September 7: Cheese Meats Bread

You know by now how much I like a good grilled cheese sandwich, so I was excited in July when I learned a hipster grilled cheese themed joint was opening at Uwajimaya. Turns out, Cheese Meats Bread opened while I was swamped on a project. Let's see what they've got.

The line was short, and service was fast. I ordered a side of tots and The Mac, which is billed as a sandwich made with "sharp cheddar, pimento mac & cheese, hills bacon, brioche roll". Mmm. Bacon. Mmm. Mac and cheese.

Spaghetti tacos were briefly a thing in the early '00s, right? (Ask that millennial sitting next to you). So why not a mac and cheese sandwich?

Then it arrived, and I looked at it. They say when you look into the abyss, it looks back at you. This sandwich stared into my soul. It dared me to try it. Its cheese-filled tubes of pasta gaped back at me. I picked it up and tried it.

So why not a mac and cheese sandwich? Maybe because it's too good, and you'll want another one every lunch for the next week. My only regret is that I haven't had one sooner. It was so. good. Miraculously, the bread was darkly toasted but barely greasy. The pasta was firm but not dry. The bacon was small enough to not interfere with the macaroni's texture, yet added flavor and a bit of substance. Somehow, it still had the stringy cheesy character of a classic grilled cheese, but with the bonus of noodles.

The tots, served in a Chinese food to-go box, were too hot to eat at first. Down side: there's too many of them. The side salad was unremarkable; the sandwich was the clear star of the show here.

I left half the salad and tots behind, but ate every last bit of the sandwich. Did I say it was good? So. good. Get me another one, stat.

Cheese Meats Bread
605 5th Ave S (in Uwajimaya)
The Mac, tots, side salad, Jones root beer, $15.96 

September 5: Kigo Kitchen

I'd spotted the "coming soon" signs of Kigo Kitchen back in June, but forgot about it until our building security guru, who has his finger on the pulse of local openings, handed me a copy of their menu. I'd just returned from a long vacation, and, swamped by work, put off my visit a few more days.

Located next door to Delicatus, Kigo specializes in wok-fired stir fry bowls. All I know about stir fry is that I always eat too much when I visit Chang's Mongolian Grill, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

At first, Kigo's menu appears fairly limited, but the customizations make it extensive. I opted for the Golden Rice Bowl, uncustomized, which includes peanut hoisin sauce, chicken, carrot, spinach, and brown rice, and a fountain drink from Seattle Soda.

Ordering is much like Subway or Taco Del Mar: order at one end of the counter, pay at the other. By the time I'd filled my drink, my name was being called to get my bowl. My first impression: disappointment. There's not a lot of food here. Presentation is "here's a small glop of food in a paper cup."

First impressions can be wrong.

I tucked in at the table overlooking a very smokey, ashy First Avenue, and poked at my bowl. Half rice, half stir fry, it had cooled just enough to eat. The flavor was mild, not overwhelmingly salty or spicy like Chang sometimes shovels my way. The shredded carrots were a little bit crunchy -- or was that the rice? It's hard to tell with it all mixed together.  I ate it quickly, but it was nearly more than I could consume. There's a lot of food in that little space.

Looking for a quick lunch? Kigo isn't a bad choice.

Kigo Kitchen
Golden rice bowl, diet cola, $12.99
105 1st Ave. S.