THE SCENT OF FRYING GARLIC

SEATTLE
By Joe Ray 

 

“I love how this neighborhood smells like garlic,” said a friend as we walked from Stumptown down into the International District.

Coffee and frying garlic - what a nice way to lead into dim sum.

We’d tried to get into Harbor City last time I was in town only to be discouraged by the line at the door on a Sunday morning. Today, our group of eight got there early and waited it out.

Moments after tea is poured and my nephew Eli is installed in his booster chair, the first cart arrives - hum bow (pork bun), salty long beans, broccoli rabe, shu mai, fried calamari just need to have their little bamboo steamer opened and showed to our crowd to start a “Yes” chorus.

There’s something about dim sum that makes you forget that more will come if you wait. Whoever thought of the dim sum cart was a business genius: seat the hungry customer then immediately wave hot, fresh food under their nose. You may have a little mountain of dumplings in front of you, but would you like an order of sticky rice with meltingly good meat?

Hell, yes!

 

Count on $10-20 

Harbor City Restaurant – MAP
707 S King St.
Seattle
(206) 621-2228

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the 2009 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year and author of the blog Eating The Motherland. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @joe_diner.

Comments

[Joe]

Mmmm. Dim sum in San Francisco! (Or, well, just 'Mmm. Dim sum!) Years ago, I cooked and expedited at S.F.'s Betelnut and loved heading into Chinatown. Happy wanderings!

[Murissa Maurice]

I had a similar experience in San Francisco. We went to Chinatown for the first time and a local tea shop recommended we try a dim sum restaurant around the corner. It was so busy but we waited it out. They brought us so much food and we said yes to almost everything, being novice dim sum restauranteurs.
It was so good and I loved the steamed pork buns with a bit of that spicy red sauce they had at our table.
If you are staying in Seattle, try Elliot's Oyster House! So great!!!
The Wanderfull Traveler
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