jetleigh "i heart sushi."

I went to Brasserie Les Halles with a group of friends. I didn’t realize until I got there that this is the place that Anthony Bourdaine hails from. He used to work here, so immediately I was excited to try it. Well, it was fine, but nothing like one would think it’d be. But I’m also not sure if I wasn’t so impressed since I just went to a fabulous French restaurant the previous week in Seattle. Brasserie is different though, they focus on the ever famous French steak frites type dishes. I ordered the mussels (maybe that was the mistake) – they were fine, pretty good actually – but I’d just had the best mussels I’d ever had the previous week. So I was less impressed.

Not only that but the service was very mediocre. The lady screwed up our bill and assume we were giving her something like a 40% tip (we did a combination of cash and card). Any way, if I come back here next time I am just getting steak.

The fries were pretty good though.

This place was awesome. I’d read about it before several times but had never made it here until now. Tucked away down a ramp, you only see the sign to the restaurant from the street. But when you get inside, it’s a cute little cozy place between Belltown and Queen Anne neighborhoods. It’s lively inside and the smells are great. Service was good and the food was excellent. I am definitely coming back here to try some of the other dishes. We sat at the small bar and ordered the oysters on the half shell and mussels. The oysters were amazing and I’d never seen mussels that big in Seattle. If you want a lesser known restaurant that serves excellent quality food, give Boat Street a try.

I came to Baguette Box cause I’d heard friends talking about the pork belly sandwich here. Paseo, which is located in Fremont as well and only a few blocks away, makes the best pork shoulder sandwich I’ve ever tried – so I was curious to come to Baguette Box and see how their sandwich compared. My first impression of the sandwiches here was that they’re a little more gourmet than Paseo, whereas Paseo is more just dang good food in quantity. The sandwiches at BB aren’t as big, but you still get plenty. They’re a little more refined, so I guess it may be up to personal taste. However, the pork shoulder sandwich here definitely wasn’t not as good as Paseo’s….but the pork belly sandwich was amazing!! If you come here – get the pork belly sandwich. It’s a must try. Served on a fresh baguette, vietnamese style. The bread here is also really good, and better than Paseo bread. Different atmosphere too. You’ll sit inside a simple room with a few tables and chairs, versus standing outside or sitting in the open air setting at Paseo.

Give ’em both a shot and compare for yourself :)

Monsoon East is a great little spot in old Bellevue. Recently opened, this is spawned off the original restaurant over in capitol hill. Personally, I like the atmosphere of the original location a little better as it’s a little quieter, but this place is still a great option for food in Bellevue. There aren’t many good Vietnamese restaurants on the eastside – so Monsoon East is up there. This place was bustling on a Friday for lunch, lots of people on lunch break here. Reasonably priced food in a nice atmosphere.