Ave NE and NE 24th St in Bellevue there is a gas station. In the morning, there is often an espresso cart parked in the corner of the gas station. After 11AM however, the parking lot becomes the exclusive domain of Taqueria Guadelajara — the “taco truck”.

The taco truck is cheap, fast, and tasty. Tacos are $1.25 each (extra $0.25 for lengua, a.k.a. tongue), served on a double corn tortilla with cilantro, onions, radish, and lime. A chicken quesadilla will run you $3.25 and is a satisfying meal of chicken, cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

If you’re anywhere in the neighborhood around lunch time and are craving no-nonsense Mexican food, you have to check out the taco truck. It’s ghetto fabulous!

UPDATE (02/06/2007): For those wondering where the truck went, I just received this notice:

Taqueria Guadalajara (the taco truck) will re-open on February 7 at our new location in 15920 NE 8th St. Bellevue, WA 98005 located in the East Crossroad Shopping Center near the Post Office.

It turns out that the truck itself is still available at lunchtime, but now at the corner of 148th Ave NE and NE 40th Street.

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My first experience at Ponti Seafood Grill was exactly nine months ago. Lauren and I had finalized our wedding date just in time to be able to celebrate our “-1 year anniversary” (yes, we are a geek couple). I had been meaning to try Ponti for years (since it had first been recommended to me in 1998), and my first experience was a memorable one. We were seated on the patio overlooking the ship canal, and immersed ourselves in the casually romantic ambience. The shrimp appetizer, seared scallop angel hair pasta, and chocolate dessert were all fantastic. Overall the evening was a positive indicator for future anniversaries 🙂

Fast forward nine months. DeAnn has a college friend in town and wanted to show him a good seafood restaurant that didn’t break the bank. Armed with our Prime card 2 for 1 benefit, Lauren and I suggested Ponti. A quick check on OpenTable showed availability at 7:45PM for our party. We locked in the slot, and showed up promptly to enjoy our dinner.

Unfortunately it was to be almost an hour and a half before we were able to enjoy our meal. The hostess had horribly overbooked the restaurant and there were 3 large (>6 person) parties in addition to our own that all waited 30-40 minutes to be seated. This is when the darker side of Ponti hospitality reared its ugly head. The hostess told us “just a few minutes” enough to make me think we were living the Seinfeld Chinese Restaurant episode. After she parked us in the bar area, the waitress asked for our drink order. When it was apparent we weren’t ordering drinks, she walked off in a huff and only returned with dirty looks that I can only assume meant we were taking up a table she could be making tips from. It seems that my group of grad students who had come to eat seafood, not sit in a holding pattern should be expected to pay for this “privilege”? Their top marks for service were getting more tarnished by the minute.

When we were finally seated around 8:20PM the waiter was pleasant and helpful. We ordered a few appetizers and our entrees, and then proceeded to catch up with DeAnn’s friends. Fortunately we had plenty of conversation to pass the time and no one was ravenously hungry, as our appetizers were treated as side dishes by the staff. All of our food arrived together at 9:15PM.

The food aspect of Ponti’s remained true to my fond memories. My compatriots encouraged roaming forks, so I was able to sample an assortment of dishes. The dungeness crab spring rolls were flaky, generous with crab, and complemented with a smooth red curry & cilantro aioli. The cajun barbeque prawns were reminiscent of New Orleans, and were still enjoyable at room temperature (they had sadly suffered from a disconnect between the kitchen and our inattentive waitstaff).

Soft shell crab is in season, and if you’ve never experienced the act of consuming an entire crab from head to claw, the Garlic Tempura Soft Shell Crab at Ponti is a great introduction.

Ponti smokes their Black Cod in house, and if you enjoy smoky flavor with smooth, slightly-oily black cod texture then this is the dish for you. The Grilled Ahi is a variation of the Asian-fusion seared Ahi dish that is popular around town. The Ahi steak is enormously thick and fresh. It is served with a tasty medley of wasabi, soy and sriracha slaw. I personally prefer searing to grilling for this dish, but this is a fine sample of the grilled variation.

Overall the food was great with service that could use a stern reprimand. I’ll be on the phone providing fodder for such this week, and hopefully your service experience will be more on par with the food!

Ponti Seafood Grill
3014 3rd Ave North
Seattle, WA 98109
206-284-3000

Daily: 5:00PM-close (Dinner only)

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There is a plethora of great Asian cuisine in Seattle. There are (almost) as many good Thai restaurants as there are Starbucks. When it comes to Chinese food though, it’s slim pickings in this city. Fortunately there are a handful of standouts in this category, with Shanghai Garden topping the list.

My buddy Dan set up shop for his new startup Ontela in Pioneer Square. His office is in convenient proximity to the I-District. So when Lauren and I were invited to join him for dinner tonight, I had to propose Shanghai Garden. We sampled three of my favorite dishes.

First, a favorite of Vidya‘s and Leslie’s: Eggplant and Hot Garlic Sauce (with pork), but without the pork so that it can be enjoyed by the vegetarians.

Next up, a dish I often use to judge Chinese restaurants on my first visit: Chicken in Black Bean Sauce. Shanghai Garden has consistenly excelled on this one. No matter how sated you become, you will be tempted to squeeze in just “one more bite” 🙂

Finally, a specialty of the house: Hand Shaven Barley Green Noodles with your choice of meat/veggies. They are trumpeted as a “healthy” dish: if all “healthy” food tasted this good life would be easy. For those that get queasy when dealing with green food, they also have hand shaven “regular” noodles (which are more of a light gold, “normal noodle” color). You’d be missing out on a unique pleasure though!

For those readers living on the Eastside, there is another Shanghai Garden branch in Issaquah.

Shanghai Garden
524 6th Ave South
Seattle, WA 98104
206-625-1688

Mon-Th: 11:00AM-9:30PM
Fri-Sat: 10:00AM-10:30PM
Sun: 10:00AM-9:30PM
(Lunch and Dinner)

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I have had a long tumultuous relationship with the Flying Fish. In 1996 as an interview candidate, I first set foot in the bar on a cold February night. The friendly bartender was shutting down but directed me to Minnie’s for some late-night grub. In 1998 I had the first of many great dinners there with my Dad. Then in 2001 an offensive maitre’d turned me off to the restaurant for awhile (I found out later he was generally disliked and fired not long after my encounter). LL and I had considered the Flying Fish in January as a location for dinner, but the recent citysearch reviews gave us pause. As we found out last night we should have ignored our trepidations, for the food was as good as ever.

After a Cinco de Mayo happy hour at the Apartment, the munchies called and we rolled the dice (and scored) on a table at the Flying Fish. They market themselves as a destination for both “quick bites” and “doing the town”. In the past I’ve only considered the Fish as an option for a nice dinner out. Last night reminded me that they are equially viable as a venue for an informal, light meal.

We started with their Thai Crab Cake. As our waiter noted, the only thing “Thai” about it is the lemongrass aioli drizzled over the cake. It adds a nice overtone to a crab cake which can rival the best Seattle has to offer.

When I come to the Flying Fish with a group I salivate over the platters, either the Whole Fried Rockfish or the Salt & Pepper Crabs. Neither of these dishes are viable for two, so last night we ventured for a new platter: Grilled Fish Tacos. These are not your average fish tacos. The handmade tortillas are tiny, but the innards taste equally scrumptious on your fork as they do in the tortillas. While I expected high quality fish, I was pleasantly surprised by the tasty salsa and guacamole.

While I miss the rockshrimp springrolls (Christine, please bring them back!), the Flying Fish is still flying high with awesome food, friendly service, and classic Seattle atmosphere.

Flying Fish
2234 1st Ave (at Bell)
Seattle, WA 98121
206-728-8595

M-F: 11:30AM-2:00PM (Lunch)
Daily: 5:00PM-2:00AM (Dinner + Late-night Menu)

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One of the things I love about my area of Capitol Hill is that I am walking distance from a variety of restaurants. Almost everytime LL and I walk to Jamjuree or 22 Doors or QFC we pass Jalisco’s, mention that we should check it out, but then continue on. Tonight we decided that after almost 3 years in this neck of the woods it was time to sample the neighborhood Mexican fare.

The food was very disappointing. This is not Mexican food. It’s a step up from Taco Bell (though without the ghetto pleasure there), and not even at the Taco Del Mar level. The cheddar on the enchiladas had almost an american cheese consistency, the sauces had no spice and minimal flavor, and the tortillas were maybe on par with what you buy at QFC: definitely not freshly made. Next time we’re hankering for nearby Mexican we’ll walk down to Galerias or Guaymas, or hop in the car to Gordito’s 🙂

Jalisco Mexican Restaurant
1467 E Republican St
Seattle, WA 98112
206-325-9005

Sun-Th: 11:00AM-10:00PM, Fri-Sat: 11:00AM-11:00PM (Lunch and Dinner)

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March almost passed me by without my noticing that it was a Twenty-Five for $25 month. We’re managing to slide into home in the last two days of the promotion at Ray’s and then tonight at Restaurant Zoe.

The last time I was at Ray’s was in 1998, and I had memories of a gorgeous view of the Olympic mountains and great seafood dining. Things have changed. The restaurant is now on the shore just south of Golden Gardens (even more of a schlep than Ballard), upped their prices, and (with the notable exception of their salmon chowder) the food was forgettable.

The promotional menu had lots of choices and with roaming forks I sampled a few dishes for each course. Appetizers included the salmon chowder, a savory cheesecake, and tuna tartare. The chowder was the best I’ve had in Seattle: not too creamy, with a full salmon flavor and bacon-free (so LL was able to partake). The cheesecake was a nice change of pace (lots of cheese and bacon), but the tartare was chewy and tasteless. The kind you might get at a tourist trap venue.

Second course: I was excited about the halibut, as the Alaskan season has just started and the description was mouth-watering. Unfortunately the only tasty pieces of this nice-looking plate were the juicy fresh tomatoes. The halibut was flavorless, and overcooked. Halibut at its finest is light and flaky and I savor that texture. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but at a menu price of $25.95 in a restaurant supposedly “best of breed” for local seafood I must say it was a disappointment. Mike’s salmon was respectable, and the pesto sauce complemented the natural grilled flavors nicely.

25 for $25 is a great indulgence for your sweet tooth since every list involves an (effectively) free dessert. We tried one of each: Earl Grey crème brulée, coconut cake with fresh fruit, and “strawberry float”. The only one worth a second taste was the crème brulée, and most of its praise is by comparison with the lackluster alternatives. They did make for a nice picture though:

Overall, great company and great chowder, but I won’t be coming back for awhile. I’m looking forward to the contrast tonight when LL and I introduce DeAnn to Zoe’s.

Ray’s Boathouse Restaurant
6049 Seaview Avenue NW
Seattle, WA 98107

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For the past few Tuesdays Lauren and I have been taking a “Big Fat Jewish Wedding” class at UW Hillel. Our weekly tradition includes a pre-class meal in the U-District. Last week on our way to Caspian Grill we saw that a Café Crêpe had opened on the Ave. This is part the same mini-chain from Vancouver that have a number of branches around Robson St. I had enjoyed those in the past so tonight we stopped in before class.

Overall is was so-so. The service was friendly and quick, though there is zero ambiance in the place — just some empty white tables in a sterile undecorated room. We chose a spinach, mushroom, and emmenthal crêpe from the very small menu. The mushrooms were raw, the crêpe itself was too thick, the one saving grace was gooey melted emmenthal.

The dessert crêpe (strawberries and chocolate) was better, though again the crêpe was too thick. But it was strawberries and chocolate and so we polished it off 🙂

Café Crêpe would do in a pinch, but I’ll be continuing my search for a good Seattle “fast crêpe” (a la Crêpes A-Go-Go).

Café Crêpe
4508 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

UPDATE: Café Crêpe has closed this location (seems I wasn’t the only one with a ho-hum experience)

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Three things to know about Gorditos: Arguably the best burritos in Seattle, prices are cheap, and portions are HUGE. They are famous for the portion sizes: like grande burritos the size of a small child (if you go they have a picture to prove it).

I’ve heard about Gorditos for years from numerous friends, and they always get a dreamy look in their eyes as they talk about it. But I don’t find myself in Greenwood very often. Today however, it was finally meant to be. LL and I were going to meet DeAnn for lunch in the Greenwood area, and I suggested we try Gorditos. DeAnn’s been looking for good Mexican food ever since she moved to Seattle in August and had so far come up with nada.

Parking in the area is a little tight (there are maybe 5 spots outside dedicated to Gorditos, but we found a spot just a few blocks away). While waiting in line we got to preview the more popular orders. Most were various burritos ordered “wet” (with red sauce and melted cheese on top).

We also were able to witness the two sizes of burritos. The “regular” is what is pictured here. Split three ways we barely managed to finish it off. The “grande” is about 1.6 times the size (only $1 more!) and can supply most people with 3-4 solid meals. We ordered a “regular wet chicken burrito fajita-style” from the friendly cashier. Fajita-style means that in addition to the black beans, salsa, rice, sour cream, and chicken they add grilled onions and bell peppers.

The chicken is seasoned well and grilled fresh, and you definitely should spring for the “wet” burrito — the sauce is a little spicey and filled with chipotle flavor. Definitely worth a trip to Greenwood.

The atmosphere is fairly standard burrito-joint decor, with loud music playing in the background. You’ll need to speak up or order yours to go. But I’ve been told that the grande burrito will not completely fit into a takeout container 🙂

Gorditos
213 North 85th St.
Seattle, WA 98103
206-706-9352
Wed-Mon 10:30am-9pm (Lunch and Dinner)