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.

Need a late night snack or post bar hopping drunk grub? You’ve got to try the Halal food cart in mid-town!! On the corner of 53rd and 6th, you can’t miss it cause there’s a huge line going down the block. At only $6 it is totally worth it, you get a huge heaping mound of lamb with basmati rice, greens, and plenty of sauces to put on top. This middle eastern grub tops the late-night hot dog by far in my opinion. It’s awesome, wish we had something like this in Seattle.

Kunjip is a mainstay in NYC K-Town, you can’t go wrong eating here. You’ll get plenty of food at a reasonable price. Be prepared to wait for a table though on the weekends. This place is always bustling and jam packed with people. Wait staff is not particularly impressive but they get it done and the food comes out pretty fast. For the price and the amount and quality of the food I love to come to this place. Overall I’ve been happy with the spiciness level too of the food – a lot of Korean places dumb down the spice level.

Other good options are BCD Tofu House down the block if the wait is too long here.

Everything I’ve heard about Dahlia Lounge has been true.

My experience there was amazing. This is one of my new favorite restaurants in Seattle. One of the best parts about it is the ambience. The place is beautifully decorated and there is a soft glow of candle lights all around. Definetely come here in the evening when you’ll get that full effect.

The presentation of the food was beautiful, service was great, and we loved everything we tried.

I highly recommend this place! Next time I am coming back here for a full dinner rather than appetizers and dessert.

Want some straight up good hot pot? Head to Flushing, NY and go to Mynnis (listed as Minni’s Shabu Shabu on Google search). This place is awesome. It’s right in the heart of Flushing and totally worth the trip out there. Flushing isn’t like NYC Chinatown, this is straight up Chinese/Taiwanese fare at its best. You’ll feel like you’re in Asia.

This hot pot place was clean with a nice interior and we got seated quite quickly. Lots of families and locals eating here which is always a good sign. We ordered a variety of items to throw in our hot pot including beef, lamb, and the seafood platter. They also give each person a plate full of veggies, fish cakes, egg, and other assorted items to throw in and there’s a condiments bar where you can get all the garlic, chili oil, peppers etc that you want. The broth was really good and you can choose to get the spicy one if you want. Each person has their own mini hotpot built into the table.

Just to note, each person at the table has to order at least 1 dish, they won’t let you split. Thought why would you want to share? :) You’ll be wanting more for sure.

Soul de Cuba is one of the best ethnic restaurants in New Haven that I’ve tried. In a town with few quality choices for places to eat at a decent price, this place definitely shines. It’s Cuban food in a cozy and fun atmosphere. This place is always busy during dinner. It’s a small space so reservations might be good if it’s the weekend. You’ll get plenty of food and at a reasonable price. I recommend trying the mojitos for sure, they’re authentic and refreshing.

I think the only thing marring this review (which should really be about 4.5 stars) was that the service was a little slow. Yes it was packed and extremely busy, but the food took way longer than it should have. I’ll have to see if this is a regular pattern or not.

I’d been hearing about Waterfront for a long time but never made it here. Turns out I’ve been missing out, this is my new favorite seafood restaurant in Seattle. It is so much better than all the other seafood restaurants in almost every way – I think a lot of Seattle restaurants like Salty’s are overrated.

Waterfront has excellent service, our waiter was very attentive and cheery. The view is amazing and the ambience of the restaurant is great.

The menu items all looked excellent and our food was so delicious. The portion size was just right and clearly only the freshest of seafood was served.

I’ll be back to try the happy hour and sit in the bar! Looks amazing!