Nishino

Nishino is where I first tried an Omakase [regular].  For those that are unfamiliar with the term, it means "I'll leave it to you [the chef]".  They'll generally bring out dishes both on and off the menu.  It could be a hit or miss, but you are buying a surprise, and generally a better value than ordering those dishes on the menu.

Nishino's omakase did not disappoint. With some of the highest quality sashimi I have had in Seattle, innovative flavoring, it's definitely a contender for my favorite Japanese restaurant in Seattle.

N.I. Score- 7.8 - 8.5

From left to right: Sake, some type of liver, hamachi.

Sashimi were amazing and the sauce paired well.  The hamachi was one of the best that I have had, nearly melts in the mouth.  I'm not a fan of livers so I just got through it and moved on.

N.I. Score - 7.4

Sashimi cocktail- This wasn't that exciting of a dish, and I don't enjoy sashimi in cubes.

N.I. Score - 7.7

Lobster Miso Soup- Quite a few has tried to enhance the traditional miso soup, but I have yet to find one that works.  The lobster legs didn't really provide much other than texture [and eating lobster legs is not a trivial effort].  The soup is good by itself, deserving the score.

N.I. Score - 9.0

Seared Tuna Salad- Anyone who knows me know I'm not a fan of greens, and this dish made me eat all of it- nothing was left.  The sauce is the highlight for this dish- sweet, salty, and I think sesame-based.  Seared Tuna was amazing like all other sashimi here.

N.I. Score - 8.7

Lobster Tempura- It looked great to start, but I was concerned that the lobster might be overcooked.  To my surprise, it wasn't and the lobster was soft combining with the crisp tempura crust to a beautiful union.

N.I. Score - 8.9

I'm a bit torn about this dish.  If it was just the mushrooms alone, it would have merited a 9.0+.  Nishino did it again with the sauce.  However, my piece of Icelandic salmon was a bit overcooked/on the tough side, and that subtracted from the experience.

N.I. Score - 7.5

Chawanmushi- Not too remarkable, but nice warm "homey-feel" dish.

N.I. Score - 8.0 - 8.5 

Assorted Sushi- Hamachi delivered again.  Not a fan of the cucumber wraps. 

NI Score: 7.3 - 7.7

Assorted fruit with mochi- Not the most appetizing thing to see at the end but mochis were tasty.

Yogurtland

N.I. Score: 8.2-8.4

The best way of describing the frozen yogurt at Yogurtland to you is with a story.

Yogurtland Saves the Day

A few years back when a colleague and I were playing recreational soccer, we had an unfortunate situation- the team captain made a typo and had the team come 2 hrs before the game began. Why is that unfortunate?

• Well, it's rec. soccer and no rec team needs 2hrs to warm up.
• We lived on the Eastside and the game was in West Seattle. There was no point in going home and heading back.
• If we ditched, the rest of the team would not have enough players to play the game.
• If we ate dinner, we would have been too full to play the game.

So there we were, stuck, frustrated and angry, until a thought came to our minds- Yogurtland.

Yes, Yogurtland. There was one at Capitol Hill and we could grab froyo and head back in time.
When we finally had it, there was comfort. There was peace. It was going to be okay and all wrongs had been forgiven. We went back happily to play the game that ended in a draw. That was okay too because Yogurtland was the highlight of the night.

Why Yogurtland

Yes, Yogurtland. What makes it wonderful? It's a place free of judgement. No one cares if you want to experiment putting different fruits together, or just plain tart. It's a place of freedom. You get as much as you want and however you want. And when it's a bad day and you need to pack as much as you can into that bowl, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It's always there for you, at least until 11pm. I mean, if you can't get there before 11, that's your fault. Yogurtland waited for you from 11am to 11pm. It needs to rest up for another day, of waiting for you.

Yogurtland Best Practices

Here's how I build my froyo-

• Triple tower foundation [This is my method of mitigating risks while researching an improvement on my current build]:
• Original tart
• NY Cheesecake
• Wild Card Flavor
• Pack it down
• If I need more froyo, tap the container against a flat surface to compress the froyo and create more space.
• A staple topping has been:
• Mangoes
• Cheesecake bites
• Chocolate cookie dough
• Lately I am using the following combination-
• Cheesecake bites
• Chocolate cookie dough
• Granola
• Caramel drizzle on top

Sometimes it is good to call the store in advance to make sure they do not have malfunctions for certain flavors or they have toppings you want, if you are in need of those.

Have your own favorite build? Comment and let me know!

John Howie

Maggiano's

Tsukushinbo

Tsukushinbo is easily the best value Japanese food you can have in Seattle.  Awesome daily lunch specials, great quality food, average/low prices.  The downside is the wait; you should get there around 30 mins before open- bad for large parties.

N.I. Score: 7.8

Tuesday's Special

N.I. Score: 8.8

Thursday's Special- Best special of the week. Best udon that I have ever had. Also comes with solid katsu don, with egg, and sweet sauce, over rice. All that for under $10. Amazing.

Udon has near perfect bounce. Broth is so flavorful that you can drink it all up. Comes with crisy-puffy things that enhances texture. They have the longest lines on Thursdays and Fridays and this is definitely worth the wait.

N.I. Score: 8.3

Solid special on Fridays- flavorful though not too rich, ramen has a good bounce, comes with crispy & juicy
gyoza.

N.I. Score: 8.2-5

Fresh, juicy, sashimi sliced right [not too thick or too thin]

Japonessa

Il Terrazzo Carmine

Neptune Oyster

Revel

N.I. Score: 8.5

I love meat.  And there are few things I love more than meat on a platter.  Fresh grilled veal.  Well done, Revel.

N.I. Score: 8.9

The tea-smoked noodle is bomb.  I can eat those all-day.  The duck is solid and all the flavors are on point.

The Capital Grille

Walrus & The Carpenter

Crepe Montagne | Belle Marie

N.I. Score: 8.2

After an exhausting day of snowboarding [I crammed near the top of the mountain so it was a struggle getting down], we had crepes before dinner at the Whistler village. The restaurant was definitely not made for a big party, and after fitting 7 people in a booth originally meant for 4, the waitresses barely had room to move pass us. We didn't have much elbow room but we were hungry and didn't care.

I am not super passionate about crepes but they are solid dessert choices. I went with a safe route since I don't go to Whistler often and I wanted the food to add to the experience. Strawberries are generally sweet and consistent so it's challenging to screw up the dessert.  When you add whipped cream and ice cream to it, it only gets better.


Nothing brings a smile to my face like a big plate of dessert. I think it's a combination of a challenge and the feeling of really good food that you will not run out of anytime soon. And that's what was placed in front of me.

The strawberries and ice cream were wrapped in a warm crepe, drizzled with strawberry and chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. There wasn't much room left, but the chef thought it was necessary to tuck the whipped cream under the crepe.


Like most desserts I like, the Belle Marie approached the point of saturation but did not go over. It packed in as much sweetness as possible from multiple sources. I am also a fan of the cold ice cream fusing with the warm crepe. The ice cream definitely took the Belle Marie over the 8.0 mark. In the end, the crepe was reduced to a gooey mix of cream and sauce but it was still wonderful. This crepe definitely set our subsequent dinner at La Bocca up for failure.

Rudy's BBQ | Baby Back Ribs, Moist Brisket, Cream Corn

N.I. Score: 8.0

Rudy's was my first stop in my Austin attack and they did not disappoint.

It was off to a perfect start when I told them it was my first time there and they served me a sample of everything before I ordered.

The most memorable part was when I tasted their cream corn. The cream corn was almost thick enough to be a soup, but not there yet. The sweet and buttery taste was borderline disgusting. But the important thing is that it did not cross that line. It was saturated but not overwhelming. I was sold. I looked at their menu and saw the cream corn was served in Small, Pint, and Quart.

I had a choice, though it wasn't really a choice. As a person of decent appetite, ordering anything small is offensive to me. So I went ahead and ordered 1 pint of cream corn,  full rack of baby back ribs, 0.5lb of moist brisket, 1/2L coke and complimentary bread, for the 1 person of myself.

Then I was treated with more awesomeness- a crate holding my food. No plates, all functional, just wax papers and a crate holding all my food. I couldn't hold back my smile as I carried my food to my seat.

Since I was staying at a hotel with no microwave, I was mostly concerned about the cream corn getting cold. I attacked that pint of corn with intermittent bites of meat, and consumed 80% of it.

The meat was very moist as stated. The barbecue sause was a good balance of tangy and sweet, though I have to admit that I have a preference for sweet barbecue.

Perhaps my 'downfall' was the ridiculous amount of corn I ordered and not saving bread for last. I eventually finished the corn 2 hrs later in my hotel room, and some brisket the day after, which was still moist.

As a trait of all foods rated 8.0 or higher, I wouldn't mind having Rudy's everyday. I would definitely stop at one whenever I go back to Texas.