Seattle Kitchen Notebook
An in-depth look at some of our favorite dishes and cocktails from our time on the ground in Seattle.
LAO BURGER
Chef Sydney Clark is celebrating Lao culture and fueling the fire of the Lao food movement at Taurus Ox. Along with business partners and Chefs Khampaeng Panyathong and Jenessa Sneva, she’s blending East and West: The ox represents the East (traditional ingredients, flavors, techniques) and the taurus represents the West (burger-loving Seattle). Their Lao Burger exemplifies this duality, and it’s spectacular. Clark smashes together two thin beef patties, melting provolone between them, and layers on cilantro, pickled red onion, pickled red onion, pork jowl bacon (aka Laotian sour pork), jaew bong mayo (sweet and savory chile paste with galangal and fish sauce, combined with makrut lime spiked aïoli), tomato jaew, and crunchy taro stem. The satisfying stack had the burger receptors in our brains firing all at once, while the Lao influence introduces bright, earthy flavors that both lighten up the format and make it all the more addictive. Go ahead, wipe your mouth on your sleeve and go in for another bite.
POPCORN OYSTERS
A classic experience in America might be an after school venture to the local drive-in chain for a happy hour slushie and a popcorn chicken snack. A similar custom in Taiwan switches out the drive-in for a boba tea shop. but the typical snack remains the same halfway around the world: popcorn chicken. Chef Tiffany Ran of BB6 Taiwanese Pop-Up has taken inspiration from this fast food item and turned the fun and finger-lickin’ food into something more refined and equally worthy of daily consumption: a bowl of popcorn oysters and oyster mushrooms, pickled ginger, and fried basil. Of Taiwanese descent, Ran is from the Pacific Northwest and started shucking oysters young, and even shucked professionally at The Walrus and the Carpenter. Some of the Pacific oysters she breads and fries are whoppers, others are a bit more popcorn like, but all are crisp and juicy. The ginger and basil provide balance and freshness. The urge to fill a void in Seattle’s food scene came when Ran asked where she could locate the Taiwanese food in the city. The lack of representation is changing with Ran as an advocate for Taiwanese food in Seattle
DREAMY TACOS
At the edge of Ballard is a restaurant that embodies nostalgia. Chef and Owner Mitch Mayers of Sawyer is creating dishes that cater to people’s “base cravings.” He believes in the “power of food and memories” and evokes emotion through classic references, preparations, and presentations. Mayers’ menu features items such as ‘nduja-pimento cheesy bread; a play on an everything bagel with cream cheese and lox using smoked salmon mousseline and tartare, everything-spice crisps, crème fraîche, pickles, capers, and onion; and a bowl of noodles with house udon, pastrami, bay shrimp, Chinese broccoli, mushrooms, and green onions is inspired by takeout Chinese. You’ll likely be sated by the end of a meal at Sawyer, but then one phrase on the menu will have you doing a double take and reconsidering dessert: choco taco. Instead of frantically scrounging for quarters and dashing to the ice cream truck as its siren song slowly fades in the distance, this choco taco comes to you. The flavor profile changes, but the chocolate-line graham-waffle shell filled with peanut butter ice cream and topped with meringue was a delicious, craveworthy time machine.
