New and Noteworthy Eats in the Renton area.
I've seen a statistic somewhere stating that 90% of new restaurants fail within the first five years.
And, as somebody who appreciates a meal out, I've seen time and time again, perfectly good restaurants go out of business. Sometimes they seem to have good business, other times not. And at the same time, there are perfectly mediocre restaurants that are always crowded, and raking in money. Maybe it's location, maybe it's skill? Maybe it's the fickle tastes of the masses?
People who open restaurants know all this. Yet they keep opening up new restaurants. Some of them will succeed.
On that note, three restaurants recently opened in the Renton area, and I hope all three stick around for a while.
In Rainier Beach(Seattle), Jude's Old Town 9254 57th Ave S.(next to Rainier Avenue), describes themselves as a family friendly neighborhood bar featuring great food.
It's so my kind of place. It's a cool old storefront. The food is exceptional. It's a small but eclectic menu that leans a bit Cajun. They've got a sweet potato-black bean burger that's made in house, and is fantastic. Crawfish Mac and Cheese. Slow roasted pork sandwiches. Etouffee. Gumbo. It would take me a long time to get tired of this food. The place is friendly.Service is warm and attentive.
They feature a lot of Washington beers, wines, and hard liquors, and it's nice to see. As a beer drinker, I think the eight beers on tap are well selected, and tremendously enjoyable.
The place is owned by Mason and Courtney, very nice folks, who also own Lottie's in Columbia City.
In the "Six Degrees of Separation" category, 30 years ago I was working on the Waterfront Streetcar, and would go into a little place under the viaduct for breakfast, the OK Hotel Cafe. It later became legendary for the Grunge acts that played there( everyone). Many years later the couple that owned the OK opened Lottie's in Columbia City, and they, in turn, sold Lottie's to Mason and Courtney, who now own Jude's..
Anyway, Jude's is great. Well run, friendly, great food, and good local beer.
Burger Addict is at 2435 Maple Valley Highway, Renton, a block or so past the Renton Community Center.
Despite the fact that it is located in a dilapidated strip mall, it is not your normal burger joint. The chef/owner, Marcus Olson, is a Western Culinary Institute Le Cordon Bleu educated chef who has been an executive chef in London and Paris, and classy restaurant owner around Washington, DC.
He grew up in Seattle, has family here. Why open a burger joint up in a place that, by all accounts ,appears to be be a jinxed location? The space has had many inhabitants in the last ten years.
Maybe these jinxes can be transformed. Naan N Curry in downtown Renton has been there maybe 10 years now, and is often busy. Before that, there was frequent changeover.
Ah, but the food at Burger Addict? The meat is ground fresh on premises. It's never frozen. The fries are double cooked( and amazingly good). They also have roasted garlic fries, white truffle fries, and poutine. The menu includes a kraut burger made with in house made sauerkraut. Or one with caramelized onions and melted cheese. Or pastrami.
There's an in house made vegan burger that's awesome and huge. With a gremolata sauce. Yes, awesome.
Oh, and in house made gelato milkshakes. Only vanilla and chocolate, but truly yummy.
Burger Addict is an unusual place. The burgers are less expensive than they ought to be, considering the quality. It's perfectly pleasant inside, though small. And the parking lot can be frustrating, one it shares with a small grocery and a dive bar.
But the burgers are great, and ten ounces. The cheese is amazing( it's a trick they do for maximum gooeyness and meltability. I could easily see this place opening more branches. He might be onto something.
Kazi Grill recently opened at 111 Airport Way, Renton .It most recently housed the Destination Diner. Prior to that, it was several incarnations of Vietnamese, then Mimosa's, then LerMonds then the Black River Inn, and originally the Jolly Boy, built in 1955, so it's got some of that mid century modern/50's burger joint coolness. It's Bangladeshi. Within about a mile from downtown Renton, there are now six restaurants serving south Asian food. These include Indian, Pakistani, Afghani, and Bangladeshi.
I'd never eaten Bangladeshi food before. It's quite good. Similar to Northern Indian, but with quite a few differences. They have Partha, in addition to Naan. The eggplant is cooked in a tamarind sauce, and is quite addictive. There are 8.95 lunch specials, including a lamb curry.
I wish them luck. There's lots of competition for South Asian food around Renton. As a fan of it, I consider myself lucky. Kazi Grill? The food's good. So is the service.
And, as somebody who appreciates a meal out, I've seen time and time again, perfectly good restaurants go out of business. Sometimes they seem to have good business, other times not. And at the same time, there are perfectly mediocre restaurants that are always crowded, and raking in money. Maybe it's location, maybe it's skill? Maybe it's the fickle tastes of the masses?
People who open restaurants know all this. Yet they keep opening up new restaurants. Some of them will succeed.
On that note, three restaurants recently opened in the Renton area, and I hope all three stick around for a while.
In Rainier Beach(Seattle), Jude's Old Town 9254 57th Ave S.(next to Rainier Avenue), describes themselves as a family friendly neighborhood bar featuring great food.
It's so my kind of place. It's a cool old storefront. The food is exceptional. It's a small but eclectic menu that leans a bit Cajun. They've got a sweet potato-black bean burger that's made in house, and is fantastic. Crawfish Mac and Cheese. Slow roasted pork sandwiches. Etouffee. Gumbo. It would take me a long time to get tired of this food. The place is friendly.Service is warm and attentive.
They feature a lot of Washington beers, wines, and hard liquors, and it's nice to see. As a beer drinker, I think the eight beers on tap are well selected, and tremendously enjoyable.
The place is owned by Mason and Courtney, very nice folks, who also own Lottie's in Columbia City.
In the "Six Degrees of Separation" category, 30 years ago I was working on the Waterfront Streetcar, and would go into a little place under the viaduct for breakfast, the OK Hotel Cafe. It later became legendary for the Grunge acts that played there( everyone). Many years later the couple that owned the OK opened Lottie's in Columbia City, and they, in turn, sold Lottie's to Mason and Courtney, who now own Jude's..
Anyway, Jude's is great. Well run, friendly, great food, and good local beer.
Burger Addict is at 2435 Maple Valley Highway, Renton, a block or so past the Renton Community Center.
Despite the fact that it is located in a dilapidated strip mall, it is not your normal burger joint. The chef/owner, Marcus Olson, is a Western Culinary Institute Le Cordon Bleu educated chef who has been an executive chef in London and Paris, and classy restaurant owner around Washington, DC.
He grew up in Seattle, has family here. Why open a burger joint up in a place that, by all accounts ,appears to be be a jinxed location? The space has had many inhabitants in the last ten years.
Maybe these jinxes can be transformed. Naan N Curry in downtown Renton has been there maybe 10 years now, and is often busy. Before that, there was frequent changeover.
Ah, but the food at Burger Addict? The meat is ground fresh on premises. It's never frozen. The fries are double cooked( and amazingly good). They also have roasted garlic fries, white truffle fries, and poutine. The menu includes a kraut burger made with in house made sauerkraut. Or one with caramelized onions and melted cheese. Or pastrami.
There's an in house made vegan burger that's awesome and huge. With a gremolata sauce. Yes, awesome.
Oh, and in house made gelato milkshakes. Only vanilla and chocolate, but truly yummy.
Burger Addict is an unusual place. The burgers are less expensive than they ought to be, considering the quality. It's perfectly pleasant inside, though small. And the parking lot can be frustrating, one it shares with a small grocery and a dive bar.
But the burgers are great, and ten ounces. The cheese is amazing( it's a trick they do for maximum gooeyness and meltability. I could easily see this place opening more branches. He might be onto something.
Kazi Grill recently opened at 111 Airport Way, Renton .It most recently housed the Destination Diner. Prior to that, it was several incarnations of Vietnamese, then Mimosa's, then LerMonds then the Black River Inn, and originally the Jolly Boy, built in 1955, so it's got some of that mid century modern/50's burger joint coolness. It's Bangladeshi. Within about a mile from downtown Renton, there are now six restaurants serving south Asian food. These include Indian, Pakistani, Afghani, and Bangladeshi.
I'd never eaten Bangladeshi food before. It's quite good. Similar to Northern Indian, but with quite a few differences. They have Partha, in addition to Naan. The eggplant is cooked in a tamarind sauce, and is quite addictive. There are 8.95 lunch specials, including a lamb curry.
I wish them luck. There's lots of competition for South Asian food around Renton. As a fan of it, I consider myself lucky. Kazi Grill? The food's good. So is the service.
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Cajun in Renton.... pretty nice.. i might have to come up there to try it out..
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