Closed by a massive Greenwood gas explosion in March 2016, it took until August 20 for Gordito's to reopen. Now, things are pretty much back to the pre-explosion glory days.

The home of Seattle's famous baby-sized burritos suffered immense destruction from the explosion that left the community in complete shock, including a multitude of broken windows and a blown-out wall.

The family-owned business primarily employs family and friends of family, explains owner Shannon Hall, so when the restaurant was closed for just over five months after the explosion, he paid his employees out of pocket. "They didn't ask for that explosion to happen, so it only seemed fair," he says.

Since reopening, Hall says that not much about the restaurant has really changed. "I wanted it to feel like the same place," he says, referring to the 22 years the restaurant has been operating. "The food is all the same and the restaurant is still operating the same."

And what Hall says about the food is true; the burritos are still the same gargantuan masterpieces they've always been. Even the "regular-sized" burrito is nearly the volume of a football (and one can only guess how much bigger the Burrito Grande - aka the "Baby Burrito" - must be). It's chock-full of your choice of succulent grilled meats, delectable homemade salsas, and rice and beans. And in case you didn't think that was enough, it's topped with a healthy dose of sour cream and smothered in melted cheese and a red sauce that's just teeming with rich, zesty flavor.

And of course, there's also the "Chiquito Menu" for those who aren't in the mood to be stuffed to the brim with delicious Gordito's food (but let's be honest, why wouldn't you be?).

Hall says Gordito's has a different feel from other Mexican food in Seattle. "Nobody cooked the same as my dad," he says, referencing the restaurant's influence by his Mexican-born father who cooked with only fresh, healthy ingredients. Gordito's never uses canned ingredients, lard or trans-fat, and everything - from the tortilla chips to the salsas - is made fresh in the mornings.

Hall has been around the business since the restaurant first opened in 1994 when he was only seven years old, so it isn't too hard to see why he declined an offer from someone to buy the damaged building after the explosion. "Greenwood is our home and I've grown up in this building," he says. "I'm here more than I'm at my house," he admits with a laugh.

Moreover, Hall feels that Greenwood has the perfect neighborhood feel for the restaurant that just can't be replicated anywhere else. It shows, as Gordito's regular clientele base ranges anywhere from families with small kids to twenty-somethings in search of hearty hangover food. "We bring people together who would never talk to each other normally," he says.

Adding to the neighborhood feel is the art that Gordito's features. Hall, an art-enthusiast himself, is always looking for willing local artists to display their work on the restaurant's walls for two-month-long installments. "It doesn't even need to have a particular theme," he says. "I just like art and I like supporting artists."

The final touch of Gordito's reopening was the addition of a massive mural of a chameleon on the side of the building. Its sheer size and display of bright colors is hard to miss, but interestingly, the mural itself was not intended to be symbolic in any way. The artist, Oasis, is from Hilo, Hawaii, and is a friend of Hall's.

Although Hall insists that nothing has really changed about Gordito's since its reopening, it's curious that he chose a chameleon in particular for the mural. It is, after all, a creature of change.

In 2014, Seattle mourned as Paseo, the city's beloved Caribbean sandwich shop of 21 years, abruptly closed its doors amid legal troubles. Although Paseo did eventually re-open under new ownership, it did so without any assistance from Lorenzo Lorenzo, the original mastermind behind the secret marinade recipe that made Paseo a bucket-list destination for many foodies around the nation. 

Meanwhile, Lorenzo's sons, who had previously been employed at Paseo, had other plans; they branched out from the brand new Paseo and opened their own unaffiliated restaurant in 2015 as a fresh take on their father's secret recipes – they called the new joint Un Bien.

Now the important question is, which restaurant makes the better Caribbean sandwich? The new-and-improved Paseo, with its brand new ownership and greater degree of efficiency, or Un Bien, the offshoot started by Lorenzo's own sons? With eerily similar menus and nearly identical rustic charm (right down to the same pigment of pink paint that adorns the walls), it almost seems an odd thought that there would be any stark differences between the two at all.

Un Bien boasts two locations: One right on Ballard's busy 15th Avenue, and one in Shilshole – which, funnily enough, is in the exact spot that Paseo used to call home to its second-ever store. Unsurprisingly, the line during the dinner rush at Un Bien tends to get quite long due to all the hype that's been built around it, but that's nothing that can't be fixed by getting there 15 minutes before dinnertime. The food arrives at warp speed and the sandwiches come wrapped in a couple layers of paper to temporarily conceal the mess that inevitably ensues after the first couple bites.

The Caribbean Roast sandwich, which is perhaps the most famous menu item at both Un Bien and Paseo, is a medley of aioli, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, romaine lettuce, caramelized onions and marinated pork slapped together on a Macrina baguette. The marinated pork is juicy and cooked to absolute perfection while the tangy accents of the aioli perfectly complement it to pack a significant punch. The romaine lettuce adds a delicate crunch while the pickled jalapenos and caramelized onions provide a slight kick. And of course the baguette that holds it all together, which is lightly toasted on the outside and fluffy on the inside, mustn't be forgotten. Perhaps most notably, it is essential to proceed with caution when eating the second half of the sandwich, as it is so unavoidably messy and bursting at the seams with the juicy pork that a fork is absolutely necessary in order to consume the last bits of the delicious flavors.

Like Un Bien, Paseo has two shop locations – the original shop on Fremont Avenue as well as its new SODO installment. The Fremont shop is the same old lovable tiny pink shack it's been for years, but unlike in the past, it now often times plays host to an underwhelming number of hungry patrons loitering in front during the dinner hour. The efficiency at which the new Paseo operates, however, is vastly better than it was in its earlier days. One no longer has to wait an illogical amount of time just to get a sandwich and perhaps more importantly, they now take credit cards.

When it comes to the new Paseo's food, however, it is (drum roll please...) an utter disappointment. The pork is dry and barely contains a hint of Lorenzo's marinade that originally made the shop famous, while the aioli is curiously reminiscent of plain mayonnaise. Peculiarly, and at least in one episode, the caramelized onions were nowhere to be found on the Caribbean Roast sandwich, indicating that someone may have simply forgotten to add them. In the same dining experience, another sandwich seemed to make up for this fact with an overdose of onions that conversely made it far too oily.

Also potentially important to note is the fact that, more often than not, the Paseo sandwich completely stays together through to the end. (This is, in fact, not a positive note for anyone familiar with the original Paseo sandwiches that, similar to Un Bien, featured fall-off-the-bone pork stuffed into the baguette). Perhaps the icing on the cake, however (or, the aioli on the sandwich if we want to get technical here), is the mob of angry yellow jackets in the summer months that tend to like to hang out near the picnic tables while looking for any extra sandwich morsels lying about.

In summary, are the new Paseo's sandwiches bad? Not at all. In fact, Paseo makes a good sandwich when compared with the average sandwiches of the world, but they simply don't measure up to what they were under the guidance of Lorenzo Lorenzo. And while Paseo can rightfully brag about being slightly cheaper and supplying a slightly larger sandwich than Un Bien, ultimately if you find yourself craving the delectable flavors of pre-2014 Paseo, you're better off stopping by Un Bien for its wondrous masterpiece that is the Un Bien Caribbean sandwich – even if it is one more dollar out of your pocket.

Tovolo has a way of getting anyone excited about shopping for kitchen tools. The Seattle-based company offers a wide array of colorful and innovative products that are guaranteed to catch everyone's eyes, taking conventional kitchen gadgets and turning them into something even better.

“Knives don't work that well for spreading,” founder and CEO Matt Frank explains. He holds up an example of the “Scoop and Spread,” which, like its name indicates, can scoop, spread and even slice. That's just one example of the inventive products Tovolo offers.

If you've ever seen a sphere ice mold then you're already familiar with the brand – it's their number-one selling product and is already a big trend in New York bars and restaurants.

It's the little nuances that really set Tovolo apart from other kitchenware companies. “I like the idea that customers can discover little things about the product as they use it,” says Matt, highlighting the subtle performance value that seems to be a Tovolo trademark. He adds that the more clients use the products, the more they'll love them. To demonstrate this notion, he holds up the second-generation spatula, which has a rigid nylon core and a flexible silicone outer layer. Silicone is heat-resistant and unlike other materials it holds color well, Matt explains. He says people tend to subconsciously compensate for lack of design in kitchen tools, and as a result Tovolo designed the second-generation spatula to have different profiles: One side can spread and the other is more conducive to flipping.

Tovolo's “Glide-a-Scoop” ice cream tub is another example of a unique product unlike any other on the market. Most kindred companies mimic the shape of the traditional ice cream tubs found in grocery stores, which are far from being freezer-friendly, but the shape of Tovolo's ice cream tub was designed specifically to save space.

And if that's not enough, the company also sells dinosaur ice pop-makers that are cute enough to excite anyone.

When Tovolo was starting out, the only comparable companies were European ones producing very expensive, high-end products. “We're not trying to be the least expensive guy,” Matt admits, but what Tovolo does differently is create products of a similar quality at more affordable prices for the average cooking enthusiast.

Tovolo got its start as a side business in San Francisco in 1999. Matt eventually bought the company in 2004, after he and his family moved to Seattle to settle down. He asserts that there was no specific inspiration for the company other than a pure desire for creativity and an interest in cooking, but Matt's eyes certainly light up when you get him talking about kitchenware – it's evident that he has since picked up a passion for this stuff. Tovolo's products bring an “element of fun” to cooking, Matt explains. “We're part of people's lives. I'm humbled by it.”

Awkwardly located in the parking lot of the Nexus Hotel stands Saffron Grill, the self-proclaimed “white tablecloth” Indian-Mediterranean restaurant of North Seattle. My mother and I decided to venture there for dinner recently for some much-desired Indian eats.

Upon walking through the front door, the fact that the restaurant is in a parking lot tends to be forgotten; the interior is beautifully decorated with a full bar and bright colors adorning every which corner. I had made reservations the day prior because, as you should expect, Saturday evenings are busy here, with waiters scurrying in every direction. Despite the reservation, we were not seated until nearly 20 minutes after arriving – a difficult wait when aromatic spices are filling the room. We were eventually led to our table and offered the drink menu which was chock-full of imaginative cocktails. Being the margarita snob that I am, I had to see what the Mangalore margarita was all about. While tasting virtually nothing like a margarita, it was nevertheless a delicious and creative blend of tequila, pureed mango, lime, and even a little bit of a mystery spice sprinkled on top.

Next up on our list of priorities was the appetizer. My mom eagerly suggested the samosas, to which I concurred, having not eaten one in ages. I dug into the vegetable samosa I ordered and immediately my taste buds rejoiced upon being united with the sensationally soft, flaky, spicy, savory, potato-filled pastry that is the Saffron Grill samosa. And of course, on the side was the classic cilantro-chutney dipping sauce, just in case we had any doubts about whether those samosas had enough flavor. Mom, who had recently been to India, agreed that the samosa was indeed a winner, and an authentic one at that.

Then came time to order the main event: A vegetable coconut curry, and of course, garlic naan on the side. I love spicy food, so I made sure to ask the waiter for, and I quote, “maximum-level spice.” While dinner did take a considerable amount of time to get to us, it was extremely worthwhile in the end. Admittedly, the garlic naan was good, but certainly nothing mind-blowing. The coconut curry, on the other hand, was a different story; a delicious blend of coconut, ginger, various spices and cream to give it a rich, luscious texture. The vegetables were perfectly cooked and served with a heaping plate of basmati rice to assist the curry. The quantity of food they served us was enormous, and I was pleased to report that I had enough for leftovers the next day. And now for the most important tidbit from the evening: The coconut curry was exceedingly spicy. So spicy, in fact, that I had to continuously take breaks in order to finish it. As a pretentious spicy food connoisseur, this certainly was a monumental victory.

After packing away our leftovers and feeling incredibly stuffed with spicy goodness, the waiter handed us the dessert menu. My eyes immediately gravitated toward the baklava, the illustrious Mediterranean layered pastry. It came served with a complimentary rice pudding, which was a tad lackluster. The baklava itself, however, was to die for with its endless layers of flaky dough soaked in honey, spices, and ground pistachios. I could only take a few bites before I put down my fork, completely unable to eat any more, but I merrily took home the rest for dessert the next day.

The meal was quite expensive, and certainly not within my price range on a regular basis, but as a treat for a special occasion, this is the spot. For a restaurant in a hotel parking lot, Saffron Grill is overall quite a classy choice for all your Indian food cravings, and superior for all my fellow spicy food enthusiasts.