In short
An excellent watering hole with great food and a great bar.
In long
You talk to the locals and it sounds like the new owners must have had to pour hundreds of hours into renovating this building--it's been here a while, and wasn't always this nice. As it stands right now, you still wouldn't guess how cool the inside is by looking at the outside. Just a little parking lot and a plain building next to a gas station.
Inside, though, it's fun even before it gets packed, and it will probably get packed in a second if it isn't already. Big selection of spirits behind a medium-sized bar when you walk in, then a couple dining rooms off to the other side. In nice weather they open the big patio out back and you will not find parking, so just rideshare in and out.
There's lots of dark wood everywhere, a few tables and chairs, some high banquette seating. It's a fun mishmash. Big beams cross the ceiling, which is a nostalgic touch if you've lived in the PNW a long time--lots of homes used to have that ceiling style.
You can see online they're offering a bunch of dishes not everyone else has, and a bunch of drinks that are house creations, too. If you like LJ's (which is nearby and has the same owners), you're not surprised to find they had lots more ideas to put into effect with this place, but the vibe here is much more of a hangout where you come as you are. They had a nice mix of 80s-10s tunes going, and a couple small flat screens tuned to the ballgame. Between 4 of us, we tried half the menu:
Cauliflower tempura
Nice addition for the veg eaters. Pretty mildly seasoned and the sauce was understated as well. Great texture but less cravable than the other stuff we ordered.
Fish & chips
The HH portion is almost comically small, even the fries are tiny scraps. But it gives you plenty of bites. The fish is as close to perfect as you can get; moist whitefish with a nice crisp batter (no beery bitterness to it, either!). This will be worth ordering a full portion.
Pot pie
Rich and hearty. Dense crust that holds together with a stewy filling but then it melts in your mouth. Filling has great seasoning, super homey and comforting. Mashed potatoes were really sopped up the runaway filling.
Kale salad
Big hit across the table. Nobody else got bites.
Pines burger
The hand-cut fries are done perfectly; just the right amount of chew, lots of fresh flavor that actually still tastes like a potato. Nobody else got bites of that burger, either, but every protein on this menu comes out cooked correctly. Looked beautiful.
Mushroom soup
This was irresistible as soon as I saw it on the menu. Flavors are good, portion is nice. Salt content is high. Much as I love finding this (even the places that love making it don't leave it on the menu permanently, seems like), I wish they'd consider roasting off some mushrooms (maybe pureeing those) to bump up the flavor, rather than goosing it with salt.
Chicken wings
Man, these come out piping hot. You wait a couple minutes, bite once, wait a couple more minutes. Steaming still after 5 minutes, perfectly juicy. This kitchen knows what's up! Garam masala rub on the outside. They smell *incredible*, which makes it tough to wait until they cool down enough to eat. So good. High in the running for best wings I've had in years.
Deviled eggs
Big flavors, little kick of heat to the seasonings. Delectable. Super soft and airy yolk mixture, perfectly-cooked whites. They come out with a tasty little green salad, which was a nice change of pace.
Drinks
We had 4 or 5 custom cocktails between us, sometimes a tiny bit on the sweet side but every single one is something we would happily drive back out to Lake to repeat. They have taps and I think a couple wines as well.
Dessert
Chocolate cake and almond tart were both beautifully presented, with great flavors. I could go for a little more moisture in my desserts but these satisfy if you're in the mood for something sweet after the meal. They're not going to be what makes me want to drive out here again, but I'd order them again once we got here.
Super friendly and well-versed staff who fluidly rotated through for orders and always made each table visit a fun chat. It seems like every single person who works here is really good at what they do and probably has fun at work. read more