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(51 posts)

Heartland Cafe's gonna be gooood!

Started 2 years ago by pigeonmom
Latest reply from HelperMonkey

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pigeonmom
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Just returned from the trial friends & family run. Great food and atmosphere! Bar looks dark and divey too. (just like I like it)

Posted 2 years ago #
Jo
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What kind of a menu?
Website up yet?
We're all waiting.

Posted 2 years ago #
pigeonmom
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Today was breakfast only. Well rounded from chorizo & egg burrito to corned beef hash and veggie items too. Website not up yet. Should open Friday.

Posted 2 years ago #
timeslid
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Corned beef hash was excellent as were the pancakes and the veggie omelette. Oh, and I had it on good authority that the galette was spectacular. I can't wait for the grand opening! Way to go guys you have done well!

Posted 2 years ago #
matthewdarling
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we had such a great time getting to serve our friends and family today! i feel honored to get to work there!

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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Loved it !. And the Benbow Room is like deja vu all over again :)Just wait and see.

Stuffed french toast..more layered than stuffed..with housemade sausage patties..yummmm. On the breakfast menu, the most expensive meal was 13.95...and that comes with a bloody mary or a mimosa (or the non-alcohocol equiv). Most prices around 8-9 bucks, some less, a couple more...and HUGE plates of food.

it's gonna be goooooddd!!!!

Posted 2 years ago #
charlabob
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OK, does Heartland have a web site (the charlabobs will be there tonight and one of us likes to plan her meals at least 15 minutes ahead of time) -- for example, we wouldn't want anyone to be running out of chicken fried steak.) :-)

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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http://www.heartlandcafeseattle.com however...as of last night there was no menu posted - lol...so I guess I'm not much help, huh

;-)

Posted 2 years ago #
Caffeine_Queen
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Being an old school West Seattle gal it brought a tear to my eye to visit the Heartland Cafe today. I can tell you if you want stuffy, uptight staff and fussy food then drive yourself somewhere else. If you want friendly staff, good home-cookin', a charming bar and a place you can feel right at home then visit the Heartland Cafe.

We sat in the Benbow room and had cold beers from a nice little happy hour menu. A juicy lucy hamburger, grilled veggie burger, saluted onions, grilled bread and fluffy taters later we were one happy couple. The wait person got us a little cup of mayo for dipping, was very attentive and the best thing dear Matthew was there too tending bar.

We could hear each other talk and felt the warm, cozy West Seattle blanket of a new place to call our 'usual' being thrown over us.

Check it out if you like a comfy place, good food, great staff and enjoy not being around stuck-up posers. Welcome Home Heartland Cafe, we've missed you.

Posted 2 years ago #
EmmyJane
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You all have me so excited! I hope their vegetarian items are just as yummy.

Posted 2 years ago #
Caffeine_Queen
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Any of their burgers can be made with a veggie patty. Not sure what they do, but it's moist not bone dry. Matthew noticed what I was eating and suggested the volcano next time. Taters, bean, mushroom gravy, onion straws.

Posted 2 years ago #
GoGo
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We ate dinner there last night, food was really good! And it was so great to see Matthew there, he was my absolute favorite part of the Skylark when he was there. We will be back for breakfast!!

Posted 2 years ago #
Sue
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BTW, their menu is now up on the website - http://www.heartlandcafeseattle.com

I went again earlier this week and service had definitely improved from my first visit. The waitress even warned us that a very large group in the back was about ready to put in orders, so if we could hurry and get our orders in, they wouldn't be held up by that. The meatloaf was very good (and I'm really picky on meatloaf) - the peppercorn gravy with it had such a nice, spicy taste. I probably won't be going there too often as I'm not supposed to be eating red meat or dairy, and there's not much on their menu that fits that - but that's my issue, not theirs; it wouldn't be midwest comfort food without meat and cheese. :)

Posted 2 years ago #
kellym
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Looks great...but oh how i wish, wish, wish for a real chicago beef sandwich.......

Posted 2 years ago #
charlabob
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We went again last night -- it's become our "not too expensive" treat when we're both too lazy to cook.

First time trying the latkes/potato pancakes. They are exceptional! They even have sour cream and apple sauce -- authentic!)

This place is truly awesome. And the Captain Benbow room is special -- Seafair clowns are visiting Saturday, according to a poster on the wall.

As long as they can serve midwest comfort food and avoid green jello, they'll be on my a-list.

Posted 2 years ago #
villagegreen
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charlabob - what have been your favorite items on the menu? Had the Juicy Lucy last week and I swear they forgot to put the cheese in the burger. I used to live within blocks of Matt's Bar in South Minneapolis (the inventor of the Juicy Lucy) and the Heartland has some work to do. The molten cheese should gush out upon first bite. I didn't speak up last time as they're still most likely getting the kinks worked out, but definitely will next time.

Other than that, the chicken fried steak sandwich rocked and I loved the atmosphere. The Benbow room looked awesome as well! Definitely will be back.

Posted 2 years ago #
JayDee
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I won a free dinner on a NCAA bet from a friend and I decided to take it easy on his wallet so we went to Heartland Cafe. There were no tables upfront, so we ate at the bar, in one of the pirate ship tables. I had chicken fried steak, smashed potatoes and gravy. Heaven. Not overly salted and while it isn't health food, it is very toothsome.
-
My buddy had the chicken fried chicken and cleaned his plate. Two excellent dinners with two sides, a $9 martini, a glass of red wine, and a beer for a total tab of $47 bux before tip. Cheerful service and positive attitudes and the restored Benbow pirate ship bar. As my nephew might say, Hella good.

Posted 2 years ago #
johnnyblegs
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Villagegreen - I know it's up for debate but didn't the 5-8 Club invent the Juicy Lucy?

Posted 2 years ago #
Homer
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Looks good, can't wait to try it...but is it just me or does the breakfast look kinda pricey? Two eggs, hashbrowns and toast = $7.95? Oh well, guess rent must be high there. As much as I love breakfast out, this has got to be the most marked up meal!

Posted 2 years ago #
charlabob
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Favorites (so far): Chicken Fried Steak, sauerkraut (I don't know what there is about it...perfectly spiced, etc.) AND Potato Pancakes (with sour cream and applesauce.) And, of course, the Wicked Wench -- a matthew special drink -- featuring pomegranite vodka :-)

Posted 2 years ago #
villagegreen
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johnnyblegs - you are correct! Matt's does the 'Jucy Lucy', not the 'Juicy Lucy'. Guess I'm comparing the Heartland's version to the wrong original. Anyway, my critique stands - put more cheese in it! It would sure taste good with some fries, too.

you a minneapolis native?

Posted 2 years ago #
newnative
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I was excited to try breakfast here but they weren't serving breakfast at 11:30AM. I don't eat breakfast out before 11:30am. Most places serve breakfast all day or at least until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Lunch looks too expensive for what it is. Oh well!

Posted 2 years ago #
Sue
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newnative, is it today that you went for breakfast? Heartland is closed on Mondays, so if you went today, that would explain it.

Posted 2 years ago #
johnnyblegs
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villagegreen said: you a minneapolis native?

Not me. Born and raised in Seattle. Never been there either. I'm just a Jucy Lucy lover. Hot cheese lava! Mmmmmmm. Can't wait to try Heartland's version.

Posted 2 years ago #
bunnypug
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Tried Heartland for the first time last night. Loved the Benbow room! We started there for a beer and then opted to not move into the dining room for dinner as it was such a fabulous setting. The food was solid, but not great. Well priced. I had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and sauerkrat. Wished it was hotter. Dining partners had the Volcano and the brat dish. My suggestions are for a relish plate starter, iceberg lettuce & blue cheese wedge, fried pickles, More pork!, walleye or catfish with hush puppies and more wine selections, it also would be great to offer small salads as side dish options. Service was very good. Oh! And the nuttiest part was about 9 o'clock the bar was boarded by pirates who were seriously entertaining. Did anyone else see them out last night?

Posted 2 years ago #
saney
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last night was my first time there. i cant say that i will be back (not for the food anyway)

the front was busy, so we opted to sit in the benbow for dinner. we had the WORST server. (younger girl, long curly brown hair). so slow and inattentive...and constantly had to "go ask" because she didnt know the answer to questions about the menu.

i am a vegetarian...and there really just isnt much to choose from. i had looked at the menu online. i thought i would try the volcano and just ask to have it without the gravy. (i figured mashed potatoes and green bean casserole without the gravy was do-able, right?). well, apparently (according to our server) they cook it with the gravy inside; and it cannot be altered. okay... i didnt really want a "veggie" burger, because all of their burgers feature some sort of meat on top of meat, so the substitution would just be plain. i asked for a side of mashed potatoes, and a side of "sauteed" broccoli- which was listed with the special. i ended up with a saucer-sized plate (not even a salad sized plate) with a tiny scoop of potatoes, and a wee bit of broccoli (which was by no means sauteed, or seasoned at all). each side was $2.50- which is ridiculous for the amount they gave me.
--and before you ask, no i didnt speak to a manager. they were really busy, and as we were getting our checks, the pirate ladies were "invading" the benbow room....and i really just wanted to find something to eat somewhere.

we ended up at porterhouse.....GREAT service, great prices, great food, great atmosphere...that is where i will be going back to.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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I don't want this to come across as rude, because that's not my intent. The Heartland advertises it's "comfort food"...midwest recipes...and not exactly vegetarian...all you have to do is read the menu to see that. It's also not in the same vein as Fresh Bistro, Spring Hill, etc. It is what it is. People have to read the menu, and discern that this is not a place for vegetarians. Not everyone can manipulate their menus to cover all the bases. So please don't be surprised when you can't find what you want at Heartland if you're not a meat eater. It is what it is.

Not every place is going to be everyone's cup of tea. The post right before yours, Saney, was favorable. And...FWIW...they advertised that the Seafair Pirates would be in the bar that night.

Glad you could find something else close by. It's nice that the Admiral District is finally coming into it's own with a variety of restaurants and foods.

Posted 2 years ago #
saney
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I don't expect every restaurant to cater to me. You obviously missed the point; which was that the service was bad and that when I did find a suitable option, it was a pathetic offering.

And I wasn't saying anything negative about the pirates. Only that the crowd made it difficult to attempt contact with a manager.

Posted 2 years ago #
bunnypug
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Here are some thoughts on the last couple of posts. I'm from Iowa and that is where I became a vegetarian in the mid 80's. I was a strict vegetarian for over 20 years and only recently started eating meat. I think both of the last 2 posts have really valid points. First I do think it would be smart for Heartland to add a veggie main dish or two. Why? Because this is Seattle in 2010 and it should not be as hard for a comfort food loving vegetarian to find a nice meal as it was for me in Des Moines (Iowa!) in 1985. Trying to make a meal out of a dollop of mashed potatoes and small side of broccoli gives me flash backs to the real heartland. Having said that, I also think that respecting a given restaurant's niche is important. I am not going to go to a BBQ place expecting tofu or bacon free greens. When we have food needs or preferences that are not part of the cultural norm of an establishment I think it is incumbent on us to show some deference. I do think Heartland is trying to be somewhat vegetarian friendly as evidenced by offering veggie burgers. Heartland is still quite new and some thoughtful feedback might be very welcome. And while I had a fun experience Friday night, it was far from stellar. As I mentioned, my food was not particularly warm for example. And finally, if anybody wants ideas for veggie comfort food just let me know.

Posted 2 years ago #
dawsonct
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Finally made it in last week on a nice, quiet morning. Had the corned-beef hash, which was very delicious. Texturally, I prefer it be a bit chunkier, but the flavor was fantastic. I would certainly order it again.
Breakfast and coffee with tip (I round up from 20%) was $20. A bit expensive for breakfast (at least one without booze) so I won't eat there frequently, but it was good enough the first time that I will be back.
Loved seeing the Benbow back to her former glory. Seeing it again brought back a lot of hazy memories. I think.

Posted 2 years ago #
JanS
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we had a discussion about the corned beef hash at the soft opening...big chunks vs. itty bitty pieces. I tasted my friend's, and thought it delish.

Posted 2 years ago #
pam
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We ate there Friday night. Got there about 5:05 p.m. Matt was our waiter and very friendly and enthusiastic - gave us time to look over the menu. While the food was fine, the service was incredibly slow - in fact we waited nearly an hour to get a black and blue burger, cobb salad, chicken fried steak and the meatloaf. After a half an hour or so, Matt recognized it was beyond the time it should take and offered us free pie for after the meal. We never order dessert so that was a nice treat. Food finally arrived and Matt comped the entire meal with his apologies. That was very much appreciated and will make it easier for us to consider giving it another try.

Posted 2 years ago #
dawsonct
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Pam, I hope you tipped Matt well; sounds like he really went to great lengths to ensure you weren't disappointed.
--
Boy, that IS one of those dilemmas, isn't it JanS? Tastes are so subjective. Personally, I don't like a CBH that is too chunky; I want to be able to get a bit of everything on my fork, and if it is a version with big, rough chunks, I have a hard time getting a mouthful. In the same vein, if it is too finely chopped, it doesn't have enough textural and taste definition between ingredients.
But as a cook, I understand it is impossible to please everyone all the time.
Again, though, it was a wonderfully flavored CBH.

Posted 2 years ago #
newnative
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I wanted to return to this, I went when they were open. I came in at 11:40am, asked if they were serving breakfast (because I only saw lunch menus out). The woman seating had to ask someone in the kitchen and replied they were done with breakfast. I have since checked back and there are no posted times for meals.

Posted 2 years ago #
Vanessa
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Breakfast was going allright until my first bite of corned beef hash. It had so much MUSTARD in it, I could not eat it. Why in the world, would someone put MUSTARD on a dish of great corned beef hash? They were very nice about it.....no charge. I will go back and give them another try sometime.

Posted 2 years ago #
dawsonct
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That's funny Vanessa, first time I had tasted one like that as well, and I LOVED it!
--
Really points to, once again, the subjective nature of taste, dun't it!

Posted 2 years ago #
IAGREE
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Some friends and I went to the pirate room a few weeks ago for drinks. Service was HORRIBLE and chock full of attitude. Do these people not understand how many places there are to drink in WS. I will give the restaurant a shot at some point, but the bar gets the one and done treatment.

Posted 2 years ago #
villagegreen
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IAGREE - could you elaborate on exactly how the service was "HORRIBLE and chock full of attitude." Was it super busy? Was the server non-attentive or just a jerk? I've only been there once, but I just can't imagine how the experience could have been so bad that you'd never go back.

Posted 2 years ago #
Carson
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I went for the first time a few weeks ago, the food was ok, not great, but the wait staff was over the top nice. Not pushy nice, just nice nice.

Posted 2 years ago #
AdmiralRob
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Here's an email I sent to the management of heartland. Unfortunately, I never did hear back. I had a horrible experience at the Benbow!!! I understand what IAGREE is saying about the service there!!!

________
Hi. I wanted to pass along an experience I had last week.

I've been to heartland a few times for breakfast. Things have beennice. Great food and great service.

I typically play basketball once a week. My friend and I always hit a bar after in W Seattle. On Tuesday last week I said lets go to the Benbow Room! Well, I wanted to let you know our experience that night. I really want your business to succeed - I love having lots of great restaurants in the neighborhood... So, when we walked in, no one said anything to us. We walked in and had a seat. Thinking someone would come ask if we wanted a drink. There was a waitress standing in the bar talking to a customer. She nor the bartender would even look our way. The waitress just talked and talked and didn't care about us. It was surprising since there was only a few people there. We waited about five minutes then just walked out and went to Mission. There, the bartender is used to us, she quickly
brings us waters and our usual beers. It's really nice to feel
welcome when you walk into a place.

Anyway, I am a small business owner in W Seattle myself, so I really wanted to reach out to you to let you know our experience. My friend and I hit a bar weekly. We typically are creatures of habit, so often hit the same place each week. We usually spend 30-35 bucks. Not huge, but nice customers. I was really bummed to have such a bad experience. Like I said, I really want you guys to succeed...
_______________

Posted 2 years ago #
IAGREE
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Villagegreen - I had the EXACT experience as admiralrob. We were one of 3 tables that got this treatment and they were not busy at all. Just standing around.

I guess maybe im a jerk this way, but with so many great places to eat and drink in WS I'm not big on second chances.

Posted 2 years ago #
matthewdarling
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to not being " big on second chances". have you never deserved a second chance? must be nice to be perfect.

Posted 2 years ago #
dawsonct
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Agreed, Matthew, but what are you doing to ensure this type of lackadaisical service doesn't continue in the Benbow? Sounds like a pattern of disinterested service. Those employees are costing you money.

Posted 2 years ago #
Amy_Amy
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We need more restaurants like Heartland Cafe men....

Posted 1 year ago #
villagegreen
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I've been to the Benbow 4 or 5 times and each time I've been there I've had to order drinks up at the bar. It's only been super busy one time, so maybe this is their standard practice. Thinking back, I guess I have seen servers taking orders at tables, but maybe that's not the norm.

Either way, I guess I could care less whether someone greets me or runs over to put water on my table. It's a bar. If you want the full attentive service thing I would suggest dining out front in the cafe area.

Who knows, though, maybe the servers are supposed to be doing table service and are just kinda lazy about it. Guess your experience kinda depends on your expectations.

Posted 1 year ago #
Que
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My family and I have been there for brunch on 3 different occasions and we have always had excellent, attentive and quite entertaining service there. I think that they have a wonderful group of servers there. It is definitely one of our new favorite spots for brunch now.

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
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you can't expect the service you get as a regular everywhere you go...

the Benbow isn't so large that you would have had to get up from your table to ask if they had table service...

on the other hand... AdmiralRob is right... customers are more likely to go where they are acknowledged as they enter the door and treated like they were the only customers in the bar...

it's a tricky dance that doesn't always work out so well.. the delicate balance between customer expectations and reality.

Posted 1 year ago #
AlkiCabCompany
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yah..I am a vegan and looked at the style of food they were serving and knew I prolly couldn't find anything on the menu for me.

But that won't stop me from taking my friends and getting their take on the place. It's worth going in to check out a new establishment. I like supporting West Seattle small businesses. There are so many unique and cool little shops and restaurants.

Posted 1 year ago #
JoB
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alkicabcompany...

check out the bar.. at first glance it looks wonderfully tacky.. and it is.. but it is also an incredibly comfortable spot to hang with friends..

throw in a good bartender.. inexpensive bar food and a drink or two and it is well worth a visit.

Posted 1 year ago #
AlkiCabCompany
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tacky is awesome. I will wear my rainbow knee high socks so I will fit right in. Thanks for the tip! Heartland here we come!

Posted 1 year ago #