An Oasis in the Desert of Downtown

I often find myself in a veritable wasteland of restaurants when I am out and about downtown, this is probably a direct result of my going to great lengths to avoid obvious chain restaurants. On top of that I have little need for the “upscale” experience of Morton’s et al. Thus, I often find myself at a loss for good eats when tooling around downtown. Now, let me be clear, should you find yourself in the Pike Place Market neighborhood, you can hardly throw a stone without hitting some interesting little hole in the wall, or should you venture further North into Belltown you will again be in the vicinity of plenty of Foodie hotspots. However, if you are a movie fiend like me or are perhaps going to a play in the area around the convention center; all of the sudden you are in the middle of a food Bermuda Triangle. Where are the restaurants to support all of this cultured nightlife, I ask?

To solve this little dilemma for myself, I am slowly developing a list of restaurants that guarantee a happy little meal without either breaking the bank or the spirit (read: Cheesecake Factory or any other restaurant that deems it necessary to hand out pagers to waiting clientele). To date I have but a couple of restaurants that fit this description within one or two blocks of Pacific Place (My favored movie house in the downtown district) or the Convention Center (marking a balance between the Paramount, ACT Theater, and the 5th Avenue Theater). As I find new restaurant oases in the desert of downtown I will share them with you (and for goodness sake PLEASE supply me with other downtown dining gems should you have them), for today I will but mention my favorite:

Bambuza: This restaurant never fails to bring a smile to my lips. First and foremost, I love saying the name: Bam.booooz.ahhhh. Just delightful. This little posh Vietnamese restaurant is conveniently located just up the street from the Meridian 16 Theater (and incidentally, the Cheesecake Factory. Really, one should not be surprised to be shuffled in and out of some cavernous dining hall (however, cleverly disguised) when the word “factory” is included in the name...but I have already harped on this subject). I have often pulled Bambuza out of the air when meeting friends before a show and saved the culinary day (in my mind if none other). Bambuza is a small restaurant decorated in that particular fusion of Asian and Northwestern styles which is sure to please me: airy, with the presence of wood and vibrant colors. This in my opinion sets the tone nicely for the modern take on Vietnamese fare that graces elegantly simple dishware and accompanies your martini drink of choice; I can personally vouch for the Mad Mango and the Pom Pom Tini. On the menu, I’ve tried a number of items and found everything to be executed with a light hand and quite flavorful indeed – try the Saigon Grill Hand Roll platter. However, the thing that will always return me to their door is the Honey Glazed Walnut Prawn appetizer – sweet heaven on a plate! I consider this little ditty to be the best prawn dish in town.

So, next time you are wandering aimless and in a low blood sugar haze before or after your show, pop on over, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.