On rainy days like this, Yankee Diner/Ballard used to be a great place to go for a hot turkey sandwich. Well, this is the first time I've been since a reputed corporate buyout. Here's the report: No more the handsome baked goods near the check in. Now look for a totally closed-up area with a few lame bottles of wine and greenery in the showcases. Few diners there (1:30 pm). We asked for non smoking. The host said he wasn't familiar with what was smoking and what was not! With tons of empty places available, he seats us at a window booth right next to the waiters' station, so we got to listen to waitstaff chit chat. The table had used sugar packets on it that were not removed. I think it took 15 minutes for our order to be taken. Salads came with tasteless "ranch" dressing. Salad plates set aside were not taken away when the main course arrived (quite some time later). What used to be a nice presentation had a scant scraping of dressing atop a slab of white bread. The vegetables were pretty....broccoli and carrot shreds. The turkey and mashed potatoes were nondescript. My friend asked for butter. It took about 10 minutes to arrive. If, after this report, you decide to go anyway, consider sticking some leftovers in your pocket. A soggy and sad sheepdog sat outside the door, and I'm sure he'd be able to put them to good use. I went back in and asked the bartender if he had a home, and she said that he belonged to a homeless couple who are living in their car in the parking lot. They come in to eat once a day, and he waits for them. Apparently he does get fed too, which is good news. All in all, a disappointing experience. Seems petty to complain, after being confronted with the facts described in the final paragraph, yet I still regret the loss of a top-quality hot-turkey san! I doubt I'll go again.......
Seattle, WA