Once again winter is upon us in Seattle and this means dark, chilly, grey and rainy days. When the weather turns this way I turn to food - warm, satisfying, fulfilling food. It was on just such a day, a couple of days before Christmas, that A and I decided to go out into the rain to try Old Town Alehouse in Ballard.

Old Town is a perfect name for this restaurant/bar. Like many of the shops and restaurants in Ballard, Old Town is tucked into an older building with wood floors, exposed brick and subdued lighting. As it turns out the building where Old Town resides has been some sort of bar for its entire 104 year history. We walked through the door just after 1pm and had our choice of seats at the bar or one of the many tables. Finding a good spot in the middle of the restaurant A and I sat down and began perusing the menu.

We were waited on promptly and our drinks came out in short order. Old Town focuses on easy foods with no pretension and that is a definite plus for lunchtime. A list of appetizers, some soups, salads, a few pasta dishes, two entrees and an extensive list of sandwiches (which they call ‘wedges’) round out their food offerings. With so many choices we both decided on the Ballard Beef Dip ($8.95).

What arrived were bolo rolls piled with thinly sliced roast beef, thick slices of plum tomato, smoked provolone and a generous layer of a cherry pepper and olive tapenade. On mine I opted to keep the horseradish but A decided to delete it on her sandwich. I think leaving the horseradish off was a wise choice as dipping the sandwich into the provided garlic jus made for a somewhat messy eating experience. But flavorful indeed was this sandwich. The meat had a nice beefy flavor that was complemented by the garlicky jus and the bite from the cherry peppers. In my opinion the bolo rolls should have been toasted as it was a tad cold and spongy. It was readily apparent that the bread, in its standard state, didn’t have the structure to hold up to the flavorful jus. While the bread was a slight disappointment I found that the sandwich, as a whole, was a winner. Add to that the “Alehouse Fries” that came with the sandwich, wonderfully tasty shoestring fries with parmesan cheese and spices sprinkled all over them, and you have a lunchtime meal that warms the body on such a dreary day.

Finding a spot from which to escape the cold and rain will always be top priority for me. With what I’ve seen of Old Town, I know that I’ll always have someplace to go in Ballard to enjoy a good meal, a couple of drinks and some great conversation. What better way to keep warm and cozy?

Sometimes the easiest meals to make are the most disappointing when you go out to eat. This is especially true when it’s a dish you know how to make (and have made for years) and make well. It was this disappointment I felt when I went to Hale’s Ales Brewery.

The bar staff was friendly enough and once I had gotten seated the bartender was sure to get my drink as well as my order in. I chose the Celebration Meatloaf ($10.95) but what I got was nowhere near worth celebrating. What arrived was a deep mahogany brown, even on the cut ends of each slice. This portended the condition of the meatloaf - dry and crusty. It was almost as if the slices had been cut earlier in the day and had been left out to harden. The only other explanation I have to offer is that they had cut the slices off of the main meatloaf and then proceeded to reheat them in the microwave, thus providing hot slices with hard, crusty edges. Add to this weak mushroom gravy, cold leaden mashed potatoes and undercooked broccoli. I quickly renamed this “Mourning Meatloaf” as surely any life this meal had, was dead.

For a bar Hale’s Ales Brewery had a pleasant environment and I would definitely go back for a drink and happy hour snacks. But for a meat loaf dinner? I’ll find that somewhere else.