Blue Star Cafe & Pub

This week my sweetie and I went out for breakfast at the Blue Star Cafe & Pub.  This is a particularly good place to go if you are hung over and want some of the hair of the dog.  They're a full bar that happens to serve breakfast, rather than the other way around (see, when I write it, the Wild Mountain review.)  We went on a weekday, but I have rarely gone there on a busy morning, and our visit was no exception.  This would probably also be handy if you're feeling delicate, because it's more quiet.

I like the booths and the nice big windows and the friendly staff.  It's on the corner of Stone and 45th in Wallingford, within an easy walk of Greenlake and a few feet from Archie McPhee's.  For some reason, however, the food doesn't impress me.  I wanted to go again (I haven't been here in a year or so) so that I could offer a better explanation of why--I couldn't remember why I haven't really been interested in going there.

Well, I looked at the menu and there were plenty of interesting options, generally in the $9-$11 range.  Because we were there on a weekday (and so it wasn't a splurge day), I ordered from their Weekday Breakfast Special menu.  I got a egg and cheese stuffed croissant with some fresh fruit, for $7.50.  I bet this would be another great hangover thing, because of the grease involved, but I found I just couldn't manage it.  The fruit was fine, and a refreshing morning treat.  The croissant, though, was so heavy on the melted cheddar cheese (and so plain in other ways) that most of it is still in my fridge in a to-go box, and I suspect the crows will get it.

I think Blue Star breakfasts must just be too heavy for me as a general rule.  If you find you share my taste, keep them on your B list; they're not bad, and if you're feeling famished they are certainly going to give you some good choices to fill you up.  Allow me to recommend them for lunch instead.  They have lots of burgers, a fine selection of beers, big booths with plenty of space for family, and a well-lit seating area separate from the others that seems like an excellent noisy-kid option.

• Address: 4512 Stone Way N
• Parking: street (but it's not hard to find a spot within a block)
• Cost: reasonable
• Quality: see above
• Wait: rarely long; indoors
• Coffee (since this is Seattle): good, frequently filled
• Menu/variety: nice range, allows customer creativity, plenty of both veggie and meatie dishes
• Extras: one of the toast options is an "herb biscuit"--sweet and savory
• Payment: cash/card ok, didn't try check
• Website: http://bluestarcafeandpub.com/