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Good Food
Good FoodFrom top to bottom, Queen Anne Serves up Great Meals
By Zachary D. Lyons
Mar 14, 2002 -- On a snowy March day, I am reminded of a defining image I have of Queen Anne Hill: A Domino's pizza delivery driver coming straight down Queen Anne Avenue N. on a snowy night, using parked cars as brakes.The Upper Queen Anne neighborhood rests high atop this steep thoroughfare, like a biblical mountaintop fortress safe from the big city below. Meanwhile, the life of the city flows freely in and out of Lower Queen Anne, which welcomes it.
The restaurants of Upper and Lower Queen Anne have evolved to serve distinctly different audiences over the last 40 years, since the opening of the 1962 World's Fair. Up top, they aim to serve the local residents, while down below, they serve not only the larger apartment buildings, but the lunchtime office hordes and the evening showtime masses.
Erik Thomas with a full meal at Melina's Tacos. Zachary D. Lyons photo. |
Tucked away in the little McGraw Street business district is a tiny Mexican eatery that packs the locals in for simple, classic, and inexpensive vittles from south of the border. At lunchtime, one can barely move in the place. Working stiffs in Carhart jackets and well-to-do ladies with perfect hair harmoniously intermingle over tacos, burritos, tamales, and enchiladas.
Eva Coboorubias opened Malena's in 1997, and Queen Anne residents have proudly extolled its virtues ever since. The place has only four tables, eight chairs, a counter and three stools. Service is fast and friendly, and with many to-go orders, we saw no one go seatless.
We tried a little of everything, which meant we ate a lot. Yet we felt refreshed and ready for action after lunch here, unlike other places that leave you bloated. This is because the food is not fatty. Beans were ranchero style, not refried. Everything was fresh, and fried foods were pan fried, not cooked in a deep fryer. The salsa and guacamole were tasty, and while too salty for some, we likely them just fine. The carne asada soft taco was delicious, and while we liked both, we preferred the chicken over the beef rolled tacos. Pork tamales were good, and big. The veggie tostada was fresh and clean-tasting but not the most flavorful, suggesting, unfortunately, that the tostadas are better with meat. Big bean and veggie burritos and the chili relleno should satisfy the vegetarians in your party.
Malena's Taco Shop, 620 W. McGraw St., 284-0304, open Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sunday Noon - 7 p.m., cash or local checks only.
Racha general manager Pluttiphong "Sprite" Srigrarom serves Davis Martin and Jon Lewis (back to camera). Zachary D. Lyons photo. |
Racha Noodles occupies the corner of Mercer Street and First Avenue North like a Thai temple, and patrons are greeted inside as if royalty. The attractive young staff wearing even more attractive traditional Thai garb welcome you under dramatic metal sculptures, and direct you to lovely dining rooms adorned with colorful artwork. Racha is, in a word, elegant.
Created in 1997 by partners Kane Bunyaketu, Somchai Bhudsabourg and Punya Tipyasothi, Racha has become the flagship of their bevy of Thai restaurants throughout King County. An extensive remodel in 2000 expanded the restaurant, with much more dining space, an open kitchen and a beautiful bar accented by the huge cut-glass elephant back mirror and one of Seattle's best collections of vodka, the favored spirit of Thailand. And in January, 2002, Racha hired Chef Daeng. A veteran Thai chef with over 20 years experience, she has won awards in Thailand and Europe for her cooking.
We immediately felt right at home on our visit, melting into one of the lavish booths. Service was attentive, charming and plentiful. My questions, no matter how stupid ("Can I have some chopsticks?"--the Thai don't use them), were greeted with smiles, good answers, and a sense of humor ("Here are your chopsticks, sir, direct from China.").
If you are not attending a Seattle Center event, aim to arrive between 7:30 and 9 p.m. And if you are headed to the Center, get to Racha before 5:30 p.m., so that you--and your servers--can relax. Remember, the other 20,000 people want to get to the game on time, too.
The Racha menu offers many traditional Thai dishes. The salads, or Yums, are served room temperature, and often include fish or meat mixed with herbs and vegetables. Use the leaves on your plate to eat them as finger food, and enjoy getting a little messy. Yum Veggie includes bigger chunks of fresh vegetables lightly cooked in a delicious lime chili vinaigrette, while the Larb Gai features ground chicken delightfully tossed with basil, mint and cilantro.
Noodles are in Racha's name, and they have oodles of noodles. We had the Pud Thai Woon Sen, which are clear noodles made from mung beans. Tossed with their regular Pud Thai ingredients, and with some Thai shrimp thrown in, they were great. Ocean Wrap Curry is toothsome shrimp and scallop wontons tossed in a green curry sauce. We loved it. And for duck fans, Chef Daeng makes great Thai duck dishes. The Golden Duck, steamed in herbs and then deep fried, de-boned, save for the leg bones, and served on a hot iron plate with an incredible ginger sauce, had us ooh-ing and ahh-ing.
For dessert, we had a top-notch black sticky rice pudding. Racha also presents live modern Thai music in the bar every other Saturday night, and live traditional Thai music every Sunday evening.
Racha Noodles & Thai Cuisine, 23 Mercer St., 281-8883, open Monday - Thursday 11 a.m. - midnight, Friday 11 a.m. - 2 a.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.
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