Seattle teriyaki
I resurrected hometown memories by cooking a much-missed meal (minus the styrofoam container).
I miss teriyaki. It's not that there isn't teriyaki here in San Francisco. It's often an option on the menu at sushi bars. But I miss teriyaki like I used to get in Seattle.
In Seattle in the '90s, teriyaki places were everywhere. Like San Francisco has burrito places, Seattle had teriyaki.1 It started with a chain called Toshi's, which spawned dozens of imitators all over the city. My dad was a general contractor, and I'm pretty sure he built at least one of them.
In a Seattle teriyaki joint, you got one of those big, three-compartment styrofoam to-go containers. (I'm guessing they've phased those out by now.) The biggest compartment was loaded with rice, and had a large portion of sliced chicken laid on top, covered with the thick, savory-sweet teriyaki sauce. There was usually some broccoli, maybe a little more rice, and then in one corner a little salad made with iceberg lettuce, maybe some carrot shreds, and topped with a milky-sweet dressing. The best places gave you a couple little extra sauce buckets without having to ask. It was handed to you in a white plastic shopping bag with a crappy little plastic fork and some napkins. It was an incredible value and it never disappointed (unless you didn't get your extra sauce).
My favorite Seattle teriyaki memory comes from 1993. I was in the passenger seat of the car of one of my favorite pals, Peter Backman. We were eating teriyaki we'd just bought, and we were probably on our way to or from The Last Exit or Beth's Cafe. He said something so funny that teriyaki rice came flying out of my nose. I didn't know it was possible, and it hasn't happened again since. I have no memory whatsoever of what he said, only of my uncontrollable giggle fit, and then how I was a complete goner once the magic grain of rice came flying out of my nostril like a goddamned comedy firework. It marked Peter in my mind as The Guy Who Said the Funniest Thing Ever.
This is a gift link, it should give you free access to the recipe for a couple weeks.
The New York Times has a recipe for Chicken Teriyaki that they say is Seattle-style. It hadn't occurred to me that there was a distinct style to the teriyaki in Seattle, but I learned a few years back that apparently there is. I don't like the teriyaki outside of Seattle as much—it tastes boring to me, like slightly sweetened soy sauce—so I suppose that tracks. Apparently the Seattle style is sweeter, thicker, and thanks to the influence of some Korean-owned shops, has more flavors going on, like ginger and garlic. The New York Times recipe also has pineapple juice and cinnamon.
I made it last week,2 and bam! It brought me back to the old days. I was a willing time traveller, eager to be lulled into a teriyaki story, so it could be down to suggestion. But oh, I loved it so much. I thought about that teriyaki all night, woke up still thinking about it, and had leftovers for lunch.
For the complete experience we included broccoli, and a while back I tracked down a recipe for salad dressing à la Seattle teriyaki joint that tastes authentic to me (I doubled the mayo, tho), so I even made the little side salad.
I didn't put it in styrofoam, and Peter wasn't here to make me laugh until I projectile-snotted rice, but it was magic all the same. And my extra sauce bucket? It's enormous.
