Thai Tom
Thai Tom is in the University District, where it caters to college students who don't have a lot of money. The dishes are pungent and rich. It's genuine Thai food, not Americanized, but the portions are huge. The energy in this place is unbelievable. Watching the chef cook is half the fun. Once you're inside, he whips up your food with all the subtlety of a typhoon. You eat it as fast as possible, and before you know it, you're out the door.
Try the eggplant ginger chicken, the best dish on the menu, or go with the yellow curry. They take cash only, and there is no seating for groups of three or more.
Thai Tom
4543 University Way N.E.
Seattle, Washington 98105
(206) 548-9548
Kozue
This Japanese restaurant is tucked away on 45th Street in Wallingford. In a town full of Japanese restaurants, Kozue doesn't draw the attention it probably deserves. It doesn't have the glitz of the downtown competition nor the grit of its International District counterparts. There are no celebrity chefs here. You'd have to eat here a number of times to appreciate how good their full menu is. They do great justice to even the most ordinary dishes, right down to the soup and salad. Their biggest draw is the sushi. The fish is fresh and the chefs know how to cut. Consider letting them decide what sushi to serve you.
Kozue
1608 N. 45th St.
Seattle, Washington 98103
(206) 547-2008
www.kozue-on-45th.com
Sichuanese Cusisine
If you're in Seattle and you want hot pot, this is where you go. Many of the staff don't speak much English, but they understand "hot pot," and that's really all there is to it. You should dine with a party of three or more because the hot pot is a full meal for just two, and unconquerable by yourself. Their dumplings make a good side order, and a sugary or creamy beverage rounds it out nicely.
Sichuanese has prospered over the years and now has two other locations, one in nearby Redmond and one in Dallas.
Sichuanese Cusisine
1048 S. Jackson St.
Seattle, Washington 98104
(206) 720-1690
http://sichuaneserestaurant.com
