The late-night spot this Seattle Chef has been going to for 25 years

What's your go-to spot in the Seattle area? The place you depend on for a reliable lunch or the cafe with a perfect birthday vibe or even that deep cut right off the light rail that just turns the day around.

For Victor Steinbrueck, the chef and owner of Local Tide, that place is Honey Court Seafood Restaurant. It’s a Chinese cuisine restaurant serving a variety of dishes in the Chinatown-International District. Steinbrueck has been going with his family, his friends, really anyone for 25 years.

On a recent episode of "Seattle Eats," a podcast about the Seattle food scene and the best things to eat in it, I spoke with Steinbrueck about what to order at Honey Court, why it's not just a late-night spot, and a new project he’s scared – but really excited – to open.

RELATED: KUOW announces Brandi Fullwood as new host of "Seattle Eats"

Seattle is not known for being up late.

We’re not a “city that never sleeps” or a “sin city,” where our bustling nightlife is spewing over with 24-hour diners and buzzing neon signs. Sometimes you can hear the faint sound of people dancing at a semi-secret location or the muffled sound of carpool karaoke.

Generally, it’s quiet here, and that extends to the food scene.

But when you step inside Honey Court on a late night, Seattle’s night scene rushes in like a secret you wish you’d known sooner.

Honey Court is located on Maynard Avenue in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. It’s a popular enough spot that it gets tons of reviews and repeat customers.

Around 9 p.m., you might step inside and find tables packed with people in Mariners jerseys. At 10 p.m., a giggling army of fans wearing wrists full of jelly bracelets after a pop diva concert.

Some nights, it feels like everyone is there, waiting to get a table. And Victor Steinbrueck, the chef and owner of Fremont’s own hot-spot Local Tide, is likely one of those queuing patrons. Again.

He’s been going to Honey Court for 25 years. He said the late scene has a lot of hustle and bustle, like an organized chaos. But if you’re lucky, Steinbrueck said you're seated in no time.

“ Next thing you know, tea's out on your table, you got your water, and you're scanning this huge, immense menu, waiting for your opportunity to order,” he said.

Honey Court serves dim sum and Peking duck as well as a variety of other Chinese cuisine – from crispy prawn with honey walnut to sizzling platters of beef to fish with XO sauce, a chunky umami-rich condiment.

It’s a restaurant Steinbrueck defaults to when friends or family are in town, for date night, for birthdays. For him, it’s not just a late-night spot. It’s an every-time spot.

“ Part of the beauty of it, too, is just that you can go in there, get a bowl of soup for yourself. You can go and get one of these big tables with the lazy Susans and have 12 people, and it's so communal.”

But not everybody knows how to order. The menu is pages long, and it includes dim sum, chef specials, and seafood.

RELATED: Winner winner James Beard Awards dinner with Tan Vinh

Here’s what you should order according to 25-year regular Victor Steinbrueck:

• Fish, “ but you gotta ask for the whole fish, otherwise they'll just give you the chopped up pieces.” Note: “Whole fish” means the whole fish, tail, head, fins, and all.
• Pea vines
• Short ribs with black bean sauce
• Eggplant-stuffed shrimp
• Sesame balls filled with black sesame paste

Your Go-to-Spot™ could have the best menu in town, but the reason you keep going back might not have anything to do with the food.

After going to Honey Court for more than two decades, Steinbrueck said it boils down to comfort and good service.

When he thinks of Honey Court, he thinks of Sandy, a server who has been working at the restaurant since he was a kid.

He said she’s welcoming, hospitable, and always joking about times when he was much younger – and much shorter.

And that’s the thing he loves about the restaurant: He feels comfortable.

“ I get to go and just be, like, myself,” he said. “You don't need to dress up. You can go in sweats and get good food, and we need more of that.”

So, he’s going to make more of that himself.

The team at Local Tide is preparing to open a new place in Ballard.

“We're growing up a little bit,” Steinbrueck said, “and it's scary, exciting, all the feelings.”

The new place, Steinbrueck said, will be something akin to Local Tide’s classic fare, with a focus on seafood. Expect dishes like rockfish bowls with crunchy pickled veggies, fried Dover sole with plump crispy potatoes, and crab rolls with fresh picked crab – only on the weekends.

He said he hopes this new place contributes something positive to Seattle. Something like Honey Court.

Over email he wrote, “I want nothing more than to be a go-to Seattle institution just like Honey Court. New goal loading!”

RELATED: Hammin' It Up with Jackie Varriano

Seattle Eats is a podcast by KUOW about the Seattle food scene and the best things to eat in it. These episodes showcase interviews from critics, chefs, and others in the food industry about our region. You can join the conversation, too. What’s your go-to spot? Send us an email at seattleeats@kuow.org, or leave us a voicemail at 206-543-851.