Crow is the other restaurant run by the same people who run Betty. It’s in the South Queen Anne area. And damn, is it a bitch to find parking around there. Crow’s got a very similar setup to Betty. A good sized dining area, not too big, and a chef’s counter. I sat at the chef’s counter, of course. That’s where all the action is! The same exact bread and oil as Betty. But this time around, my bread wasn’t nearly as crunchy or crusty. And I liked it much better this way. It was good before, but it was great this time. Like Betty, the menu is fairly small. And they also have a $30 fixed price option during the week. But like Betty, I didn’t go for that. Upon the server’s recomendation, I ordered the calimari as an appetizer. It was seared calamari with capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and a risotto cake. I don’t like capers, but I asked her if I would like it anyway, despite my dislike for capers, and she said yes. And also that they could make it without the capers. I said they could just make it normally and I would just avoid the capers. And avoid them I did. I knew I didn’t like capers, but I wasn’t sure why. So I tried a few, just to make sure. And it certainly cemented my dislike for them. The dish was a bit more bland than I expected, even with the sun-dried tomatoes. But I quite liked the risotto cake. It was like a hash brown, but made with rice. Crunchy on the outside. The fish of the day was seared black cod, served with black rice and baby bok choy in a hoisin vinaigrette sauce. Although there were other things on the menu that were very enticing (like the short ribs), I had to get this.  Oh this was so good. I watched one of the chefs make my fish, from start to finish. First she cooked it in the pan a bit, and then baked it in the oven. It was cooked perfectly. The black rice had such a strong flavor, and it was cooked just enough, with a tiny bit of crunch. The baby bok choy was also delicious. And it was plenty of food for me. Once again, no room for dessert.

We took a drive to the Mill Creek Town Center to have lunch at La Palmera. It’s a mexican joint, in case you couldn’t tell. It was doubly gawdy as it was decorated in over-the-top mexican kitche, along with valentine’s day decorations. It was a garish combo. But there was nothing garish about the chips and salsa. Good stuff. The salsa was just spicy enough, but not too much so. I got an enchilada and taco combo, both with beef. It came with beans and rice, both of which were pretty good. I liked the enchilada, the taco was only ok. It wasn’t particularly authentic, and the taco would have been much better with a soft corn tortilla and real fixins, like onions and cilantro, instead of lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes. Enchilada was pretty good though. B got the gordita combo. EEG. Take a look at this humongo thing. It’s like an enormous taco. Or a taco salad served in a big shell, instead of a bowl. It’s daunting, isn’t it? Service was just fine. Pretty decent food at decent lunch prices.

After having some of the best sushi ever, I was hankering for some more. Which probably wasn’t a good thing. Because I basically set myself up for disappointment. Any sushi after Guu is not going to be guud enough. But my cravings won out. After consulting my trusty yelp, I found a place right near my hotel – Ta-Ke Sushi. This is a hard place to find. It’s in a shopping center, but in the most hiddenest place in the whole damn shopping center. I had to drive around several times to find it. It didn’t help that their sign wasn’t lit up either. Once I finally got there, it was fairly deserted. The whole time I was there, there were only two other parties dining. It was a shame, but it was a Tuesday night in Bothell. I sat at the bar to watch the chef at work. Started off with a salad. Loved it. I just got the sushi special. They have a bunch of goofy rolls, and I love me some funky sushi rolls, but I decided to go simple and just get a sampler instead. This was good sushi, but it wasn’t great sushi, you know? And if I hadn’t just eaten at Guu, it might have been great sushi. But I’m ruined. And so I only found it to be good. You can’t blame a girl for having been ruined for life for any other sushi besides Guu. They had a dessert special that night – tempura cheesecake. No joke. It’s a piece of cheesecake dipped in tempura batter and fried. And damn, if it wasn’t delicious. I like cheesecake, so deep fry it? Yeah, it’s even better. Everyone was super nice. My server was nice, the sushi chef was super nice, and the lady who prepared my tempura cheesecake was a sweetheart. It seemed like they were a family. It’s an adorable little family run sushi joint. Please go!

Ta-Ke
Canyon Park Shopping Center
1427 228th St SE
Bothell, WA 98021
(425) 398-0953