Gravy — Restaurant in Washington

On a very hot day my wife and I visited Gravy aka Salt & Schmaltz. Eating there had been one of our main objectives in visiting Vashon. We opted to sit in the back patio where a slight breeze made it more comfortable than eating inside. It wasn't busy (although we noticed that that had changed a bit when we were leaving) and we had our just about all the tables. The staff and the owners were very welcoming.

I ordered the Smoked Brisket Reuben sandwich and my wife ordered the Smoked Turkey sandwich. They both came with house made potato chips. Both orders were delivered to our table pretty quickly. They were both very hot and I actually had to bite on my sandwich carefully so as not to burn my mouth or my hands while holding it. Both were big sandwiches so you really got your money's worth. .

There was more house smoked brisket on my sandwich than I've gotten anywhere else. The tops of Gruyere, kraut and Russian dressing were great as was the bread. I shouldn't have eaten the entire thing but I did. My only quibble was that I would've like to have tasted more smoky flavors, but I've rarely had smoked food in restaurants that satisfy me like the smoked meats I turn out on my own electric smoker.

My wife greatly enjoyed her house smoked turkey sandwich which came with bacon, greens, roasted tomatoes, and Havarti. With that one she had her choice of either cold turkey or hot pressed. She wished she'd chosen cold because she missed the texture and fresh flavor of the turkey as a contrast to the hot sandwich. She took half her sandwich with her. The owners seemed to be good people presenting great food. We'd go back to try some other menu items if we decide...

I went to go eat with my family for a Sunday Dinner. We had a good time with each other and the atmosphere was fun though a bit on the dark side in the room. The wait staff was very nice to talk with also. My only real problems were the food itself. We went on a Sunday, which is there BBQ day where they serve BBQ only on the menu. That's fine by all of us, but when it came to us it was a bit dry on some of the meets and a bit cold on the others. Nothing that ruined our moods, but we all figured it was because of how long the meals took to get to us (we ordered one of the really large platters that had everything on the menu so we could all share, so I figure it must have taken longer because of the size of the order). My suggestion if anybody wants to order that is to make sure you ask the wait staff how long it could take for the food to arrive so you can be prepared if something happens to it. My other issue was the way they served the salt to us. When we asked for salt on our table, the waiter gave us a small dish with the salt inside it. Points for a creative way of serving a condiment, but it's kind of ruined by the idea of how many other people put their fingers into that same dish that night.

Another note for anybody reading this is the parking. Vashon Downtown itself is not known for it's best choices of parking, so don't feel discouraged if you have to walk a bit to get to the restaurant. There is dedicated parking in the back of the building, but that could fill up quick for dinners.

Overall, I'd go there again to try the rest of the menu...

What an unusual experience.

We saw lots of good reviews so we stopped by while on the island. What we didn't notice was that the reviews were all for lunch time and we were arriving at dinner time.

At 5pm they switch to a dinner menu that tries to be a fine dining experience and locals seemingly stop coming. Two people got up and left without ordering before we placed our order which should have been a warning to us.

The bread we ordered for the table was just the store bought loaf they use for reuben sandwiches in the afternoon, with some mediocre olive oil. Not a thoughtful pairing with clashing flavors.

The duck was extremely overcooked, with "poached" eggs actually being hard boiled.

The steak frites were a poor cut of meat that was untrimmed leading to an unpleasant eating experience.

The pork chop special tasted like the creation of a 15 year old stoner. Salt on top of salt on top of salt with no balancing flavors whatsoever.

Our server was an absolutely wonderful young man who provided impeccable service, and the atmosphere was pretty good for what they likely offer in the afternoon. Very strange in the context of a fine dining experience though.

Without a doubt you'll want to avoid this place anytime after 3pm, but perhaps you might have a decent meal if you come during their...