Aladdin Falafel Corner

This week's restaurant is Aladdin's Falafel Corner, just next door to Thai Tom.  It's not on a corner, if you were wondering.  I had been there once before.  I didn't remember the food, but I remembered waiting a long time for it.

This time I arrived about 12:45 pm to an empty restaurant.  I ordered a regular falafel, paid my $5.50, and took a seat at one of the tables.  It was a cold day and the door was open.  There was some heat in the area where the tables are located, but none of the tables was directly in the line of the heat.  I kept my coat on.

In a very reasonable amount of time, my falafel was brought to my table wrapped in white paper on a red plastic tray.  Although plastic cups, water and plastic forks were available, there were no napkin dispensers to be found.  So in addition to the neatly wrapped falafel, the red plastic tray included one napkin.

The falafel was very good.  The pita was warm and soft, the falafel patties were plentiful, well spiced, not too crunchy and not under-cooked.  The lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers were fresh and tasty.  There was plenty of sauce and it complemented the flavors.  If I had any complaint, it was that with only one napkin, the sauce was dangerously close to running up my sleeves.

This was a great lunch at a great price.

Again, no website, but a Facebook page:  Aladdin Falafel Corner Facebook Page

Thai Tom

Thai Tom is one of those eateries that seems to always be full of activity and customers, with a line out the door and full tables.  I had never eaten there, but its popularity foretold a memorable experience.

Three of us were ready to give it a try.  We planned to arrive before the restaurant opened to avoid a long wait and we wanted to be seated together.  Thai Tom is a tiny restaurant consisting of maybe ten seats along an L-shaped bar that surrounds the kitchen with a few tables along one wall that appear to seat two people each.  That's it.  They do a big take-out business as well as serving the walk-in crowd.  The sign says that the restaurant opens at 11:30 am.  We arrived about 11:20 am.  The sign on the door said they were meditating.

At 11:30, I tried the door and was told that they hadn't eaten breakfast yet; they would open in 15 minutes or so.  One of the workers came outside and cleaned the windows.

As we were waiting, a small crowd gathered.  We struck up a conversation with an  experienced customer who noted that a late start was fairly standard.  He admitted often waiting but sometimes gave up and went for pizza since he needed to return to work (Pagliacci's is nearby.)

Eventually we were seated along the counter overlooking the kitchen.  As far as I am concerned, the primary reason to bother with the wait is to sit at the counter and watch the cooks.  It's a constant ballet involving fire, potions, and hands full of noodles, vegetables, and more.  Watching the cooks is truly the best part of the Thai Tom experience.

The decor is simple with some authentic Thai relics.  We ordered from the wooden menus that lacked prices and description:  shrimp phad thai, veggie phad thai, fresh rolls, and veggie phad see ewe.  We tried to track our own orders as they were created by the cooks, but lost track.

We ordered too many noodles.  The Phad See Ewe and the Phad Thai were very similar, just different size noodles.  Then the noodle dishes are served with rice.  That's just too much starch in my book.  So, a word to the wise, order the fresh rolls and something else such as Swimming Rama or Tom Kah.  Skip the noodles.  If you usually order phad thai at a Thai restaurant, it's time to broaden your horizons.  I wish we had broadened ours.

Although the menu was extremely sparing on prices, the dishes ran between $7.00 and $10.00 each including tax.  The service is attentive and the facility seemed clean by University District standards.

I couldn't find a website, but Thai Tom is listed on most of the Yelp-type sites.  They do have a Facebook page:  Thai Tom Facebook Page

Red Pepper Truly Chinese Cuisine and Lounge

Eating out on the Ave can often be like a world tour.  Red Pepper definitely falls into this category.  From the street, it is not clear if this is a restaurant, part of the place next door, or even open.  One day I checked the door around noon and it was locked tight.  On another occasion, the door was propped open, and I found that the staff was cleaning, but no one was being served.  As I walked by one day, I saw people seated at one of the tables, so I entered.  The restaurant was dark and I walked to the back of the restaurant, practically into the kitchen, before one of the staff interacted with me.  I asked about their hours and was told "four years".  Okay, now that helps orient me.  I asked if they had a paper menu or a takeout menu.  I was handed the regular menu.  Okay.  But I'm not going to be deterred.  My goal is to try all of the eateries on the Ave, and this I shall do!

I enlisted a few co-workers to go out to lunch and try this place.  We decided to go on a Wednesday since the time I had found them open previously was a Wednesday.  Fortunately, we found the restaurant open and serving a few other tables.  We were promptly seated, offered menus, and provided with water.  The menu offered little by way of description.  The offerings included Pork Intestine for $15.99 and Duck Head for $13.99.  You can order Additional Food for $3.99, whatever that may mean.

Fortunately there was a page of Vegies.  They also accommodated us by sending someone who spoke English quite well to take our order.  I asked about the Mapo Tofu since how it is made can vary widely and was reassured that it contained no meat.  I also ordered the Sesame Oil Noodle.  My colleagues ordered Red Chili Bean Paste Fish, Lamb and Chicken Kabobs, Noodle with Chicken and a can of herbal tea.

 Vegie Menu

 Cold Herbal Tea

Mapo Tofu

 Red Pepper Bean Paste Fish

Lamb and Chicken Kabobs

Sesame Oil Noodle

Noodle with Chicken

 The herbal tea was a big hit.  Give it a try.  The Mapo Tofu was cubes of silken tofu in a mild chili sauce.  Eaten with rice, it was okay.  The Sesame Oil Noodle was not what I expected, more of a tahini flavor than a sesame oil flavor.  The only vegetables in either dish were a few green onions in the tofu.  The Eggplant in Szechuan Garlic Sauce sounds good.  I may have to try it one of these days.  The Red Chili Bean Paste Fish was beautiful with plenty of red chilis.  According to my co-workers the heat from the chilis increased over time.  There was nothing left of the kabobs.

Portions were generous so, considering the prices, sharing a dish is an option.  The tofu and the noodle dishes were taken back to the office in take-out boxes.  The Noodles with Chicken was still in the office refrigerator last I checked.

The interior of the restaurant is dark, the menu mysterious, and other than the man who took our order, the staff is not prepared to converse in English.  However, it was an adventure and we were met with the unexpected.  If we were in Szechuan Province in China, we would not have had the benefit of English on the menu or a server who  could help us navigate what to order.  Plus we would have to face this same mystery at every meal for the duration of our visit.  At Red Pepper you get the adventure of eating in China with the benefit of being in Seattle.  I think I would like to try it again.

 Red Pepper on Yelp