Nosh Pit

Fascinating Eats at Huiyona

But does anyone know about them?

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Jun 16, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Korean style steak and eggs at Huiyona

A tour of Asia populates the menu at the white-stucco’d basement joint called Huiyona on North Capitol Hill—Korean kim chee, Filipino adobo, Japanese udon, Chinese steamed pork buns, Vietnamese green papaya salad—but then every dish is tweaked a little sideways to provide a novel edge. So the adobo takes the form of pork shoulder sliders; the steamed buns become little pillowy tacos filled with crisped pork belly, hoisin glaze, and house made pickles.

More often than not, the food is lovely and intelligent and delectable.

Even a recent special of bouillabaisse featured all manner of fish, cooked with loving restraint, done up in a buttery broth robust with feisty Asian spices.

If only the sense of place held more appeal: It’s dark in this long narrow space, and feels awkward. No amount of warm hand towels or toothsome amuse bouches or affable servers can cure that. The place was near empty on our visit.

Here’s hoping half-priced bottles of (under $40) wine on Thursday and Friday nights can, because this is fascinating food.

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Tags: Restaurants, reviews, Asian Food

Food Find of the Week

Snoose Junction’s aglio e olio pizza is something to love, one slice at a time.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Feb 10, 2010 at 11:30AM 4 Comments

“I’ll have the biggest piece, please. That one right there.”

Photo courtesy yelp.

Snoose Junction ’s aglio e olio pizza is not for the weak of stomach. Blanketed with a more-than-healthy helping of gorgonzola and parmesan, the pie tests the willpower of even the most stalwart cheesehead. It doesn’t matter how dire your formaggio fix, eat several pieces and you live to regret it. So instead have a slice, just one, because the aglio is a fine specimen everyone should sample.

Here’s where things get tricky. First off, no one eats just one piece of pizza. I don’t. No one I know does. Do you? Second, the pie’s perfectly fluffed crust, topped with all that gorgo/parm and then Yukon Gold potatoes, red onions, and fresh tomatoes, is a snack to love—you’re going to want more. Plus you know how it goes with anything involving cheese. It’s like crack. You take a few nibbles, then a couple more. Suddenly the entire brick is gone.

Consider it a challenge, this eating-just-one edict. The pies at Snoose are generous and enough to feed a large party, so bring lots of pals to flag cravings for seconds. Take any leftovers to the office and spread some cheer. Give some to the starved wait staff behind the counter. Do whatever so long as you don’t end up like a dear friend who after an aglio binge left Snoose murmuring about a stomach ache.

The aglio e olio costs $23.95.

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Tags: reviews, Food Finds

Full Tilt Rocks

Ice cream, beer, pinball, and utter happiness…now in three locations!

Posted by: Kathryn Robinson on Feb 10, 2010 at 09:00AM 0 Comments

Full Tilt Ice Cream: Happiest Place on Earth

Popped into the Columbia City Full Tilt Ice Cream the other night and had a hard time popping back out.

First: The arcade games, great ones, a quarter apiece, which instantly addicted the 11-year-old and her roving posse to pursuits like Ms. PacMan and, yes, pinball.

Second: The fact that everyone was here. Everyone. Full Tilt opened in the southern fringe of downtown Columbia City right before the Big Heatwave of Summer ‘09, cultivating a devoted neighborhood following just as it had done before in downtown White Center. Then just last month a new outpost brought the same love to the *UW’s 50th and Brooklyn* corner. Every one of ’em attracts the kind of fizzy, alt-flavored family energy that builds community and makes Friday nights out in the ’hood really, really fun.

Third: BEER!!! The coolest thing about this ice cream parlor is that it embraces a grown-up’s need to bring the kids out for ice cream and enjoy a little naughtiness of her own.

Fourth: Astonishingly enough… there is ice cream. Really fine, creamy, and affordable ice cream in flavors like Mexican chocolate and a superlative salted caramel. I tried the newer salted caramel variant, enhanced with a fair amount of Sailor Jerry spiced rum, and found it every bit as compelling as the pinball machine.

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Tags: Bargain Bites, reviews, University District, Beer, Desserts, kids stuff, Columbia City, White Center