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What We’re Eating Now January 2019

Allecia Vermillion
Author: Allecia Vermillion, Rosin Saez and Sean P. Sullivan
2 min.read

The Ideal Morning Sandwich at Great State Burger

For a city whose quintessential morning meal is actually just eight ounces of single-origin drip coffee, there’s a serious opening for the Great Seattle Breakfast. May I humbly nominate the portable, devour-able scrambled egg, cheese, and hash brown inside an English muffin? Served until 11 at the burger chainlet recently inducted into the pantheon of Renee Erickson restaurants, this sandwich, with a patty of shredded, fried potato, is breakfast magic. —Rosin Saez

Le Coin’s Crisp-Skinned Sablefish

The Fremont space once home to Roux (and before that the Buckaroo Tavern) is now an amiable French bistro where the menu hits frequent high notes unexpected in a chill neighborhood spot. Here croissant brittle might top a late-summer tomato salad and sablefish arrives with perfectly crisped skin atop a carrot soubise, vivid as the paintings on the walls. —Allecia Vermillion

Trays Full of Pastries at 85ºC

Taiwan’s beloved bakery chain can do a legit kouign amann, but also put an entire hot dog, drizzled with spicy sauce, inside brioche and make it seem like a sublime idea. A hardcore fandom wields tongs to load up trays with egg tarts and brioche buns the size of a bread bowl rife with chocolate chips. A new location in Chinatown–International District joins the region’s original in Southcenter. —AV

Tortilla Miracles at Carmelo’s Tacos

Pure joy will only cost you $2.50 inside the Hillcrest Market (or its walkup window) on Capitol Hill, where a family-run counter creates Mexico City–style tacos that aren’t just great but divine. Offerings include al pastor, steak, veggie, and campechano—chorizo, asada, potato, and nopal cactus with both verde and guajillo-ancho chile salsas—all of which rest upon corn tortillas that are handmade daily. —RS

Low Cost, High Rewards

Pacific Rim J Riesling Columbia Valley 2017 $12

Finding affordable wines to start the new year doesn’t have to mean sacrificing quality. The 2017 Pacific Rim J Riesling doesn’t devastate the postholiday bank account, but well exceeds expectations for a bottle at this price. Orange rind and other citrus aromas lead to off-dry, juicy peach flavors that persist on the finish. Pair with chargrilled halibut topped with peach salsa. —Sean P. Sullivan

Published in the The Ultimate Guide to Winter Fun issue of Seattle Met.




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Allecia Vermillion
Allecia Vermillion
Allecia Vermillion has spent a decade at Seattle Met, arriving as food and drink editor, and expanding her role over the years. She served as the magazine’s editor in chief until moving into a newly created executive editor role in 2021. She spearheads Seattle Met’s food and drink coverage and oversees home design content. Allecia’s writing has earned her multiple journalism awards and two James Beard Award nominations over the years. A native of Portland, Oregon, Allecia began her writing life as a newspaper reporter in the Chicago suburbs before making a grateful return to the Pacific Northwest. She has an English degree from Washington University (no, the one in St. Louis) and a masters in journalism from Northwestern University. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two children.