You get the feeling the old Cherry Valley Grange building has finally found its perfect mate.
Once the longtime home of the Silver Spoon restaurant, the 84-year-old Duvall landmark now houses The Grange Cafe, open since 2007 but finding new followers even in a recession.
The Grange prides itself on supporting the valley’s farmers by using local ingredients. Labels like organic, natural and grass-fed are used with pride.
Prices tend to reflect that higher caliber, though not overwhelmingly. And you sense it’s largely worth it.
Nearly every ingredient on the menu comes from local or regional sources. There’s coffee from Seattle roaster Caffe Vita, vegetables from the Duvall and Carnation farmers markets, and beef from several sources, primarily Thundering Hooves out of Walla Walla.
Even the details satisfy the ethos. Menus are made from 100 percent recycled paper, as are to-go boxes. Squeezable bottles of ketchup are of the organic variety (and tastier than Heinz, by the way).
For all that, you get a down-home feel in a country-cozy atmosphere. Tables and chairs match each other but not necessarily the next set over. Local art lines the walls. The heat from the brick pizza oven beckons. And there’s a sizable nook armed with tempting toys for antsy children.
Menus appropriately change with the seasons.
On our recent visit, our party of four shared the antipasto plate appetizer ($12) before moving on to sample the dinner options — in this case, the evening’s two blackboard specials as well as two recurring entrees on the paper menu.
I ordered the chicken cordon bleu special ($30), a gorgeous plate that came with a sizable slice of bird stuffed with Swiss and ham, then fried and laid atop a bed of angel hair pasta in marinara sauce. A few sauteed leaves of dark green kale were on the side. The chicken special came with a salad — I chose the Ceasar; the green option comes with bleu cheese — as well as dessert.
The chicken was flavorful and sufficiently moist. The pasta was good, though mostly filler. A fan of kale, I would have enjoyed more than the few leaves. But in all, a satisfying and filling dish.
The stars of this restaurant, if our table is any indication, are those involving beef.
Steak Diane was the night’s other special ($30), a tenderloin so tender it practically melted in the mouth. Our guest felt beef that good could do with a bit less “Diane” — namely, garlic and pepper — though the sauce it produced was divine, especially when used to slather the accompanying potato wedges. Sauteed broccoli completed the meal. The plate was wiped clean, to say the least.
The tenderloin came from Prairie Springs Ranch in Bow, according to our server. Most of the other beef items on the menu, including the burgers, come from Thundering Hooves.
My husband chose one of those hefty grass-fed beef patties, served on a homemade bun and topped with local maitake mushrooms, Swiss cheese and caramelized onions, sure to satisfy any burger lover. A side of delicious hand-cut fries completed the meal ($14).
Our other guest enjoyed the vegetarian plate, an assortment of seasonal vegetables — in this case, carrots, onions, broccoli, parsnips, mushrooms — in a house-made curry sauce. A sauteed option also was available (both $17). She said it was the best curry she had tasted.
On our next visit, we hope to bring our toddler and sample the pizza menu ($10 to $23).
Three fine beers were on tap — including Seattle brewer Georgetown’s Nine Pound porter — and at reasonable prices ($4.25). This, unlike the after-dinner drink options ($12 for Scotch, $9.50 for a White Russian), which we promptly skipped.
Dessert was satisfying though not otherworldly. The brownie sundae ($6) could have gone with a thicker, more cake-like version, rather than the two compact slices placed alongside chocolate sauce-dripped ice cream. The homemade apple pie (which I chose for the chicken special) was good enough. The ice cream — ironically, the only non-local item of the evening — stole the show for this curtain call.
The Grange has live Celtic music Tuesday nights. An upper floor can host large, reserved events.
This would be an ideal place to visit for, say, Saturday brunch, when you can enjoy the country drive and take in the antique shops on Duvall’s little shopping strip.
If you’re looking to glimpse the old Silver Spoon, however, you can see its iconic piece of flatware on the wall of the Duvall Grill and Taproom across the street.
The Grange Cafe
15611 Main St., Duvall; 425-788-2095; www.grangecafe.com
Specialty: Local, seasonal food
Hours: 5 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday; 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 5 to 9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Price range: Expensive
Reservations: Recommended for parties of six or more
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