A quick disclaimer: my meal was comped here as part of a TasteCasting event, where despite marriage, I still get to be known as @grimord.
TasteCasting is a group of well-connected people I just got involved with, that eat at local restaurants, and then blog / tweet / review to promote them in the social media sphere.
Photo c/o Dianasaur Dishes
While I would have blogged about Chao Bistro regardless of my experience, I genuinely enjoyed my time at Chao Bistro in Seattle (on Pike & 12th), and will definitely be going back for seconds. Based on their so-so Yelp reviews, I was a little skeptical going into it. Dinner definitely changed my mind.
We sat down to 17 courses and 6 beverages, ranging breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. It really was quite the spread, but since their menu is so varied, it was great to get a perspective on what they have to offer.
Highlights: edamame, chicken fried steak, calamari, crab cakes, wasabi caesar
But let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
It all started with mimosas. Maybe the fact that I was buttered up with bubbles helped, but I had a life-changing experience with the chicken fried steak. Just the other day I was telling jon and tom how vile I thought the idea of CFS was. But I was right about one thing… bacon is a gateway drug. See, this chicken fried steak had BACON in the sausage gravy. It’s really quite incredible, actually. So simple. so tasty. I’m so a believer.
Photo c/o Dianasaur Dishes
There were a few things in particular that wow’d me about Chao Bistro. First, their edamame. I know this sounds simple, but the way Chef Kevin Ayleswhorth prepared the Wok Seared Edamame left most of my group saying this was one of our favourite items. Sauteed with Serranos, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, the edamame had everyone wondering why on earth no one thought of this preparation before. We all decided that they oyster sauce was the secret to the smooth, rich flavour. I thought it was really cool because I had previously not been able to pin point what exactly it is that oyster sauce lends to a dish.
Another little thing that was just fantastic was the sweet potato fries. Co-Owner Tony jumps in with an anecdote: Up until about 60 days ago, no one thought to make sweet potato fries into waffle fries. Doesn’t it seem like a natural extension of a French fry?
Photo c/o Dianasaur Dishes
A great way to start, Chef Kevin.
On to lunch.
The portions at Chao Bistro are giant, and the prices are really reasonable. Very objectively, I’d say Chao is a great value. They also have a Happy Hour, which I’ll have to check out. My first impressions of the place was that it was more comfortable than I expected it to be. Decorated simply in warm colours, Chao felt like a place I could either go to have a midday cocktail and write, or have a cozy dinner with friends.
The shoestring fries have a good ratio of crispy-to-crunchy and a good flavour. The kitchen is very conscientious about not using too much salt, which I appreciate. The Wasabi Caesar Salad was a cool twist on a classic.
While their menu was a little too broad in my opinion, they do a solid number of things very well. Some highlights from the dinner menu were the coconut crusted lemongrass crab cakes (all dungeness crab: not one of those really starchy cakes that a lot of places have), the WHOLE fried chicken (omg. it was crazy big and really moist.) and the flaming dave (a spicy-happy maki roll).
Photos c/o Dianasaur Dishes
The Flaming Dave, a maki roll with habañero and eel wrapped around jalapeños and tuna. Spicy spicy, it was a great pairing with the ultra-sweet lychee fruit sake. I bet it would be great to share with a beer after work. I’d avoid the fettuccine but opt for the steak-cut calamari. The calamari wasn’t something that I would have thought to order, but was really happy with. Tony said it was because we were used to the tubes and tentacles of calamari, but Chef Kevin hand cuts his breaded calamari steaks and serves them with a citrus-ginger aoili. The result is the springiest, lightest calamari I’ve ever had.
Photos c/o Dianasaur Dishes
Overall, a rad experience. Big thanks to the co-owner of Chao Bistro, Tony, who had really neat stories to tell, Chao Bistro manager Paula, who was an impeccable server to our vocal and excited group, Diana for being our TasteMaster and coordinating the event, my new friends Joseph, Daryn, Theresa, Leslie, and all the other awesome TasteCasters that made it.
