Get Comfortable

'Simple eats done well' at Frosty's Inn

Stacee Sledge

Jan 30, 2003 — When you think of dining on Mount Baker Highway, which restaurants spring to mind? Milano's, certainly. The North Fork Brewery, too. I've raved in these pages about Seven Loaves, Fuego 542 and Graham's Restaurant.

But do you ever think of Frosty's Inn Restaurant in Maple Falls? If not, you should.

My friend Kris and I stopped in on a recent Sunday night, pulling into a parking lot packed with ski- and snowboard-toting vehicles, drawn in by the smoke rising from a vast chimney.

We opened the heavy wood door and entered a timber-encased bar and dining room teeming with football fans watching the playoffs, a bar full of skiers and snowboarders, and local families looking for a filling, reasonably priced dinner.

Frosty's Inn is a fitting place to take visiting friends or family along the scenic drive to Mount Baker. Completely unpretentious, it's cozy as all get out and offers a menu of simple eats done well.

Having said that, nearly every statute of satisfying service was broken the night of our visit. Napkins and silverware were brought to our table and left in a pile for us to sort through; our water glasses were never refilled although they sat empty for half of the meal; our drink orders weren't brought until we gently reminded our server; a salad that was supposed to come with my entrée never appeared; and fewer than five minutes passed between the arrival of our two starters and our entrées, meaning the bulk of the appetizers went untouched.

Yet we had a fun, relaxing dining experience.

Sometimes a place simply instills patience for a slower pace. The fact that our affable server appeared to be the only person setting tables, taking orders, serving food and cleaning away empty plates in a restaurant full of diners gave her a lot of leeway with us.

Frosty's Inn Restaurant

Location: 7461 Mount Baker Highway, Maple Falls  Phone: 599-2594 Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday  8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday Serving: Comfort food galore, perfect for before or after a day of snow sports. Menu items sampled:  Potato skins $4.95  Sautéed mushrooms $4.95  Bacon cheeseburger $5.25  Chicken fried steak $7.95  Hot chocolate 95 cents

She was doing the best she could under harried circumstances, I suppose.

I started with hot chocolate served in a heavy Tony's Coffee mug, crowned with a generous dollop of whipped cream. There's really no better beverage when you're seated in a comfy lodge-like room next to an immense stone fireplace.

Mulling over the extensive menu took us a long time. Frosty's offers burgers, sandwiches, salads, steak, prime rib, seafood and pasta. The prices were fantastic and the portions immense.

We were famished — and not yet aware that fantastic prices don't equal smaller portions at Frosty's Inn — so we ordered two appetizers.

A sizeable platter completely concealed under a pile of potato skins arrived, each strip of spud coated in melted cheddar cheese and scallions. Not satisfied with the usual sprinkle of bacon pieces, Frosty's placed entire strips of bacon atop the skins, accompanied by a veritable vat of sour cream.

A tureen holding a towering heap of sautéed mushrooms was served alongside the potato skins. Sautéed mushrooms are often underdone, but the browned button mushrooms at Frosty's were fully cooked and tender, swimming in a flavorful butter sauce.

Frosty's menu comprises comfort food, including two kings of guilt-laden fare: chicken fried steak and the bacon cheeseburger. Kris and I threw caution to the wind and settled on these for our entrées.

Kris' burger arrived topped with melted cheddar, two sizeable strips of bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and mayo enveloped in a sesame seed bun. The nicely-sized patty was cooked medium well, just how she likes it. The remainder of the plate was overloaded with an enormous stack of tasty, crispy, crinkle-cut french fries.

My chicken fried steak was a satisfying sample of Southern cooking, a tenderized cube steak dredged in seasoned flour and prepared like fried chicken (hence the name) to add flavor and crunch. A mound of creamy mashed potatoes rested next to the chicken fried steak, both covered with a golden, peppery gravy, while a small bowl of corn and green beans rounded out the already full plate.

Keeping with its other menu items, dessert here is simple and traditional, including homemade fruit and cream pies, ice cream, hot fudge sundaes or hand-dipped milk shakes.

Frosty's Inn isn't the kind of place you rush into for a quick bite. Once inside, you feel compelled to settle in a bit to enjoy the fire, the snug setting and the abundance of economical eats. Keep it in mind next time you're heading to the summit for a day of skiing or snowboarding.