If you've seen their music video Slick Watts, you know Seattle hip hop duo The Blue Scholars aren't only passionate about music, they're also big on great food with small price tags.
In their video Slick Watts, DJ Sabzi and MC Geo give shout outs to some of their favorite places to eat in Seattle: Dick's Drive-In on Capitol Hill, Pizza Ragazzi in the U-District, The Original Philly's and Thanh Thao in the Rainier Valley, and many others.
You learn how to balance quality with budget, so it's finding that sweet spot in the middle, said DJ Sabzi.
Sabzi and Geo took Evening Magazine's Saint Bryan on a tour of three more of their favorite cheap eats in South Seattle, starting with breakfast at Inay's on Beacon Hill.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Blue Scholars Cheap Eats of South Seattle
What we Filipinos love to do is have basically all day dishes - dinner dishes, lunch dishes - throw an egg on top of it and call it breakfast, said MC Geo.
For $7.75, you can have marinated beef, sausage or pork served with your fried eggs on rice.
Uncle Ernie has been serving up downhome Filipino cooking at Inay's for more than 10 years. And on Friday nights, things get a little more saucy.
Friday nights, word is they have a crazy drag show, said DJ Sabzi. I haven't had a chance to see it myself, but some of our friends have definitely recommended it to us.
Seven blocks down from Inay's on Beacon Avenue is El Quetzal, serving Mexico City style cuisine since 2004. Try their skirt steak borracha or the Seattle tortas gigante (a sausage and egg sandwich) for $9 each. Their fish tacos are served with tiny slices of apples that add a sweet zing.
The final stop is the little red boat in the International District called Pho Bac, where they've been serving up Vietnamese soup pho since 1982.
What makes pho is the broth, which takes about a day to make, said DJ Sabzi. There's a giant vat of broth in the back. Whatever you order, they take that, throw it in the bowl, and bring it right to you.
A small bowl of pho - which isn't that small at all - costs $6.50. The Scholars offers more tips on eating pho.
If you're going to order pho, pho better be in the name of the restaurant, recommends MC Geo. And two, you want to get it at a place where that's the only thing on the menu.
So there you have - a study of the best cheap eats in South Seattle by the Blue Scholars.
Inay's El Quetzal
2503 Beacon Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144
Phone: (206) 325-5692
Hours:
Mon Closed
Tue-Sun 9am 9pm
3209 Beacon Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144
Phone: (206) 329-2970
Hours:
Mon-Sat 11am 8pm
Sun Closed
1314 South Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98144
Phone: (206) 323-4387
Hours:
Mon-Sun 7am 9pm
