john "consumption with gumption."

I came here for a “Seattle Eats” Meetup, and we got a sampling of happy hour appetizers to share. Casuelita’s has a very small bar space downstairs and a larger dining area upstairs. Our group sat in a large private room in the back. The entire restaurant/bar was dimly lit, and neatly decorated with an eclectic mix of artwork.

The service was just mediocre, perhaps because of our large group and our location in the back room. The waitstaff wasn’t prompt with the water and kept forgetting who ordered what, even when the order was just a single drink.

Overall the food was pretty good, though it’s definitely a mixed bag – some things were great and others I’d never order again. Given the ambiance and the nice happy hour specials that go til 7pm, I’d definitely come back to try other things.

Having heard a lot of chatter about this unpretentious (but not inexpensive) beer and burger lounge, I had a high expectations when I finally tried it out for the first time. I was not disappointed.

This F.O., as the shirts worn by the waitstaff say, was far smaller than I expected, and very crowded for a Monday dinnertime. Since it’s self seating, the ordering and table-grabbing process is pretty chaotic. It would’ve been nice if they had a host that actually helped you find a table, instead of just smiling mutely when you walk in.

Given the pleasant setting of a father’s office (burnished wood and a nice bar), we expected service to be better, but it wasn’t. After we sat ourselves, we had to go to the bar to place our order, and the waitstaff wasn’t the most prompt or attentive throughout the meal.

Luckily for F.O., their food and beer makes up for anything lacking on the service side. There’s only about 10 items on the menu, but you only really need to get one – the Office Burger. And maybe some Sweet Potato fries. Then choose from one of their numerous beers. Trust me, you’ll be happy.

Now that I know what to expect service-wise, I’ll definitely be going back to savor the fantastic food and beer.

I’d heard all kinds of great things about Crush before finally coming to try out their 30 for 30 menu. Now I understand why so many diners love this place.

The restaurant was packed for a Sunday evening, so we had a late evening seating. Service was prompt and polite, and we never had to ask for water refills.

There was a bit of a snafu getting our orders in, but the kitchen generously comped us a refreshing salad for the extra wait.

The food was absolutely fantastic. I ordered a meat-heavy course, but each dish was extremely flavorful and well presented. Bonus points for the complimentary sweets at the end of the meal.

I’d been hearing a lot about this new restaurant, opened by the former head chef of the Dahlia Lounge, so my expectations were high when I sat down for dinner on a weekday night. Chef Mark Fuller did not disappoint – overall the food was outstanding. However, other aspects of the dining experience prevented a 5-star rating.

Spring Hill’s menu is small and simple on the surface, but upon closer inspection (and with some explanation) one can see that a lot of time has been spent to create the dishes. Lots of fresh Northwest ingredients and interesting combinations of flavors abound. A large portion of the menu is dedicated to seafood. Overall I thought the food was great – the flavors were unique and noticeable without being excessive.

On the down side, I found the ambiance of the restaurant to be detracting from the dining experience. Everyone at the table agreed that the narrow space made the restaurant very loud, and we all had to speak up and repeat ourselves to be heard. Additionally, the space got a bit warm in the early evening, though it was a warm summer day. Finally, the food came out slow, but it was a nice touch of the waiter to let us know about the “kitchen situation”.

Overall, I’d definitely return to Spring Hill for an occasional good meal, especially when the craving for good food outweighs all other factors.

A new Chinese restaurant seems to open up almost every other day in the Silicon Valley, and thanks to the large Asian population the authentic ones are quickly weeded out from the imposters. my expectations for Saigon were high after hearing my grandmother rave about how it was her “new favorite” Chinese restaurant in the area (a title that rotates every 2 months or so). I was not disappointed here, Saigon was great.

Located near the intersection of Lawrence Expressway and Highway 101, Saigon has just one large dining area packed with tables and gets really packed during lunchtime, and especially on the weekends. The high ceilings help reduce the feeling of claustrophobia, and the decor is decent for a restaurant focused on the food.

And oh my, what great food it is. Over the holidays I came here at least 3 times for lunchtime Dim Sum, and I was never disappointed. The portions were large, unlike many other restaurants that are now looking to cut costs, and everything was quite authentic. Saigon is known for their milk custard buns: white and tender soft on the outside with a hot, sweet creamy filling that’s absolutely delicious.

I also came here once for a family banquet, and even then I came away happier than I would have expected. The restaurant is quieter during the evenings (probably due to its proximity to office complexes and not dense residential areas), so it wasn’t hard to get a table on a weeknight. My grandmother proceeded to order a massive feast for the family, and pretty much every dish was outstanding. I’m glad I’m putting down what I had here so I know what to order next time, in English. =)

Stepping into Szechuan Chef, I was surprised at how decorated the interior was. Given the nondescript signage in a nondescript strip mall, I was expecting a similarly bland interior. Instead, I was greeted with a high ceiling, brightly painted walls, and soft glowing wall lamps. I wouldn’t say the decor hit the spot for me, but it was definitely better than just plain white walls.

Thankfully, the food did hit the spot for me. I was a bit wary when I saw that most everything on the menu was accompanied with a hot pepper logo, and many with multiple levels of spiciness. The dishes we ordered, including the vegetables, were all spicy, but nothing that couldn’t be handled with lots of white rice and ice water. The dishes came out quick, and were not lacking in flavor or authenticity by any measure, given the number of chinese in the restaurant.

I’d come back to Szechuan Chef the next time I want a quick, flavorful and authentic Szechuan-style meal. I hear their hot pot is not to be missed as well.

I’d been wanting to try this new ramen spot for some time now, and this weekend I finally got a chance to. Samurai Noodles occupies a very small space on the west side outside of the Uwajimaya market, and it’s easy to miss it. Inside the decor is sparse and clean, with about 9 small tables. Orders are placed fast-food style, at the counter, and your order is brought to your table when it’s done.

One aspect of Samurai Noodles that shows they’re serious about their noodles is that diners can specify the amount of tenderness in the ramen – soft, medium or hard. I chose “medium” and was very happy with my choice – the noodles were perfectly resilient and chewy, as opposed to the instant ramen I usually make.

Coming with a group of friends, I was able to try lots of different flavors and found all of them to my liking. The prices were very reasonable as well, so I’ll definitely be coming back here in the future.

Located on the ground level of a large office building, Maya sports a small lounge/bar area right at the entrance, and a much larger dining area to the right of the entryway. A large group of us came here to celebrate a birthday, and Maya’s dim, decadent interior was more than able to handle our large (~16) and loud party.

The service here wasn’t outstanding, but it was more than acceptable given the size of the party. The food here was quite varied and tasty, which is on par with the higher prices for the entrees as compared to other restaurants with similar cuisine.

Not to be missed is the wide tequila selection, including some premium choices that are hard to find elsewhere.

Ahh, Indian lunch buffet, the destroyer of well-intentioned eating habits. I hadn’t had Indian buffet for a while, so after a particularly active morning we decided to stop in and “indulge” ourselves. Indian buffets have got to be one of the few places where you can enter dying to eat, and leave dying to purge. :)

We got there a bit late for lunch (1:45pm or so), but there was still plenty of food out. They’ve remodeled a bit since the last time I was there, to good effect: the tables by the buffet tables are better lit now. Service was good, especially for a buffet – our waiter was apparently a water-pouring master, showing off all kinds of crazy long-distance water refill techniques.

There were lots of different tasty dishes to enjoy, and buffet includes a complementary plate of Tandoori chicken too.

All in all, India House provides a great atmosphere for tasty Indian dining, in a nicely decorated and spacious atmosphere.

Facing East is a great new option for asian food on the Eastside. Not only do they serve a variety of asian food that’s different (a decent variant) from the standard Thai/Indian/Japanese/Chinese places, but the food is actually very tasty.

Facing East is located in a small strip mall right on the edge of downtown Bellevue – it’s easy to miss if you don’t look carefully. The decor is clean and simplistic, and they make good use of the fairly small space with efficient bench seating. Service was a bit inattentive at times but the places was crowded so it’s fairly understandable.

The best part about Facing East is the large variety of food – all the servings are small and there’s lots of different tastes on the menu, so the best way to experience this restaurant is to go with a larger group and share lots of small plates.