Have gone to Michou twice for a quick dinner before night time classes downtown, and have been pleased with the experiences. Definitely some ups and downs to call out:
Pros:
-Big selection of items and desserts
-Affordable, depending on what you get (many desserts are cheap yet tasty, combos are VERY affordable, such as a giant half sandwich and a GIANT half salad for around 7-8 bucks)
-Food items can be sometimes a hit, sometimes a miss
-Friendly staff
-You can get half sizes of many items
Cons:
-There isn't really anywhere to sit - about 5 stools at a bar along one of the walls, which can sometimes be taken over by a single group of people.
-Hours are kind of random - the site, online menu, yelp hours and voice mail message all differ. According to one of of the staff, this is generally seasonal. At best, they close at 6. At worst, 5. If you're looking for an early dinner, that can make things challenging.
-Sandwiches can't be custom made and are made, ahead of time, by another business in Pike's Place - this means if you're like me and get violently ill when eating basil, all sandwiches made with pesto are off the table. Or if you're vegan, the one vegetarian sandwich still isn't edible due to the mayo/feta.
-If you don't get a combo, the price can add up
-Food items can be sometimes a hit, sometimes a miss
The food:
-SIERRA CHICKEN SANDWICH with roasted chicken, tomatoes, gouda, red onions, greens and chipotle mayo is good - but my sandwich had almost no chicken on it (one thing single layer, think sandwich-meat sliced thin). Given there's a huge bun and 3x as many greens, the chicken was really lost in this sandwich. Maybe I just was there on an off day?
-TERIYAKI TOFU SANDWICH with grilled tofu, feta, tomato, red onion, teriyaki sauce, mayo and mixed greens is somewhat as bizarre as it sounds. The teriyaki is extremely minimal and just provides a fractional amount of sweetness. A good sandwich overall (with a great bun), though would be a lot better with a clearer focus (for example - a gyro tofu sandwich, or an asian styled sandwich, etc. Mayo, feta and teriyaki as a combo is odd and there isn't enough teriyaki for it to be effective anyways)
-SOUVLAKI SALAD is amazing - lots of veggies, lean/tasty chicken, and a dressing that frankly does taste like you're eating a souvlaki, pretty cool. My only constructive comment is that all of the veggie pieces are REALLY huge - closer to bite sized would be better.
-ARANCINI with mozzerella and gorgonzola (and a side of marinara for dipping) sound good in theory, and probably would be good, but this type of dish really doesn't work well in a deli where everything is cold and needs to be nuked in the microwave. The cheese becomes melted/bad textured and the crispyness is gone, and the rice became overcooked. Not something I'd get again, even though I'm obsessed with arancini.
-CAPONATA POLENTA is easily my favorite thing so far at the shop - tangy, sweet and delicious caponata adorns tastty polenta. I'd get this again for sure.
-Those donut holes/beignets are good, but only go for the orange blossom ones. They are sweet and moist (though lacking in orange flavor), while the cinnamon ones are dry and there's nothing special about them. The positive side is that they're really cheap.
-ORANGE COOKIE has candied bits in it and has plenty of orange flavor - moist, and only a dollar! read more