THERE'S A NEW GUY AND GAL IN TOWN

H A T T A W A Y' S On Alder

First of all, let's make it clear upfront that I am neither a foodie nor a restaurant reviewer. But I like good food, comfort food most preferably, and going out to dinner so that I don't have to cook. The way I see it, I cooked enough for a lifetime as a wife, mother, and deli owner. So when I saw the name of a new restaurant pop up on my Facebook timeline, I thought we'd give it a try.

HATTAWAY'S on Alder renovated the space where Saffron used to be. The result is light and airy incorporating clean lines and natural materials. 

As early diners of that certain age, we arrived promptly at 5:00, the hour of opening.

Sunlight poured in the west facing windows giving the crisp, clean lines of the interior a soft, warm welcoming glow. 

The plaid cushions along with plaid shirts worn by the servers also spoke to my own down home plaid persona.

The house-made thick cut chips with sour cream and a salmon egg arrived gratis from the kitchen. Yummm!

Although not listed on the menu above (a photo I borrowed from their FB page), the seafood corn chowder split between the two of us was superb. 

The base was creamy and flavorful and was filled with a seafood melange along with bright yellow kernels of crisp, fresh corn. 

My mustard crusted salmon with a tarragon potato cake satiated my palette

with the crunchy exteriors giving way to perfectly cooked salmon and a soft, smashed potato interior.

At the same time Doug's halibut cheeks on a bed of creamy grits and barbecue butter 

satisfied both the Pacific Northwest man and the Missouri-bred boy in him.

Sadly, I forgot to take a photo of our dessert--bread pudding--which was nothing like the sloppy, mushy stuff of the all-you-can-eat buffets of my childhood. 

You'll simply have to try if for yourself. 

The service all around was friendly and attentive, and we enjoyed meeting the owners Richard and Lindsay Hattaway themselves. As recent transplants from Savannah, Georgia, Richard chuckled when I asked, "Why Walla Walla?"  Besides the usual wine, friends, and reputation answer, he quipped, "Well, it had to be in Washington state in order to use the underline in our logo." Good answer!