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For
Tom DeBari, Italian food is all about good ingredients
prepared simply.
It was the late 1970s when DeBari moved to Glacier from his
hometown of New York City as a migrating ski bum. And while
he couldn’t remember exactly how he found himself in
Glacier, DeBari said the Northwest has turned out to be an
ideal location to live and run a restaurant.
“I can’t remember exactly how it all happened,” he
said. “One thing led to another and I ended up living
here, buying some property and never left. It’s a good
set-up; no complaints.”
Soon after moving to Glacier, DeBari met his wife, Jeannie,
and the two of them opened Milano’s Restaurant in 1990,
realizing a need for food establishments in the area. Although
DeBari said he never had any formal restaurant training,
growing up in an Italian family taught him to have a healthy
appreciation for food.
When this reporter caught up to the 40-something chef, marathon
runner and avid skier, he was marinating vegetables in balsamic
vinegar and olive oil and placing them on a hot charcoal
grill for the restaurant’s roasted vegetable risotto.
“Italian food is really about simplicity and good ingredients,” he
said. “We make all the pasta, too, so everything’s
always fresh.”
For an appetizer, this reporter sampled the roasted vegetable
risotto, a creamy aborio rice dishloaded with red peppers,
yellow Hungarian hot wax peppers, eggplant, portabella mushrooms
and red onions, and topped with parmesan.
DeBari also recommends the seafood linguini or the Foriana
($13), fresh-made linguini pasta tossed with hefty amounts
of garlic, raisins, roma tomatoes, anchovies, chilies, pine
nuts and olive oil that results in an unusual combination
of spicy, sweet and pungent flavors.
On a second visit, I tried the Pasta Tuscano ($15) a hearty
dish of fusilli pasta with a red wine sauce, caramelized
onions, roasted roma tomatoes, Italian sausage medallions,
topped with chopped fresh spinach and gorgonzola cheese,
that was starting to melt when the dish arrived bubbling
hot.
Sauce aside, the perfectly al dente strands of fresh-made
pasta, however, are what makes Milano’s a stand-out
restaurant in a world of otherwise limp noodles.
All of the entrees came served with a green salad and delightful
in-house bread that had a crunchy cornmeal exterior and moist
interior derived from semolina flour, and comes with a side
of olive oil and vinegar for dipping.
Milano’s Restaurant is located at 9990 Mt. Baker Highway
and can be reached by calling 360/599-2863.
Other restaurants
The Mt. Baker foothills boast several other unique dining
establishments that are well worth the long-drive from Bellingham
or outside Whatcom County.
Carol’s Girls Café
Customers to this Mt. Baker Highway landmark can expect standard diner fare with
a fresh twist, house-made baked goods and their famous cinnamon rolls. The new
café features an expanded menu, a walk-up espresso window, wireless Internet
and more vegetarian items.
Carol’s Girls Café is located at 5415 Mt. Baker Highway and is open
for breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They
can be reached by calling 592-5922.
Ju Juan A Mexicana
Ju Juan A Mexicana, formerly Casa 542, Casa Que Pasa’s satellite restaurant,
offers healthy Mexican fare with items such as fig and chocolate chicken mole
($7.50) to a Puerto Verde burrito with flame-roasted tomatillo sauce ($7).
Owner and chef Kelly Jo Legaz is a Mt. Baker legend in and of herself. The life-long
professional snowboarder brings her expertise to Mt. Baker, having owned and
operated the former Glacier restaurant, El Pavo Real and her experience creating
the menu and managing Raven Hot restaurant at the Mt. Baker ski area where she
snowboarded in her spare time. Ju Juan A Mexicana is open daily from 2 p.m. until
closing (around 2 a.m.) and is located in Maple Falls at 7471 Mt. Baker Hwy .
They can be reached at 360/599-9800.
Everybody’s Store
Check out their selection of unusual wines, cheeses and sausages as well as their
amazing sandwiches that offer a ridiculous number of fillings — 18 different
cheeses is just the beginning — from which to choose. Be careful, though,
as sandwiches are sold by the pound!
Everybody’s Store is located on Highway 9 in Van Zandt and can be reached
by calling 360/ 592-2297 or toll free 866-832- 4695. Their web site is www.everybodys.com.
Frosty Inn Restaurant
The Frosty Inn restaurant specializes in burgers, pizza, steak, prime rib and
pasta dishes. The restaurant’s new owners are Jennifer and Ryan Stauffer.
The Frosty Inn is located on Mt. Baker Highway in Maple Falls and can be reached
by calling 360/599-2594.
Graham’s Restaurant
Graham’s Restaurant offers an interesting hybrid of international and home
cooking with an equally colorful attitude as the banner on their web site says
the restaurant is “ truly an alternative to fine dining, where luxury is
simulated and service is an illusion.”
Try the spring mixed greens glazed with hemp vinaigrette, which comes served
with garlic bread ($5/2.50); the Thai fried rice, Jasmine rice stir-fried
with (or without) ham, vegetables, coconut flakes ($6); or the “Phish” tacos,
three doubled-up corn tortillas “phat” with battered halibut, cabbage
and homemade salsa ($8).
Graham’s Restaurant is located at 9989 Mt. Baker Highway in Glacier and
can be reached by calling 360/599-1964. Also, check their web site for upcoming
live music shows at www.grahamsrestaurant.com.
Holy Smoke Tavern
The Holy Smoke Tavern is a local landmark, known by motorcyclists across the
country and is definitely worth a visit. The tavern, which was once St. Peter’s
Catholic Church before being owned by Ed Kooi, then Chuck Smith, and finally,
former Chandelier Inn owner Steve Hovander, who purchased the bar and restaurant
in February.
Hovander said he has upgraded the tavern’s menu by investing in new kitchen
equipment, including a new grill and deep fryer. The Holy Smoke Tavern is undergoing
remodeling and is expected to open by mid-June. They are located at 8794 Kendall
Road and can be reached by calling 360/988-8333.
Mountain Man Deli , Espresso, and Grill
Mountain Man Deli owner Chris Hotchkiss is known to brew one of the strongest
espresso beverages in the foothills. Hotchkiss, who mans the deli’s outdoor
grill on weekends, also grills a mean Philly cheese steak sandwich. The deli
serves soups, sandwiches, burgers (including chicken and salmon burgers). Mountain
Man Deli and Espresso is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The grill is open Saturday
and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The restaurant is located on Mt. Baker Highway
in Maple Falls and can be reached by calling 360/599-1003.
The North Fork Brewery Beer Shrine Wedding Chapel
Possibly the best beer and best pizza in the county. The micro-brewery — which
could very well double as a beer museum — is the brainchild of Vicky and
Sandy Savage, two Bay area natives who had a passion for beer and a love of community.
The bar offers a rotating selection of microbrews such as the Scotch ale, which
is available all winter, and the Hefeweizen, which is available all summer.
For a meal, try the stout-infused French onion soup made with veggie stock ($3.25/cup,
$4.50/bowl), the spicy ale steamers ($11), or the Mediterranean pizza ($13.75
and $20.75), with an olive oil, garlic sauce and sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke
hearts, feta cheese and parmesan on a hand-tossed ale crust. The restaurant is
located at 6186 Mt. Baker Highway, just east of the State Route 9 junction. They
are open Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday
from noon to 11 p.m. Their number is 360/599-2337.
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