International Options Nearby
This has been a good year for new options for dining out. This month, we set out to try three new, or at least relatively new, establishments.
A Gluten Free Korean Deli in Pioneer Square
After a few delays, Oshun Banchan Deli & Café, 221 1st Street, https://www.ohsunbanchan.com/, opened in Pioneer Square in December 2022 after debuting as a popular pop-up during Covid. Featuring bulgogi beef, chicken, and tofu, as well as a seasonal dish Bibimbap, everything is gluten-free and they have ample vegan options, too.
Bulgogi is a traditional Korean preparation of meat which is thinly sliced, marinated, and then grilled or stir fried. Bulgogi translates roughly as “fire meat.” Bibimbap translates roughly as “mixing cooked rice.”
Our choices were somewhat limited as we arrived later in their day (usually open until 7 p.m.) and they had run out of their bulgogi braised chicken and their BBQ meatballs. We sampled the beef bulgogi, the glass noodles with vegetables, and, on their suggestion, the bibimbap. Each came with very ample vegetables, marinated. The marinated vegetables somewhat overpowered the other flavors in the bibimbap, even with the bulgogi beef added in. Next time we would try it with the spicy pork to stand up to the veggies.
The veggies that came with the beef bulgogi we ordered came separately, and the beef was more plentiful, so we were able to savor the flavors separately. But our favorite dish was the glass noodles with vegetables — a completely vegan and gluten-free dish. The noodles balanced the flavors of the vegetables well and the dish was quite filling. We intend to go back to sample the items that had sold out.
Happy Hour on Lower
Queen Anne
Heading North we checked out Toulouse Petit Kitchen & Lounge, 601 Queen Anne Avenue North, 206.432.9069, https://toulousepetit.com/, which touts itself as Seattle’s most-visited neighborhood restaurant and lounge. They also boast having been selected as one of the ten best happy hours in the country, so we stopped by to check that out.
The happy hour features a “pre fix” three course menu for $47 Monday through Thursday, but the happy hour menu is not restricted to that, with voluminous single item choices (and that was without even looking at the separate dinner menu).
As individual items we had the vichyssoise with the Dungeness Crab option, and the creamy grits. We also took one pre fix combo of the Friesee, Castelfranco and Barcon Lardons salad, the jambalaya, and the buttermilk beignets with chicory anglaise for dessert. The salad was quite heavy on the bacon, perfect for some people. The creamy grits were just that, without much added but a good accompaniment for other items (including the bacon heavy salad). The vichyssoise was exactly what that diner wanted (a blended cauliflower soup with fresh crab). The jambalaya was very good with a quantity probably sufficient to feed two (even on the slightly smaller pre fix order); it had enough heat (Scoville wise) to entertain or to caution away those who avoid spice.
The beignets for the pre fix menu came as a half order of three, which was a good quantity of freshly deep-fried donut like squares covered in powdered sugar. The chicory crème anglaise dipping sauce boasted a fairly strong flavor, and one must like the coffee-like chicory flavor to enjoy it. But we observed another patron getting a caramel sauce option (even though the menu says no substitutions!); we would ask for that next time.
For happy hour drinks we tried the Sazerac and the French Quarter Lemonade off of the discounted happy hour menu ($12 each). We enjoyed both although the sazerac, rye with Pernod and Peychaud bitters, is probably an acquired taste. The lemonade is made with bourbon, elderflower, and rosemary syrup and is definitely easy to drink.
We barely scratched the surface of the quite ample happy hour menu, so we plan to go back to try more. But we probably would order the jambalaya, the vichyssoise, and the grits again with whatever else we try next time. And, Toulouse Petit is open all day (10 to midnight on week days and 9 to midnight on weekends), so lunch and even brunch are options to sample their ample menu.
A New Thai Option atop
Queen Anne
We marched from the bottom to the top of Queen Anne (ok, we drove) to check out another happy hour. The “Thai Soul Food” chain, Isarn, has opened up on the top of Queen Anne with Isarn Thai Soul Kitchen, 2125 Queen Anne Avenue North, 206.596.2127, https://isarnkitchen.com/, joining their locations in Ravenna, Lynnwood, and Kirkland. We had originally intended to order off the dinner menu, but the happy hour menu was tempting and turned out to be quite sufficient for us.
Off the happy hour menu we ordered the squid in spicy lime soup and the Green Papaya Salad. We also ordered the Firecracker prawns and the noodles with minced pork off of the regular menu.
We enjoyed all of them and this was one time we wished we had a larger party dining to sample more items. The salad was refreshing and sometimes useful to balance out some spice in the other items we ordered. The lime soup with steamed squid, only available during happy hour, was a fresh and vibrant broth. The firecracker prawns come wrapped in a parchment type covering with a sweet and slightly spicy dipping sauce. And the noodles with minced pork in coconut milk may have been our favorite (if you like noodles). Simply put: we liked everything we had.
For drinks we sampled the Tuk Tuk Thai Tea and the Lychee Martini, both happy hour, and we would order both again. NB: the happy hour drink price of $6.50 each makes for a real bargain compared to most happy hours anywhere near downtown. We would order everything we tried again, but the problem is there is so much more we want to try on the menu. And Isarn runs seasonal specials, even special holiday themed drinks. Isarn is a neighborhood gem to which we plan to return at this and their other locations.
Dining Out is brought to you by Christopher Howard, now retired from law firm life, but still dining out, together with friends and family who help choose and sample the restaurants. Send comments and suggestions to him at chh@f2t.com or 206.669.5956.
