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Revisiting some old standbys

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 I don't think I'll ever figure out why some restaurants are successful and some aren't.  Sure, some restaurants provide delicious food, great service, and an enjoyable atmosphere, and deservedly experience success. Other restaurants consistently provide mediocre food, rude service, noisy atmosphere, and are always busy. Yet other restaurants have great food, great service, pleasant atmosphere,and don't stay in business very long. I'm sure location plays a part. But there's also some psychology involved: People tend to want to go where other people are dining, and avoid places that aren't busy. When asked about whether he wanted to dine in a particular restaurant, Yogi Berra once answered "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too popular." I recently visited a couple of local places that I've been to numerous times, but don't think I've ever written about.  The first is Rubattino's, 808 S 3rd St, Renton. Rubattino's is Renton'

Soon to open restaurants in the Renton area

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  Despite restaurants being a tough way to make a living, they continue to open. In the Renton area, at least three restaurants should be opening within the next few months. Sabah Cafe, 420 NE Sunset Blvd, Renton, in the old Amante Pizza space, will be serving Turkish food. Turkish food is good. In downtown Renton, Premier Meat Pies will be opening in the original Armando's space at 919 S 3rd St. They will be a restaurant, bakery, and pub. They have a couple of existing branches, in downtown Seattle and the central waterfront near Ivar's. And just a few blocks north of the Renton city limits at 11301 Rainier Ave S, 98178, Winnie's Cafe and Deli will be serving Ethiopian food and coffee. South Seattle and Tukwila have a number of Ethiopian restaurants, but I don't think Renton does. But this will be only a couple of minutes from downtown Renton. I haven't eaten a lot of Ethiopian food, but Ethiopian coffee is the best. Yirgacheffe ranks right up there as one of the b

You don't need to feel awful about falafel

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 A good falafel is a marvelous thing. Falafels are crunchy, crispy, spicy, salty, and meaty(even though they're vegetarian). Paired with salad and either a sesame tahini sauce, a yogurt/garlic sauce, or a mango sauce, hummus, and pita bread, it's a good meal with a lot of flavor.  Unfortunately, Renton, Washington is not a place that has had many good places to eat falafel. Oh, Gyros House at the Landing had falafels on the menu, but they were more of an afterthought. They had lots of things on the menu much better than their falafel. And they've been out of business for a while. Organic Juice Bar and Gyros also has falafel on the menu. They have other things on their menu that stand out, but their falafels seems to be made from a mix, and don't wow me. The newly reopened Red House has something they call falafel fries, and they're good, but as they're shaped like steak fries, so they're not exactly the real thing. The Red House has some marvelous food, so m

Momoya, The Red House, Muri's, and Salima

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 In the local restaurant world, one really good place recently opened not too far away, and three others are opening soon, which gives me reasons to get excited. The place that recently opened is Momoya Sushi and Bento, at 241 Sunset Blvd N, Renton 98057. It's in the same complex as Westernco Donuts.  Momoya is not a new restaurant. They have relocated to Renton after a  15 year long run in Kirkland. They're a small place with a not very large menu. They don't need to have an large menu because these are people who know what they're doing, and put out a delicious product. Friendly, competent, and reasonably priced. The salmon teriyaki was perfectly cooked. The sushi rolls tasted fresh and were addictive.The Bento boxes are an especially good value. I'll be back. In Renton, after something like an 18 month absence, the Red House is rising from the ashes, under new ownership, scheduled to open sometime in February. The Red House, at 410 Burnett Ave S, Renton, was a po