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New Luck Toy
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There’s a reason you always hear about Thanksgiving cooking disasters—people are trying to do way too many things at once. And when that happens, at least one thing tends to get screwed up. Like a pumpkin pie made with salt instead of sugar, an under-defrosted turducken with an ETA of 11pm, or a gravy grease fire really killing the festive mood. Don’t worry, eyebrows usually grow back.
So when we learned that there was a bar in West Seattle with skee-ball, karaoke, pinball, tiki drinks, and Chinese food, it seemed like a similar situation: too many different balls in the air for it to actually work out.
But somehow, New Luck Toy delivers on all fronts. Coming here on a night out is like stepping into a trippy, dimly-lit Chinese spy movie dream sequence, and it’ll be the most fun you’ve had at a bar in a while. The whole place is a happy explosion of paper lanterns and golden waving cat ornaments, along with the previously mentioned skee-ball machine, a private karaoke room reminiscent of a woodland sprite’s grotto, barbecued ducks hanging from little harpoons in a display case, and possibly the last thing you’d expect at a such a kitschy place: some truly delicious Chinese food.
There are two dining rooms, and once you grab a table and submit your order on a paper slip, the dishes you’ll eat here are excellent riffs on Chinese (and Chinese-American) classics. From salt and pepper spare ribs with an addicting five-spice dipping sauce, to shrimp and pork fat dumplings, to perfectly-fried General Tso’s chicken, just about everything here is memorable and tasty. The cocktails, like pink guava palomas, come in tiki mugs and pair really well with the food.
Come to New Luck Toy with a group, take a number to get in line for a table, and put your phone away. You’re going to need everyone’s undivided attention to eat and accomplish as much as you can, and have an excellent time while you’re at it. As long as you save room for sometimes-available soft serve sundaes in flavors like Rice Krispy Treat or Oops! All Berries, you’ve done it right. If only this place could cater your Thanksgiving, too.