Recommendations for Seattle?

[phomonster]

I'm visiting Seattle for 5 days in November and I need recommendations for great ethnic eating. African, Latin American, Asian, all good; not looking for fancy or trendy or expensive, just honest to goodness mind-bending taste treats; I don't care if it's sold out of a warehouse or a convenience store or off the back of a truck; and anything in the seattle are qualifies. What's the one or two meals I shouldn't miss in Seattle?

[ssusu]

Hey Phomonster,

There was a great thread about a month ago on ethnic dining in Seattle which I'm linking here:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
Re Latin American, if you're willing to travel to White Center/Burien, try the Salvadorean Bakery or El Trapiche for pupusas (both Salvadorean); I hear there's also a good Peruvian place in that area but I haven't had an opportunity to try it yet.

[rockdoggydog]

I would suggest Green Leaf over Tamarind Tree and maybe adding Baguette Box to teh mix.

Rocky

[Lauren]

Seattle is not really known for having good Latin American food so, depending on where you are visiting from, you may want to skip that and stick to Asian.

[Walters]

Lauren, I am convinced a good Cuban restaurant would thrive in Seattle. I dined at one in Washington DC a couple years ago and the tastes were incredible. Alas, we have nothing like that here.

[Lauren]

I agree totally! There's a great one in Portland (Pambiche) - I wish they would open a location here!

[terrier]

With a name like phomonster, you have to try the outstanding pho available here.

I wholeheartedly recommend Pho Bac on 7th Ave S near Jackson St. I have recently been disappointed by many other of the other pho joints in town that I would have put in the same class (Pho Cyclo, the original Pho Bac location on Rainier), and so my recommendation is you try that specific place for the ideal Seattle pho experience. Stay far, far away from Than Brothers, Pho Ha, and Pho Hoa - other places are hit-or-miss too, but Pho Bac on 7th in the ID just rocks my socks consistently. I eat there several times a week.

I also strongly recommend the Tamarind Tree. Their Bo Bai Mon (7 courses of beef) is outstanding, as is the rest of their menu (except I find their pho too oily). Pleasant atmosphere and a great deal.

Malay Satay Hut and Seven Stars Pepper (Malay and Szechuan, respectively) are also quite good, but I think Vietnamese is the king "ethnic" cuisine in Seattle. If you've got time for lunch, I heartily recommend Salumi as well (hey, Italian is "ethnic" too!).