Los Angeles

Dylan and I headed to my hometown to visit family and escape the relentless northwest rain. The family visits were great, but we didn't quite dodge the rain, as torrential downpours on a few nights reminded us of our NW home. One of the most incredible aspects of L.A. is that the city is collection of neighborhoods and cities within the big city, filled with people and culture from all over the world. And it's reflected in the food. You can drive across town and go through enclaves of nationalities and cuisines. Koreatown in mid-city, for instance, has one of the biggest Korean populations in the world. In Santa Monica, entire villages from the southern state of Oaxaca have set up communities and restaurants featuring the incredible flavors of mole. There are at least 1000 Thai restaurants in the region, as well as Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and other restaurants from Asia, India, The Middle East, Africa, etc. Mexican Food is everywhere, and often outstanding. You can find Brazilian, Persian, Ethiopian, Argentinian, Italian, Salvadoran, French, Irish, you name name it.

Of course, there are the Jewish Delis, something the Seattle region needs desperately. There is the ever classic Canter's Deli on Fairfax, where Leslie and I had our first date over Matzah Ball Soup and a Chocolate Malted (one straw, so cute...). Then there's my favorite, Junior's in West L.A. There's nothing like it outside of NYC, and even then, Junior's and some other Los Angeles delis have been rated higher than their east coast counterparts. Los Angeles is also very serious about being the Hamburger Capitol of the World. There is stiff competition here with the standard top vote getter In N Out Burger - we didn't even attempt to get in a line behind 20+ cars no matter what time of day. More gourmet style burger joints, such as The Father's Office harken back to the working man's world and style of vintage Los Angeles.

We returned home to some more rain, although we missed the mid-winter snow and frigid temperatures, so at least the vacation was well timed. I was excited to get back home and happy that Shoreline is, in its own way, a small version of what my original hometown offers: good dining choices represented by a variety of cultures and cuisines.

Jersey's

After all these years driving by, and almost making it there with a friend who loves the Monday Night Football deals and fun crowd, I finally made it to Jersey's! My wife Leslie and I stopped in for an early lunch just after they opened, so we had the place to ourselves before it started filling up for the lunch rush. Located just across from TOP Foods on 175th, Jersey's is very clean and friendly, with one larger section with the bar and various sports on the flat screen TVs. The other room is more just for dining, but the memorabilia on the walls throughout Jersey's adds to the fun sports oriented feel.
We've heard the food is quite good, and the rumors were right. Leslie had an almost impossibly tall club sandwich and I opted for the Kalbi steak sandwich. Both were above what we expected. her sandwich had layers of tasty ingredients, including turkey, a savory slaw and a soft cheese with bacon for added crunch. The only issue we had is that Leslie had to smush the sandwich to get a full bite! My Kalbi Steak sandwich was amazing, with a mellow (sometimes kalbi can be spicy, not here) mariande on the perfectly cooked meat with slaw on a ciabatta bun. So good. Her fries were pub style and not too salty and I had a side salad which was not bad. Overall, Jersey's is a diamond in the rough - the rough part being the construction that's almost done along 175th. Although a sports bar with trivia nights, all day Sunday happy hour, etc., there is also a kids menu, and on Tuesdays they eat free, so we'll be back!

1306 N 175th St.

Hot Food on a Cold Night

We've had a much milder winter than predicted so far, though it was pretty chilly the other night as Dylan and I walked past a favorite local restaurant, Kamrai Thai. We decided to pop in for Dylan's favorite food in the world, Pad Thai Noodles with fried tofu. They always remember exactly what he wants when he waltzes in. His food is half way cooked by the time I order. I often get their spicy garlic eggplant dish because, well, I love eggplant. This time I felt like something to warm me up. The ever reliable Tom Ka Gai soup would have done the job, but I went for the green curry with tofu.

It was practically a soup anyway. The green beans and other veggies were lightly cooked, how I like it, and were still in the process of soaking in all the flavor when I started into it. The last bites were way better than the first, and actually, this dish was outstanding cold the next morning, like a Thai gazpacho. I've had quite a few items on their menu over the years and it's all good. I'm happy they have survived the economy and somewhat tough location. Kamrai does seem to have quite a few international students from nearby Shoreline Community College coming in, usually ordering 4 and 5 star spicy dishes. Not for me, these days. I ordered the green curry at 2 stars and let the subtle burn and delicious Thai flavors warm me on this mid-winter night.

UPDATE: Sadly, this place closed as of the end of April, 2011. I never got to speak to our friends who worked there to see what happened. It may have been the economy or the lack of a well priced lunch menu or specials for the Community College kids.

900 N 160th St.