Title of this review aside, quantity doesn’t go very far in my book. It’s an unavoidable first impression when presented with the combo sampler, though, at over 2 feet in diameter.

Start with Ethiopian and Eritrean “standards,” add a few unexpected positive touches (incredible bone-in lamb), then make it all fresher and more distinctive than anywhere I’ve tried in Seattle. Dahlak delivers on quality, not just quantity; the flavors really pop.

Full bar plus beer and wine, and they could handle a 10 person crowd. Take someone there today.

As a first-timer, I did a quick plate inventory. Your choice of 4 or 5 entrees will come with the same sides as mine: tasteless potato salad, bland beet salad, and tough potato crisps. A mound of properly-cooked rice and a dab of top-notch, evening-wakeup hot vinegar cole slaw also came with.

Overall, solidly average. I’d give it 3 stars save for such aggressive competition: being in Seattle means getting to grade on a curve. I preferred Casuelita’s, Pam’s Kitchen, Pan Africa, and Dahlak, all at the same service/price point.

My full review is here

I’ve personally tried a goodly sample burgers nominated as Seattle’s best. And I have bad (good) news: Red Mill’s bacon deluxe with cheese blows the ones I’ve had out of the water. Red Mill’s other menu items? Not a clue.

You won’t find half-pound slabs, bizarre ingredients (uh, hotlinks?), or $24 foie gras, just really good burgers.

I wanted to like this place. Lively lunch crowd (for Kirkland) with a few distinct entrees on the special menu. Alas, the Thin Pan Noodles tasted like noodles dumped in a wok. With nothing else.

About average fast-lunch Thai service: the food came. One request didn’t get communicated to the kitchen. I may go back to try a different item.

I wonder whether the previous reviewer is affiliated with the restaurant: he/she thinks everything is great, amazing, or perfect, has no real detail, and has posted 1 review across the entire site.

Anyway, I’ve had two fairly bland, gringo-fied entrees at lunch meetings. Second visit was a bit tastier though still mediocre. A bland fish taco lunch should cost $8, not $14.

And that’s not to knock all Tex-Mex or Americanized Mexican; case in point, Cactus and Anthony’s Pier 66 do much better fish tacos.

There are much worse Mexican restaurants, and much better ones. Keep walking to El Puerco Lloron or Guaymas Cantina near Pike Place Market, or Galerias on Capitol Hill.

Granted, my sample is merely 2 weeks in Japan. You’ll hear “hai!”, see basically no sushi, and pork products will appear in unexpected places (though not in every noodle dish, as was often true in Japan).

Outstanding food at bargain prices. Part of Takohachi’s appeal – that it’s 10 tables – also can mean 20 minute waits on weeknights.

5 of us came came for Sunday brunch. Lowlights were burnt French toast, an absentee order of huevos rancheros, and occasional waitress tag for table service.

On the upside, the food was average and the price was fair given where we were. And it still beat the 30+ minute wait at Chace’s: I’d go back again given those options.

Intelligentsia coffee, incredibly dedicated owners, and a building that just feels like home. I confess that I’ve taken the bus to Trabant mostly to sit for a few hours, despite living across the street from other coffee shops.

Trabant’s bean selection (microlots, Cup of Excellence) is unexpected for its size. Sign up for a tasting and you’ll leave with two lifetimes of fascinating coffee knowledge.

Pretty good for lunch, and jetleigh’s right about the barley green noodles and that their preparations are relatively healthy. Sichuanese Cuisine and Hing Loon are too close for any one of them to get all my business.

“People’s Choice” voting for best X is usually worth a chuckle. Sorry, Seattle voters, Pagliacci isn’t even in the top 5 Seattle pizzas.

Red Mill is an exception: it really is that good.

The staff can be spacey, their no cell phone policy is loopy (hello, toddlers, bare walls, WTO riot sound level), but damn, the burgers make it all worthwhile.

Red Mill trumps Lola’s lamb burger, the burger royale at Palace Kitchen, and CC’s and Kidd Valley. I don’t eat burgers very often, so when I do, it’s Red Mill’s bacon deluxe w/swiss.

(Confidential to Red Mill: I’d go more often for optional turkey bacon, reduced fat cheese, and/or leaner ground beef.)