Tag Archives: diner

Jane’s at the Heights

Jane's at the Heights Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoDisclaimer: *This was a complimentary meal. This post was not edited or written for monetary compensation, and are solely my opinions and observations. The owner did know that I was there to dine as a blogger.

The restaurant and Zomato had generously offered a free entree, so I decided to check out the place. We went around 4:30pm on a Saturday, and there were 2 single men eating away. We sat in a booth that had torn areas, but for the most part, I thought the place was cleaner than I expected.

The place was quiet, without any of those annoying TV screen all around you, so that you could actually do some talking. idearabbit_janesattheheights1 idearabbit_janesattheheights6 idearabbit_janesattheheights5There were some interesting decor on the wall. idearabbit_janesattheheights4idearabbit_janesattheheights3

idearabbit_janesattheheights2Their menu consists of a wide selection of Western food, Chinese and Thai. It’s embarrassing to say as a food blogger, but I don’t think I’ve been to a restaurant that was so mixed like this one.

idearabbit_janesattheheights7I love Egg Benedicts, so I had to try their Heights Benny $11.25 with two poached eggs, sliced ham, caramelized onions, saute mushrooms on English muffins covered in hollandaise sauce and a side of hash browns and salad. The hashbrowns were super crispy and hot! Mmm! Delicious. I think it’s the first Benny that had so much in it. It was really filling. The salad on the side was really nice and refreshing to counter balance the heavy benny’s.idearabbit_janesattheheights8  idearabbit_janesattheheights9idearabbit_janesattheheights11

I know some people don’t like runny yolks, but I love them! So this was perfect! It mixes with the sauce, and gives another option for flavour and texture for the hashbrowns, as opposed to eating them straight.

idearabbit_janesattheheights10Sheepie had the Classic Burger $9.95 with a 5 oz sirloin beef patty along with large leafy greens, tomato, onions and pickles. Sheepie complimented that it had superior bun like in Germany (but that’s probably because they were Kaiser buns – which are originally from Austria). He said that the patty was really good, and that it was the best burger he’s had in a long time. The fries, like the hashbrowns were hot and crispy. Thumbs up.

The Thai owner was really friendly and I got to chat with his for a bit. Since the my benny was complimentary, the bill was much lower. Because of that, my % for the tip was lower than I expected when I punched into the debit machine. I got cash out for the tip, where he talked about how he was focused on serving good food, with good service, and wasn’t concerned about the tips. (I still gave him some).

It’s not in the area where I usually go to, but I wouldn’t mind returning again! I am already craving the runny yolks and the crispy hot hashbrowns/fries as I write this!

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot

Big Y Cafe

Big Y Cafe on UrbanspoonSheepie had gone earlier for a pie and 2 cups of coffee which came about $8 USD and was upset on why it was so expensive.

We later went back together for breakfast where I ordered the Short Haul (indicated as ‘Lighter Breakfast for Seniors and Kids’) LOL. But I’m not really a breakfast person and we were betting on the large portions in America to fill me up, and the leftover for Sheepie. idearabbit-bigycafe3

 

idearabbit-bigycafe idearabbit-bigycafe4 idearabbit-bigycafe2I ordered #2 $7.99 USD with 1 poached egg, 2 bacon and 1 hot pancake. As we anticipated, it was quite large and was filling. That’s about it. Nothing fancy – though I guess you can’t really do much with egg, bacon and pancakes…

idearabbit-bigycafe63 idearabbit-bigycafe5Not sure how the coffee system works. On their menu, it says $1.99 USD. Is that per person? Per cup? Cuz this time, I and Sheepie had one cup each from a pot that the server goes around with to every table, and we were charged $2.99 USD in total…It was really terrible coffee, so it was pretty expensive and not working paying for… If Sheepie had checked his bill earlier to see what he had paid, we could have just gotten water…

The cafe apparently got its name from its original location, at the Y junction of highway 2 and 97, where it first opened in 1939 and was moved to it’s current location in 1984. They are committed to cooking with local ingredients, and home cooking from scratch. Their pie is supposedly World Famous home-made pie, but Sheepie didn’t really say anything about the pie itself…

It became pretty full though. I think it’s one of those places that locals and travelers passing by stop at. It’s got character, but pricey for the quality and value. Good location when you stay at the Wedge Mountain Inn next door, but wouldn’t go out of my way to go there.

Taste: carrotcarrot (Coffee gets 0)    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot (Coffee gets 0)

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot

Lizzy’s Diner (formally Nicki’s Diner) in Blaine, Washington

Nicki's Diner on UrbanspoonOpen 7 days a week 11am – 9pm

The restaurant is in the middle of nowhere it seems…but hard to miss with it’s vibrant turquoise exterior colour. It’s the only restaurant on the Peace Portal Drive in that area. No neighbours except some trees. Inside is interestingly decorated in a 1950′s style, from posters, guitars, and red and white checkered table cloths.

The servers are really friendly, chatty and seems down to earth. There wasn’t a whole lot of customers, so the pace was pretty slow, not that we were in a hurry or anything. We had pretty much drove all the way from Vancouver, BC Canada to Blaine (Washington, US) to try out this restaurant that my friend had tried several times and he wanted me to try it out.

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The food portions, as with any restaurants in the US as it seems is large. I had fish and chips while my friend had hamburger and fries. His hamburger was gigantic! Wow!
I had a lot of big pieces of fish too. Too many to finish. I’m normally not the type of person that eats ‘fried’ food so it was a bit hard to gobble down. However, the taste was fairly good!

It’s also nice to see that the owner takes time in replying to customer’s review on TripAdvisor  in pretty long replies too! Good for them!

Second Time

When we went there for the second time in Feb 2014, the table cloths had changed to a dark plastic blue. I thought the checkered plastic covering where cheap looking before. Now it’s not just cheap, its got this uncomfortable, unsettling feeling, and reminds me construction sites with blue plastic bags or tents/tarp…

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We ordered Chicken Strip Dinner $10.95 to share amongst the two of us. It had 3 deep-fried, large chicken breasts which was crispy – and did I mention large? LOL It came with all-you-can-eat fries which were flat and big – though not wedges. They were hot, right out of the fryer. I had seconds, and by that time, I was pretty full, even though it was only half a dish that I had.

The staff (one lady) is friendly and is a laid back restaurant.

2014 April – Update

Sadly, Nicki’s Diner is no longer called Nicki’s. The sign on the restaurant says it’s still Nicki’s but their menu says it’s Lizzie’s and it was confirmed after talking to the lady that was there last time. The inside is still the same, but luckily, they got rid of their blue plastic table coverings. From what I can tell, the menu is still the same, except the wacky design can make you feel a bit dizzy. There are fake flowers in their flower beds outside of their windows making it feel like it’s always spring or summer.

idearabbit-lizzie6 Nicki’s is now Lizzie’s. Their new menu is wacky, but the content is pretty much the same.idearabbit-lizzie4Yay! They got rid of the cheap garbage tarp looking blue sheets and got table cloth instead!

idearabbit-lizzie5idearabbit-lizzie2Salad $12 – the photo does not do justice to just how huge this thing was!

idearabbit-lizzie1Chicken Strip Dinner idearabbit-lizzie3   Small salad that comes with Chicken Strip Dinner

I ordered the salad $12 and WOW! The dish was humongous! Luckily, it’s a huge dish that’s pretty healthy. I surprised Sheepie and the lady that I finished the entire salad on my own, plus a strip of chicken from Sheepie’s Chicken Strip Dinner (salad, fries and 3 chicken strips).
Eating at Nicki’s or Lizzie’s is now our first stop every time we come across the border to the US lol. It’s become our tradition. I was reluctant at first because their menu seemed really greasy and unhealthy, but now that I now there are some salads (that are quite filling), and good for the price, I don’t mind.

 Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot     Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere: carrot carrot    Service: carrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrot