This was the single most mixed experience breakfast I've had in Bellingham. And the most promising…read moreone. Let me explain.
I used to be a regular patron at Diamond Jim's. It was my favorite breakfast place in Bellingham.
Then... they changed the menu... and eliminated my beloved Greek omelette.
After this blasphemy,I never forgave them and stopped going.
Last night while perusing breakfast eateries for my Saturday morning ritual, I came across Grouchy's. The review said it was Diamond Jim's, but revamped with better food. And in perusing the menu online, no Greek omelette.... a mistake they should rectify, but I decided to give it a try.
This must be a very recent rebranding because the outside of the building still says Diamond Jim's...inside looks pretty much the same.
I went in later on a Saturday morning to avoid the inevitable, huge rush, and was promptly seated by a nice waitress.
Coffee was ordered and sampled...
Meh, utility coffee is what I would call it, it functioned as reasonably serviceable but forgettable caffeine delivery. Water was also provided without request, a nice touch.
I ordered the chicken fried steak, two eggs over easy, English muffins...which are the superior form of two dimensional like carb delivery.
We'll start with the eggs over easy. They were perfectly done, not runny, not crunchy just as eggs over easy should be.
However, included with the eggs was some of the gravy that had been liberally applied to nearly everything. And I'm 61 not four, it doesn't bug me that my food has been mixed together a little bit and is "touching" After my first bite, whoa... what's this? A bit spicy. I hadn't put any hot sauce on, but there was a nice little kick to the eggs... which turned out to be the sausage gravy.
Yes, the gravy. Simply put this is the best white sausage gravy I've ever had in Bellingham. Period. It had this really nice background spice to it that wasn't overwhelming, was not hot enough to ruin the rest of the meal or to make my coffee taste too hot, which is what spicy food can sometimes do. It had nice big chunks of sausage in it. It was delicious!
Unfortunately... it went over two chicken fried steak patties... and the first one was tough and overcooked... The second one was a little bit less so. Had the chicken fried steak been well cooked then this would be God tier for Bellingham. Instead, it fell under the category of pretty damn good...because of the gravy.
The English muffins... they were tasty as English muffins tend to be, but for future reference, please put them on a separate plate because as much as I don't mind most of my food covered with gravy, I do make an exception for my muffins. And maybe be consider adding in some jelly or better yet, preserves as an option on the table. There was none of that provided. There was honey so I use that, but I'd prefer some nice berry preserves.
The muffins were good but a little bit soggy because they had been drowned in butter. I'd like them crispy and I'll put my own butter on. Thank you very much.
And then we have the hash browns. Frankly, most places in Bellingham get hashbrowns completely wrong. It's obvious they are from a bag and tend to be overly crispy and dried out. Not these.
Simply put, these are the best hashbrowns in Bellingham, I'd say approaching God tier. The perfect combination of a little bit crispy and soft, and instead of tasting like a ketchup and hot sauce delivery device, these actually had flavor to them.... damn good flavor. Somebody is doing these right.
Conclusion: just a couple of little tweaks and this will be the best chicken fried steak breakfast in Bellingham. Just a couple of small little tweaks and touches and this place is going to be absolutely jam packed... especially if jam is included.
The bill, nearly $30. Is that expensive? For Bellingham, unfortunately, not anymore.
Will I go back? There's so much promise here that yes I will definitely be back to try something else.
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