Glo's
1621 East Olive Way

Glo's is another place that has been on my list since forever. It's in  a part of town with precious little parking and too many hills to walk comfortably.

Today, I figured would be the perfect time to try it out and I was so right.

Food:  I had the Eggs Californian - one of the benedicts.  And it was truly OMG delicious.

The holandaise has to be homemade.  It was delicate perfection.  The avocado was the poster child for Perfectly Ripe Avacados.  The tomato even tasted tomato-y (not always a given in this part of the country).  And if that was not enough, both eggs were poached perfectly.  It was truly an amazing dish and one I will absolutely have to try again... and again... and again.  Their menu is pretty extensive but I may just have this every time.

Service:  The service was just excellent in every way.  

Everything else:  The place is tiny. I mean seriously tiny. Maybe 10 tables.  Including the kitchen and bathrooms, I'm fairly sure it is smaller than my 1 bedroom condo. There were two cooks and two servers and that was it.  And it was packed early.  When I left, about 9:30, there was a decent crowd waiting for a table.  Well worth the wait.  I'm often looking for a place that opens early and this may well be my early Sunday morning goto place.  Yum.

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IHOP
610 Rainier Avenue South  Renton, WA


I can't do swim class for two weeks at least (cataract surgery) so my Saturday routine is different these days.  Today I decided to go to Walmart and I knew this IHOP was close by.


Some friends of mine visited from New Zealand a couple of years ago and she really really really wanted to go to a Walmart (I want to see what all the hooha is about!) so we did and actually stopped at this IHOP after.  They were quite curious about how international it really was since they had never heard of it.  But they actually thought it was quite good.  So they were hoping it would be coming to New Zealand soon - along with a Walmart - but I think they are still waiting.

Food:  Today's selection was the french toast Combo.  Two eggs over easy, bacon and crispy has browns with no sugar on the french toast, please.  It was all perfect except, of course, the french toast came hidden under a snow fall of sugar.  The waitress apologized profusely and took it back and got me new...  

It was a very nice, very tasty breakfast.  


Service:  The waitress was so good about the french toast and just as good about everything else.  The coffee carafe was full and tasty so the bottom of my cup never saw the light of day.


Everything else:  The  downside of IHOP is that the people watching is so good, I never get any of my book read.  Oh well.  Today I watched this adorable little boy - probably 3 - eating breakfast with his dad.  Just the two of them.  I had a great visual of Mom at home in the peace and quiet. Anyway the kid was as cute as he could be and asked for his milk in a cup like his dad's coffee.  He asked in a very sweet way - very articulate.  It was feakin adorable.

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Serious Biscuit
401 Westlake Ave. N.

I seriously (haha pun intended) considered not adding this review but I hate to break a string.  So, since I've reviewed it twice before:  on April 15 and on April 14 - I'll change this format a little.

Today I met two friends there and the food was good but not great.  I had one of their biscuit sandwiches. "fried green tomato, bacon, remoulade, egg   8."  (I forgot to take a picture before I started eating but at least this way you can see all the pieces.)  The tomato was fried perfectly.  The biscuit was delicious as was the bacon.  But the egg was over cooked and the remoulade was way too spicy for me.  (Tom Douglas' restaurants tend to add more kick than is necessary whenever they can and clearly they were going the extra mile here.)

Our service was excellent and the place is still near the top of my favorites list but next time I will order differently.

Also, I learned today that it is an easy place to get to from my house by bus/trolley/walking - a most pleasant trip.

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Skillet Diner
1400 E Union

The Skillet started life in an airstream trailer.  It was one of the first non-taco truck food trucks in Seattle.  I found it early on and was, for a while at least, addicted.  Great burgers, superb fresh cut fries and fried chicken that is so good it's hard to believe.

The diner has been open now for a while and is now a popular, established, grown up restaurant that is open nearly 24 hours a day.

This morning there was a bit of a wait but it was worth it.

Food:  There were several things on the menu that looked tempting but the cute waiter sold me on the scramble of the day - fried chicken, cheese, peppers and onions.

It was good. It was not great.  In retrospect, I would have done better with the pork belly or even the little rob.

There really wasn't enough fried left in the chicken to make the dish kick.  But it was still pretty good.  The scramble sat attop an amazing piece of thick toast.  It was buttery with no butter and crisp on the outside and warm and soft on the inside.  Very good.

The salad was good - not what I was in the mood for but I still ate a few bites and it was nice and fresh and kissed with a tiny bit of some kind of very interesting dressing.

Service:  The waiter was perfect.  Cute and snappy.  He kept my coffee full and was back many times to make sure I was fine and dandy.

Everything Else:  The first time I ever ate at the diner, I sat at the bar.  There is often a line for a table but open seats at the bar.  The barstools have backs on them and are quite nice but they have no rail to rest your feet on, nor does the bar have a rail.  So, after dangling my feet and having the backs of my thighs cut by the chair edge - I lose all feeling below the knee.  And my meal becomes something to get to the end of instead of something to enjoy.  So I vowed to never sit there again until they fix it.  They haven't and I haven't but I do mention it every time I go in.  Maybe one day...

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Etta's
2020 Western Avenue


This morning's brunch location was an accident.  I headed out early for Seatown (next door) but didn't make it in time.  By the time I got there all they had was bar seats and their bar seats make my feet numb.  So...  I went next door to Etta's.


"Could you squeeze me in if I am 1 and promise to eat and get out of your hair before the mob lands?"


A very nice lady fell for my ploy and gave me a great table. 


Food:  I haven't been to Etta's in a while so I don't know if today's menu was a special Mother's Day menu or if they have just paired it down to a handful of choices all the time.

Honestly, nothing really grabbed me so I went with the basic 2 eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast.  It was good.  Well, the potatoes were pretty ordinary - paprika covered potato squares.  The toast and bacon was good.  And my table was great.


Service:  The service was quite busy and otherwise occupied but I finally got water and coffee with a smile and my meal came fairly quickly and I didn't have to wait long for the check.


And I was out of there fast as promised so it was fine.


Everything else:  I would never judge a brunch place on Mother's Day.  It's just not fair.  


I'll go back to Etta's for lunch or dinner and I'll give Seatown another shot as well.

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Pete's Egg Nest
7717 Greenwood Avenue North

This place has been on my list for a long time. It's an easy strike from the pool.

It's a tiny neighborhoody kind of place nestled in among apartments, condos and small houses in Seattle Greenwood neighborhood.

The owners, proprietors, servers and probably cooks are all Greek in that serve up good food with good humor kind of fun Greek way.

It was packed but I found a nice spot at a very very comfortable counter.  The guy next to me was chatting with the owner was casually eating the guy's toast.  It was pretty funny.

Food:  The menu is vast.  I mean big.  Varied.  With lots of different items.  It was way too big to get a photo of.  None of the offerings were particularly fancy. But, if it's ever been served for breakfast in the world, it's probably on that menu.

I ordered an omelette.  A bacon, cheddar and avocado omelette.  As I suspected from the size of the menu, the size of the meal was also huge.

I'd have been happier with about half that and, in fact, only ate about half.

It was, however, surprisingly delicious.  The omelette, particularly was delightful - delicate enough to let the other flavors through.  The avocado was perfectly ripe.  The hashbrowns were excellent.  There was just way too much of it all.

Service:  The owner of the restaurant waited on me while he surveyed the rest of the operation. He kept my coffee cup full.

Everything else:  The place was really loud.  But it was kind of a din loud in that if I didn't focus on it, it wasn't so bad.  It was just a nice, homey place.

I didn't have correct change so while not pictured, I left a $2 tip.  It felt funny tipping the owner but funnier leaving nothing.  Since I was at the counter, $2 felt about right.

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Smith
332 15th Avenue East

Today it was back to Smith.  Again I got there a few minutes before 10 and the door was unlocked so I went in, but this time, I didn't get chastised.  I got welcomed!

I sat in the same place because, frankly, it's the best seat in the house.

By 10:15, the place was getting pretty nearly full.  It was a good day to be out and it is located in a very out and about spot so it wasn't surprising.

Today I got that bloody mary.  And it was good but lordy lordy, they stick every vegetable not already busy in the top of it.

It was a good bloody mary once I got all that crap out of it.  for those of you following along, that's okra (probably pickled, I never touch the stuff unless it has been cut up, coated in cornmeal and fried), cauliflower (not pickled), 2 green beans pickled and one yellow pickled beet.  The lemon was all it needed.

Food:  Today I went with the lox.

And it was an excellent choice.  The lox itself was some of the best I ever had.  It was sliced a little thicker than usual which was interesting and it had a little bit a different texture but the taste was divine.  And the platter was beautiful.

The toast was perfectly toasted - crispy on the outside and chewing on the inside.  I'd LOVE to know where the food buyer got those tomatoes.  Tomatoes that taste like tomatoes are rare in this part of the country.  These looked good and tasted fine.  Delightful.   I had a bit of an issue making it all come out even and, in hindsight, I could have used one more slice of toast.  Next time I hope I remember to ask for it.

But all in all, it was outstanding.  Really really really good.

Service:  I had the same waitress and she was her good self.  

Everything else:  Wonderful.  Plus, I love that there are two grocery stores within 4 blocks of the place on a nice, non-hilly street that is pleasant and lovely to stroll along.  I just like this joint.  This will not be the last Smith entry in this blog.

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Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe
6412 Phinney Avenue North

Today was haircut day (thank you, Rudy's) and, so, Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe day.

Mae's is about the nicest, friendliest, funkiest, fun place you can go - especially on a Saturday morning.

I read just this week that on one Tuesday a month, after they close to the public (about 2 pm) they turn into Mae's Alzheimers Cafe and invite Alzheimers suffers and their friends and families in for a fun afternoon out.  They have the restaurant to themselves and it is, apparently, quite the major event for them.  I love Mae and what she does for the community.

But I also love what she does for breakfast!   The menu is extensive and today I tried one of her Bodacious Bennies.  I went for the Mae's Fav with corned beef hash.

The good news and the bad news about Mae's is that every single breakfast plate has enough food for a tribe.  It's always way too much to each in one sitting, or even in one week!

But, she's got the bennies nailed.  The hollandaise was creamy and delicious with just the right amount of everything.  The eggs per poached perfectly.

I think next time, I might give the California a try.  Avocado...  yum!

Service:  As always the service is great.  Today's waitress was busy as busy could be but made me and every table she was serving feel like we were all she had to do.  It was fun.

Everything else:   The acoustics are also a good news bad news at Mae's.  There are several different dining rooms but in each, you can hear every conversation...  it is not quiet - at all.  But, that's the good news... there's some fabulous eavesdropping to be had for free.

And the walls are full of fun to look at.  These dudes watched over my breakfast this morning.

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