Visit Washington: The Cove Restaurant

After a long day driving along the Oregon Coast, and then getting stuck in traffic and heavy rain, we were famished.  A Google Map search of restaurants near our hotel in Vancouver, Washington turned up The Cove Restaurant.

There were no reservations available until late, but when I called they said they welcome walk-ins to be seated at the bar, which is where we ended up sitting.

Seafood Fondue

I don't eat much seafood, but I really wanted to try the Seafood Fondue.  It was full of Oregon Bay shrimp, crab, trumpet mushrooms, Mama Lil's Preppers Gruyere Cheese, sherry cream, and topped with a spiced oregano crust.

It was served with a focaccia that was a little too soft, as well as a lovely triple seed crostini.   

The fondue was great - cheesy, creamy, and delicious.

Bourbon BBQ Chicken Sandwich

The Bourbon BBQ Chicken Sandwich was juicy and moist, topped with crispy onions, pepper jack, tomato, and a creamy chipotle slaw. Served with Malt Vinegar Salted Steak Fries, it was such a great meal.

Texas Dry Rubbed Ribeye

Service was excellent at The Cove Restaurant. Highly recommend if you're in the area!

The Cove Restaurant
5731 SE Columbia Way

Vancouver, WA 98661

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Visit Washington: Muchas Gracias Mexican Food

There is not much open late or early in Vancouver, WA when it comes to fast food, but Muchas Gracias Mexican Food is a fast food chain in the Pacific Northwest that opens early and closes late.  The one we went to is open 24 hours, and we picked up food to eat at the airport before our morning flight.

The Mexi-Fries were basically tater tots with sour cream and cheese. I love tots so I loved these.

Mexi-Fries

I had the Bacon Breakfast Burrito, which I didn't really care for. It was enormous and stuffed with eggs, potatoes, and bacon, but the potatoes were undercooked and underseasoned.

Bacon Breakfast Burrito

My friend had the Carnitas Plate, which he thought was good for a Mexican fast food joint. 

It was a huge plate with refried beans, salsa, guacamole, Mexican rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, and corn tortillas (not pictured).

Muchas Gracias Mexican Food

116 NE 117th Ave

Vancouver, WA 98684

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Sea-Tac Airport Eats: Runway Grill

I don't mind eating at the airport. These days airports have some great dining options. Sometimes we eat at the airport out of necessity though, as was the case when we flew out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for our most recent trip (early flight, no time to eat breakfast elsewhere).
We ordered food from Runway Grill (S Terminal), a fast-casual eatery that offers quick, yet satisfying eats.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Burrito

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit

French Toast Sticks

Hash Browns

I had the Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit, along with some Hash Browns.  Everything was good - comparable to most fast food breakfast fare.

Prices are pretty reasonable, and Runway Grill is quite a popular eatery - each time we've ordered food here the lines were long.

If you're at SEA-TAC's S Terminal and hungry for something simple, yet satisfying, check out Runway Grill!

Runway Grill
SeaTac Airport
Seattle, WA
888-376-2416

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WW: Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies

Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies aka the Wild Horses Monument in Central Washington

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Top 10: Conveniences and Comforts of Red Lion Hotel Seattle Airport

I've stayed at the Red Lion Hotel Seattle Airport three times, and I absolutely love staying there. Why? Because of all of the conveniences that make for a comfortable stay.

Here are the top 10 conveniences and comforts:

1. Location - close to the airport, Downtown Seattle, and several popular attractions

2. Complimentary 24-hour shuttle to/from the airport

3. Gregroy's Bar & Grill right next door - they offer a great, inexpensive breakfast buffet!

4. Sealy Plush Pillow-Top Beds

5. Microwave and Refrigerator

6. Free Wi-Fi - you can work from the comfort of your hotel room!

7. Terry Cloth Bathrobe

8. Cafe2Go

9. In-room Coffee and Coffeemaker

10. Business Center

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Visit Washington: Zip's Drive-in

Halfway through the drive from Post Falls, Idaho to Seattle, Washington, we stopped at Zip's Drive-in in Ritzville, Washington to grab some lunch.

Kids Corn Dog

Crispy Chicken Sandwich

I had the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which was good and just what I needed to fill me up for the rest of the drive back to Seattle.

Little Zipper Fun Meals come with a choice of Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Popcorn Chicken, or Corn Dog, along with Fries, Drink, and a Prize (Lollipop).

I figured the Corn Dog would be easiest for my kids to eat on the road in the car, and they all loved the huge star-shaped Lollipop.

Zip's Drive-In was a convenient stop offering quick, casual eats for our road trip!



Zip's Drive-in
1503 S Smitty's Blvd
Ritzville, WA
509-659-1710

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Visit Spokane: MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub

My husband loves pizza, so when looking for a place to dine one night while in Spokane, he chose MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub, where we dined during Happy Hour.

Although the food was great, our overall experience was very poor (which I will discuss briefly below). After a detailed email to the Corporate office describing our experience - simply to advise of what happened, and not requesting or expecting anything in return (nor mentioning that I blog about my dining experiences) they immediately responded with an apology, solutions going forward, and an offer of a gift card.

I was really impressed - instead of a "cookie cutter" response, all of the issues I pointed out were addressed, including possible reasons why the issues occurred, as well as how they can do better next time (note: I did accept their offer of a gift card).

Cheese Curds

Spicy Buffalo Wings

Kids Fresh Fruit Cup Side

Kids Cheese Pizza

Kids Chicken Fingers with Waffle Fries

Flathead Pizza

Kids Pepperoni Pizza

I thought the food was really good. We ordered the two items off of the Happy Hour Menu - Cheese Curds and Wings. The Battered Wisconsin Cheese Curds were perfectly crisp on the outside, and cheese and gooey on the inside.

The Flathead Pizza, topped with Alfredo Sauce, Fajita Chicken, Bacon, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Spinach, and Mozzarella Cheese, was delicious.

Kids meals come with a side and a drink, and are just $5.50. Pizza portions for the kiddos were huge!

Although we enjoyed the food, as mentioned previously, we had a very poor experience.

I went into lengthy detail in my email to the corporate office, but to summarize, although our server was friendly, he was very unfamiliar with the menu (when asked about certain drinks or items, he'd respond "I'm not sure" instead of "Let me see if I can get the answer for you"); he hardly ever came to our table to check on us (we actually had to grab extra napkins and other items on our own, our drinks were not refilled until he eventually came by towards the end of the meal, etc.), and due to the credit card system being down (which they were aware of but did not advise us of), we were given a slip with all of our sensitive credit card information (including the security identification code) hand-written down, and no, we wouldn't be getting a receipt  (luckily we had cash and took back the hand-written receipt with all of our credit card info.).

Whenever we dine out we usually great service.  Sometimes we don't, but you know my experience had to be really poor for me to take the time to write, so I sincerely appreciate how MacKenzie River Pizza addressed my email so quickly.

I always give restaurants second chances, and I look forward to giving them another try.

MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub
818 W Riverside Ave,

Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 315-4447

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Visit Spokane: Brain Freeze Creamery

While in Spokane, we stopped for ice cream at Brain Freeze Creamery.

Salted Caramel

Circus

Freshly Minted

Brain Freeze offered a nice variety of flavors, but I had to go with one of my faves - Salted Caramel. It was creamy and delicious!

My kids loved the ice cream too, especially the Circus, which consisted of Cotton Candy Ice Cream, Crushed Circus Animal Cookies, and Sprinkles!

The ice cream shop also serves breakfast and lunch!

If you're in Spokane and looking for super yummy, locally-made premium ice cream, be sure to visit Brain Freeze Creamery!

Brain Freeze Creamery
1238 W Summit Pkwy

Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 321-7569

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Visit Seattle: Duke's Chowder House

After a long drive from Post Falls, Idaho to Seattle, Washington in stormy weather, our family was craving a hearty meal, and we found it at Duke's Chowder House at Southcenter Mall.

Complimentary Bread

Surfer's Surf Clam Strips

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger

Award Winning New England Style Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl

Tatum's Grass Fed Jr. Burger with Cheese and French Fries

Hudson's "Jump in Your Mouth" Chicken Strips with French Fries

Sophie's Grilled Wild Alaska Salmon with Dinghy of Clam Chowder

"I Want You So Bad" Marionberry Pie

We dined during Happy Hour so we took advantage of a few of the specials - the Clam Strips, Chowder, and Burger.

The Clam Strips were perfectly cooked, and were delicious with both the Tartar Sauce and Wasabi Aioli.

I ordered the Clam Chowder.  For a small order, it was still pretty huge, and it was absolutely delicious.  It's no wonder that it's "award-winning" - it was thick, creamy, and full of lots of herbs and clams.  It was ideal comfort food for a cool evening in Seattle.

Kids meals are reasonably-priced and also include a drink.

For dessert, our server recommended the Marionberry Pie.  Since I never had marionberries before, I decided to try it.  Local marionberries were baked into a small pie and topped with Lopez Island Creamery Vanilla Ice Cream.  The tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the ice cream combined to create a very yummy dessert!

Service was excellent, and our meal at Duke's Chowder House was the perfect way to treat ourselves after a long roadtrip.

Duke's Chowder House
757 Southcenter Mall

Tukwila, WA 98188
(206) 243-5200

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Visit Spokane: Manito Park

Located just a few minutes away from Downtown Spokane is Manito Park.

The 78-acre park is home to a splash pad, playgrounds, duck pond, and greenhouse conservatory, but it was the gardens, particularly Duncan Gardens, that drew me to Manito Park.

Greenhouse Conservatory

There are a total of five gardens at Manito Park that are full of plants and flowers in all colors imaginable.

As soon as we arrived at Manito Park we stopped at Rose Hill.  I had no idea there were so many varieties of roses - over 150 types of roses can be found at Rose Hill!

Near the garden of roses was the Inland Empire Dahlia Society National Trial Garden.  Gorgeous blooms in hues of yellows, purples, and pinks were a beautiful sight!

In addition to the Rose Hill Garden, you'll also find the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden, Lilac Garden, and Ferris Perennial Garden.  Because we were pressed for time, we were unable to go to these gardens, but we did head straight to Duncan Gardens right after Rose Hill.

Designed over 100 years ago by John Duncan, Manito’s second superintendent, the stunning grounds of the garden were designed in a classical European Renaissance style,

Complete with a fountain and gazebo, the garden is picture-perfect (in fact we saw a family taking professional photos there).

Duncan Gardens was absolutely beautiful. The vibrant pinks, purples, reds, and greens were spectacular.  

We saw a lot of people strolling through the gardens, jogging with their pets, and playing at the playground.

Manito Park is a lovely place to visit in Spokane!

Manito Park

1702 S Grand Blvd

Spokane, WA 99203
(509) 625-6200

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