Chick Fil-A

To be frank, I didn't even think I was going to write a post on my visit to Chick Fil-A.  As much as politics and social issues can be independent of food, it is not.  Everything in this world is connected somehow and we tend to not pay attention to where our food is sourced from, how it is produced (ethically or not) and/or the views of ownership of restaurants, food producers and suppliers.  If we go over everything with a fine-tooth comb, I'm sure something down the line may not be consistent with our personal beliefs and way-of-life.  Hence, Chick Fil-A falls into that category as the CEO is not exactly a supporter of same-sex marriage.  With that in mind, we were interested in the food only and paid it a visit.

Staying at the Coast Hotel right next to the Bellevue location of Chick Fil-A meant we had easy access to the crazy busy restaurant.  Thank goodness as the traffic needed to be controlled by police.  To get a sense of the menu, we had to get the Chick Fil-A Chicken Sandwich with a hand-breaded chicken breast and pickles on a buttered bun.  As simple as this was, the moist and adequately seasoned chicken within the soft bun was an enjoyable sandwich.  My son decided to try the Chicken Strips Kid's Meal which featured a side of Waffle Fries and a beverage.  These chicken tenders were good with the same qualities as the sandwich.  The side of fries were okay, but I would've liked them crispier.

For Viv, she went for the Spicy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich sporting lettuce, tomato, pickles and pepperjack cheese.  Again, the chicken breast was on point with a peppery coating that wasn't overwhelming.  The lettuce and tomato had a nice cooling effect.  Fresh off the heels of the Shaft Burger at Burger Claim, I went for something healthier in the Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich.  Okay, somewhat healthier because it consisted of smoked applewood bacon, Colby cheese, lettuce, tomato and honey roasted BBQ sauce.  Interestingly, I found the grilled chicken to be even juicier than the fried version.  With a nice char and seasoning, this sandwich was pretty tasty.  This pretty much sums up our experience at Chick Fil-A.  We went in with some reservations, but the food appeared and tasted fresh.  Pretty good for fast food.

The Good:
- They know how to prepared chicken breast
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- A bit pricier than other fast food joints
- Waffle fries could be crispier

Palace Korean BBQ & Grill

Compared to my daughter, my son does not show the same enthusiasm about food, especially the gourmet stuff.  Sure, he does like his junk food and fast food restaurants, but when it comes to things like macarons and fine dining, he shows as much interest as a husband in a shopping mall (he looks like that type too).  However, he does love Korean BBQ and he gets super excited about it.  So when we decided to head to Palace Korean BBQ, he did an emphatic fist pump.  Wow, excited about something other than a cheeseburger...

We ended up with the unlimited meal where we started with the requisite Banchan consisting of sprouts, kimchi, daikon, tofu skin, eggplant, pickled cucumber and potato salad.  Served in a big plastic bowl was a green salad with an inordinate amount of slivered white onions.  That made the salad pretty sharp tasting. As for the banchan, Viv and I loved the eggplant the most as it wasn't mushy while nicely dressed with sesame oil.  I also enjoyed the tofu skin because I just love the stuff.  Viv thought the cucumbers were pretty good since they were appealingly crunchy.  

As for our Meats, we had the beef short ribs, bulgogi, chicken, pork shoulder and veggies. We liked how each piece of meat was left in big slices including the chicken.  As a result, they retained their juices and flavour.  We merely cut them with scissors afterwards. Due to the ample sugary soy marinade, the meats were flavorful and charred up easily on the grill.  In terms of meat quality, we felt the chicken, pork and beef were pretty typical while the ribs were sufficiently tender and fatty.  To bring the sugar quotient down a notch, we also got a plate of the thinly sliced Fatty Beef that cooked up quicker on the grill.  The beef was sufficiently tender but I would've preferred more evenly marbled meat.

Prior to our visit, I read up the place on the web and let's just say the reviews weren't glowing.  The main bone of contention was the service or lack of, however, our experience was actually quite pleasant.  Sure, they weren't going to win any Michelin stars for service, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.  The only thing we wished for was a middle-pricing for kids as my son (who is 10) was charged full-price for his meal.

The Good:
- Okay food quality for AYCE
- Service was decent for us

The Bad:
- AYCE pricing for kids ends at 7 years old, they need a mid-price level
- Ventilation could be better

Burger Claim

After a predictably mediocre (that's being nice by-the-way) buffet dinner at The Loose Moose in the Great Wolf Lodge, we were not going to do that again for breakfast/lunch.  Rather, we walked across the parking lot over to Burger Claim right next to the Chevron.  I had actually put this on our itinerary since I wasn't going to pay $15.99 for a breakfast buffet.  So we slept in and ate lunch right at 11:00pm.  We could've gone earlier as they serve breaky as well, but really, for a place named Burger Claim, we had to try the burgers!

Viv decided to go for something lighter in the Grilled Salmon Burger which took longer than the rest to be prepared.  Despite the place being predominantly a beef burger joint, the salmon was actually not severely overdone.  Instead, the middle was actually moist while the outside was only slightly dry.  It was dressed with tartar sauce that was not really all-that-noticeable.  My daughter stayed with theme by selecting the kid's Fish Sandwich with a side of fries.  The decent-sized piece of fish was lightly battered and mostly crispy.  It was a bit over-seasoned bordering on salty.  Once again, the tartar sauce was too weak to be noticed.  The fries were not exactly crispy and were a bit dense probably due to the choice of potato (Idahoan russet).

My son went for the kid's Miner Cheeseburger which was a bit small in his opinion.  In hindsight, we should've ordered a full-sized burger for him instead.  He did like it though as the patty was made of fresh beef that was not overcooked.  It was a bit crumbly and still moist.  For myself, I had no other choice but to get the Shaft Burger consisting of 4 x 1/4 beef patties, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, pickle and miner sauce.  This 1 lb monstrosity was a chore to eat in terms of both physical and portion size.  I actually finished the darn thing because the meat was pretty tasty especially with all the cheese.  I felt the IGA bun did a pretty good job of keeping things together despite being somewhat soft.

For our sides, we got the Onion Rings and the Garlic Parmesan Fries.  Fried up super crunchy, the onion rings were pretty good.  Inside, the onion was tender and not dried out while the outside was easy on the grease.  As for the garlic parm fries, they were so garlicky, we could smell them from afar.  Also, they didn't skimp on the Parmesan.  This meant they were super flavourful on their own.  However, the already moisture-ladened fries were even more so with the toss of the garlic oil (which meant they were greasy too).  Ultimately, we needed something fast and relatively inexpensive so we could get back to the water park.  Seeing how the food at GWL was not very good, Burger Claim did the job.

The Good:
- Juicy burgers
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Fries could be crispier
- Greasy (but what did we expect?)

The Loose Moose (Buffet)

Alright, all the warnings were there, including web reviews and first-hand accounts by friends, but we decided to do the buffet at The Loose Moose in the Great Wolf Lodge anyways.  It was purely out of convenience as we didn't want to waste time driving somewhere and miss out on valuable water-slide action!  On second thought, a full stomach full of mediocre buffet food and dizzying water slides may not be the best combination...  Well, it was too late to reconsider!

I started things off with the Chicken Orzo Soup and it was lukewarm at best.  It did taste okay with a dominant lemon zing while easy on the sugar.  The orzo was pretty soft while the chunks of chicken were dry and chewy.  My first dish of food consisted of the Roast Pork Loin, BBQ Ribs, Corn on the Cob, Mashed Potatoes, Zucchini and Mushrooms.  Encrusted with black pepper and kosher salt, the pork loin was adequately seasoned albeit mostly dry (but to be fair, it usually is).  The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, yet the BBQ sauce was too sweet.  Completely obliterated, the corn was inedible.  On the other hand, the veggies were on point being barely cooked and mildly seasoned.

For my second plate, I decided to get a little bit of everything including Fried Fish, Pork Skewers, Wings, Seafood Pasta, Creamy Tortellini and Curry Shrimp.  Completely oil-drenched, the fish was actually decently moist while at that the same time mushy.  The pork skewers were probably the best thing I had all meal (relatively-speaking) since they were juicy and tender on the inside while sporting a caramelized char on the outside.  The pastas were all forgettable because they were soft and over-sauced.  To be fair, that is usually the case for any pasta sitting in a buffet chaffing tray.  Viv had almost the same items on her plate except for some things from the Asian section including Potstickers.  These were a bit hard where the filling was mushy.

One section in the buffet (other than the pizza and desserts) was dedicated to kid-friendly eats including Spaghetti and Meat Sauce, Mac n' Cheese and Chicken Strips.  Nothing interesting here and really pretty standard fare.  At least they know who their most important clients are.  Yes, the parents shell out the cash, but the kiddies are the ones that need to be impressed.  That they do well at Great Wolf Lodge since my kids were already planning the next trip without even asking if I wanted to return.  So the fact that I disliked the buffet is pretty irrelevant in the end.

The Good:
- Kid-friendly (duh)
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Food was not hot
- Food was not good

Pancake Chef

I love staying at Marriott properties, especially when there is a breakfast included.  However, since we were at the Courtyard Southcenter, there was none to be had except for The Bistro.  Seeing how I didn't want to pay for mediocre cafeteria food at restaurant prices, we ended up driving over to nearby International Blvd and visiting the Pancake Chef.  Seemingly stuck in a time-warp, the place could easily pass for the diner featured in Pulp Fiction, except without Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta.

For myself, I decided on the Crab and Cheese Omelet made with 3 eggs and served with country potatoes and 2 slices of toast.  Naturally, I was a bit skeptical about eating anything related to seafood at a place called the Pancake Chef.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with the large pieces of firm and fluffy crab stuffed inside the omelet.   There was plenty of it as well as the plethora of melted cheddar.  One thing I would've liked to see was a milder cheese.  Viv decided on the light version of the Corned Beef Hash that came with one egg and toast.  The best description of the dish would be wet and squishy.  We thought the dish could've used much more searing on the flattop. It did taste okay by being not overly salty.

For my son, he had the Junior Plate consisting of scrambled egg, 2 strips of bacon and 3 dollar-sized pancakes.  He dusted this off since it was prepared on point.  The egg was soft while the bacon was thick and crispy.  And living up to its namesake, the pancakes were fluffy and cooked just enough so it was still moist.  My daughter had the French Crepes with strawberry filling and whipped cream.  The crepe was of a medium-sized thickness and nicely tender while the filling was pretty typical being sweet. Overall, the Pancake Chef did the job, yet interestingly without many issues.  Nothing too special, but the food is pretty decent.

The Good:
- Good pancakes (it should be...)
- Homey diner thing going on

The Bad:
- Kinda expensive
- Okay food, but not memorable

Heaven Sent Fried Chicken

Awhile back, we had made our way to Ezell's Famous Chicken due to the hype from Oprah Winfrey.  Unfortunately, it was an underwhelming experience and I openly questioned Oprah's taste in food.  Fast forward to the present and the founder of Ezell's, Ezell Stephens no longer owns the rights to the name, but has set up shop with Heaven Sent Fried Chicken with 3 locations in the Seattle area.  The kiddies were enthusiastic about fried chicken for dinner as we headed out to the Renton location.

We ended up going for the 8 Piece Family Meal with half original and half spicy.  Okay, anything I said about Ezell's chicken is completely untrue about Heaven Sent.  Aptly named, the chicken was truly blessed with a firm and crunchy well-rendered skin while sporting succulent meat inside (well-brined and flavourful).  These enormous pieces of chicken were so filling that 8 pieces was more than enough for 4 of us.  The spicy version was definitely that, but not overly so. I also got a side of Fried Gizzards which were lightly battered and crispy.  With enough seasoning (batter and the gizzards themselves), they were good on their own with the classic chewy and crunchy (tendon portion) texture.

As for sides, the meal included 4 soft and sweet Rolls.  As much as these could be seen as a throw-in, this was not the case.  I could've eaten all 4 myself.  We also had the Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Coleslaw and Fries (I added the fries separately).  Soft but still a touch lumpy (in a good way), the mashed potatoes were nicely seasoned and were further amped by the thick flavourful gravy.  The coleslaw was crunchy with a good balance of acidity and sweetness.  As for the fries, well, they were fries.  I thought they could've been crispier. But honestly, it was all about the chicken and it completely delivered and more so.  I'm still thinking right now as I write this about my next visit to Heaven Sent.

The Good:
- Well-prepared fried chicken
- Large chicken pieces
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Good food takes time, we waited awhile
- Better get takeout, not a whole lot of seats
- Not exactly cheap

Grill From Ipanema

Okay, to say that my son doesn't like fruits and vegetables would be an understatement.  Compared to him, I could be classified as a vegetarian.  So taking him to a salad bar would be considered cruel and unusual punishment.  Hence, on our recent trip down to Seattle, I thought that a visit to the Grill From Ipanema would be in his wheelhouse.  You see, an endless supply of meat brought right our table sounded like the right thing to do.

However, to balance off the abundance of meat, we hit up the Salad Bar.  Of course this was without my son as he was there only for the meat.  There was a pretty decent selection of items including 2 soups (cheddar chowder and tomato basil), cooked food, salads, grilled veggies and fruit.  I found the soups pretty forgettable (as the tomato basil was more akin to a salty pasta sauce) but the rest of the items were more than acceptable.   In particular, the green beans were cooked just enough that they weren't raw while maintaining a fresh crunch.  The grilled zucchini sported an appealing char while lightly salted.  As much as the soy mushrooms looked tasty, they were also very salty.

Another distraction from the meats was the plate of Cheese Biscuits and Fried Banana that was offered continuously throughout the meal.  Due to the use of tapioca, the cheese biscuits were dense and gummy.  However, these were better than the last time I had them (at another restaurant).  They were plenty cheesy, warm and soft.  As for the fried banana, the breading was firmly crunchy while spike with a good amount of sugar and cinnamon.  Very tasty, but a touch too sweet for me.

Onto the meats, there was a good selection including Sausage, Bacon-Wrapped Steak, Pepper Steak, Garlic Steak, Tri-Tip, Sirloin, Parmesan Pork, Chicken, Beef Ribs and Grilled Pineapple. For those who haven't dined at a Brazilian Rodizio before, these meats (on skewers) were brought to our table by wandering gauchos where we would use our tongs to place it on our plates.  On the table was a card with a green side and a red.  Green meant "keep it coming" while red would imply that you stuffed yourself silly and wanted no more.  We did eventually flip the card to red, but I changed it back to green when the ribs finally showed up at the very end.

The highlights of the meal definitely included the Parmesan Pork and the Tri-Tip Steak as well as the beef ribs.  We found the pork to be sufficiently moist (except for the edges) while plenty seasoned by the ample Parm and salt.  The tri-tip steak was juicy and tender, yet sporting far too much salt.  As expected, the beef ribs were fatty, fairly tender and plenty flavourful from the nice char on the outside.  When I finally finished the piece of rib, it put me over the top and I was too stuffed to eat anymore.  Yup, that is probably what you can expect at a Brazilian Rodizio and the Grill From Ipanema was no exception.  Most of the meats were pretty good (albeit very salty) and there was never a shortage of it.

The Good:
- Fun way to eat especially for meat-lovers
- Plenty of meats floating around
- Spacious dining space

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Salty
- Service was decent, but hard to flag down someone