always happy with the food.. a recent visit to the seattle area had my wife and i staying at hotel in the seatac area to attend a professional organization banquet/fundraiser. as is typical with these events, the food at the banquet is less than spectacular and afterwards everyone decides they want a nightcap. after the nightcap we all discover that we are hungry and are left eating at denny's or some other typical 24-hour place.
however this time was different. after the nightcap my wife and i bid goodbye to our friends and headed back to the hotel. just before arriving at the hotel we agreed that we were hungry and right there was 13 coins. prior to this moment i had no clue that 13 coins was a 24-hour establishment. it had been over 10 years since my last visit, associated with a number of summer commuter flights from the east side of the state and i never ate there much later than about 8pm, so i didn't recall the 24 hour factor, but i digress.
i've always been amazed that the 13 coins locations is located on the ground floor of an office building, right next to a credit union for employees of alaska airlines/horizon air. we were seated promptly upon entering, being offered a seat at the counter, where you can watch all of the action of the chefs, or one of the tables. i usually opt for the counter, however this time of night i just wanted a little peace and quite with my wife, so we opted for a booth.
booths have very high walls and are rather private. the whole vibe in the place is that of a classy 70s diner; lots of dark wood, dark leather and vinyl and these very odd lamps hanging over the booth tables. makes you feel like the rat pack will arrive shortly after their show.
our waiter was very attentive, however food service seemed a bit slow. we received our beverages quickly along with 13 coins rather unique garnish plate and loaf of bread and butter.
i give our waiter credit for keeping our beverages filled while we waited for our food. once our selections arrived they were excellent. my wife had chicken soup (she really likes soup), and frankly it looked spectacular and smelled even better. i had the biscuits and gravy with hash browns from the breakfast side of the menu. it was so late at night that i didn't really want dinner. anyone who knows me is aware that i generally am a sucker for biscuits and gravy and am always comparing them from restaurant to restaurant.
i was suitably impressed with the biscuits and gravy. the biscuits seemed homemade and had just the right amount of flavor and resistance when you cut with the side of a fork. the gravy had nice chunks of bacon in it. i think this is probably the first time i've ever had country gravy with bacon in it vs. seasoned pork sausage. absolutely wonderful and something i'm going to try at home in my own kitchen. their preparation of the hash browns was interesting…in a good way. the kitchen staff placed a large hunk of potatoes on the grill and let them sit in one place and get brown. then took that whole, oblong, chunk and flipped it over and allowed the second side to cook until nicely and crispy brown. the insides were hot, steamy, but not crunchy, and the outside was. possibly the best plate of restaurant hash browns i've ever had.
leaving 13 coins and going back to the hotel to crash, i knew i would return on my next visit to the seattle area.
13 coins is not experimental food, or even fancy food. it is honest food, well prepared and provided in sufficient quantity with fine dining service that justifies the price.