Monday, October 27, 2008

ZAB Thai Resaurant - 11108 Evergreen Way Suite A

Stephanie and I carried in dinner from ZAB on October 26, 2008. Officially, ZAB is outside of our range because it is North of Airport Way. Oh well, it is going to get rated anyway.

We had tofu fresh rolls, mango prawns and chicken swimming rama. We got the entrees 4 out of 5 on the spice scale. The food was delicious but the portions were disturbingly small. If I eat at ZAB again I am going to get spice level 3. I don't have any comments on the atmosphere because we carried in (plus, Stephanie picked up the food). All in all, there are other Thai restaurants that have equally good food for the same price but BIGGER PORTIONS. Lunch cost $30 with the 10% Boeing employee discount.

Grade - 2 (adequate).

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Sparta's Pizza and Spaghetti - 17630 Highway 99, Lynnwood

Stephanie and I had lunch with our friends Aaron and Joelle (look for possible guest columns) at Sparta's on October 26, 2008. Stephanie had a hot chicken sandwich and I had eggplant parmesan. Stephanie also had a house salad with creamy feta dressing and I had potato cheddar soup.

We got a really good vibe from Sparta's and immediately got the sense we would like it. The atmosphere was warm and the place was patronized by some families. My potato cheddar soup was excellent, as was the dressing on Stephanie's salad. The salad itself, however, was underwhelming. It consisted of olives, cheese and bagged iceberg lettuce. Given my level of expectation after walking in the door, I was a little disappointed with our meal. I thought that the sauce was too sweet. Also, I though that Stephanie chicken sandwich could have used some of the sauce (despite its sweetness). Lunch for the two of us was $29 plus tip

Sparta's, you are a restaurant I want to love but you're not quite there. Grade - 2 (acceptable).

P.S. Sparta's, according to Sparta's, has the best pizza in the universe. Look for a follow up post next time we want to order in pizza and I will attempt to validate this claim.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Marcos Restaurant and Lounge - 17525 Highway 99 # A

Stephanie and I ate at Marco's on October 18, 2008. We had lunch. I had the meatloaf special which included meatloaf, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, steamed peas and carrots and a cup of turkey noodle soup. Stephanie had the Almond Chicken Salad which featured almond crusted chicken and Marco's homemade mandarin orange dressing. The original bill was $25. Because we used the Passport Card, we got my entree free so we ended up paying $18 with tax and tip.

We have driven by Marco's a million times as it is in the same shopping center where we rent our movies and do our grocery shopping. Marco's has much to desire in terms of decor. Although we have talked about going in for years (literally), it wasn't until last Saturday that we took the plunge. Attention Marco's: spruce up the place if you want more customers!

The food was tasty. My soup had too much salt. Stephanie's almond chicken tenders were a nice twist on an old favorite but the rest of the salad left much to be desired. The salad was served in a big glass bowl. It consisted of what was quite obviously bagged romaine mix with the chicken breast on top. The dressing was overly sweet for my taste. Also, in the prefab spirit, the vegetables that came with my meal were obviously just steamed frozen P's and C's. The service was attentive but slightly annoying. I was asked 3 times if I wanted more coffee after I had informed the waiter that I had had enough.

If they spruce the place up, we might go back. The clientele were mostly old people reading newspapers sprinkled with a few bikers in the lounge area. We felt like we could easily make the food at home.

Marco's Restaurant and Lounge - Grade: 2 (acceptable).

The Challenge Begins

Welcome all and thanks for reading. My name is Abe. I am a resident of Lynnwood, WA. My wife, Stephanie, has lived in Lynnwood for 3 years and I have lived here for 1. In our time in Lynnwood, we have had many occasions to drive up and down Aurora Ave., AKA Highway 99. Aurora is littered with hundreds of restaurants, many tucked away into strip malls. My wife and I are of the opinion that some of these restaurants must be good; a select few must be amazing.

The trouble is: how to tell? How can one possibly sift through this sea of eating options and know which restaurants are worth his time? Enter Eating Aurora. The goal of this blog is simple. I, accompanied at times by my wife, will eat at every single restaurant on Aurora between Airport Way (in the North) and Edmonds Way (in the South). In addition to a summary of what we ordered, how it tasted and what it cost, each restaurant will receive one of 3 rankings: 1) never again; 2) acceptable; and the coveted 3) will return. I anticipate that the overwhelming majority of restaurants will score a 2. Setting out to eat at these hundreds of locations, the 3 will be a mark of distinction indeed.

So friends, the stage is set, the challenge is on and Eating Aurora is underway!