Thomas Haas

In the Miramar Shopping Plaza in Hong Kong’s Kawloon district, you can find a little sweet shop Thomas Haas.  Their macaroons looked tasty, and with a few Hong Kong Dollars burning a hole in my pocket, I picked up pistachio, licorice and vanilla, and coconut cream and passion fruit ones.

They were good renditions, though the inside was a bit pasty.  The crust was right on the mark, which I understand is the most challenging part of making macaroons.  Overall, if you are in the area and the mood, you won’t be wasting your hard earned money if you throw a few dollars down on some macaroons. 

Thomas Haas
Shop 1001, Miramar Shopping Centre
132 Nathan Road
Tsim ShaTsui, Kowloon 
尖沙咀美麗華商場1001店
Tel: (852) 2992 0799
Email: enquiry@thomashaas.com.hk
Hong Kong, China
3 of 5

Sushi Maki

There was a day, a not very proud day, when my wife and I decided to spend about $60 and buy a huge plate of party sushi for just the two of us.  We did this at Sushi Maki, in Seattle's Capitol Hill because it has so little space inside. 


We ordered a party platter with a:
-Vegetarian roll
-Salmon Lover roll
-Spicy California roll
-California roll
-Spicy Yellowtail roll
-Salmon roll
-California roll with tobiko
-Shrimp Tempura roll
-Rainbow roll


and...
-Spicy Scallop handroll
-Tuna nigiri
-Salmon nigiri

In the end, my wife commented "everything sort of tasted the same."  She was right.  The Salmon Lover roll was a standout, the Spicy Scallop handroll was surprisingly not too great. Most things were "california-centric" and it did make all the pieces taste the same.  The nigiri was a little awkward, but ok enough.  It also didn't keep well in the fridge (though little sushi does).  With so many choices for sushi in Seattle, average probably isn't good enough.  It could have easily been 2.5, but the price was not bad...


Sushi Maki
1633 Bellevue Avenue  
Seattle, WA 98122
(206) 264-0725
3 of 5 

Kahuku Farms

Driving around the North Shore of Oahu, there are just so many things to see.  So many places call your name.  "Stop Here."  "No, Stop Here."  "Why choose?  Stop at both places!"  
Kahuku Farms was one of these places.  Local.  Fresh.  Delicious looking.  Near famous shrimp trucks, and in a fairly well traveled area of the North Shore, their little farm store called Kahuku Farms Farm Cafe was just so tempting.  We stopped for shakes (pictured below) and some lilikoi ice cream.  

It wasn't bad, it was just tremendously disappointing.  First, I must mention what my wife has dubbed a term for a phenomenon, "the Aloha Bump."  This "Bump" is the good vibe that people feel being in Hawaii - and this vibe makes people more inclined to write positive reviews on crowdsourcing sites, like Yelp.  In addition, everyone is so laid back in Hawaii that they love everybody, and everything!  Kahuku Farms was the beneficiary of an Aloha Bump.  


We ordered the lilikoi joy (lilikoi and banana), haupia pineapple (pineapple and coconut), and lilikoi ice cream.  This was after we found out there was no more papaya for a half papaya with ice cream (my first choice).  Despite my earnest request for -anything but banana- in my smoothie, the unapologetic attendant informed me that lilikoi joy MUST come with banana and there were absolutely NO substitutes.  She, and her cohort, swore up and down that because lilikoi is such a strong flavor (think a slightly less pronounced passion fruit) that you cannot taste the banana.  


I gave it a shot, and I paid for it.  Paid for it in more than one way.  Banana is such a strong flavor in smoothies, especially when it is the base of the drink, and extra especially when it is starchy and under-ripened.  I could taste almost nothing but banana.  Think a tart banana shake with seeds.  My kind, accommodating, anti-conflict wife took a taste and knew that I would not be happy.  She agreed it was terribly banana-y.  Her haupia pineapple was good, but average.  The lilikoi ice cream scoop was good, but not smooth.  It was crystalized, maybe a little old or not creme-based.  This said, things were fresh (though frozen).  Also, we did not try the paninis or other offerings at the farm.  


What can I say, other than I was very disappointed?  Mostly, I would have appreciated the folks being just a little accommodating.  Since treats like these are a dime a dozen in Hawaii, I am not going to be speeding back to Kahuku.


Kahuku Farms
56-800 Kamehameha Highway  
Kahuku, HI 96731
2.5 of 5

San Fernando Roasted Chicken

One evening rather late (9 pm), my wife and I decided to try San Fernando Roasted Chicken.  As you can see, it's well liked on Yelp, though under-reviewed for Seattle (PS - Not Beacon Hill, Central District).  It's a Peruvian-style pollo a la brasa joint.  Well, sadly, one hour before closing there was no more pollo (a la brasa)!  So, rather than that, I ordered a arroz con pollo and lomo saltado.

Pollo

The arroz con pollo was good, nice flavors, nice little onion salad (it can't be called a regular salad), slightly dry pollo.  I felt gypped that there were no beans with the rice though.  The lomo was also ok, though a little dry, the fries were thick and delicious (though a little undersalted).  I thought it was good enough to give another shot, my wife declared she had enough and thought they didn't measure up.  We were sad to have missed the roasted chicken, but it is curious that with an hour of service left they had none available.


We might give them a redo, we might not, but since their prices are high for this style of restaurant, we certainly won't be running back.

Lomo

San Fernando Roasted Chicken
900 Rainier Avenue S.
Seattle, WA 98144
(206) 331-3763
2.5 of 5

Square Lotus

Square Lotus in Bellevue, Washington was an average Vietnamese place that seemed to cater to vegetarians.  It had a Four Star rating on Yelp (but in our opinion was not deserving).  The place had a very strip-mally decor down to faux brick wall paper, wobbly tables, and plates with the Square Lotus logo.

We ordered a few things, summer rolls, tropic rolls, stir fried soft egg noodles with beef (spicy style), and  super pho bowl (pho tai bo).  

Summer Rolls

Summer Rolls: They were a few herbs on the inside away from perfection, but they were very well done here. I prefer the fried wonton to be rolled in the middle, but to their credit they did include them flattened and in small pieces in the center.

Tropic Rolls

Tropic Rolls. We loved the combination of flavors and grilled chicken, but this roll was also missing a few herbs.  It was a nice variation from the classic summer roll, but was a little bland.

Stir Fried Noodles with Beef

Stir Fried Soft Egg Noodles with Beef - Spicy.  The portion was very small compared to other noodle or Chinese places.  The flavors were subtle, they don't jump out and slap you and "very very spicy" turned into barely spicy when it hit the tablet.  That was a tremendous disappointment.  The dish was good, in an average sort of way, but at over $9 I would not order them again.

Super Pho Bowl. Pho Tai (Bo).  The Pho broth was light, flavorful, and meaty, and the bowl is spacious (a personal preference I have come to view as vital).  The dish was very meaty when ordering the "super," but we can't comment on the regular (and judging by the noodles I suspect it may be very different).  The broth to noodles to meat ration was, therefore, quite on point if you order the Super Pho.  On the dig side, the broth was quite cloudy, which my wife assumed was due to not pre-boiling the beef bones before adding them to the pot with the other components (a quick was to make cloudy Pho broth at home).   

The biggest problem was really the poor, poor service.  Although we appeared to catch them during their lunch, the staff was not attentive at all.  We also got no hoisin sauce, crushed red pepper, or anything else out on the table (nor was it brought to us for quite some time after we had our food).  It was average, but with so many Vietnamese places in the Seattle area, there is no reason to overpay for noodles and get good (but not great) Pho with bad service.  I suspect if you are a vegetarian, you like this restaurant more  because they clearly cater to you with a large portion of the menu highlighted as Vegetarian.  If I were you though, I'd keep looking, because there are better places out there that also have vegetarian fare...



Square Lotus Fine Vietnamese & Vegetarian Cuisine
3540 Factoria Blvd SE # A
Bellevue, WA 98006
(425) 679-0680

2.5 of 5

Kabuki Fusion Sushi and Grill

Located just outside of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee was a surprising tasty little sushi joint named Kabuki Fusion Sushi and Grill.  Gratefully, it was close to my hotel, as well as a gaggle of other major hotel chains, and I was able to just mosey on down there for the Kabuki dance.  The decor was tacky, the service was stingy, but the sushi was solid.

I ordered:

Fresh scallop nigiri (pass)

Spicy scallop (pass)

Soy kingdom roll (good)
-tuna, salmon, mango and avocado wrapped in soy paper served with wasabi sauce

California roll (ok)

Oscar roll (good)
-Spicy salmon, asparagus, cucumber with white tuna, jalapeno and sriracha hot sauce on top

Phoenix roll (good)
-Yellow tail, spicy crunch, asparagus, and scallion with spicy tuna on top

The prominently displayed sushi bar on the left of the restaurant tried to be trendy, playing top 40 music with the staff in dark uniforms.   It was sort of cheap, with a modern feel that said both Japanese and middle of Tennessee.  However, the mix of paint, seat, table, and light colors can best be described as discordant.

Really though, you care about the food.  They had a decent menu.  The scallops were not fresh enough, and not the right kind for raw preparation.  They were ok, just not that good raw.  The Oscar roll, and Soy Kingdom (which actually comes out with a maraschino cherry) were standouts.  The rice was well cooked, and the overall value for what you have to pay is quite outstanding.  The Phoenix roll was good (just not as good as the Oscar and Soy Kingdom).  The place was lacking specials - you know the kind, displayed prominently on a chalk board by the sushi bar.  Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their sushi since Tennessee can hardly be considered a sushi mecca.  If I were you, I would go by on a Weds for half off (select) sushi.


Kabuki Fusion Sushi and Grill

10901 Parkside Dr # 101
Knoxville, TN 37934
(865) 288-9119
3.5 of 5 (overall)

4.5 (knoxville sushi)

Purple Cafe and Wine Bar

My wife and I decided to drop by Purple Cafe and Wine Bar in Bellevue, Washington for a quick bite to eat a few months ago.  I had eaten here once or twice before, and wanted to give my wife an opportunity to try her first risotto.  

Unfortunately, it was not a great first time for my wife.  The herb risotto was not creamy enough, and did not even taste as if it had been made with stock.  It was missing flavor, and the garlic came through with such a tang I doubt it was roasted off before being used.  Overall, I was sad (especially so since the picture turned out about as good as the risotto tasted).  


My wife loves calamari.  She liked this calamari, but did not love it.  She fell in love with their thick, spicy aioli.  It was just too bad that the calamari were greasy, and a little too chewy (overdone).

My wife's dinner, the BLTA was good.  She loved her fries, and the avocado was ripe and tasty.  The bacon was clearly of good quality, and the bread was fresh and inviting.

Then there was the lamb shank.  The arugula mashed potatoes were delicious.  Such a simple idea, and one I plan to implement at our home.  The dish, however, came out more room temperature than hot.  The jus had a great flavor, and the tapenade was cold.  It seemed that was not an accident, but it took an already under temp lamb shank and sapped what excess heat it had right out of it.  There was that, and the fact the tapenade had a sour note that I could not place, which either was an enzyme that reacted poorly with the jus or was just a bad olive or two.

The creme brûlée on the other hand was very good, and was clearly torched to order - the ONLY way to serve it.  

The waitstaff was not exactly bad, and not exactly good.  We did not order wine, and that clearly resulted in C-quality service.  Average, and the meal was average.  Unimpressive risotto, greasy calamari, cool lamb, it was not a good showing.  I have had some meals here that were better, and a special mushroom risotto was actually good.  I guess that means you cannot be certain how good the meal will be that you will receive on any given night.  Kitchen standards are important, and with so many restaurants out there, we will not be back.

Purple Cafe and Wine Bar
430 106th Avenue Northeast
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 502-6292
2.5 of 5

Serious Pie - Westlake

Serious Pie had a lot going for it. We loved our Westlake experience, which was less hustle and bustle, accommodating, and laid back. Unfortunately, Serious Pie also hit a few sour notes. This is the problem with going somewhere that has a reputation that not only precedes it, but precedes it by blocks. And blocks. And blocks.  (Because it's a Tom Douglas restaurant)

Let's jump right into it. Serious Pie's duck prosciutto appetizer was phenomenal. Slap your mamma good. Write home about it. The prosciutto was arguably the best I've ever eaten. The beets were nicely done and seasoned, and the pistachios added a delightful crunch. 


On the other side, my friend told me the bread soup was under-seasoned and a bit bland - really too bad because it looked so good. Hit, and miss.

The party I was with ordered a number of pizzas amongst the group. If you are a light eater, you might decide to split a pie with a loved one, but generally you need one pie per person. We ordered so many, the waitress got an order wrong. This wouldn't be a problem, if not for how ravenous you are by the time your pizza actually lands in front of you (aka, the wait is a bit long). The waitress thought my friend had ordered a mushroom pizza, which most assuredly she had not because she hates (hate hates) mushrooms. That was boxed, and comped, and her actual order was put in, but it was still 10-15 minutes later until it was delivered.  So that was a miss, and then a hit (because I consider this good customer service).

The Pizza in Question...

The pizzas were good, some even great. For example, the fennel sausage and soft egg with arugula pizzas were great. 

Delicious Fennel Sausage

Delicious Arugula and Over Easy Egg

The buffalo mozzarella pizza was good. 

Good - Meat added

The vegetarian offerings, the squash and a pear special, were also good, even very good. 

Special, Squash and Pear - and YES, these ingredients belong on Pizza!

The Penn Cove clams pizza, however, was only ok. It had a substantial amount of promise, but with the pancetta and clams, along with what seasoning was added, it was almost inedibly-salty. Also, maybe because of the thin crust, maybe because of neglect, a few of the pies had singed sides (read: burnt). This was another round of some hits, and misses.

Over-salty Clam Miss

The desserts were all hit. The budino, coconut cream pie, and ice cream were decadent and delicious. I would call in and take just their desserts on the road with me, and I am a savory man, no sweet.  In my opinion, this is high praise.  My wife still talks about the coconut cream pie...

The final verdict... at the price Serious Pie commands, it must not just be good, or very good, it must be great all the time. You expect orders to be correct, wait time to be reasonable, and dishes to be correctly seasoned. Because of this, I have to say it only merits 3.5 of 5. With proper seasoning and uniform doneness, Serious Pie would sit at a 4, and if everything were as delicious as the prosciutto (about which I still talk and think, and dream), it would be a 5 all the way!

Serous Pie
401 Westlake Avenue North
(206) 436-0050
Seattle, WA 98109
3.5 of 5

Branzino

A group of friends decided to descend upon Branzino one night when the wait at Serious Pie was too long.  Between us, we ordered the grilled octopus, risotto, duck breast, gnocchi, pizza, steak, tagliatelle, cauliflower, and chocolate budino and apple pear crisp deserts.  There were some real winners and losers, and unfortunately, we found Branzino had two faces.  One was beautiful, and the other had a sweet spirit.

The grilled octopus was delicious, soft, tasty (note the awesomely fried herbs on the top of the dish), and memorable.  Unfortunately, for the price, the portion was a little meager.

Then there was the lobster risotto.  In a word, it was bland.  Both myself, and another friend who ordered it felt the same way.  It was the day's special, and incredibly disappointing (although it looked good).

My wife's duck breast (excuse the poor picture), was excellent.  The very center was a little under for her, but the remainder of it was a perfect mid-rare.  It turned her on to duck, and that streek lasted for a few months.

I did not get a shot of all the group's food.  I was told the gnocchi were pillowy and delicious.  The pizza was a little disappointing.  The tagliatelle was also good, but the bistecca (steak) was likewise a miss.  The cauliflower side was actually a perfect example of the yin and yang of this restaurant.  A fair amount of it was the most delicious thing that most of us ate that entire evening, while some pieces were over salted, a little charcoaly (from too aggressive a chargrill) and oily.

Then desert hit, and the chocolate budino and mint straccetelli was another solid single before being thrown out standing a little too far off the bag.  The budino was excellent, but the ice cream had a little too much ice - it seemed to have separated or something else unappealing.  The apple pear crisp was delicious, but did not differentiate itself too much from a similar offering you can get at most Greasy Spoons.  The service was likewise good, but not great.  

So what can I say about Branzino's overall?  Middling, in particular given the prices and I doubt we will be back.  I think that it was our fault though for not ordering the branzino, which you have to assume would be delicious...  


Branzino
2429 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121-1424
(206) 728-5181
3 of 5

June

June was ranked one of the best new restaurants in Seattle a few years ago.  Assuming they had hammered out the kinks, my wife and I decided to give them a shot about eight months after opening.  Unfortunately, our experience was average, and given the reasonable (but above average) prices, we decided we probably would not return.  It appears despite their positive crowd-sourcing reviews, I was not the only one that thought it was average, because one year after opening - the restaurant closed.  Sad.

Here's our historic review, and maybe if the restauranteur decides to open another restaurant, they can take heed.  The booths were intimate and inviting, until you got up close and personal.  The material was light, and had stains (as seen above), and the flowers that were supposed to add ambiance were wilted.  That was sad, and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to view it as chic and ironic, or just lazy.

We started with the oysters.  They were good, but the onion was a little overpowering.  It was probably my own fault for ordering oysters in a non-oyster month, but in Seattle I figured we couldn't go wrong.  They were just ok.

Then we had the octopus appetizer.  The protein was excellently cooked, tender, but it was oversalted to the point were the food was nearly inedible.  My wife will attest that I like aggressively seasoned food, but this was too salty by any person's standards.  

The gnocchi came out and looked delicious.  It was a good dish, but the gnocchi were not evenly executed.  I have included a picture of one seared to perfection, exactly how they should be, and another that did not have the delicious outside crunch that it should have had.  The top picture shows the nice caramel color, the bottom shows others that are barely tinged with color.  Unfortunately, this was my wife's first experience with gnocchi and it did not leave her wanting more...

The pappardelle was good, with nice flavors, but nothing we could not make at home.  In addition, for pasta, the portion was a little skimpy.  

The bread pudding was very good, and the creme (sort of a burnt creme, flan offering) had a slight goat cheese flavor and was the best part of the evening (the hint of goat cheese)- excepting the over burnt flavor.  It was almost perfect, but instead had a little burnination pucker factor.  

Service was not slow, but the waiter was not particularly attentive.  It sort of kept with the average theme of the evening.  Too bad they closed, if they had tightened up their ship, it could have been a great neighborhood restaurant.  As to the Yelpers who loved it, it had the feel of a place that would be loved - fresh seasonal food and menu, aloof waitstaff, etc.  But, I bet the first bunch were comped appetizers and from that point forward it was a critical mass scenario...

June
Seattle, WA
CLOSED

3 of 5

casa d's taqueria

One day for lunch I swung by this place, Casa D's Taqueria.  Why not, there isn't much good Mexican food in the Seattle area.  The best restaurant that I've tried, in terms of Mexican (tex-mex) flavors and price is La Cocina de Puerco.  I must admit though that I've not tried all the places, so don't be too upset if you think it's only average.  It is.  I maintain that most Mexican food in Seattle is average at best.

Anyway, I ordered the mini tacos.  All the better to try their different meats.  They give you four tacos for about six bucks.  The white guy who seemed to run the joint informed me that the mini tacos came with choice of meat, onions, and cilantro.  They also throw in a few chips and salsa.  I asked about cabbage.  They didn't have it.  I asked about lettuce.  It is extra.  Extra?  Extra!  The white man then informed me that the traditional way for the tacos to be served was meat, onions, and cilantro, and any deviation would cost.  Thanks white man for that newsflash, I guess all the Mexican people I know who serve them with cabbage, or... heavens forbid, tomatoes, really must not be Mexicans at all.  I'm glad he cleared that up, my operating assumption is now that they're all Salvadorans, possibly even M-13 gang members.

In all seriousness, I had this flashback to Vietnam.  Everyone there charges you extra for everything.  Again, I attribute this to whiteness.  That's neither here nor there though.  Looking around, they had signs, written on paper plates, extra meat with a $.  Jalapeños (they looked grilled), $ .30.  Everything was extra.

I was happy he didn't charge me for napkins.  I took my tacos, and escaped to eat before he charged me for using the door.  They were, in a word, average.  The tortillas were the corn numbers that are bought in massive packs.  The steak was tremendously underseasoned.  I could see why when I saw him put them on, out of a pack from the supermarket, onto the grill.  No seasoning that I could see.  The chorizo, and shredded beef were good.  Maybe the Mexican lady who had dished up my food was allowed to spice them up.  The carnitas were average.  Frankly, I prefer Chipotle's carnitas, but I can't complain about anything in particular - I can only say that they are forgettable.

Casa D's Taqueria
102 Bellevue Way NE # B
Bellevue, WA 98004-5974
(425) 462-8410
2.5 of 5

wild ginger in bellevue

My wife and I decided to visit Wild Ginger in Bellevue.  I had heard that Wild Ginger was lauded locally as one of the best new restaurants in Seattle in 2010.  As it turned out, it was Restaurant Week.  We were able to have three courses for $28, a fair price.

Wild Ginger has pan Asian fare.  Think, PF Chang's.  As we walked in, the hostess looked harried.  It turned out that an event bought out half of her restaurant, and with the Microsofties having easy access to it due to its location in the Bravern and Restaurant Week in Seattle, it was jumping.  She promised a 20 minute wait, and I responded by asking if she meant a real 20 minutes or optimistic 20.  If it was optimistic, we were out of there before dinner started.  She said real, and to her credit, we were seated at about 13 minutes into the wait.

My wife, who has been reading a book by Ruth Reichl, noted both that we were sat in the back corner of the restaurant, and that the chairs were comfortable.  This was, in her estimation, a minus and a plus (in that order).  Speaking of, we ordered fried oysters, pork (meatball) satay, Singapore beef, spinach prawns, banana bavarian cake, and pumpkin cheesecake mochi.

As for the food, the appetizers came out quickly and the pan fried oysters were good sized, fresh, tasty oysters. The sauce was sort of a jazzed up version of tonkatsu sauce.  (For those uninitiated, Tonkatsu sauce is used frequently in Japanese cuisine with, surprisingly, Katsu's [fried schnitzel-like dishes] and tastes like a sweeter version of A-1.)  The house-made pork satay, a pork "meatball" on a stick of sorts, was juicy with onion, pepper, and was grilled to display nice char marks.  It was very tasty, but its sauce was average - a basic sort of fish sauce with vinegar, a la egg roll sauce you can buy in a bottle at the Asian supermarket for $2.00 per jug.  The meatball-on-a-stick did come with a few house made pickles, which did a good job of cutting the fat and adding a nice pop of flavor.
 
The main courses were not what we anticipated.  The Singapore beef, my wife dubbed "eggplant seasoned with beef."  Frankly, it tasted like any good Szechuan beef with eggplant.  There was nothing distinctly Singaporean about it.  It was a good spice level for me, but too much for my wife - who had to give up after a small portion.  The spinach prawns surprised us too. Not necessarily in a good way.  As the picture makes clear, it was almost a creamed spinach with some fish sauce served over medium-large shrimp.  It started off pretty decent, but not reminding me of anything particularly "Asian" I have eaten, but lost its appeal after cooling.  Beyond the visual of a plate of green "gloppy" substance, it also had a bit more fish sauce than it needed.  The entree came with a  string bean plate that was no different than Chinatown for $5.  That said, it was a good rendition of the dish, and also had a good spice level. 

 

In the end, the desserts let down the rest of the meal.  The banana Bavarian cake was dry.  It had the flavor of banana, but didn't hit you on the mouth with banana like you may expect from a desert named "banana Bavarian cake."  The mochi, don't even get me started.   The pumpkin cheesecake was more like pumpkin pie filling, and the outer layer of the mochi was so thick as to almost make the dessert inedible.  They really let down the rest of the meal, which was itself a better rendition of PJ Chang's.

The service, in a word, was average.  It didn't take anything away from the meal, but certainly didn't add anything either.  Our drinks were filled, sometimes, and the waitress came around to ask about us, occasionally.  For the first time in awhile, a server earned a tip of 15%.  Average, but below my defacto average of 20%.  I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who wanted to go to a slightly upscale version of an average International District restaurant when a group, or husband/wife, cannot decide between Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

Wild Ginger in Bellevue
11020 NE 6th St. Ste 90. 
Bellevue, WA 98004 
(425) 495-8889
3.5 of 5