Inside the eatery, the hostess said her menu is straight from Laos. It includes some dishes with which you are probably familiar, such as beef or chicken pho, but also some possibly more adventurous choices, such as Hainan chicken or Gau Lau beef soup.

The two visitors in question here played it safe with a vegetable soup and chicken pho, but were impressed with the flavor of each, enough that trying some of the other offerings at some point in the future is definitely not out of the question.

The beef or chicken pho comes in two sizes and the medium seemed more than large enough, filled with plenty of shredded chicken and lots of thin noodles. Really, the noodles and chicken were generous enough to eat with a fork.

A lot of green onions floated on top and the pho arrived with a plate of sprouts, basil and a couple of jalapeno peppers to toss into the soup. The friendly hostess warned to use the basil while the broth was warm, otherwise the taste wouldn’t be as good. The spice decidedly added more flavor to the soup and noodles.

Something really has to be said about the broth or soup. It was beyond a doubt the highlight of the meal, very flavorful and exotic enough to remind you weren’t eating at a fast food place.

The broth also was reportedly a highlight of the vegetable soup, which seemed generously filled with baby celery, onion and broccoli. The tofu in the soup was firm and well cooked.

The Saffron Deli isn’t very big, with tables arranged in an “L” shape around a central counter and cooking space. Incidentally, the openness of that kitchen provides a very nice aromatic preview of the food about to come your way. The table settings will get your attention, with woven place mats set out for each diner.

The décor probably won’t win any awards, but the restaurant is clean and bright. On one wall hang several colorful purses, for sale and handmade in Laos. Cloth and metal letter holders, also handmade overseas, decorate another wall.

With modest price tags on what seems to be some tasty fare, the Saffron Deli is a good choice for a taste of the exotic along Northwest Gilman Boulevard.

Tom Corrigan: 392-6434, ext. 241, or tcorrigan@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Such is the situation with Szechuan Bean Flower Restaurant, tucked way behind AtWork!, located on Locust Street.

Longtime diners will recognize the building that was home for a couple of other restaurants that have since moved or gone under. So, it’s a risk opening a Chinese restaurant in an unproven location.

The current owners have done nothing to address the sparse parking — inside the gated lot are just eight spots, with one dedicated to handicapped drivers. From the outside, it still looks like a setting more appropriate for an Italian or Mexican restaurant. And inside, the décor is rather sparse.

But it’s easy to see where the money is spent — the menu is massive. There are 40 lunch items to choose from and 194 dinner selections. It’s almost as if the cook decided to take a protein — say chicken — and stir fry it up every possible way, from almond fried to vegetable chicken.

But I get ahead of myself.

The lunch special comes with a choice of egg flower or hot and sour soup. My vegetarian dining companion ordered the egg flower and was surprised to find extra morsels of veggies like corn and peas. I went the hot and sour route. I, too, was pleased to discover an actual spicy hot and sour offering. Minutes after the soup was devoured, the heat lingered. Nice.

We both then sampled two orders each — the tofu and vegetables and the stir-fried string beans for him and the Szechuan chicken and the orange beef for me.

His first comment was the dishes were spicy, not hot spicy, but a tasty blend of spices that made him sit up and take notice. His actual words were, “These beans have character.”

However, not being a connoisseur of tofu, he wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be that mushy. The flavor at least made up for the texture.

On the other hand, my dishes were intentionally spicy — I ordered three stars out of five. It turned out to be the right amount of heat, as any more and my tastebuds probably would never have forgiven me.

One problem I have with many Chinese restaurants is how similar everything tastes. Not so with Szechuan Bean Flower Restaurant. The Szechuan chicken had a sharp, welcoming bite, while the orange beef sported a burst of well-blended flavors. The orange, which can overpower the sauce, was blended in nicely.

Even my fried rice stood out — I don’t think I’ve ever had an order that was as fluffy as standard white rice. It just added a nice textural change of pace.

With 190 more options to choose from — including an all-you-can-eat hot pot I’m dying to try (but you have to order ahead of time) — Szechuan Bean Flower Restaurant has plenty to entice return trips. Hopefully the right restaurant has finally found its niche in this out-of-the-way location. Issaquah is big enough to welcome another well-prepared, affordable Chinese meal.

David Hayes: 392-6434, ext. 237 or dhayes@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

We ended up ordering at the counter and then helping ourselves to a seat — not a great beginning to a lunch, but it was all uphill from there.

As the restaurant is named for its teriyaki, I felt obliged to try some. My friend the vegetarian opted for yakisoba noodles with tofu.

The meals arrived in a very reasonable amount of time, our plates carried by a friendly waiter/host. The first thing we both noticed was how good the food looked, that the presentation was done very nicely.

The chicken teriyaki is probably not the best you’re ever going to have. It’s also very far from being the worst. The chicken was nicely done, tender and warm. The sauce was sweet and flavorful. There also was plenty of sauce on the plate. There are teriyaki restaurants that seem to think a tablespoon or two of sauce will do the trick. This isn’t one of them.

Two scoops of rice and a small salad accompanied the teriyaki.

Regarding the yakisoba, my friend described it as tasty. His only complaint was the tofu was a little mushy, not crisp. Still, he cleared his plate.

I should note that both lunches were generously proportioned. The chicken was a large, sliced breast, big enough for a healthy appetite, or in my case, enough to take some with me for lunch the next day.

Besides the expected variations on teriyaki — chicken, beef and so on — Japan Ginger’s menu includes Asian staples, such as kung pao chicken, General Tao’s chicken, and sweet and sour chicken. Besides yakisoba, available noodle dishes include pad thai and udon noodle soup. There are tempura and bowl specials, along with fried rice that comes with your choice of veggies or meat or fish.

Japan Ginger has a few seats in front of a small sushi bar in the front of the restaurant and the sushi choices are plentiful. Again, the presentation is great as the food arrives at your table on a small, elevated wooden cutting board. The California rolls and the cucumber rolls were both very good.

In terms of décor, Japan Ginger is about what you’d probably expect: nothing fancy, but there’s nothing that detracts from the restaurant either. It’s well lit and clean, with some modest Asian decorations. The small tables could easily be moved around to accommodate a larger group.

All in all, with generous helpings and perhaps better than average sushi, Japan Ginger is a good choice for lunch or a quick dinner. Downtown Issaquah has plenty of decent places for a not-too-fancy, not-too-pricey meal. This is decidedly one of them.

Tom Corrigan: 392-6434, ext. 241, or tcorrigan@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Enter Zeeks Pizza. With 10 regional locations, it still doesn’t qualify as a national chain. So you still get that hometown feel when you walk into its Issaquah Highlands setting.

What sets it apart from the rest is its eclectic pairing of ingredients. Sure, they’ve got the classic pies, including Hawaiian, ultimate pepperoni and four cheese (Quattro Formaggi). But from there, the menu gets really adventurous.

At first glance, the Thai One On may not sound like it would work, combining chicken, bean sprouts, carrots and fresh cilantro spread over mozzarella, peanut sauce and olive oil. And like any Thai restaurant, you can choose your level of heat, one to five stars. But, wow, does it deliver. Who knew Thai cuisine would translate to a pizza?

For the spicy, the Dragon will leave your tongue tingling with its combination of Italian sausage, pepperoni, jalapeños, garlic and oregano.

To bring in a regional Northwest motif, the Forager brings the outdoors in with its pairing of prosciutto, Portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, arugula and fresh oregano.

If you have vegetarians in your group, don’t fret. I’ve never seen a menu with more meatless selections than Zeeks, each with clever names to draw your attention. The most eye popping being Jimmi the Greek with its roma tomatoes, red onions, green peppers, kalamata olives, oregano, feta and mozzarella cheeses and olive oil — a veritable Greek restaurant in one pie. With 10 vegetarian options to choose from, you’ll be making repeat visits to try them all.

Holding all of these pies together at its foundation is the dough. Without a good dough, a pie just won’t deliver (you’ve seen the restaurants where diners eat all the way up to the rim, leaving it behind). Well, you won’t want to discard any of this doughy goodness, as Zeeks’ crust puffs and crisps up nicely.

When going for lunch, there are two choices — order from the menu or order by the slice. Zeeks has four slices of the day to choose from, including cheese, pepperoni and two others. And you can’t beat the deal — two slices and a drink for just $5.95. Or if you want your daily greens, a slice, half-salad and drink is just a dollar more.

My only complaint would be getting the last piece of pizza that had been sitting there a while, lukewarm, while the rest of my group all got fresh slices out of the oven. Next time, I’ll know to have it reheated to freshen up its gooey goodness.

As if the pizza alone wasn’t enough enticement to get you in, Zeeks also offers happy hour from 2-5 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close, Monday through Friday. Getting drink specials and a small pizza for half price is a surefire way to keep ’em coming back for more.

David Hayes: 392-6434, ext. 237, or dhayes@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

A kitchen toiling to round out such menus can often lose focus, although WildFin remains consistent — and excels.

WildFin offers surf-and-turf options dolled up in New American flourishes. The concept is not unique on the Issaquah restaurant scene, but WildFin puts a more memorable effort into execution.

The menu taps trends — such as small plates designed for sharing — to laudable effect.

Calamari is tender and just elastic enough beneath a gossamer coating. The squid sits in a spicy aioli and alongside fried jalapeño rings — a piquant counterpoint to the mild calamari.

The slaw and salsa heaped atop corn tortillas add bounce to rockfish tacos. Order a couple of tacos and a beer from the substantial offerings on tap for a satisfying midday respite in south-of-the-border style.

The lime chili shrimp salad is a textbook study in restaurant greenery.

Built atop cabbage, romaine and spinach, WildFin adds Granny Smith apples trimmed down to matchsticks, Mandarin oranges and, for crunch, candied walnuts. On top, basil and cilantro tangle. The pièce de résistance is a heap of shrimp in a Mac & Jack’s beer batter tricked out further in a chili-lime glaze.

(WildFin offers the same shrimp, sans salad, on the appetizer menu at lunch and dinner.)

The crunch from the shrimp, apple and walnuts is a pleasant contrast against the juicy oranges.

WildFin Chowder melds a sherry-spiked base to corn, fennel, peppers and hunks of salmon and other seafood. Bacon plays a much-appreciated supporting role.

WildFin peddles a monstrous — and monstrously flavorful — burger beneath a pile of pulled pork and onion straws on brioche. Extra oomph comes from pepper jack cheese and barbecue sauce. Despite the meat-on-meat action, the pulled-pork-and-patty combination is no gut bomb. The french fries in a ramekin alongside the burger add a nice touch.

Skagit Valley chicken breast is tender inside a crunchy breading. The attractive presentation is straightforward and satisfying: mashed potatoes, green beans and a mushroom-bacon sauce.

Sometimes the menu promises but comes up short. Flatbread, for instance, promised artichoke hearts, but the promised topping did not materialize. Cajun meatloaf is flavorful, but a touch dry beneath a spicy mustard smear.

Dessert is a highlight, especially a deep-dish apple and grape cobbler. Scoop some Tillamook vanilla ice cream into each forkful for the full effect.

WildFin deserves points for careful attention to details far from the plate.

Service is attentive and quick to offer menu recommendations as diners pore over the expansive menu.

WildFin is a popular destination, so expect a wait to be seated — sometimes even at lunchtime.

The eatery also earns props for programming a playlist ranging from respectable — The Decemberists, of course — to guilty pleasure. Paula Abdul, anyone?

The design team banished the last occupant, a FedEx Kinko’s, to distant memory.

Overhead, a lattice of wood beams crisscrosses the dining areas. Closer to ground level, whimsical metal sculptures and filament bulb lamps dot the restaurant.

Some tabletops, plus the handsome bar, feature a rough-hewn edge. (Guests can sidle up to said bar and sip a bacon-topped Bloody Mary.)

The fireplace — guaranteed to act as a magnet for customers during damp months — manages to make a large space feel more intimate. The kitchen, if not quite open, is exposed enough for diners to catch the culinary team in action.

The kitchen sends out handsome meals as enjoyable to eat as to ogle. Sometimes, at other eateries, such a ratio places too much emphasis on aesthetics and not enough on taste. Not at WildFin.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

The bed-and-breakfast owner suggested a little family-run restaurant, way off the beaten path away from the usual touristy spots. The food at this hole in the wall was exquisite and memorable for its simplistic, yet bold flavors.

Well, Issaquah now boasts its own hole in the wall, family run ristorante Italiano — Montalcino Ristorante Italiano.

Located on Northwest Alder Place, a block off the beaten path of Front Street, Montalcino brought back memories of Venice with its intimate, rustic interior.

You know you’re going to get personalized service when maximum occupancy doesn’t exceed 30. And in a competitive, growing Italian restaurant market even here in Issaquah, it’s nice to have something to set yourself apart from the others.

The Nardone family has crafted a menu that showcases their family recipes.

The lunch meal was kicked off by some of the best bread I’ve ever had. Its freshness was accented by just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a dash of freshly chopped parsley.

A group of us skipped the appetizer selections and went straight for the entrées — which might have been a mistake since the appetizer menu features stuzzichino staples such as bruschetta, mozzarella caprese salad, and assorted salumi and cheese.

Every dish on the lunch menu was less than $15, so it was nice to discover a restaurant that didn’t have to be one of those “special occasion” destinations that offer good food, but at spendy prices.

Once our orders arrived, the homemade craftsmanship was apparent on every plate.

The same sauce was used in both the lasagna and the spaghetti and meatballs. It had a rich, cheesy flavor without being too beefy.

The meatballs, I’m told, are a combination of what’s on hand any given day — so you might get ground beef and veal one day and beef and pork another day. Either way, they were delicious, again, in their simplicity. Sometimes a dish can be overthought, with too many ingredients overpowering each other. These meatballs were crafted to be enjoyed each harmonious bite.

Our third diner tried the white sauce in the linguini chicken panna. She found the chicken had a great grilled, smoky flavor, and the sauce was creamy with simplicity again bringing out the best of each ingredient.

If we had found time to linger at the restaurant, we would have loved to sample the many wines the Nardone family produce themselves. And for those diners who leave room, the menu has many appetizing desserts to complete the experience, from homemade tiramisu to the bomba mambo chocolata.

Still shy of being open three months, here’s hoping Montalcino becomes a mainstay of fine cuisine found in Issaquah.

Just as leggings and off-the-shoulder tops re-emerged from some Reagan-era style sepulcher in recent seasons, a similar cycle is redirecting attention to Gilman Village. The landmark shopping center is in — and in the midst of a renaissance, as a Thursday farmers market and upstart businesses prompt neophytes to discover a classic Issaquah locale.

The credit for the latest revival is due, in part at least, to The Flat Iron Grill, a destination restaurant and a solid reason to explore beyond the periphery at Gilman Village.

The restaurant opened in the former Iris Grill space 18 months ago and, soon after, started to generate complimentary chatter among the local fooderati.

The acclaim is deserved.

The Flat Iron Grill is upscale enough to qualify as a special-occasion restaurant — ambitious but not pretentious — and a sophisticated addition to a restaurant scene saturated in too many fast-casual counters and underperforming sports bars.

The attention lavished on edible details and fresh ingredients is laudable. Produce comes from Hand-Farmed Organics, a community-supported farm in Fall City. Plates land at the table done up for magazine-quality presentation, as if a food stylist touched up each meal en route from the kitchen.

The menu includes international accents, especially as Chef Cody Reaves points a compass in the direction of South America.

No A.1. bottles dot the tables at The Flat Iron Grill. Instead, chimichurri — a potent sauce created in Argentina and exported elsewhere — is the chosen condiment for steaks.

Quinoa, a so-called superfood older than the Incas, anchors a salad layering the seeds and other muscular ingredients — arugula, feta and poblano — beneath a dash of currants and sprightly vinaigrette.

The lunch menu emphasizes salads and sandwiches — convenient and urbane fare for a professional crowd.

The signature steak is presented atop a salad or inside a soft roll from Macrina Bakery come lunchtime.

The salad stacks Bibb lettuce, candied pecans and blue cheese from the respected Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. in the Golden State. Meanwhile, a raspberry-peppercorn vinaigrette cuts through the rich unctuousness of the meat and cheese.

Inside the sandwich, the meat, arugula and tomatoes meld beneath rosemary mayonnaise. Pair the sandwich and mixed greens on the side for a taste of both menu standouts.

The fried sage and roasted garlic mingling alongside the french fries offer a pleasant, aromatic assist to the potatoes, although the fries could benefit from a crispier exterior.

Lunchtime also incorporates a Pacific Northwest interpretation of a classic Cuban sandwich, Cuba by way of the Columbia River. Inside the pressed Macrina Bakery roll, a stratum of bacon from Wisconsin smokehouse Nueske’s, roasted pork, Swiss cheese and housemade pickles fuse.

The challah roll from the Seattle bakery is superb, but perhaps not the most ideal foundation for most of the sandwiches on the compact lunch menu.

The toothsome portabella sandwich — on brioche — adds arugula, goat cheese, grilled onions and quince-jalapeno jam to impart oomph on the mild mushroom.

In a classic chicken salad sandwich, currants and walnuts perform supporting roles, although a little less mayonnaise is necessary to enable the other ingredients to pop.

The happy hour menu occupies a different league than the Sysco chicken fingers and french fries on too many beer-battered bar menus to count. Cheeses from Mt. Townsend Creamery in Jefferson County, a grilled watermelon salad and a lamb empanada stand out.

Steak, as the name on the sign implies, is the star at dinner. Reaves utilizes the grill to enliven chicken and fish, too.

The Flat Iron Grill earns plaudits for serving beef raised sans antibiotics and hormones. The comprehensive wine list assembled features numerous Northwest vintages alongside bottles from California and other grape-growing regions around the globe.

The bar offers a “whiskey library” to complement the wine list. Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Johnnie Walker cavort alongside less familiar — and more tantalizing — labels.

The handsome space attracts a bustling crowd from lunchtime until late night. Inside, patrons sip and snack amid flickering votive candles, metal-topped tables and mustard-hued draperies. In a lighthearted nod to the name, a display of antique irons is arranged in the entryway.

From the aesthetic to the menu, The Flat Iron Grill is designed to endure — a classic sure to remain in fashion for the foreseeable future.

Sunset Alehouse’s The National Champ is an eating challenge featuring nine 1/3-pound patties and nine slices of cheese. File

The last time a group of us dined at the Sunset Alehouse, we didn’t go to enjoy the food so much as endure it.

You see, its menu sports an eating challenge — The National Champ — which features nine 1/3-pound beef patties and nine slices of cheddar cheese between two buns. As delectable as two-thirds of a pound of Nebraska beef per person was, we decided this go-around to give the rest of the wide-ranging menu a sampling.

Opened by the owners of JaK’s Grill across the street, they’d like you to think of Sunset Alehouse as a more casual version of the steakhouse.

Bar food this is not.

The menu has a wide selection of appetizers, soups and salads, burgers and hot sandwiches, and specialty items.

From the hot sandwiches section, we ordered the Italian chicken sandwich. Sunset takes the best of an Italian meal — grilled chicken breast, mozzarella, tomato, pesto mayo and a balsamic reduction — and puts it all into one convenient bite between a toasted baguette.

It’s always refreshing when a sandwich holds up to that many ingredients, as the baguette held its crunch from first bite to last.

While the sandwich came with fries this time, it’s nice to have a selection of alternatives, including spicy Baja slaw, Italian pasta salad, or chips and salsa.

In the mood for a good hot dog, I spotted on the menu the Baja Dog, a.k.a. The Uncle Geno.

It starts with a solid foundation of a Hebrew National dog, wraps it in bacon — come on, everything is better with bacon — and is slathered with guacamole, pico de gallo and cream cheese.

It was a cool, refreshing change from the typical dog I get with just mustard and ketchup. But if I had my druthers, I’d add a few more jalapeños to the guacamole, as I like mine with a little more kick to it.

If I was looking for that jolt to the taste buds exclusively, I should have given the 3 Chili Silly burger a try. Having watched Adam Richman burn every last taste bud out of his mouth in hot eating challenges across the country on “Man v. Food,” I definitely have to give this burger a try.

With a bold warning on the menu to eat at your own risk, the silly sauce features a devilish blend of habeñero, serrano and jalapeno peppers. The silly sauce is also used on Sunset’s cheese steak.

Finally, our staff vegetarian was pleased to learn all the burgers on the menu can be replaced with a Gardenburger patty. So, armed with the knowledge that more is better, he ordered Cord’s Ultimate Double Cheeseburger, featuring two garden burger patties and three types of cheese (Tillamook cheddar, pepperjack and provolone). Once again, the toasted bun was the hero, as it held its shape, crunch and the insides all in place, from first bite to last.

Speaking of pleasant surprises, not many restaurants offer bottomless fountain drinks. Sunset’s waitress kept our glasses filled with each pass by our table at no extra charge. Refreshing.

So whether you’re up for an eating challenge, or down for a casual meal, Sunset has something to satisfy everyone.

David Hayes: 392-6434, ext. 237, dhayes@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Though Max’s menu is limited to a dozen or so items, what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in flavor, variety, flavor and did I mention flavor yet? Not the overwhelming, gluttonous kind, though. No, a light, perfect contrast of spices and textures. All of Max’s food is fresh, preservative free and prepared from scratch, right down to the tortilla chips.

Originally from Goa, in the southwestern part of India, Edna blends Indian, Korean, Portuguese, American and Goan influences with almost scientific precision. Fortunately for Issaquah residents, Edna wasn’t satisfied with a master’s degree in business administration and returned to school at age 41 — this time to the esteemed Culinary Institute of America in New York. It was there that she mastered her craft, though many of her creations are recipes passed down from her mother that she has tweaked to taste.

The chicken tikka masala is both delicious and refreshing. It’s your standard Indian curry dish, but Max’s rendition is anything but standard. Squarish chunks of tender chicken and slices of soft potato absorb the cumin-dosed, creamy curry sauce that envelops them. Edna departs from the curry’s typical coconut base, opting instead for cream.

Despite the lush ingredients, the tikka masala is more sundress than wool coat in terms of heft.

The African chicken is succulent and spiced appropriately. Buy the whole breast instead of the half and use your leftovers for taco meat.

Max’s chicken curry is similar in texture to the tikka masala, but not at all in flavor. Let’s just call it tikka masala’s deviant twin.

Upon first hitting the tongue, the coconut milk base exudes a warm sweetness. Soon the spice kicks in, electrifying the combination of spices. Most dishes can be made mild or spicy. I, being the spice wuss that I am, opted for mild. But not to worry, tamale lovers, Edna knows hot. If you’re too macho for her spicy dishes on their own, she has created a piquant sauce that can be added to any meal.

The fish taco dish, made with wild Alaskan cod and coleslaw, is a must-try simply for its Pacific Northwest feel. From the perspective of a friend with a more reasonable zest tolerance, “They’ve got a little heat.” Max’s coleslaw, a popular side, goes well with the cod. It’s a bit sweet, tangy and sprightly. As if you hadn’t already guessed, the tortillas are homemade.

“Honey, do you want rice with that? OK, good.”

Edna suggests a side of basmati rice in her sassy accent (Is it Hindi, Portuguese or a Goan dialect? Or maybe a combination? I don’t know.) for most dishes. The inherently light basmati grains are infused with what tastes like fresh lime.

Good ol’ American-food-lovin’ picky eaters shouldn’t be deterred. Max’s offers wild Alaskan cod fish ‘n’ chips. The fish is light and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. The chips are, well, fries.

Max’s menu includes a beef dish for extreme carnivores as well as vegan and vegetarian options, “but not just dishes thrown in a pan like other restaurants — real vegetarian,” Edna said.

The menu changes periodically as Edna experiments with new flavor and texture combinations.

Main dishes average $12. Let’s be real, though, you’ll spend at least that much anywhere but a fast food restaurant, and anywhere can’t compare.

Max’s table space is undeniably tiny so you have a decision to make. Option one, you can dine in the venue and be served by Edna herself, possibly in a kitchen-side table. If you couldn’t tell already, Edna is quite talkative and loves to converse with her customers about the career — or is it hobby? — she loves. Option two, you can bring your take out to a Lake Sammamish State Park picnic table, your backyard or some other beautiful Issaquah spot.

You can’t miss Max’s red-and-yellow sign located on Front Street. Really, don’t miss out.

Emily Baer: 392-6434 or isspress@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

The lunch menu at Field of Champions Bar & Grill epitomizes the basics of casual dining.

Located on the banks of Issaquah Creek, the restaurant has been described as a cross between Red Robin and The Gas Lamp — essentially a family-friendly alehouse. The sports memorabilia ranges from donated local Little League banners to signed mementos of national sports icons, like Michael Jordan. As a sports bar, at least four flat-screen TVs can be seen from every seat in the house.

As a group of us watched a replay of the previous night’s Mariners’ game, we decided to cover our bases and order a variety of basics from the lunch menu.

I went straight for the heart of a sports bar’s menu and ordered a burger, but not just any slider. I chose the BBQ, which was not only big in size, but also huge in flavor. Come hungry, because this behemoth easily surpasses a quarter-pound, with toppings — including smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and onion rings — piled high. And no, the onion rings are not on the side, but on the burger.

As I have not yet perfected the technique to devour my food by unhinging my lower jaw, a la the boa constrictor, I had to remove one of the beer battered onion rings. Then at manageable size, the first bite into the burger was an explosion of tastes and texture, from the tangy barbecue sauce to the crunch of the onion ring and fresh veggies. The burger itself was grilled to order, so get it as rare or charred as your heart desires.

For the three of us who received fries with our meals, it was unanimous that Champions has done something special with their spuds. They were nice and crisp on the outside, and tender and flavor filled on the inside. For a little variety, the menu also offers freshly cut sweet potato fries or coleslaw.

Another bar menu staple is the chicken burger. A colleague found it quite satisfying — he really liked the bacon and the ciabatta roll it was served on providing a nice change of pace.

A third basic is the club sandwich. This one came stuffed with slow-roasted turkey breast and smoked bacon — the combination surprisingly flavorful, with the toasted wheat bread adding a nice taste and texture.

For those with less of an appetite, the menu features a half-sandwich-and-soup option. The turkey sandwich — featuring bakery-fresh bread and thick slabs of meat — offered quite the mouthful to sink your teeth into. And a cup of chili — mixed with beans, veggies, stewed tomatoes and ground beef — was enough to warm up anyone on a cold, rainy day.

Our token vegetarian ordered the soup-and-salad combo. Served in a traditional ramekin, the caramelized onions were salty and tasty, with a slice of bread floating on top providing the crust for the melted Swiss cheese. The secret ingredient making it completely irresistible was Jack Daniels. And while the salad came a little light on the dressing, the server was prompt in bringing extra on the side.

With a firm grip on the basics, I can’t help be assured Champions can easily handle the entreès offered, from smoked salmon pasta to grilled New York steak. A varied menu ensures return trips for this diner.

Restaurant reviews are a regular feature of The Issaquah Press. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for their meals.

Field of Champions Sports Bar & Grill

• 385 N.W. Gilman Blvd.
• 392-4850
• www.fieldofchampionssbg.com
• 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
• Appetizers — $3.95 to $9.95
• Soups and salads — $3.95 to $13.95
• Meals — $8.95 to $19.95

David Hayes: dhayes@isspress.com, 392-6434, ext. 237. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.