This grocery store is called Haggens and is privately owned by the family who founded it in 1933. They have 16 locations in Washington and Oregon. Some locations have cooking classes and demonstrations as well.

While I am glad we have Haggens, I still crave the delis I am used to from my childhood in California- from the Filipino food markets to the German delicatessens. However, with an ever-growing population, the more demand for a diversity of foods seems to be abundant. Hopefully we will continue to see growth and specialty markets flourish in this area.

I’m still in shock that Mochiko Rice Flour is not carried in most grocery stores here. It seems like a staple, and from what I understand, those who are on a gluten-free diet be it by circumstance or by choice do sometimes use rice flour as an alternative to wheat. Another thing I haven’t been able to find, even in Haggen’s, is sweet rice (not flour, we’re talking rice itself) to make a dessert my Nana used to make for me. Needless to say it’s a bit disappointing when you can’t find the ingredients you need.

Let’s just say that the next time I go visit California, I will be stocking up on the foods I can’t find here! Oh the airport baggage handlers are just going to love me!

It took us forever to figure out what we were going to order. My husband settled on a Schnitzel plate that came with prawns, I finally decided on the Schnitzel Combo, which came with Schnitzel and Bratwurst. Unfortunately they did not have a kid’s menu (besides my daughter I saw no children in there) so we ordered from the “Bar menu” (they have a bar in their restaurant) and she wanted to try the Schnitzel as well. I had a hard time deciding because our table gave us a view of the cooks grilling up steaks that looked delicious, but I really wanted to try this Schnitzel.

My starter was a Goulash, which was a hearty stew with good-sized chunks of tenderloin accompanied by potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. There’s some spices in the background that I could not put my finger on, but it was delicious! (I apologize for the darkness of the pictures, the seating is very intimate there and I did not want my flash going off in the restaurant.)

After finishing my Goulash and the garlic Texas toast that came along with it, we received our entrees. The Bratwurst was nice and juicy and quite possibly the best I have ever had. The Schnitzel was delicious, but I was digging my daughter’s plate, which had a nice sauce with mushrooms on top of the Schnitzel. Our plates came with red cabbage, fried potatoes as well as fresh steamed green beans (which I never had before and I LOVED). While we were eating, one of the chefs (or possibly the owner? I am not sure) came out to greet everyone and asked us how we liked it, I told him it was fantastic and he asked us to come again. We definitely will!

Speaking of my daughter, she was charmed by the atmosphere (being that it was more grown-up than any place she had been to) and enjoyed watching the chef prepare the steaks on the grill in a room adjacent to the one we were in. They have a window people can look at to see the chef prepare steaks on a grill. The chef caught a glimpse of my daughter looking in wide-eyed amazement and flashed a grin at her (I thought it was cute how she was reacting to the ambiance of the restaurant). My daughter also loved her Schnitzel plate, and couldn’t seem to get enough of it or the food on my husband’s or my plate, all the while ignoring her potatoes and red cabbage (I didn’t think she was going to touch the red cabbage). While we were eating she behaved very well (for a 6 year-old, that is!), sat up the entire time, put her cloth napkin in her lap and didn’t act up once. I have to say that made our experience even more enjoyable!

The only thing I would recommend is maybe a child-friendly menu, however, if they don’t have children coming in often, I could understand why.

Fantastic food and good service you can’t beat!

Black Forest
203 W. Main Street
Everson, WA
(360) 966-2855

Here are a few reviews on places in Whatcom County, Washington State:

Mugshots is located in Ferndale, Washington. I may be a bit biased, because I generally grab a cup of either Chai Tea or coffee from these folks once a week or every other week. They are off from the freeway a bit, but they are well worth it. The service is superior and the coffee is wonderful. During the holidays they bring out Egg Nog as a creamer and flavors such as Gingerbread or Pumpkin Spice. They offer many other treats such as muffins (which I think may be homemade, but am not sure). You can find them off of the Portal Way exit (exit 263) in Ferndale, Washington at 5750 Vista Drive. They only stay open until about 7pm from what I recall. If you have any questions you can call them at (360) 312-9181.

Cruisin’ Coffee has locations through Whatcom County and even as far south as Everett and even as far east in Washington State as Yakima. The ones I have visited are in Bellingham, namely at the Airport Cruisin’ Coffee, which is just west off the I-5 at exit 257 (Bakerview), as well as the Cordata location, and the Lakeway Drive Cruisin’ Coffee. I have also been to the Lynden Cruisin’ Coffee as well. All except the Iowa Street location are open 24 hours a day. Everyone I have been to I have been greeted with kind hospitality as well as great coffee. I have had a few coffees that tasted bitter in nature, but overall I have been pleased with my experience there. For a location nearest you (or your trip up or down the I-5 corridor), you can visit the locations part of their website.

Custom Coffee, in Ferndale, Washington, is located outside of Haggen’s grocery store (which, ironically, is host to a Starbucks). I have been here a handful of times while grocery shopping or stopping in this town, and every time I have been here I have either had problems with the lack of hospitality (good customer service) or the abundance of bitter coffee. If you are in the retail sector I suggest brushing up on your customer service skills a bit. Granted, I have not been there in over a year, but suffice it to say, I have dealt with rude and rushing cashiers/servers at least three times there, and it was enough to turn me off (along with the bitter coffee).

Curb Shots, is located off the Portal Way exit in Ferndale, Washington (exit 263). This is convenient to the freeway and I have always been greeted with a smile. I am not so keen on the coffee as much as other places, but the smile and the service is something that speaks for itself. Of course, there are other drinks to choose from besides coffee.

Whatever your taste or pleasure, you’re bound to find something if you are driving on the I-5, whether you are headed north towards British Columbia, Canada, or south towards Seattle. I am always open to trying coffee stands but must say that my heart pretty much is stuck with Mugshots. If I am in another area I usually give another coffee stand a go. In fact, there was one coffee stand I just happened across once while heading towards the Costco in Bellingham off of the Guide Meridian by Glynn’s Shamrock Pub called Island Espresso, but it looks like it’s gone and torn down. I always wondered how they fared with only one person serving a multitude of vehicles waiting for some coffee. All I know is they had the best milkshake I ever had (yeah, you can actually order milkshakes at most stands, isn’t that crazy?).

And if you aren’t into coffee, there are many other fantastic choices to choose from, such as Chai Tea, hot or cold chocolate, a variety of sodas (we call it “pop” up here, much to the dismay of my Californian family members who are accusing me of losing my Californian roots!), some even serve Italian sodas and milkshakes.