Patty's can get REALLY busy on weekends - one of their necessary, but annoying, rules is that they will not seat a party unless all members are there. Not an issue for us on this trip, since it was just the three of us, but something to keep in mind if you're meeting up with friends. The wonderful thing (HA!) about having a child that wakes up by 6:30 every day is that we're ready for breakfast before most Seattle-ites. We hit Patty's around 8:30 Sunday morning and had no issues being seated immediately.
They swooped down on us with menus, a cup of water with lid and straw for Z, a page of a coloring book, high chair and a cup of crayons. While I like the TYPE of high chairs they have there (The rubbermaid ones that have a solid piece between the legs post, not just a strap like most wooden restaurant chairs), I do tend to mutter "it's good for him to be exposed to things to build intestinal flora" when I turn my "this is the only baby I'm ever going to have" critical-mama eye on the cleanliness of the chair. Say it with me. It's fine, it's fine, it's fine.....
Patty's is know for generous serving sizes, to the point of being nearly obscene. We always walk away with leftovers. I will leave my love-hate relationship with their nutter butter french toast (which was the only craving I had during my pregnancy, and one that I jokingly blame the gestational diabetes on) for another blog. I tend to stick to the Senior Citizens/Mini-menu for my own choices, and was glad to see they had a children's menu as well. I ordered Z his own breakfast, but I could have just as easily shared my breakfast with him and added on some fruit. We got burned with an add on at a previous visit ($6.00 for a sliced banana) so I tend to stick with the menu.
What kind of mother of a 14 month old has a
shiny new manicure?!?! Shellac manicures, my friends.
They are the future!
Z got the Mini-Breakfast with a scrambled egg, 2 sausage links, a slice of multi-grain toast and 1/2 order of hash browns, which we substituted for a bowl of fruit ($6.95) and a glass of milk. I had a mini-3 cheese scramble with diced ham, 1/2 order of hash browns and a slice of toast ($6.95), and Mark had the Belltown Scramble (A robust, meaty scramble cooked with hearty ham, crispy bacon, pork sausages, fresh mushrooms, chopped onions, and melted cheddar cheese. $10.95)
We were served within 10 minutes of ordering, and I set upon cutting up Z's food while he grabbed at the plate for his eggs. I put Daddy in charge of cutting up fruit while I went after the hot food. It was early enough in the day that the restaurant was primarily Senior Citizens (They have a special price for Sr. Early Birds). Z had a great time chatting and flirting with all the nice ladies within ear shot. We heard lots of "he's just a little doll." and "He makes me miss my grandson." comments. Z staved off his desperate hunger with 1/4 of a slice of toast while we got his food prepared.
Being hyper cautious, I not only over-cut his eggs, I pulled the casings off the sausages before cutting them. My only complaint is that they go really heavy on the butter on the toast, but that's something to file away for future, ask for unbuttered toast with butter on the side. I opted not to add the wonderful marionberry freezer jam to Z's toast, we're trying to keep sweets to the occasional treat, not a part of every meal. The fruit was super-ripe, particularly the honeydew. It seemed to be dancing on the edge of too ripe, but tasted good and Z enjoyed it. We took leftovers home, we always do.
Mmmmmm, Eggs!
The bathrooms at Patty's are small, but kept very clean and it does have a changing station mounted to the wall in the ladies room. (Pet peeve - how about a changing station in the occasional men's room? Real men change diapers, too!)
All in all, it was a typical Patty's visit, it's a great place to meet up with friends and enjoy a hearty and good breakfast. The selection can be a bit overwhelming, if you're feeling it, stick with the specials board - that will always feature what's seasonal (The Oregon Mixed Berry pancakes with devonshire whipped cream is a treat, in-season!)
Doing a little back-research for this article, I discovered the children's menu prices are just $1 less than the mini-breakfast prices. Next time I'll definately just order for myself, get Z the $2.95 bowl of fruit, and we'll come out ahead.
Baby Rating: 4 out of 4 eggs
Mama Rating: 3 out of 4 eggs - the portion size grosses me out sometimes.Service: 4 out of 4 eggs - fast, friendly, you can't beat it.
Healthy/kid friendly: 3 out of 4 meatballs - standard diner fare, but I'd still like more fruit/veggie options!
Uh-Oh! Diaper!: 1 changing table in the ladies room, stashed in the handicap stall. Bring just what you need, it's a small space.
Overall: 87.5%
Likelihood of returning: It's a neighborhood hangout. We'll be back, we'll bring friends.
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