The Senior Scene

4306 Pacific Hwy E
Fife, WA 98424
(253) 922-5599

Open Feb. 1 to Nov. 30
M-Sat: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On a nice Saturday we were driving down Pacific Highway in Fife when we saw a line of people standing out front of what appeared to be a hot dog stand.  Being a lover of a good frankfurter, in a few minutes I was parked outside of the Pick-Quick Drive-In, a tiny establishment with a big reputation that goes back 63 years. They have a walk up window, a basic menu of hot dogs, hamburgers, shakes and fries, lots of parking and picnic area with about 20 tables. You need a little patience since the line can be two dozen people deep. If they are busy, be sure to check your order before you leave the window because the three women taking orders and cooking are friendly but frazzled.

We had fries two ways, with chili (lots of mild meaty chili) for $3.65, and plain for $2.05. The fries are hand cut, thin, with skins on, and very tasty. We had a Polish Coney dog at $4.40, a plain Polish hot dog and a plain hamburger at $2.65. The Coney dog was a good spicy dog with lots of chili, cheese, and onions on a big soft roll.. The flavors blended in a moment or two as the heat from the hot dog and chili melted the cheese and warmed the onions. The plain hot dog was pretty standard but big. I got the plain hamburger just to see what a basic burger was, and it was a commercial patty on a very good hamburger bun. We had a mountain blackberry shake at $3.01 that was thick and tasted just like blackberries.

If you are in Fife and you are not in a hurry, eating at the Pick Quick is a lot of fun, inexpensive, and pretty tasty. They have a big fancy new restaurant in Auburn, but I like the casual atmosphere of the Fife Store.

Wheel chair accessible, no indoor seating.

Carr’s Restaurant and Bar
11006 Bridgeport Way SW
Lakewood, WA 98499
253 584-4622

Monday-Thursday
6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday
7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Chris and Ellen’s Carr’s Restaurant is fun. In the 4 ½ years it has been open, the restaurant has become a local favorite in the community. The walls are covered with automobile memor-abilia and the chairs at the tables have a Hawaiian theme, giving you the feeling you are on vacation.
The menu has breakfast, sandwiches and entrees, at prices from $1.49 for an egg to $20.99 for a big steak dinner.

The portions are very generous, and the service is friendly but during a busy lunch or dinner hour be prepared to wait. I went at 12:45 p.m. and food came in ten minutes.

I ordered the Hummer at $13.99, and substituted onion rings for French fries for $.99. This is a huge hamburger, which can easily serve 4, with a pound of meat, lettuce, pickle, tomato, cheese, bacon, onion, mushrooms, and mayo. I added ketchup. It was eight inches across, with a six inch sesame seed bun, and a patty an inch thick, with a total thickness of five inches. I measured. I tried the medium well done burger and it was delicious. Juicy, crunchy, with lots of different flavors and textures. The onion rings on the side tasted like they were wrapped in yummy little crispy biscuits. A cup of the house soup was $3.49 and was Italian vegetable, very good, and served blazing hot. It was full of chopped vegetables of every kind, including squash, beans, carrots, potatoes, celery, tomatoes and onions, in a slightly spicy base that left a little bite on the tongue.

I also had the chocolate cake, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, at $7.99. This was rich, dark, sweet, and had lots to take home for later.
The restaurant is accessible with an easy open front door, wide aisles between tables, and a nice handicap friendly bathroom with décor continued from the dining room.

Don’t be in a rush when you go to Carr’s. Be hungry and enjoy.

Great Cuisine of India
9518 Gravelly Lake Dr. S.W.
Lakewood, WA 98499
253 581-1333

Lunch

Mon – Fri: 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Sat – Sun: Noon-3 p.m.

Dinner

Mon – Thur: 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Fri: 4 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Sat: 3 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Sun: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Daily Buffet $8.99

Indian food is delicious. Some of it can be very spicy and the flavors can be unfamiliar to many people but Great Cuisine of India is a fine place to try new things. Serving the Lakewood area for 11 years, the family-run establishment is welcoming and bright. Service is attentive and the staff is happy to answer questions.

At $8.99, the buffet offered daily is a great way to try things, and our trip through the buffet line was interesting, with unfamiliar colors, and sauces, and names of foods we had not seen before. We tried the familiar, like plain green salad, very fresh, and mango custard, a sweet smooth dessert, and the unfamiliar such as Chicken Korma and Meatball Korma, main dishes cooked in yogurt, onion gravy, cashews, raisins, and spices, and Vegetable Pakora, a deep fried fritter-like appetizer of mixed vegetables battered with chick pea flour, garlic-ginger paste, and a blend of spices. Chicken Vindaloo was chicken pieces cooked with garlic, ginger, vinegar, tomato paste, onions and spices. It was aromatic and exotic tasting. Naan bread resembles pita bread and was wonderful for sopping up all the great sauces. Other choices were available, and a return visit is in order to try everything. All the buffet food is mildly seasoned, but there are spicier chutneys and curry available on the buffet and the regular menu can be served with any level of heat. I also ordered Chai tea at $2.00 and it was creamy, aromatic, herbal and comforting.

The total restaurant experience was comfortable and family friendly. Prices range from mixed pickles at $1.50 to the Tandoori Mixed Grill at $17.95. An online menu is available.

There is plenty of parking right in front; the establishment is service dog friendly. And there is a clean restroom.

Bair Drug Bistro
1617 Lafayette Street
Steilacoom, WA 98388

Monday – Friday
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday
9 a.m. to  3 p.m.
Sunday
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bair Drug has been open since 1895. That is correct, 1895!

Under various owners and operators, it has been dispensing drugs, selling hardware items, acting as a post office, warming community members with a hot stove and good coffee or serving meals and desserts in downtown Steilacoom for over 110 years. It is even supposed to be haunted and there have been TV shows about it in in the past. The establishment is owned by the Steilacoom Historical Museum Association, and the restaurant has been managed since 2009 by Phillip Curtis who was happy to tell us of the history of this amazing place.

We went for lunch and were very happy with quality of the food and service. We had coffee at $2.00 for endless refills, and since it took a while for our food to be cooked we were glad to have a chance too look at the antiques and artifacts preserved in the building. The original shelves with items sold in the past are there, and the kitchen is where the post office used to be.

We had the Bair Burger, at $9.99 one-third pound Angus beef, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle. A side salad was ordered and the blue cheese dressing was great on the fresh romaine. The burger patty was moist and tender even though it was ordered well done. Exceptionally good.

We also ordered the corned beef hash breakfast at $9.99 and it was nothing like the usual dish. Toast, butter and two eggs were included.. The “hash” was chopped onion and chunks of corned beef and home fried potato the size of big casino dice! No mash here, and the portion size was very large. Very good flavor and a large serving made this a very enjoyable meal.
Seating is plentiful in the winter but tourists fill up the dining room in good weather so get there early when the weather is good.

There is a nice clean accessible bathroom, and plenty of on street parking.