Reseñas

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Although I consider it to be some of the finest cuisine in the world, it’s almost impossible to find “real” Mexican food anywhere around here without going to a taco wagon. Since returning to Seattle after living in Mexico for over a decade, I have been disappointed at best by the majority of Mexican food I have eaten here. Even popular restaurants like El Sr. Moose Café and La Carta de Oaxaca (both in Ballard) did not live up to my expectations, the hype about them created by people who obviously don’t know the difference between bona fide Mexican food and that crap they serve at Azteca, Las Margaritas and Chipotle.

I’ll admit that the emergence of some new chains in the last several years has given me some hope. Both El Rinconsito and Tacos Guaymas offer a dash of genuine Mexican flavor, but just because you have menudo on the menu doesn’t mean it’s any good and any Mexican restaurant that focuses so heavily on burritos is definitely a step in the wrong direction. It usually takes a hole-in-the-wall that nobody’s ever heard of to set the bar for authentic ethnic cuisine, and that is precisely the case with El Sabor de Oaxaca in Burien.

Leer más: El Sabor de Oaxaca

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