A remodeled 13 Coins still needs change

(Editor's Note: This story has been changed since it was first published. The restaurant serves coffee from Fonte Coffee Roaster, not Boyd's as was indicated in the original review.)

My friend and I were lunching at 13 Coins when our jaws dropped simultaneously as a busboy swept trash toward our table. Minutes before, a workman had been drilling purse hooks under the bar, creating the feeling we were eating in a dentist's office. To top it off, our server rolled her eyes when I pointed out that my acrid coffee tasted as if it had been sitting around since the graveyard shift.

Despite these almost comical mishaps, I still enjoyed lunch at this nostalgia-inducing spot, which has been around since 1967. (The one near Sea-Tac Airport opened in the '70s.)

The original restaurant recently reopened after a face-lift, though it's difficult to see any radical changes. The chairs still swivel at the counters. The high-backed booths remain among the most private tables in town. Servers still wear bow ties 24/7.

And, for better or worse, the menu remains mostly unchanged.

Except for the retro Rat Pack-era soundtrack and the not-so-retro pricing, 13 Coins reminds me of a diner. Toque-wearing fry cooks exercise their vocal cords while turning and burning, shouting to their cohort in the skinny display kitchen and occasionally chatting up customers. At one point during that first lunch, conversation at my table was interrupted by what sounded like a shrieking smoke detector. Turns out it was somebody scraping the grill. Not exactly an appetizing ambience.

In between the noisy bits, there was the gloriously old-school food. First up at this always-open venue is the restaurant's signature complimentary antipasti: sliced salami, carrots, celery, baby corn, a few green olives and dill pickles. It takes the edge off while you're waiting to order.

The indecisive diner is bound to freeze when faced with the extensive menu, which is served around the clock. You can order dinner for breakfast or, as many barflies do, eggs after closing time.

During my first meal there in many years, I took the ladies-who-lunch route and ordered Dungeness Crab Louie. It was one of the best versions I've ever eaten, with what looked like a pound of the sweetest, most succulent Dungeness crab heaped atop crisp iceberg lettuce. Fancy field greens just won't do for this dish. Capers and bits of onions gave the dressing extra oomph.

My friend's crab cakes were good, not great. The crabmeat-to-breading ratio was very close to tipping in the direction of too much filling, not enough shellfish. They also tasted as if they were possibly a pre-made product; the cakes were compacted and dense.

When I asked our eye-rolling server if she recommended the zabaglione, she was honest, saying she didn't like that kind of eggy dessert.

13 Coins serves the warm Italian wine custard -- whipped to order in a copper bowl -- in a tall sundae-type dish, the airy confection spilling over the sides. Though the quality of the sherry could have been better, the dessert is a wonderful alternative to the ubiquitous creme brulee. The texture was light as a mousse, but it was still creamy like custard. I would recommend a trip to 13 Coins if only to try this unusual treat.

After wandering through the breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, I found the ambitious evening-type entrees to be the weakest links. A New York steak was tough, riddled with fat and gristle. A pitcher of herb sauce tasted as if it were reconstituted from a dry "au jus" package. It added nothing to the flat flavor of the pricy piece of meat.

		ANDY ROGERS / P-I
	Louise Anderson, a regular until she moved to Selah, won't be thrown by the extensive menu, but newbies might be. Everything on the menu is available around the clock.

A house specialty -- chicken Parmigiana -- was dominated by a puddle of white sauce. A slice of mozzarella sat atop the breaded and fried breast meat, a few minuscule crumbs of Parmesan barely visible.

The roast chicken featured as a special every Thursday was stringy and dry. I've had far better baked birds from the supermarket. Rosemary was supposed to be the star seasoning on this poorly executed entree, but I tasted none of the fragrant herb.

Even worse than the chicken, the mashed potatoes on which the chicken was served were greasy, and a side of tender asparagus was drowning in a pool of bland hollandaise.

To her credit, a genial server asked if there was anything wrong after I had barely touched my plate. I was sitting in the bar for that meal, and was impressed by the way she smiled while juggling the demands from a tableful of loud-mouth boors.

During that visit, the devastatingly bad dishes were balanced by a really good rendition of mac and cheese. The tiny elbow pasta was beyond al dente, baked in a gooey smoked cheddar sauce embellished by salty bits of prosciutto and a toasty-brown Parmesan bread crumb crust. In a city that's mac-and-cheese obsessed, this version is a must-try for fans of comfort food.

An excellent Dungeness crab Benedict offered further proof that the kitchen knows how to treat this superb ingredient with the respect it deserves. (I also liked the crab omelet, though the sauteed mushrooms definitely outweighed the crabmeat in the dish.)

Speaking of eggs, Joe's Special, a '60s throwback, remains entrenched on the menu. This scramble of spinach and ground beef topped with shredded Parmesan might make diners of a certain demographic wistful for the days before cholesterol counting became a national pastime. I enjoyed my platter-filling portion of Joe. Take that, arteries!

		ANDY ROGERS / P-I
	Dungeness Crab Louie, one of the best versions out there, is loaded with sweet, succulent crab heaped atop crisp iceberg lettuce.

While the crowd seemed to skew more salt than pepper, the young and hung over patiently waited for a table during a recent Sunday brunch rush.

For those getting over a case of the Saturday nights, I'd recommend a soothing bowl of oatmeal, or the fine French toast. The malted waffle was nothing special and slightly undercooked.

The classic cocktail menu is overflowing with hair-o-the-dog options, including a Pepper Bloody Mary. Absolut Pepper Vodka gives Mary a fiery kick.

There's also a Hypnotic Harvey Wallbanger and a Tiramisu Coffee.

Let's backtrack to the coffee for a sec. The restaurant uses coffee from Fonte Coffee Roaster (It had served Boyd's until February 2007). OK, some people do like the hot brown water version of coffee. At the very least, though, the coffee should be fresh. During that first lunch, one of the servers who was the designated coffee maker appeared at the table to apologize for the first bad cup. He brought a freshly brewed cup and was about to serve it when I said our server had already delivered a new version and it was a big improvement. He seemed flummoxed and then did something I've never witnessed at any of the thousands of restaurants in which I've dined: He raised the cup, said cheers and took a big swig. Ah, yes, that is good coffee, he said. Funny.

The owners of 13 Coins probably need to follow up the cosmetic update by addressing the quirky service and the inconsistencies on the vast menu. Only then will this restaurant be a true classic.