Buddha Ruksa Thai Cuisine

I rarely get to West Seattle because I dont drive but on the few occasions that I do, I rather enjoy the restaurants. Perhaps because its something new, but I also like to leave cap hill and the pretentiousness that awaits you at several of the new restaurants.

I picked up B & B music factory from the airport and they wanted to eat. We stopped by their place to drop off their stuff and began calling around to find a place to get a reservation. It was Saturday and lots of places were packed for the evening. However, we were able to get in at 7:45pm at Buddha ruksa. My brothers favorite Thai place, so he claimed. The place is small with low lighting and every table was packed with diners. This is a comfortable spot and you could tell it was going to be good, the mood in the restaurant was very chill.

Prior to arriving at Buddha ruksa we had a few wild turkey's down the street (in honor of our band) even though our 4th member was off gallivanting in LA. We poured a little out for him. When we sat down I realized how hungry I was and the wild turkey was eating my stomach. I quickly reviewed the menu, satay, calamari, egg rolls, tom yum, fried tofu, crab wonton...we needed something quick. B said the best app was the crab wontons, so we ordered them immediately. The crab wontons were very hot and perfectly crispy. I love anything with cheese and the cream cheese to crab ratio was right on. Nice spicy sweet dipping sauce on the side too.

When it came time for ordering the meal, big B. took the lead. He decided to go for the pork green curry, which is one of my favorites. My only complaint is that we didnt order it a bit more spicy. Very tasty and again came out really hot. Perfection.

We also got an order of fried rice, which again had great balance of seasoning. It was a nice additon to our meal and the cabbage was my favorite part of the dish besides the grilled rice.

Alas, the reason B & B like to come to this spot is for the Crispy Garlic Chicken and now I know why...it was amazing. I could have gotten a whole plate of this for myself. The fried chicken topped with rich spicy garlic on top of some basil leaves made me unable to stop eating. Damn! B knew what he was doing when he ordered, because lucky for us he got two for the table.


I will certainly go back and sample more of their menu. I was interested in some of their other signature dishes including the wonton pad thai and the prawns & pumpkin curry. And for those of you who like crispy duck, they have six different ways.

Check it out. Its fairly reasonable prices too, you know if you've heard about the economy.

Buddha ruksa
Thai cuisine
3520 SW Genesee Street.
Seattle, WA 98126
T. (206) 937 - 7676
F. (206) 923 - 6470

Tuesday - Friday
Lunch & Dinner 11am - 10pm
Saturday & Sunday
Dinner 4pm - 10pm
Closed Monday

The Other Coast Cafe

"East Coast Sandwiches. Northwest Attitude." My guess is what they mean by that is you can get a deli style sandwich that wont cost you 20 bucks. Or that they use New York founded company Boars Head deli meats. Or maybe Northwest attitude means the staff have red hair and lots of tattoos.

Carbo was pretty excited to take me to a place I have never been so we hit up The Other Coast Cafe after one of our day long shopping trips to Target. I love sandwiches. When I was a veggie I had a hard time ever getting the kind of sandwich I truly desired. This place makes great hot sandwiches and also offered some classic cold options including Tuna, Bologna, Italiano and Roast Beef.

Carbo went for the Reuben which featured thin sliced pastrami, swiss, sauerkraut, mustard, and thousand island dressing on rye bread. The 6" set her back $8.25.

I went with what apparently is the most popular sandwich the Rajun Cajun. Thin sliced "cajun style" turkey, pepper jack cheese, tomato & onion with homeade spicy salsa mayo on a fresh crispy on the outside but soft on the inside roll. The 6" was

I hear they have another location downtown, but I think Carbo told me it wasnt as good... I will certainly go back if I ever get to Ballard before the sun goes down.


Mon – Fri: 10:30 am - 6:00 pm
Sat & Sun: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
5315 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: (206) 789-0936

Taco Gringos

I have been thinking about tacos all summer, I think they have passed pizza on the chart of preferred dinner options over the past few months. After meeting up with L. who hadn't eaten dinner yet we walked right by Taco Gringos....and it was obvious this was going to have to do since it was 1am. I decided I would have one taco and L. went with three. We started with four pork tacos. The other options were beef or veggie. Several friends have let me know all the crazy meat they have tried at this place including rabbit, tongue and goat as well as all the creative veggie options including cabbage and tvp. What I have yet to try are the fish tacos, I need to land down there when this happens.

The place is small and the stove and pots they cook in are visible from the street. I do like the simplicity and home style feel of the business and the two guys working were really nice.


Four pork tacos:
The tacos are small, but I think for $2, you get what you pay for. I liked the pork, it was tender and the quality of meat was a surprise. The tacos are simple, just a bit of onion, cilantro and meat. They needed hot sauce which was not a bad thing, because they make that too. The HOT sauce was bomb it tasted like a hot chili sauce. It has the perfect amount of heat that I prefer. Next time, I will try the green sauce.


After eating his three tacos, L. opted for two more. While we waited outside I realized this would be a hard place to eat at when the weather changes since barely 6 people fit inside.



Open Tuesday-Saturday
8pm-3am
1510 East Olive Way
CASH ONLY

Senor Moose Cafe for Brunch

A few weeks ago before going to see Ironman we had brunch at Senor Moose Cafe. Yeah, I said Ironman...it was awesome and so was brunch. As you may have read we have reviewed the dinner at senor moose, which was also quite amazing. Since it was brunch it was time to start with some mimosas. They were tasty and came in nice big cold glasses. perfect.


Then out came the esquites with some tortillas and lime. The cheese was overflowing the bowl and the corn was soaked in rich cream and spices. Damn, it was so good. It was gone in minutes.


We also enjoyed some of their guacamole, which came with fresh chips. I love this guacamole because of its simple spices allowing the flavors of the vegetables to really come through. I sincerely love these chips.

Since it has been too long since we went out, I cannot for the life of me remember what the people had who I was with....sorry. Enjoy the photos and peep their menu online.

L.
A. and R.

I had scrambled eggs with chorizo. This dish was perfectly spicy and rich. I also enjoyed the potatoes and beans. All around this was a good brunch dish, I have even thought about making this at home.


After brunch it was off to more cocktails and then the movie which at this point, I have already seen twice. I seriously need to stop writing these posts before I eat. I am tempted to take a cab to this spot for some esquites.

La Casa Del Mojito

La Casa Del Mojito...

Upon invitation to dinner from our friends who hold down the Wallingford/U-District area they picked this spot they've had many a good time at... including Valentines Day...awwhhh. They have been talking about it for months and finally our schedules all lined up for the night. From the outside you would not be able to tell the amazing menu they have inside. The restaurant was filled with some college kids and some obvious regulars. Colorful artwork lined the walls, everything from paintings to tapestry stuff. I could tell moments after sitting down that the food was gonna be really damn good.

We started with some cocktails. The clear winner for me was the mojito...which was exactly what I needed. As my lady friend put it...it had the perfect amount of mint- making it not just a rum and soda. L. had the Caipirinha, which if you didnt know is the national drink of Brazil made with Cachaca (basically distilled fermented sugarcane). I thought it was nice, but a bit too sweet for me. These drinks were strong and will only set you back 7bucks. I am pretty sure we had more than one round.

Since we were all starving we started with Luam's Platter. This plate came decorated with Yuca Frita, Tostones, Maduros and Guasacaca. I can try and translate this appetizer for my non latin food experienced readers. The Yuca Frita is on the top right, kind of like a fried potato but a lil' more sweet, but still kinda starchy. The Tostones are on the top left of the plate and are fried plantain cakes, they were my favorite!! I love anything that resembles a chip. The bottom of the plate were the Maduros, which to me was just like a pan fried banana but more chewy. I thought it was nicely prepared, but a bit too sweet for me. And right in the center was the Gusacaca which is basically guacamole... Oh snap, I have no idea or I cannot remember what is on the bottom of the plate side left!!!! Someone who was there who might be able to help...???



So onto the Entrees. Below was the coveted Vaca Frito, which two of my fellow diners ordered. This meal consisted of shredded beef mixed with some garlic, onions and lime. Hell, I do not eat beef but was convinced to just taste it....so I did and it was so BOMB. The beef had a crispy deep flavor which pretty much melted in your mouth. The rice and beans (Congri) were also nice and spicy and carried the best flavor which was most likely the juice from the Vaca Frito. This fabulous dish also came with a few more of those plantain cakes and will set you back about $12.95.



RB got down on the Milanesa Carne. This dish looked awesome because it pretty much came with fries (Papas Fritas) and some tasty white rice. I didn't taste his dish, but it looked simple but solid, also $12.95.



I love fish, especially when I do not have to cook it. After some advice from others who had visited this spot...I was steered towards the Pescado Frito. I loved this dish, simply because all of the elements on the plate had their own place. The white fish was dusted with a some seasonings and flour then pan fried. The white rice was again, very tasty and the ensalada was very simple but perfect for the meal. I really like hot sauce so we asked for some and we ended up getting two great sauces, I wish I would have taken a picture! The one that I favored was made with habanero peppers, and it was amazing. I ended up asking what all was in the recipe and come to find out it was just peppers, garlic and oil. I need to make this.



The service was good, the owner was chill and the atmosphere was perfect for date night.
I will go back....soon.

5253 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Reservations: 206-524-4615

"The Diner Evolved" : Steelhead Diner

After CrumbYum's post followed by CarboOverload's post last summer about Steelhead Diner I have been really interested in checkin it out.

The place is BOMB, but I also think it is overpriced. The diner booths surrounded by modern fishing art work and hand tied flies make for a comfortable environment. The booths are small and comfortable for two people so I couldn't imagine sitting in those booths with 4. Because we looked at the website and saw a reservation number earlier in the day we called to ensure we could get in quickly. Good call because the place was packed. Upon sitting down and looking around at our fellow diners I noticed average age was 45 and male.

Immediately we were served some fresh bread and the butter drizzled with pesto that Crumb commented on before. I am just here to confirm it was good. During the time we were tasting the butter we also noticed the great condiments offered on the table. Besides the crystal hot sauce which is quite good, you are also offered alder wood smoked sea salt, habanero garlic pepper and serrano infused white vinegar. I was more than impressed by these and actually considered figuring out how I could get my hands on these things to take home.

Our server was interesting and I felt like she either really loved her job and talking about the food or she was high. Regardless she was cool. She tried to push some specialty cocktails on us all of which ended up being 15 ingredients with a sugary rim. No thanks, we decided to get a few margaritas.
The menu is huge and I feel like they could benefit from cutting a few things off but dont ask me to pick what could go because it all looked great. We decided to start with the flash fried beechers cheese curds that came with a side of tartar sauce and hot mustard. I was thrown off by the tartar but I love tartar so its whatever. The cheese curds were hot and salty, damn i loved beechers cheese.

We also shared the Steelhead Diner House Salad which was described by L. as tasting just like a Whopper. It was a nice classic comfort food tasting salad complete with iceburg, bacon, egg and lorenzo dressing aka creamy french.


We decided to go with a few sandwiches and they were amazing. Both came with fries that were so perfectly cooked and salted that they did in fact remind me of this diner I frequented as a kid with my friend whos mom worked there. I went with the Buttermilk Fried Chicken sandwich. The chicken fry was light and crispy, not at all greasy and it had a nice underlying hint of heat. I also liked the coleslaw dressing that topped the sandwich and the crispy dill pickle.


L. went for the Roasted Pork Sandwich. I tasted the pork and it tasted just like how my mom use to cook pork in the crockpot. It was so soft and flavorful, I could have eaten a huge bowl of it. The pork carried a small hint of heat as well. Something tells me the chef here enjoys smoke and heat. I am not mad.


We were so full we couldnt even consider trying dessert but they had some nice looking options. We got two cups of coffee and just tried to let it all digest. I will certainly go back to try other menu items and maybe even sample their brunch menu. One word of advice is that if you are even in the business of paying $10+ for a sandwich make sure you are also prepared to pay $11 for a drink. Yikes.

95 Pine Street, Pike Place Market
206-625-1029

Kopp's

Kopp's Frozen Custard was the spot I would beg my mom to take me for any occasion I could think of when I was a kid. My brother and I could always count on my aunt to also take us there because she too was rather big on the spot. I remember trying to eat 2 scoops of frozen custard while it melted all over the backseat of her Gremlin. Growing up I had no idea what a true treasure frozen custard really was....until we moved thousands of miles away from Wisconsin to the wonderful town of Spokane WA. Please.

A recent trip to Milwaukee proved that the same quality and taste is still happening at Kopp's. Now if you haven't ever had frozen custard which is a standard and product of the midwest-- then you are missing out. In comparison to ice cream, custard has additional butterfat and egg yolk giving it a smooth creamy rich texture. Preparation also differs than ice cream through an overrun process that adds less air to the custard than ice cream. On the daily Kopp's serves chocolate and vanilla custard along with an extra flavor of the day. I tend to stick with the vanilla but have been known to venture out if inspired.

Check out other flavors here.

One of the best things about this spot is seeing the custard made right in front of your eyes. When you get served it is so fresh, there is no way any other dessert is coming close to this.


We went to Kopp's twice during our trip. L. was addicted. Below is his first go at it with the chocolate truffle.


Now, I know it will not be the same as getting it fresh but Kopp's will ship you 10 flavors of your choice right to your door. My birthday is right around the corner...midwest express.

Cousins Subs: Not available in Seattle

Cousins Subs is a midwest sandwich place which started in Milwaukee, WI. They have a few locations in Arizona and one in Texas and California... but thats about it. The rest of the locations are sprinkled around Gods country. Founded in 1972 this place has got one of my favorite sandwiches ever made. Something about the bread and the sprinkling of oregano makes this in my top 10 list of favorite foods. EVER.

Let me introduce the provolone sub which comes with mayo, lettuce, onion, tomatoes and seasoned with oregano. All of the sandwiches come standard with the MLOT and oregano. It is the simplicity of this sandwich and the amazing bread that make this sandwich the BOMB.


Cousins comes through with a solid list of options. Favorites in my family are the Tuna, Club and BLT. Over the years they started making hot sandwiches like a standard Philly Cheese Steak and added fries. I also saw an advertisement for some sort of Chicken Bacon Bonanza...but I'm sticking with the original cold sandwiches.

I fucking love this place. Every time I go to Milwaukee I try to eat at one of the 18 locations around the city...at least more than once. My brother and I have tried several times to find out what mayo they use and have even tried to figure out how we could open a franchise here in Seattle. To my dismay I found that Cousins is not registered in Washington, wtf.

Perhaps it is the history we have with this place but even other people we have introduced have co-signed these sandwiches. I wonder how much it would cost to have them ship a sandwich overnight...

the (dim) sum of all things

{click to enlarge}

coming from a former dimsum addict (suge and i used to double-dimsum a weekend), Top Gun Seafood in factoria is bizzomb. like, holy wow that place is good. i've been there literally hundreds of times, but i'll never forget my first time there. it was when i was in high school, and my uncle called the family together to enjoy some food and catch up. i don't speak chinese, but he and his family do, so out came all sorts of crazy good shit that's not skating around the room on steel carts, like cold sesamie jellyfish, special noodles, crispy and chopped duck (creatively deemed "duck two ways")...i can't even begin to list it all, but it was truly magical (and that was back in the day before i was sans-meat).

my family is chinese, so when i was younger, we would all go out to dimsum. every weekend. my father has two brothers that live in the greater seattle area, so the extended family would convene for dimsum at least every two months. sun ya used to be our favorite spot, but after changing over to new ownership back in 1999, it's never been the same.

the last time i went to dimsum there was probably 2-3 years ago (i lived next door), and it was good....just different from my rose-tinged memories.

ah, tea. i love tea. one nice thing about Top Gun is that you can ask for different kinds of tea...i always go for jasmine because i love the perfume, but you can get something heavier, like oolong. i also wash my hands with tea after i eat because the tannens cut through any oil that's made it's way onto my hands. :)

so here's the spread: shrimp on green bell pepper with a black bean sauce, hargow (shrimp dumplings encased in a rice noodle hug, turnip cake with flecks of pork, siu mai (pork dumplings with a rice casing on the bottom, nor mai gai (sticky rice stuffed with pork, "gravy," dried shrimp, and lap xioung [delicious sweet sausage]), and shrimp-stuffed eggplant covered in black bean sauce.

here's another look at suge's hargow handstyle. :) i forgot to capture the char siu bau (steamed bun with bbq pork stuffing)!

and of course, the crowd favorite, honey-walnut prawns. i had actually never had these little gems of fried goo until about three years ago, but i do like them. i have a tenuous relationship with shrimp, so i'm not always in the mood for HWP, but these were tasty.

ah, mango pudding. how do i love thee?? covered in condensed milk, of course!!! i like the mango pudding at Top Gun because it has chunks of mango in it, and they make it with a little bit of coconut milk, so there's the slightest hint of that flavor in the pudding. also, it's not really pudding, like bill cosby-style. it's more of a cross between jello and pudding...it's soft, but you couldn't stir it. whatever it is, it's awesome. it actually so inspired me to make some red bean jelly/pudding at home! all i need is a can of lychees, and it's dessert time all the time!

last, but certainly not least, the black sesamie balls. holy crap i love these. they're little balls of mochi covered in black and white toasted sesamie seeds, stuffed with black sesamie puree, and flash fried until the outside is juuuuuust crispy. damn, they're so good. i like the white sesamie balls, too, but they're stuffed with lotus paste, which is a little too rich for me in this particular incarnation.

Top Gun Seafood

12450 SE 38th St
(between S 124th Ave & S Factoria Blvd)
Bellevue, WA 98006

(425) 641-3386

CAVE: this place is uber-busy on the weekends, especially sunday in the post-church time. i would suggest arriving early, like between 10 and 11. if you arrive after 1130, you're completely screwed and will have to wait at least 30 minutes. going late is also an option, when we went, it was nearly 2, but we still had to wait about 15 minutes. you have now been thoroughly warned.

parking is a bitch, too, so park in the back movie theater lot. do not park in marked places, because they will surely tow you. they are serious!