DARRINGTON — Bradley’s Diner opened in April to great fanfare.
That’s understandable because it had been awhile since a full-service restaurant had operated in town. The restaurant building sat empty for about three years until this past winter when new appliances were added, repairs were made, fresh paint was applied and a new menu planned.
Yes, Darrington’s IGA grocery store does a good job with take out, the Burger Barn is open daily for the season, the Mountain Loop book store serves coffee and treats and the Hometown Bakery Cafe makes a great pizza.
But for a sit-down meal, you can’t beat Bradley’s.
Owners Michelle and Doug Bradley want Bradley’s to be the place where townsfolk meet and tourists stop. For people attending the Darrington Bluegrass Festival this weekend and the Summer Meltdown Festival next month, this is a good place to eat breakfast.
My colleague, the photographer Dan Bates, and I had lunch there the other day.
Dan asked if the coffee was good, and, sure enough, it was.
I ordered the Hawaiian burger, which included a thick Angus beef patty, a slice of ham, Swiss cheese and a slice of pineapple for $9.95, which includes potato chips. The generous sandwich was delicious.
Instead of chips, I ordered fries, which were many, crispy, not greasy and looked to be sliced in-house. However, I had to pay $1.99 extra for the fries, pushing the price of lunch up near the $12 mark, which seemed high to me.
Dan ordered the “Ultimate” turkey sandwich, which included roasted turkey, cream cheese and cranberry sauce for $9.95. The turkey breast chunks were fresh and tasty and the sandwich included just the right amount of cranberry and cheese.
However, it was served on white bread. With a name like “Ultimate,” it might have been nice to have it on toasted sourdough or some sort of thick and seedy wheat bread.
Other people around us ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which smelled great, and the Swiss cheese-mushrooms-grilled onions burger, which looked great.
Soups, salads and baskets (shrimp, halibut and chicken strips with fries for $9.50) also are on the lunch menu.
I did not have a piece of pie. I regret this because the word in town is that Michelle Bradley’s blackberry pies are outstanding. Next time, for sure.
The breakfast menu includes chicken-fried steak, omelets, pancakes, eggs, hash browns, bacon and French toast. But if I am ever there for breakfast, I’m going to splurge on homemade biscuits and country gravy, a specialty of logging families who moved from North Carolina to Darrington a generation ago. A full order is $6.75.
Dinners at the diner include fried or sauteed seafood and steaks. I think my choice would be comfort foods such as the homemade meatloaf or roast beef and mashed potatoes, both $14.95.
As I said, I will be back.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Bradley’s Diner
1215 Highway 530, Darrington, 360-436-9345
Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Alcohol: None
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