Until T & T opened in Shoreline two years ago, my favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant was in someone else's neighborhood: 18 miles south of my front door in Seattle's Chinatown/International District. I fell hard the first time I ate at T & T, a low-slung little joint whose take-out menu now holds a place of honor in my kitchen junk drawer and whose extensive list of good-eats come cheap at twice the price.

If it's Sunday morning and I need a chow fun fix before hitting the errand trail, guess where you'll find me? When I'm sick of dining-out "fancy" and don't feel like cooking, there's always a seat (and a feisty crab soon to be wearing House Special Sauce) with my name on it. My kid — who's partial to the beef with Chinese vegetables, not above gnawing on fried squab parts and overly familiar with the restaurant's candy dish — considers the "pets" in the live tank his own. Best of all, owners Theresa Lam, chef Tony Mann and their staff make regular patrons feel like extended family. Which, given our lack of nearby relations and the TLC we always get at T & T, goes a long way toward making this our home-away-from-home.

Big woks and big platters are essential items in Tony Mann's kitchen at T&T. Here he prepares "Lobster with House Special Sauce."

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