Jay Friedman is a freelance food writer who does monthly restaurant reviews for Seattle Sound magazine. Growing up as part of an east coast, Chinese food-loving, Jewish-identified family, he thought shrimp with lobster sauce was the ultimate Asian dish until reading a recipe and realizing there ain’t no lobster there. Recovering from disillusionment, he’s traveled extensively in Asia , taken Thai cooking classes, and vowed to learn food-related kanji so that when he orders organ meats from the Chinese menu, servers won’t stare at him in disbelief.
Last week, recall, I went to Sichuanese Cuisine at my favorite food corner in Seattle (12th and Jackson, in Little Saigon). This week I decided to venture to the shopping center diagonally across the street for a quick lunch at Lemongrass.
When I think quick, I think soup. Vietnamese soup is not just quick and economical, it’s also refreshing and fulfilling. There are pho joints all over the city, and more and more I’m seeing places serving bun bo Hue, a spicy beef noodle soup (with blood cakes—yum!) which I enjoy and will report on another time. But of the fifteen noodle soups on the Lemongrass menu, I’m drawn to the mi Quang, from the Quang Nam province of central Vietnam.
This, by the way, is what makes Lemongrass special. Lemongrass has another outpost a little further north on 12th, but the Little Saigon location serves more home-style, regional dishes in deference to the local Vietnamese community. I recommend you take advantage of that. I’m anxious to try their bun bo Hue, banh beo chen (little rice cakes topped with ground shrimp and green onions, dipped in spicy fish sauce), and the irresistibly named Fire Pot.
But back to the mi Quang, which will set you back a mere $5.95. This bowl contains yellow rice noodles, shrimp, pork, fish cakes, onions, cilantro, and crushed peanuts in an orangey broth—and is topped by rice crackers. As with pho, the soup comes with a separate plate of add-ins: herbs like banana blossoms and rau ram, bean sprouts, shredded lettuce, jalapeno, and lime. I throw it all in and mix well, as the soup takes on flavors fabulously. Then eat and enjoy. This is a complex soup, with varying tastes and textures. Quick to the table, but I recommend taking time to contemplate the complexity, and to appreciate that we have the chance to choose dishes like this in Seattle.
I’ve already mentioned that Bamboo Garden is one of my top five Asian restaurants in the Seattle area. Some see that mention as a surprise; knowing me, they wonder why I’d include a vegetarian restaurant. Not to knock the vegetarians, but... Read More Topics:
Chinese
Ramen was what I really wanted, but it was sold out. More on that another time. Dejected, my dining companion and I left the restaurant, strolled out to the street, and ended up at another one: Fuji Sushi. She ordered the katsudon: deep-fried pork... Read More Topics:
Japanese
Have you heard the ad war between Tulalip Casino Resort and the just-opening Snoqualmie Casino? Snoqualmie sure faces a challenge to be number one, as there’s lots of fun at Tulalip. Take, for example, Tulalip’s luxury hotel. There are 370... Read More Topics:
fusion
A number of books about Chinese food and Chinese cooking culture in general have made it to bookstores in the past year or so, including Fuchsia Dunlop’s Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper a Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China and Cecilia Chang’s... Read More Topics:
Chinese
It's just two weeks until Thanksgiving, and while many are tantalized by the thought of turkey, I'm salivating as I think about Szechuan cuisine.Is Szechuan food the polar opposite of traditional Thanksgiving fare? I don't think so. My meal will... Read More Topics:
Chinese
The current economy means tough times for the restaurant industry. While we witness many restaurants closing shop, a few are eyeing expansion—including Monsoon.First, a bit of menu expansion at the Capitol Hill location, with the recent introduction... Read More Topics:
Vietnamese
Seattle is saturated with Thai restaurants, most of which, for me, are just so-so. So when I get a hankering for food from that part of the world, I’m glad to know that Viengthong is a viable option, offering a sprinkling of Laotian dishes to the... Read More Topics:
Thai ,
Laotian
A quick and sad addendum to my report from earlier this week: Made in Kitchen has indeed closed. You can read the parting words at their website.The economy has been and will continue to be tough on restaurants. As the list of casualties continues to... Read More Topics:
Vietnamese
In the past month, I’ve been lucky enough to eat at such places as Rover’s, The Herbfarm, Inn at Langley, and Crush. As much as I enjoy these fine dining experiences, I’m not pretentious; I can be just as happy, if not more, at a hole-in-the-wall... Read More Topics:
Vietnamese ,
Chinese ,
Noodles ,
Thai ,
Malaysian