It was a year of glorious gluttony.
“What’s Up with That?” columnist Andrea Brown got gooey and messy.
Features editor Sara Bruestle found the perfect poke.
Arts and entertainment reporter Gale Fiege scored some delicious and fancy treats at bakeries.
Digital media producer Ben Watanabe found a hole in the wall with great grub.
Here are 17 places where you can relive the journey of 2017.
New Edmonds bakery showcases owner’s mastery of pastry
Nikolai Kulakevich knew as a little boy in Estonia that one day he would be a baker.
Friends and family teased him about this dream until he was a teenager, when he started making all the desserts for holidays.
The European pastries at Ganache in Edmonds are delightful. Can you eat just one? (Gale Fiege / The Herald)
Kulakevich is the owner of this new Edmonds bakery — Ganache Patisserie and Cafe — on Main Street near the movie theater. The fare is mostly traditional Italian and French. Just call it European.
Ganache Patisserie and Cafe: 405 Main St., Edmonds; 425-678-8006; www.facebook.com/Ganache-Patisserie-Cafe.
Feeling insanely hungry? Monroe’s Burger Madness has the remedy
Those feeling insanely hungry can head straight to Burger Madness. Big burgers, swift service and a crazy eating challenge await diners at this hamburger joint.
The Fire Alarm burger has all the trimmings plus jalapeno peppers, spicy sauce and pepperjack cheese. (Ben Watanabe / The Herald)
Near Lake Tye in a streetside business park, the joint is famous for its five-stack of 4-ounce burgers ($14.98, with fries and drink). That’d be bottom bun, lettuce, tomato, pickles, meat, cheese, meat, cheese, meat, cheese, meat, cheese, meat, cheese, top bun.
Eat it all in 30 minutes, and you get your photo on the wall of fame.
Burger Madness: 14655 Fryelands Blvd. SE, Monroe; 360-794-2128; www.burgermadness.com
San Fernando’s has the Peruvian chicken you’re looking for
Looking for fast food that includes slow-roasted chicken?
Search no more. Pollos a la Brasa San Fernando in Lynnwood does it right.
Like all of the Americas, Peru is a melting pot of cultures — primarily native, European and Asian. The dish pollo a la brasa debuted in Lima during the 1950s with the help of some Swiss guys who owned a hotel there. They used a traditional Peruvian spice rub on the chicken — paprika, cumin, oregano, along with salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of vinegar — to give the chicken its special taste.
Pollos A La Brasa San Fernando: 20815 67th Ave W., Lynnwood; www.facebook.com/pages/Pollos-A-La-Brasa-San-Fernando
Jubie’s Barbecue and Caribbean Delight lives up to its name
It’s the calypso music playing in the dining room, the spicy Creole sauce on the barbecued ribs, the satisfying pelau and Jubie’s big smile.
These are among the reasons we will return to Jubie’s Barbecue and Caribbean Delight, a great new Everett eatery.
Located in the former seafood market at the corner of Hewitt Avenue and Marine View Drive, Jubie’s offers food from Trinidad and Tobago.
Jubie’s Barbecue and Caribbean Delight: 2831 W. Marine View Drive, Everett, 425-349-0164.
“The Creamery Co. in Marysville not your average fro-yo shop
Light-filled and cheery with homey decor, the Creamery has comfortable chairs, flowers on the tables and a fireplace with Pandora music playing on a TV screen above.
It opens early for people who need their coffee and stays open late for people who need a little dessert with their coffee.
The Creamery Co. in Marysville serves frozen yogurt, coffee drinks and goodies.
The bakery case displays cupcakes and sand dollar sugar cookies. The shop serves a long list of espresso drinks and offers a generous grouping of yogurt toppings.
The Creamery Co. Coffee House and Frozen Yogurt Shoppe: 1206 State Ave., Suite A, Marysville.
Student chefs dish out fine dining at Le Bistro
Students enrolled in Sno-Isle TECH’s culinary arts class learn what it’s like to work in a restaurant under the direction of a professional chef at Le Bistro.
The students do it all, from baking dinner rolls and cooking entrees to waiting on customers and washing dishes. They make as much of the menu as they can from scratch.
In addition to the chef’s specials, the bistro offers a number of made-to-order sandwiches, burgers, soups and salads available daily.
Le Bistro at Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center: 9001 Airport Road, Everett; 425-348-2220; http://snoisletech.com/le-bistro.
Ono Poke in Edmonds serves up authentic Hawaiian poke
The fast-casual restaurant offers a variety of marinated fish, like tuna (ahi), salmon and octopus (tako), paired with sides of seaweed salad and rice.
If you don’t eat meat, there are also vegan alternatives such as tofu, edamame and cucumber kimchi. The menu changes daily.
A regular bowl of authentic Hawaiian poke, or raw marinated fish salad, at Ono Poke in Edmonds is $12. (Ben Watanabe photo)
Fish is fresh, sustainable and organic, flown in every day from Hawaii, Japan and Alaska.
Ono Authentic Hawaiian Poke: 10016 Edmonds Way, Edmonds; 425-361-7064; http://eatonopoke.com.
Everett hole-in-the-wall hides a gem of Oaxaca deli flavors
Unless you know it by its former location and reputation, word of mouth, or happenstance, you may have missed a hidden gem of Mexican cuisine in Everett. But Ade’s Mexican Deli should be on your list to visit soon.
Chicken enchiladas with red sauce, cheese and crema, plus rice and beans makes for a seriously filling dish at Ade’s Mexican Deli. (Ben Watanabe / The Herald)
A recent trip yielded hit after hit after hit on standard fare (tacos, quesadilla, enchilada) with unique flair (hot momma sauce, crema and red sauce worth licking the plate for, and a corn fungus).
Ade’s Mexican Deli: 5317 Evergreen Way, Everett; 425-353-1560.
There’s nothing faux about this pho at Lynnwood eatery
The stretch of Highway 99 from south Everett into Lynnwood is a mecca of pot and pho shops. With so many choices, how’s a person supposed to know where to stop for weed and soup?
I was in the mood for pho, not pot. Besides, I had my two little granddaughters with me. We rolled into Pho Han Vietnamese Restaurant on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The menu had multiple options in addition to pho. Instead of the standard white round plates, the meals arrived on large, oval scalloped-edged plastic plates with the fare displayed in a pretty fashion.
A fried egg is a tasty option to add to meat dishes at Pho Han Vietnamese Restaurant in Lynnwood. (Andrea Brown / The Herald)
The pho was laden with noodles, meat, onions and spices in a slurp-pendous flavorful broth.
Pho Han Vietnamese Restaurant: 14608 Highway 99, Lynnwood; 425-743-9370.
Renamed Tang Wong carries on China Doll’s legacy in Everett
For more than 50 years, it was the China Doll. It was in a drab, mostly windowless building with a bright yellow sign on Broadway across from Angel of the Winds Arena when it closed down suddenly in March, much to the dismay of longtime regulars. It reopened as Tang Wong in June with a new owner and new menu.
A $7.95 lunch special at Tang Wong in Everett that includes General Tao’s chicken, a fried egg roll, pork fried rice and a cup of egg flower soup. The common offerings landed well, with the chicken balanced between sweet and spicy. (Ben Watanabe / The Herald)
The General Tao chicken had a sticky crimson sauce that made a nice cover for the crispy, crunchy fried bites underneath.
Other $7.95 lunch specials include mango chicken, curry chicken and black pepper beef, all with soup, eggroll and rice or chow mein. That rounds out to an absurdly reasonable plate.
Tang Wong: 3001 Broadway, Everett; 425-258-1587.
Revolve True Food & Wine Bar all about good-for-you eating
It’s Saturday. Relatives are in town. Where to go for brunch?
If you live in south Snohomish County, a short drive to Main Street in Bothell will get you to Revolve True Food & Wine Bar. The restaurant has been open since September, but the brunch is relatively new.
It’s hard to go wrong with eggs Benedict and sweet potato home fries, served for brunch at Revolve True Food in Bothell. (Cherelle Ashby)
That’s where my group of five landed this past weekend, and we were generally pleased, though we did make some jokes about everything being organic — even the ketchup. The menu is all about good-for-you eating.
Revolve True Food &Wine Bar: 10024 Main St., Bothell; 425-287-6420; revolvefoodwine.com.
Kai Sushi in Everett is lifelong raw fish consumer’s new favorite
There’s a new sushi spot to enjoy in Snohomish County — Kai Sushi in downtown Everett.
Glen Watanabe, of Lake Stevens, tries a piece of tuna sashimi at Kai Sushi in Everett. (Ben Watanabe / The Herald)
It was the latest to receive the stamp of approval from my father, a second generation Japanese-American, lifelong Seattle-area resident and sushi savant. Salmon, tuna, shrimp, octopus, squid, roe, all of it is fair fare for him.
Like all great sushi bars, Kai Sushi has its sushi chefs do the final preparation in view of the guests. Seeing the precision of the cut is like watching a great painter or sculptor at work.
Kai Sushi: 2811 Colby Ave., Suite A, Everett.
Celebrate Chinese new year at Journeys East
One of the premiere Asian restaurants in Snohomish County is Journeys East at the Tulalip Resort Casino serves up Lunar New Year special plates. The restaurant’s regular menu has something for everyone who likes Asian food, with offerings from Japan, Thailand, China, Korea and Vietnam.
This year, Lunar New Year special plates will be served at Journeys East. The meals include drunken chicken, New Year fried fish and stir-fried ginger lobster.
Expect to be greeted by staff wearing Happy New Year tiaras. The main languages spoken in the packed dining room will be Mandarin and Cantonese. And many women will be dressed in elegant red dresses.
Journeys East: 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd., Tulalip; 360-716-1880; www.tulalipresortcasino.com/Dining/JourneysEast.
J&L Texas-style barbecue expands to Colby Avenue smokehouse
The orange barbecue shack in Snohomish has expanded to downtown Everett.
The second location of J&L BBQ opened this week on Colby Avenue, between The Irishmen and Historic Everett Theatre. It’s a grown-up version of the tiny Snohomish shack. “The kitchen here is as big as that entire place,” owner Joel Sexton said of the new place.
Joel Sexton, owner of J&L BBQ, at his Snohomish restaurant. He opened a second location in downtown Everett this week. (Andrea Brown / The Herald)
The brisket was soft and tender. The crisp cole slaw that was accented with pineapple. It was my first time eating beef tri-tips, but not my last.
J&L BBQ: 2915 Colby Ave, Everett; 425-259-3222; J&L BBQ, Snohomish, 30 Ave. D, Snohomish; 360-568-7222; www.jandlbbqeverett.com.
A tour of McMenamins Anderson School in Bothell, pub-crawl style
McMenamins’ whimsical-yet-cozy style gives the property a chill atmosphere. Tables of men and women laugh and imbibe in the courtyard as workers cart wheelbarrows full of wood around the property.
A bartender in The Shed pours a cocktail and shakes it over his shoulder as a fire crackles in the background. A young man enjoys a Scotch as he chats with the bartender in the intimate Principal’s Office bar on the top floor of the schoolhouse-turned-hotel.
McMenamins Anderson School: 18607 Bothell Way NE, Bothell; 425-398-0122; www.mcmenamins.com/anderson-school.
CafeWorks in Everett a place of partnerships and paninis
This is not a typical coffee shop — it is a remarkable coffee shop. CafeWorks partners with Housing Hope and Cocoon House to provide job training for homeless and at-risk youth and young adults to gain skills in the food service industry to get employment.
The cafe has two dozen coffee flavors, pastries, yogurt parfait, wraps and more.
CafeWorks: 3331 Broadway, Everett; 425-512-0343; www.hopewrks.org.
Get your gooey-creamy-messy fix at Mikie’s in Everett
Sometimes you just have to give healthy eating a night off.
The place to indulge is Mikie’s Restaurant.
Messy burgers. Dripping chili dogs. Creamy milkshakes. Come with a voracious appetite. Count your blessings, not the calories.
Mikie’s Restaurant: 4532 Evergreen Way, Everett; 425-252-6162; www.mikies-restaurant.com.
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