Come Hungry: Plate of Nations, Georgetown Bites & Sites Serve Up South End Dishes

A stroll down any stretch of thoroughfares through South Seattle neighborhoods puts you within striking distance of a bevy of excellent cuisine.

There's Archipelago over in Hillman City, juicy chicken teriyaki at Rainier Teriyaki in Mount Baker (my fave in the city), the vegetarian/vegan goodness of Redwing Cafe in Rainier Beach, and some of Seattle's best coffee (and bánh mìs) at Voi Cà Phê in Georgetown. Our section of the city is uniquely blessed with food developed, cooked, and served with care by immigrants, first-generation chefs, and family-run establishments.

Starting this weekend, there are two neighborhood-wide celebrations of food (and other small businesses) in the South End. Plate of Nations, a three-week festival celebrating immigrant and refugee-owned restaurants across the Rainier Valley (and a little beyond), kicks off on March 20; the following day, there's Georgetown Bites & Sites, a one-day event over in G-town. Both serve as means to highlight the diversity of South Seattle while also providing a needed push in business during the slow days of late winter.

"Winter is always long and difficult for retailers and restaurants. People in Seattle tend to hibernate, and so January and February can be a really hard time for businesses," said Debra Broz, director of the Georgetown Business Association, which puts on Georgetown Bites & Sites every year. "This event is [during] the first hint of spring, and it is also a great way to get hundreds, if not thousands, of people coming to the neighborhood to try out new businesses and figure out what's down here."

On Saturday, Seattleites can swarm Georgetown for the one-day event, which operates something like this: From 10:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can purchase $5 tickets at a booth in the Star Brass parking lot that they can then redeem for a special treat/meal/art piece at any participating business around the neighborhood. Buy a single ticket, buy a bundle, buy three tickets, then come back and buy three more — whatever tickles your fancy.

The list of businesses is long but highlights include: labneh-topped chorizo stew in lamb broth served with mini breadsticks at Ciudad; a cup of 9lb Porter chili at Nine Pound Hammer & Maude's; a speciality hot sauce for two tickets at Haxan Ferments; a three-beer flight for one ticket or a six-beer flight for two at Georgetown Brewing; a mini cake cup at Deep Sea Sugar & Salt; a custom laser-cut art bookmark at Gadfly and Flynn Art; and The Reef will make a $2 donation from all edibles sold on March 21. 

In addition to food, there will be lots of music throughout the afternoon. Brass band AGAB (Assigned Gay at Band) will be roaming the neighborhood with pop-ups by other musicians performing at Jules Maes, Damfino Arts, and Post Pike.

Now in its 15th year, the MLK Business Association and HomeSight's Plate of Nations is souped up and ready to dish out some incredible dishes. From March 20 to April 12, restaurants up and down Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and across the South End will have special plates for PON participants to sample. 

Plate of Nations started in 2011 as the brainchild of Asari Mohamath, who wanted a way to promote immigrant-run restaurants in Southeast Seattle. Mohamath, a Cham Muslim refugee from Vietnam, ran Salima Restaurant until its closure in 2009 (he has since reopened the restaurant as Salima Specialities in Skyway, which my colleague Yuko Kodama spoke with him about recently).

Instead of getting a certain item, each participating restaurant builds a unique plate (or plates) for customers to try, which can range in price from around $15 to $40. Customers can get a PON passport to stamp off the places they've tried and can then enter into a raffle. Longtime PON participant Emerald City Fish and Chips in Mount Baker is serving up catfish or shrimp po'boy entrees with a large chowder; $40 will nab you a veggie combo and roll at Delish Ethiopian Cuisine in Hillman City; CheBogz on Beacon Hill has two combos both featuring boneless chicken adobo; and there are Laotian sausages and fishcakes galore at Vientiane Grocery in Graham.

"What Asari built into the program is that we're trying to bring people together," said Sarah Valenta, director of community development at HomeSight. "The intention is to have a sampler platter of food that can be shared with two or more people to bring people together and taste a variety of foods. It's also to give the small business an opportunity to try new recipes and then possibly keep them on the menu depending on what the feedback is like."

Over the years, Plate of Nations has grown from a handful of businesses along MLK Jr Way to over 50 across South Seattle. Comment cards collected by the event team at previous events have provided useful data about who attends. Some of the feedback they received most often was to make the event longer (they extended it to three weeks this year) and to include more neighborhoods (last year they added South Park; this year they added Georgetown). It's that level of enthusiasm that the Plate of Nations organizers hope propels through the next decade and a half. 

"We're just so proud having made it 15 years and that the restaurant owners and customers have wanted us to keep going," said Valenta. "I think the uniqueness of the community perspective for the sharing plates as well as the diversity in the types of food and ownership has really made it a highlight."

Georgetown Bites & Sites happens on March 21 from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. The ticket booth opens at 10:45 a.m. (though you're welcome to buy tickets ahead of time to pick up at will call). Plate of Nations runs from March 20 to April 12. You can find a list of participating restaurants over on PON's website.