#under $7

[eatingtheave]

124. Sinners

Sinners Pizza opened quietly on the Ave in April, taking over the spot that housed Pagliacci for 39 years and then Supreme Pizza after that. Sinners continues the New York-style pizza tradition, and it has a devilish vibe, with its blood red signage and décor. Flames flicker on a screen inside, and they are rainbow-colored if its during Pride Month, like the day I visited.

But that's not the only thing that's wicked. Pizzas known elsewhere as pepperoni, Hawaiian or Italian are here called the Politician, the Heretic and the Altar Boy, in line with the theme.

The selection of pizzas at Sinners.

So is the pizza as devilish as it promises to be? I decided to try a pizza named the Hellfire, which is claimed to be so spicy that you need to sign a waiver to eat it. I did not get asked to sign the waiver -- although it was mentioned in the signage -- and I honestly wasn’t expecting that much in terms of spiciness. It sounded like a gimmick, and I like spicy food. The pizza looked harmless enough with its bacon and jalapenos.

I got two slices, pepperoni and the Hellfire. Pardon the poor picture. It's dark in there!

But let me tell you, I was wrong. The pizza was very spicy. My eyes watered, and I had difficulty talking. My words to my friend became coughs. I finally gave in and went to retrieve some ranch to dip it in. Hours later, my eyes still burned. I don't know if spice has ever made me feel this way.

And it was delicious. I don't know if I'd eat a whole slice of Hellfire again, but I would eat half. The slices are huge. After two slices, I was very full. The crust is also thin, crispy and sturdy. The slices do not droop when you hold them in one hand, despite their considerable size.

I needed ranch in order to finish the Hellfire.

When I lifted up my slice, I saw the underside was charred. I thought of my husband Chris, who is from Connecticut. New Haven style pizza featured a charred crust, so I knew it would please my very own pizza snob sitting at home.

Can't wait to also try Managers Pizza, featuring Indian pizza, soon!

[eatingtheave]

Dumplings, Mr. Bian Dumplings

Some friends who moved to Kansas came back into town. We met for lunch, and they told me they had a craving for dumplings. Luckily, this place had just opened!

These are the laobian dumplings, the style of dumplings that this place specializes in. These dumplings originate from the oldest dumpling house in China and are distinctive for having precooked fillings. 

When you order your dumplings here, you can choose to get them as dumplings that are boiled or steamed, or as pot stickers, which are fried and have that lovely crispy brownness on one side.

Beef and celery dumplings (top) and pork and shrimp dumplings (below). The beef and celery dumplings were a huge hit, loved passionately by my littlest dining companions! We ordered a lot of them.

We also ordered xiao long bao (soup dumplings), but I was too busy catching up with my friends to get a picture of them! 

All the food was pretty good, although it didn’t blow me away. I’d still rate these dumplings as more intriguing than even Little Kitchen’s dumplings, which got a lot of press at the time.

On Yelp, this place got a ding for service, and later, I was talking about this place with another friend, and she did remind me that they failed to bring out the soup that they list as complimentary on the menu. The blips don’t interfere too much with my enjoyment of the place. I’ll be back! 

$5.99 for six dumplings

4311 University Way NE

[eatingtheave]

Jerk drumettes and rice, Caribbean Island Bowls

This was solid for the HUB! Chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender. The jalapeno sauce was essential, and the garlic sauce was a great addition, particularly for the rice. I’d happily eat here again - good HUB offering.

$5.50

Husky Union Building

[eatingtheave]

Cookie monster, Sugar + Spoon

I had to go with the most unique variety of cookie dough, so I went with this bright blue concoction. “Blue dough + cookie crisp + Oreo,” the menu reads. Now I will say that I love cookie dough, and cookie dough ice cream is one of my favorite flavors. With that said, this was just too sweet for me. My tastes favor the savory over the sweet, so perhaps I’m not their target customer. I got a small, and I had to really commit to finish this bowl. The cookie crisp was pillowy when it should have been, well crisp, leaving weird unpleasantly chewy bits in the dough.

I did try Party Animal, the animal cookie dough. I’ll go again to try another variety. The novelty of it all still holds my interest.

You can also get this in a cone and with a scoop of ice cream or milk shot.

Small: $4.50

4518 University Way NE

[eatingtheave]

Chicken tatsuage, Village Sushi

We asked Joe what the difference between this and karaage was. He said, “not much but there are egg whites.” I’ll eat anything that basically comes down to two words: “fried” and “chicken.” 

I didn’t take pictures of everything, but we also ordered seaweed salad, edamame and tempura udon.

Next I want to try the sushi cone!

[eatingtheave]

Chili taco and braised bison taco, Off the Rez

It’s a match made in heaven for a Native American cafe to be inside the Burke Museum! The Burke is Washington’s oldest museum, and it celebrates our Native American heritage, natural history and other cultures in the state. It shows the power of food to act as a bridge to the past and present. These recipes and traditions were passed down from owner Mark McConnell’s mother, just as the artifacts in this museum have been passed down through the ages. Makes you a little misty, doesn’t it? 

When I try something new, I always want to try the most iconic dish, which brings me to the frybread tacos. Other options include a frybread breakfast burrito and braised bison rice bowl, which my friend Erik got today.

This picture doesn’t properly show the distinction between the two tacos, but one has a simple beef chili as its base and the other has braised bison, which was juicy, shredded and rich with flavor. Red meat lovers rejoice! The bread was soft and airy. This pair was the perfect amount of food for lunch. It feels substantial, but doesn’t leave a heaviness in my stomach.

Braised bison taco: $6.50 Chili taco: $5

[eatingtheave]

Kalua pork and portuguese sausage, Koa

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS PLACE!

It makes me so happy on several levels. First of all, the food was amazing. The kalua pork is the most juicy kalua pork I’ve ever had. And can you see how perfectly the egg is cooked?

Secondly, I love the economy of it all, both on your pocketbook and in your belly. This plate was a small and cost $5. I’ve been concerned about how much I was eating at lunch, and this plate, which is about the size of a salad plate, was the perfect amount of food for a casual lunch. And that price is hard to find in the U District these days! I’ve come back and split some medium plates. The medium plates cost $9, and they are huge! My friends were discussing how the large size, which costs $12, would be a great potluck dish.

Third, the homey feel of the restaurant is vintage U District. The cooks are genuinely excited to see you and share their food with you. When I’ve come to the restaurant, it hasn’t been busy, so my visit has been laidback and intimate, like my own little secret.

As soon as I ate here, and I came back to the office and told everybody about it. I love it! The secret is out.

$5