While there may not be a single most important meal of the day, lunch serves a critical role in maintaining one’s energy for the rest of the day (a point hard working lawyers seem to forget sometimes). But, when time permits, lunch or brunch can be the nicest meal of the day. We checked a few more options for lunch and brunch.
A New Brunch Spot in Ravenna
The corner of NE 65th and 23rd Avenue NE was home to Ravenna Varsity, a long term neighborhood brunch spot, but Mama Grande’s, 2300 NE 65th Street, Suite 101 (on the corner), 206.841.5460 https://www.mamagrandescafe.com/, opened up in the same spot in late February also focusing on brunches and with at least a slight Mexican flair. We got in before word of their opening had spread very far, so it was not crowded and service was friendly and fairly prompt.
The menu focuses on brunch options such as huevos rancheros, eggs benedict, omelets and French toast, plus a few salad and sandwich options. We tried the Huevos Rancheros and the Chicken Club. The eggs were as expected, with house-made chorizo (a pork sausage), queso fresco (a mild Mexican cheese) and salsa roja, with just a little bit of spicy bite in the chorizo and salsa. The chicken club was grilled chicken breast with bacon, lettuce and tomato with chipotle aioli on toasted sourdough bread—a fairly standard chicken club except for the sourdough. Both dishes were offered with optional avocado which we added. The chicken club was a fine lunch item for our reviewer not in the mood for brunch. We would consider ordering both of these items again if we return.
Mama Grande’s has an understandably modest selection of beers and wines given that they close at 3 p.m., but we stuck to iced tea. Based on our experience Mama Grande’s is a fine lunch or brunch option if you are in the neighborhood, but probably not an out of the way destination choice.
Another Indian Lunch Option
A new location for Maharaja Cuisine of India has opened up near U. Village in what was Jak’s Grill location, 3701 NE 45th St., 206.268.0206, https://www.maharajaindianrestaurants.com/, right before the turn North toward Children’s Hospital. Maharaja has been at this location for a year, but, judging by the lack of crowd when we were there for lunch, it has not caught on yet. Based on our experience, it should. Even before entry one is greeted by the pleasant aromas of spice one may associate with Indian food. Upon entry there is a comfortable new interior mixing dark wood for the seating areas with colorful artwork on the walls.
The menu contains many of the classic Indian Cuisine options with vegan options marked on the menu. The gluten free options are not marked, but they have them. We opened with vegetable samosas and followed with two of their “Festival of Curries,” lamb saag and chicken tika masala. The samosas were very crunchy on the outside, possibly over cooked, but the filling tasted good. The saag is a spinach based curry which we ordered spicy. The lamb was tender, the curry tasty, and it was rather hot (but not too hot). The chicken tika masala was slightly sweeter than we are accustomed to for this dish and possibly slightly heavier on the tomato component, but it was good. These dishes are served with an assumption of family style dining with sharing of the items assumed. That worked well for us.
We accompanied the food with house made chai which was appropriately full of flavor and came unsweetened (the way we like it). The food at Maharaja was fresh and very good. We understand there are more patrons for dinner, but if you are looking for an easy lunch in the area, it is worth considering. With this location Maharaja now has four locations with the others in West Seattle, Kent and Issaquah.
And Lunch on the Road
This month we report on searching for good dining options in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Unfortunately, the results of our search were, for the most part, disappointing. Myrtle Beach is an impressively long sandy beach (60 miles) with tourism being the local industry, which supports many (tourist oriented) dining options. But, among the most touristy of spots we did find one we felt was worth reviewing, LuLu’s, 4954 Highway 17 South, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (in the Barefoot Landing complex) 843.491.5011, https://lulusfunfoodmusic.com/, with a large, beach party atmosphere along the shores of “the ditch” (the inter-coastal waterway). This location had a large barn like interior dining space with garage door walls that would allow for open air dining, ample outdoor dining overlooking the waterway, and play areas including sand volleyball.
The menu was heavy on starters, snacks and gumbos, but they had a separate gluten free menu, also. We tried their fish of the day which came with a choice of preparations, grilled, blackened or fried (this is the South) and the chicken tacos (a gluten free option). The fish of the day was Unicorn fish which we ordered blackened (lightly). Unicorn fish is something we had not tried before. These fish, found off the South Carolina coast, are generally the deeper water Unicorn Filefish (Aluterus monoceros) and not the Bluefin Unicornfish (Naso unicornis) or the other various types of shallow reef unicorn fish some of us are accustomed to seeing while snorkeling in Hawaii.
The fish was very good. It was very fresh with a slightly buttery taste that was not obscured by the light blackened seasoning. We would certainly order it again. As an entrée the fish was served with fries, slaw and hush puppies. They allowed us to substitute grits with gruyere for the fries and hush puppies. The tacos also were very good and disappeared quickly. They were served with a modest amount of chips and salsa.
The service was not very fast or attentive, especially given how few patrons were there at the time. But the food was good enough that we would go back if we ever find ourselves in North Myrtle Beach again, or one of their other locations (Gulf Shores, Alabama or Destin Florida).
Dining Out is brought to you by Christopher Howard with the help of family and friends. Comments and suggestions are welcome at chh@f2t.com or 206.669.5956.
