It can be a challenge finding a good breakfast place in downtown Everett. The obvious choices can have long lines.
But if you are looking for hearty, delicious comfort food that’s off the beaten path, head to Wendy’s Country Cafe just a few blocks from Comcast Arena and a block or so east of the YMCA.
Can you say carbo-load?
Wendy’s is housed in a small white storefront that can be easy to miss, so look for the big white rooster statue out front. Inside, the rooster motif continues and combines with a countrified array of knickknacks and wall hangings that caused my mind to immediately think “cozy” and “cute.”
The city of Everett thought enough of Wendy’s to bestow upon it a Monte Cristo beautification award shortly after the restaurant opened in 2007 under the ownership of Wendy House.
After about 30 years of on-the-job training in the restaurant business, House felt she could make a go of her own place by creating a cafe with a country feel and with meals to match.
So if you’ve got that image of a farm breakfast in mind, with straightforward yet substantial and satisfying fare, then Wendy’s should be on your radar.
Wendy’s offers a farm-sized breakfast menu of omelets, pancakes and French toast, and specialty entrees of chicken fried steak ($9.50), biscuits and gravy ($7.50), a country breakfast with a 6-ounce sirloin steak ($12.25) and the cafe scrambler, an everything dish that features ham, bacon, sausage, onions, mushrooms, hash browns and eggs sprinkled with blended cheese.
A half-order of the scrambler ($8.25 and $11.25 for a whole order) was certainly filling enough for me and tasty, not too cheesy and not too greasy.
My friend ordered French toast (three slices $5.25; two slices $4.25), which were wonderfully fluffy.
The rich coffee at Wendy’s is a special blend from local Bargreen’s Coffee, and there’s a full espresso bar.
The only thing I’d change on either order was to have the food served hotter.
Wendy’s also has a classic lunch menu of burgers and soups, deli-style sandwiches and salads. I had to go back to try the homemade fries and homemade soup along with Wendy’s specialty Kobe burger ($8.95). On Fridays only, Wendy’s also serves a crabby burger, described as a breaded crab cake grilled with Swiss cheese on a Kaiser bun ($8.95).
I shared the lunch with friends who deemed the chicken-with-dumplings soup (cup $2.75; bowl $3.75) delicious with lots of chicken, carrots, celery and dumplings steeped in a creamy broth that was not too thick and gloopy, and nicely seasoned.
House said she makes her fries by hand every morning. The result is how my friend described them — they tasted like potato and potato skins, which are thankfully included in the rustic cut. Also, they are, and this was no trifle, fried and salted to perfection.
We all tried the burger, which tasted like a well-made diner burger with good solid trimmings that stayed in place instead of shooting out the side, and a bun that squished down to almost nothing during the eating process. All in all, a good burger experience.
The cook, Elias Delacruz, was hired by House when he happened to walk into the restaurant during the remodel asking for work. That kismet relationship has paid off for Wendy’s patrons.
Though House said she would love to one day move a few blocks over to the central hub of downtown Everett, she can’t afford that yet. But her business appears to be growing nonetheless.
So whether you are refueling after a workout or just starting the day, you’ll want to seek out Wendy’s.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
Wendy’s Country Cafe
1915 California St., Everett. 425-259-4827
Specialty: Breakfast and American food
Prices: Inexpensive
Hours: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
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