SNOHOMISH – The Cabbage Patch Restaurant may have lost its historic building to a fire in 2004, but it kept its identity when it re-opened a few months ago.
In the new building, the library room is still upstairs. Antiques still decorate the dining and waiting areas, which feel like the rooms of a house converted to a restaurant. The back porch, which is called “The Garden Room,” maintains its status as the place for special events such as showers, rehearsal dinners and receptions.
The day my friend and I visited, the weather was still nice enough for families with small children and friends to dine on the front porch. We opted for an inside table and the hostess seated us in the library after a short wait. We arrived toward the end of the lunch crowd, so we shared this spacious dining room with one other couple.
At the Cabbage Patch breakfast is served until 3 p.m. and the “favorites” include Mrs. Wiggs farm breakfast that combines two eggs, potatoes and choice of breakfast meat ($7.25) and “Sondy’s Fill the Plate” pancakes ($3.95), which are named after the owner.
In addition to beer and wine, the Cabbage Patch menu offers barroom favorites such as a Bloody Mary or screwdriver for breakfast ($4.75 to $6.50), and a cosmopolitan or “Tropical Patch” for dinner ($6 to $6.50).
We decided to skip these choices and went straight for the restaurant’s signature dish: Cabbage Patch soup ($3.50 a cup.) This soup is packed with ground beef, red kidney beans, tomatoes and cabbage in a lightly spiced stock.
From the menu that looks like an old-time newspaper, my friend ordered the taco salad ($8.95) and I selected the sandwich of the day, turkey and Cheddar cheese, from the whiteboard near the entrance.
The lettuce in my friend’s salad, which served as a bed for the ground beef spiced with taco seasoning, was fresh and crisp. More expensive restaurants don’t serve lettuce this fresh. The salad was finished with shredded cheese and chips. Unfortunately, my friend found the ground beef too bland and the salad too “dry.” He said it needed a salad dressing or light salsa to make the individual ingredients into a unit. I agreed.
| 111 Ave. A, Snohomish; 360-568-9091
Specialty: American favorites Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Price range: moderate Liquor: beer, wine and specialty drinks Smoking: not permitted Vegetarian: limited Reservations: recommended for parties of six or more Disabled accessibility: easy access Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa |
Then, I tasted my sandwich and discovered I felt the same way. The turkey slices were ample and delicious. The cheese was perfectly melted. But the bread, turkey and cheese needed something to make it all come together. I enjoyed half and sent the second half home with my friend. He said it was a great lunch the next day.
Considering the reputation of The Cabbage Patch and its 30-year history of success, I can only assume that something went wrong in the kitchen at the end of the lunch hour that day.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.
Contact Anna Poole at features@heraldnet.com.
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