wrdnrd.net

+ food - Seattle

I love food and i love my city. And so i'd been thinking of doing a Seattle food page. But i am, of course, everso lazy. Fortunately, shortly after i'd been making some updated to my food - resources page, Maki of I was just really very hungry announced her Food Destinations project/contest. Fortuitous!! Just the nudge i needed to get off my butt!

This page is primarily about the city's University District because if you were to visit me then you'd be visiting the U-District -- it's where i live and work, and where i do nearly all of my food shopping and eating-out. And, hey, it's hard to walk 1 full block without hitting a great place to eat.

You'll find a few notes for out-of-town visitors at the bottom of the page.

Enjoy!

- markets

Pike Place Market

Pike Place is my 2nd favorite market in the city. When Seattle was still just a place i visited every few years, i'd daydream about Pike Place Market. Altho' my marketing habits have migrated north to the U-District, i still visit Pike Place every so often, in part out of nostalgia, in part because i do still love it. And there are some great vendors i enjoy visiting at the market: Quality Cheese, Market Spice, World Merchants spice store, Uli's Famous Sausage.

• hours: Check the Market's website for current hours.
• address: 1st Avenue and Pike Street and Pike Place (Downtown).
•              

U-District farmers' market

The U-District market (the oldest of Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets) is my favorite market in the city. Sure, that's in part because it's just 1/2 a block from my apartment. But, despite how crowded it can get during peak hours, it's still a casual enough venue that it's extremely easy to talk to the farmers about what they have in their stall that day and how to prepare it. I've been attending the market every summer since 2003, and the selection has expanded nicely during that time -- one can now easily buy farm fresh eggs on a regular basis, there are now several vendors who sell meat (in 2003 i felt myself lucky to stumble across a produce stand that had a small sign advertising pork), and this past year has seen a gentle explosion of cheese vendors. I buy about 99% of our food at the market: these days, i only visit the grocery store for beer/wine (tho' sometimes there's wine to be had at the market, too, and there's certainly better beer at Bottleworks) and baking supplies. As a marker of how diverse the U-District market's gotten -- earlier this year i bought a tea plant there.

• hours: Saturdays, 9am - 2pm; 1st weekend in may - last weekend in december (tho' there's talk of it going year-round -- woohoo!).
• address: N.E. 50th Street and University Way N.E. -- in the parking lot of the University Heights Center (U-District).
•              

- restaurants

Araya

It's difficult to write about why exactly i love Araya's lunch buffet -- because the items are not clearly marked to explain what they are. Suffice to say that the lunch buffet at this vegetarian Thai place is excellent. And their eggroll-ish things are the only ones i've found anywhere that i like.

• address: 1121 N.E. 45th Street (U-District) -- From The Ave, turn west down N.E. 45th Street and walk downhill 2 blocks.
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger.

 

Chef at Wok

The pun in the name may be groan-worthy, but the food is really quite good . The menu consists of what my Chinese language instructor referred to once as "Americanized Chinese food" -- sweet and sour chicken, wonton soup, potstickers -- all done surprisingly well. I love the sizzling rice soup (chicken, scallops, shrimp, snow peas, and watercress in a chicken broth with hot rice cakes placed on top when it's served to you) and my aunt always goes for the cashew chicken. The pot stickers were once called "the best damn pot stickers" a Seattle Weekly reader had "ever wrapped her lips around," and i can't help but agree.

• address: 12427 Greenwood Avenue N. (Broadview).
• transit: From downtown you can take the #28 to 3rd Avenue NE and NE 125th Street, then walk east uphill a few blocks to reach Greenwood Avenue N.

 

Costa's

We love Costa's primarily for their breakfast menu. (They also serve lunch and dinner, but the one time we ate dinner there i found my chicken parmagiana to be good, but not outstanding -- not when i can eat at Mama Melina.) They have waffles and pancakes, eggs any style, and omelettes. I especially like the omelettes because they're more interesting than just a standard ham-and-cheese or Western omelette: the Russian is hashbrowns and sour cream, the Village (my current favorite) is tomatoes, black olives, green onions, and feta.

• address: 4559 University Way N.E. (U-District).
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com.

 

Herfy's

Herfy's is a local franchise specializing in the grilled/fried food that i love so much from my childhood. If you want stunning, gourmet food, don't eat at Herfy's. If you want a decent burger or chicken strips or fish-n-chips, this is where to go.

• address: 4537-B University Way N.E. (U-District).
• phone #, etc. via local press: Seattle Weekly.
• note: Currently closed on sundays.

 

Mama Melina

Oh, Mama Melina, how do we love thee? Let's count the ways. Your bruschetta tricked my husband into eating -- and liking! -- tomatoes. Your stuffed eggplant was declared "as good as my dad's" by our Italian friend. Your wild mushroom ravioli was divine. Your veal marsala ... your pollo parmagiana ... But i swoon and can write no more!

• address: 4759 Roosevelt Way N.E. (U-District) -- From The Ave, turn west down N.E. 50th Street and walk 4 blocks to Roosevelt Ave N.E.
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: The Stranger.

 

Pagliacci (U-District location)

I have only met 1 person who outright hated Pagliacci, and 1 dissenter aside they are definitely "[p]erennial winner of Seattle Weekly's readers' poll for Best Pizza [...]." Personally, i wouldn't say that their standard cheese, pepperoni, et cetera pizzas are anything to write home about -- they're good, but not outstanding. But where Pagliacci really shines is in their specialties: the Agog Primo (Fontina and mozzarella cheeses, roasted garlic, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, goat cheese, parsley and Kalamata olives on an olive oil base -- yes, i'm quoting these directly from the Pagliacci website) is always a big hit at office parties, and i've loved their South Philly (Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions and fresh parsley over seasoned tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese) and chicken (Chicken marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette, artichoke hearts, red onion, imported peppers, mozzarella, ricotta and parsley on an olive oil sauce) primos.

• address: 4529 University Way N.E. (U-District).
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com, The Stranger.

 

Ruby Restaurant

Ruby has a great brunch deal: for ~$10 you get an omelette, hashbrowns, toast, coffee, and your choice of either a bloody Mary or a mimosa. My current favorite omelette is the Ruby Portabella (portabella mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, mozarella), altho' we have tried all of their omelettes and enjoyed each one. We've also been to Ruby for a very late dinner, for which i had an excellent bowl of chicken-over-couscous.

• address: 4241 University Way N.E. (U-District).
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: Seattle Weekly.

 

S.U.B.S. Sandwiches

What i love about these subs is that everything is thin-sliced: the meat and cheese, the onions and tomatoes. The bread is also just right -- fresh and soft, but not to the point of disintegrating while you try to eat your sandwich. S.U.B.S. used to deliver via scooter, which i, of course, loved, but recently they've switched over to bicycle delivery.

• address: 4754 University Way N.E. (U-District).
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger.

 

Shultzy's

This is the place to go for beer and 'brats -- if you're my husband; the place to go for red beans and rice plus a hard cider -- if you're me.

• address: 4114 University Way N.E. (U-District).
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger.

 

Star Life on the Oasis

Coffee? Who cares? I hate coffee. Then why is a café on this list? Because they have delicious sandwiches for ~$5 (lox cream cheese, thin-sliced onions, and cucumber on a bagel; black forest ham and cheddar), good hot chocolate, and warm, comfortable ambience. But most importantly Star Life on the Oasis is a coffee shop i can trust to do tea 1/2-way decently -- because they just give me the hot water and the pot and i select my own tea from their jars of looseleaf. While you're here, catch a movie at the Grand Illusion Cinema, too!

• address: 1405 N.E. 50th Street (U-District) -- From The Ave, turn east down N.E. 50th Street and walk 1/4 block uphill.
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com, Seattle Weekly.

 

Taco del Mar (in WA)

Yes, it's just a national restaurant chain. How dull, how dull. But i really love fish tacos and Taco del Mar is the closest i can get to a Rubio's fish taco while living 1,500 miles north of San Diego. I also find Taco del Mar's enchiladas and burritos (Mission-style) acceptable here in Seattle, land of "our Mexican food is as bland as our winter weather."

• address: 1313 N.E. 42nd Street (U-District) -- From The Ave, turn west down N.E. 42nd Street and walk 1/4 block.

 

Tandoor Restaurant

Yes, yes, the entrées are great (i love tandoor cooking, so i like to order the tandoor mixed grill), but what i could gorge myself on -- and nearly do each time we go -- are the appetizers. Nan, of course -- would you like it stuffed with chicken and nuts? or with onion and dry mango? or with cottage cheese? or with potato? or with spinach?. And samosa!, pakora! -- yum!! You can get vegetable versions of both samosa and pakora, along with some chutney and chicken tikka in the assorted Indian snacks sampler for $5.95.

• address: 5024 University Way N.E. (U-District).
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger.

 

Thai Tom

We have only been to Thai Tom once, but it has been recommended to me so often and was so tasty the time the spouse and i went that i must pass along the recommendation. My pepper chicken was excellent -- it was hard to stop eating it even tho' i hit "full" about 1/2-way thru'. A co-worker who was born and raised in Laos swears that Thai Tom has the best peanut sauce of any restaurant on The Ave. A note about spiciness: Out of a possible 5 i ordered my dish at 2 stars and it felt more like 4; the spouse, who has notoriously "buff tastebuds," ordered his dish at 3 stars and he felt it was much hotter. Another co-worker claims that if Tom himself is at the stove things do get spicy. Warning: The restaurant seats about 12, including space at the bar, and there's often a line queued up on the sidewalk.

• address: 4543 University Way N.E. (U-District).
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com, Seattle Weekly, The Stranger.

- shops

Bottleworks

This is the place to go for classy beers. You want Young's Oatmeal Stout? Bottleworks has it ... tho' the website doesn't seem to list it, so let's just call it our little secret, ok?

• address: 1710 N. 45th Street (Wallingford). From downtown you can take the #16 into Wallingford, then walk west on N. 45th Street for about 1 or 2 blocks.
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com.

 

University Seafood & Poultry

I have not bothered to visit the fishmongers in Pike Place Market ever since we moved to the U-District and i discovered University Seafood & Poultry just 1/4 block from our apartment. The fish here is delicious: the husband recommends the trout, whereas i love the Dungeness crab and the Copper River salmon (when it's in season). My favorite hidden (not-always-in-stock) treasure in the shop, tho', is Fred's Horseradish -- not "horsey sauce," but simply fresh grated horseradish in vinegar, just the way my Pennsylvania Dutch girl heart likes it.

• address: 1317 N.E. 47th Street (U-District) -- From The Ave, turn west down N.E. 47th Street and walk 1/4 block.
• hours, phone #, etc. via local press: NWSource.com.

 

Uwajimaya

You must go to Uwajimaya. You must. It's a fabulous Asian grocery store in Chinatown/International District, and no food-lover's trip to Seattle is really complete without a visit.

• address: 600 5th Avenue South (Chinatown/International District) -- From downtown, take any bus heading roughly south thru' the Free Ride Zone.

- notes

Seattle street compass directions

Because Seattle is hugged on the west by Puget Sound and on the east by Lake Washington, the city is a long north/south stretch of land. Thus, most streets, and in the U-District especially, run along north/south and east/west grids. A fairly accurate rule of thumb is that if it's an Avenue it will run north/south and if it's a Street it will run east/west. Also, if a street has the compass direction 1st (e.g., N.E. 50th Street), it is (or functions as) a Street and (should) run east/west; if the compass direction is last (e.g., 15th Avenue N.E.), it is/functions as an Avenue and (should) run north/south.

The Ave

The U-District's commercial center lies along the 12-block stretch known as "The Ave." It's real name is University Way N.E. No, i have no idea why it's called "The Ave" -- it just is. I've used both designations interchangeably on this page.

Transit

Getting to the U-District is fairly easy (one of the advantages of living next door to a large university is that we're well saturated with bus lines) -- if you're downtown, take any bus #70, #71, #72, #73, or #74. For restaurants/markets outside the U-District, i've tried to supply route suggestions from downtown. In most instances, tho', the easiest way to create a bus itinerary is via King County Metro's trip planner.

Thanks to Jess for help with adding "Seattle" to Maki's original Food Destinations logo!!

(page last updated: 18 may 2006)

©opyright chris./wrdnrd 2000-2007.