Reseñas

Upon first glance I didn't know precisely what to make of the place. I had known that this restaurant was famous for it's flamboyant chef, Nick Leisos, and that it had won the Bite of Seattle's best dessert 4 years in a row (Nick's Mother's recipe, Lemon Cheesecake). What I didn't know is what a warm and inviting place it would be.

A husband and wife team, Nicky or Nick the Greek and his Italian wife, Pam, run what appear to be two separate restaurants on the same grounds. One is a family-friendly diner with oversized animals from Disney films and posters from around the Aegean Sea. The other is a dark, loud sports bar with a diverse, regular clientele who all seem to know each other and share in deep belly, laughs. Think of Cheers without all of the stage lighting.

Everything is handmade and delicious. I partook in an appetizer of dolmathes, salted lamb in grape leaves, before having the wonderful, handmade, whole grain crusted house special pizza. Everything that you order comes with an appetizer of their house bread, a garlic dill. I was impressed. They may be shooting themselves in the foot by making their portions so hearty, but, luckily, I attended with a group and everything was affordable.

Dessert was the famous cheesecake and it was fantastic. The real revelation was the baklava. Light and fluffy with an extra thick honey and plenty of nuts, the real craftsmanship could be told.

For an affordable combination of the best Greece and Italy have to offer, Nick's Place is a big thumbs up.

Nick's Place
2285 140TH Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98005
(425) 747-1333

This article is also available in English.

Chez
- preposición francesa. En la casa de; con.

Gaud-y
Pronunciado como: [gaw-dee]
- adjetivo, gaud-i-er, gaud-i-est (el más chillón)
Buen precio de manera insípida; llamativo.

“Escondido en la colina” es el lema de Chez Gaudy y así, dirigiéndome ahí, estaba esperando que fuera un sutil homenaje a la ironía plasmada en el nombre. La idea de que fueran una ridícula manifestación del nombre no fue inmediatamente evidente. El lugar era bastante horrible.

Leer más: Chez Gaudy

Growing up in a cornfield in the midwest, you can probably imagine how bland my taste palate was.  That only lasted until I got to college, where my friends from the international and Latina clubs expanded my culinary horizons.  A few years down the road, I am still trying new and aromatic ethnic foods, and living in sunny Southern California, I have an abundance of great Mexican cuisine.

Tamales were the food of the day at the Escondido Farmer's Market.  I'd seen them before, but was turned off by the corn husks—too many years of regarding them as garbage, I guess.  I am happy to say that I was fabulously wrong!

I had a creamy spinach and feta tamale, and my date tried the chipotle chicken.  Both were excellent, but the combined textures of the veggie tamale and the steamed masa blended together so well, it almost seemed like an intrusion when I tried the meat.

The same little family-run tamale shop serves up some tasty looking dessert tamales too, complete with agua fresca de fresa, a smashed strawberry drink that is refreshing and healthy, with with only a hint of sweetener.

The Escondido, CA, farmers' market is held every Tuesday year round from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m.  Rows of fresh vegetables  and the cheapest, most gorgeous flowers are available on site on Grand Street between Juniper and Broadway.

Great place to stretch your legs and shop for some organic produce or take a date and wander home with an armful of blooms.