The Black Cat — Restaurant in Bellingham

My husband and I enjoyed a kid-free weekend exploring Bellingham, and decided to try this restaurant based on its excellent reviews. The restaurant itself is small, located on the third floor of an old, historic building. We found it very cozy and charming, and our table allowed us a beautiful water view. The server was friendly and attentive, checking on us multiple times even though it was busy. I ordered the French onion soup, and my husband had the crab mac & cheese. We also shared the clam appetizer, and the brownie for dessert. I had two Moscow Mules, which were made perfectly. Everything was delicious, the cost of our meal was fair, and we left full and happy. On our second night, we looked at other restaurants but ultimately decided to eat at the same place because of what a great experience we’d had. I decided to try the steak, which I ordered medium/rare. It ended up being pretty rare. My husband ordered a burger, which he felt was just okay. Even our clam appetizer was a little off from the previous night. I again ordered a Moscow Mule, and after tasting it a few times realized that I didn’t taste any vodka at all. I had my husband try it to confirm that I wasn’t just imagining the lack of alcohol, and he confirmed that all he could taste was the ginger beer and lime. I felt bad about informing our young waitress of this, but ultimately decided I didn’t want to pay for a virgin drink. I don’t drink cocktails often, so the lack of alcohol was pretty obvious. Anyway, when I told her that I thought the bartender had forgotten to add the vodka, she looked at me like that was nonsense. Our table was immediately across from the bar, and I could overhear sarcastic comments insinuating I must like a strong drink. What I ended up getting was a Moscow Mule with what tasted like TWO shots of cheap vodka. It was so strong I almost choked, and the ginger beer was barely detectable. I won’t lie, it felt a bit like punishment for complaining about a “weak” drink. I know what really happened was the bartender just simply forgot to add the shot to my initial drink. The waitress asked if it was okay, and I just said it was fine and drank it. I wasn’t about to complain again. After that, I just ordered a beer. Unfortunately our second night just wasn’t up to par, however, I would absolutely eat there again in the future. We all have off days. I would like to mention that our bartender on the second night was different than the first, and seemed younger and less experienced. He should know that not everyone who mentions their drink is lacking alcohol is out to get a...

Let me start by saying the pot roast here has the best slow-cooked beef on earth. If the chef who came up with it isn’t the person who trains all the artificial intelligences that will control our lives by the end of this decade, that will be humanity’s loss. More on this later.

Cool spot. I ate here with my brother after we visited Larrabee State Park and walked the Bellingham Boardwalk. We (unintentionally) timed it perfectly, arriving shortly before 5 PM. We were immediately seated at the last available table just before several parties walked up and had to wait. A crowd had gathered by the entrance by the time we left.

I got pot roast and my brother got a 6oz salmon burger. Both of us were expecting some kind of ground (or otherwise subpar) salmon, but he was served a well-cooked filet on a gourmet bun.

Most people will say that a steak dinner is their favorite meal. Mine’s pot roast. Seriously— I love pot roast, especially my mother’s. I wrote the past two sentences to establish my pot roast credibility. Anyway, the pot roast here was super dope. I like my mother’s more overall, but the Black Cat’s beef was the best I’ve ever had. Full stop. I order pot roast 100% of the time I see it on a menu somewhere. Honestly, it’s a hard dish to mess up, so it’s basically always good, but I want to point out that I’ve been served pot roast at two four-star hotels, one five-star hotel, and a Michelin star restaurant. The actual beef roast here crushes the beef in every other pot roast I’ve ever tasted, and it’s frankly not even close. Whoever came up with the recipe should quit his/her job as a chef and get to work figuring out how we’re going to terraform Mars or something because that person is a next-level genius.

I’m a picky eater. Everything in the previous paragraph is high praise.

The drink I got was all right. It was some bourbon-based, bitter cocktail.. lion something. Lion claw? Lion’s tail? Something like that. It wasn’t bad or anything but I wouldn’t order it again. My brother got a blond IPA that he enjoyed.

I look forward to the next time I head to Bellingham because I can’t wait to eat at The Black Cat again. I wish the creator of that dish would’ve been credited on the menu because I would nominate that legend for the congressional Medal of Honor (which would actually be an insult because that unsung hero deserves a Nobel...

Probably my favorite restaurant in Bellingham. The food always taste fresh and well prepared. I usually get the fried oysters and fish and chips. Both taste fresh and not "fishy" which usually means older or frozen. I'm not a huge fan of coleslaw but their coleslaw is amazing. My wife usually gets the fried green beans and she never misses not having fries. The sauce that comes with the fried green beans is very unique and has an Asian flare that goes well on most of the dishes.

They have the best old fashioned I ever had which is a walnut fig old fashioned. All of their drinks are well prepared and delicious. My second favorite drink a chai tea flavored drink which I generally wouldn't care for but the cloves and mix of warm flavors is very comforting.

Deserts are always good as well. They usually have a rotating option which is always well made but their usuals are always a slam dunk. Honestly you can't go wrong here and this place is mine and my wife's new favorite date night place.

Update: I have been here multiple times since my original review and never and dissatisfied. Whenever my wife and I try and figure out what we want for date night we always pick black cat due to the consistent quality and never being disappointed. One of my new favorite dishes is the salmon dish or the salmon sandwich. The serano sauce is to die for and the rest of the sides are always good as well.

I highly recommend the oyster shooters as well. They are very fresh tasting and clean. I usually get one with my friend oyster app.

Surprising also is the cauliflower tots. They are very crunchy and don't taste like vegetables at all. They have a meaty taste which is also slightly fishy. The sauce that comes with them is also very good.

Again, I can't get enough of the black cat and hands down the number one place I tell...