Piroshki on 3rd

Piroshki's are fun. I think it's technically illegal to go to the market without stopping in at Piroshki Piroshki. But are they lunch or just a snack? At Piroshki on 3rd, I think you have to order carefully if you want a full meal sized meal for a reasonable price. I spent 10 bucks and was still hungry.

piroshki on 3rd

I got the smoked turkey breast and cheese piroshki with a large borscht on the side, with sour cream. It was very tasty. Especially the borscht. The piroshki was just sort of, there. Not that one expects piroshkis to explode with flavor, like some Russian pastry version of flavor blasted goldfish. It was tasty though, and shaped like a turkey leg. You've got to love food that's shaped like it's main ingredient. No, seriously, it's another one of those unwritten piroshki laws.

Turkey Shaped Turkey Piroshki (and borscht)

The thing is, a piroshki is kind of small, compared to, say, a sandwich. But it still runs at about $4.50. And the borscht was about the same. Maybe it was just a hungry day, but it didn't seem like much food for the price.

There are a ton of things to try though. Which tempts me to go back.

Sweets look very sweet

Savories look very savory

Overall, I'm glad it's right across the street from work.

[where: 710 3rd avenue, Seattle, WA 98104]

salmon teriyaki [adventures in japanese cooking]

This is another from the Japanese cooking for honkies cookbook. As I've probably mentioned, teriyaki is to Seattle as cheesesteak is to Philly, so obviously I was anxious to get this right. I don't think I did.

bento style

American, and therefore Seattle, teriyaki is not really like the Japanese stuff. Overly sweet and seasoned, not subtle, etc. At least according to the the book. I don't know. I still haven't been to japan to see for sure. I really aught to fix that. Anyway, the recipe I went is supposed to be authentic.

it's easy, just mix the stuff, put the fish in, wait, cook

It was less sweet than Seattle teriyaki, in a good way. But the sauce didn't condense down into a syrup in the time it took to cook the fish. I was afraid to cook it any longer for fear of ruining the fish. Still, it was good and easy enough to try again. I'll let you know if I have any breakthroughs.

Oh, by the way, who knows how the salad dressing works at Seattle teriyaki places? I tried to make some up, and it was ok, but not quite right either.

Eamonn's, a dublin chipper

The subtitle works to convey intent, but otherwise is stupid. Luckily the food at Eamonn's is good enough to make up for it. Just so we're clear, it's fish and chips, yeah? And mushy peas, which I totally forgot to order, damn. Well, it's mostly about the fried anyway. I'm not going back anytime soon; I was only there as part of the big inauguration trip.

There were four of us, which gave us a chance to try three things. Yes, Rakka and I both went traditional and got the cod. I figure when they emblazon "thanks be to cod" on the door, they're pretty serious about it. But my mom had the grouper, and my sister tried the chicken nuggets, having had fish for lunch that day.

For science, and for you, I nicked some of everybody's food. It was all very, how shall I put it, um, fried. But that's what you're there for, innit? The cod was my favorite, but it was all good.

Cod

So were the chips. They were ever so slightly battered. I don't know if that's Dublin style or just an Eamonn's thing. It was good though. And a lot; between the four of us we couldn't finish two large chips. And I was there, so that's saying something.

Cod and Grouper
(blurry pic courtesy of the no flash brigade)

The sauces are worth noting. In addition to traditional malt vinegar there is a selection of mayo based, flavored sauces. I chose the Chesapeake, because being a Maryland expat I must consume Old Bay whenever possible. My dining companions got the hot chili sauce, which I also liked. I should have gotten all Seattle and gotten some tartar just for my chips.

Chesapeake Sauce

People on yelp complain about the price and the portions, and you do only get one chunk of fish. But more food than four people can eat, for 40 bucks, is not something I'm willing to complain about. I may not be back soon, but only because I'm 3000 miles away. Thanks to Chris Glew for the recommendation!

[where: 728 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314]

Genki Sushi

LQA has its fourth sushi place, and its second conveyor belt sushi (kaiten-zushi) place. It's Genki Sushi, and it's pretty good.

We were the only ones in the place during our visit, which was at some random time, early Saturday afternoon or something, so that sort of made sense. It meant that we had plenty of service.

Entrance (upstairs, next to office max)

The location is a little weird. You enter through the lobby of the new QFC, and it's right across from the office max. But once you get inside it's fairly fancy. There are tables and a bar, if you like.

The Conveyor

But we sat at the conveyor belt, where we were given the pricing chart. As you probably know, each plate color is a different price, so you know by looking how much each thing is. Traditionally, the plates are one solid color. At Genki, they have different designs. There are six.

Most everything I tried was tasty. Some of it was seasoned a bit more strongly than I'm used to with sushi, but that's not a complaint. The inari (fried tofu pouches with fillings) was particularly good; a bit spicy. Also, this fishy nigiri (it was slightly cooked, I think) was super yummy.

Fishy Nigiri

I don't even know what it was, which is part of the fun. If it looks good, try it. You can get much more variety this way then you would at a regular place.

Fish Heads at the entrance (by rakka)

In addition to sushi, the conveyor belt brought us fried chicken bits, edamame, and one of those glass bead drinks. All of which was fun and exciting. I'm looking forward to going back.

[where: 500 Mercer St Seattle, WA 98109]