Technically, it's in Redmond, BUT it might as well be Bellevue...

Monday this week I had occasion to dine again at a local one of a kind spot that is so close to where I live and work and entertain myself, and technically it's in Redmond, not Bellevue.  But who is really keeping track?

I'm going to write about it as though it is in Bellevue...and let the lines of demarcation be blurred for a moment.

Living in Bellevue since 2004, it's becoming a smaller and ever more connected world for me, that at the same time is an ever expanding experience for me. There is so much within a mile of my house, I 'll be busy a while getting to know what is that close to me. Who needs farther afield right away? And it seems too that cities are beginning to dovetail all around us. I remember wondering in college if Davis was ever going to collide with Sacramento and Woodland?

Monday night I was headed to a chosen restaurant with a friend when he said, "Oohh, let's got to that one it looks interesting." He was referring to Malay Satay Hut on NE 24th Street near 152nd.  And so we turned down 152nd and into the parking lot and planted ourselves outside the restaurant. I've had coffee many a time at Kitanda, a Brazilian coffee house, eaten at the Tea Pot Vegetarian restaurant, shopped at Mayuri's Indian Market but had yet to patronize Malay Satay Hut which has many a good review on Yelp too.

My friend who enjoys  Sushi, Thai and Sichuan and many other international fare said with enthusiasm, "My goodness we could spend months just eating in your immediate neighborhood."  And it is true. In this corner of "Bellevue/Redmond" there is a great deal of cultural diversity that shows up easily in the choice of dining.

But back to Malay Satay Hut and our hunger.

We walked in the front door to a beautiful ambient space that evoked an exotic locale and there was "Uncle Sam."

Who is Uncle Sam? Well, this is how small the world is for me these days.  Uncle Sam is known to me as  a restaurant owner, yes, but I also know him as a frequent player of ping pong. For years, where I would see him was at "The Club." Many an hour have I logged at Yi Yong Fan's Washington Table Tennis Club and loved every minute of it as I altered my garage game of Ping Pong to a game played with better form and better results too. (This club off of 130th is another reason I love living in Bellevue but that is another blog post!)

And many a late night did the last players of ping pong apparently take themselves for a late night meal at Uncle Sam's but I never went along. He would cook up a meal for the guys and many a beer was had as the last group of customers. Wishing I had tagged along, all those years ago that I might be familiar with more of the menu...but, hey, better late than never.

So, Monday last, I finally enjoyed a sumptious dining experience of Ginger Chicken and the Yam Pot!  From the extensive menu, we picked wisely for ourselves and didn't let our eyes order more than our stomachs could handle that evening. The Yam Pot is impressive. Filled with snap peas, carrots, chicken, cashews, peppers and the Yam Pot itself is a light and crisp edible pot floating in a luscious and flavorbul brown sause. What did not get eaten came home and was enjoyed as a meal the next day!

And to my friend's delight there was even Black Sticky Rice to enjoy for the final sweet. 

One need not wander far for a good meal in "Bellevue" and one might even run into a friend or acquaintance.  

And if it means crossing a line of demarcation and technically being in our neighboring Redmond, I'll do that too.

Living in Bellevue for me gets better and better.