Great Blue Heron Grill — Restaurant in Blaine

Had high hopes for this place, location is really pretty and so are the views from inside looking out to the pond with geese and a fountain. Sadly, service was lacking. Upon my arrival, the place was pretty much empty with only two tables taken. I was immediately asked if I had a reservation,, which I did. They told me to sit anywhere. Despite being the only third table in use, it still took about 15 minutes for them to take my drink order. I ordered the flank steak, it was a pretty small plate, with a very small order of very thin / watery mashed potatoes, and a small side of broccolini. Taste wise it was about average, maybe maybe 3 and 1/2 Stars, but my potatoes and vegetables were cold. The server came back after about 20 minutes to ask how everything was, and I was basically about done. And let her know that it was okay, despite that the vegetables were all cold, and she apologized and walked away. All in all, $50 for a very small steak, cold vegetables and watery potatoes, and one glass of wine, on top of slow and lacking service, definitely would not compel me to ever return. Views outside or a 5/5 inside is a 3, food is a 3, and service is a 2. I'd average it out to about 2.5 experience. Onward to better things. Onward to...

We came to Birch Bay for breakfast only to find that almost nothing was open at 9am on a Monday. After consulting all things internet, I suggested that we try the Blue Heron (honestly, there wasn't much else around!) We didn't know it was on a golf course or we might not have come. As it turned out, all our breakfasts were some of the best we had. 3 of us had the Eggs Benedict and one the blueberry pancakes. The eggs were poached to an inch of perfection; soft and dark yellow but not runny centers. The holandaise sauce was creamy and light, the muffin crunchy and buttery. But the real surprise was the breakfast potatoes. OMG they are good! Crispy and soft at the same time, served with light onion and spices. These are seriously how ALL potatoes should taste and that saying something from someone that doesn't really like potatoes. Even the coffee was exceptional. Our server was sweet and attentive without being clingy. What was shocking was how reasonable the price of our meals was. I fully recommend the Blue Heron if you are in the Birch Bay area. Heck, it's even worth the trip from Seattle since you can always sit and enjoy the bay while satisfying meal...

Went there on a Saturday night for dinner. Ignored at the empty hostess stand - no "hello" or greeting or acknowledgement of any kind by servers walking by. Finally asked a server if we were supposed to seat ourselves. "No, the bartender will seat you." Got seated. After more than 10 minutes (I checked my watch), we never got any interaction from any server. No menus, no "Sorry we're busy - I'll be right with you", no nod, nothing. And the servers literally came to tables immediately adjacent to us during that time. It was like we were invisible. Overheard the server's conversation with the next table about how the dessert that was ordered still hasn't come after 15 minutes. It was just taken off their bill because they didn't want to wait anymore. At that point we just got up and left. One of the most inhospitable restaurant experiences we've had. Look, I understand being busy. But that's exactly the time to increase the communication and hospitality and initial interaction. Or else just say you're full and don't seat people if you don't have the wait staff and kitchen staff to properly...