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North of Bellingham is the fair city of Lynden, the second largest in the county behind Bellingham. This is the kind of place I'm really interested in -- not a chain, and the sort of place locals know about and would likely send you to if you asked for a good breakfast. We have arrived!
Vibe: Let's Go Brandon!
Song heard: R.E.M., "Losing My Religion"
This is Whatcom County inside baseball, but Lynden has a reputation for being extremely religious and conservative (most churches per square mile at one point). They dig on Michael Stipe though, so that's fine.
Coffee: Disappointing. Not horrible, but I've had better at some chain places. I came in and sat down and noticed that a lot of the regulars were simply ambling up to a coffee machine on a side wall and helping themselves. I asked the waitress if I should do the same but she said she'd be happy to bring me some.
Did the yolk pop like it should?: Yes, perfectly so. And you can see that Eggs Benedict were not available, so I ordered the Number One instead. It was awesome -- everything well cooked, those hash browns under the piece of ham were irregular and obviously hand-cut and home-made. Everything was cooked with care, and that's really all I think we can ask for.
Can I sit and read a while?: Yes, but this place was truly hopping on a Saturday morning. I never felt pressure to leave early or anything, but I wasn't about to read more than a few pages from my book. Also, the place seems strangely dark to me -- as in, a few more lights overheard might warm the place up a bit. Then again, this is an eatin' kind of place, not a hangin' out kind of place, and that's fine.
Price: $15.52. This is exceptional value and I'm willing to bet I won't find another place in Whatcom County that's this cheap.
After IHOP, this was the palate cleanser I needed. These are the places I really want to explore -- good service, good food, and not a drop of corporate focus-grouped nonsense. It is Lynden though, and while Lynden is lovely I'm not kidding when I say that I was pretty much surrounded by pro-Trump chatter bordering on QAnon talking points. I entered a two-time Obama voter, I left an unreconstructed Maoist-Leninist. One with a very full and happy belly, at that.
On the left as you enter is a "Wall of Fame" for various youth league teams. All of them are -- strangely and specifically -- from 2006. These kids are now in the late 20's or 30's. Not a bad thing, just a little Twin Peaks flavor for a diner that exudes the right amounts of both warmth and weird.
It's worth repeating that at 15 bucks for food, coffee, and tip, this is a genuine steal and well worth your time. I think Michael Stipe would enjoy it even more than I did, maybe even write a song about it, and I really did enjoy it.
Overall:
4 / 5 Nighthawks
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