The choices for dining near my office are slim. We are in a sort of no-man’s land between Boeing Field and Sea-Tac airport. The roads, due to topology only run north-south – we are on a steep hillside, with the Duwamish river below us to the east, and the hill behind us is topped with golf courses (in the flight path of Sea-Tac of course!) North of us is the industrial flat-land of the Duwamish valley. As the Puget Sound developed, industry and agriculture dominated the flat surfaces, and business and residence ended up on hills. Downtown is on a steep slope, located there because at the base of the hill is a natural deepwater port that provided a safe place to moor ships with no risk of grounding as the tides dropped sea-level by 20 feet in 6 hours. Industry filled in the flat areas between the hills (glacial moraines) of West Seattle and Beacon Hill. With the twin residential exceptions of Georgetown and South Park, the course of the Duwamish is flanked by industry; Boeing of course being the largest. Boeing has consumed virtually all of the land between us and Georgetown, which does have some good eats. South Park, which has transformed into a Mexican neighborhood has some awesome food from that region, but requires crossing two bridges to get to. That leaves us with going south. International Blvd (nee Pacific Highway South, nee Route 99) has the redundant array of generic fast food, and a few places near the airport (13 coins, and some hotel places.) It also has a relic …a pre-Grunge, pre-historic, pre-boom Seattle throwback that is a time-warp into the past.
There was a time when Seattle was a very working-class, very industrial, very white place. “Ethnic minorities” consisted of Danes amongst the Norwegians and Swedes. Yeah, there has always been a significant Native American and Asian/Pacific population, but the area up the hill south of my office 40 years ago was not the ethic mishmash it is today. They didn’t have Mexican, Ethiopian, or Somalian groceries; no “Bollywood Video” store; no Halal meat market. They could never have called it “International Boulevard” in the 1960s unless it was a reference to the airport. Oddly enough, the street sees enough traffic that rents are too high for small “mom & pop” ethnic restaurants, so it is basically a long stretch of gas stations and fast food. There is a little Mexican place called “El Rinconsito” … the food is good, but they play the Mexi-pop tunes so loud I can barely stand it. Oh well.
But to take a trip back in time, drive to where I.B. and Military Road S. meet. There you will find “The Pancake Chef.” It is a snapshot of Seattle, before the World’s Fair. At a time when the intersection of Highway 99 and Military Road was as important as where I-5 and I-405 meet today, except unlike the Interstate you could pull over an eat anywhere in those days, instead of either flying along (or more often, staring at the license plate of the car in front of you as you stop, shuffle, stop, shuffle, stop, etc your way along.) The patrons at The Pancake Chef look like they’ve been eating here since 1962 as well. They don’t fit the demographic of the neighborhood as it stands in 2006, that’s for sure. They are pretty much all white, and all very old. The food is excellent, and deserving of that long-term loyalty, but sitting inside I’m reminded of visiting the old Fredrick & Nelson department store on 5th Avenue circa 1987… looking around and knowing that the establishment was doomed because all their customers were going to die… soon. Every time I go there I drop the median age by 25 years, and I’m not that young! Walkers and portable oxygen gear surrounds several tables. There is artwork on the wall for sale, with the business card of the artist. On that card is a phone number without an area code… dating from the days when all of western Washington was “206”. It was almost 20 years ago when 360, 256, and 425 arrived. I wonder if the artist still draws breath? The loudspeakers play a style of music that hasn’t been heard since KBRD… “as beautiful as a bird in flight. K-bird, FM 104 KBRD Seattle”… went off the air goodness knows when! String arrangements of Beatles hits, 70s TV themes, and show tunes. It is surreal to sit and play mental “name that tune” games as the playlist moves on to the next song. I get flashbacks to the dentist office waiting rooms of my childhood… all that is missing is the fish tank.
Despite the time-warp decor and surroundings, the food is excellent. I bet the menu hasn’t changed, other than prices, since the day it opened four years or so before my birth. They close early (3pm!) so it is strictly breakfast and lunch. Odd-hour meals, a staple of the 7/24/365 business I’m in, are off the menu (for that, we have 13 Coins, which I’ll have to write about someday.) Everything I’ve ordered has been fresh, tasty and served swiftly. The Club Sandwich is excellent, with buttery toasted bread, thick bacon, and tasty smoked turkey. Breakfasts are awesome. I need to work my way through their specialty pancakes and waffles at some point. My sons say their pancakes are great.
I hope The Pancake Chef doesn’t suffer the same fate as F&N, but I suspect it is inevitable. If some good breakfasts and an old-Seattle flashback is in order, I suggest a run down to Sea-Tac.