The Local 104 — please make a note of it.

If you travel east on Ballinger Way, (or Highway 104 is it’s also known), from Mountlake Terrace. you’ll see something that should spark your interest. About halfway from Thriftway Foods on your way to Lake Forest Park’s Town Center, you’ll notice a space on the left — a convenience store for decades — is now occupied by The Local 104.

Put this place on your list.

It’s a restaurant that’s hard to describe in a few words. It’s not defined by its comprehensive wine list, or the 30 taps of beer and hard cider that stand at attention behind the bar. Nor do the excellent and innovative small plates and salads that include intriguing ingredients like romanesco, shaved fennel, pomegranate, and pickled persimmon tell you the full story.

I could sing you the praises of the Neapolitan-style pizza, which co-owner Tony Vujovich  jokingly calls “neo-Neapolitan“ since The Local 104 concentrates more on local sourcing and quality ingredients than with meeting the exacting standards of what purists would describe as a “true” Neapolitan pizza.

It wouldn’t be hard for me to single out any number of menu items for recommendation. The mac & cheese for instance, complete with traditional elbow pasta and scattered with bread crumbs, is just like my mom would have made if she’d had access to a good gruyere and Beechers Flagship cheese.

How about Po’ boys, shredded pork sandwiches; potatoes fried in duck fat and paired with wine-soaked prunes; or a delicious panna cotta dessert of chocolate, marscapone and whipped cream, which can be paired beautifully with a French press of Tony’s Coffee? Hopefully, you’re beginning to get an inkling of what to expect.

Still, a good restaurant is more than the sum total of its food.

We received excellent service as well, and the space itself has been completely transformed. It’s beautifully appointed, spacious, warm, sparkling clean and attractive. The modern design makes it a place where you are content to just be. Their deck spaces in front and back will be a wonderful addition when our good weather returns.

Don’t like to fight crowds? Take-out is an option, or just arrive early. They’re currently open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m. It was filling up fast when we left at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Open now for six weeks, the time has flown by for co-owners Margaret Edwins and Tony Vujovich. Since their Halloween day opening, business has been brisk.“It’s been crazy busy,” said Vujovich. “It’s all the pent-up demand.”

Both Edwins and Vujovich bring plenty of restaurant experience with them. Edwins’ work as owner and chef at predominately-French 611 Supreme located on Capitol Hill kept her occupied for 18 years. Vujovich has been doing wood-fired pizza at various locations in Woodinville for many years and more recently with a pop-up restaurant in north Seattle. It doesn’t hurt that both Vujovich and Edwins are welcoming, warm and charming individuals.

Drop in and enjoy the vibe. I think I’ve found a new favorite.

The Local 104
18498 Ballinger Way N.E.
Lake Forest Park
206-309-4104
www.thelocal104.com

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Making the rounds — Hosoonyi Tofu Restaurant

I’m taking advantage of the fact that my son is fascinated with all things related to Asian cuisine. With any luck, before he graduates from high school, I will have visited every decent Asian restaurant in South Snohomish county.

Described as Korean gourmet cuisine, Hosoonyi Tofu Restaurant is on my “must return” list. Their menu is just too broad to get a full appreciation of their offerings in a single visit. I am especially interested in trying their Gal-Bi or Korean barbecue beef short rIbs, which came to a table near me after I’d ordered, making me a little wistful.

Finding Hosoonyi might be a little challenging. It’s located at 23830 Highway 99, Suite #114 in the back of the shopping center directly south of the Safeway at 238th and Highway 99.

Clean, and well lit, with prompt and courteous service and a plethora of menu choices, this restaurant serves a great deal more than tofu. Many items are available with seafood, beef, pork and chicken.

One of the most remarkable things about our entrées was the accompanying 12 sides dishes. They included three styles of prepared daikon, pickled hard boiled eggs, fish cakes, tofu, potato in sweet sauce, cucumber, sprouts, and seaweed. Given the generous portions provided by the entrées themselves, we found ourselves in for a real feast.

It was fun first sampling each of the delicacies, and then deciding which to work into our large steaming bowls of food.

One in our party that night is not a particularly intrepid eater. He settled on the Ramen Bowl, which turned out to be an excellent choice for him. Aside from a vast array of vegetables, the ramen itself was quite good, but the clincher was the broth. In fact, the broth of each of our entrées was excellent and really made the dishes exceptional.

I ordered Maeun Ohjinguh Deopbap, or spicy stir-fried squid with rice. The squid provided a nice texture to the abundant vegetables. It was great with the side of sticky rice that came with the dish. I didn’t find the spicy heat to be overwhelming.

My son’s spicy chicken got the best of him a couple of times. He ordered more water (twice) in spite of my protestations that the way to put out that fire would be with more rice, not with water. He left the restaurant well-hydrated.

Hosoonyi 
23830 Highway 99 #114
Edmonds
425-775-8196
www.hosoonyikoreanrestaurant.com

– By James Spangler