Cheap Food Critic

500 NW 65th St
Seattle, WA 98117

Mon-Fri 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Tue-Fri 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sat 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sun 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

I haven’t had many savory crepes in my life and the ones I have had only contained cheap store bought deli hams with shredded cheese out of a bag. I really have been missing out this whole time. The Ridgeback was my fist really great experience eating a savory crepe.

I came to the Ridgeback Cafe on a lazy Saturday before heading out to grab a few drinks with friends. The crepes were good sized yet not too filling where I could not drink later on. I got the Ridgeback Crepe which came with some seasoned roasted potatoes on the side for about $10. The filling for the crepe came with sausage, caramelized onions, avocado, sautéed mushrooms, cheddar cheese, spinach, and an egg. It is then topped with poblano sauce and crème fraiche (just writing this is making my mouth water). The sausage was a little salty but it was a nicely balanced with the avocados. The outer-layer of the crepe was also nice and crunchy. The side roasted potatoes on the other hand were a little on the hard-side, but not a big deal I didn’t really need them…the crepe were filling enough.

These guys are also one of the few places in the area that offer Secret Aardvark Sauce as a condiment on every table. This sauce adds a nice little kick to the food. To me this stuff is like Siracha/Rooster Sauce, you can eat it with almost anything.

In addition to the food it’s actually a great place to start your drinking as well. They have $3 beer special in the evening. The restaurant was very spacious with plenty of seating if you are meeting up with a large group of friends.

Yelp – 3.5/5.0 Stars (117 Ratings)

Location: Truly a Mobile truck.  Track them down here

Hours: Hours are normally lunch time on weekdays and afternoons on Sat but to be sure check their Twitter.

A newcomer to the mobile scene but they have made a huge splash winning the 2011 Mobile Food Rodeo in Seattle.

I tried their Seattle Cuban, the Picadillo, and Collard Greens with Ham Hock. I really enjoyed everything except the Picadillo which is what people seem to be raving about. I’m not sure what it really was about that Picadillo that let me down. I came here with high expectations that may have caused some of the disappointment. Or it maybe the lack of salt on the Picadillo. To me, all it really tasted like was Chinese five spice with bay leaves.

With that out of the way, now for the good stuff. The Seattle Cuban was fricking awesome. I really love the mojo pork and the red onion relish. The bread was also pressed perfectly leaving a crunchy shell for all the juiciness within. The sandwich came with a mango sauce which I though was not really necessary since there were already hunks of mango inside the Seattle Cuban. Maybe it would add more to the regular Cuban sandwich, since it does not come with mango. When eating the sandwich it was messy; the layer of butter on the bread will drip everywhere. Make sure you grab a few extra napkins.

As for the collard greens with smoked ham hock (meat from pig legs)…man, this was good! I definitely didn’t grow up eating greens but having traveled all over the US I have come to really appreciate it. For one, collard greens comes from the same family as kale; so the stuff is good for you. But most importantly it’s just delicious stuff (if cooked right). Snout and Co didn’t do anything anything with the greens I haven’t had already but the execution of the smoked ham hock added to the saltiness of the greens was an amazing combo.

In the end there was a lot more good than bad at Snout & Co. I would come back here for the sandwiches and the collar greens any day but will probably skip Picadillo in the future. So your next trip here, pickup the Seattle Cuban for about $9 after tax and if you really want to splurge try out the Collard Greens Carne style with smoked ham for about $5 after tax.

Note – The location I went to was in the Trident Seafood Headquarters at 5303 Shilshole Ave NW (they are here from 11-2). This location is really hidden. I had to drive all the way around this huge complex to find the food truck next to the loading bay for the semi-trucks.

Yelp – 4.5/5.0 (31Ratings)

6226 Seaview Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107

And

4225 Fremont Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103

Tue-Fri 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sat 11:00 am – 8:00 pm

If you are from Seattle and have not heard of Paseos, you really have been living under a rock (to quote the Geico commercial).  This place is soooo good.  The reviews on Yelp do not lie.  My favorites are the Cuban Press (fka the Midnight Cuban Press) and the Smokin Thigh Sandwiches.  The Midnight Cuban Press is filled with plenty of peppers, cheese, and pork that is so moist and juicy that it will fall apart when you eat it.  The Midnight Cuban will take a little longer to prepare compared to the other sandwiches but it is worth the wait.  The Smokin Thigh Sandwich is filled with flavorful dark chicken meat with caramelized onion.  Both sandwiches comes in the same harder-than-normal bread that soaks up all that juicy run off from your veggies, cheese, and meat.  You cannot go wrong with The Midnight Cuban Press or the Smokin Thigh but make sure you grab plenty of napkins though…trust me you’ll need them.

Note – With good food comes long lines.  However, you can call ahead and order over the phone to avoid the long lines.  You can also head to the second location down near Shilshole Bay/Ballard area.  The Shilshole Bay location has a few more seats and much better scenery being next to the water.  On those nice summer days definitely head to this location and take your sandwich to the beach/park to eat.  If you are looking for a Paseos fix in the winter time you may be out of luck.  These guys are normally closed for 2-3 months in the winter.

Also, remember both locations are cash only and have very limited seating (like 10 seats).

Fremont Location:
Yelp – 4.5/5 Stars (1578 Ratings)

Ballard Location:
Yelp – 4.5/5 Stars (378 Ratings)