Sunny Teriyaki – 10/7/11

No Website

Location: 2035 NW Market Street

Hours:

Mon-Sat: 11am-9pm

As this project enters the home stretch, J and I are regretting leaving so many of the restaurants we weren’t exactly thrilled about on the list. So, in an effort to cross these off the list, we got dinner from Sunny Teriyaki, located in a little strip mall on the corner of Market and Leary.

Over the course of this project, Sunny Teriyaki closed for a few months then reopened under new management. I had take out from Sunny Teriyaki a couple times when I first moved to Ballard six years ago and thought it was mediocre. I was hoping under new management the food would have improved. At the very least, the interior seemed cleaner and better organized than it had been. The clear menu, consisting of teriyaki, yakisoba, and a few Chinese dishes, hangs over the order counter. There are a few tables for eating in the brightly lit restaurant but neither of us felt like eating there so we took our dinner home.

The Service:

The lady at the counter was friendly and our order came our relatively quick.

The Drinks:

J and I each had a can of Coke.

The Food:

J chose the Pork Yakisoba, pork, yakisoba noodles, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, and white rice. The noodles and sauce were okay, even though the portion size seemed rather small compared to other teriyaki joints. The pork just wasn’t good, tasting like the refrigerated, red barbeque pork found in grocery stores rather than like freshly cooked pork.

I ordered the Mongolian Beef, strips of beef, onion, scallions, and thai peppers with rice and a salad. Even though the salad was actually cold and crisp, the dressing was rather bland. I still don’t get why they include salads with teriyaki …

The Mongolian beef was okay, though there wasn’t a lot of it compared to the huge amount of rice they gave me. The sauce was spiced just right and wasn’t too sweet. The onions were cooked well without being mushy. The beef tasted kind of like beef but had strips of gristle running through it.

The Price:

Pork Yakisoba: 7.99

Mongolian Beef: 7.99

The Verdict:

Having running through all the teriyaki joints in Ballard, we have come to the determination that it’s impossible to find good teriyaki in this part of town. It’s just varying degrees of meh. Sunny Teriyaki was slightly less mediocre than Tony’s Teriyaki and more mediocre than Anne’s Teriyaki. None of these places are restaurants to which we would return. Frankly, if we’re in the mood for cheap Asian food, both Uma Thai and Thai Thani provide food far, far superior to any of the teriyaki joints for a comparable price.

Anne’s Teriyaki – 5/20/11

No Website

Location: 2246 NW Market St

Hours:

Mon-Sat: 11-9

Ann’s Teriyaki serves no-nonsense, cheap ass teriyaki from a storefront that looks as if the interior hasn’t changed since a previous incarnation as a Greek restaurant. Pale blue walls are lined with an inexplicable, completely useless shelf. The wall opposite from the service counter hosts a Greek themed mural. Considering I’ve never seen more than 5 or six patrons in the place at one time, there are a huge number of tables in the dining area. Even though I know it’s been there for at least 6 years, Ann’s Teriyaki has a “just set up shop” vibe.

The Service:

We received polite and quick service from the lady working the counter.

The Drinks:

J got a can of Coke and I chose a bottle of water. They do offer beer as well.

The Food:

Since they offered it, I got an order of Potstickers which were perfectly serviceable.

From their huge menu, I chose the Spicy Lemongrass Beef with onions and green peppers. My order came on a huge plate with a giant scoop of white rice. The beef turned out to be well cooked and tender with quite a bit of spice to it from a liberal sprinkle of red pepper flakes. The floral lemongrass flavor nicely came through in the sauce. The peppers and onions were cooked perfectly, retaining a nice crunch and snap. I could’ve done with a bit more beef, though. There was still a hefty portion of vegetables left once I finished eating the beef.

J ordered the Ann’s Special Noodles with pork. He found it good but unexpectedly bland. He ended up adding hot sauce.

The Price:

Coke: .75

Water: 1.50

Potstickers: 3.00

Spicy Lemongrass Beef: 6.75

Ann’s Special Noodles: 6.75

The Verdict:

Ann’s Teriyaki is a perfectly serviceable, no frills teriyaki joint. The food is okay and incredibly cheap. The service is quick. It’s just nothing special. Since we have two other teriyaki joints to try, it is still up in the air whether Ann’s is the best teriyaki in Ballard. We’ll see …

Frankly, I doubt we’ll go back. If either of us is in the mood for cheap Asian food it’s far more likely that we would go back to Uma Thai.