Yankee Diner Offers An Affordable Feast

The Yankee Diner, 13856 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue. 643-1558. Personal checks, all major credit cards accepted. Smoking allowed in designated areas. Take-out available. Hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

The red neon glow that lights the exterior of the restaurant exudes such a contemporary flair I couldn't help but wonder just how traditional the food actually could be.

It took only a step into the quaint lobby to put these thoughts at rest. I squeezed in among the folks waiting to take their turn to be seated and found myself staring at a wall filled with awards, letters and articles hailing everything from the restaurant's great "traditional" food, to its good prices and tasteful decor. Some garden club was even offering its thanks.

"Hmmm . . . not bad for a chain," I thought to myself.

Bellevue's Yankee Diner, nestled near the corner of 140th and Bel-Red Road, was started 11 years ago by Tom Singleton, a Puget Sound native who wanted to model a restaurant after the traditional diners and food he knew growing up as a child.

He brought on a staff of bakers and began making everything on the menu from scratch. His focus on high-quality food and consistency quickly earned him a devoted following and turned his business into such a success that a Lynnwood branch followed. Last year, Singleton opened his third Yankee Diner in Ballard and plans to open a fourth one later this year and a fifth next year. After that? Who knows?

OLD AMERICAN CHARM

The outside may be contemporary, but the inside of the diner definitely reflects old American charm. Ceiling fans and old-fashioned lamps complement the oak booths and tables. Black-and-white photos of old diners line the walls, intermingled with colorful pictures of fruits and vegetables.

A well-stocked bar offers patrons a choice virtually of any cocktail, as well as a generous selection of beer and wine. It's a cozy, relaxed environment that draws a diverse mix of people, from young families to business professionals wishing to entertain a client.

The menu is loaded with diner mainstays, including 20 different sandwiches, several kinds of soups and a variety of appetizers. It also offers a selection of steak and chicken entrees and a daily listing of pasta dishes and eight or nine choices of fresh seafood.

But it is the Yankee specialties that serve as the diner's real draw and remind patrons of the stuff on which the country was built.

We're talking real mashed potatoes, real pot roast, real homemade pie: all at real decent prices. For about $8 or $9, patrons can sample almost any item on the menu - from roast young tom turkey that includes all the trimmings, to the sugar-cured hickory-smoked ham.

I started out with the pot stickers, trying to set the mood for a turkey pot pie. The bite-sized pastries came loaded with tender pork and were accompanied by teriyaki sauce.

The menu warned the pot pies are for those with a "hearty appetite." But I paid no heed until my waitress brought out what appeared to be a serving-size bowl topped with a thin, flaky crust.

"This is as big as you are, dear," she said, clearing away my salad to make room for my feast.

I looked across the table and saw my friend, Barb, staring into a container-like bowl of chili smothered in cheese. We both figured we had the next day's breakfast and lunch covered.

My pot pie ($6.95, choice of soup or salad), was delicious. The crust was moist and flaky - literally melting in my mouth. It complemented the thick, rich broth which came loaded with hearty chunks of tender turkey, baby red potatoes and carrots. I had a taste of Barb's chili, which I thought could have used a little extra spice, but was still very good.

NO ROOM FOR DESSERT

We only made it through half our meals and were too stuffed to sample the dessert list, although our waitress warned that we'd be sorry for missing out on the diner's huge selection of homemade pies. I've also heard that the homemade whiskey bread pudding, $1.25 for small, $2.25 for large, is excellent.

Tamie, our waitress, reminded me of being back home with mom and for some reason started me thinking about what Betsy Ross and other early American women were like.

"Girls, are you sure I can't feed you anymore?" she asked not once, but several times.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. But probably the best part of it all was when Tamie brought out the check. Not only could I afford to pay for my meal, I had greens left over.

"Not bad," I said to myself again, as Barb and I loaded our leftovers into the car.

Restaurant reviews are a regular Thursday feature of the Seattle Times Eastside Life section. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant management and staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.