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Here's Where Sir Mix-a-Lot Likes to Eat Around Seattle

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Sir Mix-a-Lot was in Woodinville last night judging the Iron Vintner Challenge. The guy loves food.

Eater caught up with him to ask him about, what else, his favorite culinary standbys in Seattle. Dick's is the place where the crew hang out, but is it Mix's favorite burger? Nope.

Some other fun facts straight from the rapper's mouth:

· He lives in Auburn, "There's nothing to eat out there."

· His dad was the cook in the family, "He's the one who taught me well-done steak is not very good."

· Dont' tell him what he should like, "A lot of times I hear chefs talk about what people like. I swear, food is like mates. Everybody has their own thing. I love things buttery, creamy, rich. If I'm going to cheat, I cheat. But I'm not interested in someone else telling me what 'right' is. I hate that."

· He's a self-described food fanatic, "I frequent the Cheesecake Factory. The menu is like a bible. If you don't find something there, you're probably not very hungry."

· He also loves Qdoba, "I tend to go with simplicity. Sometimes I like really big restaurants and sometimes I like restaurants that cook one thing."

Here now, in random order, is a map of his favorite places to eat around Seattle.

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R&L Home of Good Bar-B-Q

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"I love this place, probably because I grew up on Yesler as a kid. The guy who makes your barbecue should never be handsome, should never be clean. If he has a clean shirt, he ain't doin' no cookin'. This guy who used to work at Home of Good Bar-B-Q was cross-eyed, had a yellowing beard, big ol' pot belly: 'What you want!' That is barbecue! Where the brisket is not chopped. It's right on Yesler, which is The Hood. Home of Good Bar-B-Q is so good that when the sun is still up — it's funny, but it's true — all white people. They come all the way through the ghetto to get Home of Good Bar-B-Q! Now, at night, not so much."

[Photo Credit]

Tup Tim Thai

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"Tup Tim Thai is one of my favorite spots. I can go there any day of the week. I love that place. Simple. The food is so good. The first time I went, my manager took me and asked me if I wanted one to five stars. I said, 'Man, come on. This is Seattle. Give me five.' Whoa! I got the garlic chicken and fried rice. It was the first thing I ever ordered there. It was so hot, I was crying. Next time I went I got three. But, I like the fact that they didn't scale it back because I was some smart-ass Seattleite trying to prove how tough I was. They didn't scale it back. I love restaurants like that."

[Photo Credit]

Mama Stortini's

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"There's one at Kent Station, but the one I go to is in Puyallup. You get off the (Highway) 410. There's no other restaurant there. It's like a bunch of apartment buildings and it's always crowded. Some of the best Italian food I've ever had. They don't hold back. In Seattle people tend to run from spice, so the Cajun food is like a hamburger with pepper on it — that's Cajun here. They don't hold back. The marinara is garlicky with some spice. If it's meat sauce, it has meat in it. If you don't like a lot of meat, don't buy it. I love that. I love when you do it right. I'm old school like that."

[Photo Credit]

Ruth's Chris Steak House

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"I go to El Gaucho all the time. I love El Gaucho. I go to Daniel's all the time. But, Ruth's Chris to me — best steak in town. Why? Because it's consistent, it's always tender and they buy good cuts. I go to the one in Bellevue. The one downtown, for me, is too big. It's like you're walking into a dance hall."

[Photo Credit]

El Gaucho

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"I do like El Gaucho. The one downtown is a little more cozy. I get the flaming brochette. They bring out these swords and you have red meat, lamb or beef, a tomato, a gigantic mushroom from hell — I don't even know where you get a mushroom that big, and I don't even like mushrooms. It's really weird, but it looks cool. They light it on fire. Oh my god. It's delicious. You don't need any sauce. And I'm a sauce fanatic. Me and condiments get along real well."

[Photo Credit]

Fatburger

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"People are like, 'You like Fatburger?' Yeah. I see a piece of meat that somebody has pressed by hand. I love that place. Is it the best burger place in the world? No, but I like it better than Dick's."

Dick's Drive-In

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"I go to Dick's, but not for the burgers, I go for the fries. Dick's fries — the peelings still on them and they're greasy and you dip them in tartar sauce. I used to go to Dick's and get four orders of fries and a Diet Coke. Go figure that out."

[Photo: Photo Credit]

Earl's Restaurant & Bar

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"They have this Cajun chicken where they butterfly a chicken breast — I don't know how they do this — they butterfly the chicken breast, but they have skin on both sides. And oh my god. It keeps it so tender with the skin on it. So the center of it — you could cut it with a tablespoon. Oh my goodness."

[Photo Credit]

Donut Star

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"I love baked goods. I'm serious. I will drive 40 miles for one apple fritter. There's a little place in Auburn. They only open from about six in the morning until like noon and that's it. They cook the doughnuts, when the doughnuts are gone, they close the door. It's right across the street from Les Schwab. That's how I found them. I was getting my tires done and I said, 'Oh my god.' There's something about them. It's hard to make an apple fritter without making it greasy and they do it well."

[Photo Credit]

Maltby Cafe

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"Oh my goodness. The cinnamon roll! It's as big as a table. I'm serious. I've seen babies smaller. That thing is huge! But it'll definitely give you constipation. Yeah, you eat that thing, you're going to be sitting around for three days waiting to see it again. I mean, it is huuuuuuuge! I bought an oatmeal cookie there and it was like a frisbee. You gotta love that place."

[Photo Credit]

Sun Break Cafe

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"Probably my favorite breakfast place, second only to Barking Frog, just because it's close to me (in Auburn). Everything is fresh, way too big. When you go in and order an omelette they'll look at you, 'Full or half?' Their full ones are six eggs. It's like a pillowcase. You sleep on it. They give you hash browns and I'm like, 'Who's going to eat all this stuff?' But, their real gift is their banana bread. Oh my god. This place, that's what they do. Now, they will make fresh cookies, and what I like about them is that they're not sitting in a case all day with flies landing on them; they bring a pan out at a time, about 16 cookies, and when they're gone they bake another sheet. I love that. I don't mind if you run out, just don't give me rotten crap."

[Photo Credit]

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R&L Home of Good Bar-B-Q

"I love this place, probably because I grew up on Yesler as a kid. The guy who makes your barbecue should never be handsome, should never be clean. If he has a clean shirt, he ain't doin' no cookin'. This guy who used to work at Home of Good Bar-B-Q was cross-eyed, had a yellowing beard, big ol' pot belly: 'What you want!' That is barbecue! Where the brisket is not chopped. It's right on Yesler, which is The Hood. Home of Good Bar-B-Q is so good that when the sun is still up — it's funny, but it's true — all white people. They come all the way through the ghetto to get Home of Good Bar-B-Q! Now, at night, not so much."

[Photo Credit]

Tup Tim Thai

"Tup Tim Thai is one of my favorite spots. I can go there any day of the week. I love that place. Simple. The food is so good. The first time I went, my manager took me and asked me if I wanted one to five stars. I said, 'Man, come on. This is Seattle. Give me five.' Whoa! I got the garlic chicken and fried rice. It was the first thing I ever ordered there. It was so hot, I was crying. Next time I went I got three. But, I like the fact that they didn't scale it back because I was some smart-ass Seattleite trying to prove how tough I was. They didn't scale it back. I love restaurants like that."

[Photo Credit]

Mama Stortini's

"There's one at Kent Station, but the one I go to is in Puyallup. You get off the (Highway) 410. There's no other restaurant there. It's like a bunch of apartment buildings and it's always crowded. Some of the best Italian food I've ever had. They don't hold back. In Seattle people tend to run from spice, so the Cajun food is like a hamburger with pepper on it — that's Cajun here. They don't hold back. The marinara is garlicky with some spice. If it's meat sauce, it has meat in it. If you don't like a lot of meat, don't buy it. I love that. I love when you do it right. I'm old school like that."

[Photo Credit]

Ruth's Chris Steak House

"I go to El Gaucho all the time. I love El Gaucho. I go to Daniel's all the time. But, Ruth's Chris to me — best steak in town. Why? Because it's consistent, it's always tender and they buy good cuts. I go to the one in Bellevue. The one downtown, for me, is too big. It's like you're walking into a dance hall."

[Photo Credit]

El Gaucho

"I do like El Gaucho. The one downtown is a little more cozy. I get the flaming brochette. They bring out these swords and you have red meat, lamb or beef, a tomato, a gigantic mushroom from hell — I don't even know where you get a mushroom that big, and I don't even like mushrooms. It's really weird, but it looks cool. They light it on fire. Oh my god. It's delicious. You don't need any sauce. And I'm a sauce fanatic. Me and condiments get along real well."

[Photo Credit]

Fatburger

"People are like, 'You like Fatburger?' Yeah. I see a piece of meat that somebody has pressed by hand. I love that place. Is it the best burger place in the world? No, but I like it better than Dick's."

Dick's Drive-In

"I go to Dick's, but not for the burgers, I go for the fries. Dick's fries — the peelings still on them and they're greasy and you dip them in tartar sauce. I used to go to Dick's and get four orders of fries and a Diet Coke. Go figure that out."

[Photo: Photo Credit]

Earl's Restaurant & Bar

"They have this Cajun chicken where they butterfly a chicken breast — I don't know how they do this — they butterfly the chicken breast, but they have skin on both sides. And oh my god. It keeps it so tender with the skin on it. So the center of it — you could cut it with a tablespoon. Oh my goodness."

[Photo Credit]

Donut Star

"I love baked goods. I'm serious. I will drive 40 miles for one apple fritter. There's a little place in Auburn. They only open from about six in the morning until like noon and that's it. They cook the doughnuts, when the doughnuts are gone, they close the door. It's right across the street from Les Schwab. That's how I found them. I was getting my tires done and I said, 'Oh my god.' There's something about them. It's hard to make an apple fritter without making it greasy and they do it well."

[Photo Credit]

Maltby Cafe

"Oh my goodness. The cinnamon roll! It's as big as a table. I'm serious. I've seen babies smaller. That thing is huge! But it'll definitely give you constipation. Yeah, you eat that thing, you're going to be sitting around for three days waiting to see it again. I mean, it is huuuuuuuge! I bought an oatmeal cookie there and it was like a frisbee. You gotta love that place."

[Photo Credit]

Sun Break Cafe

"Probably my favorite breakfast place, second only to Barking Frog, just because it's close to me (in Auburn). Everything is fresh, way too big. When you go in and order an omelette they'll look at you, 'Full or half?' Their full ones are six eggs. It's like a pillowcase. You sleep on it. They give you hash browns and I'm like, 'Who's going to eat all this stuff?' But, their real gift is their banana bread. Oh my god. This place, that's what they do. Now, they will make fresh cookies, and what I like about them is that they're not sitting in a case all day with flies landing on them; they bring a pan out at a time, about 16 cookies, and when they're gone they bake another sheet. I love that. I don't mind if you run out, just don't give me rotten crap."

[Photo Credit]

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