It's official: Light rail is awesome. Not for the obvious reasons (better/cleaner/faster than the bus, trains are awesome, etc.) but because it's opening up whole new culinary worlds for people who couldn't or didn't go to the neighborhoods along the line. I'm leaving out neighborhoods, like the International District, that have a ton of amazing restaurants but are also extremely accessible to anyone who lives downtown, and sticking to the farther-flung parts of South Seattle. Below, a few of my favorites and some I'm dying to try:

• Thai Recipe. (Station: Mount Baker). This hole-in-the-wall just a block or so from the Mt. Baker station has some of the best, freshest, most authentic low-rent Thai food in town. Last night, we had the vegetarian Pad See Ew, which was fantastic (if a little over-salty) and a revelatory "special eggplant" dish that consisted—to my great surprise (I was ordering on autopilot) of crisp-fried slices of Japanese eggplant served over a fiery yellow bean sauce and tender (!) white meat chicken. The "brown rice" is actually Thai jasmine brown rice, a nutty, almost purplish variety that I've only seen at one other Thai restaurant in town (Jamjuree on 15th Ave. East, on Capitol Hill).

• Mioposto Cafe. (Station: Mount Baker). 3601 S McClellan St. Simple, perfect wood-fired pizzas in a neighborhood cafe setting. The potato pizza (caramelized boiler potatoes, like Yukon Gold, on an olive-oil-brushed crust) is to die for, and the combination pies (bacon/pancetta/sunny-side-up egg; eggplant/goat cheese/bacon) are daring and worth trying. Two major caveats: The place is EXTREMELY kid-friendly (expect screaming rug rats underfoot), and they don't deliver. Otherwise, it's worth checking out.

• Island Soul Restaurant. (Station: Columbia City). 4869 Rainier Ave. S. I've been here a dozen times and never been disappointed. The oxtails are meltingly tender; the jerk chicken is some of the best (and fieriest) in the city; the seafood fritters are ethereal, cloud-like fried bliss; and the gumbo, believe it or not, is one of the most authentic I've had. Once you've tried the standards, graduate to the goat curry, which, although texturally challenging (random bits of bone are one side effect of hacking the meat through the bone instead of in standard "cuts") is well worth every gnaw.

• Afrikando Afrikando. 5903 Rainier Ave S. (Station: Othello or Columbia City). One of my favorite restaurants in Seattle. A Senegalese place in Hillman City, it's a bit of a schlep from either the Columbia City or the Othello station, but the 7 bus runs down Rainier ever 10 to 15 minutes, so that's an option if you don't feel like walking. From the memorable, spicy dishes (try the debe, medium-rare lamb chops topped with harissa and accompanied by a unique sauce of slow-cooked onions, mustard, and green olives; and the yassa au poulet, a half-chicken stuffed with onions, garlic, and green chiles) to the friendly-but-not-overbearing service, to the homemade juices (no booze—the proprieters are Muslim), nearly everything about Afrikando Afrikando is divine.

• Roy's Barbecue. 4903 1/2 Rainier Ave. S. (Station: Columbia City). A tiny hole-in-the-wall walk-up joint with best pulled pork in town. My favorite is the "Georgia Gold," topped with mustard sauce and slaw, but I wouldn't kick the pork with regular barbecue sauce and the beef brisket out of bed.



Not this Tacos El Asadero. The other one.

• Tacos El Asadero. 7300 Martin Luther King Jr Way S. (Station: Rainier Beach). Forget the other Tacos El Asadero Rainier. These are some of the best cheap tacos in town. Carnitas, carne asada, pollo—it's all good. Get a horchata to cut the grease.

• Cafe Vignole. 9252 57th Ave. S. (Station: Rainier Beach) An adorable, destination-worthy pasta-and-pate joint with outstanding pastas and jaw-droppingly affordable prices. Try the chicken-liver terrine (more liver-y than most, so offal haters should consider themselves warned), any of the perfect pasta dishes, and the should-be-famous baby back ribs, four massive beef ribs pungent with olives and rosemary and served over creamy baked polenta. And get the special—whatever it is. It'll be worth it.

And some I'm dying to try:

• Inay's PanPacific Restaurant. 2503 Beacon Ave. (Station: Beacon Hill). I've heard lots of great things about this steam-table Filipino joint on Beacon Hill.

• Java Love Cafe/Baja Bistro. 2414 Beacon Ave. South. (Station: Beacon Hill). I've tried (and enjoyed) the coffee and pastries at this tiny coffee shop/Mexican diner, but I'm always there too early to order from the short but intriguing menu, which includes quesadillas, chiles rellenos, tacos, and enchiladas.

• Thai Palms. 6715 Martin Luther King Jr Way S. (Station: Othello). According to everyone on Yelp, their Laotian food is outstanding—the Thai options, not so much.

• Gyro and Falafel Corner. 7919 Rainier Ave. S. (Station: Othello). As FoodNerd readers know, I'm always on the lookout for an outstanding gyro. This one gets rave reviews.

• Any one of a million places in Tukwila, of whose culinary scene I am shamefully ignorant. Some possibilities: Bai Tong Thai restaurant (16876 Southcenter Pkwy); Taqueria El Rinconsito ( 14406 Tukwila International Blvd.); Salaama Restaurant (13820 Tukwila International Blvd.) and many more I just haven't heard of yet.