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

My first post must be about my favorite restaurant. The Calico Cupboard has the flavors of the Skagit Valley–local meat, produce, and freshly-baked bread. Everything on the menu is made fresh and of high quality.

The casual shabby chic atmosphere is complete with mismatching antique chairs and tables, covered easy chairs, a fireplace, wooden floors, and fresh flowers. You’ll feel as though you’re in a farm house when you enter.

My favorite dish at this place is a grilled sandwich called the Washington Turkey. This sandwich has layers of grilled bread, cranberry sauce, swiss cheese, turkey slices, and cream cheese. Once again, the bread is fresh–not some grocery store sliced bagged bread. They serve the sandwich with a small cup of the salad of the day.

When you go there, plan on spending a lot of time. They’re generally busy and they don’t take reservations. The service is slower as the food, aside from the pasta salads and such, are made to order. Plan on spending about 1 1/2-2 hours. Its worth it.

On a scale of 1-5:

Coffee: 3, sometimes 4
Filled Cup: 3
Cleanliness: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 3