LAKE STEVENS – My friend and I needed a late Saturday breakfast before starting our weekend to-do list. We had recently noticed the “now open” sign at the New Country Grill, and decided to drop in because it was on our way.
New Country Grill, which is roughly across the street from Frontier Village in the Lake Stevens area, has had multiple owners in the last few years. Almost three months ago, Antonio Gaspar and his sister, Isabelle, re-opened the restaurant. They didn’t do anything drastic to the restaurant’s Americana decor or the menu.
But the New Country Grill turkey club and New Country Grill skillet keep the changes up front. And, our server informed us that the changes extend to the cooking, and customers continue to comment on the improvements in the quality.
The new menu includes breakfast, lunch and dinner favorites such as pancakes and eggs ($5.95), burgers ($7 to $8) and meatloaf with mashed potatoes ($9.95). For lunch, customers can build their own sandwiches by ordering from “The Basics” ($7.25). Soups include clam chowder and a daily special ($3.50 for a bowl), and the salad choices are Caesar, Cobb, taco and chef ($9.25 for any).
The lunch salad choices repeat on the dinner menu at the same price. Dinner entrees are steak, pasta, and seafood selections ($9.95 to $12.95). Most are served with vegetables and baked rolls.
An interesting touch is the dessert menu. It includes creme brulee ($4), New York cheesecake ($5) and chocolate bundt cake ($4).
For breakfast, my friend ordered the New Country Grill skillet ($8.50). It should be re-named the meat-lovers scramble because hearty hunks of ham, sausage and bacon are mixed with eggs and topped with melted cheddar cheese. My friend, who usually has a clean plate at the end of a meal, couldn’t finish the dish.
One of the nice touches to the new menu is a Lite Eaters breakfast category. That means I didn’t have to order from the senior or kids section to get one biscuit with gravy and one egg ($5.45). My biscuit was a tall, lightly browned creation. It was the perfect foundation for the creamy gravy with sausage bits that had a hint of chicken and mushroom flavors. Unlike my friend, I finished everything.
With orange juice ($2.50) and coffee, our breakfast was the booster we needed to get our chores done.
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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