Living in Vancouver, we are very close to the US-Canada border. Given that so many things tend to be less expensive in the United States than they are up here, it’s very common for Vancouverites to drive down south in search of some great bargains. When I was younger, this usually only meant driving to Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham. However, ever since the Seattle Premium Outlets opened up several years ago, the trek almost always extends down to exit 202 on the I-5.
To be honest, I don’t really like to shop all that much, but I do enjoy these short road trips (it takes a little over two hours from my place to the Seattle Premium Outlets, depending on the wait at the border; my NEXUS pass helps tremendously). Tacking on our usual visit to the 24-hour Walmart in the Marysville area, we’re usually down there pretty late and this leaves for very few dining options short of driving all the way into Seattle proper. You can only eat the 20-piece McNuggets at McDonald’s so many times.
And that’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see The Ram Restaurant and Brewery open up effectively right on the same parking lot as the Seattle Premium Outlets. The hours listed online seem to be a little inconsistent, but when we were down there on a Friday, they were open until 2 AM. And they have free Wi-Fi to boot. It seemed awfully promising.
The interior design of the Ram Restaurant is pretty typical of a bar and grill. There is a bar section that occupies one half and then you have more conventional restaurant booth seating on the other half. There’s a lot of wood paneling and dim lighting, but the real highlight for many of us are the many HDTVs strewn throughout the place. I counted at least 19 such flat panel televisions, including at least four 80-inch Sharp TVs. There wasn’t all that much to watch at 11PM, but it’s good to know they’re there.
The “and Brewery” part of the name should have tipped you off about the beer selection at the Ram. They have a number of bottled beers, plus the six local brews that they have on tap. I went with the Big Horn Hefeweizen. They also have the Big Horn Blonde, Buttface Amber, ’71 Pale Ale, Big Red IPA and Total Disorder Porter. If you can’t decide, they also offer a “Taster Curl,” which is a flight of all six of the beers. A single pint was about $5.
In addition to the vast selection of burgers on the main menu, they also had a special seasonal menu with even more burgers. They have some creative names like the Hillbilly, the Tumbleweed and the Husky Pounder. I opted for a special burger called the Aristocrat. Served on a pretzel bun (which I found wasn’t quite as dense as I had hoped), it came with mushrooms, balsamic onions, Gorgonzola and a sizable beef patty. I opted for some coleslaw instead of the usual fries.
While it was a decent hamburger, it didn’t taste quite as fresh as what I’d get at the Tipper nor was it as cheap as what I’d get at X-Site. That said, when it’s 11 at night and you’re almost in the middle of nowhere, beggars can’t exactly be choosers. It hit the spot and got the job done.
Susanne decided to go with the Ramborghini Chicken Pasta. The penne is tossed with pepperoni, red onion, bell pepper, artichoke, spinach, sundried tomato pesto and Cajun seasoned chicken. It was definitely a touch on the oily side and there wasn’t really enough pasta to pick it all up. I would have liked if the spinach was a little cooked, rather than being served raw too. Much like the burger, the pasta dish was decent but far from fantastic.
Beyond the usual pub fare like chicken wings and nachos, the Ram also offers steak, ribs, fish tacos, meatloaf, and lettuce wraps, as well as a $5.99 kids menu.
Service can be a little on the slow side and the food won’t exactly excite you, but a visit to the Ram after a long day of shopping isn’t so bad.
Our (very late) dinner for two, after taxes and gratuity, came to right around $35.
Its really very perfect restaurant and the dishes are awesome.