Seattle Weekly
Where Cabbies Eat
If there's a line of taxis out front, you can bet the food is good.
By Liza B. Zimmerman
"... As a relative newcomer to Seattle, I always wondered what culinary surprises lurked behind restaurant doors here with rows of taxis outside. So I took a little time to find out, chatting with drivers on the day and night shifts, and hopping a ride to some of their favorite joints.
There are approximately 1,200 cab drivers in King County, according to Terry Davis, acting director of the county's Cab Drivers' Alliance. Almost all of them are male, with the exception of about five women, and they hail from 10 to 12 different countries, he estimates. "Most of the cab drivers are not really overweight," notes Davis. The reason becomes clear when you hear about the great ethnic eats they are digging into.
"I eat mostly at the Addis Cafe," says Worku Melese, as he sits in the cab line outside Seattle's posh Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Kitfo (steak tartare, prepared with butter) and tibs (a dish of spicy beef or lamb cooked with onions and peppers) are his favorites. The Addis, in the Central District, has a bar in front and traditional Ethiopian dyed reed tables upstairs for dining. The meat and vegetable combo plate ($13.99) is enough for two, and the light Harar beer ($4) pairs well with the spicy food. After dinner, you can even shoot a game of pool at the table in back. ... >>more |
