I live and work in Fremont so I tend to have “usual” hangouts to grab a bite to eat. Yak’s, Red Door, Costa’s Opa or, even, PCC for a salad are my typical lunchtime fare. While I tend to get bored with these options I really never feel the urge to breakout and try something different. So it was today that I decided to cross to the other side of 34th Street at Fremont Avenue and try out Bandoleone. I have seen it many a time, perched in front of the Adobe building, tables set-up on a patio out front. But for some reason it was the dinner menu that kept me away, it seemed a bit too exotic in some sense. Today though I stopped and took a look at their lunch menu. While a bit pricey for an everyday lunch the offerings seemed more down to earth, a mix of Latin sandwiches and salads.

I arrived shortly before noon and was greeted by an empty dining room and a friendly, outgoing waitress. She said I had my choice of seats and since it was a bit blustery outside, I chose a nice window seat in the sun. Once seated, my drink order was taken and I had time to peruse the menu. I decided on one of the healthier choices, the Prawn, Avocado & Cucumber Salad ($12.00). With my order placed and some quick conversation regarding my Piggly Wiggly shirt I sat back and took in a few pages of my book, as my order was prepared.

What arrived was a mountain of a salad. The bed of greens was composed of fresh spinach and frisee lettuce, lightly dressed in a warm Xeres Vinagreta. What is a Xeres Vinagreta you ask? As near as I could tell it is a typical vinaigrette made with olive oil and balsamic vinegar but with a slight taste slightly redolent of bacon. Plus, and I didn’t taste it with every bite, but I could have sworn there was toasted cinnamon in it. Scattered around the edge of the plate were thin slices of cucumber, their coolness adding balance to the greens and dressing. But the stars of the meal were the half of an avocado perched at the top of the mountain and the plump, firm prawns. The prawns were nicely grilled and cooked to perfection. A crusty exterior was made even better with the presence of a last minute dusting of a peppery blend of spices. While a great mix of warm and cool, light and fat this salad was a perfect midday meal.

My shortcomings tend to be that I judge books by their covers and that’s what I have done with Bandoleone. While I may have shunned dinner with them in the past it has now been made apparent to me that at least lunch is worth visiting them for. Who knows, I may one day be bold enough to try them for an after work meal.

When one thinks of a cafe they don’t think of 40 beer taps. Nor does one think about good Belgian food when they think about a bar serving 40 beers on tap. But the combination of the two is what Brouwer’s Cafe pulls off.

Being a holiday weekend I spent the majority of the previous night in revelry with friends and soon-to-be-friends. Needless to say, though I will, I had way too much wine for my own good. It was with a hang-over that I decided to walk down to grab lunch and a “Hair-of-the-dog” beer.

Upon walking into the caveronus Brouwer’s one is overcome with the feeling that you are somewhere in Europe in a refurbished castle. The faux stone walls, the exposed metal and the huge round skylight in the middle of the ceiling all add to this feeling. I take a seat at the bar and browse the beer list, it’s intensive. I place my drink order and then order the Grilled Steak and Pommes Frites ($14.00).

What I got was a Bangelijk Blonde marinated steak that was big enough to feed two. This huge portion had great grill marks and a peppery crust. Though it was slightly chewy it was still very juicy and cooked to a perfect medium. A warm, pink center with a crusty, cross-hatched exterior; it came with a Grand Cru reduction sauce on the side that reminded me of wild forest mushrooms. Accompanying the steak was a large portion of Pommes Frites. Skin on, cripy on the outside steak fries. They had a melt in your mouth butteriness; flecked with parsley and bits of sea salt.

All in all my lunch came in a great, simple presentation clear of any presumption. If you find youself with time on a Saturday or Sunday (Or even a long lunch during the week) I highly suggest you stop in.

This site was started with the idea that I would document most of meals in an effort to help those who, like me, tend to eat out more than they cook. I had visions of similar minded people who lived in the Fremont, Ballard, Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Belltown and Downtown areas looking to my site as kind of diners guide to what was good and what was not. Being that I was basically targeting me I figured I’d limit my reviews to restaurants that were, fairly, close to me. But today found me in Bellevue.

On an outing to the Bellevue Square Mall a friend and I decided we’d drive around for a bit to see what that area had to offer in the way of a tasty lunch. A short drive down Main street placed us outside La Cocina del Puerco. After my disappointing dinner earlier this week at Chile Pepper I figured this might be just the thing to give me hope about Mexican fare in Seattle.

What hits you as soon as you walk in is the decor. It may not be the most authentic but the wobbly metal tables and folding chairs, along with a warm late summer’s day, you almost could imagine you are in a roadside stand South of the border. While my friend C may believe that La Cocina is a chain (The La Cocina del Puerco in Overland Park, KS), I think this place is just a knock-off of what someone probably experienced on a trip to the mid-West.

You order at a cafeteria-style counter complete with steam trays and menu board on the back wall. After some study I decided on the #9, the Puerco’s Combo ($8.99), for my friend it was a #4, the Tostada ($7.39). Once our orders were placed we scooted down to the cashier, paid, then grabbed our trays and headed for a seat.

My Puerco’s Combo came with what was called a taquito but in actuality was just a small taco. But that’s where the complaint ends. The fresh corn tortilla held a little pile of tender shredded beef. Spiked with cooked tomatoes and onion, with just a hint of chili spice, this made for the perfect little hand-held treat. Along with my taco came a Chili Relleno. The Chili itself was a little overdone, probably from having sat in the steam tray too long but still possessed a good amount of flavor. Filled with fresh cheese and bathed in a slightly tangy red sauce it was a good addition to the plate. The little Pork Tamale was nearly perfect though. A not-too-thick, not-too-thin savory masa shell surrounding tender, spicy pork filling. I almost wished they had a combo plate with just these. While my meal came with rice and beans I was only able to tackle the beans. The portions are ample and if you go hungry you could order more than your stomach can handle. But as for the beans; pinto beans cooked to just this side of done, fresh and firm were a hit both C agreed were some very good beans.

Regardless of if La Cocina del Puerco is unique, a chain or just a bastardized knock-off, the food was decent. Is it a place that I’d drive to Bellevue for? Sadly no. But if you find yourself at the mall, and hungry, stop in and grab a bite.

When I think of Mexican food, authentic Mexican food, my thoughts often travel back to a fourth floor, rooftop patio in Tijuana a few years ago. It was late at night, nearing closing time, and a friend and I went outside for some fresh air when I saw it. Back in a darkened corner was a little shack with one window, light barely escaping into the night. Near the top of the shack, in neon, was one word - Food. Well, after a night of drinking and dancing, I was ready for something to eat. Stepping up to the window I see a tiny old man, surrounded by bowls of meats and cheese, little piles of fresh tortillas and fresh vegetables everywhere. So much food surrounded him I could barely believe he could move enough to make his burritos, tacos and flautas. And flautas are what I chose. Little cigar shaped fried tortillas sitting on a bed of shredded lettuce, cool chopped tomatoes. Dollops of sour cream and guacamole separating the flautas from warm, creamy refried beans topped with melted farmers cheese. While not what people think of when they think of Mexico, that little shack on top of a nightclub in Tijuana had some of the best Mexican food I have yet to eat.

It was with this memory in mind that I visited Chile Pepper. A brightly painted Mexican restaurant with blue trim and a little man in the window of the kitchen just waiting for my arrival. There was no one in the place when I walked in so I got the pick of the seats. I chose a table near the window, a gentle breeze blowing in, and waited for my server. Turns out, the cook was my server. He was very attentive, immediately bringing me chips, salsa and water. The chips were slightly stale but the salsa was fresh and had a slight smokiness to it from the ancho chilies, which complemented the cilantro nicely. This is where my meal took a wrong turn.

I ordered the Flautas ($8.75). The menu tempting me with descriptions of chicken, sour cream and guacamole. My thoughts turn back to Tijuana and crispy tortillas and shredded chicken. What arrived, looked good, but in reality were bloated tortillas filled with something that could loosely be based on chicken. Shredded it was not, chopped it was not, chunk style it was not. It was, however, a pulverized mush that tasted faintly of a chicken. Only the beans masked the processed, institutional taste. while not nearly as bad as the flauta they were runny, and lumpy but had a nice chili powder flavor. The rice that came with my plate could only be described as “Boil-in-Bag” as it was simply white rice studded with the occasional re-hydrated pea or carrot. The saving grace was the guacamole. Fresh, cool avocado blended with tomato and herbal cilantro but it was too little too late. My dinner was done.

And quite literally it was done. By this time an ancient Mexican woman who uttered not one word replaced the cook as server. As soon as my napkin hit the plate it was swept away and the bill was presented to me (There was only myself and one other guy in the entire restaurant). As soon as I put down my credit card it was taken, along with the last quarter of my beer. No thought was put into asking if I might want to finish it. I guess I was done and as far as I am concerned, so is Chile Pepper. I guess, until I can get to other Mexican restaurants in town, I’ll have to continue to enjoy my Tijuana memories.