PS: Graham's Restaurant is Still Serving Great Food
Under its Newest Owners


Graham's Restaurant at Mount Baker in Deming, WA has been around for years and years. As of 2014 it is under new management from previous owner, Katie O’Connel who had reopened it when it closed in 2011. For a number of years this was the restaurant's original website when run by Chris Collins and Kuo-Yu Liang.
Content is from the site's 2006 -2010 archived pages and other outside sources.

The current website for Graham's Restaurant is found at: https://grahamshistoricalrestaurant.com/

The images are more recent.

The restaurant is still serving customers breakfast (Saturday & Sunday), lunch, and dinner. Check them out if you are ever in the Glacier, Washington area.

"Life is here, wish you were beautiful''
Please ask the wait staff about food & drink specials
If no wait staff, ask the manager
If no manager, ask the cook
If no cook, leave


About Glacier and Mount Baker

A very small town on the flank of the active (though quite sleepy) Cascades volcano of Mount Baker, Glacier sits 33 miles from Mt. Baker Highways beginning in Bellingham. Although Glacier has an abundance of charms, it does not have a gas station, an ATM, or cell phone service. You’ll have to fill up your tank, knock over a bank, and make those last vital cell phone calls while closer to Bellingham. Please drive slowly through Glacier. The local dogs tend to wander across the street without checking both ways first

Longtime Glacier restaurant to reopen under new ownership

BY DAVE GALLAGHER - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
OCTOBER 24, 2014 06:00 PM, UPDATED OCTOBER 24, 2014

A longtime restaurant is taking a bit of break but is expected to be ready under new ownership by the time skiers head up to the Mt. Baker Ski Area.

Graham’s Restaurant closed last month after having been operated by Katie O’Connell for a little more than three years. Gary Graham, who owns the building, signed a lease with the owners of the nearby Chair 9 restaurant, who plan to reopen Graham’s sometime in early November “before the snow flies,” said Kirby Cook, who operates Chair 9 with his wife, Connie, son Peter and daughter Amber Hein.

The family is currently doing a bit of cleaning up and getting the various licenses in order, but the most important thing to them is maintaining the Graham’s Restaurant mystique, Kirby said.

“We’re well aware of what Graham’s means to the community,” Kirby said, adding that it has been a gathering point for area residents for years. “It’s an older building, so right now it just needs a little TLC.”

Graham’s Restaurant, which is at 9989 Mt. Baker Highway, will retain its classics like burgers and fish & chips on the menu and may feature a few new items, Cook said. It will have the same hours and live music in the evening.

The building itself opened in 1906 and at various times has had photographs of Clark Gable and Loretta Young, who were in the movie “Call of the Wild,” which was filmed in the Mount Baker area in 1935. For Kirby, one of the features that stands out is the old bar that’s a centerpiece for the restaurant.

“It’s such a unique bar,” Cook said, adding that they are happy with how things are coming together at this point.

Graham said he appreciated the community support of the restaurant under O’Connell’s ownership and believes the Cook family will continue the Graham’s tradition.

“Graham’s usually takes a break at this time of year,” so the timing of the ownership change is good, he said.

The Cooks opened Chair 9 at 10459 Mt. Baker Highway in July 2010, featuring a variety items including pizza from a Wood Stone Corp. pizza oven. Cook said Chair 9 took a couple of years to get a good foothold in the community but has done well in the past couple of years.


 

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An aside: I haven't thought about Grahams Restaurant in a long time. When I was in college we would drive to spend the weekend skiing at the Mt. Baker Ski area. We frequently ate dinner and breakfast at Grahams Restaurant. I now live on the East Coast of the US, a far cry from the state of Washington and Mount Baker. Last weekend when I was visiting my mother at Hart Heritage Estates, an assisted residential care in Bel Air Maryland, we were looking over some of her photo albums. Yes, folks, some people actually print out their pics and put them in photo albums! My elderly mother was trying to place a picture of her and my father in front of an old wooden bar with ornate carving along the sides. My parents were seated there holding up two tanks of beer. I instantly recognized the bar. It was the bar at Grahams Restaurant. It was obviously before Chris Collins and Kuo-Yu Liang owned it. Might have been in the 1980's before I was born. My parents really enjoyed hiking, so perhaps they had been in the Mount Baker National Forest. There are so many amazing trails in the area. Unfortunately my mother couldn't recall nay details. Later in the afternoon, I took my mother out for a stroll around a small pond which is nestled on 6.5 acres of park-like grounds in the back of this home for seniors. My mother is still an avid bird watcher, so we always take a pair of binoculars with us. Perhaps the next time I am out on the West Coast visiting friends I will take a drive to the Mount Baker National Forest and stop in at Grahams Restaurant.

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RECENT REVIEWS from the restaurant's current Facebook page.

Jeff Markowicz  recommends Grahams Restaurant.
Great food! Very comfortable, rustic atmosphere. The big wood stove keeps the place feeling cozy!
January 1

Had lunch here after scouting out camping spots for our upcoming camping trip. We were pleasantly su... See More
April 28, 2018

Zak Ijadi  recommends Grahams Restaurant.
Daily specials・Casual・Great food
IT’S FIRE FLAME! Love it there!
March 24

Liz Chong Schaarschmidt  recommends Grahams Restaurant.
October 15, 2018 ·
Great burgers and soup. Cool atmosphere with old-timey fixtures and pictures.

Dan Hildebrand reviewed Grahams Restaurant — 5 star
July 12, 2017 ·
Stopped in for lunch after riding to the top of Artists Point. I was worried the prices were a bit high but for the price you pay you get an insane amount of food. My Philly Sandwich was excellent. Cannot wait to try other things next trip. Highly recommend this place if passing thru Glacier to or from Baker.

Jean Paskey reviewed Grahams Restaurant — 5 star
September 2, 2017 ·
We love Grahams and always bring our 'out of town' guests there to experience their awesome food and the historic building. Hubby and I go there a lot for dinner because we love the food and service.

 


 

Graham’s Restaurant: Kitchen collaboration

Aug 31st, 2012 | http://grownorthwest.com/
by Brent Cole

When Graham’s Restaurant in Glacier closed its doors in May of 2011, it appeared the eastern Whatcom foothills community had lost an important piece of the cultural fabric. However within weeks, the restaurant – with community support – was reopened by new owner Katie O’Connell, who revised the menu to include more diverse options and local sources. It doesn’t hurt either that she has one of the top chefs in the county helping her out – Spencer Santenello, former owner and head chef at the now closed Prospect Street Café.

Graham’s owner Katie O’Connell and chef Spencer Santenello with a load of chanterelles. COURTESY PHOTO

While her menu continues to have bar food like burgers, baby back ribs and tacos,  O’Connell has worked to incorporate different foods. Vegetarian options now include roasted beet salad with arugula, goat cheese and Spanish sherry vinaigrette, roasted corn on the cob with bacon butter, and creamy lemon polenta with grilled veggies. “I like to eat healthy so I’m trying to pass that along to my customers,” O’Connell said.

She’s also added poutine with a house made apple chicken gravy and cheese curds from Appel Farms and chanterelle mac and cheese as a special after she and fellow Glacier restaurant owner Tom Debari, of Milano’s, recently bought 20 pounds of mushrooms.

Incorporating local foods isn’t easy for O’Connell since her restaurant is located in eastern Whatcom County, about 45 minutes from Bellingham. She found that local farmers would not deliver that far out and a local distribution company didn’t have everything she needed. So, every Thursday, O’Connell drives around the county picking up fresh local food, including berries from Williams Berries, corn from Boxx Berry Farm, cheese curds from Appel Farms, honey from Guilmette’s and the list goes on. “I like going around to the farms, picking up stuff and talking to people,” she said.

Santenello began helping O’Connell with the menu shortly after his restaurant closed early May. He helps in the kitchen, along with fellow Prospect Street cook Casey Georgeson and longtime Graham’s cook Chad Johnson. The four collaborate on different menu ideas, inspiring a unique dining experience. “We’re having fun in the kitchen,” said O’Connell. They are “a bunch of great cooks and we’re just throwing things around. It’s a total collaboration.” This fall, during the slow season, they’ll be changing some items on the menu for the locals, then will have another round of new items to suit the busy winter months. Drink features have included a steady rotation of beers from Kulshans Brewing and Tieton ciders on draft.

Along with the push towards local food in the regular menu, Graham’s will be hosting a “Pop Up” dinner on Sept. 16, in which Santenello will cook a six-course meal using local ingredients. The cost is $35 per person. For more information, or to make a reservation, contact Santenello directly at [email protected].

Graham’s Restaurant is located at 9989 Mount Baker Highway  in Glacier and can be reached at (360) 599-2665. For more information, visit grahamsrestaurant.com.

Published in the September 2012 issue of Grow Northwest magazine.


Circa 2006 - 2010

GRAHAMS RESTAURANT
International Home Cooking & Music at the foothills of Mount Baker

''You won't forget you were here even if we do''

Graham's
Pub Food in Mt Baker Area
Here's your perfect modern-day Western saloon, with a clunky piano at the back, Willie Nelson on the stereo and rusty tools on the walls. The old-fashioned wooden bar serves microbrews and classic pub food to hungry hikers. When the furniture gets pushed aside for live music, expect a raucous, foot-stomping night.
www.lonelyplanet.com

Directions to Mount Baker & Glacier

From Seattle
From Sea-Tac airport in Seattle get on Hwy 5 North and go non-stop for about 2 hours (towards Vancouver, BC). When you hit Bellingham look for exit Hwy 542/Sunset Drive (exit #255) going toward Mount Baker/East. You're now on Mount Baker Hwy. Stay on Mt Baker Hwy, after 33 miles you're in the town of Glacier, which is the last town before you enter the Mount Baker National Forest. Graham's Restaurant will be on your right hand side. If you see the US Forest Ranger station you have gone too far. Call us at 360-599-1964 if you need specific directions. Please note mobile phones does not work in the Glacier area, no matter how many impressive features you have.

From Vancouver, BC
Take highway 99 South to the border, follow intersate 5 to exit 255 (at Bellingham). Go east on 542 (Mt Baker Highway), see above.

To Ski Area from Glacier: Continue east on Mount Baker Highway past Glacier, up the mountain for 22 more miles, you will see signs for both the lower and the higher bases.

 

Located at the entrance to the Mount Baker National Forest, Glacier is 33 miles east of Bellingham and less than 2½ hours from Seattle or Vancouver, B.C. From Glacier you have access to an abundance of beautiful hiking trails, mountain biking, waterfalls, fishing and hunting opportunities. During the winter, Mount Baker has the longest skiing season in North America (in fact, it holds the world record for most snowfall in one season), and features downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding in the finest of powder snow.

GRAHAMS IS OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR DINNER.
LUNCH ON WEEKENDS.
THE BAR IS ALWAYS OPEN UNTIL THE LAST PERSON LEAVES.

 About Graham's Restaurant

STOP your journey at Graham's, truly an alternative to fine dining, where luxury is simulated and service is an illusion.

The world famous Graham's Restaurant lives in a building that dates back to 1906. Since 1932 there has been a Graham's General Store, and during the filming of CALL OF THE WILD, Clark Gable and Loretta Young both spend time at the store (we have the photos to prove it!). The movie THE DEER HUNTER was also filmed at Mount Baker, and actor Robert De Niro celebrated his birthday at Graham's. The first incarnation of Graham's Restaurant started in 1975 and lasted until 1996. After a brief stint as a Mexican restaurant. new owners Chris Collins and Kuo-Yu Liang re-opened Graham's Restaurant in Feb 2002. We retained most of the original restaurant's furniture and wares, including a wood-burning stove dating back to 1932 and a beautiful historical bar, built in 1927 in Cape Cod for the gold rush in Alaska, and eventually installed at Graham's.

Chris Collins, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy with more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant business, is the master chef and runs the day-to-day operations. Kuo-Yu Liang, himself the son of a restauranteur and currently a VP, Sales & Marketing for a pop-culture distributor and living in New York City, handles the business and marketing end. Kuo-Yu also contributes to the menu from his extensive travels around the world including Thailand, Brazil, Spain, Japan, China, Italy, Australia, France and Germany. Chris & Ku just returned from Morocco - where they attended the World Sacred Music Festival in Fes. Together Chris & Ku - friends for more than 20 years - also operates Cowboy Buddha, LLC, the company that owns Graham's Restaurant.

"AT GRAHAM’S, YOU'LL GET WHAT’S COMING TO YOU."

Check out a story about our restaurant in Mount Baker Experience: Mount Baker Experience
International home cooking & music at Mount Baker

STOP your journey at Graham’s, truly an alternative to fine dining, where luxury is simulated and service is an illusion.

We're now operating on Summer Hours. Open 7 days for lunch & dinner from 11:00am to 9:00pm. Bar is always open until the last person leaves.

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We promise same day service

Grahams t-shirt now available!
Grahams Upcoming Music Schedule:

Friday 8/25/06. Blue Angels featuring Korby Lenker. 9:00pm. $5 cover.

Saturday 9/2/06.  The All Nighters.  9:00pm.  $5 cover.  http://www.myspace.com/theallnighters

Please check back for updates. Thank you Snake Oil Medicine Show, David Gans, Siren Song, Phil Sotile/James Taylor, David and Goliath, Feed & Seed, Chris Stuart and Backcountry, Quickdraw M'Graw, Chico's Paradise, Will Bernard and Motherbug, Sabroson, Bent Grass, DJ Yogoman, Harder Payne, Larry Green, Fanny Algers, Head for the Hills Bluegrass Band, Stella Bruce, Free People, Larry (The Loner) Green, Wednesday at Five, Kevin Boyce Band, Spoonshine, The Shiftless Rounders, Feed & Seed, Dig the Particulars, The All-Nighters, Gallus Brothers, Acorn Project, Surfrider Foundaiton, Amish Warfare and Barbed Wire Cutters for the great shows!

Our service is ridiculous, worse when there is no sun

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Rotating taps including Guinness and local microbrews. Pool table, daily dinner specials, desserts by Wake n' Bake & very friendly staff. Just 30 mins. away from Artist Point

Due to adventures in life, hours and specials may change. Best to call ahead.

We trust in God, otherwise please have Visa, MasterCard, checks or cash. Canadian currency OK. ATM available.

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We're in a town called Glacier on the Mount Baker Highway at the foothills of Mount Baker National Forest. It's about 33 miles east of Bellingham. Driving on I-5, take exit Sunset Dr. (EXIT #255) and go east on Mount Baker Highway for about 40 minutes. Call us for specific directions or to arrange private parties. Mobile phones do not work in Glacier no matter how cool your ringtone is.

9989 Mount Baker Hwy
Glacier, WA 98244
360-599-1964
Fax: 360-599-2562

Don't be afraid to eat at Graham's--Washington law prohibts us from hurting our customers.

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Grahams is now in Winter Hours
Dinner seven days a week 3pm - 9pm
Lunch on weekends starting at 11am
Bar is always open until the last person leaves

''The drinking will continue until morale improves''

Come and check out our famous fish tacos, daily specials like Chad's meatloaf, Uli's famous sausage and mouth watering mutha burgers. New microbrew on tap each week.
Pool table.

Grahams' live music & events calendar

All shows starts at 9:30pm. All shows 21+.
Dec 9th - Open Mi
Dec 15th - Glacier Creations Benefit
Dec 16th - Bent Grass
Dec 18th - Fallies
Dec 23rd - Open Mic

 

Bands that have played at Grahams in the past

Women please refrain from having children at the bar

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Thursday 12/29/05. Feed & Seed. 9:00pm. $5.00 cover. Nominated by Whats' Up Magazine's for ''Best Country/Bluegrass Band'' in 2005. Bellingham band Feed & Seed features Orin Dubrow on bass,Mark Blunt-Anderson on banjo, Dave Maguire on mandolin and Jess Duey on guitar & lead vocal. Check out their CD - STANDARD FAMILY REUNION

Wednesday 12/14/05. The Shiftless Rounders. 8:00pm. All ages until 10. $5.00. www.theshiftlessrounders.com. ''If Kurt Cobain had been from West Virginia, he would have sounded like these guys'' - James Lava. Featuring Ben Sidelinger on dobros & vocals and Phill Saylor Wisor on clawhammer banjo, guitar and vocals - we promise a powerful set of old timey music.

Friday 1/27/06. Dig the Particulars. 9:00pm. $5.00. Recently played with Pearl Jame at The Gorge, DIG THE PARTICULARS features Dave Anderson on drums, Ben Chandler on guitar, Eli Jayson on keyboard & saxophone and Justin Helenius on bass. ''This Washington-based quartet blazes new routes through the tired territory of the jam band'' - Download.com. www.digtheparticulars.com

Friday 3/3/06. Surfriders Foundation's Snowrider Project Presents the GUERILLA FILM FESTIVAL. 8:00pm. $5.00. All door proceeds will benefit the Snowrider Project (the project was launched by the Surfriders Foundation in 1997 to bring greater understanding to the connection between snow, land & surf). Surprise musicians to follow. www.surfrider.org/snowrider

Wednesday 3/15/06. Bent Grass. 9:00pm. No cover.

Friday 3/17/06. Special St. Patricks Day Party featuring live music by the Galus Brothers and Graham's Irish menu + lots of Guiness! 9:00pm. $5.00

People ask if we serve minors. You have to bring your own.

BEVERAGES

Fountain pops.  Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Dr. Pepper, Sunkist, Mountain Dew.  2.00 with free refills
Henry Weinhardt Draft Rootbeer.  2.00 or make it an ice cream float 3.50
Thomas Kemper Black Berry Cola.  2.00
Hot Apple Cider.  1.50
Hot Cocca, w/t fresh whipped cream.  2.00
Coffee.  2.00 with free refills
Tea.  1.50
Paradiso iced tea.  2.00
Milk.  1.50
Fresh squeezed OJ.  lg. 2.00, sm. 1.50
Spiced tomato juice. 1.50

 



 

MENU

New microbrews on tap every week.

Winter Hours:
Dinner seven days a week 3pm - 9pm
Lunch on weekends starting at 11am

Starters
Soup of the Day – homemade and always yummy…Cup $3 / Bowl $6
House Hemp Salad – spring mixed greens glazed with hemp butter vinaigrette…$6 / as side salad $3
Soup & Salad – hemp salad & bowl of soup of the day…$8
Potstickers…$8
Tenemos Nachos…$8 / con pollo $8 / con carne $8
Drummies from Hell – zinged up sweet and spicy…$8
Wedgies – hand-cut potato wedges…$4
Chips and pico de gallo – home-fried chips and yummy pico de gallo…$4
Phish tacos by the each – sample one, and you’ll order three more for your meal…$3.50

Burgers & More
All burgers are served with wedgies on the side
Mutha Burger – half pound of beef with cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, on a French roll…$8
Lil’ Mutha – quarter-pound version of the Mutha on a French round…$7
Muther Clucker – aka, the chicken burger…$7
Mexi  Mamma – vegetarian black bean patty…$7
Burrito… $7 / add chicken or beef $8
Phish tacos –  famous internationally – three corn tortillas with battered halibut...$9
Uli’s Famous Sausage – pork and apple sausage with sauerkraut and potato salad…$9
Baker’s Fried Rice – jasmine rice stir-fry with (or without) ham…$7
Thai Red Curry of the Day – prepared vegetarian...$8 / with chicken $9 / with prawns $10

Main Courses
Gable T-Bone Steak – a manly 16 oz T-bone flame broiled, with mashed potatoes and veggies…$23
Loretta’s Cut – 8 oz tender cut of top sirloin, with mashed potatoes and veggies…$17
Oakie’s Rib Eye – succulent 10 oz rib eye with mashed potatoes and veggies…$25
Chad’s Meatloaf – smothered in beer gravy and accompanied by mashed potatoes…$14
Chicken Ridge – half chicken with jasmine rice and veggies…$15
St. Louis Ribs – with our homemade BBQ sauce, these sell out fast…Half rack $16 / Whole rack $22
Fresh Fish of the Day…market price

Brat Menu – Munchables for the wee ones
Brat Burger…$6
Fish Stix and Chips…$6
Mini Nachos…$4
Grilled Cheese…$5

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You won't forget you were here even if we do.

GrahamsRestaurant.com