Grill King

I should know not to make bets on football. Especially betting on the Seahawks and for payouts in full meals at the winner's choice of restaurant. A couple losses to my football buddy has had me breaking out the credit card at a couple great Korean places up in Lynnwood. A tradition was born. A yearly bet with a Korean Feast at stake. Finally, the Seahakws do better than the Vikings and it's my turn. Jon was nice enough to invite Leslie along and since it was lunch time, I didn't feel so bad about adding to the tab. We decided to check out a place we've been meaning to go to for a while.

Next to Shay's on Aurora, The Grill King is the latest incarnation on this spot. Continuing the Korean BBQ of the previous tenants, the Grill King has gotten it right. The banchan was served up quickly and often, featuring fairly good kimchi along with some interesting tofu and mystery vegetable sides. We ordered a Pa-jun, or seafood pancake, since we knew Dylan would love it for an after school meal. It came out hot and with great texture, but it lacked peppers and was very plain tasting. Good for Leslie though, since her Massachusetts up-bringing doesn't make for much tolerance for spicy food.

Kalbi short ribs and Bulgogi meats came out for grilling and we got to work on our middle of the table grill (it's a do it yourself or let the waiter help a bit cooking operation). The meats were tasty although we may have overcooked a couple pieces due to good conversation. You have to order two full orders of meat dishes to use the grill so it can get a bit pricey, but worth it. A soup that accompanies the meat order is chock full of flavor and is perfect when used in between all the other dishes, almost like a reverse palette cleanser. All in all, we had a great meal even though we didn't even get to talk football.

15740 Aurora Ave N

Pho Ha

For the last few years, Pho Ha has become a bit of an old standby for us. With always reliable soups with a variety of meat choices, this Aurora spot has become a classic. For a while our son Dylan had to have the beef soup (Pho Bac) with meatballs at least twice a week. I discovered the chicken variety (Pho Ga) to be an amazingly flavorful.

We also love getting the vermicelli noodles with the sweet and tangy sauce. Served cold, the beauty of this meal is the mix of pork (or chicken, but get the pork), fried spring roll, peanuts and veggies all among the noodles. I could eat this for days. Or nights. The place stays open until 11, which is a big bonus since there are so few places to eat later in the evening around these parts.

15215 Aurora Ave N