Renton Has a Mountain?

Yes, indeed.
For those of us who like to pretend to be real hikers, Echo Mountain is the place to go. It's a tranquil uphill trail in very lush woods. When you have hiked to the top of the mountain you will be rewarded by an incredible view of Mt. Rainier and the forested parts of Maple Valley, Auburn and beyond. Walking at an average pace will get you to the top of the mountain and back in about forty five minutes.
Echo Mountain is part of an undeveloped King County Park called Spring Lake/Lake Desire Park . It is south of the Cedar River and just a 10-15 minute drive east of beautiful downtown Renton. Take the Maple Valley Highway to 196th Avenue. Turn right (i.e., south) and travel about a mile. Turn right on SE 183nd and follow the road counter-clockwise(bear right) around Spring Lake. Park at the road end. Follow the obvious trail that angles to the right and up; turn right (uphill) when the trail intersects the gravel maintenance access road. Take the Peak Trail ( you'll see a sign) to the summit at about 800 feet above sea level.
You will rarely run into other hikers, and it's a very scenic short but vigorous hike.
It's also very convenient to Aloha BBQ. So if you've just consumed 10,000 calories there and feel guilty, you can burn a few of them off by climbing this nearby mountain.

Renton Gardening Progress Report

Halladay Mortgage Lifter

Tomatoes are quickly turning red. There are three varieties growing: Halladay Mortgage Lifter, which is a variety not available commercially, but does well for Pacific Nortwest Gardeners.
Often with many tomato varieties, long periods of hot and sunny with warm nights are required, something the Seattle area cannot provide, which is why many gardeners around here grow smaller tomatoes, rather than beefsteak size, because they ripen more quickly.
But Halladay grows big and heavy quickly, and is sweet and juicy. This is my third year growing them, and I save the seeds for future use, since one can't find the seeds or starts in stores.
Then there's Sweet Baby Girl, a fairly common but nice and prolific red cherry tomato.
And last but not least is Sun Sugar, a relative of the much heralded Sun Gold, an orange cherry tomato that's smaller than Sweet Baby Girl, but bursting with tangy sweet juiciness.
Peppers are also doing well. Giant Marconi is producing large, long peppers that are great for grilling or roasting.
And the "Tam" mild jalapenos are prolific as usual, and very dependably produce well in these parts.
Originally had 19 melon plants, and now have 5, but have some small green melons. Melons are pretty finicky.
Had lots of lettuce, and just planted more for a fall harvest, and also planted mustard greens, turnips, spinach, broccoli, and brussel sprouts for the fall.
Sugar Snap peas recently got all harvested, then dug up to plant broccoli. The peas produced dependably for about a month.
Blueberries are fruiting well now, marionberries are done after a month or so of producing large and sweet berries, and raspberries are producing in fairly small numbers at this point. It's the Autumn Bliss variety, a berry a bit firmer and larger than many raspberries, and delicious.
For the first time, grapes are producing fairly well. It took a few years.
I'm ready to dig up the kiwi vine. They demand water and don't produce fruit, and I don't especially like their looks. Diane thinks I should give them another year, but I think they belong in the compost bin, that another grape vine would do well on the same structure.
Some day I'll grow pumpkins.
Last year we donated quite a few of the mild jalapenos to the food bank because they were so prolific, and in doing so may have disappointed a few Mexicans, who maybe were expecting something hotter.
But the mild jalapeno is an all ocassion pepper, good in salads, omelettes, stuffed, grilled, etc.
It's good to garden in the Pacific Northwest. Some things can be grown almost all year, because it doesn't get all that cold.
But I'd be happy if avocados grew here.
I guess I'll just have to wait for more global warming.

Who Is Howard Bulson?

Renton, Washington may be increasingly hip and cool, and is increasingly gaining many things it's neighbor Seattle has, but it doesn't have Howard Bulson.
Who is Howard Bulson?
He is one of the best piano players anywhere, and plays gigs throughout Seattle, as an accompaniest to anyone who wants to sing with him. Like a karaoke, except with a live piano, Howard Bulson knows all the songs, and plays them well.
In his seventies, he represents a part of Seattle that is fading fast, just plain good, with style, a cool that doesn't broadcast "World Class", which too many things in Seattle scream out lately.
I sang once with Howard Bulson playing, and connected with my inner lounge lizard. I intend on doing it again.
Howard Bulson plays at Julia's on Broadway Sunday's 6-8:45 ish, Martin's @ 14th and Madison Sunday and Tuesday 9 PM-2AM, and Dexter and Hayes Monday 9 PM-2AM..I'm sure he has other gigs I'm forgetting about.
If he played Renton I'd be there all the time...but my orientation has become less Seattle focused since living out here in the burbs.
If you want to have a good time, go hear and sing with Howard Bulson. The range of people who sing with him range from godawful drunks to professional singers who sing jazz and opera and standards and pop tunes...he knows them all.
He looks like a rumpled old guy who's too skinny to fit in a suit but wears them anyway, looks like he rolls out of bed in the afternoon to start his day smoking cigarettes and drinking.
This guy is a treasure, and if you haven't experienced him, I'd strongly recommend it.

Still Groovin on Da Kine Hawaiian Food

Have now revisited Aloha BBQ on several occasions. Why?
Because it is an undiscovered gem.
Freakazoid Freddy uses four criteria to judge a restaurant:
Food: If the food's that good, a lot of other things can be forgiven.
Service: I'll go back to mediocre places if I'm treated well.
Atmosphere: If I like hanging out there, I'll put up with mediocre food.
Value: Doesn't mean inexpensive; it's all relative to what you're getting. In Renton, the Melrose is not inexpensive, but it's a good value.
Aloha BBQ: The food is good to excellent, service is friendly and attentive, atmosphere is cozy, seats around 14 or so, and the value!! That's the thing..It's kind of unusual food, they feature daily specials that almost always include a fish...tonight was hasa hasa (mackerel), previously is was butterfish (black cod)..dishes are served with rice and three salads.
At many Hawaiian restaurants, salad means potato or macaroni..
Aloha lets you choose between potato, macaroni, pickled radish, green salad, seaweed salad, kim chee...Portions are rather large, prices are from several decades ago.
Where else can you get a fresh seafood meal for 5.99?
There is also a daily steak special. tonight's was t-bone, for 9.99, and it was probably twelve ounces.
At this point, may I suggest that this is one of Renton's best restaurants?

Hi Hawaii Ya?

Renton now has two Hawaiian restaurants.
Hawaiian restaurants are few and far between in the Seattle area, and it's a cuisine I haven't had a lot of exposure to.
A couple of months ago we tried L and L Hawaiian BBQ (kitty corner from Wal-Mart) and got stuffed to the gills. L and L is a chain restaurant based in Honolulu, and is fast foody meat oriented. They serve macaroni salad with everything, whether you want it or not.
Tonight we went to the newer and more down home Aloha BBQ ,2439-B SE Maple Valley Hwy, Renton (425) 430-9319.
Aloha BBQ also features a lot of meat, maybe that's the hallmark of Hawaiian cuisine...but Aloha BBQ has interesting side dishes, which are included in the meal, like pickled radish, pickled ginger, pickled cuttlefish, and kim chee. You can also get macaroni salad there, but it's not forced down your throat as it is at L and L.
Speaking of meat, the Kalbi beef short ribs were tender, tasty, a bit of tang, and quite the bargain at 6.99. They were also served in a rather large quantity which I had no trouble devouring. Is this why there are quite a few heavy Hawaiians?
The Kahlua Pork with Cabbage( 7.99) is stir fried shredded pork with garlic, onions and Hawaiian sea salt. It's very good.
The Pork Lau Lau is a combination of black cod and pork steamed with taro leaves and wrapped in ti leaves. It too is very tasty and tender. What are ti leaves? I don't know, but the taro leaves were reminiscent of spinach and collard greens, had an almost creamy quality, though it had no cream.
You can also get a Caesar salad( with tofu!) or a hamburger there, but why would you want to?
For pescetarians, fish and chips and a seafood combo( scallops, mahi mahi and shrimp) are available.
They will occasionally have a teriyaki salmon or BBQ black cod available as a daily special, and both are available from the catering menu as well as garlic shrimp.
Did I say how good the food was? And at such a bargain?
The downsides:
Parking is tight. They share a parking lot with a tavern and a grocery store, and an apartment complex immediately adjacent. It may take a little while to find a space.
They're small, maybe 5 tables max.
I have this tendency to seek out places that aren't too far, but just a little off the beaten path.
This is one of those places, and it's a good one.

La Cocina Marina is Now Open and Yummy!

Tonight was the first night of business for LA Cocina Marina in beautiful Skyway, and I was there for it.
First off, they have the hottest salsa I've ever eaten at any restaurant in North America.
It kicks you in the ass and says "Boy Howdy!"
It gets easier to eat as you eat more of it, and it is delicious, but it clearly has habanero in it, and while it's not too hot to eat, damn! it's hot!
The menu is pretty small, but ambitious. They've got some things seen more commonly in good restauramts which aren't Mexican, like a Dugeness crab dip served atop rye toast.
The wild green salad has feta and walnuts and mandarin orange sections.
Clams and mussels get served in a garlicky tomatoey broth...delicious...
The shrimp cocktail is terrific with a sauce that gets mopped up with warm chips.
Things I may get around to ordering in the future include a tuna sandwich made with fresh grilled yellowfin tuna, a seafood marinara over fettucine noodles, and a grilled wild salmon entree.
Desserts include cheesecake which is made on the premises.
The bar has been completely remodeled and looks hip.
We were the only non Mexicans eating there tonight, and being the first night and all, service was kind of slow.
You might want to wait a week or two to give them time to work out the opening jitters, but foodwise? Just excellent! I hope these guys make it, given a location that just scares people off.
But I'm still here to write the blog, and I ate at El Agave in the same location and EL Tapatio in the same location before that.
Just because it's Skyway doesn't mean it's bad. Try this one.
Food 4 out of four. Atmosphere 2 ish, but might've been more fun in the bar. Service, 2 ish but was opening night, and may get better
It's better than El Agave was, although this place is less traditional Mexican.
Next to the Roman Casino, just West of the Skyway Bowl.
Go there!

El Agave is now Cocina Marina

The best (and only) Mexican restaurant in Skyway is no more.
As I'd suspected, El Agave has closed, and a sign indicates that the place is now called Cocina Marina.
The exterior has been painted...it's a lighter, more inviting color, but it's still in a scuzzy Skyway strip mall.
I haven't yet tried Cocina Marina, but as a service to the vast multitudes of readers out there, I'll be the guinea pig and report back.
For something like 35-40 years the location housed El Tapatio, a friendly but mediocre place.
It's succesor, El Agave, lasted just a couple of years, and on more than a few occasions, they were closed when they should have been open, which is not good for business when one of your few customers can't come in and spend money.
Here's to good luck for Cocina Marina.

Tacos of The King

I could live on salsa.
In my modified low carb lifestyle, I've given up a lot of things like pastries and white rice and pasta, but I'm not about to give up salsa. En contraire, I seek it out in this salsa deprived land.
Taco Del Rey is located at 330 SW 43rd Street in Renton, 425-251-0100, tacodelrey.com
They've got great salsa, very good food, and an amiable owner who likes to chat and is obviously a character.
Some waitstaff in other restaurants frown disapprovingly and get confused when I request extra salad instead of rice and beans. Others act shocked, as if I were nuts- "you DON'T want rice?"
But Martin Reyes, the owner of Taco Del Rey, is a character, and can't simply politely take my odd order silently. He has to comment. He believes in a healthy lifestyle, gets plenty of exercise, goes to the gym, drinks a protein powder, blueberry and yogurt shake for breakfast , loves tortillas with melted feta, and seems quite fit, but then goes on to kvetch about all his ailments. The guy is fun, and he's funny.
And the food is clearly way above average Seattle area Mexican food, with reasonable prices to boot.
The menu is extensive, and they serve beer. Martin Reyes likes beer.
Diane ordered Camarones al mojo de ajo, and the shrimp were fairly large, not overcooked and full of yummy garlic.
Fajitas were my choice, and the carne asada was nice and tender.
He does a grilled veggie burrito, huevos rancheros, along with a number of fish and shrimp dishes.
And has a salsa bar, which he charges fifty cents for after the first free refill.
It might be worth it to just pay him a few bucks extra and see if he'll let you go hog wild with the salsa, which I think is Renton's best.
So where is the place?
It's near Ikea, near the Great Wall Shopping Center, just down the road from the East Valley Cinema, just down the road from Southcenter.
If you're in that neck of the woods, it's definitely worth a stop, an independant taco place in a land of chains.

Moses and Krishna versus Mohammed

Renton has two Indian restaurants.
Pabla, located in the downtown Renton Fred Meyer Center, is vegetarian, and kosher certified.
What this means is that they have a Rabbi come to inspect the place to see if it's clean and that there aren't any non kosher things going on, like the mixing of meat and dairy, or serving pork or shellfish. A place serving cheeseburgers cannot get kosher certified. These Hindu owners then pay the Rabbi some money and they get a certificate stating their kosherness, and word travels fast. Pabla serves a lunch buffet that is so frequented by religious Jews that at times one is mystified by what looks like a synogogue meeting about to start inside a Hindu Indian restaurant. It's not that unusual for non Jewish restaurants to get Kosher certified. There are a couple of Chinese vegetarian places in Seattle that are also kosher. Pabla is pretty good and pretty popular, but almost always leaves me with some gastrointestinal symptoms.
The other Indian restaurant in Renton is Naan -N- Curry, 709 3rd Street , Renton, 425-271-6226, www.nncurry.com
Naan -N- Curry is strictly halal, the Muslim cousin of kosher. This place is not vegetarian but has a lot of vegetarian entrees on the menu. Unlike kosher, Halal does not forbid the mixing of dairy and meat nor the shellfish, but like kosher forbids pork.
So unlike most Indian restaurants which do not serve beef because the cow is holy to Hindus, Naan-N-Curry serves beef shank and filet mignon.
As this place is halal, they attract religious Muslims, and at times you'd think an Al Qaeda meeting was about to start.
Naan -N-Curry is very good. Zeera Saag is a spinach and mustard greens dish seasoned with cumin that is divine. Prawns tandoori are giant and a combination of crispy and tender, and well seasoned.
The Naan is done just right and is highly addictive. The eggplant is also highly recommended.
Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my faves at any Indian place, and Naan-N-Curry does it very well, boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and cooked in a creamy curry sauce.
The place is pretty and pleasant, walls are purple and orange, and it's a combination of exotic and welcoming.
The negative? There are daily specials for 19.99, far more expensive than anything on the menu, and they try to push them. Just say no, unless you're feeling particularly flush.
In the Renton battle for Indian food, Naan-N-Curry is my preference.

All Thai'd Up

About five years ago I had some cousins visiting and we arranged to bring home Thai food for everbody.
As it happened, Diane and I both had to work later than expected that day, and a communication mix up occured. I called in a large to go order from Royal Orchid, which Diane was going to pick up. But she thought I'd called in the order to JapanThai (now Bella Napoli), and stopped there to pick up the order. They quickly put the order togethe.r Diane called me to tell me that JapanThai didn't have the food ready when she got there but put it together quickly. At that point I told her the order was from Royal Orchid, so she picked that up too and we had a "Betty Crocker Thai Cook Off."
The orders were identical, so we had direct comparisons, and both were extremely good.
We had four entrees and a soup from each place. In each of the four entrees it was unanimously decided that JapanThai was slightly better, but that Royal Orchid's soup was superior,and both places were very,very good.
JapanThai is now gone, and Renton doesn't have a lot of other great Thai places.
Skyway has a mediocre Thai place, "The Best Pho and Thai" is near Wal-Mart and pretty good, there's a pretty good place near Ikea, but none come close to matching Royal Orchid or the late Japan Thai.
Except for Thai onHighlands, 2808 NE Sunset Blvd, 425-793-6278.
They've been around at least five years, and would've been part of the contest back then if they were a little closer.
The place is a well kept up, charming , artsy Thai place.
They tend to incorporate more vegetables into entrees than other Thai places, and service is always friendly and prompt. Prices are low, and they have curry salmon on the menu. A lot of Thai places don't serve curry salmon. I don't think salmon exists in Thailand, nonetheless that marriage of Northwest and Thai is a particularly tasty one.
Tonight we had a seafood curry, which had prawns, scallops, fish, and squid, with a coconut curry and broccoli, cabbage, basil, etc.
We also had the spinach dish with peanut sauce, something Rama?, and it was served atop fried tofu. Yum!
Over the years I've eaten at Thai on Highlands numerous times. It's always good. It's a little farther than the always good and very close by Royal Orchid. But it's also a little bit less expensive. I'm not sure which one is better, but Thai on Highlands is a place where you just go gaga over the deliciousness of the food.

The Bust Next Door

News flash!
At about 8 PM tonight the King County Sheriff's Office staged a raid on my next door neighbor's house on 130th Street. The neighbors have "lived" next door for about a year, but I'd never met them or spoken to them and barely saw them...It seemed awfully quiet not to ever hear the neighbors, but who's complaining?
About a year ago the nice old lady next door sold her house to a Vietnamese family, after rejecting a prospective buyer because they were an unmarried couple.
Tonight I'm in the kitchen eating ice cream when I hear loud banging and crashing from next door and hear a yell "King County Sheriff's Office-Search Warrant!" and they bust in.
I try not to seem like the nosy neighbor that I am, but I see there's a sheriff employee talking to some other neighbors on the corner and I join them and ask what's up.
...To make a long story short, the neighbors got busted for, according to the Sheriff dude "A very large marijuana grow operation."
No wonder they were so quiet. They didn't live there!
As of this moment the sheriffs folks are still next door hauling stuff away and complaining about doing this on straight time.
One of the elderly neighbors was asking the sheriff dude about the price of marijuana and he reported it to be around 5500 dollars a pound, and about a pound an a quarter per plant. He didn't reveal how much they confiscated. I actually kind of wish it was something a little more exciting like stolen art masterpieces, but it certainly was the excitement of the year.
If I'd only known.....

Renton and Italian Food

I'm a native of New Jersey. People from New Jersey can't help but have a knowledge and appreciation of Italian food, as there is an abundance of it there. New Jersey has a lot of good, small, family owned, unpretentious and inexpensive Italian restaurants.
The Seattle area also has good Italian food, but it tends to be a bit more elegant and a bit more expensive.
Renton has some of both the upscale and the unpretencious.
In the slightly upscale department are Bella Napoli, Vino, and Armando's...
Vino is in the same location as Gene's Italian restaurant, which was the epitome of a fantastic restaurant when Gene owned it a few years back. Now he and his wife own the Red House.
He still owns the building where Vino is, and developed the menu for the Dog and Pony.
I've eaten at Vino a couple of times, and while good, I was just missing Gene's when I ate there, and everything pales in comparison with Gene's.
Bella Napoli has previously been reviewed here and is a good restaurant, but it also occupies the space of one of my formerly favorite spots, JapanThai.
Armando's is a very popular and very good place with wood fired pizza. Armando also owns the Melrose Grill...
Then there are less expensive pizza and pasta houses. These include Vince's and Angelo's.
Vince's is a small chain that's been around for about fifty years, and makes a very respectable pizza.
Angelo's, on NE 4th Street, in my opinion makes the best pizza in Renton. Spicy pizza sauce with a tender yet crisp crust; it's the crust that most resembles my New Jersey crusts of yore.
Then there is Amante, on Sunset NE in Renton,part of a small local chain, and closer to the "Vince's" model of unpretentious and cheap, but Amante is a nice place, both attractive in appearance and unusual in a couple of ways.
It's Bulgarian owned, so even though it's "Italian", it has a Balkan flavor, not a bad thing.
Their "white spaghetti" has roasted garlic and myzithra cheese, "Feta Fetish" has kalamata olives, pepperoncini peppers, feta , and fried eggs, served on pasta,pizza, or as a low carb entree.
They have artichoke hearts in several entrees and salads, and other entrees and pastas include fresh basil andsun dried tomatoes.Salads are huge and include a wonderful Greek salad and delightful home made dressings.
Desserts include home made baklava.
The only wines served are Bulgarian.
The marinara sauce is thick, very homemade looking, slightly sweet, and delicious.
Pizza choices are numerous and include one with goat cheese, pine nuts, fresh basil and roasted garlic.
All in all, the place offers interesting choices, serves delicious food in enormous portions,
and is a friendly, nice looking place with consitantly good service.
Not as bohemian as Bella Napoli, not as kitschy as Vince's, not as popular as Armando's.
....but worthy in it's own right .

Colombian Cuisine in Renton?

The State of Washington has only one Colombian restaurant, and it is right here in Renton.
The Mexi-Cali(as in Cali, Colombia) is at 239 Sunset Blvd N., Renton 425-917-8886, and serves both Mexican and Colombian cuisine. The menu is mostly Mexican, but Colombian cuisine is quite different from Mexican, and the Colombian entrees are served with yucca and fried plantains, and black beans.
It is much closer to Brazilian, both geographically and cuisine-wise.
I've now been there four or five times, and like the place. It's cheap, the service is efficient and friendly, the food is unusual and good, and they have a salsa bar, and a chipotle salsa that's smokey and hot.
Tonight I had the garlic shrimp, which was cooked nicely and had plenty of garlic. The menu features a number of Mexican shrimp dishes, as well as a whole fried fish, Colombian style.
Colombian cuisine also favors tender beef, which is served in most dishes with a tangy tomatoey garlicky sauce.
All in all, Mexi-Cali serves food that is pretty unusual...the food is consistantly good, the prices are right, and they do Mexican food better than most Mexican places.
This is a place that deserves to be busy, and would be mobbed if it were in Queen Anne or Wallingford or Capitol Hill.

Mucho Bueno

Without any evidence to support this, I think that proportionately speaking ,Renton has a higher percentage of Mexican and Mexican-Americans than Seattle.
As a result, Renton is no slouch in the Mexican eatery department. I maintain that Renton has a lot of Mexican places that are at least pretty good, and a few that are top notch.
Today was a venture into the Mucho Bueno, at 247 Park Ave N in Renton.
During the week, Mucho Bueno is fairly ordinary foodwise, but for Friday and Saturday dinner, and Sunday brunch, the place is pretty special. At those times they do an all you can eat seafood focused buffet.
The place is large and today was mobbed for mother's day, with more than ninety percent of the customers being Mexican. ( A good sign.)
They had the usual taco bar, but also chile rellenos, enchiladas, home made tortillas, shrimp in garlic, fried shrimp, made to order coctels de camaron, or with fish or octopus or a combination.
They had fried mojarra fish and baked salmon, and several salsas that had either bits of shrimp, octopus, or fish in them. The salsas are quite good, and they had a huge variety of salsas, seafoody and otherwise.
Desserts consisted of home made cakes and flan, and fresh and canned fruits, including watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, banana, grapes.
Beverages are included in the price of 13.50 per person. Service is attentive, and between their special seafood items, home baked desserts and tortillas, and their variety of salsas, Mucho Bueno is clearly a cut above the norm, and a worthy contender.
I've been told that the phrase " Mucho Bueno" is grammatically incorrect Spanish, that it ought to be " Muy Bueno" unless additional words are added, like " Mucho Bueno Sabor" (very good flavor), but in their defense, I'd rather experience bad grammar than bad salsa.

An Oasis Amidst the Scuzz

Between the scuzz of Skyway and the scuzz of Rainier Beach is one of Seattle's least known and prettiest parks- Lakeridge Park, also known as Dead Horse Canyon.
If you're heading north from Renton, turn left on 68th Avenue South from Rainier Avenue, and you'll see the trailhead and pullout for a few cars a couple of blocks away.
The trail is fairly steep, and runs along Taylor Creek in a rainforest like setting: mossy, ferny, and the continual sound of running creekwater.
You'd never believe that one minute earlier you were on busy Rainier Avenue, it's the kind of place where tensions melt away instantly. You can walk to the end and back in about 25 minutes; not a long walk but uphill enough so that you'll feel it, and on a rare hot and sunny Seattle day Dead Horse canyon stays cool and shaded.
On another note, Skyway's El Agave Mexican restaurant remains open. The owner told me that the place is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so maybe I tried to go on those days?
In any event, we went on Friday, which was Cinco de Mayo. The place was not packed, but was fairly busy. I still can't decide what to make of the atmosphere: this time it seemed pleasant enough, and I want to like these guys- they are the underdogs, as any business in Skyway is other than Ezell's Chicken or the casinos.
And the food, after several visits, remains consistantly above average, though the salsa is too mild, but it's fresh tasting and good. Service is a little slow, but not insanely slow. Prices are a bit high for neighborhood Mexican, but the menu has some options unavailable elsewhere.
Skyway is a rather pathetic neighborhood, though some folks are active envisioning improvement and celebrating it's 50's-60's futuristic Jetsons kind of thing.
And in front of Skyway's now Asian supermarket is Nevzat's Espresso, which truly makes some of the best coffee around. Nevzat knows his coffee, and has operated his espresso stand there for 11 years .
To survive owning a business in Skyway for 11 years is a mighty accomplishment.

Renton's Public Greenhouse

The City of Renton, through it's Parks and Recreation division, rents table space to the public in a very large heated and ventilated greenhouse. You can rent half a table for six months for 24 dollars.
I've been doing greenhouse gardening there for several years. Recently rumors have been growing that the greenhouse and the large pea-patch next to it will be closed and torn down to make room for a Renton city employee parking lot. I hope the rumor proves false, or that the public can fight this, because greenhouse gardening is fun, satisfying, and worthwhile. But it's not the direction the City of Renton is taking. The last few years Renton is all about growth, and is fancying itself an "eastside" city like Bellevue, even though most of Renton is more of a "southside" city like Auburn.
It's a two way street. With development and the goal of attracting high quality housing stock, new and good restaurants are inevitable. But what could be lost will be Renton's unpretencious working class roots: Renton was a coal mining and farming town. Greenhouses insinuate something that unsophisticated hicks use.
All that aside, once again I have started vegetables that I will later transplant to the backyard veggie garden.
At this point, I have 19 tomato plants; 7 are Halladay Mortgage Lifter, a variety that thrives in our climate and produces very large, sweet , juicy, and ugly tomatoes, and also a dozen cherry tomato plants.
Also growing are 15 melon plants- 5 canary melons, 5 Ukranian cantaloupes, and 5 "passport", a tropical, very delicious creamy tasting melon that looks like a cantaloupe from the outside and a honeydew inside.
Then there are the peppers: 5 "senorita", a mild jalapeno, and 8 "Giant Marconi", a long thick walled mild pepper thatis almost smoky tasting and is superb for roasting.
Often many of the seeds I start don't come up at all, but this year things are growing like gangbusters, and I'll have many more plants than I'll have the energy to transplant.
Mikelle and Tin Foil- Can I foist some on you?

La Hacienda

Mexican food has long been one of my favorites. Along with Thai , Italian, and BBQ, I don't require much else.
The readers of Renton's monthly "Renton Reporter" recently had a "best of" reader survey.
They selected Torero's near Fred Meyer as Renton's best Mexican restaurant. I've been to that Torero's. It's okay. Competent but uninspired. I don'tusually agree with the readers of the Renton Reporter. It seems as though some places are liked simply because they're crowded, and I think Aztecas and Toreros fall into that category. Not bad, but kind of a fake festive "Hola, Amigos!!!. kind of place.
Tonight Diane and I dined at La Hacienda 711 S. 3rd St, Renton.
It's a long established place, and was the location for the very first Torero's, before it changed hands. Many customers at La Hacienda are repeat customers, and for good reason.
Service there is impeccable, and it's nice to go to a place and know that you'll be well taken care of. Two salsas and chips are brought immediately, one a regular salsa, the other a pico de gallo. Before you have even fully consumed these, the waitperson swoops in and refills the salsa.
Portion sizes are large, and La Hacienda does some things exceptionally well.
Diane had the daily special, which was a carne asada and prawns; I had steak fajitas.
The meat, for both of these, was unusually tender. Carne Asada is often too dry, but not here.
Margaritas here are popular and strong. The fajitas were nicely seasoned, and had lots of onions and yellow and green peppers.
I like the place but feel that it lacks imagination. El Agave in Skyway is a higher risk when you get there: It might be closed, or they've left the place in the hands of an incompetent waitperson, but the food is/was dazzling.
La Hacienda is a much safer choice. They're very consistent, and always good. The menu is fairly typical, not so unlike a Toreros or Azteca, but a very pleasant atmposphere, always good food, and always great service.
When I compared them to Torero's or Azteca, Diane insisted that they're MUCH better than Torero's or Azteca. I think La Hacienda is a more pleasant place to eat than Azteca or Torero's, and I like the food, but I think there are very few things there worthy of calling incredibly great.
That said, over the years I've gone there a lot, because the food is good, not too expensive, great service, and a pleasant place to dine.
So where's the best Mexican restaurant in Renton? There's more to investigate.
Foodwise, I'd still say El Agave in Skyway, if they're still in business. They have some incredible dishes there, though the place is dark and has small windows; It's the ghettto gourmet: Tilapia stuffed with crab and cheese but you might get shot before even entering the place.
Salsawise, it's hard to beat Casa Durango.
La Fuente has some incredible dishes. You can get halibut there.
La Hacienda is a good, solid favorite of many. You can't go wrong there, but I'm still looking to be dazzled. Dazzle me.

STIR

Renton has some notable Chinese restaurants.
Imperial Garden, in the Great Wall Shopping Center, the Asian mall on East Valley Highway, is considered one of the most authentic and critically acclaimed Chinese restaurants in the Seattle area. But authentic isn't necessarily what I want to eat. In Oaxaca, they eat tacos that are filled with insects. Maybe it tastes good, and maybe it's authentic, but not something I'd really go for.
Hong's Garden, at Airport and Rainier, is owned by the original owners of Chinatown's House of Hong, and is often packed and well liked by many. But not me. The hostess/owner has a continous scowl/ hostile look on her face. I don't want fake sincerity "I'm Marcie and I'll be your server tonight", or the entire crew that comes out to sing happy birthday, but an owner who doesn't appear to hate every customer who comes in would be nice. So Hong's, popular as it is, turns me off.
But then there's Stir, 151 Sunset Blvd N, Renton, www.stirfood.com.
The menu is a funny mixture of traditional American Chinese(egg rolls, Sweet n' sour Chicken, Chow Mein) and more unusual selections like Mango and Halibut Salad, Roasted Duck Salad with cranberry, and some Thai and Korean influenced dishes like Spicy Korean buckwheat noodle soup, and Spicy Basil Prawns and Chicken.
I've eaten there a bunch of times, and it's always good, and pleasant.
The wok seared scallops with lemon citrus sauce is terrific. The salmon is fresh and not overcooked.
The place looks "Dennysesque" from the outside, but is comfortable inside in an almost elegant kind of way.
Service is always attentive. Entree prices range from 6.95(Eggpant with garlic sauce!) to 16.95(Sea Bass in soy ginger sauce) with most entrees between 6.95 and 11.95, so prices are reasonable.
The place is just solid. Consistantly good to very good, with a few things that are insanely great.
Maybe I'd stay away from those items you can get in any Chinese restaurant. But the "Happy Family" , available at many Chinese restaurants, at Stir is a combo of prawns, scallops, BBQ Pork, beef, and vegetables, and is far superior to most others in comparison.
All in all, Stir has something for those who don't want to take any risks, and also has something for those who want to try something new.
They also deliver within a four mile radius, with a 15.00 minimum order. Their phone # is 425-235-1818. I believe they are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and stay open til 10:30.
On my 0-4 scale, Stir gets a 3 for food, a 3.5 for service, a 3.5 for atmosphere, and a 3.5 for value. So far my favorite Chinese restaurant in Renton.

El Agave Part ll

You can't go to a restaurant just once and really pass judgement. Some places have off nights, others seem too good to be true.
With that in mind, I had to pay another visit to Skyway's previously praised El Agave, just a couple of nights after eating there before.
The food held up on the second visit. They know how to cook seafood, and use really good quality seafood. The shrimp are really superb, nicely cooked and huge.
What was lacking this time was service. It was a waitress rather than the owner who previously served us. Maybe it was the kitchen's fault, but the food was pretty slow to arrive.
Maybe there's a bad feng shui energy about the place? There's a separate little room within the main dining room, and it was dark...just seemed strange.
So, on a 0-4 scale, 0 being putrid and 4 being dining ecstasy, I'd have to say the food is a 3.5...service(average of both nights) a 2, atmosphere 2, and value a 2.
This was a Friday night, and many restaurants are full on Fridays.
El Agave had a few customers, maybe 4 tables full, and perhaps that overwhelmed the kitchen, I don't know.
The slow service this evening was a bit of a disappointment, since I was so gung ho on the place a couple of nights ago.
But the food remains far above average for Seattle area Mexican food.

El Agave

El Agave is in Skyway at 11839 Renton Avenue, in one of Skyway's sleazy strip malls, near the Roman Casino. It's an unusual and ambitious Mexican restaurant. The menu is large and has many items not seen in other Mexican places, maybe because the owner is from the seaside state of Nayarit, unlike most of the Seattle area Mexican places, most of who's owners hail from Cuautla, Jalisco.
I had the Filete Agave, a tilapia filet topped with fresh crabmeat and cheese.
Diane, the spousal unit, had camarones al mojo: butterflied large prawns cooked in butter and roasted garlic. Both entrees were exquisite.
Another plus is the kickass salsa. Too many places have salsa that cater to gringoes. Thin, barely hot, insipid. Not El Agave. Their salsa was thick and hot.
The thing is...El Agave is out of place in Skyway, and very empty of customers. If the place were in Capitol Hill or Wallingford, it would be packed. But nobody goes to Skyway, at least not on purpose.
Skyway folks go to Renton to eat, or cook at home, and those that stay in Skyway frequent less ambitious and less expensive places, like Ezell's Chicken.
It's one of the mysteries of the restaurant world: Some places are extremely popular for no apparent reason, with bad food, bad service, bad atmosphere, and high prices...
And then there are places like El Agave: completely empty despite great food, friendly service, classically tacky green and pink walls, and a unique, seafood oriented menu.