Zócalo "hopes to open by May 5"

An article in yesterday's Puget Sound Business Journal quotes Zócalo owners Joe Bisacca and Greg Smith: they hope to open by May 5. The 7500-square-foot restaurant is scheduled to be a music venue for Upstream Fest on May 11, so my fingers are crossed that they'll hit this date. Previous missed dates include "late March or early April" (Seattle Times) and "the first week of April" (deleted Monster.com bartender job posting).

As I mentioned in my February 14 post, the PSBJ article says the restaurant wants to avoid Tex-Mex and create "something different and better than just rice, beans, and tacos."

Chef Jeffrey Hunter says he'll start with Mexican cuisine, but looks forward to adding "cool things going on in Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Peru."

On the way into the office today, I was chatting with a co-worker that I feared Zócalo would have the same lack of focus as its sister property, Cherry Street Public House (waffles, quiche, Persian stew, and BLT?). The chef's inspiration here -- Mexico, plus most of the South American continent -- doesn't assuage me.

"Opening soon: Elysian CEO and developer Greg Smith team up for Zócalo restaurant (Photos)" (subscription required, or the ability to parse the hidden parts of the article out of the HTML)

April 26 and 27: Radici

[Closed June 13, 2018]

I walk past Radici on the way to work every day, yet I've always thought "it's too expensive" or "it's mainly a bar with Italian food as a side thought." I was so wrong.

I'd stopped in here a few weeks ago, not for lunch, but for the happy hour. The steamed manila clams were some of the best I've had, with cloves of garlic in the broth so flavorful and delicate they nearly dissolve on the tongue and are worth trolling the bowl for. The crispy polenta bites with honey are like little puffy cornbread squares, slightly crisp on the outside and rich and gluttonous in the middle. But that was happy hour. How's lunch? We went here to celebrate our hard-working admin, and...

O.M.G. I ordered the $9 "Rudy's Red" spaghetti, no meat, and they knocked this one out of the park. The pasta was cooked perfectly, al dente, not the slightest bit mushy or crunchy. The sauce didn't commit the sin of wateriness; tomatoes are mostly water, but it's important to cook it down, filter it out, or (scandalous!) add a thickener for a good American-style spaghetti sauce. It's also very possible that any small bits of residual liquid were absorbed by the pasta, another reason to very slightly undercook it. A few flecks of basil sprinkled across the top presented the best spaghetti I've had in months. It looked, smelled, and tasted so good, I didn't stop to take photos.

My co-workers had a meatball sandwich ($12, "heavenly!"), italian sausage ($11, "really good"), and a Lyonnaise salad featuring a breaded poached egg ($12, "it's great; I don't know how they did this!"). Service was attentive but not intrusive. A full bar is available, although the waiter wasn't sure what pilsner was on tap.

This may have jumped to the top of my list of places to suggest for informal business lunches. Il Terrazo Carmine was great, and for fancy Italian, sure, it's not a bad choice, but the food's just as good, and the prices at Radici are significantly lower.

(April 27: It was so good, I recommended it to another team of mine for lunch today. I had the meatball sandwich. Not quite as good as the spaghetti, but maybe in the top ten meatballs I've had.)

Radici
314 2nd Ave S.
April 26: Spaghetti and a drink, $15 plus tax and tip
April 27: Meatball sandwich, $12 plus tax and tip

April nibbles

Nibbles: quick reviews of new places for which I didn't take time to write a full review.

Raney Brothers pulled pork and fries

Raney Brothers BBQ: This food truck frequently appears on the north side of Occidental Park. The pulled pork with the regular non-spicy sauce was pretty good. Shoestring fries were very slightly overcooked, but spiced with black pepper and a specialty salt of some kind. The pork had a few chewy charred chunks in it, which I really like, and didn't encounter on my visit the previous week to Hole in the Wall (where I'd again had the Hole Pile and devoured it). Raney Brothers Sandwich and fries, $11.00; Hole in the Wall Hole Pile and bottled Diet Coke, $13.49

Post Alley Pizza: My return visit on Good Friday was as good as the first, except their specialty pizza of the day was "pepperoni". An excellent alternative if the line at Pizza Professionals is too long, or if you're in the area. Two slices and a fountain drink, $9.25

Taco Del Mar: What can I say? It's my "I don't want to think about where to eat" destination now. Consistent. Solid. Heavy. Fox News is on the TVs, for what that's worth to you. Mondo burrito, chips, queso, and fountain drink, $11.18

Tat's Delicatessen: Disappointing this time. I ordered the pizza sub, which ended up with a watery tomato sauce, which didn't do the bread any favors. It comes with fries inside the sandwich, too, which is brilliant, but wasn't enough to sop up the puddle. Messy as heck, but even the 8-inch sandwich is a heck of a lot of food, especially when you add another "small" mountain of fries. At least I didn't get the 12-inch like last time. With fountain drink, $14.80

Wet Buns: It's a French dip sandwich, with the interior of the buns pre-dipped. Not as soggy as it sounds, but still a little gloppy. A good food truck choice if you're not craving Mexican, greek, fried, or salads. Shredded beef sandwich, $9.00

Jack's Fish Spot: Nothing new to add. Ordered the same as last time, just as good as last time. 3-piece fish and chips and a can of Diet Coke, $9.90

Zocalo, not yet open

Zocalo: That's the name of the new Mexican place downstairs, opposite Cherry Street Public House, and it's not open yet. The last report from the Seattle Times said it was supposed to have opened "in late March or early April," but that deadline's passed. They had the front windows open last week, and I snapped this shot of the interior. Not shown: an amazingly cool chandelier made of keys, and two more ceiling lamps made of pages that appear to have been ripped from old novels. They don't have much longer to wait, because they're listed as one of the venues for Upstream Fest on May 11-13.

April 12: The Great Northwest Soup Company

My social media stream was full of #NationalGrilledCheeseDay posts this morning, which gave me a craving. So, internet, where's the best grilled cheese in Seattle? The consensus seems to be the Cheese Wizards food truck, which was in Bellevue, so that's no help. The runner up is Beechers, which I found to be disappointing last October. Ballard and Capitol Hill have a few spots, but the former is too far and I just don't feel like taking the light rail and wandering the Hill. Surprisingly, no recommendations for Grand Central Bakery, which I avoid because it's an expensive place with long lines.

That leaves The Great Northwest Soup Company. Confusingly, their website lists locations on Eastlake and Westlake, but the recommendations I saw were for their hole-in-the-wall location in Puget Sound Plaza, right above the University Street bus tunnel station, and across the street from Seattle's best cheesesteaks at Calozzi's.

The line's a bit long, which gives me time to look at the menu. There's ten soups on the menu, several cold sandwiches, and two hot sandwiches, one of which is a Spanish grilled cheese, with chipotle aioli. Sounded good. I ordered combo number 1, a whole grilled cheese and an 8 ounce tomato basil soup. How could someone get a grilled cheese and not get tomato soup? Anything else would just be wrong. I also grabbed a glass-bottle Coke from the cooler. They struggle for a moment to find a bottle opener, but the cook has a well-loved one on his keychain, which opens the bottle after a few attempts.

My order's up a few minutes later. Seating is virtually non-existent. Three fixed stools are in the each corner of the building lobby, and a few metal tables are outside in the rain. I'm lucky enough to get a stool and dig in.

The cheese is a white and yellow blend, probably cheddar, swiss, maybe colby and provalone? Their web site mentions an eight-cheese blend, which seems like overkill, but it was mild and smooth. The oozy strings of cheese between the sandwich halves snapped off at just the right distance, and the sourdough bread didn't suffer the flavor of burnt grill scrapings like I had at Beechers. The bread was, perhaps, just slightly underdone, more spongy than crisp, but not really bad at all -- just 15 more seconds on the grill would have made it a tiny bit better.

Most bites of the sandwich made a visit into the soup before I ate it, the way it should be. The soup was thick, almost a tomato cream, with confetti-sized lumps of creaminess. The basil is subtle, nothing like the overpowering spaghetti sauce I bought a few weeks ago (Paul Newman, your food is disappoint). Once the sandwich is gone, I spoon out the rest. Really, really good.

Wait a second. Chipotle aioli? Where was that? Turns out the Spanish grilled cheese was different than the combo grilled cheese. But I didn't miss it at all. The best grilled cheese in downtown Seattle? Found it.

The Great Northwest Soup Company
1323 4th Ave, in the Puget Sound Plaza
Grilled cheese, tomato basil soup, Coke, $12.09

March 29: 7-Eleven

One of my guilty pleasures is heat lamp chicken strips. Something about letting the chicken sit under the lamp for hours often crisps up the exterior, infuses the meat with the spices in the breading, and just taste delicious. Maybe it's the extra flavor from the risk I know I'm taking, but, yeah, that's a comfort food for me. Safeway's deli does it particularly good. A gas station near Longview did it particularly bad.

Today, I'm craving food so bad it's good. I almost grabbed a Car2Go to drive down to Jack In The Box to get some of their nasty, greasy tacos, but decided to search for chicken strips instead.

So, internet, where's the best chicken strips in town? Ezell's gets great word of mouth. But many blocks from the Link station? Too far. Nate's Wings and Waffles on Capitol Hill? Too sit-down, and if I want pub grub, there's closer. Chicken Valley Farm at Pike Place? Maybe. I'll head that way if I can't find anything closer.

Instead, I head south, vaguely thinking that I remember a deli with chicken strips between here and the stadiums. I poked my head into the Kingdome Deli, but with the undercooked tuna melt they served me a few months ago, I was kinda glad they didn't have fried foods. The King Street Kafé next door also didn't look like a heat lamp chicken strip kind of joint.

I eventually wandered into McCoy's Firehouse, enticed by the chicken strips on their menu, but there weren't any open seats. Fine. I'm headed towards Pike Place, though I'm hoping to find something on the way.

And there it is. 7-Eleven. I get in line behind three down on their luck folks flowing chili onto their hot dogs, and ask the clerk for three chicken strips. "Two?" "No, three please." "I'll give you three, but just charge you for two." Sweet. I grab a drink from the fountain and check out. $3.70, the cheapest meal I've had to date.

Back in the office, I chow down. The breading is thin and soggy. The meat is dry and mostly flavorless. I didn't grab any sauces to go with it, which would have helped. But it's heat lamp chicken strips. Judging by some of the other folks in line, literal beggars can't be choosers. Maybe I should have gone for the Jack In The Box taco bombs. Guess I'll find out in a few hours.

7-Eleven
621 1st Ave.
Chicken strips and a Diet Dr. Pepper, $3.70

March 28: Din Tai Fung

When I first heard we were moving the office to Seattle, one of the highlights, in my mind, was the proximity to the International District and the potential of dim sum for lunch every week.

TThose expectations escalated in December 2015 when I learned that Din Tai Fung was due to open last summer. My expectations were tempered somewhat by a Las Vegas discussion forum, when I'd mentioned that the only dim sum I'd had was at Din Tai Fung in Bellevue and the U District, and at Yong Kang Street at the Paris hotel in Vegas. "You've had the best in the country," I was told, meaning all other dim sum would be lesser quality.

Din Tai Fung missed their opening date, and for my first meal in town, I instead made the mistake of eating at Ping's Dumpling House. Gritty pork is bad pork.

DTF was supposed to open for the holiday, and then got pushed out to early January. I'd given up on them, but was surprised at lunch on Monday (Shanghai Garden, same great food as last time) by a co-worker's statement that they were finally open. Apparently, they opened in early March.

I expected to encounter a long line, and I did, but as a solo diner, I was able to get on their special "bar seating" list and got a seat almost immediately. There were other parties of two and three on that list, so there's a hack for you.

It's the best dim sum in the country, and the price reflects it. As always, I ordered the pork xiao long bao: outstanding soup dumplings that literally spout scalding broth into your mouth. Paired with a side of rice and a pot of tea, it was again the best Chinese food I've had.

Din Tai Fung
600 Pine Street (Pacific Place)
Pork xiao long bao, rice, tea, $24.00

Zócalo? Todos Santos? Opening in early April.

[Edit: Zocálo opened May 5; I reviewed it May 8.]

A job posting this morning on the window of the soon-to-be-open Mexican restaurant downstairs asks for applicants to send e-mail to "zocaloseattle@gmail.com". Zócalo?

I expect that'll be the name of the place. Last November, the liquor license application listed "Todos Santos" as the name. Last month, I dug a little deeper, and found job postings for a general manager position and a chef position at Todos Santos, along with what looked like a placeholder beach logo.

I also pointed out that "Todos Santos," is the name of a coastal Mexican town, and that the name and the beach logo were at odds with the job posting description of "modern Mexican as is currently being executed in Mexico City (not Tex-Mex rice & Beans)." Mexico City is 170 miles from the coast, and the town of Todos Santos is 800 miles away. That would be like opening a Chicago-style pizza place in Washington DC and naming it "Memphis." The name just doesn't work.

Despite that, I was pretty sure that Todos Santos was the name. The next week, I deliberately ignored a Seattle Times article with a one-line preview of the place: "Zocalo will open late March or early April in Pioneer Square, a 7,000-square-foot restaurant in Occidental Square that will focus on the kind of modern cuisine found in Mexico City, the owner said." What does the Times know? They don't even spell it with the accent on the "ó".

The Zócalo in Babylon 5

My first thought, because I'm a nerd, is that the Zócalo was the central marketplace on the cult favorite show Babylon 5, and denotes a plaza for commerce. I guess it works.

But then I checked for job postings again, and on Monster.com, see two positions at "Todos Santos Restaurant & Bar":
- Bartenders for a "Mexican Restaurant in Pioneer Square [for] a large, high-volume scratch cocktail bar"; and
- Cooks and dishwashers for "Mexican cuisine with a focus on local and sustainable ingredients. We will be open seven days a week, for lunch and dinner."

(The bartender job posting also states that it's set to open the first week of April. That's just over a week away!)

Then, finally, on a whim, I decided to see if zocaloseattle.com was a thing. It's a registered domain, but there's nothing there yet. But looking at the domain registration information, I see that Joseph Bisacca is the name of the person who registered it. If you remember, he's one of the founders of Elyssian Brewery, and was one of the names listed on the liquor license application.

The Times was right. Zócalo it is. Or Zocalo, without the accent, but that would be wrong. Todos Santos LLC is likely the name of the parent company. And it's opening next month.

Bring on the tamales. And the ó.

March Nibbles:

Nibbles: quick reviews of new places for which I didn't take time to write a full review.

Blue Water Taco: Ordered the chicken burrito, enchilada style. Tasted OK, but they counted on the heat of the steamed tortilla to melt the cheese on top of it. Just as good as Taco Del Mar, which isn't a high bar to reach. 1000 Second Ave, with a Diet Pepsi, $12.28

Nosh: Had the fish and chips again. That's still a huge piece of fish. Tasty, despite the floppy French fries. Food truck on Occidental Park, with a Diet Coke, $14.25.

Thai Taste: I've walked past here dozens of times. Fast, generic thai food, but big portions. I ordered combo #1: cashew chicken, a spring roll, soup, phad Thai, and rice. Served in a cafeteria tray, but not as bad as that sounds. 601 Second Ave., with tea, $12.50

Samurai Noodle (International District): Smaller than their location on The Ave that I ate at last fall, the menu's just as complete and the ramen is just as good. Seating's tight. 606 Fifth Ave. S., some earthy hearty ramen and tea, $14.18.

Metropolitan Grill: Happy hour here might be one of the best deals in town. The sirloin skewers were wrapped in bacon, a tangy sauce, and a meat coma. 820 Second Ave; meat, two Old Fashioneds, one beer, one mild headache the next morning, $41.77.

March 13: The People's Burger

It's a heavy drizzle today, and I'm avoiding the cafeteria because I hear in the news that the microwaves are spying on us. I want somewhere close, and I'm strongly considering hitting up Pioneer Square Market for something greasy. I'm in that sweet spot of time between the day I get my annual blood draw for checking my cholesterol and the day my doctor says "hey, don't eat that." Hitting the elevator, I consider Asia Ginger Teriyaki instead. It might be a little bit healthier, but I had teriyaki chicken a few nights ago. Grand Central Bakery would probably be a better choice still, but those lines, though. Maybe there's a food truck out there worthwhile.

I step out into the rain, and -- what's that, comrade? -- there's a food truck I haven't seen out here before. The People's Burger? Da svidahnia, other options. The line's short and there's about a dozen others milling around waiting for their order. The guy in the window tells the customer in front of me that it'll take about 10 minutes. I'm getting wet, but decide to order the Drive-In Burger and fries anyway. No vodka nor caviar on the menu.

The sign in the window says their Angus burger is "NW prairie raised", which means something, I guess. Maybe my burger was raised by the farmer 10 miles north of Quincy who yelled at several of us in 2015 for geocaching on the road near his fenceposts. I hope so, because I'm sure yelling makes the beef more tender, but perhaps armed defense of privately-owned prairielands isn't in line with the truck's communist theme. But I digress.

I grabbed an umbrella from the lobby and waited only about five minutes for my order. Rainwater mixed with the ketchup as I pumped it into a cup, and I carried the whole tray back into the office.

It's pretty good. The burger was cooked all the way, no pink, but not overdone and far from tough. It sat in a very thin layer of grease, just enough to make the bun glisten, my keyboard discolor, and my doctor cringe. The fries were floppy, and a few didn't separate from their frozen pals in the oil, so they were a bit underdone. On the plus side, they're tossed with seasoning salt, something that isn't done enough around here. The web site description mentioned a tomato, I found pickle slices instead, which is a huge win. Stupid tomatoes.

If you're young, or you're otherwise healthy, or you don't care what your doctor or babushka says, then this should be on your short list of food trucks. I hope I don't see it again, because I might order another burger.

The People's Burger
Drive-In Burger, fries, Diet Coke, $12.99 (dollars, not rubles)
Food truck in Occidental Park

March 6: Jack's Fish Spot

In search of daffodils and postage stamps, I wandered up to Pike Place during a sunbreak after the morning's light snow. After wandering the stalls of the main market, seeing no daffodils, I decided I wanted a quick lunch. The seafood stands gave me a craving for fish and chips, and I considered Pike Place Chowder, but the line there is always so long. I spotted Jack's Fish Spot on my way out and figured I'd give it a shot.

I've never been to the UK, and I haven't tried Gordon Ramsey's new joint in Vegas, but the fish and chips here are my idea of what authentic British fish and chips ought to be. It may be the best I've ever had. Sorry, Ivar's.

I ordered the 3-piece cod, which was served as six smaller pieces over a bed of floppy skin-on French fries. It's hot enough to burn my mouth, flavorful yet mild, flaky, crispy, tasty goodness. I'm writing this review two days later, and I'm craving it again.

Seating is tight, with round diner stools pressed up against each other at the stainless steel counter, but on this chilly afternoon, I didn't have to rub elbows with the tourists next to me. In the summer, I'm sure this place is packed.

So good. So cheap. I so plan on going there again very, very soon.

(Postage stamps acquired. Daffodils won't be out until next week.)

Jack's Fish Spot
1514 Pike Place (facing the pig; it's behind your right shoulder, corner of Pike Place and Post Alley)
Cod, fries, Diet Coke, $9.90

February 23: Cherry Street Public House

I was out on vacation the first few days that Cherry Street Public House opened, which might have given them the time they needed to smooth over slow service. The general consensus around the office, though, is the food is, shrug, OK, I guess.

One of my coworkers had a gyro earlier this week. After waiting what he said was a very long time for his food, it was bland and just OK.

Another one of my coworkers had their savory waffle. "How was it?" I asked. "OK. Nothing special. Umbria is better."

When the staff told me last week before opening that Persian food was a major menu component, I was skeptical. So... coffee, lamb, and flatbreads? I freely admit that I know zero about Persian foods, but it seemed like an odd combination. Then they released the menu, which didn't make the combination of foods make much more sense, with waffles and lox added to the mix. It's pretty scattered.

But what do I know?  I don't know what a chicken khoresh is supposed to be, so I'm going from the menu. It's a "Persian stew, served over saffron steamed basmati rice with yogurt, fresh herbs, and Persian flat bread, [with] tomato and eggplant." I ordered at the register, grabbed a seat at the counter, and the food arrived very quickly.

I don't have a basis for comparison, so the following is without judgement or opinion: The rice was slightly crunchy, as if it were cooked longer or shorter than typical Chinese rice. The chicken meat, peeking out from under a heavy ladle of the khoresh, was dark grey with yellow and green flecks. Tender, but firm, almost too much to cut with a fork. The khoresh itself was a mild inoffensive blend of tomato and -- I think -- split peas, topped with a sprinkling of fried or dried.. something. Some kind of starch, I think. Maybe grated fried potatoes? Overall, the flavors were very muted, except for the spoonful of veggies, which was contrastingly spicy (and, to my western eyes, unidentifiable).

Overall, just as my coworkers experienced, it was OK. I paired it with a cappuccino, which had a bolder taste than the items on my plate. It was, however, strong enough that it's what I imagine middle-eastern coffee tastes like, so that cleared up a tiny bit of my menu confusion.

Cherry Street Public House has the advantage of being in the same building as our office. Don't go there thinking you'll get something great or out of the ordinary. It's OK. I suppose that's OK. I was just hoping for more.

Cherry Street Public House
210 Occidental Ave S.
Chicken khoresh, cappuccino, $15.62

Downstairs soon: Todos Santos, Cherry Street Public House

The wraps came off of Cherry Street Public House yesterday, revealing a much airier concept than I'd expected. This space just to the left of Weyerhaeuser's front door is bright.

When I think about a coffee shop, I think dark woods, dim lights, browns, tans, and maybe some dusky reds and oranges. You know, Starbucks, Peets, Tully's, Seattle's Best.

When I think pubs, I think nearly the same thing, just with golds added in. I've never been to London or Dublin, but movies tell me that's what they all look like, so it must be true.

Not true with this place. White neon above the light wood bar proclaims that whatever ails you're treating with ale, you won't be nodding off. The blue, green, and white accents at the counter (go, Soundinerhawks!) are mirrored in the blue plates and bowls. The exposed concrete ceiling and industrial-chic ventilation ties in with the Weyerhaeuser offices next door. Today, it looks like they're applying the finishing touches. I might've been able to walk right in, but there's still binders on some tables and a few laptops being poked at. Their Facebook page said "two weeks" on January 30, so it's two days past -- this place looks like it could go live at any minute. "Bar, Coffee Shop. Restaurant." Curiosity abounds.

Our southwest corner, however, is still under brown-paper cover. Back on November 23, I explored a little bit into the name and liquor license application, Rumors from coworkers were that a brewpub was going in the space, perhaps because Elysian Brewing founder Joe Bisacca's name was tied to the site. I felt that "Todos Santos" might be a placeholder name, but today, I'm feeling fairly confident that it's accurate. We won't be lowering growlers down to get them filled with an IPA.

Two job postings I found from December (link, link) describe Todos Santos as "a new, 7,000 square foot modern Mexican restaurant located on Occidental Park in Pioneer Square. The food theme will be modern Mexican as is currently being executed in Mexico City (not Tex-Mex rice and beans)." This is likely to give nearby Casco Antiguo some competition.

So... Mexico City style cuisine? No rice and beans? I'm way over my head here, but Google pointed me to a pair of articles, one about traditional Mexican restaurants in Mexico City, another about a restaurant in Phoenix owned by a woman from Mexico City aiming to remedy the problem that "the Mexican food [in Phoenix] didn’t resemble what she ate in Mexico City."

So: no rice, beans, nachos, or sour cream. Yes to street tacos, guacamole, tamales, perhaps chorizo and potato tortas, and apparently lots of mole sauce. And with the liquor license, you've gotta know there's going to be tequila and, I hope, mezcal.

Also a bit confusing: the name. Todos Santos is a coastal town, about 40 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, so I'd assume by the name that it'd have an emphasis on Mexican seafood. Mexico City is 150 miles from the coasts.

Regardless, I'm excited to see what shows up downstairs, and look forward to the smell of chorizo and pollo wafting up.

(Edit: December 16 update below)

I spoke with an employee of Cherry Street Public House this morning. She says they'll be opening next week (edit to edit) Sunday, February 19, with waffles and other breakfast items in the morning, and lunches focused on -- did I hear her right? -- Persian food, especially stews. She says their menu should be on their Facebook site soon. (edit to edit: now it is! Click the image to the right to embiggen.)

A few more details ("Equipped with a full kitchen, serving breakfast, lunch, late night fare, beer & wine, and of course exceptional coffee!") are in a recent Craigslist job posting.

February 2: Merchants Café and Saloon

I didn't expect to end up here, it just kind of happened. I've walked past it maybe a dozen times, perhaps a dozen more in Google Street View, but didn't take the time to stop into Merchants Café until today.

I left the office for lunch, not sure where I'd end up. I was kinda craving a tuna melt, but I'd already had the one from Grand Central Bakery back in September, and wanted to try somewhere else. Down Washington to 1st, north a block to Yesler. Maybe I'll just grab another slice from Pizza Professionals.

Construction and signage indicated that the sidewalk was closed. I felt bad that Merchants Café, "Seattle's Oldest Restaurant", was being blockaded by construction, so I decided that's where I'd have lunch. I briefly walked out into Yesler, around the construction equipment, but a cop gently reminded me that I should use the crosswalks instead. Three crosswalks later and I'm walking through the swinging saloon doors.

Three regulars are at the bar. One couple is at the table. Michael Bennett is on TV. None of the ghosts are hanging out. The barkeep brings me a menu and a Diet Coke, and I'm pleased to see they serve tuna melts, "on Grand Central Bakery Como bread" (ha!) with Tillamook cheddar. I order it with fries.

It's firmer and less sloppy than Grand Central's was. Flecked with red onion, the mix-ins don't overpower the tuna. The bread is grilled perfectly, not burned, but seared lightly to hold its shape down to the last bite. Perhaps one of the best tuna melts I've had in town.

The menu calls out the "thin cut fries", but instead, they're fairly large chunks of spud. They're not a jo-jo wedge, not even quite steak fries, but the size of a chubby, floppy, rectangular pencil. They're hot, and taste OK, but not great. The surprise 3.2% credit card surcharge left me with a bit of a bad taste.

This place has a long, colorful history, but I had to research it to find out about it. Some sites mention the restaurant's fliers, but I never saw one. I won't rehash what you can already find at Huffington Post, The Stranger, the Merchants' Haunting page, and this YouTube video from Bucket List Bars:

Merchants Café
109 Yesler Way
Tuna melt, fries, Diet Coke, $19.97

January 31: McCoy's Firehouse

Yep -- I've been working in Seattle for more than five months now, and I still hadn't stopped by McCoy's Firehouse for lunch, despite it being less than 500 feet away from the office. It's nice to have so many options.

The joint was pretty busy for a Tuesday lunch hour, but there were still several seats available. The waitress was quick with a Diet Coke, and took my order for the Turkey Dip within a few seconds of me deciding on it. I watched a few minutes of sports talk TV (will the Patriots trade Gronk?), and the food arrived.

I'm not sure if the sandwich had been sitting out too long, or cooked too short, or whether the cheese was too cold, but when I pulled apart the halves, I expected the Swiss cheese to ooze and string and taunt me with its messy melty goodness. Nope. It just kind of broke and flopped. The cold tomato added to the lukewarm nature of the sandwich. I tried to use the au jus to warm it up; it worked, a little.

Flavor-wise, it was fine. The fries were perfectly done, and just at the moment I thought to myself, "Am I going to get a drink refill?", the refill arrived. I was in and out in about 30 minutes, so props to their quick service.

McCoy's Firehouse
172 S. Washington St.
Turkey dip, fries, Diet Coke, $14.23

January Nibbles: MOD Pizza, Tenoch, Zaccagni, Shanghai Garden

Nibbles: quick reviews of new places for which I didn't take time to write a full review.

MOD Pizza: I felt like a walk, so headed to this chain's Union Square location. It's pizza made to order at the counter, kind of like Subway's counter service, but so much better. Pizza is made the way I like it: crispy, messy, made to order. Plenty of table seating in this tatooed/pierced/skater style place. 1302 6th Ave., Pizza with unlimited toppings and soft drink, $11.44

Tenoch Mexican Grill: Craving a burrito, I turned to Google. Its sources pointed me here. They serve burritos in the style of a Taco del Mar assembly line, but much more authentic. Three different styles of chicken; I had the adobado, which was very good. Walk to here via Main, not Washington, unless you enjoy being confronted by junkies screaming at lampposts. Limited table seating in this mamá-y-papá joint. 208 5th Ave. S., pollo adobado burrito and bottle of Coke Zero, $11.07

Zaccagni: An errand found me near the Marion Food Court, where I'd eaten at 206 Burger, and where I'd planned to eat at Thai2Go. The line was too long, so I had a chicken parm sandwich here instead. A bit slippery, a lot messy, and much more than I really should have eaten. Cooked on the spot, yet colder than it should have been. My side order of fries was unnecessary. Meh. 823 3rd Ave., chicken parm sandwich and bag of fries, $13.40

Shanghai Garden: With six coworkers, we sat at the big round table and shared everything spinning around the lazy Susan. Highlights were the green beans, the hand-shaved noodles, and the dumplings. Everything else was merely very, very good. 524 6th Ave S., taste of almost everything with bill split 7 ways, $23.45

January 9: Marcela's Creole Cookery

[Closing December 22]

I had to drive in to leave early last Friday, and parked in the Butler Garage. On the walk back to the office, I walked past Marcela's Creole Cookery, just downhill from Smith Tower. My maternal great grandfather from the bayou would be ashamed, but I don't really know gumbo from jambalaya, but it sounded good, so today, that's lunch.

I ordered "The Sampler," consisting of jambalaya (dirty rice, andouille sausage, and shrimp), gumbo (the same thing, in a spicy soup), and a slice of crawfish pie.

Served quickly, it was all good. The server offered a bottle of hot sauce, but I declined. The gumbo was plenty spicy (I didn't finish it), the jambalaya was well balanced, and the crawfish pie was much, much better than it sounded. Think of a chicken pot pie, but with enough corn starch in the filling to keep its shape, big enough to cut slices out of, and made with crawfish. A thin pastry crust on the edge and bottom provided a delicate base to the hearty crawfish and its mash of peppers, onions, and other veggies. So good.

Service was fast, and the atmosphere evoked thoughts of "yeah, maybe I should go to Mardi Gras this year." If I knew what authentic Cajun cooking was, I'd proclaim this is it. I just know it was good.

Marcela's Creole Cookery
106 James Street
Jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish pie, iced tea, $16.39

December 8: Il Corvo

I've intended to go to Il Corvo for weeks now, but the daunting prospect of standing in a long, long line has kept me away. Today, however, at 11 AM, a co-worker suggests it, and we go early. It's just on the back side of Smith Tower, and the line is just to the door, not up the block as it would be an hour later. The people arriving after us have to stand outside.

They sell three entrées a day, and they don't say what they are until nearly lunch time, when they post it on their blog. Today we were given a choice of ditali, with cranberry beans, sofritto and rosemary; the spicy bucatini all’amatriciana; or pappardelle alla bolognese. I chose the bucatini; my co-worker ordered the pappardelle. We also each ordered sides of focaccia, and a bowl of olives to share.

The bread was surprisingly light for focaccia, and despite being the size of a small brick, I gobbled it down. The olives, unpitted, were of three varieties. I tried to take the first one with a fork, but it was too solid. Good thing, too: Miss Manners and Emily Post say that food removed from your mouth should exit in the same method it went in. It would have been tough to use a fork to spit out the pits. As the stack of expectorated pits pile up, the pasta arrived.

My co-worker said the pappardelle was very good -- so good, in fact, that 24 hours later, he went to Il Corvo's studio (two blocks behind our office) and bought some fresh pappardelle to cook at home. My bucatini was some of the best pasta I've had in ages. Perfectly al dente, the hollow noodles held the spicy amatriciana sauce like a 1980s liquid-center gum. The sauce was thick, with the ground pork taking an appropriate back seat to the outspoken tomato and subtly nutty cheese.

Worth waiting in a line halfway up James Street? There's so many other good choices around, I'd say maybe not. But if I'm craving pasta, or if they come up with something that sounds absolutely amazing in their daily rotation, or if I remember to get there at 11:15 instead of 12:15, then it's definitely worth a few minutes of standing in the cold.

Il Corvo
217 James St
Bucatini all'amatriciana, focaccia, olives, San Pellegrino, $18.36

December 6: Mangia Me

(It's December, so repeats are happening, like yesterday's visit to Pizza Professionals. Repeat visits get comments to the original post. Today's is a new location, so gets its own post.)

Quick bite, no photos: Stopped at the Mangia Me food truck on a busy day, with no time to hit Salumi's gnocchi day with my co-workers. Had the rigatoni Gorgonzola, but its bad outweighed its good.

The chicken was a little tough, and the Gorgonzola sauce was quite soupy. The rigatoni was fine, and the sauce had the slightly earthy, pungent, yet pleasant Gorgonzola flavor, but there was one bite with a bit of grit, like a clam chowder. Bone fragment? Peppercorn shard? I'll choose not to think about it.

Served with a slice of bread, which I expected to be tough and crusty, but was pleasantly soft.

Skip it.

Mangia Me
Truck on Occidental Square
Rigaoni gorgonzola, bread, Coke, $13

Achievement unlocked. So what's next?

(Spoiler: I buried the lede at the end. There's two potentially tasty options coming to our building.)

Now I'm uber hungry.

I won't be back in the office until December 5, so today marks the successful end of this quest. I've visited 45 restaurants in three months, and I've still got quite a list of places to try (including Radici, Nirmal's, Café Poloma, Il Corvo, MOD Pizza, and Seven Star Pepper). I also plan to try delivery services like Uber Eats, Peach, Amazon Now, and others more frequently than that one time I got a breakfast burrito.

Early on, I thought that it might be challenging to find places, but there's so much out there, and you readers have been helpful with suggestions, lunch invitations, and kind words. Thanks.

So what's next? I'll continue to update with new posts when I go somewhere new and comments to existing articles when I return. Expect a slower pace, though; if nothing's new, I won't add something just to say so.

To answer some occasional questions on my experience: the worst part about this project (other than the three pounds I've gained) was the inability to go back to places I really enjoyed and to foods on their menu I missed. I want to get a cheesesteak from Tat's. I want gnocchi from Salumi. I'm still craving the fish and chips from Nosh, if I can convince myself to skip the rabbit. Pioneer Square Market might be my default when I'm in a hurry and want something cheap and basic. And I'm told that I missed out by not getting the biscuits and gravy from Biscuit Bitch.

There's also foods that were so good I want them again. I'm looking at you, dolsot bibimbap from Tofully; you, slice of pizza from Pizza Professionals; and you, bag of Dick's at the Capitol Hill light rail stop.

I might also give some sub-par places another chance: Box House's hamburgers probably don't always taste freezer burned, Bakeman's sandwiches are probably good if I'm not worrying about how to pay for it, and Von's 1000 Spirits probably does better than their tragically gloppy chicken adobo sandwich.

On top of all that, Urban Visions' CEO and Founder Gregory Smith is partnering to open Cherry Street Public House in the northwest corner of our building in January, and he's listed as the registered agent for the mysterious Todos Santos Restaurant listed on the liquor application in the southwest corner (also listed: Elysian Brewery founder Joe Bisacca). I'm definitely going to be spending time in both of those places next year. Can I lower down a growler on a rope and pulley, Greg?

Stay tuned.

From the Liquor and Cannabis Board's
"Statewide new license applications (for past 30 days)"

November 23: Rain Shadow Meats

[Last day in business: May 18, 2018]

"Rain Shadow Meats is really close to our new building." -- multiple people in our old corporate headquarters, a year ago.

"Have you tried Rain Shadow Meats yet?" -- multiple people, the last three months.

"We had Rain Shadow Meats for lunch. It's so good!" -- more co-workers, last week.

In an effort to save the best for last, yes, I tried Rain Shadow Meats today. It's only two blocks down Occidental, and is primarily a butcher shop, with restaurant counter-service appearing slightly secondary.

It's a typical late November day in Seattle, 48°, overcast, a little windy, and threatening showers, so I'm drawn to the hot sandwiches on their menu. Steak? French dip? Chorizo? They all sound good, but I decide on the porchetta, described as "slow roasted pork loin and belly, crispy pork skin, sauce verte, French bread." The cashier subtly corrects my horrendous pronunciation: it's "por-ketta" not "porch-etta." Derp.

The menu cautions that there may be a 10-minute wait, but I'm in and out in five, and bring it back to the office where I'm scrambling to finish a pile of work before the holiday weekend and an out-of-state trip. I grab a cup of coffee on the way past the kitchenette.

Unwrapping the sandwich, I'm surprised how, well, green it is. Very verte. Parsley, olive oil, garlic -- and maybe lemon juice and chives? --  combine to visually shout its presence. The bread is a crusty baguette-style, which does an outstanding job of absorbing the green sauce yet isolating it from the outer layer, preventing it from dissolving the bread. As I chow down on one end of the sandwich, chunks of pork are plummeting off of the other end onto the wrap. More to eat later.

The pork is great: solid but tender, mildly flavorful, and not at all greasy. It's just a tiny bit on the dry side, but the sauce verte covers up that minor flaw successfully. Chalkboards on site mentioned that they source their pork from Tails & Trotters in Ephrata, probably just down the road from Quincy's fields of data centers. The pigs are finished on a 60-90 day diet of hazelnuts, which allegedly adds flavor and increases the healthy fats. It might just be done for the prosciutto pigs, but I know it tasted darn good. I grabbed a fork from the kitchenette to get the leftovers off the wrap.

And with that, my three-month lunch project is complete. What's next? Slower updates, repeats, and a little hyper-local restaurant news. Details in my next post.

Rain Shadow Meats
404 Occidental Ave. S (joke about 404: not found)
Porchetta sandwich, $14.25

November 21: Planet Java Diner

I gotta confess -- I've eaten at Planet Java once before. Coincidentally, it was exactly one year ago yesterday, before I was due at meeting several blocks north of here. My breakfast that morning was good, but I hadn't tried them for lunch, and really, it was well before this project, so I don't really consider it a repeat.

With two lunches left until I can start repeating (business travel and telework will take up the rest), I wanted to pick some of the spots I'd been saving: Il Corvo (hmm; tuna noodle didn't sound good today), Rain Shadow Meats² (saving for Wednesday), or Radici (yeah, just not feeling pasta today).

Feeling wishy-washy, I remembered Planet Java. It's a 50s-style diner, and I figured a burger and fries were what I really wanted today.

A short walk from the office, up three steps, and I'm in the diner. I pick a booth seat, and the waitress is quick with a menu and to take my drink order. Season 1 episode 1 of Barnaby Jones is playing on the TV; he's roughing up some guy in an elevator.

Back at the old HQ building, my go-to lunch was a tuna melt, fries with seasoning salt, and a diet Pepsi. The Planet Java menu listed several burgers, but seeing the tuna melt on their menu, I went all wishy-washy again and for old times sake, ordered it.

Barnaby Jones is in the darkroom, talking bullet striations between commercials for treadmills and asbestos lawyers.

Unlike the grill in the old office, it did not arrive with mushy bread and cold tuna inside. Instead, the sourdough was lightly grilled, crispy, and not dissolving. The tuna was flecked with bits of celery, and some had oozed out the sides, slightly charred by the grill -- just the way I like it. The mayonnaise mixed with the tuna was just a little too pungent; maybe just a little too much mustard, but certainly edible.

The steak fries, much to my surprise, were dusted with seasoning salt, just like back at the old HQ. This is a big plus in my book.

Barnaby is intercepting the money drop, revealing that there were multiple killers.

The waitress was friendly, quick to refill my drink and with the iPad checkout. I finish up as the credits start to roll.

Planet Java Diner
72 S. Washington St.
Tuna melt, fries, diet Coke, $15.46.

(Note: My original post said I'd eaten at Planet Java just a few minutes after I shot video of our yet-to-be constructed HQ in August 2014. I corrected it when I found my receipt, but I'm leaving this link here for posterity.)

November 18: Shawn O'Donnell's American Grill and Irish Pub

At around 12:30 this afternoon, a co-worker asked me, "where are you going for lunch today?" Crap -- I've lost track of time, and have no idea where I'm going. I'd considered MOD Pizza at Two Union Square, but didn't want to take the time to slog through the transit tunnel. Food trucks? Asian food (Bomba Fusion) and French dip sandwiches (Wet Buns) are my options, and those don't sound right today. Maybe today's the day I try Il Corvo? Nope -- today's specialty contains Brussels sprouts.

It occurred to me, though, that Shawn O'Donnell's was on the way there, in the base of the Smith Tower. Their lunch specials board always intrigued me when I walked by, making me think I should stop in one of these days. Why not today? Besides, they've got a bacon cheeseburger listed, and that sounds really good.

The place feels about a third full when I arrive, busy for a sit-down lunch spot around here. It's spacious and feels just like you'd expect an Irish pub in Seattle to feel: lots of wood, signs on every surface advertising whiskeys, Guinness, and the Sounders,  The bartender is also my waiter, and welcomes me to sit anywhere I'd like. I grab a table near the door, which was subjected to a blast of cold November wind every time someone left, but that was my fault.

I look longingly at the whiskey list, and at the bar, and their happy hour specials later in the day. This really feels like the kind of place I could make my neighborhood bar, moreso than Good Bar or Fuel or McCoy's Firehouse. It might be my new favorite in the area. Upscale, but not pretentious. Loud, but not noisy. Wide variety. Friendly service.

But darn my company's alcohol rules!

He brings me an iced tea, and despite my initial desire for the cheeseburger, the two-piece fish and chips sound better for some reason. Perhaps I was still thinking about the good looking fish that was coming out of the Nosh truck on Wednesday. I'm expecting Sysco's finest mass-produced cod filets, and there's nothing in the lunch special section of the menu to suggest otherwise, but I order it anyway.

After just a few minutes of watching Leverkusen come back to tie Leipzig in a football match (spoiler: Leipzig came back to win after I left), the bartender delivers the basket of fish and chips. The fish looks good, and somewhat mis-shapen for mass-produced cod. I squeezed the lemon wedge over the filets and bite into one, slightly scalding my tongue. It's really good. Despite my mistaken thought that it may be mass-produced Sysco fish (spoiler: it's not), but it was tasty.

(Back at the office, I looked at their full menu. "We start with fresh snow-white cod, then cut it, lightly bread it, and fry it up all right in the building. Served with fries and our house made tartar." That's why it was so good.)

I dig into the fries, and they're good, too. No complaints.

The bartender is quick to clear my basket when I'm done, offering extra fries if I wanted them (I declined). He delivers the check quickly, I sign it, and I'm out of there with plenty of lunch hour time left. It was an excellent experience all around.

Shawn O'Donnell's American Grill and Irish Pub
Smith Tower, 508 2nd Ave.
Fish and chips, iced tea, $15.14

November 17: Samurai Noodle (U-District)

I met up with a friend in the U District for lunch today, so my discussion below about Samurai Noodle is in relation to their location on The Ave. They've also got a location in the International District, and I've got no reason to think they're any different.

Also, our conversation was so engaging that I forgot to take a photo of my food. Here's the menu photo. It's true to life.

But let's back up. Yesterday, when trying to figure out where to meet up for lunch, I remembered news from a year or so ago that two ramen restaurants had opened in Las Vegas, and last week that one of them had closed. The concept of a ramen restaurant intrigued me, and I discovered Samurai Noodle in my Google search of Seattle restaurants.

Today, I asked Google how best to get to The Ave, and it suggested a 31 minute transit ride, with transfers, or a 14 minute Uber ride. I used Uber Pool for the first time, and for the cost of $5.75 and a two-block detour to pick someone else up at Century Link, it got me there, 10 minutes before the "estimated latest" time it expected.

While waiting for my friend to arrive, I ordered a cup of genmaicha tea. Boiling hot with a single tea bag, I was unable to even pick up the cup for several minutes. The waitress explained that it's made with green tea and roasted brown rice, which is exactly the flavor profile that came through.

My friend and I both ordered the mushroom ramen. It arrived quickly, and hit the spot. Very much like a phở, the broth was mild and earthy, and the ramen noodles were more like a heavy vermicelli, nothing like the styrofoam bricks of Top Ramen I chowed on when I was younger. There were two or three varieties of mushrooms in the bowl, although I don't remember what they were. Too much conversation; not enough blog preparation. Sorry.

I took Uber Pool back to the office. It took six minutes for my driver to arrive; there was already a passenger in the back seat. We dropped her off at Westlake Center, and I got dropped off back at the office. $4.78. bringing the round trip fare to $10.53.

Signs also say that they deliver through Uber Eats, Amazon Fresh, and Yelp's Eat 24. However, their International District location is only a 9-minute walk away from the office, in Uwajimaya Village. Good stuff. I plan to eat there in December.

Samurai Noodle
4138 University Way (but also at 606 5th Ave S)
Mushroom ramen and tea, $14.22 (plus $10.53 to get there and back via Uber)

November 16: Nosh

In a rush today, still catching up on projects. The Occidental Food Truck schedule said that Delfino's (tried it), El Cabrito (tried it), Chicken Over Rice (doesn't sound good), and Nosh were in the square. Co-workers mentioned in the past that the fish and chips was really good, so I planned to get it.

Then I saw they served rabbit, and decided to send my lunch off the rails. Never mind that I've never had rabbit before. I heard it tastes like chicken. The guy behind me in line told his friend it tastes like chicken. It looks like chicken. Chicken sounds OK today.

My order, with fries and a mint raspberry Arnold Palmer, came up quickly, despite the line of a dozen people ordering. I brought it back inside the office to my workbench to eat.

I gently bit into the end of the thick slab of breaded meat, not knowing what to expect. There's a bone, just like chicken. The buttermilk breading is thin but adhered well, not overly spiced. The meat looks like chicken, but really, tastes more like dark meat turkey. It's tender, and doesn't stick to the bone as firmly as a chicken drumstick would. It's quite greasy, a four-napkin meal. Granted, the menu describes it as an "olive oil confit," but until I just checked Wikipedia, I didn't know that it meant it was slow cooked in oil. Fair enough. I learned something today.

The fries are salted a little heavily, but that's fine. The drink is strong on the sweet, light on the mint.

I avoided eating the cabbage/apple blend, because, I mean, really, that stuff's rabbit food.

Nosh
Truck on Occidental Square
Rabbit, fries, Arnold Palmer, $14.25

November 15: Pioneer Square Market and Deli

[Closed: May 31, 2018]

After 2½ months of writing this blog, I'd managed to only gain three pounds. Then, this last weekend, I took a five-day trip to a wedding in Houston, and gained four more. I had so much Mexican food -- from Taco Cabana to Torchy's to Mamacita's, I think that was just four pounds of tortilla. Plus fancy food from Maggiano's and not-so-fancy food from Denny's and IHOP. That nearly did me in.

So, yeah, it's good to be back. This morning, I think to myself that I need to eat something healthy. Probably gonna go to Sprout today.

Then reality hits, and I've got a week's worth of work to catch up on. I need something quick, close, and I just don't feel like salad.

The Pioneer Square Market and Deli in on my daily path to and from the train. I've been saving it for a day like today, when I'm in a hurry and don't feel like food trucking. From the outside, it looks like it might be a somewhat grungy bodega with a kitchen attached. Inside, however, the single aisle of snacks and drinks seems like an afterthought. Fresh wooden floors and airy bright space remind me -- in a good way -- of the new Bartells a few blocks up the street.

There's nobody in line and just a few people sitting at the tables. I order the chicken strips and fries, and the friendly guy behind the counter reminds me that a can of soda is included and points me to the cooler. I grab a seat, and a few minutes later, they call out "number 29". In a nice bit of customer service, they already have the tray to my table before I'm even able to leave my chair.

The chicken strips at first are a little disappointing. They're small, malformed, and just don't look right. I'm expecting them to look like the ones you get from a gas station case or, if I'm lucky, at Red Robin or The Ram. These look more like some chicken/funnel cake mutation.

Eating them, though, they're quite good. Unlike the normal breading, they use a tempura batter. Strange, but tasty. There's a tiny bit too much moisture in the chicken, so the breading slipped off of one piece as I was eating it, but it was still tasty. The fries are thick-cut and cooked perfectly.

A dipping cup of ranch sauce is included. I probably could have asked for ketchup or tartar sauce, but didn't bother -- I was in a hurry to get back to work, and did: 25 minutes desk-to-desk.

The menu is extensive. The prices are cheap. If you're looking for good food for very little money, the Pioneer Square Market and Deli is the place for you. But healthy? Maybe I'll do healthy tomorrow.

Pioneer Square Market and Deli
322 2nd Avenue S.
Chicken strips, fries, can of diet Dr. Pepper, $7.66