Relish: Paseo Caribbean Food & Catering

Seattlest grew up in the Fremont area and remembers the excitement Paseo caused when it first took up residence on Fremont Avenue. We lived close enough to Paseo that we could smell the food from our backyard. We loved the spicy and bold flavors of Caribbean cuisine and Paseo quickly became a Seattlest favorite.

So how on earth could we have forgotten about it? How could three short years spent on Capitol Hill give us full-blown restaurant amnesia? Seattlest came across Paseo when looking for new restaurants to try and had pangs of regret (and maybe hunger) because we had forgotten about it. We resolved to visit Paseo that very same night. We remembered that Paseo's tiny dining area was always chaotic and packed, so we called ahead and placed an order to go. From memory, we ordered our favorite two sandwiches and a chicken dinner.

When Seattlest arrived at Paseo, twenty minutes later, we were surprised by the remodel. The dining area was still tiny and still only seats a handful of people, but the kitchen received a significant amount of additional space. Most people are probably happy with the remodel since the place looks more sanitary, but Seattlest pines for the old, funky Paseo. Like the rest of Fremont, the "upgrade" took away most of its character. The new materials look strangely out of place; fake marble tables and beige floor tiles that could've (should've) gone into one of those cheap-and-built-overnight condos that are popping up like weeds.

Seattlest walked up to the counter to pay, and our heart sank when we noticed the special board. The "Midnight Cuban", a sandwich filled with pulled pork, was at the top of the list. Uugh. Seattlest was sorely tempted to order a third sandwich. The other specials on the board sounded almost as delicious. The moral of the story? Ask about the specials if you're calling in an order.

The pork sandwich ($6.25) was even better than we remembered. It was a pounded, thin cutlet of pork marinated in a wonderfully complex mix of herbs and sauces. The baguette was pleasantly chewy and layered liberally with soft, thick-cut, sautéed onions, a slathering of garlicky mayonnaise, sautéed jalapeños, crisp Romaine lettuce and a touch of bright cilantro. Paseo sandwiches are not and will never be an easy sandwich to eat. This is not, we repeat, not something you want to eat in the car. The savory, slippery onions were squishing out of the sandwich with every bite; we were constantly opening it back up to reinsert the onions. If it sounds like we're complaining, we're not. This sandwich was so good that it far outweighed the mess factor.