Neighborhood Joint -- Breakfast At Cool Hand Luke's Is Worth The Wait

Nov 26, 1995

John Hinterberger

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# # $ Cool Hand Luke's, 1131 34th Ave. Weekend breakfast ($3 to $6.50) 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lunch and dinner ($4.50 to $7.50) 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Beer, wine. No credit cards. No smoking. No reservations. 324-2553. ----------------------------------------------------------------- THE "NEIGHBORHOOD" restaurant is an elusive entity. There are some that are merely in the neighborhood. They happen to be there; but, conceivably, they could easily be anyplace else.

There are others that are of the neighborhood, like any of the Asian restaurants in the International District.

And then there are those that, all by themselves, are a neighborhood.

Cool Hand Luke's is one of those.

From the moment you walk in (and shortly afterwards, having signed up for a table, gone back outside to wait), you are aware that you have entered a particular niche of urban society. The people who are there, regardless of where they have come from, appear to belong there. Especially on Saturday and Sunday mornings when Curtis and Sharon Luke serve breakfast, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., pretty much nonstop.

It's an urban crowd: mostly young, casually dressed, sandals; plenty of boomers; a few same-sex couples. Readers, talkers. A healthy scattering of seniors and retirees. They look and sound like a Democratic precinct caucus.

The Lukes opened their little restaurant four years ago at a Madrona intersection that has become a mini-restaurant district. The Hi-Spot and the Cafe Soleil, both equally busy, are diagonally across the street. It's not uncommon for a would-be patron to check the waiting line at one place and then wander around to one or two others, comparing - as you would a supermarket check-out line - estimated times of service.

Mostly, however, you walk in, turn to your right and write your name down on a lined yellow sheet of paper just inside the door, including the number in your party. Regulars often go to the counter and pick up a cup of excellent coffee (Torrefazione) and a scone or cinnamon roll (both freshly baked) before going out into the courtyard to read a paper and wait.

Turnover is quick. A 20- to 25-minute wait on mid-morning Sunday is about average. As I stood there one crisp autumn morning, a smiling older man emerged, looked around and pronounced:

"It's worth the wait."

It always is. Cool Hand Luke's serves nothing unusual, although there is an Asian accent attached to many of the dishes. The breakfasts, however, are typical American: Eggs in a variety of forms, interestingly concocted and wittily named (The Boulderado, $6.50, is "a different kind of Benedict. A Spencer steak replaces the Canadian bacon." While the "I'm Starving," $5.50, is simply three eggs, a choice of meat, red-skinned fried potatoes and toast).

Service is decidedly quick. And with some reason. An Associated Press newspaper clipping tacked to the wall near the entry announces "Chinese boss kills waitress for being slow."

"That's to keep the staff on its toes," grinned Sharon Luke. "The story is real. It's our incentive program."

Start with fresh-squeezed orange juice ($1.50 to $2.50 depending on the size) and a cup of coffee - which is modestly priced: 90 cents for an espresso or regular coffee; $1.25 for a latte or $1.50 for a mocha. Add 50 cents for a double.

The cinnamon roll ($1.50) is fluffy and tender, not too sugary, and appropriately spiced. It's not as big as the monsters that are served at the Maltby Cafe, but at least you can finish it in one sitting. The inner spirals are gooey with warm, plumped raisins.

Mike's Potatoes ($4.75), an ultimate version of fried potatoes crossed with a cheese melt, are a house favorite. Quartered, sauteed red potatoes are tossed with onions, tomatoes, Swiss and cheddar cheeses, scallions and a dollop of sour cream. The whole tantalizing affair is served with two links of sausage and a choice of either sourdough or nine-grain toast or an English muffin.

I never discovered who Mike is, but he has a bountiful imagination.

Another outlandish amalgamation is the Imperial Mix-up (also $4.75), which combines eggs, scallions, rice and slices of grilled linguica (Portuguese sausage - it's common on Cape Cod and in the Portuguese-American fishing communities along the New England coast, but not often found here). It looks like an elaborate fried rice and tastes a little like a Provincetown supper after the tourist season. A hungry friend ate barely a third of it.

You can get a substantial Steak and Eggs for $6.50, made with a six-ounce cut of Spencer steak (eye of prime rib), potatoes, toast, etc.

I rarely order pork chops for breakfast anymore, especially served with white pan gravy, but one early Sunday afternoon with a gray mist flirting with a frost, it seemed like a timely idea. (Luke's serves breakfasts Saturday and Sunday, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., although you may order from the dinner side of the menu, if you're so moved). Boneless pork chops are easily (and usually) overcooked. These two specimens were perfect - cooked through, but still juicy and tender.

The lunch and dinner menus during the week demonstrate more of the Luke's Chinese heritage; Szechwan Eggplant ($5.95 at dinner with a soup or salad included), Tofu and Spinach in a spicy peanut sauce served over rice ($6.25) or Pan-fried Garlic Prawns, with rice and vegetables ($5.25 at lunch; $6.25 as a dinner). As well as standard American steaks, roast chicken - or peanut butter and homemade jam sandwiches ($2.50) for children.

Luke's is a pleasant, unpretentious place with an unswerving sense of hospitality, even when it is so crowded that the pictures on the walls hang askew.

"We keep straightening the paintings," sighed Sharon. "But people keep bumping into them."

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. Teresa Tamura and Greg Gilbert are Seattle Times photographers.