Definitely add Pen Thai restaurant in downtown Bothell to the list (also in
Redmond, I believe.)
Our favorite is "crispy garlic chicken" -- get it 4 stars and your mouth
will be alive with heat, thai
basil, and more garlic than you're bound to find in any other restaurant
entree.
-stevemc
Greg S. wrote:
> I've been out here about a year now - leaving Seattle for Woodinville has
> been a trial as far as restaurants go, but here's what I've found. This
> list isn't all-inclusive of course. I'll leave the reviews of the much
> nicer places (Barking Frog, Herb Farm) for another day.
>
> Las Margaritas - If you're looking for the standard cheesy Americanized
> simple stuff, this fits the bill. By no means a special place but it's OK
> on a week night when you want a taco and a dos equis.
>
> Joses Cantina - Bland, fatty and flavorless. Makes Las Margaritas look
> good. Strangely, they make exceptional salsa.
>
> Taco del Mar - Ubiquitous, heavy food, on the scale of fast food I put it
> above all the burger joints.
>
> Ruby's Diner (Also in Redmond). I like this place. It's one of those
50's
> themed places, but the food's reasonably good. Burgers, fries, decent
> sandwiches and salads. Overpriced & crowded but when you're in the mood
> it's good.
>
> Woodinville Diner (QFC stripmall, across from Denny's). Why go to Denny's
> when you can visit an independant? Good for cheap breakfast when you want
a
> greasy spoon.
>
> Bigfoot Bagels. More uninspired breadlike West Coast bagels, just what we
> needed.
>
> Woodinville Thai - Passable, friendly, average Thai food. Fresh
ingredients
> every time. It's in a strip mall but so is everything else. When they say
> four-stars hot they mean it.
>
> Racha Thai - Very good, a step up from Woodinville Thai (above). Great
> atmosphere. I think it's a chain but I'm not sure. At any rate I like
it.
> Slow slow service the 75% times I've been.
>
> Tokyo Japanese Steak House - Have not tried it yet, looking forward to it
> though.
>
> Chan's Place - Passable Chinese. Not really remarkable. I think it's the
> only game in town though.
>
> China Harbor - Went here for lunch once. I will not return. New Chinese
> places always scare me but I'll give any place one chance. This one didn't
> pass. Could've been an off day but I'll probably never know.
>
> Johnny's Wok - Hard to find place. Seems a step above China Harbor. They
> seem to make things sweeter than usual, leaning towards terriyaki-style.
> Needs investigation. Are they related to the downtown place of the same
> name? There used to be one anyway, down below the Market off Post Alley.
>
> Pho Ha (?) - I don't know the real name of this place. It just opened in
> the same mall as Racha. One of the things I was sad about moving Out Here
> was no Pho. I can complain no more. I'm no expert, but I know good soup
> when I taste it. Ingredients are always fresh, except the chicken which
> they seem to steam early and then just add to the food. Brisket is fatty
> but it's supposed to be. I'm just happy they're here cuz I love Pho!
>
> Texas Smokehouse. One of my regular stops. I like the BBQ sandwiches a
> lot. The hot sauce is excellent, spicey but not murderously so. Thumbs
way
> up.
>
> Armadillo. I never liked this place and have yet to find anybody who
does.
> First of all, it's unclean. That always puts me off. Secondly, it's just
> not all that good. They're closing their doors soon anyway, hopefully
> something good shows up instead.
>
> Jasper's BBQ (Duvall). I've been here only once. It doesn't compare
> favorably to Texas Smokehouse but I liked the sauce. The portion of
> briskett I got was very fatty. Needs more investigation.
>
> Mazatlan (Duvall and Carnation). See Jose's above, minus the salsa.
>
> Purple Cafe. Upscale-ish but casual, a great place to get some decent
food
> and a good by-the-glass selection of wines. Bigger location in Kirkland
> that you can never get a seat at. It's too pricey. One of my cues for
> "overpriced" is to look at the avg. entree price and compare it to the age
> of your server. If the ratio is pretty close then the place is
overpriced.
> Still, it's a good spot.
>
> Redhook - A decent enough place to go, but to be avoided on weekends.
> Especially sunny ones, when BG-trail users all stop for a pint to undo all
> the working-out they just accomplished. The food is expensive for the
> quality and uninspired, but I still go because they have cask-conditioned
> Imperial pints and we can bring our kids. Table-vulturing is always a
> turn-off.
>
> PIZZA: Jet City Pizza, and the usual chains. I always pick Jet City.
> Otherwise choose from the usuals. King County is a pizza black hole
anyway.
>
> Maltby Pizza & Pasta. The pizza's OK, about what you'd expect, but
> unfortunately they have no clue how to run a restaurant. My cousin who
> lives close by refuses to go here anymore because they always screw
> something up. Our single visit had us waiting for food for an hour. Not
> acceptable. It's a pity because the area could use another reliable,
> quality place like their next-door neighbor.
>
> Out of the way - Todai, Redmond Town Center. I'm no sushi expert but it
> seems pretty fresh to me. All-you-can eat formula is expensive but worth
it
> if you want to sample a ton of different stuff. Come hungry, bring money.
>
> Bothell, Main Street Pub. I like this place because it's never crowded,
> they have a good beer selection and they allow kids. Good for a burger &
> fries. Do not order the pizza.
>
> Sincerely,
> Greg.
>
>
>Seattle, WA