A reader wrote The Herald, "You need to review the Stanwood Grill
in downtown Stanwood. We eat there amost every Friday night.
Tim, the chef, is great. Give it a try."
   We knew our reader was right. We needed a mini-vacation to
Stanwood on a sun-filled spring evening.
   The Stanwood Grill, in the center of the historic downtown,
opened in January 2001 after a paint job and menu change.
According to Danny Pickering, the current owner, the restaurant
was yellow, floor to ceiling, and offered a more publike
atmosphere with an emphasis on burgers.
   Now, it sports a tiled entryway in vintage wine and royal blue,
ceiling fans and subdued lighting that's filtered through paper
shades over each table and booth. Jazz softly plays in the
background, emphasizing the restaurant's relaxed but upbeat
atmosphere. The jazz theme continues in musical prints on the
walls and to the menu. For $4, guests can "jazz it up" by adding
breaded prawns or pan-fried oysters to their entrees.
   We visited on a Tuesday and learned that it was chef Tim Bly's
night off. However, relief chef Larry Anderson did an equally
excellent job with our dinners. Our server suggested two
favorites--baked halibut or prime rib and brought me that night's
seasonal brew--Pyramid Tilted Kilt Scottish Ale.
   While relaxing, we speculated that Stanwood Grill would be a
favorite stop this summer for those traveling to Camano Island.
   Our dinners arrived in a timely way. We chose the balsamic
vinegar olive oil salad dressing, and it was excellent. My baked
halibut was flaky and moist. It was topped with toasted almond
slivers and perfectly grilled Parmesan cheese. I added three lightly
breaded, pan-fried oysters, and they definitely jazzed up my
dinner. The garlic-laced potatoes were mashed with their red
skins. They were so tasty, I decided to eat all of them and skip
that night's dessert, hot apple crisp with ice cream.
   The prime rib was perfectly prepared, but the excellent quality
of the beef made up stop and comment. Also, we noted that the
side of horseradish sauce didn't take our breath away from too
much horseradish. Bill described the au jus as "Nice. Not too
salty." He declared the baked potato, with sour cream and
butter on the side, to be top-notch. Both dinners included fresh,
crisp green beans in a garlic butter sauce.
   We understood why our reader who suggested the Stanwood
Grill eats there almost every Friday night.