A Journey Through Time at North Bend
We here at Dinner at a Movie — that would be film critic Moira Macdonald and food critic Bethany Jean Clement, evaluating movie theaters and their food offerings together since 2017 — love a good road trip, particularly when it turns out to be a trip backward in time. On a recent Sunday afternoon, with the sky shaded by vaguely menacing clouds, we headed east on I-90 bound for North Bend, where a 1940s cafe, a 1940s moviehouse and a 1940s film noir awaited.
The Lunch at Twede’s Cafe, aka the Double R Diner
Bethany: This lunch was surreal and cinematic from the very start. As we crossed the threshold of Twede’s Cafe, a man in a Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department uniform pushed past us on his way out. The cafe is, famously, the one used in David Lynch’s surreal and cinematic TV series. As a huge Lynch/“Twin Peaks” fan, it initially seemed completely natural that Andy or Hawk might be exiting the Double R — I mean Twede’s — but then I quietly freaked out.
Moira: I was mostly freaked out by the size of the waitlist for lunch (rest assured it moved quickly): Though I love Lynch’s movies, I’m not a “Twin Peaks” expert. But I would like to mention that I studied at the University of Washington drama department at the same time as Kyle MacLachlan, and I think he smiled at me in the hallway once.
Bethany: Dreamy! OK, there is way too much I could say here. The restaurant itself was built in 1941, originally called Thompson’s Cafe, then the Mar-T Cafe. After “Twin Peaks” first filmed on-site in the 1990s, it became Twede’s, and a dark time ensued in which it was (over-) decorated with Tweety Bird paraphernalia, including big, dusty, stuffed Tweeties hanging from the ceiling, and the food was terrible. Under new ownership since 2020, it’s been restored to retro-diner perfection — lots of snug booths, red-upholstered swivel stools around the horseshoe-shaped counter, black-and-white-checked floor — and my club sandwich was very good! And stacked so high, it was hard to attack! And came with maybe an entire party-sized bag of Ruffles!
Moira: My BLT was also extremely tasty! Though the fries were a bit disappointing: limp rather than crispy, which was perhaps a “Twin Peaks” metaphor of which I am not aware. Dining at Twede’s is sort of like going to a dinner theater, as there are numerous people in “Twin Peaks” costumes ordering cherry pie and coffee and sitting around looking vaguely noir-ish.
Bethany: Laura Palmer was just two booths away! “Twin Peaks” tourism persists! And the fictional diner that we were actually in is fictionally famous for its (fictional, I guess?) pie. Unfortunately, the actual place was slammed and thus service took a while, so we did not have time for a piece. I did, however, get a photo of a guy taking a photo of his pie, so in this meta-universe, good enough!?
Moira: Yes, and may I add that the dude taking the pie photo was seated in front of a small retro TV that was playing scenes from “Twin Peaks.” The whole experience is rather immersive. But fun! And perfectly located if you’re headed to a movie just around the corner at …
The Marvelously Retro Theater
Moira: The North Bend Theatre, complete with delightful neon marquee, has been open since 1941 — and independent/family-owned the entire time. You get the feeling, walking up to it, that this is a special place for its community, lovingly maintained for so many decades. It’s had a few restorations but still looks very much like it would have in its early years, with soldiers on leave from World War II bringing their sweethearts for a movie date.
Bethany: The exterior looks like a dream-drawing of a classic single-screen moviehouse — exactly as David Lynch would want it. In the cement of the sidewalk in front: MacLachlan’s handprints, Hollywood-style. If you’re a certain kind of film-lover, it’s nearly breathtaking. And just so, so fun.
Moira: You can get excellent popcorn in the small but charming lobby (and wine or beer too, from the Cameo Bar, though we didn’t partake), and take your seat under a beautifully restored sconce. Particularly on the dark autumn afternoon we visited, sitting in the North Bend Theatre feels like being side-by-side with friendly ghosts, perhaps some movie-loving patrons from the theater’s past. It’s a place that’s deliciously filled with stories.
Bethany: It is atmospheric in the extreme. And an ideal place for …
The Noir Perfection of the Film
Moira: The North Bend Theatre is getting near the end of a yearlong classic film series called “Leading Ladies,” and we were fortunate to attend during the Barbara Stanwyck portion of the series, with the 1948 thriller “Sorry, Wrong Number” on screen. In the film, Stanwyck plays an invalid confined to her room who, while trying to place a telephone call, accidentally overhears plans for a murder. The theater’s co-owner, Kevin Burrows, gave a gracious and well-thought-out introduction before the screening, in which we learned of the movie’s origins as a radio play and that Stanwyck’s hair turned partially white due to the stress of filming, as her character became increasingly gripped with fear.
Bethany: Yesssss — I loved that detail, too! And Stanwyck does increasingly hysterical so very, very well. You don’t think about it if you’re watching noir at home, but these films are truly meant for the big silver screen. The subtleties of expressions, the lighting, the geometries; no matter how large your TV is, it’s beautiful to sit far enough away to take it all in as a whole while also focusing on details. And the darkness of the theater, the collective gasps, the experience — it all matters.
Moira: A thousand percent agree! “Sorry, Wrong Number” belongs to my very favorite (if sparsely populated) genre of thriller: that in which a person experiences acute psychological terror while wearing an excellent bed jacket. Designed by the great Edith Head, by the way.
Bethany: Right? The peignoir game is devastatingly strong here. And for extreme retro credit, there’s tons of smoking cigarettes and talking on a rotary phone … in bed.
Moira: I wanted to go straight home and harass telephone operators from a rotary phone in my bed! Alas, I lack such an instrument, not to mention a bed jacket.
Bethany: Moira, I have one! Of course, it’s not hooked up, but we’ll get you dialing next time you come over.
Moira: Ooh! Will work on getting a bed jacket for this purpose.
Bethany: So my favorite shot, maybe, was the one that started tight on our exceptionally well-dressed bedridden friend, then panned back through her luxurious room, right out the window and into the dark, busy, indifferent city — all this with no drones, no CGI, and so much the more dramatic and gorgeous for it.
Moira: Fun fact: The elegant black-and-white cinematography of “Sorry, Wrong Number” was by Sol Polito, whose long Hollywood career began in silent films and included 42nd Street,” “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and “Now, Voyager.” Directed by Anatole Litvak (“The Snake Pit”), “Sorry, Wrong Number” is a glorious showcase for Stanwyck, who acts up a storm while barely leaving her bed (except in flashbacks), playing a woman both frail and almost terrifyingly fierce. Other takeaways: Burt Lancaster was very handsome, and wearing diamonds while in one’s bed is an option.
Bethany: It also features an arguably overly complicated plot, which you can kind of dip in and out of without regret/remorse. And so many throughlines from here to Lynch! The moodiness, the archetypes, the incomprehensibility and inevitability of evil. It’s fantastic!
Moira: We loved it. Two more Stanwyck movies remain in the series, if you feel like heading out to North Bend on a Sunday afternoon: the great “Double Indemnity” on Nov. 16 (ankle bracelet alert!), and the holiday-appropriate “Christmas in Connecticut” on Dec. 21.
Bethany: I want to go to both!
Moira: And a new monthly series will launch in January: “Love and War,” in which owners Kevin and Beth Burrows will introduce some of their all-time favorite films, including “The Great Escape,” “An Affair to Remember,” “Dr. Strangelove” and “The Holiday.”
The Overall Experience
Bethany: I feel like I say this every time, but: This was the best Dinner/Lunch at a Movie yet.
Moira: That’s what’s so great about D.A.A.M.: Every one is the best one yet. But honestly, this little 1940s jaunt to North Bend, on a day that was darker than the heart of a noir heroine, was an absolute delight. And it’s been sitting there all this time, just a few miles down the road from Issaquah, waiting for us.
Bethany: And waiting for you, too, with noir inevitability and a damn fine club sandwich.
