Tai Lin Vietnamese Food

Tai Lin is a brightly lit little place at the intersection of 14th, Rainier, and Jackson. It’s brand new – they’ve been open for two weeks. There are twinkle lights and mirrors and two TVs battling for your attention – one showed a Vietnamese stage production with a singing nun and the other showed a Chinese costume drama. There’s a big blue and white ceramic fish on the counter and a red and gold altar below a shiny Buddha in an alcove on the floor. It’s a little overstimulating, but it’s warm and cozy on a slushy night when no one is out.

We were the only guests at Tai Lin so the waiter doted on us, indeed, he lit up like – well, like his own restaurant – when we wandered in. He was delighted to be diverted from his newspaper. He kept coming back to pour the tea for us and he rushed to the kitchen mid-order so his chef, who’s also his Mrs., could get our spring rolls started.

The restaurant has a decent vegetarian section on the menu and we suspect that the veggie dishes were the better, though the husband’s Shrimp on Skewers certainly looked impressive.My Tofu with Lemongrass and Chili was quite good, though I wanted more of the sauce and chili “cracklin’s” that flavored the tofu. B’s Kale and Mushroom Tofu was a winner, the best plate at the table. The meat eaters gave their dishes a resounding “meh.”

I’d absolutely go back to Tai Lin. The veggie dishes are good, the spring rolls are fresh, and the service, from Tai and his wife Lin, is charming. Nine dollars gets you plenty to eat and, though this may not always be true, it’s a delight to eat in a place where the owners are so transparently happy to see you.

[tags]Vietnamese restaurants, Seattle’s I-District[/tags]