Wednesday night, we attended FareStart’s 6th Annual Guest Chef on the Waterfront – a food & wine extravaganza in support of FareStart. FareStart is a non-profit organization in Seattle whose mission is to help homeless and disadvantaged men and women obtain the skills necessary to find employment in the food service industry. Their intensive 16-week culinary program combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction and job placement services. FareStart provides meals to childcare centers and homeless shelters around the Seattle area every day of the year, an endeavor that provides students with valuable training opportunities. Hands-on training also occurs at the FareStart Restaurant located at 7th & Virginia in downtown Seattle. The FareStart Restaurant offers students the chance to prepare meals for hungry workers and downtown shoppers. The restaurant is open every weekday for lunch. On Thursday evenings, the restaurant hosts Guest Chef Night where one of Seattle’s premier chefs heads into the FareStart kitchen and works directly with the students to produce a delicious meal for a restaurant full of diners. The wait staff on Guest Chef Night is comprised of volunteers from local businesses (my company participated in this twice and had a blast each time). Guest Chef Night is a popular event; reservations are strongly recommended.

Another highly anticipated FareStart event is their annual Guest Chef on the Waterfront, a celebration featuring the local chefs and restaurants that support them throughout the year. Some have referred to it as the foodie event of the summer. Guest Chef at the Waterfront brings together over 70 of the region’s best chefs, breweries and wineries. This year’s participating restaurants included relative newcomers Tilikum Place Cafe, Urbane and Cantinetta as well as old Seattle standbys such as Ivar’s and Salty’s on Alki. Beverage purveyors ranged from Caffé Vita Coffee Roasting Co. to DrySoda to Georgetown Brewing Company. Of course, there was also wine. Lots and lots of wine courtesy of the Rhone Rangers, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting American Rhone varietal wines. As with the FareStart restaurant, all proceeds from Guest Chef on the Waterfront directly benefit FareStart’s job training and placement programs. Helping the community with delicious food and drink is a cause I can get behind!

Guest Chef on the Waterfront is held on Seattle’s Pier 66. The weather was absolutely perfect this year; it was so nice just to be on the pier looking out over the water and mountains. The best part of all, however, was the wonderful food and wine! Food and beverage stands were set up in long rows inside Bell Harbor’s Elliott Hall with even more stands located outside on the sunny pier. Upon entering the building, you are given a tray and an empty wine glass and are set free to start eating and drinking. The place was packed! It was pretty challenging getting to some of the food. There was very little room to move, and people were bumping into each other right and left. I’m pretty sure everyone in attendance either spilled food or was spilled upon at some point during the night. After a while, things seemed to ease up, and I was able to sit back and enjoy some delicious nibbles.

Food was served in small portions - just a few perfect bites allowing you to sample many different things. This being Seattle, the dishes were weighted heavily towards seafood. Ceviche was a popular choice. I sampled two: a spicy Moroccan-inspired scallop ceviche and a mixed seafood ceviche in a bloody mary marinade (complete with bloody mary style garnishes of olives and spicy peppers). Lemongrass-scented salmon vichyssoise, halibut cheeks with corn salsa and swordfish with kimchi were among the other seafood dishes I tried. Robert particularly enjoyed 2100 Bistro’s miniature lamb patty served atop Vietnamese rice noodles. Urbane’s corn dog also received high praise from our group. Like the food, wine was served in tiny samples. I excitedly tried several varietals I hadn’t had before including Marsanne, Mourvedre and Roussanne. After filling up on dinner and drinks, it was time for dessert. I don’t normally do dessert, but there was no way I was going to pass up fried-to-order nutella-stuffed beignets. The line for beignets was long but worth it. They were incredible! Guest Chef at the Waterfront may be over for this year, but I encourage you to check out lunch or Guest Chef Night at FareStart – it’s good for the students, the community, and your belly!

I often daydream about what it would be like to have every possible ethnicity is represented in my neighborhood’s restaurant scene. That may never happen, but we just got one step closer with the grand opening of Guanaco’s Pupuseria on Broadway. I love pupusas so this news is quite exciting. Pupusas are El Salvador’s most notable dish. They are thick handmade tortillas stuffed with a variety of fillings ranging from chicharrón (ground pork) to refried beans to cheese with loroco (a tropical vine flower). Most commonly, pupusas are made using corn masa although some regions in El Salvador use rice flour. They are traditionally served with curtido, a lightly fermented cabbage slaw. I personally love having them for breakfast with refried beans, scrambled eggs, hot sauce and sour cream.

My primary experience with pupusas thus far has been at Salvadorean Bakery in Seattle’s White Center neighborhood. Their pupusas are dense and hearty. By contrast, the pupusas at Guanaco’s are very soft and practically overflowing with fillings. The thin, slightly charred exterior of the tortilla is just strong enough to hold in the soft, melty center. While I prefer the denser pupusas at Salvadorean Bakery, Guanaco’s pupusas are tasty and I’m certainly not going to complain about cheap pupusas a few blocks from my apartment! In addition to pupusas, there are plenty of other tempting items on the menu including fried plantains, yucca fritters, baby corn tamales, dessert empanadas and pastelitos (fried corn flour pockets filled with beef, onion and carrot). Everything at Guanaco’s is super cheap so there is no excuse not to try something new with each visit.

Guanaco’s is located at 219 Broadway E. Suite 14 (inside the Alley Mall).

Robert and I had a fantastic dinner last night at Anchovies & Olives. Halfway through, we had already declared it the best meal of the year! Like many dining establishments, Anchovies & Olives was doing a special prix fixe menu for New Year’s Eve - five courses at $75 per person. That’s not cheap, but in this case it ended up being worth every penny. Each course came with a choice between two different dishes. We decided to keep it simple and order one of each to share. Might as well sample everything, right? Highlights for me included the tiny kusshi oysters topped with green apple ice, the hamachi crudo (raw yellowtail served with blood oranges, shaved beets and horseradish) and the seared arctic char with trumpet mushrooms and braised radicchio. Robert enjoyed the escolar crudo which came topped with spicy coppa, persimmon and arugula. Our favorite dish of all, however, was the squid ink spaghetti with sea urchin, mussels and bread crumbs. The pasta - made fresh in house - had a wonderful firm, chewy texture. Combine that with super-sweet mussels and perfectly crunchy fried bread crumbs and you end up with one truly unforgettable dish. Talk about closing out 2009 on a high note!

To thank me for working some magic on one of his old tax returns, Robert took me out for dinner at Harvest Vine. Harvest Vine is a popular tapas restaurant located in the Madison Valley neighborhood. Opened in 1998 as a small gourmet take out and wine shop, Harvest Vine quickly grew into a full scale restaurant that has had critics and patrons singing its praises ever since. Tapas restaurants are so prevalent these days, but few do it as well and as authentically as Harvest Vine. The menu features a unique blend of seasonal local produce and traditional Basque ingredients imported from Spain and France. The tapas may vary with the seasons, but one thing never changes – every dish at Harvest Vine exemplifies their passion for creativity and commitment to excellence.

The first thing you notice upon entering Harvest Vine is the lively atmosphere, largely due to the open kitchen. The main dining area is tiny, with barely enough room for three tall tables and virtually no waiting area (and there are always people waiting.) Most of the seating is at a counter directly overlooking the kitchen. There is also a separate dining area downstairs which is much more spacious and quiet but not nearly as fun. Most people would argue that a seat at the counter is the best seat in the house. Service is friendly and entirely unpretentious – in fact, our server was kind of gruff (but in a very charming way!)

We started off our meal the best way possible: a bottle of Rioja and a cheese plate. After that, our tapas came out slowly, one at a time. Highlights of the meal included red chard sautéed with marcona almonds and red grapes and grilled squid served with braised pork cheek and pimentón. The pork cheek was cooked in an ultra-rich red wine sauce which actually paired surprisingly well with the squid – the squid was so deeply charred that it actually needed a bold accompaniment. We also enjoyed that evening’s venison special. Harvest Vine recently got their hands on a whole deer, and the chefs have been making their way through it by featuring different cuts each night. Our dish was a seared venison loin, thinly sliced and served over greens with yet another incredible rich sauce. Thank goodness Harvest Vine gives you plenty of bread for sopping up all of the amazing sauces!

Overall, it was a delicious meal. The food was of the highest quality and was presented beautifully. I particularly appreciated the pace at which Harvest Vine serves their tapas. I’m pretty sure they don’t even queue up your next dish until you have completely finished the one before. Some people may find this tedious, but I love that it allows you to really linger over your meal. It’s nice to not feel rushed. Besides, if you are sitting upstairs, there is plenty of activity to keep you entertained while you await your next dish. The downside is that this style of eating allows you to drink copious amounts of wine without even realizing it! If you like tapas, or are simply a fan of well-prepared, interesting food, be sure to check out Harvest Vine (and try to snag a seat at the counter!)

Harvest Vine is located at 2701 East Madison and is open 7 nights a week from 5pm to 10pm

Food trucks have started popping up all over Seattle thanks to recent efforts by the mayor and local health officials to relax some of the city’s strict regulations on street food. The latest - and certainly the most elaborate - addition to the group is Maximus Minimus (a.k.a. “the mobile pig.”) Owned by the same people behind Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, the focus at Maximus Minimus is on pork. Specifically, they are boasting “the best pulled-pork sandwich you’ve ever had.” Current plans are to keep the “pigstream” parked at 2nd & Pike downtown during lunchtime. At night, it will be roaming the streets of Seattle looking for the hottest spot in town. If you want to track where it will be next, you can follow their updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/somepigseattle.

The other day, my friend and I snuck away from work and headed down to Maximus Minimus for lunch. The line was long but moved pretty quickly – things seemed fairly well-organized considering that they had only been in business for three days. The menu is limited: sandwiches, chips, slaw and drinks. You can add Beecher’s Flagship cheese to any sandwich. Sandwiches and slaw can each be ordered “maximus” (spicy) or “minimus” (sweet and tangy.) Between the two of us, my friend and I managed to order everything on the menu. I opted for a maximus vegetarian sandwich, chips and hibiscus nectar, and my friend had the pulled pork sandwich, slaw and ginger lemonade.

The vegetarian sandwich consists of barley, roasted mixed vegetables and currants bathed in maximus or minimus barbecue sauce. It was flavorful and the barley had a nice texture, but I was disappointed that the bun wasn’t toasted. The maximus sauce was not especially spicy. I later learned that you can order your maximus sauce with extra “hurt” if you like things really spicy. The sandwich was very messy which I don’t mind too much if I’m sitting at a table with plenty of napkins and a sink nearby - when you are hunkered down on the steps of Benaroya Hall, trying to eat your lunch while simultaneously keeping your napkin from blowing away in the wind, a messy sandwich might not be for everyone. The chips are a mix of potatoes, carrots, beets and green beans topped with fried chilies. They were an excellent surprise. The crisp and herb-rich slaw was equally tasty. I am a sucker for unusual drinks so I particularly liked the hibiscus nectar. My friend enjoyed his pork sandwich, but agreed with me that the bun should have been toasted.

My total for lunch came to $12.50; the sandwich alone was a hefty $7.50. This may not seem like much for a downtown lunch, but this is street food! To my mind, the whole point of street food is that you get really yummy food for really cheap. Without the additional overhead of tables and a waitstaff, street food should be cheaper than restaurant food. Or, if you are going to charge higher prices, the food had better be mind-blowingly good (my lunch was merely decent.) I think it’s great that Seattle is starting to get a street food scene, and I love that Maximus Minimus has, for now at least, transformed this sketchy corner into a jovial community scene at lunch time (patrons in line were downright giddy at the prospect of ordering food from a big, shiny pig.) I just hope that some of the upcoming food vendors plan on offering better deals (I’m looking at you, Marination Mobile!)

Upon arriving in Victoria, Robert and I immediately made a beeline for Red Fish Blue Fish. After our exhilarating seaplane ride, we were hungry for lunch and I had heard that this was the place to go for fish & chips.

Red Fish Blue Fish is located on the waterfront just north of Victoria’s famous Inner Harbor. This friendly fish & chips joint is operated out of an old shipping container which has been outfitted with a tiny kitchen and a couple of windows where you order and pick up your food. The seating is all outdoors and consists of two counters with tall stools and a handful of low stools scattered about on the nearby pier. If all of the stools are taken, people are content to plop themselves down anywhere on the dock, the nearby rocks or even the street.

Many seafood restaurants are supporting sustainable seafood efforts these days, and Red Fish Blue Fish is no exception. Their seafood comes from British Columbian waters and it is 100% Ocean Wise (Ocean Wise is a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program created to help restaurants and consumers make ocean-friendly choices.) All of the food at Red Fish Blue Fish is served in earth-friendly recyclable packaging right down to the compost-able wooden utensils. They don’t even have a trash can on site!

The menu at Red Fish Blue Fish appears simple at first glance: fish & chips, fish sandwiches and fish tacos (called “tacones.”) Take a closer look, however, and you notice some pretty unique touches. Standard fish & chips offerings such as battered and fried cod are offset by less common choices including BBQ Salmon, grilled oysters and seared albacore tuna. Inventive side dishes range from curry chips to tempura pickles to mushy edamame (their twist on mushy peas.) Fish tacones are topped not only with the expected cabbage slaw but also lemon-pickled onions and pea shoots. How often do you see pea shoots used as the greens?

Our first day in town, we ordered two tempura cod tacones with sweet-smoked chili adobo sauce and a half order of fries. I knew the tacones would be good, but these went above and beyond my expectations. The presentation was beautiful first and foremost. The fish was crisp and light and the vegetables were fresh and crunchy. Robert particularly appreciated the fact that the tortilla itself was grilled. The fries were equally delicious, and a half order turned out to be plenty for the two of us. The next day, we tried the seared albacore tuna tacones which came with a spot prawn mayo instead of the adobo sauce. The tuna had a very clean taste with just a whisper of smokiness from the grill. It was bit chilly that day so we added a cup of chowder to our order. The chowder at Red Fish Blue Fish is sweet and spicy - nothing like the bland, floury tasting chowders you normally get in seafood restaurants. In fact, it reminded me a lot of my own Bolivian Corn Chowder.

Red Fish Blue Fish was an unexpected highlight of our vacation. Not only is their food delicious, the waterfront setting is pretty unbeatable. It provides an excellent vantage point from which to watch the busy harbor traffic. We tried to go back on our third and final day in town, but they were closed. What a shame! Seattle could really use a place like this (Pike Street Fish Fry doesn’t compare.) Finally, as if our experience at Red Fish Blue Fish wasn’t good enough already, as we were sitting on the dock one day savoring the last few bites of food, we saw an otter climbing around on the rocks looking for scraps - so cool!

Robert and I just returned from a weekend trip to Victoria, British Columbia. We took the seaplane from Seattle which was amazing! Viewing our beautiful Pacific Northwest from the sky is a unique treat. One moment we were waiting for our plane at Kenmore Air’s Lake Union terminal, an hour later we were checking into our hotel in Victoria. How’s that for convenience? Our hotel, the centrally located Magnolia, was also pretty fantastic. However, my favorite part of any vacation is eating!

Highest on my list of restaurants to try was Cafe Brio. Cafe Brio is known as Victoria’s “foodie” restaurant so of course I had to check it out! It is located in a very unassuming area of town, just far enough away from downtown as to not be completely overrun with tourists. The setting is casual and comfortable. Customer service is impeccable - the staff is friendly and clearly very proud of the food being served. Cafe Brio is a bit pricey but well worth the expense if you like exceptional food and a unique dining experience.

Cafe Brio’s menu is distinctive in several ways. A special fixed price menu is offered during the early seating (5:30 to 6:15.) This $29 meal includes appetizer, entrée and dessert and is a great value. Cafe Brio also has a relatively lengthy charcuterie menu. All of the charcuterie is made in house, and the menu typically features eight to ten items ranging from salami to summer sausage to pates. The meat cellar was reportedly stuffed to the gills with fresh batches of charcuterie the day were there, and our waitress was quite excited about it. Fixed price meals and house made charcuterie aside, my favorite thing about the menu at Cafe Brio is that every dish can be ordered in small or large sizes. You can go tapas styles and order a bunch of small plates to share or you can stick with a more traditional appetizer and entree approach.

Robert and I love sharing food so we decided to order a selection of small dishes. We couldn’t pass up the house made charcuterie so we started off with gin & pancetta-smoked venison summer sausage. It was smoky and spicy and not at all greasy. Delicious! This was followed by a mixed greens salad topped with poached apples and the creamiest blue cheese I’ve ever tasted (undoubtedly a local cheese.) Other dishes included made-to-order chickpea tortellini served with braised greens and a delectable red pepper broth, the “contorni” plate – seasonal vegetables prepared four different ways, pan-roasted sablefish with scallop fritters, roasted squash, nettles and a red wine emulsion, and grilled pork loin served with a sausage and potato ragout and boudin noir puree. The meal as a whole was fantastic – my favorites were the venison summer sausage, the chickpea tortellini and the vegetable plate. We paired our meal with some of British Columbia’s finest: Quails’ Gate Winery’s Pinot Noir for me and, for Robert, the Driftwood Farmhand - a lovely saison style brew that was all the rage around town during our visit.

While we were enjoying our meal, we learned that the table next to us was from Homes & Living, a magazine devoted to life in Central Vancouver Island. They were preparing to do a story on Victoria and Cafe Brio as part of their “weekend getaway” series. The getaway stories always feature an awesome island destination, a hot new car, fancy accommodations and an exquisite restaurant (the kind of lavish lifestyle readers of such magazines drool over.) The car of choice for this month’s story was a new 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe! The team made a big production out of trying to get a perfect photo of the restaurant with the car parked out front, providing us with plenty of entertainment in the process. Robert enjoyed getting a sneak peek at the new car while I was content to swoon over the delicious food in front of me - a perfect night out in Victoria for the two of us!

Those of you who follow my blog regularly or who have looked through my recipes know that I am a fan of seafood. So, when I heard that Ethan Stowell (of How to Cook a Wolf, Union and Tavolata fame) was planning to open an Italian seafood restaurant just up the street from me, my interest was piqued. When I found out that all dishes would be priced at under $20, I went from interested to enthusiastic.

Anchovies & Olives, which has been open for just under two weeks now, is located in the new Pearl condominium complex at 15th and Pine. Like the building it’s housed in, Anchovies & Olives has a very modern look to it: low lighting, high ceilings, big windows and lots of clean lines and blank spaces. In larger restaurants, this type of decor always feels a little cold and impersonal. In the small space at Anchovies & Olives it seems to work – a small room always makes things feel more intimate. The busy open kitchen right smack in the middle of the restaurant also does its part to promote a warm and inviting atmosphere.

As promised, the menu is heavy on the seafood. In fact, other than foccacia bread and fried marcona almonds, I didn’t see a single dish that wasn’t based on some form of seafood. The menu is divided between “crudo,” appetizers, pastas, and entrees. The crudo menu offers a wide variety of ultra-fresh fish and shellfish dishes, all of which are served raw and with simple seasonings. The appetizers range from basic bread with olive oil to baccala (salt cod!) salad and clams with beans. The pastas, in true Italian fashion, are made by hand and served very simply. Spaghetti with sea urchin and conchiglie with octopus, tomatoes and capers are some of pasta dishes that caught my eye. A small number of entrees round out the menu and include dishes such as sea bass with house made sauerkraut and branzino with oxtails. The wine list features Italian wines only and is 70% white. You might consider this a bold choice, but I think it’s the right one. White wine is almost always a better choice with seafood. It’s about time white wine started getting some attention.

We started off with the focaccia bread and the fluke crudo. People will likely gripe at the fact that the bread isn’t free but, for only $2, you get a healthy serving of bread, olive oil for dipping and a smattering of Arbequina olives. The fluke crudo consisted of six slices of fresh raw fluke dressed in a citrus-infused oil with hearts of palm and some kind of fancy sprouts. It was simple and utterly delicious. For his main course, Robert had the linguine aglio olio with crab. It was a bit oily, but the texture of the pasta was great and the dish had a nice kick to it. Although I was highly tempted by the sea urchin spaghetti, I ultimately chose the grilled mackerel as my entree. The mackerel was served with sautéed hedgehog mushrooms and a sunchoke puree. It was a pretty small portion, but mackerel is so rich that it ended up being the right size for me. The mushrooms were really tasty and provided competition for the mackerel and fluke as best bite of the evening. To drink, we had a delightful white wine: 2007 Quattro Mani Toh-kai. This wine was light and crisp yet had enough body to make it a good match for nearly everything on the menu.

Overall, I’m very happy to have Anchovies & Olives in the neighborhood even if it is a bit pricey (our individual meals may have been $16 each, but crudo and wine sure do add up.) We spent a little bit more than usual, but we had great customer service and the seafood dishes were all well-prepared and were different from what you typically see in other restaurants. I’m looking forward to returning. The sea urchin pasta is next on my list. Come summertime, I could easily see us stopping by for some crudo and a couple of glasses of chilled wine!

We’ve been getting so much snow here in Seattle this week, and I’m completely loving it! Yesterday’s snowstorm thwarted our plans for dressing up and going out for our annual holiday cocktail - hiking boots, rather than high-heeled boots, were the order of the day around here. The snow does more than any winter cocktail ever could to put me in the holiday spirit so we ended up having a really special day anyway despite our holiday date being canceled. We also unintentionally wound up visiting three restaurants that I had never been to before making the day that much more memorable.

We left the house early yesterday morning and carefully navigated down the icy sidewalks to our first stop: Kaladi Brothers Coffee. Kaladi Brothers began as an espresso cart in Anchorage, Alaska; they now have twelve locations in Alaska and one in Seattle. Robert goes to Kaladi Brothers nearly every day since it is around the corner from his work, but this was my first time. The people working there are really friendly and the space is funky and comfortable (and warm!) Their coffee is delicious and, considering that it has felt like Alaska in Seattle all week, it seemed fitting to be frequenting an Alaska-born coffee shop. An interesting side note: Kaladi Brothers coffee is also used to make Cha Dao Black Tea & Coffee Drink which you can find in grocery stores all around Seattle (and it happens to be one of Robert’s favorite beverages.) After a hot cappuccino and a hearty slice of banana bread, we slip-slided our way downtown to finish up the last of our holiday shopping.

On the way home from shopping, we decided to swing by Oddfellows Cafe, the brand new restaurant from Linda Derschang (of Linda’s Tavern and Smith fame) and Erika Burke (of Volunteer Park Cafe.) It is a beautiful space; Linda somehow always manages to make her restaurants look like they have been around forever. This big, light, airy cafeteria will be serving up simple fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Not surprisingly, the menu has a lot in common with the menus at both Smith and Volunteer Park Cafe (lots of meaty comfort foods.) Things were a little hectic and disorganized while we were there but, considering that they just opened for business this week - the snowiest week in years - we were more than willing to be patient. I had a green salad and butternut squash soup which came with a hefty chunk of seeded baguette. Robert had the grilled BLT with avocado. Both were quite tasty. Based on what I’ve seen so far, it looks like Oddfellows will be a great addition to the neighborhood.

After stopping at home just long enough for me to make a batch of Mexican Wedding Cakes and for the next big blizzard to start up, we decided to head out for dinner. Hopvine Pub was slammed so we hiked across the street to check out Olympia Pizza & Pasta instead. Olympia is the sort of pizza place every neighborhood should have with old fashioned vinyl booths and a heavy dose of cheese. It’s also one of those places that I have walked by a millions times but, for whatever reason, never really noticed before. Its old school decor and menu full of comforting Italian-American classics made Olympia the perfect cozy retreat from the snow. Plus, we scored the best table in the house: window seat right next to the Christmas tree! I ordered a glass of sangiovese and the baked cheese manicotti which arrived at my table bubbling away. I lingered over my meal in a state of bliss, taking in all the little sentimental moments happening around me: a car driving by with a snow-dusted Christmas tree on top, a man scurrying home with the bare essentials (TP and a six pack of Jubelale,) a baby with a giant smile on its face upon seeing its very first decorated Christmas tree. It was like being in my very own holiday TV special. We wandered home in the snow full and happy - a perfect end to a perfect winter day!

Friday night, Robert and I headed down the street to finally check out Boom Noodle. When I learned last year that my neighborhood was about to get a Japanese-style ramen house, I was super excited. I pictured a noodle shop just like those in the International District: crowded, loud, harshly lit and lacking in decor, all offset by a menu of cheap, delicious noodle dishes. The perfect spot for a quick, satisfying meal on a rainy night. When Boom Noodle finally opened it’s doors and revealed itself to be an extremely posh restaurant and cocktail bar (with prices to match) I have to admit that I was a little disappointed. Silly as it may be, because it wasn’t my vision of what a noodle house should be, I hadn’t been particularly motivated to try Boom Noodle yet. Friday’s blustery, rainy weather had me craving noodles so we thought it was finally time to give Boom Noodle a shot.

The ambiance at Boom Noodle is hyper trendy. It has a very modern, IKEA-esque look, with bright green walls, high ceilings, and lots of black, metallic, angular furnishings. Boom Noodle is also host to the single most obvious restaurant trend of 2008: the communal table. While I’m not a fan of communal tables, they seem to work well with Boom Noodle’s “upscale cafeteria” style. There is also a handful of individual tables located in the swanky bar just past the restaurant. Everything at Boom Noodle is very heavily branded. The chopsticks, the bowls - nearly every dish was adorned with Boom Noodle’s logo. I even spotted a “Boom” wine behind the bar. Boom Noodle isn’t a chain yet, but it clearly dreams of becoming one.

The menu at Boom Noodle is broken out between small plates, chilled noodles & salads, hot noodles & soups, wok noodles & rice, and extras. The surprisingly lengthy list of small plates includes such interesting choices as omakase pickle plate, edamame puree and miso broiled rice cakes. The balance of the menu is devoted primarily to noodle dishes. Offerings range from the very traditional (chilled somen noodles served with grated daikon and tempura dipping sauce) to the more innovative (roasted red beet soba, a soup made with julienned beets, pickled plum, wakame seaweed, shiso leaf and red beet broth.) The drinks menu is also quite inventive. Ingredients such as shiso, ginger and yuzu all make an appearance on Boom Noodle’s cocktail list.

We started off with a couple pints of Sapporo and the Curry Potato Korokke: Japanese potato croquettes served with a ginger creme fraiche. The croquettes were tasty, and the flavor was strikingly similar to that of Indian samosas (it kind of left me wishing we had a tamarind chutney for dipping instead of the ginger creme fraiche.) For his main course, Robert ordered the beef yakisoba. He liked that it wasn’t overly sweet but thought it was a bit too aggressively flavored. I was really tempted by the red beet soba but ultimately chose the salmon udon which consists of thick udon noodles served in a white miso broth with spinach, shiitake mushrooms, lightly smoked white salmon and a hard boiled egg. The soup is garnished with a crispy salmon skin “cracker.” The noodles were perfectly cooked - chewy and thick like good udon should be. The salmon was delicious and the broth was good, although, like Robert, I found it to be too heavily flavored. Subtle doesn’t seem to be on the menu at Boom Noodle.

Boom Noodle’s name is derived from the Japanese term “my boom” which means the thing that you are currently obsessed with. After one visit, I can’t say that Boom Noodle is “my boom” just yet, but the innovative menu and the tasty (if overly bold) food is enough to keep me coming back. Plus, I still have to try that red beet soba! You can certainly get cheaper food in the International District but, on a rainy night when I want some noodles, the four block walk from my apartment to Boom Noodle sounds awfully good. Boom Noodle is located at 1121 East Pike Street.