2010 Downtown Bellevue “Haute Picks”

April 27, 2010

The votes have been counted. Bellevue Local Table and the Bellevue Downtown Association would like to congratulate the 2010 Haute Picks award recipients! Want to test this year’s pick for best happy hour? Or maybe you’re searching for the best place to satisfy your sweet tooth. No need to look any further, because the 2010 Haute Picks have you covered. Thousands of ballots were cast in this year’s contest to uncover the best of Downtown Bellevue—and 12 restaurants, bars, coffee houses and dessert shops have won your vote. So grab a fork and discover the best in what Downtown Bellevue dining has to offer! (Click to see the full list of 2010 Haute Picks award winners)

Best Casual Business Meeting Spot
520 Bar & Grill
Old Bellevue
10146 Main Street
520barandgrill.com

Best Cocktail (Drink and Place)
Shiso Wild Drop at Pearl Bar & Dining
Lincoln Square
700 Bellevue Way NE
pearlbellevue.com

Best Coffee House
Starbucks Coffee Company
10 Downtown Bellevue Locations
starbucks.com

Best Happy Hour
Palomino
Lincoln Square
610 Bellevue Way NE
palomino.com

Best Lunch Under $10
Chipotle
10503 NE 4th Street
chipotle.com

Best Place for a First Date
The Parlor Collection
Lincoln Square
700 Bellevue Way NE
parlorlive.com

Best Place to See and Be Seen
Lucky Strike Lanes
Lincoln Square
700 Bellevue Way NE
bowlluckystrike.com

Best Place for Sushi
Blue C Sushi
The Lodge at Bellevue Square
503 Bellevue Square
bluecsushi.com

Best Power Lunch
El Gaucho
City Center Plaza
450 108th Avenue NE
elgaucho.com

Best Romantic Dinner
Daniel’s Broiler
Bellevue Place
10500 NE 8th Street
schwartzbros.com 

Best Seafood Restaurant
Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar
Civica Office Commons
205 108th Avenue NE
seastarrestaurant.com

Best Steakhouse
John Howie Steak
The Bravern
11111 NE 8th Street
johnhowiesteak.com 

Best Sweet Tooth Fix
Trophy Cupcakes
The Bravern
700 110th Avenue NE
trophycupcakes.com 

Best Wine List
Purple Café and Wine Bar
Bellevue Towers
430 106th Avenue NE
thepurplecafe.com

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The Glenlivet Scotch Tasting Dinner at Seastar

April 7, 2010

Take a step back in time and taste your way through decades of aged Glenlivet with Scotch Master, Rick Edwards. On Saturday April 24, enjoy a 5-course dinner paired with five different types of Glenlivet Scotch at Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar in Bellevue. See the dinner pairings below:

Salmon Poke on Taro Chips
Passed Hors d’oeuvres
“The Glenlivet “12 Year Old”

Dungeness Crab and Sweet Corn Bisque
with Port-Madeira Reduction
The Glenlivet “15 Year Old” French Oak Reserve

Sesame-Peppercorn Crusted Seared Ahi
Jasmine-Ginger Rice Cake, Ginger-Soy
Reduction and Wasabi Creme
The Glenlivet Nadurra “16 Year Old”

Applewood Smoked Kurobuta Roast Porkloin Chop
Sweet Potato Mash, Apple Compote and Toasted Pecans
The Glenlivet “18 Year Old”

Butterscotch Panna Cotta
Fangelico Syrup and Hazelnut Shortbread
The Glenlivet “21 Year Old”

Special Tasting
The Glenlivet “XXV Year Old”

Illy Café

The dinner begins at 6 p.m. Cost is $99 per person, all inclusive. Limited seating available! To reserve your table, or for more information, call Wilma Manchester at (425) 440-0878.

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Seattle Restaurant Week in Downtown Bellevue

April 6, 2010

April showers bring…tasty food and great deals! Sunday, April 18 through Thursday April 29, five Downtown Bellevue restaurants will be serving up lunch and dinner as part of Seattle Restaurant Week’s three-course meals for only $25 promotion. Enjoy delicious food by world renowned chefs like John Howie, Terrance Brennan, Mike Davis and Jacky Lo. Over 100 local restaurants in the Puget Sound region will be participating in this inaugural event. Throughout the 10 day event, foodies can also enter-to-win $100 dollar gift cards by submitting their name and email here. Find out more information on Seattle Restaurant Week’s website. It’s time to eat!

Artisanal Brasserie & Winebar
The Bravern
11111 N.E. Eighth St.
The Bravern
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 372-2200
artisanalwa.com

Dinner – 3 Courses for $25
Lunch – 3 Courses for $15
Artisanal’s Seattle Restaurant Week Menus

Barrio Bellevue
Bellevue Towers
10650 NE 4th St
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 502-5021
barriorestaurant.com

Dinner – 3 Courses for $25
Lunch – 3 Courses for $15
Barrio’s Seattle Restaurant Week Menus

Purple Café and Wine Bar Bellevue
Bellevue Towers
430 106th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 502-6292
thepurplecafe.com

Dinner – 3 Courses for $25
Lunch – 3 Courses for $15
Purple’s Seattle Restaurant Week Menus

Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar Bellevue
205 108th Ave. N.E.
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 456-0010
seastarrestaurant.com

Dinner – 3 Courses for $25
Seastar’s Seattle Restaurant Week Menu

Wild Ginger Bellevue
The Bravern
11020 NE 6th St
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 495-8889
wildginger.net

Dinner – 3 Courses for $25
Lunch – 3 Courses for $15
Wild Ginger’s Seattle Restaurant Week Menus

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Gift giving with a bonus!

December 16, 2009

The countdown is on! If you still have names on your holiday gift list, Bellevue Local Table has the perfect solution for you. Several Downtown Bellevue restaurants offer easy online gift card purchasing. Spread some delicious holiday cheer by giving a night out to one of your favorite dining destinations. As a special holiday perk, many restaurants are also offering bonus incentives when you buy a card at a selected amount!

0/8 Seafood Grill: Through December 30, receive a $20 bonus gift card for every $100 gift card purchased. 08seafoodgrill.com

Barrio: Personalize your holiday gift card with pictures and text! Also receive half-off processing and shipping when purchased online with promo code “Barrio”. barriorestaurant.com

El Gaucho: Enjoy a $25 gift certificate for every $100 gift card purchased. elgaucho.com

Palomino: Receive a free $10 bonus gift card for every $50 in gift card purchases. 5% of all gift card sales go directly to a local children’s hospital. palomino.com

Pearl Bar and Dining: Buy one gift card worth a minimum of $20 and receive the second half-off. (Gift card must be purchased in restaurant) pearlbellevue.com

Purple Café and Wine Bar: For every $50 purchased, receive an additional $10 Heavy Restaurant Group gift card, redeemable at any Purple or Barrio location. Custom gift cards purchased through the website come with a bonus half-off processing and shipping. ($10 bonus card is not included in custom gift cards) thepurplecafe.com

STIR Martini + Raw Bar: Through December 30, receive a $20 bonus gift card for every $100 gift card purchased. stirmartinibar.com

Tap House Grill: For ever $100 purchased, receive a $20 bonus gift card. taphousegrill.com

Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill: For every $25 gift card sold between now and December 24, Z’tejas will give the purchaser a $5 card for their own use. ztejas.com

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No Apple Cup Tickets? Make Downtown Bellevue Your Game Day Destination

November 20, 2009

Apple Cup is just around the corner and if you don’t have tickets but still want that game day experience, now is the time to start planning your destination.

A cold draft beer (or two), HDTV, comfortable seating and a screen larger than the one at home are essential ingredients to watching any football game with friends. Fortunately, Downtown Bellevue restaurants are suiting up to make your Apple Cup gathering a touchdown.

BLT explored the best Downtown Bellevue hot spots in search of the optimal game day experience. Let’s face it, this year our teams aren’t winning any championships or bowl bids.  For both Husky and Cougar fans all we have on the line is pride. But most would agree that a day of football (win or lose) is still a good day if spent with great friends consuming pub food while drinking quality beer.

As an adept Husky tailgater and beer connoisseur, my experiences have led me to believe that beer is an essential component of any game day meal. Those from the Palouse would argue that Busch is the five-star of the beer world, but here in Downtown Bellevue, local restaurants have taken the term “brew” to a whole new level.

My search for the perfect Apple Cup viewing experience led me to recommend the following winning options. Try one destination or take the Downtown Bellevue gridiron tour and make a pit stop at each point.

Bow down!
- Phil LaFranchi (BLT Intern and former “Harry the Husky” mascot)

Tap House Grill
160 beers on tap.  Need I say more?  Tap House can make your Apple Cup experience a memorable one, that’s if you don’t taste your way through all 160 beers before halftime. Enjoy watching the game on six large HD TV screens in this warm and welcoming environment. Tap House is also serving brunch until 2 p.m. for those who want to start early. taphousegrill.com

Rock Bottom Brewery
Next door at Rock Bottom you will find a wide range of football fans, from the group of guys just enjoying the game, to the one who has his mortgage riding on the final score. At this stop, you will find a wide range of food options varying from seafood, ribs to delicious burgers. And, don’t forget the beer! As the only brewery in town, Rock Bottom serves up beer made from hand-selected Northwest hops and malted barley. rockbottom.com

The Parlor Collection
Need a distraction from the game?  This may be the season to “opt out.”  During these years of turmoil for both disgruntled Husky and Coug fans, make your way to The Parlor for delicious food, flavorful drinks, and enthralling entertainment. They have 17 pool tables to help distract you from the game. parlorcollection.com

Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub
Wander two floors down to Paddy Coyne’s, where I discovered a sweet deal sure to satisfy the taste buds of any Apple Cup fan.  While viewing the game on Paddy Coyne’s big screens you can enjoy $5 Washington Appletini’s! As for food, I recommend the Irish Stew. It’s the perfect comfort food for any losing fan. paddycoynes.net

STIR Martini+Raw Bar
A hail-mary across NE 8^th Street will land you at STIR.  The game will be on five HDTV’s. Also enjoy STIR’S Macintosh Apple Martini for a special price of $5. solsticerestaurants.com

The Spot Off Main
For a casual, neighborhood bar head to Old Bellevue and The Spot Off Main.  You’ll find four HDTVs and 84” & 106″ projector screens.  During half-time you can opt for a game of pool or darts. As an extra bonus, The Spot’s happy hour runs 4-8 p.m. and offers $1.50 beers and well drinks and half-priced appetizers. thespotoffmain.com

520 Bar and Grill
A block down on Main Street is 520 Bar and Grill.  Owners Randi and Joseph Brazen are huge Husky fans so Cougars beware! The game will be on four big screens and happy hour starts at 2 p.m. and runs until 5:20 p.m.  520 Bar and Grill is a 3-year award winner of the Bellevue Downtown Association’s Haute Pick for the Best Casual Meeting Spot in Downtown Bellevue. 520barandgrill.com

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