You've driven by. You've nearly rear-ended the delivery truck in front of you in the terrifying flow of industrial traffic on Elliott Avenue, swiveling your neck and doing a double-take at the vision of a clapboard shack decorated with old-time, Wild West hand-painted cutouts of Klondikers and their mules, declaring itself "The Shanty."

Believe it. You can really eat there. Not only that, but the food is good. Not ha-ha kitschy "good," but solid, filling sandwiches and straightforward breakfasts, like the eggs Florentine ($6.25), featuring generous portions of barely steamed spinach (healthy!) and fresh poached eggs on English muffins, drizzled with a very unpretentious hollandaise, served with a hearty wallop of crisp, thick shredded browns snuggled up next to the eggs.

Papered with hand-typed histories and original menus from 1913, the dining room is a cozy open box where you can sit, drink cup after cup of coffee, and watch the distant ferries on Elliott Bay, soaking up the exceptionally friendly and caring service. Take-out orders ring in constantly on weekdays from a multitude of workers in the neighborhood; the Shanty provides a much-needed respite from the overpriced, concept-heavy joints up the street in Queen Anne.

Sometimes a little time on a well-oiled griddle is just what breakfast needs. (The trick is drainage.) The man in the paper hat at the Shanty knows how to fry the perfect hangover-curing hash browns, tender buckwheat pancakes ($3.99), no-frills omelets ($5-$6.75), and other short-order diner standards. Using fresh, quality ingredients, the folks at the Shanty are not reinventing American food--they're just doing it right, and serving it up with a kindliness that sticks with you even after you dive back into the mighty torrent of traffic and rush off to wherever.

The Shanty Cafe

350 Elliott Ave W, 282-1400. Mon-Fri 6 am-3 pm; Sat 7 am-3 pm; Sun 8 am-3 pm.