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

Kingfish Cafe

The Kingfish Cafe
602 19th Avenue East
Seattle, Washington 98112
206.320.8757
http://www.thekingfishcafe.com/

Southern food tends to be a tempting but inaccessible genre for my tastes as a vegetarian- everything looks delicious... but meat and pork fat seem to be everywhere.

The Kingfish Cafe has taken southern food and given it enough newfangled influence to make it accessible for a vegetarian. Meat eaters will find delicious looking versions classics like pork chops, battered catfish and fried chicken, but there are some real gems nestled in for the vegetarians too.

I started the meal with an appetizer of Fried Green Tomatoes. They came to the table coated in a light and gritty herbed cornmeal batter, and drizzled with both garlic and chipotle aiolis . Arranged on top were three plump hushpuppies... dense and moist and a little bit sweet, they had a deep brown crust and were outstanding. The entire plate was sprinkled with chopped tomatoes and parsley.
Next came the main dish. I ordered the Hoppin' John Griddlecakes. I was thrilled when they arrived and the plate was huge and half covered in massive green salad. The griddle cakes were delicious- black eyes peas and rice and roasted veggies mashed into patties and deep fried until crusty, then garnished with salsa and sour cream.
I am easily seduced by a large salad, and this was no exception. I felt like a rabbit in an endless garden... plenty of wild greens, no need to ration or hoard. My one complaint was that it was slightly overdressed, and by the end of such a joyous salad orgy, my tongue was feeling ravaged from so much vinegary dressing. I would ask for the dressing on the side next time.

I enjoyed the atmosphere, which while still casual, had the slightly giddy buzz of people dressed with a little more effort than what you usually see around Seattle.

In addition, there was a visually appealing bar, and a delicious looking dessert menu.

The Kingfish Cafe is a wonderful restaurant to have in the arsenal of places to go with a mixed group and ensure an impressive and satisfying meal for both the meat eaters and the vegetarians alike.