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Lunchbox Laboratory in Ballard
March 24th, 2008 by Eric
Following up on an earlier post, we went for lunch a week ago to see what kinds of experiments are being served up at Lunchbox Laboratory. We immediately liked the kitschy decor, including the wall of vintage lunchboxes. The choices on the chalkboard are almost overwhelming: one board listed tasty items like Philly cheese steaks and corndogs, another board for shake flavors and sides, and a massive board for burgers. The burger options are downright impressive – there were 12 types of burger meat (and meat-free options), 15 dressings, and 15 types of cheese (including p’tit basque!), all served on an organic Essential Bakery bun. That’s a lot of burger combinations to try. Once we got our bearings, I went straight for the turducken burger with “onions fried our way,” while Dawn opted for a corndog and a side of mac ‘n cheese. We split a strawberry-cheesecake shake. Two-thumbs-up on the turducken burger (what’s not to love about that?) and the corndog (with its wonderfully flavorful fried batter). The mac ‘n cheese was rich and seriously blue-cheese infused, which was tasty, but ultimately proved too much for us to finish. The milkshake, however, ranks as one of the best shakes we’ve ever had; it wasn’t so thick that you couldn’t drink it through a straw, wasn’t too sweet, and had just the right balance of flavors. I can still taste it – yum!
The wall of classic lunchboxes.
The corndog with mustard and barbecue sauce sides.
Lunchbox Laboratory
7302½ 15th Ave. NW, Seattle
(206) 706-3092
April 24th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I too can vouch for the goodness that is Lunchbox Laboratory. I visted there a month or so back and had one of the daily experiments, which was rather tasty.
I definitely agree on the amount of food - the burger + the mac & cheese was a bit much for me.
My only complaint is that the building isn’t the most insulated so the dining area tends to be drafty / cold. I’m definitely looking forward to hitting that place more often come summertime.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Corundum, I noticed the same issue with the draftiness! It was blowing right on me and my corndog the entire time I was there, but Eric didn’t notice it at all where he was sitting. It seems to hit random isolated spots around the dining area.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Definitely drafty! I remember triumphantly getting the door closed tightly and returning to my seat and feeling the breeze just as strongly as before.
I’ve gone twice now and tried bits of the Big Boy (beef burger, havarti, sweet-hot mustard), the Burgeropolis (prime, feta, shallot relish) and the Royale (prime, stilton, caramelized onions) — all wonderful. Didn’t see any corn dogs available, though!
I’m a big fan of the skinny fries with smoked tea finishing salt. Mmm.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:58 am
Fries with smoked tea finishing salt? I need to get back there, stat. I’m a sucker for finishing salt!