Lay down tracks to the Sugar Shack

Published 7:29 am Friday, February 22, 2008

The Sugar Shack Cafe is just the type of place Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs were singing about.

Named after the catchy 1963 tune, the Sugar Shack grills up traditional breakfast and lunch fare with ‘50s flair.

An Elvis painting keeps watch over the daily specials, 45 RPM records dangle from the ceiling and a black and white checkerboard tile floor stretches back to the kitchen.

The street signs above our cushy booth told us we were seated where Memory Lane meets up with Route 66.

We arrived too late to taste the pancakes we’d heard so much about — “They’re the size of your head” a co-worker informed us — so we each opted for a soup and sandwich combo.

After a few spoonfuls, we agreed the chili and beef vegetable soup ($1.45/cup) both had a homemade flavor and were suitable starters for a brisk, first-week-of-fall lunch.

Sandwiches range in price from $3.75 to $5.95 and are served with potato salad or a heaping pile of golden, shoestring fries and we both opted for the latter.

My turkey bacon melt came with fresh tomato and oozed with cheese. Not to be outdone, my lunch buddy ordered the Philly and was delighted to see that along with cheese and green peppers, the cook didn’t skimp on the meat and tossed some mushrooms on top as well.

At the top of a long list of burgers to choose from is the Kingburger, a no-nonsense beefy beast that has yet to meet its match.

Anyone who downs the three-pound burger, topped with a half-pound of bacon and a half-pound of cheese, in less than 40 minutes doesn’t have to (excuse my wording here) cough up the $15.95 cost.

Oh, and don’t forget the fries and large soda that accompany this royal monstrosity.

If you find it hard to believe that no one has gotten more than two-thirds of the way through a Kingburger on their own, check out the Polaroids adorning the Sugar Shack’s “Hall of Fame,” then thank your waitress that the pictures are before shots.

If it’s a bang-up breakfast you’re after, the Sugar Shack does it all. There are several eggs and hashbrowns platters, along with pancakes, french toast, biscuits and gravy, omelets and the usual side orders.

All of the “old standards,” as manager Vicky Cramer calls them, go for $4.45 from 7-11 a.m. Monday through Friday. Breakfast is served from open to close on the weekends.

Over the years, the tiny establishment east of I-5 on 196th Street SW. in Lynnwood has undergone its share of transformations. Before current owner Bill McGill took over in November of 1994, the building had been home to a flower shop, video store, deli and coffee house.

In eight years, the Sugar Shack has raised its prices just once, keeping some of the regulars coming back three or four times a week.

“We wanted a friendly, neighborhood cafe where people can come in with or without their family and enjoy a good meal,” Cramer said.