Dinner @ Magill's (Pasco, Washington)

Friday, May 23, 2008
Magill's
3214 N. Road 68
Pasco, Washington
(509) 547-6448

For longtime Pasco residents, the place that now occupies Magill's was known for years as Heidi Haus, a German-looking house that served some of the best German dishes in the Tri-Cities area. It closed down years ago, but in order to get to the Heidi Haus you used to have to take a backroad to find it, it was the only way to get there. Since the Heidi Haus closed, a highway about half a mile away was built, and with that on and off-ramps. No more isolation. Recently, the house was Emmitt's BBQ, which unfortunately I did not get a chance to try (it came and went before any level of promotion was done). Then one day a few months ago, there was some construction. Could it be... something new?

Magill's, promoting themselves as being A Family Tradition, opened a few weeks ago and I had to try it. Breakfast is always packed, sometimes the parking lot is empty only to be filled during dinner. My mom wanted to try Magill's out, along with my sister and nephew so it became the big Book Ohana trip for dinner.

The place reminded me of the house I went to at the winery I visited a few weeks ago, very cozy and "traditional brown". We entered and we were quickly brought to our table. The menu selections looked great, lots of variety and I wasn't sure what to get. Breakfast is served all the time, but it was dinner so I wanted to pick a good, hearty meal. My mom had said her co-workers liked the food and that the servings were huge. Keep in mind her friends are petite, so a petite "huge" might be just "a good meal" for me. I decided to get what was called Mo's Chicken Fried Steak ($12.79), which is described as being "breaded and smothered in Magill's country gravy". I love chicken fried steak, it's a nice basic starter dish and if it was good, I was hopefully the rest of their menu was good too.

It arrived, and was it "huge"? It was "a good meal", not bigger than my head but one that I knew could carry me through the rest of the night (and probably until breakfast the next day). Oddly enough I didn't eat the chicken fried steak first but rather the vegetables. My sister commented that the vegetables were fresh, that it did not taste frozen. A plus. Then I went in. The country gravy was very nice, good flavor. The chicken fried steak was very good too, I had mine with fries (I did have the option to have that, baked, or mashed potatoes) and I'll have to ask next time if the fries are freshly cut or frozen. I could have had some ketchup on my plate, as I like to dip, but it almost seemed like an insult to want to do that to a chicken fried steak that was really good. However, I did have some Tabasco chipotle and Tapatio on the side, which was a nice compliment but I probably didn't need it either.

Service was nice and courteous, and we arrived right before the dinner rush. By the time we left, the place was slowly picking up and yet the staff did not look stresed. Maybe behind the scenes they were, but it didn't show.

I actually had my eye on the chili, which they serve in a cup ($3.25) or a bowl ($4.25), I'll have to try that the next time. They had a number of homemade soups, proudly hyped up their homemade potato salad, and sandwiches such as the Buffalo burger (with bleu cheese crumbles), chili burger, and one called "The Works" which has bacon, ham, fried egg, and cheddar. Hui! Steaks, chicken, Buffalo fettuccini, cod fillet (which my mom had, and it was very good), and on the breakfast side there's Grandma Black's cinnamon roll, buttermilk Belgian waffles, Spud Skillet, Chorizo Skillet, something called "The Rustic Benny", Magill's Big Ole Breakfast Burrito... I could eat here all day everyday, but I'd have to work there in order for me to do that. When I do have breakfast here, I will have a review.

Magill's feels like a home meal, but they also have a number of items on the menu that you'd find at a decent diner. Is Magill's worth taking the off ramp for? Definitely.

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Directions: If you're heading East on the I-182, take the Road 68 exit at Exit 9. Turn right, and you will drive down a hill. Magill's will be at the first stop light, on the corner of Road 68 and W. Argent (entrance and exit is on Argent).

If you're heading West on the I-182, take the Road 68 exit at Exit 9. Turn left, and you'll be on the overpass. Continue until you drive down the hill. Magill's will be at the first stop light, on the corner of Road 68 and W. Argent (entrance and exit is on Argent).