October 6: Bakeman's Restaurant

[Closing December 22, 2017]

"Check or cash, or keep your receipt and pay me tomorrow." That's what the owner and self-described "soup Nazi" of Bakeman's Restaurant said with a twinkle in his eye when I asked if they take plastic. And sadly, that's a deal breaker for me. I'm a cashless kind of guy. I can't reasonably pay him tomorrow (no duplicate lunches until December, right?), so I'm going to resort to having my bank's bill payment service send him a check. What a hassle. But let's back up.

In an e-mail two weeks ago, with the underlying tone of "I dare you," my manager asked "Do you take restaurant requests? If so, I've heard Bakeman's is good, but I would like to see a review before I try it."

It's just a few blocks away, housed in the basement of the Hoge Building, which was the tallest in Seattle until surpassed by the Smith Tower. I headed down the narrow marble stairs and into a cafeteria with the ambiance of jury duty. The line was long, but moved incredibly quickly. I think the drivers license office uses the same color scheme. The turkey sandwich is advertised on the sandwich board (ha!) outside and prominently on the white board inside. Grabbed a tray and ordered the turkey, a bowl of chili, and a can of diet Coke.

The folks behind the counter move at lightning speed. "Wheat or white bread? White meat or dark meat? Cranberry sauce? Lettuce, tomato, mayo? What kind of cheese?" By the time I was through the line, seats were scarce, but I was able to find a table to share with another solo diner, and perused a copy of the Seattle Weekly as I ate. I used to do that every week at Taco Del Mar, before they became so corporate.

The white board advertises their bread as "homemade", and perhaps the lack of industrial paste is why it began to dissolve when soaked with cranberry sauce. The shredded lettuce flopped out on the plate, but for the price, it falls heavily into the "acceptable" category.

The chili was also just acceptable -- out of one of Sysco's finest cans, I'm sure. But again, for the price, it'd be hard to beat. Also, worth noting: at 90¢, the can of Diet Coke is the cheapest I've seen downtown outside of Target.

Got cash? Want nothing more than an acceptable cheap lunch? Bakeman's should be on your list. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to figure out how to add it as a one-time online bill pay recipient.

Bakeman's Restaurant
122 Cherry St.
Turkey sandwich, bowl of chili, can of diet coke, $9.92