It was features editor Aaron Swaney’s going-away lunch and we wanted to take him somewhere special. Someplace memorable.
So my colleague Gale Fiege and I took him to dine at the hospital.
I’d been trying to convince Aaron for months we should do a dining review on hospital food for people who were there of their own free will, not as patients. He always thought I was joking. And every time I told him I wasn’t joking, he said I should be.
I’ve enjoyed many hospital meals in other states. In Colorado, we’d flock to “Taco Tuesday” at the medical center near the newsroom. In Indiana, nothing hit the spot like meatloaf and mashed potatoes at the downtown hospital.
Comfort food. Yes, at hospitals. Really, it makes total sense.
Aaron is a good sport, but he was still shaking his head as we headed to Providence Regional Medical Center’s Colby Campus in Everett.
We got a space in the attached parking garage and stayed dry on a rainy day. Good start!
Walking through the wide, polished hallways on the main concourse, we admired the art installations that made the place look as much museum as medical. Gale pointed out the James Madison story pole.
The gift shop windows bustled with pretty things, luring me off course. Aaron reminded us we were there to eat, not to shop. It was 1:30, past his lunchtime. The dude was hungry.
We were greeted by a wide selection of fare at Fresh Inspirations Cafe, the main cafeteria. There is also a bistro in the lobby.
The cafe is separated into stations. Daily favorites. World cuisine prepared to order. Sandwiches hot off the grill. Giant pizzas sliced in triangles with an array of toppings. Pasta with choice of sauces. A salad bar with fresh fruits and veggies (44 cents an ounce). Cookies, cakes and cobblers, most for less than $2. Choice of free cold cucumber or lemon water.
We wandered around, perusing the menu that simmered and sizzled before our eyes.
First stop: Daily favorites. No meatloaf. Darn. But I was mesmerized by a thick casserole thing called Baja baked enchilada ($5.55).
The server scooped a big mound of cheesy goodness onto my plate. I chose corn over broccoli as the side (who wouldn’t?).
Gale wanted the other daily favorite, lemon tilapia. It was sold out, so she ordered a Greek burger ($5.49) at the grill a few stations away.
Aaron ran off to the sandwich station to pick a panini and to scope out the soup bar.
The dining area has a tranquil ambience that seems worlds away from sirens and beeping monitors.
Walls of windows flood the room in natural light, even on a gray day. It’s a spacious spread of tables and booths, with lots of elbow room. Those visiting the hospital on serious matters can have their space. So, too, can people in scrubs.
We cleaned our plates.
“It was soft pita. It was tasty, had fresh vegetables and great tzatziki sauce. It was filling. It was a really good deal,” Gale said.
“It’s not gourmet food, but it’s decent. The cherry cobbler was very tasty. It’s a nice cafeteria situation. It’s made fresh right there, not something that’s carted in.
Gale summed it up in four words: Filling. Tasty. Cheap. Fast.
“You might get the idea that it’s creepy to go to the hospital, but it’s nice,” she said.
What did Aaron think?
“I was surprised how much selection there was,” he said. “The quality was OK, better than I expected from hospital food. The potato chowder soup ($1.89) was hearty. The panini was something you get from Safeway, but still you don’t expect to get that at a hospital. There’s a lot you might not expect.”
My enchilada was good. But the best part was the soft peanut butter cookies baked right there in the oven. That, and getting Aaron to say “Trust your crazy ideas.”
Fresh Inspirations Cafe
Providence Regional Medical Center Colby Campus, 1700 13th St., Everett.
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Daily favorites include country fried steak with brown gravy, chicken with rosemary, roasted turkey breast, eggplant Parmesan and beef stroganoff. World cuisine includes red curry chicken, lemongrass chicken and Korean pulled pork sandwich. Whole pizzas can be ordered to go.
A senior special, $5.55, is 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Alcohol: None
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