They have the most god-awful commercial known in this area. I can’t stand that damn kid and that awful awful poem. I refused to go there for years because that commercial drove me nuts. The thing is, they have a good reputation. They can handle large parties and their food is known to be good. I had a celebration with a large group of coworkers and my options for family-friendly, American-palate fare are slim. I decided to bite the bullet and give them a try and I wasn’t disappointed.

Billy McHales is a steak and rib house. They have a lot of dining space and can easily seat large parties. They’re food isn’t anything unique but when you want a good steak or, in my case, a nice fillet of wild-caught Alaskan salmon, its a good place to quench that thirst. To be honest, this place is better than the Outback Steakhouse whose prices are enormous but whose quality has dropped. I should mention the prices at Billy’s is fair. You can agree. It wasn’t an “omigod I have to go more often” type of experience but overall, it wasn’t bad.

I called yesterday to make a reservation for today. I felt adequately taken care of on that call and I was pleased they didn’t forget today when I came in. I came early, waiting for friends, and I saw people getting in and being seated quickly at prime dinner time. They have the greatest waiting area I have ever seen a restaurant have. That is smart. The wait staff was attentive enough–not over, not under. They knew how to upsell without being overbearing. They accommodated us quite well.

Overall, if you’re looking for a nice family meal, I say go. If you’re looking for a unique, never-been-done-before experience, this isn’t what you’re looking for. For a steak, burger, rib joint, they’re better than the local Bob’s Burgers and Brew. They’re good.

Bellingham, WA

I would describe Old Town Cafe as hippie. It really is. When I go to Old Town, I feel like I’m back in college–perhaps its because I see a lot of my classmates there. I went to Fairhaven College at Western Washington University. There are a lot of hippie-type folks.

Anyway, Old Town is much more than just hippies, and it is very clean. Better than clean, the food is tasty and fresh. Lets see, how does one describe the food of Old Town? Imagine your grandma baked flakey biscuits from scratch, poached eggs to your liking, layered the eggs on the biscuits and poured homemade cheese sauce and then topped it with fresh tomato. Then imagine she served it with pan-fried potatoes until crispy and seasoned them with herbs and spices. Or imagine one-inch thick bread soaked in a vanilla egg batter and grilled for a filling french toast. The food is home-made, hearty, healthy, fresh, and flavorful.

The service is above average. The staff works differently than most restaurants. I have been told they rotate–wait staff works in the kitchen, kitchen staff wait tables. They share the duties and pick up where needed. Your waiter isn’t the only person who will fill up your coffee, his/her coworker may fill you up while walking by. They believe in teamwork. Sometimes, you have to wait a bit for your food. They do get very very busy. While you wait, they’re happy to make sure your cup is full. A long wait is fine though as they have lots of locally published free newspapers to read and there’s always someone performing on the bench for free food.

If you go, and you should, expect to wait a while for a table. They’re well-known and loved in Bellingham and they’re busy. They have a community table where you can simply sit with others and be served. I don’t really dig the community table. I’m introverted and don’t handle strangers too well. I also don’t always dig the live music and most of the art on the walls. [Okay, a brief moment for a rant on the art: most of it sucks. Just because someone slaps paint on a canvas to paint a chair and make it look like a five year old painted it, doesn’t mean it’s art.] Finally, using the bathroom is uncomfortable. It seems like the door doesn’t stay closed well and you can’t use a paper towel to dry your cleaned hands and then open the door with it. I need hand sanitizer afterwards.

Now for the stats:

Filled Cup: 5 (and it is self-serve for water)
Coffee: 4 (robust and brewed fresh)
Cleanliness: 4.5 (yes its very clean and they have won awards for it)
Atmosphere: 3 (4, if you’re into hippies)
Service: 3.5
Freshness: 4

North Seattle, WA

I thought Greek food was so-so until I went to Taki’s Mad Greek restaurant. This restaurant has amazing food! I’ve been to this restaurant two times so far. I plan on going more.

The first time my boyfriend and I visited, I was taken aback. It wasn’t what I envisioned. It was smaller and looked more cafe-like than I would have liked. When you walk in, you immediately see the kitchen and a cluttered counter but your eyes will wander to the rows of tables and the pleasant muraled walls. Really, it doesn’t look bad, just different. Who cares about how it looks anyway, trust me, this place has food that is so good, you’ll be too engaged in your meal to take your eyes off of your plate.

The restaurant is owned by Taki, a Greek musician/amazing cook, and his wife, a sweet homely-looking waitress who knows good customer service. You’ll see their kids helping out as this restaurant’s essence is family. Even the non-family staff gets treated like family. I mention this as it was one of the first things I noticed while waiting on my food. All around, you’ll see images of the things they take pride in–their homeland, their kids’ awards (apparently the musician gene was passed on), and Taki’s music cds.

Taki’s wife, on my first visit, explained that their specialty is souvlaki. Yes, yes it totally is. I had the beef souvlaki–tender marinated skewered beef. It was served with choices and I had the rice pilaf (aka rice heaven) and greek salad. I also recall pita and tzatziki sauce. The hard part is trying to break away from the souvlaki and having something else. Not so easy. I have yet to try their desserts–only because we get too full–but I bet they’re also tasty.

On a scale of 1-5:

Filled Cup: 3
Cleanliness: 3
Atmosphere: 4 the first time, 3 the second (they were stressed out on the second visit)
Service: 4

Ferndale, WA

I promise Chihuahua’s does not serve cooked dog. This restaurant gets its name from the state, Chihuahua, in Mexico. I’ve been to many Mexican restaurants and I love this one the most right now. Located in downtown Ferndale, WA, this restaurant gets busy and for very good reason–the food and service are excelente!

I had the Tacos Al Carbon with beef. If you like flavorfully marinated tender bbq beef and corn tortillas, you’ll love this dish. I had it with whole black beans (muy delicioso) and rice. I even splurged and had a strawberry margarita. Its a good thing my boyfriend, Mikel, was there because I was unfit to drive before finishing half of my drink. The margarita was quite tasty and strong. Although stuffed and drunk, one of the waiters handed me a shot of something warm, sweet, and tasty. I heard it was warm Dr Pepper and rum. I wasn’t charged for it either.

While the food was good, the cleanliness wasn’t completely up to the standard I like it. It wasn’t awful. The bathrooms were impressively clean and there were no dirty utensils, glasses, or dishes, but, certain cleanliness details were missed. I would rate the cleanliness a 3 out of 5 (passable but not perfect).

On a scale of 1-5:

Speed of service: 3.5
Friendliness: 4
Filled Cup: 4 (they do give you a pitcher of water)
Cleanliness: 3
Atmosphere: 3

Rice: 4
Beans: 4
Meat: 5!! (OMG!!)
Salsa and Chips: 4 (they give you a pico de gallo and a salsa.. both are great).
Healthy options: 4