ARLINGTON – Never mind that it was 1:30 Saturday afternoon and those at tables around me were all enjoying burgers, which looked delicious. My Friday night salad had disappeared hours ago and I wanted breakfast. A big one. RT’s Eaglecrest Restaurant met all my needs while providing excellent service.
This new eatery opened about six months ago and the owners, Ray and Tina Thorsen, have 24 years of restaurant experience. They previously owned the Village restaurant in Marysville, which they sold almost four years ago and “retired.”
“The restaurant business gets in your blood,” Tina Thorsen said as an explanation for their return, which is on a smaller scale.
The Thorsens searched for a new location that appealed to them and found nothing. So they built their new one, which is a beautiful place with high ceilings, spacious dining rooms and fireplaces to warm us when this glorious summer ends.
When I arrived, the main dining room was more than half filled and customers continued to arrive throughout my late breakfast.
Tina Thorsen said in a telephone interview that they had anticipated opening quietly with customers increasing over a few weeks. Instead, they’ve had record crowds since they opened.
“We couldn’t take care of everyone. We were unprepared for the number of people who came,” she said.
Now, the staff’s settled in, and during my visit everything went smoothly. My freshly brewed coffee arrived almost before I ordered it and my server anticipated my refills throughout the meal.
There are separate menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The breakfast menu includes all our favorites including omelets ($6.74 to $9.95), eggs Benedict ($8.95 for the traditional and $10.95 for the crab and shrimp) plus scrambles ($6.95 to $7.95), country breakfasts ($5.25 to $8.95) and breakfast gravies ($7.25 to $8.95). Breakfast is served until 2 p.m., with pancakes and French toast disappearing at noon on the weekday. On the weekends, guests can get any breakfast item until 2 p.m.
The lunch menu has all our favorites including fish and chips ($7.95), salads ($6.75 to $7.50), pasta dishes ($5.95 to $7.50) and deli and hot sandwiches, plus hard-to-find items such as smoked shredded pork ($8.25).
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RT’s Eaglecrest Restaurant
21102 67th Drive NE, Arlington; 360-474-8275 Specialty: American favorites
Hours: breakfast 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., dinner 4 to 9 p.m. daily.
Price range: inexpensive to moderate
Liquor: none
Smoking: nonsmoking
Reservations: recommended for parties of six or more
Disabled accessibility: easy access
Credit cards: American Express, Discover, Master Card, Visa
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The dinner menu, according to Tina Thorsen, features the restaurant’s signature dish – coconut prawns – and specials such as baked halibut (prices vary).
They all sounded appealing but I needed breakfast. Ignoring my cholesterol and carb intake, I ordered the chicken-fried steak with home fries, two eggs and country gravy ($7.95). Everything at RT’s Eaglecrest Restaurant is served in country portions, which proved to be just the right size for this meal.
The biscuits were surprisingly flaky. In fact, they were close to what my grandmother made. The country gravy was rich, thick and filled with bacon bits. The home fries, accented with bell peppers and onion bits, were prepared with the skins on, which is my favorite. My scrambled eggs were light and fluffy. The generous portion of steak needed a little more hammering before being deep-fried but I wrote that off to its thickness.
The couple at the next table who were enjoying a motorcycle ride, chowed down just as heartily as I did. This restaurant knows how to feed hungry customers.
The Thorsens re-constituted their specialty – pies – and have a separate pie menu that features fruit, berry and cream pies. Whole pies cost $10.95 to $11.95 and slices are $3.75 to $3.99. The menu states that the crusts are hand-rolled, berries are flash frozen and the puddings are made from scratch. Too bad I was so focused on breakfast. I love pie.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.
E-mail Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.
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