Sushi Who? SUSHI ME, another conveyor belt sushi...we'll see

 I'm not gonna lie I am not a fan of anything in the Crossroads area in Bellevue.  When you grow up on Mercer Island a hundred years ago, the only reason to go to Crossroads is to pick up fresh, hot bagels from New York Bagel Boys.  Well, the bagel shop is long gone, so no reason to go to Crossroads, right?  Well, I have to admit, my son suggested we go to sushi, specifically, Sushi Me.  This was the second time he has suggested it, so since he'll be going back to college soon, I reluctantly agreed.  My husband, not a fan of any conveyor belt sushi at dinner, he stayed home and ate leftovers!



Gold Rush

No too busy for a Thursday night, we sat down right away.  Decor, nothing special, however, not bad.  OK, down to business!  I took a quick look and saw a few of the usuals, tuna, salmon, seaweed salad (thank God), California rolls, ok, fine...WAIT!!!  After I took what I thought was hamachi, strange things started coming around...  This crazy roll came around, looked like something from Lion King. The Gold Rush, a California roll, topped with sweet potato, tempura, and tobiko.  I don't ever get California roll, too boring, but my son likes it, so I gave the Gold rush a try.  I liked it, different anyway.

 This plate with 3 gushy brown balls came around before, but I just wasn't interested...TAKOYAKI.  Fried octopus chunks in eel sauce, I don't know, but I got it.  I'll get back to this later.


The Yummy

  We picked a few other things, Lobster-Salmon roll, the New York which has salmon-apple-avocado, the Crispy tofu with house sauce, the Sesame Balls, the Yummy roll, and seaweed salad.  My son may have grabbed some other items, but I don't remember.  For those of you who know me, this isn't the kind of sushi I would usually or ever choose.  I was so overwhelmed by all the crazy combinations and my son really liked this place, so I put my usual selections to the side.

I'm glad I tried Sushi Me.  Not your usual sushi joint, at all.  The quality of the sushi is good, I welcome the creativity that Sushi Me brings to the conveyor belt sushi world.  What I like the best is this is not a pretentious sushi bar and the other guests are casual and relaxed. 

OK, back to this wierd octapus ball, wierd.  It reminded me of a potato croquette, often found on the Kiddie Plate at some Japanese restaurants.  The chunks of grilled octapus didn't help the texture, but the crispy crust kinda brought it all together. 

Sushi Me, it's not for the sushi purists, but give it a try!  Sushi Me is a nice addition to the sushi world.

Eastside Eats: Just another Bar & Grill

I have to admit, these photos were taken during the "soft" opening many months ago.  However, nothing much has changed.  Everything is ok.

We had this cheese, tapenade, wierd dip.  The extra buttered grilled breadwas good.

My friend had the Santa Fe Burger...eh.

My burger was practically raw, I asked for RARE.  Borderline gross.

Another patron couldn't stop oogling and googling over the ice cream sandwich.  Again, just ok.
So why do I bother blogging about this place.  I went to Crossroads Bar and Grill again.  Same dirty menus and same bad stuff.  I don't know.  You be the judge.

Eastside Eats: Le Grand Bistro Americain

So I loved this place the first time I ate there, great location.  The second visit, was fine.  The food is fine, the tap water is horrible, so order a bottle of Evian, the prices are reasonable, but the service was a miss and the space was not quite what I wanted in the cold winter.  Don't get me wrong, I'll keep coming back here.  Good Menu.  The Charcuterie Plate is a must have with one of the interesting cocktails.  YUMMY!

The steak tartare was quite good.  Huge portion, way too much, but very good.  I had the vegetarian entree.  Four years of French in high school and I couldn't figure out that my entree was potatoes au gratin with a side salad.  Good, but not what I wanted.  John had the Trout Almondine...delicious.  On a recent visit I had the Onion Soup, salad and a pichet of their french wine...PERFECT!

I don't think Le Grand will be a special occation eatery for me, but more a good choice for a weekday dinner and when the weather gets better, it'll be great to try out all the other creative cocktails.  I can't wait to eat at Le Grand this summer!!!

Eastside Eats: Azteca

It's been years, but I recently had dinner at Azteca.  For many years, Azteca was the place to go for family dinners, workday lunches and Happy Hour on the Eastside.  Now that downtown Bellevue has grown and many Seattle eateries have opened Bellevue locations, we seem to have forgotten about Azteca.

Nothing has changed.  The menu looked about the same to me.  Kid Friendly and a good place to watch sports.  Another plus, Negra Modello is on draft!!!

I decided to get something other than combo A, B or C, like every Mexican restuarant menu has.  I had the Molcajete.  I was hoping it was the entree my friend had at Guadalajara in Tucson, AZ, that looked so GOOD!  The Molcajete is a stew of both chicken and beef sauteed in a spicy sauce with mushrooms, onions and tomato sauce.

The stew is topped with cheese, fresh green onion, jalepeno and served with either corn or flour tortilla, rice, beans, and avocado.

The food is pretty good, just the way I remembered.  Azteca isn't one of those super authentic or new edgy Mexican places.  Just good food, friendly service, comfortable place. and the pricing isn't ridiculous.  You know what I mean.  If you haven't been there in awhile and you don't feel like cooking tonight, give it another visit.

Eastside Eats: Paddy Coynes if you're cravin' a little pub grub

 

Here's another reason why I have to go on a diet...pub food and hard cider.  If you're in Lincoln Square or in downtown Bellevue and you want to have good, not-so-good for you, food.  Go to Paddy Coynes.  I was going to get the Shepard's Pie, then maybe the Bangers and mash, but I finally settled on the Fish and Chips.  OK, huge portion.  This wasn't the beer batter, or maybe not the batter that I am use to, none the less...YUMMY!

Eastside Eats: Din Tai Fung

 Love me some Juicy Dumplings!!  OK, not a lot of pics of the savory dumplings, why?  I was too busy eating.  I have to admit, I've been to Hong Kong, I use to live in San Francisco, I've tried nearly every dumpling in the Northwest...Din Tai Fung is awesome!!!

The first visit to Din Tai Fung, the line was so long, we almost left.  Secret, they serve food at the bar and there's usually room for 2.


The very FAST and skillful dumpling elves.



The space is cool, but seating is super tight.  Unless you reserve the private room, everyone is practically sitting on top of each other.  It doesn't bother me, but if you're not use to eating at communal tables, it might be a problem.

Anyways, who cares.  You're there for the food, right.  The quality is definitely at a higher standard than the usual Dim Sum Houses...trust me, I've checked it out.  Besides, you can see the dumpling makers as you come in.





Here's the space between tables.



Sweet Taro Buns...very happy ending!





Ruth's Chris Steak House

The Send-Off Dinner with Tyler & Jenny, before they leave for college. I have to say,

many memorable meals I have had have been at Ruth's Chris Steak House,

both in Bellevue and Seattle. This night was one of them. The Executive Chef,

Thomas Wichert was kind enough to stop by to say, "Hello!"

Quick story before I tell you about our awesome meal...

A few winters ago, we had a terrible snow storm and lost power in our house. The first night was tolerable, but we couldn't do it again. We checked into the Grand Hyatt in downtown Seattle and ate at Ruth's Chris Steak House every night. I ALWAYS order the Cowboy Ribeye, but seeing that the Ruth's Chris was in the lobby of our hotel, and practically our home kitchen, I thought I'd order something new. So, with so many choices, I ordered the Mixed Grill. I think the mix grill changes often, but what came on my plate that night was so good; petit filet, stuffed chicken breast, and a housemade sausage. We ordered the usual sides, our favorites, garlic mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Snow Storm or not...Great Memory.

So, we've spent most Father's Days, one Mother's Day and most Birthdays at Ruth's Chris as a family. My husband would often grab a quick dinner at the bar when I was working late. I love meeting my girlfriends at the bar for Happy Hour. Ruth's Chris Steak House...We Love You!!!

OK, back to the dinner... Of all the nights I have eaten at Ruth's Chris Steak House, I had never ordered the Porterhouse for two. First off, my husband loves the New York and I dream about the Cowboy Ribeye. Before we got to the restaurant, we decided on the Porterhouse and shook on it. Best deal I'd made in a long time. The Porterhouse is the best of both worlds. SERIOUSLY!!! No need for any additional sauces or toppings, this big juicy steak is PERFECT. I usually order my steak rare, but we ordered the Porterhouse Medium-Rare. I thought something this big and bone-in rare might come out raw. Great decision. This might be my new favorite steak.

We ordered a nice selection of sides; sauteed mushrooms, creamed spinach, asparagus with hollandaise, and julienne potato fries. YUM.

Happy Ending and a Sweet Goodbye. We all saved room for dessert and we really went for it!!!

Creme Brule, Bread Pudding, Chocolate Explosion Cake, and Apple Crumble...Oh My!
Another Memorable Meal at Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Eastside Eats: Top Gun

Everyone has their favorite Chinese place with all the stuff you like. I'm not going to pick a favorite, because I go to different Chinese restaurants for different specialties. If we're in the mood for dim sum, we go to Noble Court or SunYa, if we fancy BBQ, no one beats KauKau. I could go on and on forever and eventually name every Chinese place in the Northwest, but today, it's all about CRAB and Top Gun Seafood Restaurant.

But first, my son hates fish, shellfish, and anything that ever swan in the sea. So, if we are craving crab, wherever we go has to have other specialties besides seafood. Top Gun Special Chow Mein with chicken, beef, BBQ pork, and vegetables. This usually comes with calamari and shrimp, but remember what I said? "Nothing that ever swam in the sea!" The crispy chow mein noodles are so flavorful, not too salty, not too much of any one flavor,

just perfect.

OK, this is the main event, Steamed Crab with garlic sauce.
You won't find this on the menu, but if you want a YUMMY crab dish that is seriously

"Finger Lickin' Good" ask the server for the crab.

I have to warn you, it's messy. The server will brin crab crackers, but you'll be doing yourself a disservice if you do not use your fingers, get right in there, suck on the shell and savor the sauce that is coating the crab.
You won't regret it!!!

Eastside Eats: M O D Pizza...Made on Demand

I ordered the Lucy Sunshine. Ok, what's in the Lucy Sunshine? The perfect blend of Mozzarella, Parmesan, Artichoke, Garlic and the signature red sauce.

Ty ordered the Calexico. Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Chicken, "HOT" buffalo sauce, and Jalepeno. The buffalo sauce must have had a little sugar in it, because I could really taste something sweet. Not may favorite pizza, but I've never liked the idea of BBQ anything on pizza. Yuck.
Personal opinion only.
Lastly, the Dillon James. Kinda boring, but I didn't pick it.

OK, the main deal with MOD Pizza is MADE ON DEMAND. I have to say, I picked these pizzas up and didn't call in the order ahead of time. I barely remember the wait. The pizzas were done right away. The crust is thin and I think the crust must be partially baked before they are topped with the variouse options.

Will I go back? Of course. Definitely a better fast food option than XYZ Burger Joint, right?
You be the judge.