Paseo

I've written favorably about Paseo in Fremont before, but there is a second location that has opened near Golden Gardens Park in the last few years and I recently stopped by for what I can pretty confidently say is just about best sandwich in the city.

First I should mention that the new location is simple, but gets the job done and is great for summertime: You order your food from a bright pink shack, then eat it outside at some covered picnic tables.

What I love about Paseo is that they have an awesome vegetarian sandwich that absolutely lacks in no hedonistic way. It comes on a toasty hot baguette and is filled with marinated grilled tofu, amazing (somewhat pickled?) grilled onions, lettuce, and my favorite part: grilled jalapeno slices that have had some sort of magic infused in them that make them addictingly fantastic. All of this is slathered in some kind of deliciously flavored buttery mayonnaise-y sauce (I try not to think too hard about this part), and some lettuce and the result is 100% pleasure.

Paseo

The meat is clearly the specialty here, but this smart little restaurant has done something fantastic for the vegetarians: they've created a tofu version of their messy, saucy, delicious sandwich that doesn't hold back on all of the other elements... plenty of grilled peppers, onions, cilantro, spices and greasy (in a delicious way) sauce and slices of tasty tofu on a fresh warm baguette type bread.

It is probably my favorite tofu sandwich in the city, but one that I eat somewhat rarely because it drips so freely in flavorful fats that I tend to leave Paseo 95% satisfied, 5% preoccupied with finding myself some spinach.

The restaurant is small, and popular which lends to long waiting times and difficulty snagging one of the greasy plastic tables. It's not really the sort of place that you'd go to with the intent of spending the evening at your table and lingering over a slow dinner because it is so small and chaotic feeling inside.

But the food is delicious, and supplies exactly the sort of vegetarian indulgence that I dream of stumbling upon in a restaurant known for it's amazing meat.

UPDATE 2/10/08

Went to Paseo the other evening within an hour of closing time, and found that they were sold out of sandwiches (as their hand lettered sign applogized, "yes, really.") So instead I ended up with a rather delicious dinner out of two remarkable sides:

1. The House Salad. I love this salad... it begins with a base of fresh green romain lettuce, then is genorously piled with thin, crisp shreds of purple cabbage, marinated beets sticks, cilantro and a tangy lime vinegrette.

2. Tofu with Rojo Sauce. I was really surprised at what I recieved here... given the price (under $4), and the designation as a "side", I was expecting a small pile of something, but instead received a full dinner sized plate with a nice mound of basmati rice (it always tastes really good here... butter?) with a great pile of their delicious tofu strips in a rich and spicy red sauce. I was having a hard time figureing out the flavours in the sauce... I think I could pick out a red pepper/tomato base/onion base, but the details of the rest were elusive. It sure was good though.

Island Soul

I just came from lunch at Island Soul, the new Caribbean restaurant in Columbia City, and I think I have found my new Columbia City favorite.

Island Soul is in the building that used to house the (now gone) Wellington, and the new owners (who used to own Casuelita's Island Soul in the Central District) have done a nice job changing the feel of the place. Instead of the sultry, dingy darkness that used to be the Wellington, the new place is full of light, and has cheery, clean bright feel.
The menu was surprisingly vegetarian friendly (was I dreaming it up?) and in my order I modified a BBQ tofu sandwich to be Jerk Tofu sandwich. As we waited for our food, the owner's wife came out of the kitchen to check in with me because their Jerk sauce is made with meat. She offered some other ideas, and we decided upon giving the tofu a vegetarian spice rub. With my sandwich, I had a choice of salad or Caribbean slaw, and chose the latter.

The sandwich came and was tasty. The tofu was hot and soft, just how I like it, and had a slightly piquant spice rub. The sandwich also had some raw onions and chopped tomato and garlicky mayonnaise-y sauce. It is hard not to compare a Caribbean style sandwich to the messy saucy delight that comes from Paseo, and with that in mind, I could have probably enjoyed a few more ingredients in the sandwich (maybe something like grilled onions and jalapenos).
The Caribbean style coleslaw was my favorite type of slaw: plenty of vinegar and no mayonnaise. It was a nice mix of both green and purple cabbage, carrots, tomato, peppers, and bits of other finely chopped veggies.
We also ordered a side of their Collard greens, which are vegan (!). They were the best greens I've had in a restaurant anywhere. They had plenty of flavour, but weren't over salted. They were meltingly tender, but still seemed fresh and structurally intact. And, they had bits of chopped carrots and peppers mixed in, which made them quite visually appealing.
The owner, who is also one of the cooks, came out to check up on our meal when we were done. He is a really friendly guy (in fact, the entire staff was exceptionally warm), and he told me that he had been raised a vegetarian, and his mother was quite the vegetarian cook growing up. He said he's got a mind full of delicious things to do with tofu.

Some other vegetarian items straight from the menu:

* An appetizer called, "Little Islands" that consists of little breads filled with savory black beans, feta and avocado
* BBQ Tofu sandwich
* Coconut cornbread
* Tamal Azteca (layered dish with tortillas, roasted vegetable, cheeses, and chipotles tomato sauce)
* Curried Tofu
* A dish of tofu with onions and peppers

And plenty more. I am so excited about this place! It is a moderately priced restaurant (sandwich was $7.50, most sides are $1-4, many dishes are in the $12-15 range, and there are a couple ranging up to about $19), which is a little more than I usually go for, but seems reasonable still. It's off to an exceptional start in my book, I am really stoked to go and try some more dishes.

Island Soul

(206) 329-1202

4869 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118