Medin’s Ravioli Station
4620 Leary Way N.W.
(206) 789-6680
Tuesday through Sunday 5 -10 pm, closed Monday

In a former transmission shop also known as the first home of the Redhook Brewery, owner and chef Bill Medin creates an iconoclastic portrait resembling an Edward Hopper painting.

He focuses on ravioli, while also dotting the menu with a few pasta dishes and a steak. But the ravioli are king here, and have been well executed on our several visits, spanning almost a decade including a recent April outing.

With a nod to the building’s automotive past, stools at the compact bar look like giant pistons. Oriented away from the street, the bar is set up to showcase a linear row of quite thirsty fellows, all with heads cranked up and to the left to watch game shows on a somewhat snowy TV.

Music also fills the air, creating a fittingly clashing soundscape. Diners sit at tables facing the backs of the bar patrons, often including Mr. Medin, who can frequently be spotted on Piston 1, taking a break from the kitchen between orders.

With two walls heavily windowed, the smallish restaurant feels spacious. Diners partake of the soft and pillowy ravioli to candlelight, feeling cozy and protected from Leary Avenue’s hubbub and the fickle spring rains.

Daily ravioli choices (priced from $12.95 to $16.95) include Four Cheese, Spinach, Grilled Sirloin, with a daily seafood offering (Crab, scallop and prawn with citrus beurre blanc on our last visit) and additional ravioli specials. Sauce choices of marinara, Alfredo, tomato cream, roasted red pepper are offered for the regular ravioli. We had the smoked chicken and artichoke special with port wine reduction and sage oil ($15.95).

When describing the smoked chicken and artichoke dish, words like tender, moist, succulent, and aromatic all come to mind. Certainly those words can be used to describe many foods in many places, but when they are combined with the word "cheap", the power of the combination becomes symbiotic. This dish symbolizes Medin's, with its value pricing, spunky flavor, and artful presentation.

A pasta special, whimsically decorated with tri-color saucing in flagish stripes, features al dente spaghetti, crisp prawns, sturdy kalamata olives, and a punchy marinara.

Soup and salad selections stand proudly as worthy partners, with the minestrone soup among the most satisfying we’ve had. Fresh, firm carrots stud the spicy orange-brown broth, buttressed by mushrooms and eggplant. A light hand on the salt was much appreciated, and just a splash of oil adds body to the elixir.

The salad of mixed greens features a crisp assortment of well-washed greens, gently nesting carrots, gorgonzola, toasted pecans, ripe and yielding tomatoes, and kalamatas. Priced right at $5.50, it’s an absolute steal at $3.50 when accompanying a dinner.

Accessories to the meal provide serviceable support. House-made focaccia, served with a thick basil-olive oil spread, makes a crusty and warm prelude. A concise, bargain-priced wine list includes four reds, two whites, all listed between $5.50 and $7.50 per glass. We found the Chianti deep and supple, and the cabernet slightly cloying, without being too pushy.

A visit to Medin’s is nothing short of cinematic. The cast of characters bar-side are visible two ways; from the back in real life, and from the front in the mirror over the bar.

Two distinct groups of people come in door, separating into either diners interested in food and sitting at tables, or drinkers seeking the company of their familiar mates atop the pistons. Exchanging stories, ducking out for an occasional smoke, and always craning to the left at the incidental television broadcast, they make themselves at home.

Medin’s therefore serves two needs: it’s a home for parched regulars looking for some company and whistle-whetting, as well as a capable purveyor of soft, pliable and fresh ravioli.

Ballard needs our eccentric and unique establishments like Medin’s. Rough around the edges and with sometimes remarkable food, the venerable establishment survives after nearly a ten years in the same spot, a significant feat in today’s crazy restaurant world. Medin’s is authentic, making it an anomaly in an increasingly corporate dining community.

The Ballard Food Police visit all establishments anonymously and pay for all food and drink in full. Know anything we should know? Tell the Ballard Food Police at ballardfoodpolice@gmail.com.