Head down Rainier or tour the dramatic route along Lake Washington. Either way, when you hit Genesee Street take a meal at The Both Ways Cafe. If I’m feeling as though I want to impress the person I’m eating with, I take Lake Washington Blvd..show them the polished lake, the affluent homes and lead them to this quaint restaurant. If I’m going on my own or with someone that is familiar with this area of town (Seward Park) I use Rainier- not the most pleasant- closed storefronts, dilapidated homes etc…

In the end it doesn’t really matter because the enchant of “Both Ways” makes one forget the journey altogether upon arrival. The cafe holds a dozen tables at most. A corner space, it has hard wood floors, show & event posters papering the walls, a glass pastry case…and my favorite part…an open view of the kitchen. Pots & pans hanging from hooks, a weathered stove top, dishes stacked throughout. It looks like someone’s abode, disorganized and messy in a good way… in a heavily utilized way. The furniture is variant and there’s a bar with three stools against the West wall. Booth seating lines the main window that looks out onto the tranquil street. This place is a nook…its snug, homespun.

Breakfast

Friday morning. It’s admittedly a little bit of a drive. Capitol hill is thick with breakfast eateries so it feels funny to be making a commute- twenty minutes to get some eggs & toast elsewhere. We take Rainier Ave S. reserving the scenic route for the trip home.

Walking in, it smells like a combination of coffee and maple syrup. From the door I have a view of the whole restaurant and after noting that the booth window seats are taken, we sit at a small table bordering a table stacked with various local papers. We are immediately approached by a server and passed a couple menus, my drip coffee (Vista Clara) order is taken and water is brought out. Weekends here tend to be pretty ridiculous, folks waiting patiently outside for tables. The traffic today is minimal and I’m grateful for the quiet. Wes goes for the Biscuit & Egg Sandwich (2 egg scramble w/cheddar, tomatoes & ham on a thick flaky biscuit with a side of home-fries, $7.25). I take the Northwest Scramble ( 2 eggs with salmon, cream cheese, scallions & a side of fresh fruit, $8.50). The same man that takes our order (whom turns out to be the owner) also makes our breakfasts and brings everything out promptly after making the rounds of the dining room. He seems to manage fine this slow morning and I’m still a little taken aback at how different this place is during the week- lazy as a fish tank.

The Biscuit & Egg sandwich looks great. The high floury biscuit barely contains the egg filling, the cheese melting liberally over the sides. Its a tall sandwich that is almost intimidating. I watch Wes cautiously eye it before hungrily picking it up…I cant help but wonder whether his mouth will be able to wrap around it without it first falling apart. Alas, it holds together nicely and from the look on his face I can tell that it tastes as good as it looks. The home-fries are pieces of potato roasted with diced peppers, crunchy and yellow on the outside-soft inside.

My scramble looks equally as gorgeous- the sunny scrambled eggs freckled with bright white cream cheese. The salmon and green onion in perfect proportion. Its soft, fluffy and delicious. The fresh fruit artfully sliced decorating the other half of my plate- strawberries, melon, orange and grapefruit slices. At this point I only wish I had room to try a bit of the raspberry cream cheese muffin that I had spotted earlier at the counter, its ivory cake smooth…the ripe red raspberries resting atop a lovely contrast.

Summary

Both Ways Cafe is where you go when you don’t care to deal with forced chats with acquaintances at the usual city breakfast institutions. Sometimes you don’t want to go where everyone knows your name…you want to remain anonymous but still enjoy a good breakfast in an environment similar to your own home without the effort. This is that place. I sit in this tiny restaurant pleased to take a break from the unconscious people watching. The selection of breakfast and lunch dishes is as humble as the place itself but what they lack in entree numbers is made up for by the variety in the ingredients and options. There’s Oatmeal (topped w/ raisins, dates, toasted almonds, brown sugar & bananas), a tofu scramble (tofu, fresh veggies & house made ginger marinade), a few omelets as well as the usual 2 egg breakfasts & French Toast… For lunch, you’ve got a dozen options sandwich, salad & soup wise. A small chalk board boasts the days specials.

It’s a modest restaurant that always makes me feel like this is what a breakfast cafe should look, feel and taste like.

Details

Both Ways Bakery Cafe & Catering (map)
4922 South Genesee Street
Seattle WA 98118
(206) 722 5799

Flavor
Home cooked

Hours
Tuesday through Saturday 7am- 3pm
Sunday 8am- 2pm

Payment options
Cash,Visa, MasterCard, American Express

Parking
Easy street parking

Booze
Assorted beer