This is a blog written by ESL students under the guidance of their instructor at American Cultural Exchange English Language Institute at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington, USA. Click on the name of a restaurant to read its review.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Bacco Café & Bistro

86 Pine Street
(206) 443-5443







We recommend Bacco Café & Bistro because of the delicious taste and the warm place.

We ate the Vegetarian Sandwich and the Roast Beef Sandwich with side dishes of potato salad. The sandwiches were very savory, but the potato salad tasted unusual. The cheese in the sandwiches was aromatic. The Roast Beef Sandwich with slices of roast beef and some fresh mixed vegetable inside, was very good because the beef was scrumptious. When we ate the Vegetarian Sandwich we felt healthy because of the many kinds of vegetables, like: carrot cucumber, tomato, spinach and red cabbage. The potato salad had a different taste for us. That taste was a little sweet, sour and cheesy. We could taste many flavors at the same time.

When we stayed there we felt comfortable because the place was not big and the waiter took care of us. The place was small and simple, so we felt cozy and we could relax. And when we ate, the waiter asked us “How’s everything?” with a smile, several times. They took good care of us.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Pike Place Bagels




1525 First Avenue
(206) 521-9431


by Rocio Olivares Iriarte and Talal Al-Najem


Pike Place Bagel is an excellent place, because it has delicious bagels and a very friendly atmosphere.


This place has wonderful, sweet bagels for breakfast and very well-cooked bagel sandwiches for other meals. For example, the Tuna Sandwich is a delicious meal. It has tuna with a salad that is made with tomato, lettuce and onions. It smells fresh. The Egg Salad is a very good sandwich, too. It tastes similar to a hamburger and smells like it. The prices are very economical; you can have the Egg Salad sandwich for only $4.95 and the Tuna Salad for $4.75.


This place has a very friendly atmosphere, too. The ladies that attend the place are very nice and always have a smile for you. The music is relaxing and it is not too loud, so you can find there a very good place for conversation. You can see families and groups of friends in this place. It has a counter in front of the windows. There you can watch the people, walking on the street and you can eat by yourself if you want to.

Japanese Gourmet





82 Stewart Street


(206) 728-6204




by Nga My Duong, Hiromi Kato and Javiera Olivares Iriarte

We recommend Japanese Gourmet because of the delicious tastes and the comfortable environment.

The food is really tasty and fresh. The dishes keep their pure taste. Sometimes we could smell sweet smells when the food was cooked. The meat is very soft and mild. Lunch was served with a salad, which tasted sweet and sour at the same time, and Miso, the traditional Japanese soup that has a salty taste and is really delicious. When we ate we also felt the freshness of many ingredients, such as: chicken meat, salad and peas. The dishes were served fast and hot because the chef immediately prepared them after we ordered.

When we stayed there we felt comfortable because the environment is tranquil. The light was not too bright and they had soft illumination. That is why it was comfortable. The music is quiet enough you can talk while you are eating. The music is only instrumental, a kind of Asian music with string instruments. The entire restaurant is decorated with harmonious color furniture.If you are tired of North American food everyday you should try the Japanese Gourmet at Pike Place Market.
COMMENTS
Japanese Gourmet Restaurant
from Gyeongwon Lee 6/08
Have you ever tasted great Asian food? I think most people have not had that experience. I went to a Japanese restaurant near Pike Place Market. Do you think I had a nice experience or not? Fortunately, Japanese Gourmet, where I went to have lunch, was great restaurant because the taste and atmosphere were good. First, the taste was nice. I ordered a shrimp roll, which had no smell and made a crunchy sound. Also, Curry Udon was good because the noodles were chewy and had a faint sweet smell.And the atmosphere looked oriental and modern. Chimes made an occult mood. Black, red and white interior decorations looked like traditional oriental things. Also, the illumination was modern style. The lighting was mellow and square frames were refined.For these reasons, I was satisfied with the restaurant. If I had gone to another restaurant, I might have had a complaint. But the restaurant gave me pleasantness. So I encourage you to go there.
from Asami 2/13/09

Their service was good because they were kind, and they made me relaxed. For example, they readily led us to the table, and they offered us hot tea. They also served us with dishes we ordered quickly. We didn’t wait for dishes for a long time. But one of them removed our dishes from the table very quickly without asking us “Are you done?”. It was sort of uncomfortable. Anyway, we had a good time at the restaurant.
from Selina 2/13/09

Japanese Gourmet is an amazing restaurant because it provides fantastic dishes. All meals are fresh, clean, artistic, and delicious. The salad is tasty and makes you want to eat more. The miso soup is very easy to eat because it is not too hot, but warm. The meat and seafood are tender and not too salty. Moreover, all dishes are cheap and big. For example, a special meal includes a miso soup, a salad, some vegetables, two pieces of chicken, and rice. It just costs 9 dollars. Please go there and enjoy this wonderful restaurant.
from Sabrina 2/13/09
Japanese Gourmet restaurant is good place to enjoy lunch time, because atmosphere can let people feel relaxed and comfortable. First, when you go into the restaurant you can see the Japanese painting and decoration like a general Japanese restaurant. Because it is not splendid, you will not worry too much about etiquette. It appears simple and plain. Second, the restaurant uses red and black color and adds the yellow light to make the restaurant not bright and little dim. The restaurant is not very large but it doesn’t feel crowded.

Market Grill

1509 Pike Place #3
(206) 682-2654

by Meshari Albalud and Alaa Shaheen

The Market Grill is an unassuming little restaurant in the Pike Place Market. However, the Market Grill has tasteful food and a romantic atmosphere. Also, they have a universal menu which is very successful compared with Seattle's eateries.

The food that Market Grill makes is nice and delicious. They serve mostly seafood dishes, such as Fresh Halibut, Cod, and Salmon. But, if fish doesn't make you jump up and down their menu has a diversity of food and drinks. You can also get chicken. The prices are fine for all wallets.

The Atmosphere is nice for spending a slow romantic lunch with who you wish to be. Market Grill is not such a nice place for having lunch with your children. You will not pay attention to the view. The delicious food is going to get most of your attention.

World Class Chili




93 Pike Street
(206) 623-3678
by Mohammed Al-Naim and Soon Hyun Hong


The world class chili restaurant is hot. There are many chili dishes and they taste succulent.


If you like to eat spicy food, we recommend this restaurant without doubt. Although it is tiny, their chili dishes are hot, as in popular. If you order any chili “hot”, tears will overflow your face because it will be very spicy. There are various choices, such as Texas chili, California chili, and Vegetarian chili. The prices depend on dish sizes: Texas bowl ($5.78) or Alaska bowl ($11.53)


Also, there are many other dishes, such as BBQ Sampler Sandwich and Macaroni and Cheese. The prices, which range from $1.82 to $5.78, are pretty cheap, yet so delicious. The main dishes include a side dish: cornbread or chips.

Pike Pub and Brewery






























1415 1st Avenue
(206) 622-6044


by Javiera Olivares Iriarte, Rocio Olivares Iriarte and Alali Sultan


The Pike Pub and Brewery restaurant is a traditional kind of American restaurant: it has great beer, nice food, and an original atmosphere.They make great beer in the restaurant and they have a lot of kinds of beer. We recommend these two beers: the Pale Ale and the bitter India Pale. While you are sitting in the restaurant you are able to see the tanks where the beer is made.


The food is tasty. You can try the Garlic Grilled Shrimp with brown rice or the best fried fish you will ever try. However, this is not a place to go to for lunch when you are in hurry because the service is slow.

The atmosphere is delightful and original. It’s a big place and the illumination is soft. The colors are well matched and invite you to stay longer. The music is not loud and lets you hear you friends.



Reviewed again in April 2008
by Hui-Shan Kao, Hye Jin Park and Eunsil Yang

The Pike is located on 1415 1st avenue in downtown Seattle. The restaurant looks a little bit old-fashioned. If you want to buy some souvenirs, they sell T-shirts, cups, and hats. There are three reasons that we recommend you to go this restaurant.

The Pike’s atmosphere is unique American style. We could enjoy meals with relaxing music. The arrangement there was perfect. You would never feel it was crowded.

The three dishes were Broken Arrow burger, Garlic Roasted Prawns, and Pizza. The first was Roasted Garlic Prawns, and it was served on a rice pilaf, garlic butter, fresh prawns and vegetables .Thus, the taste was excellent. The beef burger is called “Broken Arrow Burger” ($8.95) and it was juicy and very tasty. The pizza was made using white, sour cheese, a unique BBQ sauce, and many fresh vegetables. Therefore, we ate with gusto and felt satisfied.

There were many servers. More than ten of them. They refilled our drinks when they noticed that we had finished. The most important thing was that they always had beautiful smiles on their faces.

We’d like to recommend this restaurant to other people who enjoy eating American Food. The service was good, atmosphere was really relaxing, and the food was really tasty and juicy. So next time, if your friend asks you, “Which restaurant would recommend to us?” You are going to say, “The Pike Brewing Co.


Monday, March 19, 2007

Turkish Delight



1930 Pike Place

(206) 443-1387


by Soon Hyun Hong, Alaa Shaheen and Meshari Albalud


Turkish Delight is a unique restaurant that has a nice atmosphere and a special taste.


If you are looking for a good restaurant that has something special, I recommend this place without a moment’s hesitation. When you enter this restaurant, you can easily see the exotic menu panel. Although a menu panel is written in Turkish, it is attractive because the font and letters are unique. Moreover there are various beautiful posters hanging on the wall which are harmony with the unique restaurant’s ambience. The restaurant has a nice view. Sometimes through the window you can see a ferry on Puget Sound and even people who are walking around the green park, all making you feel comfortable.


“Delicious dish and special taste!” This is what we say after we finish eating. They serve such great food, like Kebab ($7.50), Hummus ($5.50) and Rice with Chicken ($9.30). Their food seems like homemade food. It reminded us of our mothers’ cooking. You will not recognize that you are eating in a restaurant. Finally, it is a great restaurant and we recommend it for you.

Le Panier



1902 Pike Street

(206) 441-3669


by Mohammed Al-Naim and Alali Sultan


Le Panier is a French bakery that has amazing food and a great atmosphere. You smell the fresh bread from two blocks away.


Le Panier has a good selection of fresh food. You can have sandwiches, like the Dinde ($5.50), which is Turkey, or the Roast Beef ($5.50), or you can have the Classic French breads, for example, the Ficelle ($1.25) or the Miche ($2.95). The smell of the sandwiches is amazing, like everything else.


The atmosphere in the bakery is delightful. They decorate the wall with fake breads to get the buyers attention. And the smell in there releases your appetite. And the best place to sit is at the counter next to the window. Then you can see the market.

Nari Buffet


Bring Your Knight and Enjoy Your Night: Nari goes to the delicious castle

31140 Pacific Highway South
Federal Way, WA
(253) 941-8889

By Ibrahim Abdula, Chae Doo Chul, Byun Seung Keun and Yun Jai Min

In the past, kings traveled a long distance to eat delicious food. If you do not care about distance, you can eat fantastic food at low price at Nari restaurant. So, now you are a king!

You can enjoy various foods because a king never eats simply. For the same reason, Nari offers various and abundant foods. You can experience varied and unique oriental foods: Korean, Japanese and Chinese. The Japanese food: the sushi, for example, the California roll, is excellent. The roll has a sweet flavor as well as a beautiful shape. And if you were to eat sushi, you could taste sticky rice and fresh fish. In addition, you can enjoy steamed crabs in the Japanese corner.
In the Korean corner, Kimchi, Dokboki, Bulgoki and various Korean-style salads are offered by Nari. Among them, we recommend you to eat a Kimchi and Dokboki. Kimchi is internationally the well-known food. Properly, Kimchi always represents the most typical and popular food all of Korea foods. But, before you try to eat Kimchi, you just remember that it is very spicy. Dokboki is a broiled dish of sliced rice cake, meat, eggs and seasoning. Many students like this food, because of its sweet and hot taste. In the Chinese corner, you can taste oily, fiery and sweet dishes. The kinds of food are sweet and sour pork, fritters, noodles and shrimp dishes. If you want to eat a lot of food, you better eat Chinese food last because most Chinese foods are too fatty to digest.
Nari's food is better than similar restaurants in downtown because Nari offers delicious food. Because Nari is a kind of a buffet restaurant, you can eat without limit. But you should bear in mind that Nari doesn’t offer a peptic.Finally, the price is less expensive than other buffet restaurants. That is to say, if you have $12, you will eat your fill.

We are satisfied with their service because it is fantastic at a low price. First of all, there were three servers who come from other countries: Korea, Thailand and Russia. Therefore, we had a new experience because we had never experienced before. Secondly, the servers were kind to customers; for example, when we entered the restaurant, we were ushered to our table. Also, the waitress spoke to us in a respectful tone. In addition, when we finished the first dishes, the server cleared away the dishes quickly. Thirdly, we could see a chef who makes sushi at the bar. Finally, they have a big parking lot around the restaurant; as a result, we could conveniently park our car.

The first words that may jump to your mind when you enter Nari is "It's different"! This feeling may be caused by the lights which cover the place with a soft yellow color. The wooden tables which are well organized add more beauty to the décor. When you turn around you will see a big Korean fan placed on the wall, it adds a Korean taste to the atmosphere. One more thing you would like is the fancy clothes of the employees. It will remind you of the old Far East empires.

As the saying goes "First impressions are the most lasting." Before I entered Nari restaurant, it gave a critical impression. Although the food tastes fantastic, frankly one of us never wants to go again. We had to spend a lot of time to get there. It is very far from downtown Seattle, and is located in a very dangerous place. Can you believe that as soon as we got off the bus, we were asked by a homeless person and an alcoholic, a question like this: “Do you have change for a quarter?" It scared one of us.

Nevertheless, if you want to go there, we will let you know how to get there. Nari restaurant is located in Federal Way. Downtown Pike ST and 2nd Ave has a bus stop. You can take the 194 or 174 bus. When one and a half hours go by, you can see the huge transit center, which reads "Federal Way Transit Center." When you see that, get off the bus, and you have to walk for 10 minutes.

Thai Ginger


600 Pine St., Suite 406

Cinema Level

(206) 749-9100


By Chen Pei Hsuan, Bai Man Jian, Yang Chi-Hung and Sunsanee Anuchitputin


Do you want to experience an unforgettable awesome Thai food? Thai Ginger is the best choice.


At the first step when we entered Thai Ginger restaurant, we were dazzled by its decor in traditional Thai style. We couldn’t stop looking around and admiring Thai characteristics. Then we were mesmerized by aroma of food that placed in front of us. At our first tasted, we were not curious why a lot of customers were waiting for their seats. This is not only because of the warm atmosphere but also the traditional cuisine in Thai Ginger.The Thai Ginger restaurant provides customers with an exotic adventure in various choices. The exploring starts by the entrance. There are two wooden Buddhas on the door to welcome customers with peaceful smiles. When people step into the restaurant, the delicately sculptured traditional pillars and girders attract their attention and lead them to another side of Pacific Ocean-Thailand. Inside the restaurant, the lantern-like lamps, which are called “coms” in Thailand, are slung down from the ceiling, effusing the splendid light from blue and red covers. Around some of the covers there are “rattan weavings” (a Tai-style weaving), which add an oriental atmosphere to the restaurant. Under the dim lamplight, the gold and red mysterious wall patterns, which are usually in the Tai temples, shine secretly.


In Thai Ginger there are many kinds of seats for customers to choose from. Each kind has its own characteristic. Sitting on the soft sofa by the wooden window lattices may be a good choice. Observing people passing by while having a candlelit feast comfortably is an enjoyment. Also, people may try the traditional seats. The square wooden table and four stout chairs with Thai-style carvings on them provide customers an unusual experience. For people who want to have other entertainment, there is another alternative- the seats next to the bar, which allow customers to watch TV as they enjoy their meals. The last kind of seats is in front of the skillful chefs. Admiring the chefs’ performing and watching how materials become delicious meals are both great pleasures.


Service


The Thai restaurant can make you feel like you are eating at your home because of the great service and wonderful waiters and waitresses.The first people that you meet when you enter the restaurant are the waiters or the waitresses. Their attitudes are very important to customers. The waiters or waitresses in the restaurant are awesome. When you are deciding what to eat they always have the patience to wait for you with a smiling face. They are also kind to everybody. They face the customer kindly and during the dishes they always ask the customer how was the meal and is everything okay.In conclusion, the service here is very good. You will want to go to this restaurant again and again.


The menu has many kinds of different local foods, but it is not as good as it could be, because there are no pictures inside.You can order and try different meals. In the case of the Yum Woon Sen ($9.95), it is like a salad, with bean thread noodle with a spicy lime sauce, and you mix various things inside, like chopped chicken, calamari, prawns, scallops, tomatoes and roasted peanuts. If you like curry, you must try the Yellow Curry Fried Rice ($9.95). It has jasmine rice with yellow curry, pineapple, carrots, cabbage, celery, and you can have a choice of different meats. There is another choice of fried rice Fried Rice Thai Ginger (9.95), without curry, it is spicier. The Pad Thai ($9.95) seemed like an ordinary noodle but tasted sweet. It’s a very famous Thai dish with stir – fried noodles, tofu, egg, bean, sprouts, and green onion. It really looks yummy! Even though the price is not cheap, it is very worth it.


Destination


It’s a restaurant that everybody can get to; you can get there by any transportation. It’s right in the mall. The restaurant’s location is wonderful and convenient. You just take the bus downtown and walk to Pacific Place or you drive downtown. There is a lot of parking space under the building. That’s really convenient. The restaurant is right in this big mall, which is in the building. It is really easy to find it. The restaurant’s sign and décor are showy. When you first see it, you can know that is the restaurant, which I discuss. In conclusion, everybody can get there and it’s really easy to find it. If you want to get there, just use any transportation.

Sushi Land Marinepolis



803 5th Ave. N
(206) 267-7621

by Takahiro Azechi, Sou Honda, Ichido Kikukawa and Erika Ikeda

Do you know where Heaven is? We, Japanese students, go to a lot of sushi restaurants in Japan. We know many delicious sushi restaurants all over Japan. Do you know where delicious Japanese sushi restaurants are in Seattle? We do. We found a delicious Japanese sushi restaurant. It’s Sushi Land. Sushi Land is the heaven for students.

You can get to Sushi Land smoothly by bus from Seattle Pacific University. First, get on the #13 bus to downtownSeattle from Seattle Pacific University. Second, as soon as the bus goes into Queen Ann Avenue from 3rd Avenue West, get off the bus in front of Pizza Hut. Third, get on the #4 bus to Downtown Seattle in front of Otooto Sushi, that you can find easily. Fourth, when the bus enters 5th Avenue North, and you see Seven-Eleven on your left side, get off the bus. Finally, you can find Sushi Land on your right and the Space Needle at Seattle Center is on your left from the bus stop. Therefore, I strongly believe that you can arrive at Sushi Land smoothly by bus from Seattle Pacific University. The address is 803 5th Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109.

The Atmosphere of Sushi Land

As soon as you open the door of Sushi Land, you might be surprised by the new traditional style sushi bar, and even though you are not hungry, a great variety of sushi on the conveyer belt will stimulate your appetite. When you open the door of Sushi Land, lively staff with smiles welcome you and lead you to available seats. And then, you will be noticed that most of customers are from Asian countries.Finally, I found the most suitable word to express the atmosphere of Sushi Land, which is bright. If you glance at the open counter, you will be convinced. Sushi workers with uniforms are making ordered sushi skillfully and quickly. You might forget to eat and not be able to stop focusing on them. Sushi Land is a suitable place which serves you not only sushi but also fun of your eyes!

The Menu of Sushi Land

We didn’t expect that Sushi Land would have a good menu. Sushi is one of the Japanese traditional dishes and it’s difficult to make. And some foreigners, like many Americans, don’t like raw fish. That’s why we thought Sushi Land was hopeless. But it was not bad. It’s the same as Japanese sushi restaurants that we know.When you look at the menu, you can find various kind of sushi. There are a few different dishes from in Japan: rolls, for example, the California Roll, Ichiro Roll. And if you want to drink, you can drink Japanese beer: Sapporo, Kirin, Asahi and Japanese sake. Besides this, if you order a soft drink, you can refill it for free.Sushi seems to be expensive but this restaurant is reasonable. You could be full for around 10 dollars. And they inform you about the price by plate color. For instance, green is 1 dollar, orange is 1 dollar and 50 cents, blue is 2 dollars and purple is 3 dollars. You can count by yourself.Their dishes are commensurate with price. Actually, we know about a restaurant better in Japan. But we weren’t disappointed. We were satisfied with dishes for the cost. We think you can have a good time there. But don’t have great expectations. You can enjoy there if you don’t expect too much.

Service

The service was quite poor at this restaurant, because it’s servers were rude. We could order any dish from a server, which we could not find on the conveyer belt. We ordered some food, but they didn’t bring all our orders. These were incomplete, and they repeated it 3 times. They easily forgot to serve us. Moreover, even though they forgot to serve our food, they didn’t say “ I’m sorry.” They just said “ What do you want to eat?” In my country, Japan, if a server forgot some food, they certainly say “I’m sorry.” This restaurant’s servers also were neither friendly nor kind, because they were unsmiling all the time, except the time we came in and went out. When we went to this restaurant, a lot of customers came to it, and it was busy. That’s why the service might have been scarce. It’s food, location, and atmosphere were excellent, but the service was terrible. If I will go to this restaurant again, I will hope that they will be polite.

Temperodo Brazil

Temperodo Brazil
5628 University Way NE
Tel. (206) 563-6229

By Gabriela Souza Pedro Narjara

What do you know about the food from the country of the Carnival? Tempero Brasileiro is a Brazilian restaurant located in University District of Seattle. There you will find authentic Brazilian food, and get what you really expect from the Brazilian meal.

You should enjoy greatly one of the most famous tastes, the Feijoada. Made with black beans and pork, it’s served with fresh rice and cabbage. It is really exquisite.

The presentation of the food is interesting, colored and balanced. And the plates have a beautiful arrangement.In general the place is simple, but clean, and there is no food around and nothing is sticky or greasy.

And, also, on the menu you can find fish, meat and yummy desserts. They serve alcohol, like the typical Brazilian drink Caipirinha, which is made with lemon.

The service is pretty friendly and polite, and also, some of the employees are Brazilians.

About Me

American Cultural Exchange at Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, United States
http://myhome.spu.edu/healyt/