Author Memry Hamik.

Reviews by Memry Hamik,
Osprey Restaurant Critic

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The urge to explore should never be stifled, but more often than not, when the yearning to travel hits, most of us are unable to jump the next flight or set off immediately into the hills with a backpack and a walking stick.

For those moments, it’s time to let your taste buds do the traveling.

Despite our secluded location here on the North Coast, eclectic restaurants representing nearly every corner of the globe surround us, providing ample opportunity to take a trip to any culture, be it for lunch or for dinner. Here are a few we recently tried.

The Chosun House brings the taste of Korean cuisine from halfway around the globe to the Safeway plaza in downtown Arcata. Tucked in an easy-to-miss corner, the restaurant’s location and lacey white décor belie the fact that their food is just as delicious as it is exotic to those who are new to the flavors of this area of the world.

The menu is written in English, as well as Korean, so take your time and enjoy a cup of rice tea while deciding what each entree entails - in either language. The waitresses were very patient and accommodating to my deluge of questioning, keeping me full of complimentary rice pancakes while I finally decided on the Tok Bok Gi (a spicy rice cake) and the Maen Dak Bulgog (charbroiled chicken in a specially formulated sauce). I was nervous about my order, because I didn’t know what to expect, but figured it’d be best to just sit back and enjoy the experience.

After taking my order, the waitress went back into the kitchen and began cooking the food, leaving me impressed with the smooth, one-woman operation. Almost immediately, the food was on its way to my table, and looked like nothing I had ever seen.

The colors of the sauces seemed similar to neon, in that they glowed, and the smells were totally unfamiliar to my American nose, yet incredibly enticing. Diving in, I was not surprised that it was delicious. The spices were more flavorful than tear- inducing, and the chicken was done to perfection. The specially formulated sauce that I’d been nervous about seemed similar to the hoisin sauce that’s used in stir-fries in other Asian dishes, and was fantastic.

I finished every bite, barely overcoming the urge to lick the empty corners of the square plate, and leaned back in my chair, beginning to plan my next visit. The Chosun House can easily accommodate large parties, with entrees so huge and served in such a way that big groups would have a great time sampling different dishes in a restaurant that’s off the beaten track. There’s a ton of vegetarian dishes on the menu, and they’ve got a great selection of local and eclectic beers at reasonable prices.

I must admit my favorite moment at the Chosun House came when it was time to leave. That’s when I was given the melon-flavored gum presented with each bill. There was no better way to top off an evening exploring the flavors of Korea.

It is one thing to grab a burrito on the go, squirting salsa from a plastic packet and chomping while ambling to your next class, but it’s an entirely different experience to sit down, crack a Corona, and slowly enjoy the special of the day at Jalisco.

This Mexican restaurant is hard to miss; the mural that decorates every inch of the exterior of the building brings a homey look to the otherwise noxious lights of its nearby fast-food neighbors. When you enter Jalisco, you enter the heart of a small Mexican villa. As the host leads the way to one of the booths lining the room, it seems as though you’ve entered another era.

The menu at Jalisco creatively combines traditional Mexican dishes such as tostadas, tamales, and enchiladas with necessities to the Northern California diet, such as ample vegetarian dishes and tofu substitutions upon request. The numerous options available make the decision-making process almost agonizing, but the warm tortilla chips and zesty salsa immediately brought to the table make it worthwhile to take your time. There are also daily specials to consider. Because the prices are so reasonable, a couple of Coronas can accompany the meal.

Once a decision is made, hold back the urge to gorge on the chips, despite the tasty salsa, because the sizes of the entrees at Jalisco are sure to stuff any hungry eater. The guacamole is also worth waiting for; it is fresh, homemade and delicious.

To maintain a healthy appetite while waiting for your food, you can take the opportunity to introduce yourself to your fellow diners. Jalisco’s booths are set up in such a way that some of your neighbors are situated so close they may as well be considered your friends, if not part of the family.

Small talk will inevitably come to an abrupt halt once the food arrives, however. Regardless of what you’ve ordered, the food will be fresh, hot, and delicious. The thing to keep in mind is that most of Jalisco’s dishes will keep fine in the refrigerator overnight, and are perfect for the next day’s lunch. Regardless of whether or not you’re able to finish your meal, leaving Jalisco stuffed is the perfect way to finish a long day at school or a rough day at the ranch.

Jalisco is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and offers a great coupon deal in the back of the county phone book.

It is the paradise of geography buffs who roam the globe searching for glimpses of the Earth’s dance, the continental grind, or in other more simple terms, plate tectonics. The ring of fire is what they call it, the rumbling volcanic movement of continental plates that meet at the edge of the Pacific in every direction.

Such is the namesake of the Pacific Rim Noodle House, a small unpretentious take-out kitchen at 1021 I Street in Arcata that is home to the most fiery sauces and creative wraps this side of the North American land mass.

I happened upon the Noodle House one afternoon between classes as I was hunting for a quick lunch within walking distance from campus. I was lucky to arrive when I did, because as I was agonizing over the many choices on the menu, a long line of apparent regulars began to form behind me. My decision was a tough one, due to the varied fare of sushi, tortilla wraps, soups, daily specials and noodles (of course!). I finally decided on thick Chinese noodles with Asian style BBQ sauce, which the menu promised would be sweet and spicy.

It was only moments before my lunch was ready, and since I couldn’t wait another second to munch I plopped down on the Noodle House’s only bench and began to attack the huge steaming pile of Chinese noodles with chopsticks. The spice in the BBQ sauce immediately made my nose run and my eyes water, but the food was too delicious for me to stop and attempt to recover. I ate and ate, even enjoying the battle to control my chopsticks. I was forced to stop gorging only because my class was about to begin, but luckily my noodles were already in a to-go container and the serving size was big enough so that I could easily continue to eat all day long.

For anyone visiting the Noodle House, I recommend any and all dishes that are described as spicy, because they definitely live up to the description. Their meals are designed and packaged for eating elsewhere, which is something definitely to take advantage of on the occasional dry day, and their location near the plaza makes for a perfect opportunity for a picnic in the heart of Arcata.

Although easily overlooked, the Pacific Rim Noodle House is a perfect, inexpensive place to find creative food that gives a taste of what it might be like if the rim of fire was a noodle. They’re open from 11-7 every day but Sunday.

Smile of Siam in Eureka is a restaurant that seems to have reached almost legendary standing in this city, so I set out to separate myth from fact in an investigation of their much-praised cuisine. At first, I was skeptical.

The restaurant sits on Fourth Street, surrounded by used-car lots, car-stereo stores and cars breaking the speed limit on their way down the 101. Inside, the atmosphere is refreshingly peaceful, with soft music and a bubbling fish tank that quickly distracts from the roar of outside traffic. The décor is simple and almost too bare, but the booths are comfortable and the service was quick and friendly.

I expected to spend quite a while navigating the menu, but each dish was clearly described so that the hardest part became deciding what to order, not what everything was. There are numerous vegetarian dishes, so many that there is a whole section of the menu devoted to meatless dishes of all flavors and varieties. I suddenly began to realize why Smile of Siam is so popular.

The Tom Yum Kai soup arrived first in a dish that shot flames from the center of a volcano-like structure with the soup served moat-style around it. The lemongrass galanka root and keiffer lime leaf were new to my palate, but they combined deliciously with a touch of spice to make the best soup I have ever eaten. I was so absorbed in watching the flames shooting from the inner mechanism of the bowl I didn’t even finish the soup before the Ginger Chicken arrived, piled atop a mound of steamed rice. I was in absolute heaven. The chicken had a slight taste of ginger and was covered in a sweetish sauce that tasted a little like teriyaki. Far too soon it was all gone, and I would have gladly ordered dessert if the meal hadn’t stuffed me beyond capacity.

I left Smile of Siam almost dizzy with delight. It is true! The restaurant is every bit as good as its well-earned reputation, and in my opinion even better. So slow down, follow the speed limit, and head to Smile of Siam. They’re open seven days a week for both lunch and dinner. both lunch and dinner.

The Kebab Cafe

The Kebab Cafe.

When rain is coming down, there’s rain in the forecast, and mushrooms growing in the shower, it’s only a matter of time before dreams of warm sun, sandy beaches, and cloudless skies begin to invade the brain. For those of us who are stuck hoarding quarters for gas money instead of plane tickets, I have discovered an easy solution to the wet winter doldrums.

The solution is the Kebab Café in Arcata’s Valley West Shopping Center. This family-run restaurant specializes in gyros, shish kebobs and falafel sandwiches, yet its menu has dishes for any vegetarian and it boasts the best hamburgers in the county for those content with a good ol’ American meal.

I’m embarrassed to say I knew absolutely nothing about Mediterranean food, but I was eager to give it a try in the hopes that I could vicariously enjoy the sun and the sand pictured in the posters of Turkey that decorated the café. I must have been obviously new to the cuisine, because immediately after I walked in the door and eyed the massive grill located right behind the front counter, the very friendly woman taking orders began insisting that I sample something she called the “donor kebab.” The name sounded a bit odd, so I asked her what that was. “Lamb,” I was told, as she handed me a piece covered in a red sauce.

I am not a vegetarian, but I’m also not a ravenous meat eater either, so I hesitated before I nibbled. One taste is all it took; I immediately ordered the donor kebab gyro pita sandwich with the house tzatziki sauce.

When it arrived at the table, it was a huge pile of cabbage, tomatoes, onion and meat stuffed into a pita shell covered in the yogurt sauce. Like with many American hamburgers, I couldn’t even begin to fit my mouth around it, so I stuck my face right in the middle of the mess and began to munch. My only complaint was the lack of napkins within immediate grasp. My face was covered in tzatziki sauce and I didn’t want to wander the restaurant with goop all over my face.

The entire meal lasted about three minutes, but I’ll remember it for quite some time. The meat was grilled to perfection, not tough at all and seasoned perfectly to accompany the yogurty tzatziki. Needless to say, I left grossly stuffed but totally refreshed as I zipped my raincoat, as if I’d spent the last hour frolicking in the waves on a far off coast.

Tomo

The chef prepares sushi at Tomo.

There is something thrillingly extravagant about eating sushi. Maybe it’s because you end up chomping the creative little wraps to bits despite all the work that was spent making them look just right. It may have something to do with how much I always spend when I go out for Japanese food.

Regardless, a trip to Tomo is worthy of it. Located on a modest corner of the infamous Hotel Arcata, the restaurant is the perfect place to begin any evening as it is within walking distance from HSU.

When you’ve decided you’re in the mood for sushi, you’ve got to make it a big and festive affair if you’re going to Tomo. The food, the price, and the atmosphere make it necessary to make any visit a special occasion.

Tomo has a decent beer selection that includes samplings from local breweries, as well as some Japanese varieties. But the perfect accompaniment to any dish, and to all group settings, is the special Tomodachi. A warmed mix of sake and plum wine, the drink works wickedly quick to get any evening off to a good start.

When you approach the menu, be sure to check the daily specials before launching into Tomo’s regular fare. There’s always at least one special from the sushi bar and one from the kitchen, so regardless of personal tastes there’s usually something that will appeal to everyone.

Raw fish is a delicacy full of vitamins and other such goodies that are rarely found in the average college student’s refrigerator, and this way you can amaze family and friends with your ability to eat large amounts of salmon, tuna, and butsugiri the way nature intended.

And no meal at Tomo would be complete without an ample serving of sushi. For this I recommend the house rolls, which are numbered one through six on the menu. My personal favorite is the number one, which consists of salmon, albacore, avocado, and crunchy salmon skin. Aahhh, bliss!

Hand rolls are another interesting option, because they’ve got more fish and other stuffings and less rice, but the wrap is much harder to eat without making a big ricey mess.

As tempting as it is to chow with reckless abandon, the best way to eat sushi is to share with your dining companions. The variety on the Tomo menu makes sampling the best part of the meal, especially when you make sure to make Tomodachi toasts between tastes.

Tomo is open for lunches from 11-3 p.m., and again for dinner at 5 p.m. seven days a week. Reservations are definitely recommended for large parties.