12589 Mon Mar 29 17:58:30 -0800 2004 15 4 Pacific Northwest 0 23557 Hi All, I'm a Chicago board regular who will be visiting Seattle for 5 days next week. I'm looking for the locals' favorite 'cheap eats' places ($15 or under entrees). Places for lunch and/or dinner, primarily. Thanks in advance! Mu Mu Mon Mar 29 17:58:30 -0800 2004 0 Mu Mu 1 23559 Where in Seattle will you be working/staying? e Mon Mar 29 18:22:57 -0800 2004 23557 0 mr.nelso 1 23564 Also, what types of foods/cuisines are you looking for? There are tons of good inexpensive restaurants. Mon Mar 29 19:43:45 -0800 2004 23557 0 kiliki 2 23598 starbucks Wed Mar 31 11:48:27 -0800 2004 23564 0 Tilda 2 23599 starbucks Wed Mar 31 11:48:40 -0800 2004 23564 0 Tilda 2 23614 starbucks if you gotta money for the place but there a lot of good places Thu Apr 01 09:03:22 -0800 2004 23564 0 edna 2 23615 Good food Thu Apr 01 09:21:15 -0800 2004 23564 0 ENDI 1 23572 A few cheap eats I like... Malay Satay hut Salumi Paseo Pecos pit Mon Mar 29 23:28:28 -0800 2004 23557 0 twinbliss 2 23585 Twinbliss has produced a great list! Here are more local favorites: El Puerco Lloron 624-0541, 1501 Western - Order a dozen fresh tortillas Burrito Loco, 783-0719, 9211 Holman Road NW Chicken en Mole a specialty, grand burritos Gorditos, 706-9352, 213 N 85th St, “Carne Asada Plate,” Super Giant Burritos, Agua Fresca (get the watermelon if it's there). "El Vagre" knockout seviche/camarone tostada, papusas Malena’s taco shop, 284-0304, 620 West McGraw (atop Queen Anne Hill) Jones Barbecue: http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/10794174/?cslink=cs_boc_ew_3_1 Chinooks, 283-HOOK, at Fisherman’s Terminal, south edge of Lake Washington ship canal On the surface, Chinooks is just another predictable American factory restaurant, though it is managed by Anthony’s Homeport, a locally respected seafood restaurant chain. It is situated at Fisherman’s Terminal, a working marina where the Seattle fishing fleet is moored. You can eat quite a good meal there and watch the boats. Before Chinooks was built, maybe a decade ago, there was a ramshackle eatery there where the fishers would eat. There is a rumor that the Port of Seattle, which owns the property, placed a requirement in the lease that a certain number of menu items be priced so as to be within the budget of a fisher. Mostly, it’s what you might expect from a moderately priced place (Copper River King Salmon $24.50, etc), but there are a few choice items tucked away on the menu. For 15 bucks, you can dine in luxury on Dungeness Crab Gumbo (great, if you like Dungeness crab - and who doesn’t?), Spinach Salad (definitely the bargain of the town), and a surprising Pasta Primavera, piled with seasonal veggies, and very nice. Of course, you will probably want to have a pint or two of local micobrews and one of their FABULOUS seasonal desserts (get the seasonal “Slump”), and probably not get away for less than $30, but it remains a personal favorite of this local boy. Across the bridge is Maritime Pacific Brewery - Chowhounds have raved about the happy hour appetizers -mini burgers, fried pickle, fries... and brews Matt’s in the Market - chowhounds love dinners here. Very Seattle, if a bit pricey. Lunch, though, can be a bargain (relative). Ten bucks for fabulous soup and salad. Zaina 208 Cherry 4.99 hummous/salad+? &1619 3rd - Grilled eggplant in pita very nice. Taste of India, 527-8486, 5517 Roosevelt - butter chicken, chana masala, saag/palak paneer, spinach naan And favorite of all, just lunching at a stoll in the Pike Place Market. Here's a link to another post on the Market: http://www.chowhound.com/pacificnw/boards/pacificnw/messages/15679.html Happy hour links: http://seattle.citysearch.com/best/results/8563/ http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0327/food-happyhour.php chow eric Tue Mar 30 13:02:13 -0800 2004 23572 0 mr.nelso 1 23577 Malay Satay Hut would be my first choice-- incredible food for the money. Vietnam's Pearl-- extensive menu of Vietnamese items. Thali at Udupi Palace in Bellevue (but I think you have a Udupi Palace in Chicago). Sichuanese Cuisine (15005 NE 24th St. in Redmond) for great Sichuan style Chinese food. Teriyaki salmon at a good Japanese restaurant. To stay within your budget I would try Ichiban in the International District (601 S. Main St.). If possible, get wild Alaska king salmon (I believe that's the only kind served at Ichiban). I know Kisaku Sushi serves it, but I believe it will be more than $15. Elliott's Oyster House on Pier 56 would be at the upper limit of your budget for the lunch menu, but there are also some more downscale places along the waterfront. Piatti in the University Village Shopping Center on NE 45th St. has good Italian food and I believe would be within your budget (It's across the walkway from a giant Eddie Bauer store). Just about anywhere in the International District. Tue Mar 30 01:38:27 -0800 2004 23557 0 Steve C 2 23582 I love Malay Satay hut and heartily agree you shouldn't miss it. However, I feel that Piatti in U. Village is not very good. Both times I ate there I was extremely disappointed. The dishes sounded good on the menu, but the flavors just didn't come together and one salad I had was really bad--sickly sweet dressing with overly sweet, cinamony pecans. In the U. district you'd do better at Mama Melina at 50th and Roosevelt. It would be helpful, though, to know where you'll be located while you're here and if you have a car etc. Tue Mar 30 11:50:41 -0800 2004 23577 0 SeaGal 3 23610 Oh, good. I'm not the only one. The food in that place was as bleached out as the clientele. Better it were IN the Eddie Bauer store... Wed Mar 31 22:58:02 -0800 2004 23582 0 mr.nelso 4 23616 LOL! I'd have to agree. Thu Apr 01 11:58:04 -0800 2004 23610 0 SeaGal 5 23618 OK... I understand that you don't like Piatti. Do you have any other suggestions, besides Mama Melina (especially in the under $15 price range)? The list of Mexican and Latin American restaurants is quite impressive, but other than the mole at Burrito Loco I do not see any places that seem to specialize in traditional chiles. Some of my favorite restaurants are in New Mexico, and I like red or green enchiladas (especially red) that rely on the chile itself, along with the cheese, onions, and some additional spices, for its flavor and spiciness. Many restaurants in the Northwest, if they have any spice at all, obtain it through jalapenos or other additives, rather than the chile itself. The closest thing I've found to what I like is El Gallito on E. Madison., but it did not really knock my socks off. Any other suggestions? Any places with good chiles rellenos? Just a footnote: El Puerco Lloron is rather hard to find. I spent about a half hour walking around Pike Place Market looking for it, and then when I found out where it is located it would have involved so much walking and so many stairs that I decided to go somewhere else. I hope I did not miss the home of the elusive authentic Mexican chile!? Thu Apr 01 15:22:25 -0800 2004 23616 0 Steve C 6 23627 I really enjoy a newer place in Ballard called La Carta de Oaxaca. It's in old Ballard at 5431 Ballard Ave. NW. I've given a link below to The Stranger's review. They specialize in the cuisine of, guess what? Oaxaca! The food is really good. It's family owned/operated and you can watch the mothers and sisters cooking fresh tortillas at the counter by the really good salsa bar. Some of the things I've tried and really liked are the Pozole--definite use of good dried chlies in this, Lamb Birria which had a very deeply flavored chile based sauce, a mole negro which was quite good and a thin, grilled steak which was served with a green or red chile enchilada (no cheese inside, just a fresh tortilla soaked in an amazing verde salsa--excellent! The only thing to realize is that the portions are all quite small, which makes it great for sharing, but a single plate may not fill you up--so go with a friend or two and share a bit of everything. They charge for chips, but they are truly amazing, freshly fried tortilla strips--yum. I'd say this is the best Mexican I've had in Seattle-and I've really always enjoyed Burrito Loco. (Of course, the food is from a different region than Burrito Loco's) It fills up quickly, so get there early if you don't want to wait. Link: http://www.thestranger.com/2004-02-19/chow.html Thu Apr 01 21:13:46 -0800 2004 23618 0 SeaGal 6 23628 I just thought of another place you might want to try--Santa Fe Cafe in Phinny Ridge. They specialize in New Mexican style food I believe. I ate there once (at the now defunct Ravenna branch) and didn't care for it, but it's a style of cooking that I don't seem to care for. I grew up eating Cal-Mex food and enjoy that and the food I've had in Mexico, so I can't say if the Santa Fe is good at what it does, or not. I've heard that many people enjoy it. Thu Apr 01 21:21:15 -0800 2004 23618 0 SeaGal