Pete's Club Grill and Pub

(Visited on October 22, 2011)

Pete's Club Grill and Pub

Pete's Club Grill & Pub in Carnation has, according to a sign posted on their wall, been serving it up for 100 years or so.  One look at the well worn planks that are the floor and you'll believe it's true.  Carnation is an old dairy farming community, and like most every other town in the Pacific Northwest, it's an old logging community as well.  It's easy to see where Pete's would be a working man's establishment catering to farmers, loggers and everyone in between.  Now days that "everyone in between" also includes motorcycle enthusiasts.  That's not to say it's a "Biker Bar" frequented by outlaw biker clubs, but it is a stop for those who take their "hogs" out in the spring and go touring on the highways and byways with other like-minded folks through the summer and into early fall.

Behind the bar

What drew me to Pete's?  Well, I grew up in the next town down the road and graduated from the high school in town, back when it was still the area high school and not the middle school it is today.  I've been to Pete's Club before and quaffed a beer or (insert large number here), but not in many years.  Many, many years.  This was back in the days when Pete's  was "Pete's Club Tavern" and not the "Pete's Club Grill and Pub" it is today.  Back then no one under the age of 21 was allowed to cross the threshold.  Now you can bring your kids in to the partitioned dining area and they can scarf down the bar food just like mom and dad.  I've driven by Pete's many times over the years but had not been inside in the aforementioned many years, so I was curious to see what it had become.

We walked in and selected a table under the row of black and white portraits of a good number of the area's more experienced (older) residents.  It's kind of a nice touch, actually.  This being a burger blog, we pretty much knew what we were going to have, so we didn't need much time to peruse the menu.  My wife selected the Bacon Burger; a 1/3 pound patty with lettuce, onion, tomato, mayo, cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon on your garden variety bun.  I ordered the Double Pete; this is everything the Bacon Burger is, but with a second patty and a slice of Swiss cheese between them.  She ordered a Stella Artois and I had a Sam Adams Oktoberfest, both on tap.

Double Pete

The burgers came and we were impressed with what we saw; they were some good looking, well crafted burgers.  The bacon was nice and thick and bacony, the cheese was cheesy, the garnish was fresh and the bun didn't disintegrate as we ate our burgers.  The meat, however, was somewhat of a disappointment...it didn't have a lot of flavor.  I was adding salt after every bite.  I'm guessing what we were served was mass produced and frozen store-bought patties.

My burger wasn't "bad", but neither did it live up to expectations.  I'd eat there again, and even order the same thing, but on my three tier scale of "Worth A Trip", "Worth A Stop" and "Drive On By", I rate my burger as "Worth A Stop".  My wife though, being perhaps a bit more discerning than me, gave her burger a "Drive On By".

Pete's Club Grill and Pub is located on the main drag in Carnation, WA at 4640 Tolt Avenue; their phone number is (425) 333-4300.

Burgermaster

(Visited on October 15, 2011)

Bellevue Burgermaster

A straight-up burger, nothing fancy, served to you in your car (just like in the "Olden Days"), or if you like, you can have it bagged up to-go. 

The Burgermaster we go to, as we did this time, is the one on Northup Way in Bellevue, just off the Hwy 520.  It's a Drive-In of the original stripe where you park under a partial cover and you're served by car-hops (sorry, no roller skates), and in keeping with the old-timey theme, they pipe in "Oldies" music over the outside speakers.  For service, just turn on your headlights.

Their primary stock in trade, as you might guess from the name of the place, is their burgers, but they do have other items to tempt you with as well. Their Grilled Crab and Swiss is pretty good; it's pretty much like their Tuna Melt, but with Dungeness Crab instead of the Tuna.  Be careful with that one though, it's one of those sandwiches where you chomp down on one side and the stuffing comes out the other...you've been warned!  

When we go the the BM, our auto-reflex is to go for their Combo #2 with their Burgermaster (Ground Beef, American Cheese, Tomato, Lettuce, Relish on a Toasted Bun), fries and a Coke. That's what we each had this time, but with an added a side of onion rings.  Sometimes, if it occurs to me, I'll substitute their Burgermaster for their Baconmaster, which is the same burger but with 3 slices of bacon added to it.  This might be a good place to mention that their burgers can be messy, at least I've found that to be true.  We always ask for extra napkins, and where I used to tuck one in my collar for a bib, they now offer little plastic bibs.  Ah, progress!

If you're wondering (and some people do), all their beef is locally grown, hormone-free and antibiotic-free.  I know this because it says so right on their menu placard, and I have no reason to doubt them.

There are 5 Burgermaster locations in the known universe, and they're all in the Greater Seattle area.  I've only been to two of them; their University Village location (when I was but a wee lad) and their Bellevue location (in these more modern times).  They can also be found in Everett, Mill Creek and on Aurora Ave.  Where the Bellevue location is a Drive-In, the University location is a sit-down place.  The rest of 'em?  I couldn't tell you; if you know, leave a comment so we'll all know!

Is it worth the stop?  We go there all the time, so yeah, we think so; and, legend has it, so does Bill Gates, who's been known to forget his wallet.  He's good for it though, right?

On my three tier scale of "Worth A Trip", "Worth A Stop" and "Drive On By", both my wife and I rated our burgers as "Worth A Trip".

You can find Burgermaster online at http://www.burgermaster.biz/

Your Menu

Our Order

The Burgermaster

Eddie's Trackside Bar and Grill

(Visited on October 8, 2011)

Note:  Eddie's Trackside has closed their doors, driven out of business when their building's owner (Columbia Bank) doubled their rent.  "Last Call" was Saturday, July 13, 2013.

For my inaugural post I wanted to start with our "go to" place for burgers.  Eddie's Trackside Bar and Grill in Monroe, WA is where my wife and I go when we have a hankerin' for a good burger, just like we did yesterday. There are other places, closer places, but when 25 miles isn't too far to go, Eddie's is our sure-fire ticket for a good burger.  And the bonus with Eddie's is you can have a beer with your burger if you're so inclined, and that scores extra points with me.

Eddie's has an extensive menu full of all manner of things I'd like to try, but everytime I go I have the same thing...the Skykomish Gold Burger.  It's a half pound of hormone-free, antibiotic-free, fresh ground Angus chuck, with lettuce, onions, tomato, mayo and choice of natural Swiss or Tillamook cheddar.  And what makes it special is a couple of thick slices of hearty bacon.  All this comes on a Kaiser roll that won't come apart in your hands.  It comes with fresh cut fries, but Beer Batter Fries, Tater Tots or Sweet Potato Fries can be substituted.  I ususally go with the Sweet Fries.

If you're looking for a good burger, you can't go wrong at Eddie's.  So, the next time you're in Monroe with that itch that only a well crafted hamburger can scratch, give it a try...I think you'll enjoy it!

Eddie's is located at 214 N. Lewis St., Monroe, WA.  If you're on Hwy 2, turn south at the Shell Station...that's Lewis Street and Eddie's is just over the tracks.  If you're coming north on Hwy 203 from Duvall, 203 turns into Lewis Street once you get to Monroe; continue on Lewis, through the light and Eddie's is on the left just before you get to the tracks.  If you can't, or don't want to find parking on Lewis street, turn west on Hill St and take the first driveway on the right and go straight back to the tracks for some off street parking.

On my three tier scale of "Worth A Trip", "Worth A Stop" and "Drive On By", both my wife and I rated our burgers as "Worth A Trip".

You can find Eddie's online at http://www.eddiestrackside.com/

The Skykomish Gold

The Skykomish Gold (Close Up)

Eddie's Bar

Eddie's really is "Trackside"

The Track Crossing at Lewis Street