FIDALGO ISLAND — Before the Deception Pass Bridge was built, before Deception Pass State Park opened, someone whose name is lost to history opened a little roadhouse cafe a few miles north of the pass.
More than 80 years later, the Deception Cafe &Grill endures. And that’s good news for park visitors looking for a satisfying, house-made breakfast, lunch or dinner without having to drive out of their way.
Housed in a simple gable-roofed building that the original owner probably would recognize, the cafe puts out a diverse range of food: curries, quiche, pasta, burritos, tamales, steaks, you name it.
Owners Richard and Kathy Longstreet say they make everything in-house, including desserts, and use local and organic ingredients when possible.
We stopped by for dinner on a recent dark, rainy Saturday evening. People unfamiliar with the area should take care turning left on Highway 20 into the cafe’s parking lot, particularly at night.
Once safely inside, you’ll note the homey, well-worn and funky (in a clean and tidy way) surroundings. Houseplants line the window sills, and a wall furnace like the one in your first rental warms the dining room. Other diners were clearly local regulars.
We started with an order of coconut prawns and peanut dipping sauce ($9.95), which arrived clumsily presented on a bed of greens but were quite tasty. The prawns were large, fresh and perfectly cooked and the coconut was fresh and not too sweet. The greens were of good quality, and we felt sad not to eat them.
Other starter options include steamed clams and mussels ($11.95) and Dungeness crab cake ($10.95).
Dinner comes with a choice of soup or salad. Alas, our server brought our salads before we’d finished the starter, making us feel slightly rushed. We were glad to note that the salad dressing was served on the side. We generally prefer to dress our greens ourselves. Salads and dressings were simple and fine.
Apart from the minor salad gaffe, service overall was solid, and we didn’t have to wait for water glasses to be refilled or the wine to be brought out.
For our entrees, we chose Mediterranean pasta off the standard dinner menu ($16.95; add $3.95 for chicken or $4.95 for four large prawns), and beef goulash off the nightly special sheet.
The goulash seemed pricey at $22.95, but it contained chunks of nicely seared, fork-tender steak — a major upgrade over the grayish, chewy, tasteless stuff your mom tossed into her goulash. The steak was bathed in a tangy, slightly acidic tomato-based stew, which I mopped up with a homemade dinner roll. A large dollop of sour cream topped off the dish.
Both dishes were prepared with properly cooked homemade pasta, which has such a pleasant texture compared to boxed pasta. The Mediterranean dish contained large, tender artichoke hearts that were nothing like the creepy marinated ones that come in jars (The cafe also serves these deep-fried as a starter). The artichoke hearts were the standout in a familiar dish that was well-made and satisfying — although we thought the chicken addition was unnecessary.
Portions were ample. We enjoyed leftovers for lunch the next day.
Other options on the daily special sheet included potato-crusted wild salmon or halibut ($24.95), lamb or halibut tacos ($14.95) and homemade tamales.
The main menu and the special sheet also included schnitzel parmesan and jaeger schnitzel ($16.95), a nod to the cafe’s previous incarnation as a German restaurant.
If you’re on a budget, the standard menu offers some $11.95 options served Monday through Thursday — and every day for kids and seniors.
For dessert, we brought home a lemon tart and a chocolate torte, both made in-house and both delicious. We also decided to return to fuel up with a hearty breakfast before taking a long walk in the park.
Mark Carlson: 425-339-3457; mcarlson@heraldnet.com.
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