Arnie's For Brunch -- The Broadway Joe's Special Scores Big Points

Mar 5, 1995

John Hinterberger

"I'LL TELL YOU about a great place for Sunday brunch," my friend Rusty Fenwick said, "provided you absolutely promise you won't write about it - and ruin it for the rest of us."

"I swear," I said solemnly.

And I didn't write about my friend's favorite brunch for one whole year, after which the statute of limitations runs out on solemn promises. At least on mine.

Rusty was referring to Arnie's at the Landing in Edmonds, one of three Arnie's in the area (the other two are the original Arnie's in Mukilteo, built in 1979, and on the north shore of Lake Union, established in '85).

"What's so special about it?" I asked.

"It's good, it's affordable, and the first glass of champagne is free."

And since it was Sunday . . .

We went and after two hours of civilized gluttony I agreed with all of his conclusions. A year later I went back and brought a notebook.

The Sunday brunch is becoming more and more of a family event. From time to time in coming weeks, we'll focus on some of Seattle's more interesting weekend brunch choices. (Suggestions? Write to me at The Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. I'll check them out.)

Arnie's is named for Arnie Challman, father of Peter Challman, co-owner-partner with Robert Peterson. The senior Challman owned the land the original Mukilteo view restaurant was built upon.

Arnie's does brunch well. Not with the out-of-this-world sense of opulence of the Georgian spreads at the Four Seasons Olympic, or the abdomen-popping "farm breakfasts" that the old Snoqualmie Lodge used to dispense. But with taste, flair, appropriate generosity, dispatch - and a view to complement the complimentary champagne.

You start out with fruit. Not one of those meager little fruit cups, but a plate heaped with sections of fresh pineapple, half-moons of watermelon, trimmed cantaloupe and honey melon and scatterings of red grapes. Served with it is a voluptuous dressing of sweetened sour cream, laced with almond and vanilla extracts and topped with a gold and white dusting of toasted, shredded coconut. (Hang onto that dressing, a compelling creative use will be found for it later.)

With the fruit course, there's a choice of champagne (not vintage French, but drinkable), a rather frothy orange juice, or a combination of the two, a mimosa.

What follows is a choice of breakfast-lunch items (from $5.95 for the Belgium Waffle with warm maple syrup and a massive clot of whipped cream, to $10.95 for Steak and Eggs, in this case a 5-ounce tenderloin. Rounds of excellent, non-greasy, oven-roasted potatoes come with almost everything.

Some of the choices are typical (Eggs Benedict at $8.95) but some are not.

The Broadway Joe's Special ($7.95) drew its inspiration not from a limping ex-quarterback (occasionally given to posing in sheer hose), but from the original Joe's Special (sometimes called a Little Joe's):

Ground beef, spinach and eggs.

At Arnie's, however, the scrambled eggs predominate. The original Joe's calls for 1 pound of ground beef to two eggs, the eggs employed mainly to "set" the dish. Arnie's adds ground Isernio sausage to the seasoned beef mix, along with chopped zucchini and the requisite spinach. As a result it's lighter than the Bay Area original, if not exactly something your cardiologist would applaud. If you want to add a touch of authenticity, call for a dash of Tabasco.

Crab Cakes and Eggs (any style; $9.25) are becoming a Puget Sound hallmark (think back a decade ago when crab cakes were a relative regional novelty). Arnie's does them deftly; not too much bell pepper and quite light on the filler or binder. As a result, the golden-brown cakes are delicate, sweetly "crabby" and rather fragile. A tart, almost aggressive lime-pepper sauce is served with them.

Eight "Egg Specialties" are on the card, along with four omelets that are somehow categorized separately. Of the latter, you might consider the Northwest Seafood Omelet ($9.75), wrapped around Dungeness crab, bay shrimp, jack cheese and coated with a Mornay sauce.

The omelets are competently made, which is no small achievement. They are not overcooked into the tough, vulcanized (but cosmetically golden brown) shell seen in all too many area restaurants. The omelets (from $6.95 to $9.75), made with three eggs, are light, fluffy and tender.

The Isernio Sausage Scramble ($7.75) is a sound choice, with Frank's richly fenneled links sauteed with mushrooms, bell peppers and Parmesan cheese. Curiously enough, two strips of lean, thick-cut bacon come alongside, as well as potatoes, a wedge of orange and some grapes.

For those who avoid eggs, there's a standard lunch menu (you still get the fruit and the domestic champagne), from which I'd suggest the Hot Seafood Salad ($10.25). Sauteed prawns, scallops, fresh rock fish, bacon and diced vegetables over crisp mixed greens.

The children's menu (waffles, French toast, cheeseburgers, etc.) is priced from $2.95 to $4.

With any or all of the above, you will be served too generous a warm square of "Arnie's Homemade Sticky Bun," rich and dark with swirls of cinnamon and topped with a runny glaze of caramelized syrup and chopped toasted walnuts.

Pour your leftover (from the fruit platter) vanilla sour cream sauce over it! It's incredible.

Then go run four miles. You've got to get trim by next Sunday.

# # 1/2 $$ Arnie's Sunday Brunch ($6 to $10.50) at three Arnie's locations: 1900 N. Northlake Way, Seattle (547-3242), 300 Admiral Way, Edmonds (771-5688) and 714 Second St., Mukilteo (745-0601). From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. View lounges, full bar. Major credit cards. Smoking: lounge only.

ARNIE'S BRUNCH STICKY BUNS ------------------------------------- 6 rolls Rolls: 1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees) 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 4 tablespoons butter, divided 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg, lightly beaten About 2 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

TOPPING:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter 1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. To prepare the rolls: Combine warm milk, sugar and 2 tablespoons butter; stir until butter melts. Add yeast and let sit until yeast starts to bubble. Beat in salt and egg. Gradually add flour and beat well. 2. Place dough in a bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. 3. On a heavily floured counter, roll the dough to a thin rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Starting with a long end, roll up and slice into 6 rolls. (Pinch the seam ends together.) 4. To prepare the topping: Combine brown sugar, melted butter, orange peel and honey; spread into a 9-by-13-inch pan. Sprinkle pecans over the mixture and place rolls evenly in two rolls of 3. 5. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise again 1 hour, until doubled. 6. Remove plastic wrap and bake in a preheated 325-degree oven about 25 minutes, until golden. 7. Let rolls cool in the pan a bit before inverting onto a serving platter. Serve warm, sticky side up.

John Hinterberger, who writes the weekly restaurant review in Tempo and a Sunday food column in Pacific Magazine, visits restaurants anonymously and unannounced. He pays in full for all food, wines and services. Interviews of the restaurants' management and staff are done only after meals and services have been appraised. He does not accept invitations to evaluate restaurants. Ron Wurzer is a Times photographer.