Skillet takes its street food and settles on Cap Hill

At Skillet Diner, the brand new brick and mortar offshoot of city-renowned Skillet Street Food, love is in the details.

The Skillet Burger, which costs $13, comes on a roll from Macrina bakery and is topped with Skillet's signature bacon jam, arugula and "creamy" bleu cheese. The sweetness of the bacon jam contrasts wonderfully with the tartness of the arugula and the sharpness of the bleu cheese; without the different complimentary flavors, the individual flavors of the bacon jam or the bleu cheese would overwhelm the taste buds. The Macrina roll sops up the juices from the patty and blue cheese and doesn't fall apart in one's hand, as a cheaper bun might.

The grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which costs $5, comes to the table fresh off the stove. The peanut butter feels warm and creamy against the tongue, and for $2 more, a customer can add sweet banana slices to the sandwich. The dish comes with hand cut fries or a balsamic vinaigrette salad. Although it seems counterintuitive to eat something salty or bitter with something so sweet, the different flavors can provide a welcome respite for those who can't handle too much sugary food.

Skillet Diner also serves breakfast all day long from the time it opens at 7 a.m. until it closes at midnight. A stack of griddle cakes costs $8 and comes with rhubarb compote and lemon zest butter. The house made biscuits, $9, are coated in sage gravy and served with chicken sausage.

The diner, located at 1400 East Union Street, doesn't serve a single dish without an interesting garnish. In a similar vein, the restaurant is abound with charming bits of flair, which accentuate the dining experience.

Each table receives its own bottle of water, which customers sip from the fruit-embossed jam containers that serve as drinking glasses. Jars of colorful, preserved vegetables line a wood-paneled window in the eastern corner of the restaurant. Imperfections run throughout the eatery's stark, grey cement walls.

Everything that Skillet Street Food might have had, if only there had been room enough for it, now seems to fill the diner. Based on looks and atmosphere alone, Skillet Diner is a pretty sweet place to grab a bite to eat.

The waitstaff goes out of its way not to rush customers and gladly answers any questions about the restaurant's menu, which will likely change each month as the owners experiment with new recipes. Although the food takes a good 20-something minutes to come to the table, the waiters and waitresses check on customers frequently, and one does not feel forgotten.

The one considerable downfall of Skillet Diner is the drinks. The water is lukewarm by the time it arrives at the table, and customers must ask for ice cubes if they prefer cooler water. The soft drinks aren't refrigerated beforehand, either, so by the time the ice cools it off the soda has gone a little flat.

Ultimately, Skillet Diner offers the same yummy experience that Skillet Street Food has provided Seattle for several years, albeit in a more relaxed and better rooted environment. Its casual yet personality-packed abode makes it a sweet place to grab a Sunday morning brunch or to sit and mull over a good book.

Sam may be reached at skettering@su-spectator.com