OAK HARBOR — After a tour of Whidbey Naval Air Station, a group of pilots from Paine Field and their guests headed for lunch at — you guessed it — Flyers Restaurant and Brewery.
Our tour guide said, “Great choice. They have gourmet hamburgers.” Which is true, but there’s a lot more on the menu than a beer and a burger. The dinner menu includes an extensive list of “sea” choices such as pan-fried oysters, crab cakes, bacon-wrapped scallops, halibut or wild salmon steaks and seafood pasta combinations ($12 to $29). The “land” dinners include pork chops, barbecued chicken, lamb shank and steaks ($13 to $22). All dinners come with two side dishes; additional sides are $2.
Now, about the beers … They’re made in-house by brewer Tony Savoy, and they’re part of the aviation theme — Heat-Seeker Hefe, Spitfire Best Bitter, First Flight Amber Ale and Barnstomer Brown Ale, which three at our table ordered. We commented on its rich flavor and decided the brown was dark enough for us, even though there’s a “black” on the rotating beer menu.
Burger additions include bacon, blue cheese, chili, mushrooms and sauteed onions ($7 to $9). The Bomber is a whopping $15 for 11/2 pounds of beef with all the trimmings. I ordered the “simple cheeseburger” with sweet potato fries ($7) and added a cup of cheddar cheese soup ($2).
Our group almost filled the dining room, so the kitchen gave us a short lunch menu of a few burgers, two sandwiches plus one pasta and one salad. My pilot friend ordered the steak house salad with blue cheese dressing ($11) and raspberry lemonade ($3.25).
As our tour guide predicted, our lunches were excellent and only compliments were heard. Also, the servers and kitchen did a great job of preparing and serving our orders with little delay and no confusion.
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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