Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi in Bellevue, Washington

I wasn't getting my hopes up about this local steakhouse, as it seemed to be emphasizing its panoramic views at the top of Lincoln Square South more than anything else (10400 NE 4th Street Suite 3100, 425- 625-2080). Plus, the idea of putting prosciutto and truffles into sushi sounded rather forced. It turned out though that the prosciutto and truffles kinda worked in their sushi. That Sonoma foie gras above was rich and wasn't that out of place with the waffles underneath it. And the Australian wagyu tenderloin had a deliciously salty crust while still being tender and moist. The cocktail bar knew what it was doing too.

MOTO Pizza in Seattle, Washington

it's interesting that Detroit-style pizza is having such a moment on the West Coast. Either that, or I just somehow never noticed it before.

There were two Detroit-style pizza places here at the mall in Seattle, one of which was a Korean fusion one. But I went for this one instead, as it was apparently popular enough in the past to have sold out. Plus, they had a Dungeness crab option.

When I opened the box, I got a lovely whiff of shellfish, and yes, it was good. It was more delicate than Joyride with tastier cheese. I am such a sucker for dill weed and Dungeness crab. Whoo hoo!

Dick's Drive-In in Seattle, Washington

I'm not sure if it's because I was spoiled by that meaty sandwich from Burger Joint earlier today, but I was pretty shocked when I went to this local chain up in Seattle tonight. Their burgers were so thin and bare that even the cheapest hamburger at McDonald's is cushier than theirs. And you had to pay extra for condiments like ketchup and onions.

That double-pattied "deluxe" above was the top-tier selection with cheese, mayo, lettuce, and relish, while the "special" that I originally ordered was a single patty without cheese. They were both pretty dry and lifeless, with not just a boring bun, but also the patty not being particularly beefy despite signage about being sourced locally from Royal Ranch. I suppose that the dirt cheap $3.20 price of the latter should have been a clue.

Well, the fries were pretty good at least, being nice and potato-ey. And the service was super fast, although that's also because everything was pre-configured and pre-cooked. Is this like Seattle's version of White Castle where people stumble in late after a night of drinking to get several of the cheapest $2.45 plain burgers and a free mustard packet?

My Double (Non) Cheeseburger from Burger Joint

Trust me, there is an upper bun on that burger; it just didn't appear in the photo as I was trying to get the flames from the grill in the background. Anyway, my flight out of SFO was in the D gates today, which was right next to Burger Joint (and an outlet of Cat Cora Kitchen, it turns out). I made sure to get my double burger this time without the cheese to really bring the taste of the beef to the foreground, which it did.

Now, the patties were a little dry, and the fries were a bit boring too, but somehow it was still all tasty enough to clear quickly, especially when the juice from the former dropped onto the latter. Next time I should ask them to cook it medium rare in case that makes it more moist. And I don't think they are using Niman Ranch anymore or else they'd presumably be more explicit about it.

Nashville Hot Shrimp Roll Sushi from Hissho

Yep, those were the words that caught my eye too: Nashville hot shrimp sushi. I knew that I shouldn't get my hopes up, but the thought of Nashville hot chicken gave me a glimmer of hope.

I was too optimistic. The roll ont the right was sweet and was covered in mayonnaise, and featured cold and mushy rice that one would expect from supermarket sushi. The Sichuan chili crisp California roll to the left of it wasn't spicy either, although at least it got a little more interesting when I added my own.

And yes, this was from a supermarket. Actually, it's a creation of Hissho Sushi from North Carolina, and it's distributed by supermarkets like Sprouts under the name Oumi Sushi. That made it unique at least.

My Mulitas from Tacos y Birria el Chore

I'm not sure if these guys inserted birria into their name to optimize for search engines, but I'm so glad that I stopped by this afternoon to grab these glorious mulitas. They were crispy, filled with gooey cheese and fatty yet crispy tripe, and were delicious with those radishes, grilled onions, and citrus, not to mention all of those salsa including a greasy one that reminded me of the orange sauce at La Vic's (the lighter-colored one, on the other hand, was too mayonnaise-heavy). I really need to come back here more often for this. I hope next time they are serving their "phochoo birria" too; yep, it sounds like it's birria ramen but featuring phở rice noodles instead. That's like San Jose in a bowl.

An Eight Piece Family Meal from El Pollo Loco

I haven't been to El Pollo Loco in a long time. And this outlet has gotten rid of its salsa bar, presumably in a post-pandemic move. That's too bad, since the salsas that we had today were a bit of a bummer, and I failed to ask for serranos in the process too. Well, the citrus-accented grilled chicken is still pretty tasty at least.

An Updated Shot from Poki Bowl in San Jose

Here was my selection at Poki Bowl today. It was probably the same configuration as what I had eight years ago, to be honest. Yet prices are getting rather high. It shouldn't be surprising under inflationary pressure, but the price is nonetheless still a bit hard to stomach, even if the food was still deliciously easy to eat with its sesame and red chili oil.

Joyride Pizza's Sweet Heat Pineapple

I told ya I'd be back here. It also says a lot that I'd actually choose a pineapple-topped selection too; I liked them enough yesterday to trust that they'd do a decent job with this, which included jalapenos, pepperoncini, bell peppers, onions, chili flakes, and spicy honey. Yep, it was sweet and spicy, and enjoyable enough that it's the only pineapple-topped pizza that I've honestly liked. But their sauteed artichoke and mushroom starter was boring enough that I won't get it again.

KAYMA Algerian Eatery in San Francisco, California

How often does one get to eat Algerian food? When I heard about this place, I knew what my lunch destination was going to be. Interestingly, it was situated on the second floor of the Saluhall food court, which is run by IKEA's sister company (945 Market Street, 415-847-7032). Curry Up Now was one of the stalls here, while the Kayma folks suggested this plate featuring lamb merguez sausages on a bed of couscous, which all came out piping hot.

The thing that I wasn't expecting was the many sauces accompanying it, particularly the green one on the far right. It looked like a Mexican salsa verde, and it kinda tasted like one too in that it was more acidic than it was spicy. She gave me an harissa sauce on the side, but it was more salty than it was spicy. Anyway, the more important thing was that the couscous was light and fluffy while the sausages were tight and moist. It was also cool to try that hot Algerian tea topped with pine nuts.

Joyride Pizza in San Francisco, California

I had no idea what Detroit-style pizza was supposed to taste like. And it seemed strange to eat Detroit-style pizza in San Francisco. But this new local chain has gotten lots of praise, so I stopped in to try it.

OMG It was sooooo good! The big differentiator was the crust, which was the complete opposite of a proper Neapolitan pizza. It was more like focaccia, or perhaps even better described as having the texture of cake, and yet being deliciously greased up and caramelized on the sides of the pan to form a lovely brown hue. It made for a greasy and rich treat (better than Chicago-style pizza in my opinion, although it's been a very long time since I've had that), especially when those pepperoni discs on top were done to just the right level of crunchiness.

I liked this so much that I might change my plans tomorrow to try some of the other varieties here. That was one of the most unique things I've eaten in a while, and I just loved it.

The Bird in San Francisco, California

I'm not sure if you ever heard about that Birdbox place in New York that does chicken sandwiches with a big claw sticking out of it; they had a pop-up in San Francisco recently. It's gone now, but just a few blocks down is this unrelated two-outlet chain which also does chicken sandwiches, sans claw.

I got the spicy version above, which put the tender thigh meat in a decently salty and spicy buffalo wing sauce. It was good, but their options are limited here. So I'll just go to Super Duper outlets instead, as they make their sandwiches available there too.