Old friends, old haunts

Mother-and-daughter sculpture in downtown Kirkland, WA

Been a very busy week. Not so much working, but visiting people. Some of whom I planned to visit; others just popped up out of the blue. As for dining, went to old favorites and found new ones as well.

Old haunts:

• Cafe Ori in Bellevue, of course - That's practically home.
• Malay Satay Hut in Bellevue/Redmond - Mango pearl drink that (do I dare say?) rivals Cafe Ori's.
• Tropea in downtown Redmond - Tira...mmmmm!...misu.
• Typhoon in Bella Bodega in Redmond - Curry salmon with sticky rice. Not as impressive as I remembered it, but still good.
• Coho Cafe in Bella Bodega in Redmond - Grilled salmon is as great as I remembered.

New favorites:

• Lynn's Bistro in Central Way in Kirkland - Great salmon!
• Royal India near Juanita Beach in Kirkland - Mango curry chicken to die for! And don't forget the garlic naan.
• PF Chang in downtown Bellevue - Roast duck with hoisin sauce, yum! With the steamed buns, too. (Except the buns stick to your teeth.)
• Tiger Mountain Grill in Issaquah - Surprisingly good salmon burger.
• Firenze at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue - Had their salmon special but I wasn't too impressed.
• Meze in Kirkland - Well, to be honest, the food is just okay, but the very friendly wait staff made the dinner memorable.

There are two restaurants that I don't remember the names.

• A Polynesian restaurant a couple of blocks from Seattle Art Museum on First Avenue - I can't remember what my entree was, but I couldn't stop eating the pineapple fried rice. Nice view of the water too.
• A grill in downtown Kirkland - Melt-in-your-mouth Kahlua flan.

These two were my "regulars" for workday lunches. They're chains but they're fast and delicious.

• The deli inside Larry's Market at NE 8th St and 120th Ave NE in Bellevue - Four words: "Rubbed With Love Salmon". And I consumed it with love.
• Taco del Mar in the same strip mall - Super burrito on spinach tortilla with guacamole, whipped cream, rice, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, mild salsa. And a brownie for dessert. :-)

Wow. Just one more reason why I miss Seattle.

(BrianM: Are you paying attention? You said to write about all the good food in Seattle....)