What We've Been Eating Lately...

So, a few people have asked lately what happened to the updates...

First, an apology for not posting something sooner, although we did have a reason.

We are quite glad to announce that Gina is pregnant (and yes, it was on purpose) so the lack of new restaurant reviews was because she hasn't felt like eating a thing over the last month except:

Saltine Crackers. (She gives them two stars.)

We didn't want to make an official announcement until she was past the first trimester, but now that we're into the second we figured it was high time to explain what the heck was going on.

Naturally, since she hasn't been eating much, that means that Brad hasn't been eating out much either. The bulk of his diet:

Cookie Crisp cereal. (He gives it four stars.)

Once Gina is a little further along and she's got her normal appetite back, we'll start posting reviews again. Promise!

Thanks for your patience, we're glad you missed us, and we'll be back soon.

The Guest Critic Returns

It's time for another "very special episode" of Talking With Our Mouths Full, guest starring our son Rhys. We recently returned from a visit with him in Hawaii, and he was so excited about the review he did last time, we told him he could do it again.

First up on Rhys' menu...

Breakfast (for dinner) at Denny's! As you can see from the photo, our little guy loves his morning foods any time of the day. Pictured is the kid's meal of three pancakes, scrambled eggs, one sausage, and extra bacon. According to Rhys:

"It is a really good restaurant, and I liked the bacon."

He gave it five stars. We asked him to be sure, and he confirmed that yes, it's five stars.

Next up was lunch at his elementary school cafeteria. Parents at his school are welcome to have lunch with their kids any time, and tickets for the meal being served that day are available in the main office. We both paid for a meal and Rhys was kind enough to save us two seats next to him at the lunch table. On the menu that day was:

Turkey ham sandwich, tater tots, peaches, chocolate milk, and that sad pile of stuff in the lower-left corner is a "salad".

Rhys says:

"I like eating here. It's close to my class and the food is pretty good. I liked it all and I give it five stars because I have to eat here everyday."

Well said, son. Well said.

The regular critics will be back next week. See you then!

Desert Fire - Tex Mex

Dining Category: Tex-Mex

Price: $$

Address:  7211 166th Avenue NE (Redmond)

Phone Number: 425-895-1500

Website: www.desertfiremex.com

Overview: Located in the Redmond Town Center shopping mall complex, this restaurant is off the beaten path for us both in terms of style and location. Trying hard to look like the first link of a future chain, the interior was generic quasi-Hispanic with the obligatory obnoxious music playing in the background.  From external appearances, Tex-Mex / Southwestern is the style, though there’s a big dollop of Applebee’s in there, too-- featured are ribs, sandwiches, and other choices you might not expect at a place like this.

Food:

Sweet corn tamales

B: We started with the sweet corn tamales. I’m a big fan of tamales and I’ve had lots of varieties served many different ways. The flavor of these weren’t bad, but the size and dimensions of the serving was off. More like big balls of masa (the corn meal used to make them), there was a little too much here. Smaller, more petite servings would have been more appropriate, especially given  that there was nothing in them except for corn kernels. The creamy sauce wasn’t bad, though a little much-- you can see how drenched it is.

Beans, rice and corn tortillas

B: As you can see from the picture, I had beans and rice. while I like the combination in general, the reason I ordered these was because nothing on the menu looked good to me at all, at least, given that most entrees seemed overpriced or had either cream sauce or sour cream as a main ingredient. This restaurant is definitely of the “American” Mexican persuasion, meaning that there’s way too much cheese on everything as a way of making the food more appealing to palates who may not be used to what more traditional flavors can be like. Besides that, I can’t go along with any restaurant that claims to be Southwestern and serves shrimp tacos with breaded shrimp. In any event, what I had was fine, but the menu was a sad mishmash of elements that left me wishing we had gone elsewhere.

Southwest chicken sandwich

G: Although my sandwich looked and smelled good when it arrived, as soon as I picked it up, I knew I was in trouble. just holding it in my hand caused grease to pour out the backside of the bun. Well, that maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. The menu did a good job of making it sound enticing, but none of the flavors came through and were drowned out by the overwhelming amount of mayo. Needless to say, it was a disappointment. 

Service: 

Mediocre. the server was pleasant enough, though with as few people in the place as there was (only three tables were occupied in our section) a few more “how’s it goings?” would have been nice. seriously, if the place is three-quarters empty, you can afford to spend a few more minutes with the diners you do have.

Closing Comments:

G: Don’t bother. It was overpriced and underwhelming.

B: I agree. The restaurant wasn’t authentic in the least, being more like a TGIFriday’s or some other generic box restaurant than a place that’s worth going out to Redmond for. Even if I was already IN Redmond, I wouldn’t stop here again under any circumstances unless I was attending a Soccer Moms & Margaritas convention. 

Rating:

1 out of 5 - We're never coming back

La Creperie Voila - Dessert

Name of Restaurant: La Creperie Voila

Dining Category: Dessert

Price: $

Address: 707 Pike Street Kiosk #1, Seattle (Downtown)

Phone Number: 206-447-3747

Website: www.lacreperievoila.com

Overview:

A small sidewalk shop at the base of the Washington State Trade and Convention Center, it’s easy to pass this place by unless you have some reason to be on foot. There are a few tables to sit at on the sidewalk and the only place to park nearby is a loading zone directly in front, but it’s worth the effort to get here.

Food:

B: I’m not sure what it is about crepes, but they seem to be making a resurgence here in Seattle lately. I can think of at least four places offhand, but this one is by far my favorite. Before we get into the sweet, I do need to mention that this place does offer savory crepes that would be appropriate for lunch or a light dinner, but every time I’m here I can’t help but order the sweet.

G: When I think crepes I usually think sweet, so that is always my preference we when we order one. The crepe in this picture is made up of strawberry compote, vanilla custard and whipped cream. You’ll also notice a bit of Nutella on the side, which of course I just had to add. There are many sweet choices in their menu and you can also add ice cream to any selection. One of the fun parts about this place is being able to watch them make the crepes while you wait, the skills of some of these folks are pretty impressive.

B: We’ve actually managed to make it here several times in spite of the fact that it’s actually pretty inconvenient. Luckily for us, there's never been a parking enforcement officer in the neighborhood when we commandeer the loading zone. The strawberry pictured is my favorite, but the Suzette is quite delicious as well. I have had the savory salmon, and found it not to my taste at all. The lox used didn’t go with the other flavors of the crepe, and was a disappointment. Stick with sweet, I say.

Service:

B: The people here are always attentive and friendly, and they do pay attention when you make a special request. I don’t like my crepes drowning in whipped cream, so I’m quite glad to report that if you ask for it, they generally make it happen.

Closing Comments:

G: As was mentioned before we have already eaten at La Creperie Voila several times so we undoubtedly be going there again. Although the savory choices are not done nearly as well as their sweet, it’s still a good enough reason to make a trip down there.

B: To be perfectly honest, if it was a little easier to stop off there, I'd probably have at least one a week. The location is really my only complaint. But everything else is deliciously top notch on the sweet side. Savory can be hit or miss.

Rating:

4 out of 5 - We would recommend it to a friend

An Apology... And Cake!

So you readers may have noticed that Talking With Our Mouths Full hasnt been updated for a while, and for that we apologize...




Truth be told, we had a great summer with our guest critic (see the Zak's review in the archive for more details) and it was so much fun that we spiraled off our review schedule and had a little trouble getting back on.

Now that summer's over and things have been getting back to normal, we're back on track and resuming our goal of a new review every week.


Once again, our apologies for the lack of updates for our readers, and... it's good to be back.

(P.S.- there's a new review up now... keep scrolling down!)

The Crumpet Shop - Breakfast

The Crumpet Shop

Dining Category: Breakfast

Price: $

Address: 1503 1st Ave (Pike’s Market)

Phone Number: 206-682-1598

Website: n/a

Overview: It’s easy to walk by this small shop near the entrance to the Pike Place Market. It’s overshadowed by the world famous landmark and all its sights and sounds, yet offers it’s own noteworthy experience once you venture inside: savory and sweet crumpets, seasonal sandwiches and certain other breakfast foods.

Food:

B: Truth be told, we’ve been here at least a dozen times or more, and I always like to start my morning off with a savory. Pictured is the egg and ham crumpet, just one of many different hearty options. There is nothing fancy about this, but there doesn’t need to be -- the crumpets are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, and this thing is just as delicious as it looks.

G: Not only have we been to this fabulous shop more than a few times, we’ve also brought multiple family members there to partake of these scrumptious little goodies. I agree that all the pictures you will see of these crumpets look extremely simple, almost to the point of being boring, but they are amazing. The egg and ham is awesome with a little pepper and tabasco sauce. Although we don’t have a picture, my other savory favorite is the egg with diced green peppers and blue cheese. Yum!

B: Just like Gina said, this review may seem a little boring and bland, but the true beauty of this place is that the stars of the show, the crumpets themselves, are just so amazing. Kind of like an english muffin and sort of like a biscuit, these things tread a delicious middle ground and are a fabulous breakfast treat even with just a little jam.

G: I would like to add in here that they also sell the crumpets in bags of six that you can bring home, which we have also been known to do on occasion. And although we can probably eat every single one of them in one sitting, we do try to show some self control and stretch them out over a week or so’s worth of time. They’re as good on the first day as they are on the last. Put in a toaster oven for just a few minutes and smothered in jam, they’re just as good as eating them in the shop.

B: There’s not much else to say about these crusty beauties except that you can get this particularly sinful treat, a crumpet with Nutella smothered on top. I’m not much of a chocolate fan in general, but even I can’t resist the deliciously creamy, nutty spread. Have it once and I guarantee you’ll have it again.

G: Since my husband is so amazing in every other way, I won’t draw attention to his lack of love for chocolate. Sad though it is, it’s a shortcoming I’m willing to overlook. That being said, I won’t blather on about my love of Nutella as I was guilty of doing that in our review of Perche No, suffice it to say I love me some Nutella and it is just as good on crumpets.

Service:

B: One of the best things about this place is that even though it can be very busy at times, the staff is usually very upbeat, attentive, and always willing to crack jokes with the people in line. We have never had a bad service experience here, and we’re always amazed at the consistently congenial counter people.

G: An added perk for those of you with little ones or those of you just curious about the world around you-- you can peek through a large picture window near the front of the store where you can actually watch them making the crumpets.

Closing Comments:

B: If you can’t tell by now, The Crumpet Shop is one of our favorite places in all of Seattle. The prices are cheap, the service is great, and the food is scrumptious enough to go three times a week. They don’t come much better than this.

G: I second that! This place is amazing. My only complaint would be parking. Since it is right on 1st Avenue and close to the hubbub of the Market, parking is not the easiest to find. That being said, it should absolutely not be a deterrent to trying this place out. If you have to circle around a few times, just keep reminding yourselves that it will be absolutely worth it.
Enjoy!

Rating:

5 out of 5 - We're coming back tomorrow

Zak's - Burgers

Zak’s

Dining Category: Burgers

Price: $

Address: 2040 NW Market Street (Ballard)

Phone Number: 206 706-9257

Website: www.zaksinballard.com

Overview: 

Our six-year-old son Rhys is staying with us for the summer this month, so we thought it was only fair that he have a chance to get in on the reviewing. Given his choice of anywhere in the city, he picked this unassuming burger joint on the North side of Market Street. The sort of place where you walk in, grab a menu, and seat yourself, it’s laid-back and easygoing.

Chicken sandwich and french fries

Food:

R: I thought my chicken sandwich was pretty good. I don’t like spicy on my sandwiches, so I liked that they brought my sandwich plain, just how I ordered it. The french fries tasted good. I only sort of liked the tartar sauce that came with the fries.

Service:

R: Our waitress was pretty good at waitressing.

Closing Comments:

R: The bathtub (B&G: there is a claw-foot tub when you walk in and pick up menus, coloring sheets and crayons) was pretty crazy. It had a motor on the back of it and the legs were lizard looking claws standing on balls! One of the posters on the wall had a guy with a head that looked like a burger. I hope that Dad and Gina will bring there again.

Rating:

5 out of 5 - Rhys is going back tomorrow.

*Note to our readers: We, the adults, have been to Zak’s also. The fries are pretty tasty, the tartar is nice, and it’s great that they offer salmon and veggie burgers in addition to beef and chicken. It’s a good place to stop if you’re in the mood and on Market, but there’s no need to drive across the city just to stop here.

3 out of 5 - We could take it or leave it.

This Week We Had Leftovers

Sorry to disappoint, but we're taking this week off to eat leftovers and clean out the fridge... we'll be back next week with a special guest reviewer, so keep your eyes peeled and check back soon.

Thanks for reading! And eating!

Tamarind Tree - Vietnamese

Tamarind Tree

Dining Category: Vietnamese

Price: $-$$

Address: 1036 Jackson Street South Suite A (International District)

Phone Number: 206-860-1404

Website: www.tamarindtreerestaurant.com

Overview:

Tucked away in the furthest corner of a small Asian plaza at the east edge of the International District, this place can be quite hard to find unless you know exactly where to go. Once you locate it, don’t be put off by the slightly seedy area where it’s situated - the inside and outside are two different worlds.

Food:

Quail grilled in tamarind

G: I have to admit I was a little nervous when Brad decided we should start with the quail as an appetizer, but I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. The small game birds tend to be on the oily side, but these quails were nicely done - quite crisp on the outside and juicy, without being oily, on the inside.

B: You know, you can only get about three good bites out of these little suckers, but they had a great grilled flavor and the sauce was a perfect complement. Also, I thought it was an extremely good value for such an exotic appetizer.

Chili pepper lemongrass tofu

G: I really enjoyed the chili pepper tofu. It had a nice flavor to it, and not as spicy and one would think seeing the description. The sweeter sauce was a good accompaniment.

B: For those of you who think that tofu dishes aren’t able to satisfy like a good piece of meat, I would say this is the perfect dish to prove you wrong. This stuff will stick to your ribs.

Kohlrabi garlic prawns

G: I had never heard of kohlrabi before so I was, again, nervous about how the dish would turn out. The vegetable had a texture of undercooked potatoes and it nicely took on the flavor of the sauce it was served in. My only complaints are that there were not enough prawns in the dish and I would have picked a different herb than the dill it was served with. I think having more garlic and less dill would have served the vegetable a bit better, but it was still quite enjoyable.

B: I’m not the biggest dill fan either, but I will say that this dish was very well-prepared. This was my first time having kohlrabi also, and I appreciated the mild almost neutral taste and pleasant crunch. I thought there were plenty of prawns, though. (Gah, did we actually disagree there?!?)

Cognac red banana cake

G: I thought the dessert was delicious. The warm coconut milk/cognac that came with the dish was poured on top before eating and definitely added to the great mix of flavors.

B: Yeah, I agree... this dessert was pretty fantastic if you ask me. Reminiscent of a bread pudding, it was served quite warm and had rich flavors suffused throughout. One thing that really blew my mind was that the red banana looked exactly like shredded pork, so every time I took a bite I kept expecting one thing, but my tongue was telling me something else. I was a little doubtful that it would be as good as it was, but I would absolutely order it again.

Service:

B: Although there seemed to be several people taking plates away, it looked like there was only one person bringing food out and taking care of diners. He was obviously pretty busy and did well for the most part, but wasn’t as attentive as I would have liked and brought the bill before we had a chance to ask about dessert. There should definitely be at least one or two more servers in the main dining area to give our overworked guy a little bit of a break.

Closing Comments:

G: When all is said and done, I really enjoyed Tamarind Tree. I was nervous walking in and not sure what we were going to see, but inside decor was nice, the food was great, and I would definitely bring out of town guests there to see the exotic flavors Seattle has to offer.

B: I totally agree. Places like this are why I love Seattle so much; the menu had a shockingly broad array of standard and unusual choices, and the food was reasonably priced. The restaurant itself had great atmosphere (be sure to check out the cool sinks in the bathroom) and this is a perfect place to bring out of town guests. We will definitely be back.

Rating:

4 out of 5 - We would recommend it to a friend.

Calabria - Italian

Calabria

Dining Category: Italian

Price: $$-$$$

Address: 132 Lake Street South (Kirkland)

Phone Number: 425-822-7350

Website: www.calabriakirkland.com

Overview:

Tucked away in a corner of a strip mall near the upscale section of Kirkland’s waterfront, Calabria is an Italian place that has outside seating and a lounge in addition to the central serving area.

Food:

B: Funny story-- before I met the wife, I would have said Italian was my least-favorite food to eat when going out. It’s usually crazy overpriced, the sauces are bland, and there’s way too much cheese on everything. (FYI: more cheese does not equal better taste.) However, she opened my eyes to what Italian food could taste like, and I’ve been a bigger fan ever since.

G: Yay me!

B: A definite yay for the wife, yes. Anyway, eating at Calabria reminded me of what I disliked about bad Italian in the first place.

G: I am so glad this was not the first Italian place we went to together, or I would probably have never convinced him to try Italian again. This place was awful.

We had a basket of cold bread brought to our table first. It’s just a pet peeve of mine, but if you’re going to bother bringing out bread would it kill you to just warm it up for a second? It seems to me it’s a pretty easy thing to do.

Insalata de bietole - spinach, lemon vinaigrette, candied walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, onions and beets

Then we had salad. The general idea of the salad is one we both enjoy; a vinaigrette with candied nuts and a sprinkle of cheese, so we were looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. There was waaaay too much cheese on top and the lemon vinaigrette, to me, just didn’t go with the rest of the flavors of the salad. It seemed completely out of place.

B: It wasn’t even a vinaigrette, it tasted like straight-up lemon juice to me. I’ve made better salads after cleaning out the fridge. In addition, the description mentioned beets, but there wasn’t a single one to be found on the plate. Hello?!?

Puttanesca - spaghetti with red sauce, anchovy, olives and capers

Moving on to my main dish, puttanesca is probably my favorite pasta presentation of all time, and I usually say that if

a restaurant can do that well, then the rest of their food is probably pretty good. Let’s just say that the rest of the food here probably isn’t pretty good. The sauce was thin, watery, and lacked any bite, the anchovy taste was too pronounced, and the capers tasted like they hadn’t even been simmering in the sauce. I mean, it might have satisfied the technical definition of what puttanesca is, but it certainly didn’t satisfy me.

Pollo alla Calabria - penne pasta with chicken in a gorgonzola cream sauce

G: My dish was also well below par. I don’t normally order dishes with cream sauces because they tend to be a little on the bland side for me and usually swim in sauce. I decided to give this one a shot though-- what can I say? I was in the mood.

I was incredibly disappointed.

For any of you that have read our blog up to this point, you might recall me making mention of the fact that biting into a piece of gristle in meat is an absolute dealbreaker for me. The very first bite I had of this dish was exactly that.

I considered pushing the plate away immediately after that, but since I knew I was going to be writing for all of you folks out there, I figured I needed to do more than one bite to do the review justice. (But it was hard, let me tell you.)

The subsequent bites did little more to impress me. The sauce was a gorgonzola cheese sauce, which the restaurant claims everyone loves. I am not everyone, I guess. I thought it was the wrong choice completely. The cheese had an aftertaste that was overpoweringly bitter, and the more bites I had, the worse it got. Plus, I felt the penne as a pasta choice was all wrong. Every bite was drowning in the cheese sauce caught up inside and outside of the pasta.

Service:

B: The waiter was attentive, but a little on the smarmy side. Considering we were the only people in the place at the time, I would have appreciated a little less attitude, but he met all the requirements and I don’t really have any significant complaints in this category. We got served.

Closing Comments:

B: Just the other day, I was mentioning to the wife that we hadn’t done a negative review in a while and that the blog shouldn’t go all pollyanna every week. It looks like my wish was granted, but the downside was that we actually had to pay money for bad food - not exactly one of my favorite things. There’s nothing else to say here. With all the great Italian to be had in Seattle, this place shouldn’t even be on your radar.

G: Not only will we never be going back there, I will absolutely not be recommending it to anyone I know. I have to admit to you all, I was embarrassed at how much we paid for this mediocre to pathetic meal. Please, for all that is good and holy, do not eat at this restaurant!

Rating:

1 out of 5 - We’re never coming back.

B&O Espresso - Cafe / Dessert

B&O Espresso

Dining Category: Cafe / Dessert

Price: $

Address: 204 Belmont Ave E (Capitol Hill)

Phone Number: 206-322-5028

Website: n/a

Overview:

A fixture in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, the B & O is a great spot for brunch and coffee, and they’re well-known for their wide selection of desserts. Great ambiance and lots of personality, but parking can be a little bit of a pain sometimes.

Food:

Blackjack Chicken Sandwich - jerk chicken, pepper jack cheese, red peppers, guacamole and chipotle spread on herbed foccacia

B: This chicken sandwich is a real favorite of mine. It has a nice, complex set of flavors, but contrary to appearances, it’s actually quite light. You wouldn’t guess so, but the spices and spread aren’t overpowering at all.

G: I agree that the flavors work well together. In the description, the sandwich almost seems like there’s too much on it, but you really can taste each element.

Hummus plate

B: The hummus plate is eye catching, and tastes just like it should. The only real complaint I have is that it would have been nice to have a little more of it. I hate it when the dip runs out and you’re left with a few lonely pita triangles and nothing to put on them.

G: Yeah, there wasn’t really anything unique about the hummus plate-- it was exactly as you would expect it to be. There’s nothing wrong with that; we can all find comfort in the familiar.

French Press

B: I love the French Press coffee here. The B&O used to roast their own beans in the past, and I was sorry to see them let go of that part of the business, but I’m pretty particular about my coffee and I can say I have never been disappointed here.

G: We do tend to lean toward coffee snobbery, don’t we? If you enjoy a nice cup of coffee with your dessert, theirs can’t be beat.

Strawberry tart

B: Speaking of dessert, cherry pie is one of my all time favorite desserts (quite possibly the favorite) but the strawberry tart looked so good, I knew I was going to get a piece two seconds after walking in the front door. The tart was good, but not as good as it looked. It may sound funny to say, but it was a bit too sweet and the crust wasn’t as delicate as I would have liked. Having the French Press to balance it out worked all right, but after having a forkful of my wife’s completely dee-lish cherry pie, I was regretting my decision.

Cherry pie a la mode

G: You totally should have gotten the pie!! I can’t say that cherry is my first pick of pies, but this one was fabulous. It had that great balance of sweet and tart, and was warmed slightly with a side of ice cream. That along with a good cup of coffee... good lord, can’t do much better than that.

Service:

G: I wouldn’t call the service at the B&O bad, but I wouldn’t exactly call it good either. It tends to be pretty mediocre. The waitress was pleasant enough, but we didn’t see much of her.

B: Yeah, being at the B&O sometimes makes me think that I’m lunching at some cozy European cafe, but that doesn’t mean I want European service. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing the wait staff bump it up a notch.

Closing Comments:

G: Overall I really enjoy the B&O, but as we said at the top, parking can be a bit of a hassle though I did see a few signs posted on their doors claiming “parking spots available” at random business around the area. Despite the inconvenience, the food is good, the atmosphere is comfortable and it’s a unique place to bring someone from out of town.

B: Even though the B&O isn’t quite a five-star place, it’s got a special place in my heart. To me, it really encapsulates the ‘Seattle experience’, and it’s been high up on my list of places to go for as long as I’ve been living here. Truth be told, I chose this place as a good spot to take Gina and impress her when we were still early in the courtship phase. Since we’ve been married almost three years now, I think you can guess how that turned out.

Rating:

4 out of 5 - We would recommend it to a friend.

Phuket - Thai

Dining Category: Thai

Price: $

Address: 517 Queen Anne Avenue North (Lower Queen Anne)

Phone Number: 206-284-3700

Website: n/a

Overview:

It's been a long week of 12-hour days, so for this Friday's entry we're pulling out one of our go-to restaurants for a quick and confident rundown. We've been to Phuket several times, and it's been absolutely fabulous every single time. Without further ado (and because we're both freakin' exhausted right now) here's the Cliff's Notes version…

Best. Thai. Food. Ever.

Food:

Chicken Satay - Sweet, tender, and co-co-nutty, they're always done to perfection and come served with a piquant little salad of cucumbers and onions.

Phad Thai with prawns - Unlike most Thai restaurants that phone it in, Phuket's phad thai is always freshly-cooked and full of flavor. If it's the male chef on duty, you'll get a slightly sweeter mix; the female leans a little more savory, though both are excellent.

Broccoli with tofu - a very simple dish, yet one that clearly communicates the complex mix of tastes Thai cuisine can offer. It's absolutely delicious—trust us, you'll be scraping your plate and licking the sauce when the broccoli's gone.

Service:

Phuket is one place where it really depends on who's on duty. Usually things are prompt and attentive, but during the most recent visit, we felt it was a little lacking. Neither of us recognized the server, so maybe it's a new person in training… regardless, it was good enough, and no amount of bad service could ruin food this good.

Closing Comments:

Long story short, we've been to a ton of Thai places in Seattle and this one is hands-down our top pick. The prices are cheap, there's no pretension that some of the swankier places exude, and the food is so good, the words 'diet' or 'restraint'don't exist within its walls. For Thai, this one is (so far) the best place in Seattle, if you ask us… and honestly, we're having a hard time imagining something better.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 - We would recommend it to a friend. (the missing .5 is for the hit or miss service)

El Taco Loco - Mexican

El Taco Loco

Dining Category: Mexican

Price: $

Address: Corner of 15th Avenue NW and NW 49th Street

Phone Number: n/a

Website: n/a

Overview:

A small taco trailer in the middle of an empty lot, it’s immediately visible to the west of the Ballard Bridge (on the Ballard side). Unlike other similar setups, the owners have built a weather shelter/awning sort of thing to provide diners a place to eat away from the elements.

Beans and rice; Spicy pork taco with lettuce, tomato, rice and beans

Food:

G: The thing I hate most when ordering a dish with meat in it is biting down on a piece of nasty. You know what I’m talking about-- that gristly, chewy piece that anyone who has any sense whatsoever throws away when they are preparing their meats to be cooked. Well I’m relieved to say my pork tacos held no such pieces. Yay!

B: Wish I could say the same, wife. Chicken is usually the safer way to go when you’re talking tacos, but in this case my chicken taco had an enormous piece of cellulite and a hard knob of cartilage.

G: Ok, that’s disgusting!

B: True true. Anyway, the actual edible portion of the chicken taco was bland, oily and tasteless. I definitely wouldn’t order it again. The pork on the other hand, was delicious.

Taco regular - choice of meat with cilantro and onion on corn tortillas (there's gristle hiding in here)

G: I agree with that statement. I was fortunate enough to order the Taco Loco with the spicy pork. Although it wasn’t exactly “spicy” it had a nice flavor and there were a couple of salsa accompaniments that were quite tasty.

B: Good call, the red sauce was a great mix of flavor and heat, while the green sauce came off as being quite fresh. Both were unexpectedly delicious. The beans and rice we put the sauce on was the standard stuff, nice and filling but nothing to write home about.

G: I concur. The beans and rice were just so-so, nothing awful, but nothing great either.

Horchata - rice-based drink made from ground up rice and sugar

B: On a side note, I always like when a Mexican place offers horchata-- a sweet, refreshing drink that’s best described as rice water with cinnamon.

G: Only it tastes a heck of a lot better than that description makes it sound.

B: So I ordered a cup and was horrified to find that it was sour and gelatinous, two things good horchata should never be. The owner of the truck must have recognized the look on my face because he immediately asked me how it was. Normally, I would just say “Fine” and toss it in the trash, but for some reason I felt like I could be honest with him. Could have been his eyebrows. Anyway, to his credit he mixed up a new batch on the spot and replaced it, the new stuff being exactly what I was looking for. Disaster averted.

Service:

G: Refer to previous statement... both gentlemen in the taco truck were very friendly and our food was ready in minutes. It’s refreshing to eat somewhere and have it recognized that if the customer isn’t happy, they won’t come back.

B: Yeah, they were super friendly and I can’t imagine that it’s easy to keep a smile on your face when you’re stuck inside an aluminum fry pit on wheels. Kudos to these guys.

Closing Comments:

G: I am hyper critical when it comes to the food I eat, I admit it. If I don’t like something that’s put in front of me, I have no issue with writing the place off (I can’t help it, it’s just the way I’m wired). Except of course when the staff are so freaking nice. It makes me want to tell everyone to run right over to that taco truck and order your hearts out. Unfortunately I wouldn’t be doing much of a service to you foodies out there to tell you to run, not walk, to get some mediocre food, which overall, is exactly what it was. It was okay, but nothing more.

B: Yeah, I agree. The guys working there had a good vibe, and although I might have another one of those spicy pork tacos, the truth is the food there really wasn’t anything to go out of your way for. If you have a couple of bucks in your pocket and you happen to be right there, great. If not, no big loss.

G: But they were super-duper nice!

Rating:

3 out of 5 - We could take it or leave it.