Beer for My Horses

The Madrona Grill is one of three restaurants in Roche Harbor that features sweeping views of the marina. Nestled right next to McMillins, I’ve always regarded Madrona as the more laid back version of McMillins. The menu is considerably bigger than its next door neighbors with one page just dedicated to their signature cocktails (none that I’m a fan of by the by). They serve all the classic American dishes with a variety of different cheeseburgers, fried seafood, soups, salads and pastas.

Madrona is only open during the summer months with service beginning in May and ending at the tail end of September. Unlike their neighbor McMillin, they don’t take reservations so Mr. Mustang and I showed up around 6pm but had no trouble getting a table. Originally the host wanted to seat us outside but I felt with the temperatures hovering at 66 degrees, I wasn’t in the mood to shiver while waiting for my meal. Unfortunately the main dining room was closed off due to a large private party so the only indoor seating available was in the bar nearby. Mr. Mustang and I grabbed a table and my mood lifted a bit when I saw Irish Death featured on their bar tap. Mr. Mustang went for the classic Space Dust IPA and ordered halibut and chips to pair with. I wanted to stray away from what I typically eat and went with a French Dip Sandwich instead.

When going to Roche Harbor as a kid, eating in the restaurants was rare but my favorite has always been Madrona Grill. They have a very kid friendly atmosphere but still offers a wide variety of beer, wine and cocktails for the adults. For me personally, I keep coming back for their french fries - not that because they are the best french fries in the world but because they were the first french fries I’ve ever had in the world. The nostalgia is deep for me at this eatery and is why I’ve been pushing hard to book this place (instead of the resort) to host our rehearsal dinner or farewell brunch. So far they haven’t budged (since they don’t open until the first weekend in May) but I’ll keep trying.

After about 15 - 20 minutes, our food arrives and everything looks fantastic. Mr. Mustang’s halibut has a beautiful golden brown color and fries that have the perfect structure (not too skinny, not too fat). My french dip was lovely as well, plenty of meat in the middle with a healthy deep dish of au jour to dip it in. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly hungry when we ordered but I still ate a good chunk of the sandwich. Realizing that I was about to eat a 1 ½ lbs of meat in one sitting, I made an offer to Mr. Mustang that I would trade half of my sandwich for an entire strip of halibut from his plate. He greedily agreed and we got to enjoy each other's dishes without sharing our fries.

I wish I could be more in depth for this review but nothing much of significance happened while we were there. I plan to write another review from the point of view on the outdoor patio when we return in September. Overall it’s a perfect spot to enjoy a summer breeze, an ice cold beer and classic American eats.

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