A York neighborhood staple is bringing a whole new ingredient to the table this spring, literally. Nelson’s Market will begin serving dinner at its breakfast-oriented Marlin’s Café, starting Friday, April 22.
Burgers, french fries and chicken strips are just some of the dishes joining the menu, along with, “whatever else goes with burgers,” said store manager Paul Ostby. He said the new dinner menu has been a long-awaited addition to the café. Opened inside Nelson’s four years ago, Marlin’s Café serves breakfast Wednesday through Sunday. Now the café will stay open much later, a goal the staff has had for over a year, Ostby said.
“It’s always been the plan to have dinner,” he said. “We just took it step by step.”
Ostby said the first step to overcome, and one of the main reasons dinner has not been served, was the acquisition of a liquor license. Providing beer became an essential part of Nelson’s expansion, and their new dinner menu. After a long wait, the license was approved two months ago and the taps were swiftly installed. “People want beer with their dinner,” Ostby said. “We had to get the liquor license.”
Josh Adams, an employee at Nelson’s for over a year, said the new food will be a great complement to the existing menu. “A lot of people in here are excited for it,” he said. Adams said the food is relatively inexpensive – around six dollars a meal – and that the patrons enjoy promoting local business. “People usually go downtown for beer and a burger, but now they can come here and support their neighborhood,” he said.
Large dinner rushes are not expected, said Otsby, as most of the customers live in the York neighborhood. “People come in and out slowly,” he said. “The whole place is a well-kept secret.” Ostby said he likes that the market and café have kept a quiet atmosphere over the years. “We also don’t advertise,” he said, “except in The Yorker.” The York Neighborhood Association publishes The Yorker newsletter on a monthly basis.
With its turn-of-the-century style and baseball-themed decor, Nelson’s maintains a unique mixture old and new. Pictures of the market spanning more than 100 years hang next to baseball gloves and a large mounted marlin. The smell of sizzling bacon wafts through the kitchen’s window as local Yorkers sit down at one of the café’s six tables.
Colleen Milton lives across the street from Nelson’s Market and said she comes in regularly for the food, atmosphere and fellowship. “I love the breakfast here,” she said. “I will definitely be coming in for a burger.” Milton said she frequents Nelson’s often, usually with other Humboldt and Potter Street neighbors. “My favorite thing to do is drink beer and play Scrabble with my friends. The food is sort of greasy spoon, but it’s delicious.”
Marlin’s Café will serve local, grass-fed beef, Otsby said. Raised in Whatcom County, two co-op farms process the all-natural meat in Bow and Lynden. Jon Ostby, Nelson’s Market owner and Paul’s father, developed the dinner menu. According to grassfedbeefwashington.com, grass fed beef promotes better meat and eliminates the need for antibiotics and hormones. No pesticides or herbicides are used on the land and the staggered grazing of the herd keeps grasses nutritious.
Built in 1895 at 514 Potter St., the market resides at the center of one of Bellingham’s oldest neighborhoods. As one of several stores in the York district, including a meat market across the street, Nelson’s became a grocery store in 1916. As each of these closed, Nelson’s remained the chief neighborhood mart. It has been family owned and operated by the Otsby’s for more than 25 years.
As the weather warms in the spring, Nelson’s opens its outdoor seating area for patrons, diners and beer drinkers. Small tables line the Humboldt Street side of the building, shaded by wide umbrellas and bordered by an ivy-covered fence. The patio is Adams’ favorite part about Nelson’s, apart from the biscuits and gravy. He said he really likes the direction Jon and Paul are taking the market. “We’ll have great new food, and coupled with the patio out there, it’s going to be sweet,” Adams said.
No comments:
Post a Comment