Ninety-Nine Bottles Of Beer (Times Eight)

Von's Grand City Cafe - Eclectic Pub Food (3 Stars)

http://www.vonsroasthouse.com

Von's RoastHouse & 1000 Spirits Martini-Manhattan Memorial, a.k.a. Von's Grand City Cafe (I have no clue why it has two different names depending on where you're looking), has more alcohol on their bar shelves than a state-run liquor store! During our visit, their sign outside said they were serving up over 760 different types of alcohol. Even for a non-drinker like me, that's impressive.

Another impressive tidbit about the cafe is the bar's tchotchke-laden ceiling and kitschy "spin the wheel for discounts" experience. A skateboard, bicycle, and even a Seattle Police car door are just three of what must be several hundred items hanging (we hope securely) from the ceiling. There are also two menus if you're sitting in the bar. The first is the Martini-Bar Starters menu that offers 24 items from Kushi Yaki Pork Potstickers and Wild Alaska Salmon and Chips, to the Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail, Saucy Sliders, Ale Battered Chicken Fingers, and Cast Iron Ahi Tuna. The main lunch menu offers nearly 60 different items.

That said, when three big, burly, hungry guys sit down and peruse a menu, it's hardly shocking that appetizers (and ordering a dozen of them) soon becomes the primary topic of conversation. In our case, we ordered four plus burgers!

Our first appetizer was an order of RoastHouse Pork Eggrolls. It was this plate that set the tone for complete disagreement about all of the rest of the dishes. Mark and I thought the eggrolls were greasy and tasted frozen (despite the menu specifically saying they're made fresh daily), while Mike thought they were amazing and offered: "These things have NEVER heard of a freezer!" I will say that when the eggrolls were finished, there was a hearty pool of oil on the plate. Also, the "sweet and sour" dipping sauce tasted like it was from a bottle and was thick and gloppy.

The Fried Brie was an unusual find and we mostly agreed it was good. Despite the overdone hand-breaded Panko crust, the brie inside was delicious and gooey and spread easily over the Carr's water crackers. However, the oddity on the plate was the bottled strawberry sauce. It definitely tasted like something you'd put on a sundae, not something you'd serve to offer a sweet counterpoint to the savory cheese. And as if bottled strawberry sauce wasn't enough, they added a small bowl of roasted apple cranberry chutney. The chutney was a bone of contention at the table with half of us thinking the apple texture was too mushy and the other half thinking it was perfect. In all, strawberry sauce plus apple chutney is just too much sweet on a savory plate.

Of the appetizers, the Ale Battered Chicken Fingers were actually very good. Moist, tender, and with a slightly spicy coating, the chicken was the best appetizer of the lot. Even the ranch dressing was better than run-of-the-mill. The fingers were served in a basket along with Von's Roaster's House BBQ sauce, though Mike opted for a side of ranch instead. Unfortunately, they put the fingers and condiment bowl on top of chopped lettuce which wilts and sticks to the chicken fingers. Any time you need to scrape something off what you're eating, the enjoyment factor drops.

The last appetizer of our afternoon was the Chinese BBQ Pork. The biggest frustration with BBQ Pork "Chinese style" tends to be very dry pork. Unfortunately, this wasn't an exception. The "sweet marinated slice loin 'o pork" flavor was average, though it was served with a hearty side of Hot Chinese Mustard as well as a sesame seed-toppped Asian salad with cabbage. The salad offered a savory, crunchy texture in contrast to the pork, but the flavor overall just wasn't very noteworthy. The dressing on the salad tasted like an Asian inspired vinaigrette.

As if four appetizers weren't enough, all of us decided to order the Von's Classic Cheeseburger. The patty was pretty huge (third-pound?), bacon thick-cut and delicious (though my bacon was definitely burned), and the bun was slightly sweet and actually perfect. The usual lettuce, tomato, and cheese accompanied the burger. The odd thing about the burger was the Von's secret sauce. It combined maple syrup and savory components and was very hit and miss at our table. The large pile of fries on the plate were barely touched by any of us due to completely full stomachs, but the few fries we did manage to consume were well-seasoned and crispy.

In a restaurant well known for copious amounts of alcohol, Mike couldn't get through the meal without ordering a Lemon Martini. He mentioned several times that it was well-mixed, had a great lemon flavor without being too tart or acidic, and he certainly didn't stop with just one. It sounded like the martini was the best thing he had all meal.

In all, Von's is an eclectic, interesting establishment with average food and an above-average decor. After much wrangling with my fellow diners, the best we could agree to was a well-deserved 3 Star rating. Mike wanted it to be 3.5, Mark was voting 3, and I didn't see much hope with a 2.5. As such, the average was 3 Stars and that's the best Von's was able to do during our visit. Go in expecting average fare, above average eye candy, and an unparalleled list of alcohol and you won't be disappointed.

Since When Is Mall Food Zagat Rated?

Mexico Cantina Y Cocina - Mexican Fare (3.5 Stars)

http://www.eatatmexico.com

If you’re in Pacific Place and want to grab a quick bite to eat before seeing a movie, your choices are sushi, burgers, Thai, American, or Mexican. Fortunately, Mexico Cantina Y Cocina serves up delicious food at a price that will leave you enough money for popcorn and a drink.

Ryan and I have eaten a late lunch or early dinner here on more than one occasion as it’s our fall-back restaurant when our favorite waitress isn’t working next door at Gordon Biersch. This time, Chris was able to join us. Because we mercilessly devoured the chips and salsa, we had to settle on ordering an appetizer and Flautas de Pollo looked perfect. Stuffed with shredded chicken, peppers, and cheese, then wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep-fried, you really can’t go wrong with the Flautas. It even came with a side of their house guacamole topped with Cotija cheese. The portion was just big enough for us to stop greedily eyeing the chips and salsa and wait patiently for the rest of our order.

Ryan confessed he wasn’t terribly hungry, so he wanted to order a soup and salad. (This happens rarely enough that Chris and I both had to tease him about it.) He started with Jane’s Mexican Wedding Soup, a classic, hearty, chicken and Mexican rice soup with a Southwest twist: green chilies, corn, and avocados. The chicken was plentiful and tender and the soup had big chunks of each ingredient. The bowl was actually a generous portion that could probably replace an entree (maybe with a few chips and salsa) if your appetite’s on the smaller end of the scale.

The salad Ryan decided would best accompany his Wedding Soup was the Mexican Chop Salad. Ironically, though in keeping with Ryan’s love of carbs, he said the best part about the salad was the slightly sweet jalapeno cornbread croutons. The salad is packed and included organic greens, avocado, sweet and smoky roasted red peppers, roasted corn, Cotija cheese, pico de gallo, and black beans. It was topped with a cumin vinaigrette that, unfortunately, was a bit heavy-handed with the cumin. Also, for two dollars more, you can include either grilled chicken or fajita beef added and make this a serious entree.

Our love of deep-fried foods is hardly a secret, so it was no surprise when Chris ordered the Chicken Chimichanga complete with shredded chicken and jack cheese served piping hot in a deep-fried flour tortilla. It was accompanied by scoops of sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo as well as refried beans and rice. The chimichanga was slightly overcooked (you can see in the photo that the end was crunched in and crumbling), but the inside was piping hot and very cheesy. The condiments were nearly the most flavorful thing on that dish because the beans and rice were boring and bland.

In keeping with the “healthy choice” theme Ryan had started and Chris completely ignored, I found myself searching the menu and continually coming back to the Ensalada a la Evelyne. The generously portioned salad comes piled high with fire-grilled chicken stacked on organic greens, roasted artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and avocado. It also had pepita-crusted (yes, that’s right: pumpkin seed crust) provolone cheese that was absolutely delicious. There’s nothing better than grilled cheese, except maybe tender and juicy grilled chicken. The big chunks of tomatoes worked well with the large pieces of chicken and provolone. The salad usually comes with a tequila-lime dressing, but I was glad I ordered it on the side as it was a bit overpowering.

It’s about as rare for us to order two desserts as it is for Ryan to order a salad. However, sugar deliciously compels and we were left with a unbreakable tiebreaker: crunchy or creamy. Given there were three of us at the table, we figured two desserts couldn’t be more appropriate!

We began the sugar rush by ordering the Chocolate Mousse. The Patron XO and Kahlua chocolate mousse was thick, rich, and creamy, and topped with a blackberry and strawberry, along with a generous dollop of whipped cream. The dense mousse clung to our spoons as we hungrily licked our lips. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from the mousse but it was surprisingly good. It definitely tasted homemade and the serving glass was large enough for all three of us to have several bites each.

We ended our late lunch with arguably the most well-known and beloved of Mexican sweets (at least by an American audience): the Churro. The carnival favorite of slightly sweet "donut" dough is deep-fried, then immediately sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar which stick to the hot oil. The order of four churros was plenty, but unfortunately they weren’t as good as the mousse. The churro dough had an unidentifiable accent flavor (we three finally agreed it was “citrus”, but even that was vague at best) that was unexpected and unwelcome. We felt the star flavors should be the cinnamon and sugar, but instead found it competing with the secret ingredient.

Overall, you can expect a meal at Mexico Cantina Y Cocina to be better than average and a solid choice regardless of the real reason you were in Pacific Place. The service has always been at least good and sometimes excellent, though we haven’t tried dining during primetime hours or holidays.

"Diner...Evolved"

Steelhead Diner - Eclectic Pacific Northwest (4.5 Stars)
http://www.steelheaddiner.com

Had I known ahead of time that a sunny Saturday in Seattle would lead to the Pacific Place IMAX theater being sold out for hours on end, and had I known about Steelhead Diner before dinner that day, I would have suggested eating at *least* two meals there: one before, then after, a movie at Pacific Place. Fortunately, Christopher knew all about it and I was eager to try out his recommendation.

After briefly perusing the "diner" menu posted to the right of the restaurant's entrance, I was excited about how many of the dishes sounded so good! We entered through two large doors and were quickly greeted by the hostess who informed us they were fully booked for the evening unless we wanted to sit at the kitchen bar or the central bar. We chose central bar which was a slender, 20-feet (or longer) table of shared "bar" seating that ran the length of the restaurant. From one side it offers a great view of the chefs in the kitchen while the other side offers beautiful views of Elliott Bay and the Olympic mountains. (By contrast, the kitchen bar actually runs the length of the kitchen and you sit less than two feet away from the chefs preparing your meal.)

In seeing there were so many dishes we both wanted to try, we ended up ordering and sharing four. We decided on options from the savory starters, soups and salads, and vegetables and legumes portions of the menu, though they also have sections for sandwiches, field and stream, and sweet nothings (the dessert offerings).

The first dish we started with wasn't ordered: various Homemade Bread with Chilled Herb Oil Butter. I didn't really have high expectations of good "bread and butter" given they're as ubiquitous as chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. However, the bread was actually amazing and I simply couldn't get enough of the butter. The two breads they served were a cheddar sourdough and a light rye.

The cheddar bread was loaded with herbs and plenty of cheese and was soft on the inside with a slightly chewy crust. The rye bread had an even more chewy crust with firmer innards and lots of rye seeds throughout. Both were fresh and whet our appetites for more, especially when coupled with the large triangle "pat" of butter topped with herbs and olive oil. Not only could you dip your bread in the oil, but the double dose of oil and butter was absolutely perfect and definitely unexpected.

The first ordered item that arrived was the Jumbo Lump Dungeness Crab Cake. Typically, crab cakes are a disappointment for me as they either have far too much mayonnaise or breadcrumbs. Steelhead's crab cake was a definite exception as it could barely contain the huge pieces of crab meat held together by scallions and Sauce Louis (think spicy chili mayonnaise) and topped with crispy parsley. It is the most expensive appetizer on their menu (a full dollar more than the Caviar Pie), but was easily large enough for the two of us to share. The Sauce Louis is quite spicy and very flavorful, though it managed to enhance and not mask the sweet richness of the Dungeness crab. In all, just perfect.

From the soup and salad menu, we ordered the La Ribolita. This hearty, chunky, vegetarian Italian soup was chalk full of white beans, black beans, celery, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and spinach, and was circled by fresh and chewy torn garlic bread and fruity olive oil. The vegetables were cooked perfectly as they still had great texture and could be tasted separately. This large bowl was about the same price as the crab cake and more than enough to serve two. This soup would be an excellent choice for vegetarians or anyone who wants a hearty, filling entree replacement that won't weigh you down.

The Jumbo Asparagus with Marcona Almonds and Crispy Capers was next. I had never heard of "jumbo asparagus" before and firmly held the belief that asparagus too thick was woody and chewy and bad. These couldn't have proven that theory more wrong. The thick, chunky, diagonal cuts of asparagus were a perfect match to the large Marcona almonds and held up well against the salty, fried pops of crispy capers. Even after trying each dish on the table, both Christopher and I kept coming back to the asparagus as our favorite dish on the table. Christopher even mentioned: "I just want more of that taste in my mouth!"

Our final choice for dinner was something we hoped would be decadent (and we chose it instead of a dessert): the Baked Macaroni (think macaroni and cheese). Grana Padano and Sharp Cheddar Cheese marry beautifully in a traditional bechamel sauce. The pasta is then baked to caramelize the top and served in a ramekin just large enough to feed two if you're sampling more than one dish.

While the sauce was rich, I felt the flavor was a bit too singular. The Grana Padano offered too much bite and left me thinking "This is Parmesan macaroni". I wish the dish would have been rounded out with Fontina, Jack, or even Gruyere for more depth and less sharpness. Even something like fresh cracked black pepper would have helped. This is the only reason the review is 4.5 Stars instead of 5 Stars. (It's tough for me to award 5 Stars when I happen to like my own recipe for Mac 'n Cheese a lot more than the restaurant's.)

With nearly 50 constantly rotated menu items, Steelhead Diner is certainly a "must recommend" restaurant for me. In fact, I haven't stopped talking about it and have already recommended it to at least 10 friends.

Ooooh, So Wild!

Wild Ginger - Pan-Asian Fare (4.5 Stars)
http://www.wildginger.net

The Triple Door (http://www.thetripledoor.com) is my absolute favorite live music venue. As Wild Ginger shares the kitchen and menu, it's no surprise that the food is incredible regardless of the show you decide to see. And, because I wanted to impress my chef sister, it was exactly where we had to dine during her recent visit to Seattle.

Debi has a thing for Potstickers and Wild Ginger's are amazing: large, plump, golden crispy on one side, and the serving of six are definitely not enough for two if you love potstickers. The soy-black vinegar dipping sauce is a perfect compliment to the traditional chicken filling.

The Chicken Satay took some explaining from Ryan, our extremely cute waiter. The chicken meat is minced, combined with with coconut milk, lemongrass, and other spices, then reformed into a skewered tube of meat. I know, I know, and I wish I had a better description, but trust me, it's fantastic. All my sister could get out was, "Yumm, yumm, yumm!" The satay is served with a delicious peanut sauce, a small cube of sticky rice, and an incredible, "I could eat an entire plate of this stuff" cucumber salad.

For our entrees, we both selected the Seven Flavor Beef. Ginger, chilies, garlic, hoisin, lemongrass, peanuts, and basil frolick around tender, juicy, thinly sliced flank steak. I actually don't eat steak unless it's this dish and I've been ordering it every single time I see a show at The Triple Door or eat upstairs at Wild Ginger. Yes, it's that good!

And speaking of "that good", the Szechuan Green Beans and Curried Broccoli are the perfect sides. Our green beans were a tad bit less cooked than we'd want, but the curried broccoli should really be its own vegetarian entree. The garlic is sweet and the broccoli is cooked well (still plenty of meaty texture remaining).

If you're looking for consistently excellent Pan-Asian food, look no farther than just across the street from our symphony hall. Wild Ginger is sure to impress.

GB2 - Revenge Of The Crappy Waitress

Gordon Biersch - American, Eclectic, Beer-Centric Fare (4 Stars) http://www.gordonbiersch.com

For some reason, each time Ryan, Nicole, and I decide to see a movie, we end up eating at GB. Unfortunately, neither of our favorite waitresses were working, so we got stuck with the worst waitress ever! (And not just because her make-up was heavy, dull, and gloomy.) She took forever to check on us, never bothered to see if our meals were what we ordered, and didn't even bother to say "Thanks!" when we paid the check. Despite horrible service, the food was quite good as usual.

Nicole resorted to her new favorite: Wedge Salad. This time there was no water in the bottom of the bowl, the bleu cheese was chunkier (which she didn't like), and the bacon wasn't quite as fresh (but there was more of it). Yet, somehow, she said it was still great and she would continue ordering it.

Ryan, for some unknown reason, decided to order the Old Fashioned Chop Salad. It actually looks great and comes with everything from chickpeas to chicken, pepperoni to and olive lemon vinaigrette. The portion was generous and Ryan ate every bite. "This is really good" should be proof enough you, too, should order it.

I enjoyed the fish so much during our last visit, I decided to try the Blackened Fish Wrap. The fish itself was actually quite good (moist and meaty), but was a bit lost inside the wrap with all the veggies and the "blackened" dressing. The overall flavor was really the dressing, but the hearty wrap was still worth eating. However, the coleslaw was dry and was seriously missing the dressing everyone has come to expect of "coleslaw".

It's a bit tough to keep up the 4 Star rating given such sad service, but the food itself was still on par with our last visit and everyone was still quite happy with their choices.

May Want To Bring Your Valtrex

Dragonfish Asian Cafe - Pan-Asian (3.5 Stars)
http://www.dragonfishcafe.com

At 7:00 PM on a Thursday in downtown Seattle, expect to suffer a wait for a table at any decent restaurant. Unless, that is, you dine directly across from The Paramount and the current Lion King musical attendees have just evacuated the neighboring restaurants to see that evening's show. That explains how Chris, Ryan, and I ended up at Dragonfish somewhat by accident. Though we were all in the mood for something spicy and delicious, we ended up getting spicy with mixed reviews on "delicious".

As is usually the case, our threesome's hardly immune to the wonders of appetizers. Given we enjoy sampling a lot of food and get to split the costs three-ways (including using the Passport discount via Ryan to lessen the pocketbook crunch), we went all out and ordered four appetizers.

It's difficult for us to eat at any restaurant serving Asian food of any shape and size and not order potstickers. Dragonfish offers Chicken Potstickers with a sweet-hot soy sauce. The potstickers are large, well-stuffed, and offer a crispy (though Ryan was quick to point out "not too crispy) skin. The potstickers are deep-friend, not actually "stuck to a pot", so the texture's different than you'd expect from the usual pan-fried version. They did seem to be a bit on the greasy side, but well-flavored, and the soy sauce was spicy and delicious.

The California Roll includes avocado, crab, cucumber, and masago, but looked virtually identical to the Spicy Crab Roll that contained crab, spicy masago mayo, cilantro, and cucumber. Chris and I literally spent 30 seconds trying to determine which roll was which and finally figured it out when the extra "piece of green" turned out to be the avocado. The California Roll was pretty standard as the most generic sushi menu item possible and the Spicy Crab Roll felt a little underwhelming in its spiciness. For eight pieces each, the $8 each didn't seem like much of a bargain.

For the last appetizer (I actually ate it as my entree), I ordered the Thai Chicken Salad. It was probably the most deconstructed salad I'd ever had and came with two sliced chicken breasts topped with crushed peanuts, chunky slices of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, and two tiny triple-sliced tomato pieces; all of which sat on two small wedges of head lettuce and shaved Napa cabbage. The entire salad was flanked by large stalks of cilantro and came with the Thai basil dressing (which was a bit too sweet) on the side. The grilled chicken breast was surprisingly juicy, but the salad as a whole was a bit unwieldy. For $10, the portion was on the small side.

In a "which of these things is not like the others?" moment, we also ordered the Madras Curry Cauliflower and Potatoes entree under the Rice and Vegetables sections of the Dragonfish menu. The dish comes with peas, onions, brown mustard seeds, and a creamy yogurt, with plenty of cubed potatoes and florets of cauliflower. Both Ryan and Chris asked, "Can you even taste the curry?" and commented that the dish seemed flat and could have used more salt.

For his entree, Chris ordered the Korean Bulgogi Skirt Steak (one of nine house specialties). It comes char-grilled and served with kimchee and pickled cucumber salad along with a generous portion of white rice (obscured by the flash, but it's on the plate) topped with sesame seeds. He said the skirt steak was "tender and juicy, really well done" and thought the cucumber salad was excellent. However, the kimchee wasn't very spicy and Christ felt it was generally bland. Though he didn't have the same fiery response to his entree that Ryan had, he still enjoyed the dish and said he'd order it again.

The Ginger-Garlic-Chili Chicken and Shrimp entree usually comes with scallions, Napa cabbage, sprouts, and spicy sauce wok-tossed with rice noodles. However, Ryan ordered it with soba noodles as he's not a fan of rice noodles. He did say the flavors were great and that the spicy sauce "burns my lips like a herpes outbreak!" He decided it was spicy enough to share that simile with our waitress and fortunately she laughed out loud. Valtrex anyone? The plating should definitely have sought medical help as it appeared to just be thrown onto the plate and was completely off-center.

Given Chris and my recent encounter with amazing Coconut Ice Cream, both Ryan and Chris decided they couldn't say no to two scoops of the meaty, creamy, conconutty, frosty bovine goodness at Dragonfish. Chris mentioned that the overall flavor was good, but that the coconut ice cream at Zao Noodle House had more coconut flesh and was still better. I think the strength of the coconut flavor was probably a bit more significant here, but did have to agree that overall the Zao ice cream was better. Presentation was pretty limp given they added one leaf for garnish.

Not to be outdone by ice cream, I was told to order the Chocolate Heaven dessert. The "rich chocolate cake with warm truffle center and raspberry-ginger sauce" looked fantastic on the plate. The truffle was, indeed, warmed and mostly melted and the cake had ample, if not overwhelming chocolate flavor. However, even with the rather icy single scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, the cake seemed reheated and nearly lukewarm. As a result, the cake just didn't seem very moist. As for the raspberry sauce, it really didn't add much other than to the presentation.

Overall, I'm giving Dragonfish 3.5 Stars because over half of the dishes we ordered seemed to be lacking flavor in some way and yet the other half were great. Given it's so hit-or-miss with whether or not you'll love what you order, I'd say visit expecting to be pleased but not impressed.

"A Heritage of Freshness"

Gordon Biersch - American, Eclectic, Beer-Centric Fare (4 Stars)
http://www.gordonbiersch.com

After wanting to get together to see a movie, Ryan, Nicolle, and I agreed to dine at Gordon Biersch prior to seeing Coraline (in 3-D mind you!).

Gordon Biersch promotes itself as a beer-centric, upscale pub with a "heritage of freshness". Given I don't drink, I can only imagine their hand-crafted beers are unusual and quite good. Their food overall is an eclectic mix of Southwestern, American, and Italian with standard pub fare such as steaks and burgers alongside Mahi Mahi and stir fry selections. Generally, it's safe to assume everyone can find *something* they like here.

Given Nicolle's recent foray into bleu cheeses, she decided to order the Wedge Salad complete with crumbled bleu cheese, extra thick and crispy bacon, and a side of the bleu cheese dressing. She said the crumbles were "Just the right amount", the bacon was "Really good and so crispy", and the wedge of head lettuce worked for her. The only real downside to the salad was all the extra water that had collected in the bottom of the salad bowl made things a bit soggy once she neared the end of her salad adventure.

Ryan and I were still reeling from our Olive Garden adventures earlier in the afternoon, so neither of us were very hungry. He ended up ordering the House Salad (and added chicken) which looked great. The generous portion of mixed greens was topped with the same crispy, crumbly bacon Nicolle had along with cucumber, spiced pecans, and pepperjack and cheddar cheeses. Ryan ordered the ranch dressing and seemed rather pleased with his selection and noted that the spiced pecans were unexpected and delicious.

Having just experienced my Ceasar salad disappointment a few hours prior, I decided to stay light with the Grilled Chilean Sea Bass. The fish was actually extremely delicious and seemed like it was butter poached before hitting the grill to be marked. The fillet was flakey and perfect with the mixed vegetables. The problem, however, was the rice. The ginger and scallions in the rice took only the rice into Asian territory and the ginger aftertaste started affecting the flavor of the fish. If you order this, just get extra mixed vegetables in the stead of the "sweet ginger rice".

Over the past few years, I've eaten at Gordon Biersch a few times and they've all been enjoyable dining experiences. I'd definitely recommend the restaurant as the service has always been exceptional (shout-out to Liz, our fantastic waitress!).