Nestled among proud trees and curious sculptures, just off the scenic State Route 542 (Mount Baker Highway), lies a quirky little Italian restaurant. Rifugio’s Country Italian Cuisine is a fascinating destination, and roughly three in five people I talk to haven’t heard of it — but the other two rave about their experience.
The location is out of the way from city life, but when viewed in raw numbers, the trip really isn’t outrageous. Someone driving from Cordata to Fairhaven for dinner will rack up about 20 minutes behind the wheel. Making the trip from the dorms to the lone Whatcom Popeye’s location will take you 30 minutes. Driving from most of town to Rifugio’s? Twenty-five minutes.
But is it worth the drive? In a word: yes. In three words: Go make reservations. Rifugio’s provides one of the best Italian meals you can have in our area, so long as you leave the hyper-traditionalist Nonna rhetoric at the door.
Chef and owner Richard Balogh made his way into cooking from architecture — an untraditional path to be sure. To sum Balogh up, I quote from a piece written by Annabelle Stefanoff, with Balogh recounting a trip to Figueres, Spain: “I had very little money and I had to make the decision to stay in a pensione or to have dinner … So, I had dinner. And I slept in the cement doorway of a church.”
Ricardo’s Slaw ($13) and Our Daily Bread ($10) are the first indications that this won’t be a typical Italian restaurant experience. The slaw is savory and sweet, with beautifully crispy vegetables and creamy gorgonzola to cut the vinegar bite. The name Our Daily Bread is a cheeky nod to the ever-changing details of the bread served here. Chef Balogh bakes whatever it is he feels like baking at the time; today, it was a sesame and rosemary focaccia.
I had asked about the small menu, and how people respond to it. “My cooking style allows them — or forces them — to try new things,” Balogh said. “We only have about seven to 10 menu items, and our menu changes often to keep with freshness and availability.”
Our entrees for the evening included two “always” items, and one of the seasonal ones. The Rifugio’s Alfredo alla Sausage ($28) was a superb take on a classic dish, with delicious rigatoni — made by local kitchen Salt Pepper Oil — coated in a spectacular white sauce and slices of spicy Italian sausage. The sauce was good enough that I, a lactose intolerant, was scraping the bowl.
The Spaghetti with Spicy Artichokes and Shrimp ($32) was a seasonal addition. Plump, juicy shrimp abounded in this dish, redolent with spicy Calabrian chili and tender capers. Tender pieces of artichokes added an excellent freshness.
Last but most certainly not least: the Spaghetti alla Meatball. One lone meatball crowns a nest of spaghetti, weighing in at a whopping 9 ounces. They are an absolute delight, made of a relatively traditional sausage/beef blend. The bite and the flavor are unmatched by any meatball I’ve ever had. It is potentially the least sophisticated dish on the menu, but I can’t help but consider it to be my favorite item at Rifugio’s.
A new addition to the overall experience — one that, as of writing, had only just been posted — is an Airbnb, accessed from an adjacent road, overlooking the Deming Homestead Eagle Park. In a conversation I had with Balogh, he explained his vision as providing “a full-service experience: going to the restaurant, a beautiful dinner and being able to take a bottle of wine back to the AirbnB.”
It’s a novel concept in our area and one that I’m quite endeared towards. The idea of being close to Bellingham, yet able to experience a stunning dinner and the superb solitude afforded by those quiet corners of the county, is one I imagine will be incredibly popular.
Some people can’t quite comprehend the idea that a restaurant would be good enough to “drive all the way up the mountain for.” That attitude speaks to some broader trends: Delivery apps, ride shares and the rise of subscription models have conditioned a growing number of people to reject anything that requires what they perceive to be undue effort.
But certain things are worth the effort — and I think Rifugio’s falls squarely in that category. While you might need to find a friend who has a car, having such a superb and well-curated Italian restaurant barely half an hour away and not trying it is positively lunatic. The drive is scenic, the prices comparable to so many of the restaurants in town, and the food? Well, if I was in Balogh’s shoes, and had to pick between a spot in a hostel or dinner at Rifugio’s — I would spend the night on a step with a belly full of spaghetti.
Mark Saleeb is a frequent enjoyer of food. Find him at instagram.com/eats.often.
