Steve B.
Yelp
Wow, what a surprise. This place has been a staple for years and I have eaten here before and thought it was pretty good.
But tonight was a huge disappointment.
I'll start with the good, as I like to do. No wait at 5:30pm on a Friday night but it did start to fill up later. Near as I could tell there was never really a wait.
The server we had was very nice and friendly. She seemed to have a lot of tables but got back to us as much as you would expect and was very helpful and nice each time. Also, the gentlemen coming around refilling drinks and taking plates was also very nice and attentive.
The menu is great. Lots of great diner items and comfort food that my 88y/o midwest dad loved. I also love that they have breakfast all day and was looking forward to this the most.
The full bar is also nice as my dad enjoyed a nice glass of wine, which not all diners have.
However, this is kind of where it ends.
Like everywhere, the prices have gone up so over $100 for three with tip was even more than I expected.
As others have pointed out, just a basic facelift or some cosmetic improvements would help.
Ultimately though, you go to a restaurant for the food, and this is where the two stars really comes from.
I had a Taco Omellete and while it was good sized, it wasn't good. The eggs were ok but plain, the taco meat was not done well (pretty weak version of "taco"), and very little cheese. Just not much flavor. I had to drench it with salsa and the sour cream to give it much taste.
The hashbrowns (which admittedly most don't do very well), were clearly thrown on too hot of grill, so the top started to burn before getting crisp so they had to take them off before the inside was at all cooked. Very soggy and just not done well at all.
Best part of mine was the sourdough toast and one piece of that was burned.
My wife had a "french dip", that was a plain tasting roast beef on a roll. Didn't seem seasoned, no cheese, just super plain, with a side of au jus.
The salad she and my dad had were just some poorly chopped iceberg lettuce with some croutons. Nothing else.
The best part seemed to be the hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes which my dad had. But honestly, he loves any food out these days so not sure how good it was.
Anyway, I was very much looking forward to going here for our Friday dinner, but won't be back anytime soon.
Especially with much better options right down the road in Renton (Whistle Stop) or Issaquah (Issaquah Cafe or 12th Ave Cafe)
Hope it was just a bad night.