doramicat's Profile
New Banh Mi place Lynnwood- Yeh Yeh's
The last time I was there, they were having a sandwich contest:
philly cheese steak style vs braised brisket.
I'm gonna hafta try both!
Budget-Friendly Chowing in Vancouver
Hi! Sorry for the late reply, but thank you again for the Richmond list. Chen's Shanghai Kitchen was great! Plus we had some great bubble drinks at the Aberdeen food court. My Aunt also recommended Michigan Noodle and Congee house, which was fantastic - especially the beef tendon and dumpling noodle soup, and the salt/pepper chicken knees. So delicious! We went twice!
Budget-Friendly Chowing in Vancouver
Wow, thanks for that list! It looks amazing! We are planning a trip to the area this weekend, and this list will be very handy. Do you happen to have one for the Richmond area too?
Red Line Burger (Great burgers in Lynnwood)
My kid's preschool class did a field trip to Red Line Burger in Lynnwood, (20801 HWY 99), and afterwards he told me about it. My 5-year old is a Chowhound!
Anyway, they have fantastic burgers. They use hormone free beef, and dang, they taste great, cause they're made to order. There are only four main variations of burgers, and so far, I've tried three. My favorite is the Wheelie, which is Teriyaki basted with grilled pineapple. The owner said they usually shoot for medium rare burgers, but will go more rare if you ask for it.
They also do baskets, (Cod, Prawns, Oysters, Chicken strips). I had the Oysters which were ok, but I think the burgers here are the stars. I have to say though, the fries are on the soggy side. My kids love watching the raw whole potatoes go into the fry maker which cuts them into strips before frying. The fries are sprinkled with sea salt, and taste best at the start, but as they cool, they do start getting limp and sad.
Onion rings are hot and crispy though. I've yet to try the deep fried Mushrooms, but that's next!
It's a clean, tiny place, with about 4 tables, and a counter. I highly recommend the burgers!
New Banh Mi place Lynnwood- Yeh Yeh's
I love Yeh Yeh's too. And the Grilled Salmon Bahn Mi is my favorite, followed by the Grilled Beef. And then to wash it all down with a strong Vietnamese Coffee. Now that's livin'!
Alderwood H Mart
The HMART is now open, and it is just so beautiful. The cashier i spoke to said it's only been open about 10 days, and zowie! Is it ever great! Everything is super clean and new! The vegetables are so beautifully arranged, and you can find Asian herbs like curry leaf that are hard to find in other markets, and then they also had the most fragrant guavas - a big pile of them - the aroma made me swoon. (well, they did cost about $5.50/lb so i only bought one!) The meats selection looks great, with exotics like black silkie chicken, and black skin goat, and loads of pre-sliced meats. Seafoods looked great too. I think i am going to be shopping here a lot. It makes Pal-Do world and Boo-han look pretty shabby.
Alderwood H Mart opening date?
The HMART is now open, and it is just so beautiful. The cashier i spoke to said it's only been open about 10 days, and zowie! Is it ever great! Everything is super clean and new! The vegetables are so beautifully arranged, and you can find Asian herbs like curry leaf that are hard to find in other markets, and then they also had the most fragrant guavas - a big pile of them - the aroma made me swoon. The meats selection looks great, with exotics like black silkie chicken, and black skin goat, and loads of pre-sliced meats. Seafoods looked great too.
The dry groceries goods are of course more Korean-centric, but everything is beautifully arranged. Go Now!
Calgary High-End Prices
I guess restaurants really are charging high prices, because frankly, they can. It is appalling even to see the prices climb at a wonton noodle shop in Chinatown.
Missing in Calgary?
It seems to me that there is a dearth of Thai restaurants in Calgary. There was always "The King and I", but whenever I ask Calgarians if there are any Thai restaurants, the only one they can think of is The King and I.
Best Breakfast place in Eastbay
Merritt Bakery has the best waffles I've ever had (although Dinah's in LA might top them in terms of fluffiness.) And is it wierd to have fried chicken with those waffles in the morning? Not for me it ain't.
Sea - Places you want to hate
Ok, also ashamed to admit this, but the "Tuscan bean soup" with Kale at Olive Garden. It's an all-you-can-eat bowl of over-salted yum. And their gigantic squares of "tiramisu". It's pretty much a coronary on a plate.
Korean in Seattle
I second the vote for Ho Soon Yi, and also recommend Sam Oh Joung on HWY 99 in Lynnwood. I really liked their soon-tofu with fish roe. Lotsa cholesterol, but when it tastes that great, who cares?
What's good in Sequim?
Going there this weekend, and wondered if there's any "Must try" places there, and, actually, prefer cheap but good eats, if possible.
1st visit to Szechuan 99
Zen Garden - We were there two weekends ago, and the dim-sum was alright, but the service was terrible. It took forever to flag down wait-staff to order extra fried rice and noodles, and then it did seem to take even longer for said dishes to arrive. For a Saturday afternoon, you'd think they'd have more staff available for dim-sum. That said, you never know if there's a no-show or something else going on.
I agree that the inconsistencies at Zen Garden are not worth the price and risk that you're not going to get a good meal. Szechuan 99 has been more consistent. We've been going there on Tuesday nights after working out at the gym (great way to get back all those calories) and it seemed that the food is not as good as it is on the weekends. Could they have a different chef at the beginning of the week?
1st visit to Szechuan 99
We've tried Pasteur, and I'd take fish sauce over sweet goopy peanut sauce any day. We tried some of their other dishes, like a rice soup with seafood. It was delicious, but a tad heavy on the MSG for my taste.
1st visit to Szechuan 99
One of our favorite Pho places is Pho Da Kao: 617 128th St SW (Lynnwood). Close to the I-5 ramp and exits.
1st visit to Szechuan 99
Hom Yue chow fan, and also the chicken/tofu hotpot with Hom Yue is one of my favorites. (Guess I'm old-timey that way). I think they have Hom Yue Chow fan at Purple Dot Cafe in the ID. Not bad there. My complaint is that there's never enough Hom Yue though.
1st visit to Szechuan 99
It's true, Lynnwood seems to have a lot more Koreans and Vietnamese (and thus some awesome Korean and Vietnamese restaurants) but yeah, I think there are Chinese people hidden here and there amongst them. Maybe the Chef lives in Lynnwood/Edmonds? I can't wait to eat there again!
Also, you're right, HungWeiLo, Zen Garden does have a lot of Chinese clientele, especially on weekends for dim sum. I know this thread is about Szechuan 99, but i have to say, i was pleasantly surprised with Zen Garden. I think their Dim Sum si-foo (master) is pretty good. the Haw-gao are well turned out with lots of shrimp and thin skins. Some of the rice rolls (cheung-fun) are not as good though, the fillings a tad too much corn starch, but then he takes some good chances on different fillings, like mixed mushrooms, or pea shoots with char-sui, so you're not stuck with the plain old stand bys. oh, and their chicken and salted fish fried rice is pretty good too. I took my dad there (who used to own a Dim Sum restaurant in Calgary) and he said it was good, and we went there several times when my parents were visiting.
1st visit to Szechuan 99
Well, living in Lynnwood myself, I think people here are entitled to good authentic Chinese food too. After having lived in Canada, Hong Kong, and then Northern California, I had despaired in finding Chinese food that's up to snuff. Fortunately, we have Szechuan 99 now, and I'm rejoicing that we don't have to drive all the way to Vancouver to get decent Chinese food.
We went last week for the first time, and I agree, the hand shaved noodles are, to borrow a word from Will Ferrell, "scrumtrellescent". Tender-chewey, and just blazing with "wok-hei". We also had the Cumin lamb, and i had to say it was even better than China Village in Berkeley, CA. The soft tofu dishes are delicious, and if you have any rice-bins among your dining companions, these are the dishes to order.
I can't wait to try all the authentic dishes they have on offer!
Berkeley / Oakland / El Cerrito Sushi??
I used to live in Oakland, and we'd go to El Cerrito to Katana-ya Ramen. Nice Ramen, but we never got around to ordering Sushi - they do have a small sushi bar. It's always pretty busy on Friday nights, and includes a large japanese clientele.
SEA: Best Chinese Seafood?
How do you feel about driving two hours north to Vancouver?
It's just not happening in this area. Flame me all you want, peoples. it's true.
Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce...sallllty!
Did you notice if it was light soy sauce or dark soy sauce? the light is always much saltier than the dark.
But in general, I do find Lee Kum Kee sauces to be a tad saltier than other brands. The premium oyster sauce being a good example. it's delicious, and has a richer full flavor than other oyster sauces i've used in the past.
But please don't give up on the Lee Kum Kee sauces - they definitely have some terrific sauces in their repetoire - their black lable XO sauce is fantastic.
Calgary and Banff suggestions
Pulcinella in Calgary's Kensington neighbourhood has scrumptious Neapolitan style pizzas - Chef Dom trained in Naples, and has installed a new wood-fire oven. Appetizers are great, especially the Arancini (Sp?) - arborio rice balls. And the Funghi Misto with Gorgonzola sauce - I still have dreams about eating it - juicy oyster mushrooms in the airiest of batters bathed in that creamy aromatic sauce...
Teach Me Something New About Berkeley/Albany -- Anything
We used to live by Lake Merritt, but some of our favorite places to eat were in Albany.
Katana-ya on San pablo ave was awesome - they have sushi, etc, but also good ramen. Good broth, chewy noodles.
Go further up to Richmond, and there's Daimo - Hong Kong style "cha -chan teng" cafe food, and terrific HK style milk tea.
Daimo's also close to Saigon Seafood restaurant... Not to be mistaken for Vietnamese food. I think they erred in the spelling, as the Chinese refers to "Sai-Kung" a fishing village in Hong Kong. Lotsa fresh fish swimming in tanks - that's the expensive stuff, but their other menu items are pretty tasty too.
If you want Pho, you should go to Oakland. Pho Hoa Lao on Int'l Blvd is the mainstay, but there are lots of good pho places on the same street. Also good pho in chinatown.
Thai food - Asia Thai Noodle, also on Int'l Blvd. This guy and his mom used to have Thai restaurants in LA too, but moved to the North bay. They have FANTASTIC crab fried rice, and shrimp paste fried rice.
