The Ram gets sports bar fare, vibe right
Published 5:32 pm Wednesday, October 1, 2014
When I went to the University of Washington many moons ago, I visited the Ram in the U-District to watch a few Husky games and down a couple of pints.
A friend of mine frequented it a bit more.
“Most of my student loan money went to the Ram,” he joked.
A little over a year ago, the Ram opened a restaurant in Marysville near the Seattle Premium Outlets, its first location in Snohomish County. I hadn’t been to a Ram for nearly a decade so I thought it was a good time to grab my friend, catch some Monday Night Football and try out one of the Ram’s newest restaurants.
The first thing you notice upon entering the Ram’s Marysville location is the number of flat-screen TVs ringing the restaurant and bar. The 16 large flat screens give the restaurant a little bit of a fun-house mirror quality, but it does allow you to see the game from any seat. If you’re not there to see a game it can be a bit overwhelming.
We grabbed a seat in one of the pub-style tables around the outside edge of the restaurant and about the furthest you could get from a TV. The sound isn’t blaring so besides the visuals it’s not a bad atmosphere to just watch a game and chat with friends. There were a number of groups — either at the square-shaped bar that seats about 20 or in the number of booths surrounding it — doing just that.
The decor is decidedly sports-bar themed with high school banners like Marysville Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell at the Marysville location in place of the usual UW paraphernalia. A nice touch is the huge chalkboards displaying the tap list and the members of the Ram’s mug club (more on that later).
Service was prompt and we ordered a couple of beers straight away. I went for the seasonal Oktoberfest while my friend got the Buttface Amber (There are six regular taps with about four rotating seasonal taps and you can choose between pint and 22-ounce mug). We also stayed with the Oktoberfest theme and got the special, a pretzel and chips with melted cheese appetizer. They also had a Bavarian-themed burger and hot dog specials.
The beers were good if not spectacular and the appetizer fit the bill. The pretzels were of the soft and warm variety and the cheese was good but did have a little nacho-cheese-from-a-can taste. Hey, it’s a sports bar, right?
One nice touch is the fact the Ram brews its own beer, which is the only beer it has on tap. Not that that’s a bad thing. The selections, which have won numerous medals, range from IPAs to hefeweizens and darker fare like the Disorder Porter. As I stated above, the beers we had weren’t the most ambitious but they definitely fit the bill. There is a wider selection of domestic beers in the bottle, but I’d recommend going with the fresh stuff. The Ram also does a number of cocktails, including a selection of a few under 100 calories.
As you can imagine, the Ram specializes in good ol’ American fare. If it’s not a burger, sandwich or other meat-related meal, they’re not calling too much attention to it. Sure there’s the token salads and a few seafood options, but we all know why you’re here and the Ram does too.
We nodded in agreement and stuck pretty close to the burger and sandwich portion of the menu. Since my friend usually got burgers in his heyday, he decided to go with a sandwich, the French Dip over the Notorious P.I.G., a pulled pork sandwich, or the New York Steak Sandwich. I chose the Faburge, a heart-stopping combination of beef, cheddar cheese, sliced ham, bacon and topped with an egg. The Sante Fe, with green chiles and pepper jack on a preztel bun, and the Buttface Bacon Cheese both piqued my interest as well.
It was our server’s first week but it wasn’t evident. She was kind and efficient and when she didn’t know an answer she was quick to ask and get back to us. One thing that did stump her was my inquiries about the Ram’s mug club. Apparently there’s an annual time — she was told it’s in November — when people can join and get all the perks that come with being a member (whatever those are). She directed me to the Ram’s website for details, but even there I was stymied.
The food was good if not great. My friend was pleased with his French Dip, the meat was moist and the au jus good, but the home-made kettle chips that came with it were the star. Not too greasy or salty and with just the right amount of crunch, the chips were great. I got fries with my burger, which were fine, but I wished I’d ordered the chips after trying my friend’s.
As for the burger it was huge and as messy as one would expect. The bottom bun was a bit destroyed with all of the artery clogging goodness above it but I dug in with a fork when times called for it. It’s hard to go wrong with bacon and egg on a burger.
They offer dessert but I’m not sure the behemoth of a man that would have room after a mug of beer and a huge burger. (My college-age self would scoff at that last sentence.)
We finished up our food just in time to see Tom Brady throw another interception and ambled out to our cars. Overall the Ram isn’t going to knock your socks off — well, maybe the TVs will do that — but it’s a nice place to get some grub and watch a game. I’d rather give my money to a local chain of restaurants that try hard to get things right than a national chain that just puts sports fans through another turnstile.
Ram Restaurant and Brewery
10520 Quil Ceda Blvd., Tulalip, 360-653-7721, www.theram.com.
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-close.
Alcohol: Beer on tap, in bottles; wine, alcohol.
