We visited Revel for the first time just four days after it opened in mid-December. We fell in love. We went again last Monday, and fell even harder.

Brought to us by chefs Rachel and Seif of Joule (two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet), Revel is a more casual, Korean street food sort of place. The main feature of the restaurant is the huge wood bar that serves as a work counter for the staff and a table for the guests. On our first visit we sat at the bar and had the cooks all wandering by giving us the hairy eyeball to see if we liked the food. Which we did. Oh, yes we did.

There are salads, savory pancakes, and dumplings…

…with a wide array of condiments. I love the nam pla prik, but Jon really likes the spicy miso.

Their rice bowls are the high point for us. Each is a meal in itself, balanced with protein, vegetables and a potent condiment like kimchi, plus a rich egg yolk to mix into the rice with your chopsticks. The short rib with pickled daikon was delicious, but the albacore with grilled escarole and fennel kimchi was deliriously good. I still get hungry for it every time I look at that picture.

Along with their own house-made dumpling skins (flavored specifically for each type of dumpling), they make noodles. We tried the clams last time, which are served in a salty broth with fresh hand-cut spinach pasta. I haven’t tried the duck meatballs yet, but I suspect it won’t be long.

There is also a bar. Called “Quoin”, it’s only open in the evenings, but they have some intriguing cocktails. Next summer I anticipate spending some quality time on the deck outside the bar and trying them all out.

And then there’s dessert. At the moment they have three kinds of ice cream sandwiches: pound cake with coffee ice cream and milk jam, coconut macaroons with kaffir lime ice cream and a cherry compote (huckleberry on our first visit), and chocolate chip with caramel. You know I’m not a dessert person, but these I can go for. The only complaint I can come up with is that the sauce for the macaroon overwhelms the delicate flavor of the kaffir lime, but it’s a small quibble. We just ate them separately.

This place makes us happy.

Do you like beer and fries? How about mussels? Or single malt Scotch? If any of the above catch your eye, Brouwer’s is the place you’ve been dreaming of.

Located in an unlikely building that looks like a cross between a castle and a warehouse (and feels that way on the inside, too), Brouwer’s is a Belgian-inspired bar and restaurant in the Center of the Universe (otherwise known as Fremont to you non-Seattleites). We’ve gone many times (as have my parents) and are constantly blown away by the length of the beer list, the quality of the fries, and the astonishing tastiness of the merguez lamb burger.

On Halloween we stopped in for lunch, and as usual the place was deserted. I assume the bar fills up at night when the hipsters come out of the woodwork, but every time we’ve ever been there for lunch it’s been echoingly empty. And nearly pitch black, except for the odd tubular skylight. We sat ourselves in a dim booth against the craggy rock wall and amused ourselves with the drinks list (it has over 60 types of Scotch, not to mention a staggering number of bottled beers). As usual, I recognized almost nothing on the beer draft list and had to ask for suggestions – I ended up with an Elliott Bay Seasonal, the Hop Von Boorian I believe. Jon got a Boundary Bay dry Irish stout, which we haven’t seen around lately and is always excellent.

As usual, one of us had to get the lamb burger. It may be the best lamb burger in the entire universe. Don’t believe me? Here’s the description: 8oz patty ground in-house with spicy Merguez seasonings, topped with julliened roasted red peppers, chipotle mayo, and fresh mozzarella. Served on a fresh baked roll. Hoo yeah.

I had mussels there for the first time on this visit (I usually get derailed by the fish and chips, which are astounding). Moules frites being a classic Belgian dish, Brouwer’s offers three different versions on their current menu. I got the “winter mussels,” which were bathed in a cream sauce full of sausage and cilantro and I’m not sure what else. It was dark in there. They were tasty. In any case, I loved the presentation of the mussels, served in a large pot with a shell discard bowl fitted into it and a plate of frites perched on top. It felt like an occasion.

The mussels themselves were as high quality as anything I’ve ever eaten – fresh, plump and perfectly cooked. One order plus a salad would be plenty for lunch for two people (assuming your companion can be talked out of the lamb burger).

And the fries? They are, truly, astonishing. Every waitress I’ve talked to at Brouwer’s admits that she has a terrible time working around those fries every single day. They are just SO GOOD. Hie thee to Brouwer’s and try some, see if you don’t agree.

We had a few errands to run in the Center of the Universe (otherwise known as Fremont), and took the opportunity to eat lunch at one of our favorite places, the 35th Street Bistro. It has a lot of what I like: great natural light, good wine list, French-themed bistro food that isn’t too locked into the classics, one of the best cheese plates in town, and a darned good hamburger. We’ve been here many times, and I can only remember being disappointed once (I shouldn’t have ordered the yam thread fries).

On this visit, we honored our immediate cravings: J got the burger, which is a magnificent, juicy, rich-tasting production, with a glass of barolo, and I indulged in the moules frites with a glass of verdejo. As always, the food was solid, well seasoned, and well prepared. The frites were perhaps not quite as good as the ones at Bistro Zazou, but still excellent, hot and crispy. We passed up even looking at the dessert menu (I knew it would just get me into trouble). This place makes me happy.