SNOHOMISH – Early morning breakfast on Saturday in a diner is one of life’s romantic moments. By romantic I don’t mean gushy or revealed cleavage, I mean delightful like touring a historic home where hand-stitched linens decorate the antique bedroom. A recent Saturday breakfast at Jake’s Cafe turned into a romantic interlude.
My friend was absorbed by the menu, or pretending to be, while I chattered on about the ’50s memorabilia, including photos of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. I especially liked the insignias of bygone gasoline stations and the statue of Jake and Elmo from the Blues Brothers. Unfortunately, there isn’t a jukebox at Jake’s Cafe, so I could quote one of my favorite lines from the movie “We have both kinds of music country and western.”
The morning we visited, parking was a bit of an issue, but we eventually squeezed into a space at the back of the restaurant. My friend indicated that the crowd filling this small eatery was typical for a weekend morning. Single customers sat at the counter while families and friends filled the tables and booths. We selected a booth near the kitchen, ordered coffee and focused on the decor.
After the coffee kicked in, I ordered the Denver omelette ($8.50) and my friend chose the combo plate ($5.95). Breakfast is available all day, and the breakfast menu offers our favorites such as eggs, hash browns, pancakes and biscuits in various combinations.
Jake’s also serves lunch. The menu includes burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads. The house specials are halibut and chips ($8.95) and two special burgers.
Despite the weekend crowd, our coffee cups stayed filled and our breakfasts arrived promptly. My friend’s combo included two eggs over medium, two sausage links and two buttermilk pancakes, which were tastier than most. My friend skipped eating one of the sausage links because he didn’t find it as tasty as the ham chunks in my omelette.
Unlike many restaurants, Jake’s got the eggs in my omelette just right – neither under- nor overcooked. And there was more stuffing – ham chunks, onion and green bell pepper bits – than eggs to go around it all. The portions are hearty at Jake’s, and I didn’t have room to finish my omelet and toast despite ignoring the hash browns after a couple of bites. I’ve never been fond of frozen hash browns that are later grilled. Yet, my few bites of these revealed a buttery taste in the golden-brown, crispy edge.
All right, I concede that a few bites of ham and eggs, pancakes and chugs of coffee doesn’t sound romantic. But early on Saturday morning, almost anything sounds good.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.
Contact Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
