Rising soul star Allen Stone was raised in a town of around 2,500: Chewelah, Washington, an hour north of Spokane. These days, he spends most of his time on the road, playing to sold out stadiums around the world. So, we asked what a small town guy eats when he’s in his adopted Seattle hometown or on tour and Stone shared his savory secrets.
A typical show day, food-wise.
If we have a meet and greet before the show, I don’t get a ton of time to eat, so I’ll usually have a big steak. But if it’s closer to when I’m singing, I’ll eat Japanese or any seafood.
For meals on the road.
I was playing a show a few months back and had the best banh mi of my life in Eugene, Oregon, of all places. And [organ player Greg Ehrlich] feeds us quite a bit. One time he made us a sous vide steak over garlic mashed potatoes. He pulled out a plastic bathtub and cooked a four-star dinner in a Motel 6 parking lot. It was honestly so stunning that I was looking at sous vide cooker reviews as soon as I got home so I could remake the meal whenever I could! Imagine being able to have the skills to perfectly sous vide a steak in the middle of a parking lot… Amazing.
On eating in Seattle.
I really enjoy noodles. The Monkey Bridge in Ballard has good pho, just really flavorful. And 4649 Yoroshiku in Wallingford is where we go for ramen. I love Japanese food. Kisaku is amazing for sushi. Wasabi has a wicked good late night happy hour. I have a huge love for anything closed in two pieces of bread. I really like Uneeda Burger. Just a classic burger, because I’m a classic burger kinda fella.
On the rising dining culture in Chewelah.
Since I bought a cabin up there, there’s been kind of a movement in the area. The Terrace Grille is a Mexican-Hawaiian restaurant that’s really good, with awesome burritos and bowls and such. There’s also a great wine bar. The selection isn’t going to blow your mind, but it’s a really nice place to hang and they have good flatbreads.
This story originally ran in the 2016 spring issue, on newsstands now. For the full story and more stories like this, click here.
