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.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Serious Pie

316 Virginia St.
Seattle

(206) 838-7388

by Kwou Won Sul and Jiwon Min

Serious Pie is an exotic Italian-style restaurant so we recommend going there. First, Serious Pie is a good place to enjoy Italian atmosphere. When we entered the restaurant, we could see an Italian style kitchen. The kitchen was open to the diners, so we could watch the preparation of the pizza. We saw many chefs who made pizza dough and saw them baking the dough in a big cooking oven. Seeing making dough can make a pizza more delicious. It provokes an appetite by anticipating what we will have. The baker’s oven, wines, and log tables harmonize with the Italian pizza. We could feel the lively atmosphere.

Second, Serious Pie’s pizza is different from other American pizza; it is original Italian style pizza. The pizza dough was thin, crispy, and not greasy. Serious pie’s pizza has the original flavor of the toppings because they don’t mix many kinds of ingredients. It helps to feel their own flavor. We ordered a potato pizza that was made with Yukon gold potato, rosemary and olive oil. When we picked a piece of pizza, we had a faint sweet smell of rosemary. It was great! The size of the portion was appropriate at a reasonable price: about $15 per each person. It’s not that expensive for fresh ingredients. If you want to feel an exotic mood and taste Italian style pizza, go to the Serious Pie.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Jade Garden


424 7th Ave S

Seattle

(206) 622-8181

By Kin Tak An Yeung

Dim Sum is one of the most favorite cultural foods in Hong Kong. Now, you can taste Dim Sum in Seattle. Jade Garden Restaurant is located at 7th Ave South and Jackson Street. The atmosphere and food are the reasons that I recommend ше to everyone.

First, the atmosphere of the restaurant is similar to a Hong Kong seafood restaurant. The waitresses push Dim Sum car around. You can drink the Chinese Black tea and read the newspaper or chat with friends. It is a good place for having a general lunch with your friends.

Second, the taste of the food is fantastic. Egg Custard Tarts is the most favorite dessert in Jade Garden Restaurant. When it just comes out from the oven, the scent of egg and butter comes through your nose. Also, you can talk with the waiters about the special Dim Sum that is not on the menu.

In my opinion, 8 out of 10 is my score for this restaurant. I went to a several Dim Sum restaurants, and Jade Garden Restaurant is one of the best in Seattle area.

Saigon Deli

1237 S Jackson St # E
Seattle
(206) 322-3700
By Han Ming Du and Sim Hong Min

Do you want to feel your first kiss again? If you want to, we will recommend Saigon Deli. It’s the most wonderful and inexpensive restaurant in Seattle.

The Vietnamese sandwich consisted of pickled carrots, daikons which are a sweet vegetable, onions, cilantro, and pork. It was similar to French bread, which looked like glorious gold. The bread spread its fragrance far and wide. When I bit into the bread, my lip touched hard and rough bread. This feeling was just like that touch with my girlfriend's plentiful lips. It was a little sweet, warm, and frightening. It’s really the same as my first kiss. The pickled carrots tasted like my lover's rouge. It was bland sweet and sour. Some sort of enticing sauces were mixed to make smells of mystery. All of the good staves hung out with teeth and tongue. It was very slickly and excited when we swallowed a nip of sandwich; we were almost breathless. We thought it was wonderful food. After 5 minutes, the spicy sauce made me torrid around my whole body. It was a fatal attraction.

Saigon Deli’s price was fantastic. We were very uptight about Saigon Deli's scraggly-looking store. Saigon Deli is a very small place. We didn't really care about that because we could buy sandwiches for less than $3. The cheaper food you eat, the richer you are. The food price is cheaper than bus fee. The cheapest sandwich is only $1.19 and if you want to watch a baseball game and buy a sandwich in Saigon Deli and a ticket, it costs $9. If you buy sandwich at the baseball field, it costs $14. You can save $5 each game. Saigon Deli is located nearby Safeco field. The price is very friendly to let you go to Saigon Deli every day. The food’s price allows you to go home with cash, more than just the receipt in your pocket! Come to Saigon Deli, feel it by yourself, and be rich!!!

Claim Jumper

5901 S 180th St.
Tukwila, WA 98118
(206) 575-3918

By Jing Yi Li and Hye Jung Kim

Claim Jumper is a very famous American restaurant. They have 3 branches in WA at Lynnwood, Redmond and Tukwila. They are not far from downtown so many people can drive there conveniently and enjoy delicious food.

There are many different styles of American food, such as the Clubhouse Sandwich, classic cheeseburger, meatloaf & mashed potatoes and jumbo fried shrimp. More delicious food information is here:

http://www.claimjumper.com/hypertext/menus_dinein.htm.

We actually quite enjoy this place. The food is pretty good, in our opinion. We love the Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes and the Albacore Tuna Sandwich. Their Mud Pie is also fantastic and the Chocolate Mother Lode Cake is so rich and amazing. Also, you are able to take food home and eat it as a late-night snack. The more food you get for your money, the better! The service is very good. There are always plenty of waiters around. If you have a question about the food, you can ask the waiters. They are very friendly.

We don't go here as often as we used to, but we definitely do like Claim Jumper. We recommend this restaurant for you. We really hope you’ll enjoy it.

Red Mill Burgers

312 North 67th St.
(206) 783-6362

By Yen Wen Ting and Hui Ju Liu

Red Mill Burgers is located on the Phinney Ridge. It takes 20 minutes from downtown. We recommend this restaurant. The reasons are delicious food, fresh ingredients, cheap prices and good service.

The special foods of the restaurant are burgers and milkshakes. We prefer BBQ Chicken Burger and Banana milkshake. The burger is made with BBQ Sauce, lettuce, tomato, mayo on a Kaiser Bun. These are our favorite ingredients. It is made directly for customers. The meat tastes juicy and tender.
The other reasons are price and service. The price costs around 5 to 7 dollars; it is cheaper than other restaurants. When we go to the restaurant, we feel the waiter is kind to us, and friendly. These are the reasons why we recommend this restaurant.

Fox Sports Grill

1522 6th Avenue
(206) 340-1369

By Gwiim Jung and Mu Il Kim

We don’t recommend to you the Fox Sports Grill for reasons that atmosphere and service are bad.

The Fox Sports Grill has sports style. It’s casual and active, but very noisy and dark. If you want comfortable dining, you wouldn’t like it.

They have variety of American food, such as salads, grilled salmon, and sandwiches. Most of the food isn’t bad, except for the pasta. We don’t want to recommend you pasta because the taste is flat, but the other food isn’t bad. When you order a pizza, you can choose topping. However, the price of most of the food is a little expensive in comparison with the taste of food. For example, the cheapest pasta dish costs $ 13.

Another example is some staff are unkind. When we entered the restaurant and asked for our seats, the greeter was unkind. She ignored our asking. After we asked again, she responded slowly and indirectly. While we were eating dinner, we felt uncomfortable because of greeter.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Athenian Inn

The fame will blow away with the taste.
Pike Pl # 1517 Seattle WA 98101

by Seul, Hoyoung

- If you want to eat ‘good’ meal, be not fascinated by the name.
Have you ever heard the Korean expression about a well-known place? It’s “In the famous banquet, there is not special food.” The Athenian, which was shown in the movie named “Sleepless in Seattle”, is one of the famous restaurants in Seattle. We went there to figure out whether the expression is right, or not.

We ordered three kinds of meal; a sandwich, called Athenian Steak Sandwich, a Ravidi and Spaghetti and a Bacon and Egg Salad. When we received all of our meals we felt a little bit disappointed since those were totally different from what we had expected. First, our sandwich, even though they said it’s a special of the Athenian, was poor. The meat was too tough so that we couldn’t cut it well. Not only was there just meat and bread, but the taste was similar to what we can buy in a convenient store. Despairingly, our spaghetti was not so attractive or tempting because there was not any decoration and the oil and sauce were separated. Sorrowfully, the salad was also not fresh at all, like cold pizza. Besides, the quantity of food was less than the regular American style!
However, this place has sort of a good thing. Since there were lots of places to eat, we didn’t have to wait for a long time, and the waiters and waitresses were kind when they served food. Also, this place was in the movie or has pretty nice view. However, we don’t want to recommend this restaurant in spite of merits.
As you already feel, we found the answer. That expression is totally right. The restaurant was worse than our minimum expectation. If you want to see a celebrated sight, we can recommend this place, but if you really want good food in Seattle, we can say that here in Seattle, there are more than a hundred restaurants which have a little bit better food than Athenian Inn!

The Pink Door



The delicious door into Italy

1919 post alley pike place market
Seattle, WA 98101
TEL 206 443 3241

By Houjin Yoon and Ahmed Gazzaz

Most cities in the United States have Italian restaurants because they are popular. But even though there are a lot of restaurants, it doesn’t mean that every restaurant gives us satisfaction. Where can you find a restaurant with a variety of meals, good location and nice service? The reason why we want to recommend the Pink door is the restaurant has all of these things.

When we go to a restaurant, the most important thing is food. When we went to The Pink door, the food was great. Not only had the Pink door diverse menus but also the dishes were awesome. We ordered 3 kinds of food. Those were the Linguine Ally Vongole (pasta), the Cheese Board Deluxe (4 different kinds of cheese with a homemade cracker) and the Penn Cove Mussels and Clams. When we received those foods, their decorations and smells made us feel hungrier and expect their tastes more. The restaurant used fresh ingredients, so when we ate mussels and clams, they were chewy. The cheese with cracker was also great. We could enjoy different tastes of cheese and the cracker was savory and crisp. And the noodles of pasta were chewy and the smell of garlic was nice.

The restaurant’s atmosphere was enough to make us enjoy our time. It was located near the waterfront so while we were eating we could enjoy our delicious foods with a nice view with sunshine. Inside of the restaurant, the atmosphere was totally different. It was decorated as antique style. If you went to the restaurant, you could feel that you are in two different restaurants.

In addition, the waitresses were very kind and friendly while we were eating. They made us feel comfortable.

The pink door gave us an excellent time in various parts. It was nicer than we expected. If you are looking for an Italian restaurant to have a great time with your dear people, we recommend the Pink door strongly.

Lowell’s Restaurant

Sweet Date With Seafood
Have you ever eaten seafood in a beautiful place ?
If you want to have a nice time with seafood, I’d like to recommend you to go to Lowell’s Restaurant, because it has really delicious food and beautiful views.

First, There are many kinds of seafood, including Fried Shrimp and Fried Potatoes, shellfish, crab, etc….. And It’s better to order Fried Shrimp and Fried Potatoes which we ordered. They are really delicious and delicate and flaky. While you are chewing, you can feel a newly born vibration. Also, the red sauce seemed to be really pretty, and the smell is nice. The potatoes’ taste was so fantastic and amazing. Even though the potatoes and shrimps were fried, they were not greasy and the vegetables were so fresh in salad. The food was fresh, like vegetables which are just from the refrigerator.

Second, Lowell’s is located in the Pike Place Market, so it is easy to find. Also, the outward appearance of the restaurant is beautiful. It looks like the sun in the sky. If you go inside, you can see the waterfront, big ferries, a beautiful horizon. You can imagine as if you are in Miami or Rio De Janiero beaches.

In conclusion, it is a good choice to go with your family or your boyfriend or girlfriend.
Morever, if you want delicious food or beautiful location, just go there.
If you want to have a good time, you should go there and enjoy the time.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Olive Garden

Taste of Italy

310 Stander Blvd. Southcenter Mall Tukwila, WA 98188
(206) 241-4899

Sun-Thurs: 11 am - 10 pm Fri-Sat: 11 am - 11 pm
by Lidija Todorovic and Faustine Chenu

The Seattle area has many different restaurants, which serve delectable food and beverages. Every one of them has something special and unique. The attractive Mediterranean exterior of Olive Garden would fascinate everybody. Also the name of the restaurant is well related to Italy. “Olive” makes you think of the typical olive oil from Italy and “Garden” of fresh food. Olive Garden is a great place to relax, enjoy tasty food and be served efficiently.

The restaurant is situated in the South Center mall; there is a lot of parking.

The interior of the restaurant looks like a house. There is a fireplace in the middle of the room with many tables around it. Moreover, it features wooden details, yellowish walls decorated with couple of pictures, which increases a comfortable feeling. Also you don’t need to dress up; you can enjoy your meal in this untypical décor for dinner or for lunch with simplicity.

A great smell of food perfumes the restaurant when you enter. This Italian restaurant offers a menu with many different choices of pasta, antipasti, soups, salads, pizza, meat, fish and seafood. The salty and flavored breadsticks are well made with a tasty flavor. The combination of either soup or salads and pasta with seafood costs only $ 13.97 and you will probably like to have a glass of sparkling Italian wine as well for $ 7.99. However, some of the meals go from $6.75 for some antipasti to $ 21.75 for a more complete meal.

You can expect a friendly and warm welcome when you come in. The service is done by waitresses who are well-informed and professional. They can help and advice you about the choice of food. If you expect something fast, it might not be the good restaurant for you, because you might wait before the waitresses found a seat for you. But when you are seated the food would come pretty fast.

This restaurant is perfect if you want to savor a tasty authentic Italian cuisine; moreover, it’s a friendly and family place where you can come with your friends, family member or children.

Gordon Biersch




Little German Brewery in Seattle, Only for You

4th level, Pacific Place
Seattle
(206) 405-4205

by Kyung Hoon Kim, Kohei Nagao, and Cheng-Yang Wu

Gordon Biersch absolutely attracts people with the enticing smell of pizza and German beer. It has proper location, an enjoyable atmosphere, appetizing food with German beer, and a quality service; therefore, this place is usually crowded with people looking blissful.

First, the location is perfect that nobody can have any complaints. This mall is a well-known building in downtown Seattle because there are many shops in which people are interested. If you are thinking of how to get there, you will feel free since it has a spacious parking lot and bus stops near the mall.

Second, the restaurant has an enjoyable atmosphere. For example, it is spacious enough to put 400 people together. There is free seating in the main dining, bar, patio, and private dining room. It has dim light inside restaurant; therefore, we feel relaxed and comfortable. There are also several TV sets and different channels on them; consequently, you can enjoy your meal and beer with many kinds of sports games. Doesn’t it sound fun and relaxing?

Third, this restaurant primarily serves pizza and German beer made in their own brewery in addition to a variety of salads, pasta, and steak. They have several kinds of pizza such as Garlic & chicken, Hawaiian, Mozzarella, and Pepperoni Pizza. What is the most unique thing in the restaurant is that they make their own beer like Marzen, Hefeweizen, and Golden Export. They are refreshing, tasty, and energizing. Especially, our recommendation is Roasted Garlic & Chicken Pizza with Marzen which is the most popular beer. This beer is mildly sweet and smooth. What could be more pleasant on the weekend?

Last, the restaurant has fantastic service. The great thing is that they have their own brewery. It’s totally cool, neat, and unusual that a restaurant has a brewery, so they have a confidence of their beer, and they serve the beer with smile. Also, they serve your meals quickly, so you don’t get bored while waiting for your food. Waiters or waitresses frequently come over to your table to ask how you are with food or whether you are satisfied with your meal. Of course, you will be fine with your food because everything is so perfect.

To sum up, Gordon Biersch has excellent advantages which are a convenient location, a fabulous atmosphere, flavorful food, and great service. Probably, they will make you super pleased. We recommend this restaurant for it has no single thing that we don’t like this place. We would like you to confirm how we felt. Who would say that they are fed up with a normal Friday evening having pizza with beer after watching a movie? Drinking fascinating German beer and eating yummy pizza are a blessing. It is euphoria.

About Me

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