Bako on Broadway Brings Modern Chinese to Capitol Hill

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Photo by Abbie DavidBako brings food from cosmopolitan Hong Kong right here to Capitol Hill’s north end of Broadway. From food, to drinks and décor, owner, Keeman Wong successfully melds traditional elements with a contemporary feel at his newly opened Chinese restaurant.

This is not your regular hole in the wall International District Chinese restaurant delivering cartons of soggy Chinese food. It’s clean, modern and hip yet embraces vintage values and ideas. It fits in here on Capitol Hill joining independent restaurants like Poppie, Olivar, and Altura in proclaiming the North end of Broadway as a popular foodie destination.

Bako’s menu features modern Cantonese cooking using locally sourced ingredients. “Fortunately the tradition is very much in line with modern values. Local sourcing. Doing the minimum to the food you have to do to bring out the flavors. A better balance of meat and vegetables,” Wong said during an interview with CHS Capitol Hill Seattle blog.

They say you eat with your eyes first, but that’s not always true. Here at Bako, you definitely eat with your nose first as the smell of Chinese aromatics pleasantly permeate the restaurant. During a short wait at the bar while waiting for a table to open, I watched cooks prepare and dish out food as it came out of the kitchen. I grew hungrier and more excited with every plate that came out.

Abbie and I, along with our out of town visitors, Rion and Brinn were seated at the long granite community table that divided the dining area. Seeing how good each dish looked coming out of the kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Bako’s menu items ranged between 8-15 dollars.

Craving small bites to share amongst the four of us, we ordered shrimp chive potstickers and pearls - seasoned pork studded with pearl rice and a sesame soy dipping sauce. The pot stickers were juicy morsels of pureed shrimp. My only complaint about them is that I wish we had two orders. A plate of 5 dumplings for 4 people is kind of a teaser with only having one bite of something that’s this good.

On the other hand, the pearls were visually intriguing, but I felt like the “seasoned” pork lacked seasoning and flavor. It was a juicy bite of pork and rice, but the supposed seasoning along with the blandness of the rice did nothing to bring out the sweetness that we all love from steamed ground pork. I’ll pass on these next time I come, but perhaps a tweek or two of the recipe (some sesame oil, ginger and salt perhaps) will make this dish stunning. I love the concept, but it’s just not there quite yet. The people at my party also agreed.

Looking down our community table, the Singapore Noodles was a very popular dish, and for good reason. These noodles with wild American white prawns, honey roasted pork, bean sprouts, curry and rice noodles were a favorite amongst our party, and other guests at our community table were more than satisfied with their order. The curry really propels this dish to excellence adding just enough heat, spice and sweetness to the lovely noodles, shrimp and pork.

I ordered the Shrimp and Scallop Noodle, a crispy nest of noodles with monterry squid, diver scallops, seasonal vegetables and a sweet-hot chilli sauce. This dish is probably the most visually stunning plate that I saw all night and many people throughout the restaurant had it in front of them. I enjoyed the meal very much, but I must warn you, this dish packs a lot of heat, something my waiter failed to mention. Good thing I like spicy food.

The star of the evening’s dinner was Abbie’s oxtail man tou buns. These sliders are bursting with Asian flavor. The salad of apples and fennel that comes with this dish is a perfect contrast against the rich savory flavor of the meat and crisped clam shell shaped buns. If When I come back here again, this is what I’m ordering, either as an appetizer or two orders as a main dish! If you’re looking for brilliance in a bun, make sure you order some. Photo by Abbie David

Bako also separates themselves from other Chinese restaurants by having an excellent list of cocktails. We Capitol Hill dwellers are spoiled to have places to drink such as Tavern Law, Knee High Stocking Company, and Sun Liquor. It’s almost shocking that a Chinese restaurant would offer drinks of the same caliber. That’s part of what will make Bako so special.

Owner Keeman Wong sat and talked with our table for a few minutes. Along with the food and drinks, we all complimented his restaurant about the great décor, which fits his vision of traditional elements and contemporary feel. We debated whether Seattle loves or hates community tables (I think we love it as evidenced by community tables at Bravehorse Tavern, Serious Pie, Volunteer Park Café, etc.) and how his granite community fits the room perfectly and is conducive to a interactive dining experience.

A modern image of an attractive leafy pattern is projected against a white wall while vintage wallpaper inspired from the movie In the Mood for Love decorates the southern wall. A sexy vintage portrait of a Chinese man and woman marks the Men’s and Ladie’s room. White curtains drape down as a division between the bar and dining room area. Wong even says that chandeliers have yet to be installed. It all comes together very nicely adding to a fantastic dining experience.

I was glad to have eaten at Bako and even happier to meet owner Keeman Wong. He’s the type of person you meet and immediately want to patronize his business based on how nice of a guy he is. Keeman’s execution of his vision here at Bako is making the north end of Broadway quite a delicious and hip place to eat.

For those of you who do end up at Bako, let me know what you think! 

Bako

606 Broadway E.

Seattle, Wa 98102

(206) 829-8958 

Friday Food Photos - The Most Important Meal of the Day

It drives me crazy that a good hearty breakfast eludes most of us during our busy work week, even more so for us night shift workers such as myself. When the time comes for treating ourselves to a good breakfast, my favorites are Eggs Benedict or a good french toast. A potent bloody mary doesn't hurt either.

Dungeness Crab Eggs Benedict from Tolouse Petit

Brioche French Toast with mixed berry citrus syrup at Skillet Diner

Salmon Eggs Benedict from 14 Carrot Cafe in Eastlake

Quite possibly my favorite bloody mary in the city at 14 Carrot Cafe. This one is made with Sake.

Creme Caramel French Toast from Tolouse Petit

Dekyi Thonden's Dumplings at Ting Momo

 

As part of Tom Douglas’ recently opened trio of restaurants in the blossoming South Lake Union neighborhood, Ting Momo is a Tibetan dumpling house run by chef, Dekyi Thonden. While the adjacent Bravehorse Tavern is serving up pretzels, burgers, and beer and the downstairs neighbor Cuoco is whipping up Italian pasta dishes, Ting Momo is offering hungry Seattle restaurant goers something uniquely different.

Dekyi’s dumplings are a Tibetan delicacy in the style that has become a very popular street food. Dekyi’s unique combination of seasonings, tamarind, orange zest, soy and cumin will tantalize your taste buds and leave you wanting more. These dumplings are hearty and aim to stay true to their Tibetan and Indian influences. The heart of Dekyi’s menu consists of momo, samo, and tingmo plates.

Momo are hearty steamed Tibetan dumplings with golden Colorado yak, star anise, bay leaf and cranberry.

Samo are flaky fried Tibetan dumplings with pork, cumin, coriander and apricot. A vegetarian samo with potato, English peas, oyster mushroom and orange zest is also available. 

Tingmo are slightly larger Tibetan soft steamed bread dumplings that come in two vegetarian options.

Other menu items available are daily steamed buns with a rotating meat filling, hand-pulled noodles, soups, salads, and desserts. You order your food at the counter and wait for your name to be called. After placing my order, my name was called before I can even finish a lap around the small café.

My personal favorite was the samo. The flaky crunchiness of the fried dough surrendered itself to the savory and curry like flavor of the juicy pork. Just when I thought that this was one of the best bites of anything I’ve ever sunk my teeth into, the sweet tartness of the apricot shined through further escalating my state of bliss.

What’s even more unique than her food is Dekyi’s remarkable story as a Tibetan refugee and her journey that brought her to the United States. Since escaping Tibet, she has never been able to return to her home country.  Every momo and dumpling that is made is a tribute to her homeland, journey, and father.

It would probably be the pinnacle of anyone’s career to cook for someone like the President of the United States, but Dekyi attained what many would consider a much higher honor: meeting and cooking for the Dali Lama. I had the privilege to chat with Dekyi Thonden and she shared with me what it was like meeting the religious leader.

A photo Adorning the walls at Ting Momo captures Dekyi Thonden in a rare phtograph with the Dali Lama

I’ve sought out restaurants featured on shows such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate or Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I’ve also tracked down chefs who were contestants on shows such as Top Chef and Iron Chef. But I’ve never felt as astonished as I did while walking away from Ting Momo and Dekyi Thondon’s story, life, and food.  

Eric Banh and his Passion Behind Ba Bar

 

Ba Bar is Eric Banh’s latest expansion to his Vietnamese empire. The 50-seat high ceiling space feels much like a gastropub that happens to serve quality Vietnamese street food. The noodle bar hopes to fill in the gaping hole of Seattle’s restaurant landscape by providing late night food until 2 am, and 4 am on the weekends. The menu includes a variety of vermicelli noodle dishes, claypot rice and chicken, duck leg confit, and of course bowls rich and steamy Pho. Nightly specials are also available.

A few days after having dinner at Ba Bar, I just so happened to be their first ever lunch customer. After taking a seat, I soon realized that Eric Banh was running around his new restaurant and I jumped at the opportunity to speak with him.

Eric Banh has three very successful restaurants, one of which I can easily call one of my favorites. Monsoon serves contemporary Vietnamese cuisine with a Northwest flare and it’s where I had my 30^th birthday dinner celebration. Monsoon Eastis the same restaurant in Bellevue while Baguette Box is a Vietnamese inspired gourmet sandwich shop. 

I watched him work as he directed his staff around the restaurant. It became apparent that he’s a man that pays attention to detail, down to how a server should seat and treat customers, to how a table should be properly setup. “It may look simple, but you must take it very seriously,” he lectured a staff member over foam on an espresso drink.

I was a bit nervous at first not knowing what to say or ask. I took a deep breath, fixed my helmet head and scooter blown hair and walked up to him. I told him how big of a fan I am of his restaurants and I introduced myself as a food blogger. He asked me not to be too critical as he was obviously self-conscious of the growing pains of a brand new restaurant. “I was fifteen in Edmonton and barely knew English when I got my first restaurant job. That’s why I hired young kids to work here, to give people a chance at their first restaurant job.”

We talked about quality and the need for late night food in Seattle. He was a bit disappointed that the youth of the Vietnamese community give him the most grief over the price of a bowl of his Pho.

“Our broth is made over fourteen hours; at Monsoon over twenty-four hours. And the bone to water ratio is so high and the broth so rich. All this and I’m only charging two dollars more than everybody else,” explained Banh. 

“You have the three buck chuck and you have a sixty dollar Washington Cabernet; both will get you drunk,” Banh metaphorically preached about the quality of his food, “but it’s all about the journey.”

I then sat down as my combo vermicelli was served. I cheated and picked off a piece of the imperial roll as Banh walked by. “Mix it all up, pour some sauce and eat it like a salad!” Banh explained as he ran around his restaurant.

“People like me and you, we live to eat, not eat to live,” said Banh as he took another pass by my table.

“You should try some dumplings.” Five minutes later I had two dumplings stuffed with mung bean, caramelized shallot, and a spicy soy vinaigrette at my table. “These two ladies make them by hand. Very authentic, I plan on having a dumpling station here,” he pointed to an empty space near the entrance of the restaurant.

The dumplings were pleasant, but it was the sauce that blew me away. Even after I finished the dumplings, I kept spooning up the sauce into my mouth or vermicelli bowl. 

My experience with the two times I’ve been to Ba Bar has been excellent. The food is passionately prepared in the vision of Eric Banh and is on par with the excellence of Monsoon. I’ve had no trouble with service despite other people having bad experiences that other people such as Kate Opatz from Pat My Butterwrote about.  I’m confident that veteran restaurateur and passion of Eric Banh and his staff will pull it all together. I hope the late night Seattle community will come to Ba Bar for something that all of Seattle has needed for a long time: a bowl of late night happiness. 

 

Dine Around Seattle - 3 course meal for 30 bucks at 49 Seattle Area Restaurants

It’s time again for Seattle’s biannual fine dining event, Dine Around Seattle. Every March and November, some of Seattle’s favorite restaurants offer 3 course meals for only 30 dollars, which usually consists of an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Most of these restaurants’ main dishes go for about 30 dollars on their regular menu, so it is quite a bargain.  It gives diners an opportunity to try some of the more upscale restaurants without having to break the bank.

The special is available at 49 Seattle area restaurants throughout the month of March on Sundays through Thursdays. The Dine Around Seattle website allows you to click on all the restaurants to see what dishes their offering for this promotion. Of course, some restaurants and menus are better than others and nobody wants to be disappointed in spending 30 dollars on a fine dining restaurant. Here are my restaurant recommendations based on past experience dining there, reviews from the press, word of mouth, and their menus. 

So grab a few friends, that special someone, or some coworkers that you’ve been talking about getting together for a while and take advantage of this great deal.

Monsoon, Capitol Hill  – This is one of my favorite restaurants and it’s where I had my 30^th birthday dinner back in December. They offer modern Vietnamese with Northwest influence. But the best part about Monsoon participating in Dine Around Seattle is that they offer virtually their entire menu for this promotion while most restaurants only offer 3 of their appetizers, 3 main dishes, and 3 desserts. I hope dishes like crispy imperial rolls, caramelized Idaho Catfish Claypot, and Crispy Washington Drunken Chicken will make this one of your favorite restaurants, too. 615 19th Ave, Seattle 206.325.2111

Steelhead Diner, Pike Place Market – Abbie and I, along with our good friends Heather and Brendan, ate here this past Sunday. Our friend Erin just happened to be on a blind date just a few booths away at the same time we were there. I’d highly recommend getting the Grilled Sockeye Salmon dish; it was a paperback novel portion of juicy grilled salmon, over latke potato hash. It was the first restaurant we ate at for this special and we all walked away very happy despite the fact that service was marginal at best. 95 Pine Street Suite 17, Seattle 206.625.0129

Blueacre Seafood, Downtown – We can’t mention Steelhead Diner without talking about Blueacre Seafood. When previous restaurant occupant Oceanaire closed during the recession, Steelhead Diner’s creators swooped in and opened the highly anticipated restaurant. I can’t say I’ve eaten there myself, but their Smoked Duck Andouille Sausage Gumbo and Forever Braised Pork Shoulder is calling out my name. Not to mention all the positive press that they’ve received and that I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Steelhead Diner. 1700 7th Ave, Seattle 206.659.0737

Ray’s Boathouse, Ballard – If you’re looking for a romantic spot with that special someone, now’s your chance to have it at Ray’s. You can have a jaw-dropping view of the sun setting behind the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound while relishing local bounty prepared by Ray’s Boathouse award winning staff. Coldwater seafood like Panseared Coho Salmon and Grilled Ling Cod is the way to go. You’ll be hard pressed to find Northwest seafood better anywhere else. 6049 Seaview Ave, Seattle 789.3770

Pallisades, Magnolia - Set on the backdrop of Magnolia's Elliott Bay Marina and Seattle skyline, Pallisades reaches over the waterfront and boats docked there while interior coy fish ponds adds to the serene setting. A glimpse of their menu has me craving for their House Smoked Salmon Bisque, Wood Oven Roasted King Salmon and a Trio of Crème Brulee. Elliot Bay Marina, 2601 West Marina Place, Seattle 206.285.1000