Usually when we drive through Ellensburg on our way back from the Tumbleweed Festival every year, we end up stopping for dinner at the Valley Cafe, one of our very favorite restaurants back when we lived in Eburg. This year we decided to throw caution to the winds and try out the Yellow Church Cafe.

We had been here before, once upon a time, back when the place opened as a bakery in, um, 1996 or so? I even applied for a job here as a baker (didn’t get it). But we hadn’t visited since the current owners took over, and we’ve been hearing lots of good things about it.

It was good! I got the kobe burger, which was nicely presented on a ciabatta roll with lots of sweet caramelized onions and blue cheese, and a pile of arugula to stuff in wherever there was room. The beef was very tasty, although if that was their “medium” I’d hate to see their “well done.” The salad that I subbed for roasted potatoes was fresh and came with an interesting vinaigrette that seemed to have mashed canned mandarin oranges in it. The cafe doesn’t have any beer on draft and the wine list wasn’t inspiring me, so I got a bottle of Ice Harbor IPA, a very good beer out of Kennewick.

My mother got the hummus plate, which I didn’t get a photo of but it looked splendid and she said the hummus was nice and silky. Jon and my father both ordered The Last Supper, which I guess is a rotating special. In this case it was a fat, perfectly cooked steak, a pile of mashed potatoes and some fresh green beans. They each cleaned their plate, so I guess it was pretty good.

On the whole, a success! This is a nice place, although a little tight to get around in on a busy evening. We’d definitely come back.