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The Grange Cafe
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Wed-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
7 reviews for The Grange Cafe
We thought this place was great. We had a baby and a 3-year-old in our group, and the wait staff were very accommodating and helpful with both. Plus, there was a giant play area that not only kept the 3-year-old happy, but allowed the adults to focus on eating together.
Three of us split two of their specialty burgers, which were absolutely delicious, as were the fries that came alongside. A couple of others in our group weren't so thrilled with their entrees, but they said that their salads and pie a la mode for dessert were delicious.
My only complaint was that the prices were a bit high. A single beer was $7, and the cobbler and pie dessert was $14!
The best thing about eating out at the Grange is the ambience. Half country store, half farmhouse kitchen, it has really found its home in sleepy little Duvall. Just charming.
My niece and nephew (8 and 6) want to add that they love the Grange because it has a real pizza oven, a good kids' menu, and the fries taste like real potatoes. (They're house cut). My only complaint is that the service really took way too long, especially with kids at the table. The owner(?) came over and apologized and explained that they were short staffed, so we gave them the benefit of the doubt. The kids were pretty entertained with the rolling thunder, lightning and torrential downpour that accompanied our wait, anyway.
My dad, brother in-law and I all had the Grange Burger and agreed that the beef was the best quailty we've all had in a long time. I know they use local beef (from Thundering Hooves I think?) that is hormone and anti-biotic free and grass fed. The patties were so thick it was hard to eat, but totally worth the mess and the steep pricetag ($14).
We were too full for dessert but I would love to return and try out one of their homemade pies or a rootbeer float this summer when they open up their back garden patio. Can't wait to try more!
This is my first and only 1-star review on Yelp, and here's why:
The Yelp-chick had told me that the wheels had fallen off this place since the chef left last summer. Boy, was she right.
The set-up: An amazingly beautiful morning. Pack up the kiddo and Yelp-chick and head for a pre-hike breakfast at the Grange.
Seating? Slow. Order taking? Slow. Coffee. Fine, but had to ask twice for cream/sugar and then still had to wait 10 mins. Then 20 mins after ordering, another server comes by and ask if we've ordered. Odd. Then we can hear yelling to the kitchen "Yeah, all the orders are in." WTH? After 30 mins of sitting, I notice that only one other table is eating, and no others have been served.
Had to literally grab another server and plead for more coffee 40 mins into the meal/ordeal. Then about 5 mins later, the food came. Well, at least the two adult orders were served, leaving the 9-year-old to sit there foodless for another 10 mins, while our food got cold. So we shoveled some of our food onto a smaller plate and shared with her. On what planet is that acceptable? Serve the adults but let the kid sit without food? And this place is kid-friendly?
The food? The bacon was lame....two small pieces to an order. The kid portion french toast was ok. The two eggs over easy? One of the eggs was rock hard. Yelp-chick barely ate any of her egg concoction which was supposed to be an omelet.
Ok, so it sucked. But after we asked for our check (twice, which everyone else had to do), our server stopped by and said "Other than being slow, how was your experience?"
I couldn't even look up, I was so shocked. We wanted to just get out of there, without making a scene in front of the kiddo. But this was too much. Yelp-chick just lamely faked that it was ok, coulda been faster. But essentially she was wordless too.
It's one thing to have a bad experience. It's another to have your face rubbed in it.
This place was once a rising star in the Valley. Now it's become a shameful case study in how to dismantle your once-growing clientele, one table at a time. In this economy, there is no excuse not having competent staff/kitchen crew.
On the way out, I noticed there was no one waiting in line. Just a few short months ago, there would be a long line every weekend. Not hard at all to imagine why they've all gone.
Born and raised in DTown (or Duvall), this is a place that feels reminiscent of how my little hometown used to be. It's crafty and lived in and feels like it's been there forever.. Oh wait, it has.. literally.
The building that how holds the Grange is one of the oldest buildings in lovely little Duvall. It was built over 80 years ago. In fact, it used to house the Silver Spoon Restaurant for several years, more than 20 years ago, which at one point boasted THE BEST hamburger in the Seattle area! My parents used to frequent here when I was young, as did my grandmother, so the space is pretty special to most who've lived/ grown up out there.
Enough with the history lesson already! On to the restaurant.
The Grange is quintessential Duvall. It feels very country, but it doesn't feel over the top, which I really appreciated since there businesses in DTown that LOVE to play up the stereotype of 'small town'.. or what I call the 'Holstein factor.' The Grange does not.
We sat in a front separate dining area, which was great. It was pretty private and was perfect for a gathering or 5 or 6 people. We were brought Caffe Vita coffee in a stainless carafe (you don't get this in Seattle!) cream and brown sugar in porcelain, and giant OJs for $2.95 (which would have easily been $5 in the city!).
I opted for the Silver Spoon Breakfast: 2 eggs, with bacon or sausage, local roasted potatoes, and toast. All free range, btw. The potatoes were lovely. Crispy with onions. The toast was house made and reminded me of the stuff my dad used to make, pre bread machine days. The eggs were nice and the bacon was thick and cooked almost too much- which I totally prefer. A few of my family members had the same, and the french toast, which was 1 1/2" thick french toast (4 pieces of it!) and it looked absolutely bovine.. I mean divine. :)
Fresh house made preserves. Decent service, although we did have to wait a while for them to get the credit card machine up and running again. Happens sometimes out there in the sticks... A hen or a cow can can get caught up in the phone lines out back sometimes and can screw up the electricity for days!
I will definitely be back. Their dinner menu looks fantastic and I think that's probably where they're really going to shine.
Places that pop up like this in Duvall make me happy. In a town that continues to become more commercial by the hour, it's nice to see great little independent places who understand the town really thrive.
I've been going to the Grange since they opened. They did a major overhaul of their menu a few months ago, and are really doing a great job now. The service is attentive and pleasant, and the food is some of the best on the east side. I love how local they source too!
On this trip there was nothing veg on the menu except a pizza, so I asked the chef what he could do. He offered me several options (they are very accomodating on diet!). And settled on the chicken-curry special without the chicken. I was impressed that he stopped back to point out that the salad I ordered had bacon fat in it and offered some options. The salad was quite nice, but the curry was really delicious. Spicy with depth of flavor and texture. Really great.
My non-veg partner had the pot roast on mashed potatoes. He found it very taste and tender. A large portion too, he couldn't finish it.
Great staff and very consistent good food. I'm very happy to have a local resource for a nice evening out.
*UPDATE 4/21/08- We had brunch/lunch here yesterday, and yum! The menu is very different from last time we were here, so lots of new stuff to consider. I had tuna sashimi- served with a ginger/soy sauce instead of the typical wasabi and soy sauce. It was yummy! Better quality sashimi than I was expecting honestly, and the sauce was nice. My husband got the veggie pizza, which was AWESOME. Super super yummy. I said Sahara had the best pizza in Duvall, but nope, this beat it. I'm crazy about veggie pizza, and this one was AWESOME- red peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, garlic... the crust was perfect... and I ate the last half of the pizza when we got home. I'll admit to that. =) The owner Judy is so nice, Kris our server was helpful, and the chef was cool- he came out and talked about the food with us. Very cool! We'll be back to check out the patio area. =)
*UPDATE 12/10/07-This is an update on my review from before. My fiance and I visited the Grange Cafe a few weeks ago and were disappointed. Upon finding out about this, the owner requested that we come back in and give them a second try. And we went for it! After all, this place IS really new- I'm sure there are plenty of kinks to work out when starting an adventure like a new restaurant... plus, we'll take any excuse to eat out! =)
We ate at the Cafe on 12/7/07- the place is so cute right now, with holiday lights and poinsettias and candles everywhere. The place looks really beautiful. We started with the pumpkin ravioli- WOW. Okay, I am a huge pumpkin fan to begin with- but this ravioli was just mouth-watering, a perfect combination of sweet and savory. Actually, my mouth is watering right now thinking about it, it was incredible. My fiance absolutely hates pumpkin, and has hated every single pumpkin-related dish he has ever tried- but he went crazy over this ravioli- THAT says a lot!
For my entree I chose the Honey and Coriander-glazed Chicken Breast with Celery Root Gratin and Brussels Sprouts. I love honey and cilantro, so this sounded right up my alley- and it WAS. The chicken was great, the honey and coriander were so yummy on it. What surprised me the most though, were the sides- I have despised brussels sprouts since I was 5- this was the first time I have EVER enjoyed them. That took me by surprise, for sure! The celery root gratin was something I thought sounded strange- honestly I only ordered the dinner for the chicken. But the gratin ended up being my favorite part! Everything together was just so perfect, so delicious.
My fiance ordered Braised Beef Short Ribs with Parsnip Puree. The meat was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth. Everything on the plate was really nice together- and he seemed VERY satisfied with it. =)
Aaaand this brings us to dessert! We went overboard with this and were sugar-sick for the rest of the night, but it was SO worth it, haha. First up was pistachio ice cream on a cookie- both AWESOME. Next was a dark chocolate toffee bread pudding. I have actually never had bread pudding before, and I have to say I prefer sweeter desserts- but the chocolate was nice and dark, and the toffee was a nice complement. There was an Apple Tart Tatin with vanilla ice cream- YUM. I haven't had a dessert exactly like this one before, but it was fantastic- if you like ANY dessert with apple, you'll love this one! Last up (*phew!*) was a Cinnamon Stick Creme Brulee- this was as good as any creme brulee I've ever tasted, and the cinnamon in the sugar crust was strong- really nice.
I'm so SO glad we gave this place another chance- they're really coming together. The staff is as friendly as anyone I've ever met, which just adds to the warm, inviting atmosphere the dining area creates. And this food was just amazing; honestly, we loved EVERY single thing we tasted. And that doesn't happen too often. :)
This restaurant is also starting to have special dinners and classes- and I plan to check both of those out!
