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Bake’s Place pairs live music with great cuisine

May 16, 2012

Downtown Bellevue’s newest music and dining venue Bake’s Place celebrated its Grand Opening this past weekend. Opening festivities included performances by the internationally renowned vocalist Dee Daniels Friday and Saturday, and a special Mother’s Day show on Sunday.

Located in the Columbia West Building, Bake’s Place will showcase a variety of genres of music including jazz, R&B, Latin, singer-songwriter, blues, rock, swing, and more. The soon-t0-be hopping nightspot will present live performances by the top musical talent in the region as well as national touring artists.

Along with the signature dinner shows Bake’s Place has become known for, the venue will offer lunch Monday-Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and “Sound Check” Happy Hour Tuesday-Friday from 3-5:30 p.m. The Sound Check menu includes specialty food items, $5 glasses of house red and white wine, $5 drafts, and a $5 cocktail of the day.

The menu at Bake’s includes delicious items like the jicama, cucumber, pineapple and watermelon salad, a 12 oz ancho chile rubbed ribeye, and a slice of Bake’s warm chocolate cake, all cooked up by Executive Chef Chris Peterson. Formerly Peterson was the Executive Chef at both Bis on Main and Milagro Cantina in Kirkland.

Inspired by local talent, Craig and Laura Baker first opened Bake’s Place 14 ½ years ago at Providence Point in Issaquah. What was a small private club has come a long way since then. The new Bake’s Place Bellevue has 18 foot ceilings and is lined with floor-to-ceiling windows as well as a mezzanine for the music guru’s perfect viewing pleasure. The venue can accommodate 100 guests and on summer nights shows will be held on the patio.

From the start, Bake’s Place aspired to become deeply rooted in the downtown Bellevue community. To kick-off their involvement, Bake’s Place will host the CD Release Party and final performance of the KPLU School of Jazz Rising Stars in this year’s 5th Annual Bellevue Jazz Festival on Sunday, June 3 at 7 p.m. Reservations to the show can be made here.

In addition to performances at Bake’s Place, Bellevue Jazz Festival attendees can enjoy more than 40 free and ticketed headliner shows by national jazz artists, local musicians and high school all stars in restaurant and theater venues throughout downtown Bellevue May 30- June 3. Visit bellevuejazz.com for tickets and more information.

Bellevue welcomes Toyko Japanese Steak House

March 26, 2012


Bellevue’s first teppanyaki table side cooking restaurant has arrived in the form of Tokyo Japanese Steak House. This unique restaurant was created in the mind of owner, Bryan Joo. His vision of bringing together wood, rocks, steel, glass, lights, steam and smell explodes the senses when you enter into the 9000 square foot space, which features 20 teppanyaki grilling tables.

“Bryan blended these amazing textures and created this fabulous venue,” said famous eastside restaurant consultant, Arnold Shain. “This collaboration prompts the guests’ creative juices and invites them to step into this magnificent experience the minute they walk in the front door.”

The Bellevue Tokyo Steak House opened on December 9, 2011 and features an extensive teppanyaki style menu of seafood, steak, chicken and a variety of vegetarian options. Along with the teppanyaki menu, Tokyo also offers the largest sushi selection on the eastside with over 64 sushi items including nigiri sushi, and sashimi. Tokyo’s sushi is artistically created by seasoned Sushi Chefs who are experienced in the fine art of sushi creation and use only the highest quality product.

Most grills throughout the restaurant offer seating for 20, but the restaurant can accommodate parties up to 250 guests, a unique and incredible option for Bellevue diners.

Tokyo Steak House is open daily for lunch and dinner.

“New American Kitchen” KORAL to open March 2

March 1, 2012

A new restaurant gem is coming to town. Renowned local restaurateurs Bradley Dickinson and Mikel Rogers of PEARL Bar & Dining are set to open the doors of their newest venture, KORAL Bar & Kitchen, on Friday, March 2.

KORAL’s prime location on the main floor of the Hyatt Regency Bellevue in the heart of downtown Bellevue will offer a warm and inviting atmosphere with interior décor and a menu to match.

Coined the “New American Kitchen,” KORAL’s approachable menu of appetizers, small plates and entrées will focus on comfortably prepared foods. Options range from the Kitchen Burger served with rosemary sea salt fries, to the Blue Cheese Meatloaf with Yukon Gold potatoes and caramel carrots, to the Imperial Farms Center-cut Sirloin with salt-roasted potatoes and tempura mushrooms.

“KORAL’s inventive menu brings something new to the Eastside dining scene,” explained Executive Chef and Co-owner Bradley Dickinson. “We saw an opportunity to fill the gap of reasonably priced, upscale food in a truly comfortable and laid back environment in the downtown Bellevue neighborhood. The menu caters to everyone, and the warm interior makes you feel like you are dining in the comfort of your own home.”

Leading the kitchen will be Head Chef Peter Kelly, a familiar face in the local culinary industry with more than 25 years of professional experience under his belt. Also joining the team is General Manager Tracy Ducken, who has worked with Bradley and Mikel at several Eastside restaurants.

Starting March 2 KORAL will be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, with a bar operating 3 p.m. to midnight seven days a week. KORAL will also launch a weekend brunch on Saturday, March 17, served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

3/9 UPDATE: Koral launched their twice daily Happy Hour today. Guests can enjoy 50% off all bar small plates, wines by the glass, specialty cocktails, house martinis, and $2 off draft beers in the lively lounge. KORAL’s happy hour will be offered seven days a week from daily from 3-6 p.m. and again from 9 p.m. to midnight. Highlights from the Happy Hour menu include:

• Sautéed prawns scampi style with garlic, herbs and breadcrumbs ($6)
• Chef’s sliders with braised oxtail and stone ground mustard sauce ($5)
• Tai-Tung style pot stickers with pork and vegetable filling and soy-chili sauce ($5.50)
• KORAL Manhattan with Buffalo Trace bourbon and Antica vermouth (4)
• Penicillin with Jack Daniels whiskey, lemon juice and honey-ginger infused syrup ($4)
• Raspberry Drop with raspberry vodka, lemon juice, a touch of Chambord and a sugar rim ($4)

Lunchbox Laboratory now open in downtown Bellevue

February 15, 2012

Bellevue, ready your taste buds. The folks behind the infamous Lunchbox Laboratory (LBL for short) have opened their second location at the Elements complex (989 112th Avenue NE) over the weekend.

The burger joint with a large cult-like following has been nationally recognized by Gourmet Magazine, Epicurious, Sunset Magazine and Seattle Magazine to name a few, and has even been featured on The Food Network’s 50 states, 50 burgers.

Fans love LBL for the unique, extra large burgers, smothered in sauces and flavored specialty salts. Every burger is made from American Kobe style beef and comes on an organic kaiser roll from Essential Bakery. One of Lunchbox’s most popular burgers, “Burger of the God’s” boasts a super beef patty piled high with bleu cheese crumbles, candied balsamic onions and a super gorgonzola spread. All burgers come with choice of skinny fries, crispy tots, potato salad, sweet potato fries or house made chips.

Lunchbox Laboratory offers a full bar with an eclectic menu of specialty drinks - another popular piece of the LBL concept. Signature Snoqualmie Ice Cream milkshakes include the Whopper Malted Milk Ball, Banana Cream Pie and Nutella (along with 20 plus other funky flavors), with the “Drunken Elvis” being a top seller under the menu’s “Boozie Shakes.” “Tails,” cocktails minus the alcohol creatively bring back the 1970s flavors of Tang, Kool Aid and fruit punch.

John Schmidt, the man behind Neighborhood Grills, along with the developed management and service team from the South Lake Union Lunchbox Laboratory opened the new Bellevue location. LBL originated in Ballard and was founded by local, famed Chef Scott Simpson, who passed away in 2011. Two of Scott Simpson’s original Chefs from the Ballard restaurant are now the Kitchen Managers for both Lunchbox Laboratory locations; Adam Berberich runs the Seattle kitchen and Phillip Twiss is the Kitchen Manger for the new Bellevue location.

The group began looking for a new site on the eastside in early 2011. “We wanted to bring this very fun, unique concept to Bellevue because there is nothing like this on the eastside,” said John, “plus the city of Bellevue is booming and we want to be a part of the action!”

Local famed restaurant consultant, Arnold Shain, who consulted on the Bellevue project, added, “Because there were so many people from the eastside hitting the website and coming into our Seattle restaurant, we wanted a central location on the eastside and this space in Bellevue fit the bill.”

The new restaurant’s interior is similar to Seattle’s with vintage lunchboxes and eclectic art on the walls. Downtown Bellevue’s Lunchbox Laboratory will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, serving lunch, dinner and a daily “Kick Ass Hour” from 3 to 6 p.m.

Café Cesura is waking up downtown Bellevue

January 5, 2012

Residents of downtown Bellevue are fortunate to have a wide variety of culinary options at their fingertips. However, when brother-in-laws Shawn Nickerson and Leon Douglas moved to town they saw a small void in downtown’s food scene. They sought to provide access to more authentic, gourmet coffee and locally purveyed grab ‘n go options, and did so last November with the opening of Café Cesura.

From its conception, Café Cesura was created with the downtown Bellevue demographics in mind. It boasts a clean, contemporary interior reminiscent of Seattle’s independent cafes, but don’t let the ultra-modern aesthetic fool you. Café Cesura is centered on quality cuisine and gourmet coffee.

Cesura uses Stumptown beans exclusively. Stumptown was hand-picked as supplier due to its meticulous attention to bean quality and passion for making great coffee. Cesura spares no expense in ensuring that your morning latte is perfectly executed. From specialty small batch, regional and ethically grown coffee beans to expertly trained baristas and homemade syrups, Café Cesura has all the authenticity of a sidewalk café in Paris. It’s worth a visit just for the coffee, but it would be a mistake to leave without sampling the unparalleled edibles.

With extensive culinary training at LA’s Lucques, Chef Leon Douglas created a menu that more than lives up to Cesura’s top notch coffee. Centered on fresh, seasonal produce, Cesura’s menu is both appetizing and surprising, combining unexpected flavors with the freshest ingredients around. From the beginning Douglas and Nickerson were adamant about bringing customers ethically grown and prepared food from local farms, and they have done just that. Cesura’s eclectic menu boasts items like a kale salad with roasted pumpkin and spicy peanut dressing and grilled cheese with caramelized onion on sourdough. Breakfast items are no less intriguing with choices like an eggnog muffin and a raspberry and cream cheese croissant. All menu items are made fresh from ingredients in season and the taste reflects it.

With its attention to detail and uncompromising adherence to quality, it is no surprise that Café Cesura already boasts a substantial community of regulars and growing business despite having been open only two months. Cesura’s seamless intermingling into the fabric of downtown is further facilitated by its active involvement in the community. Located on the first floor of the Ashton Bellevue apartment complex (1015 108th Avenue NE), Cesura has catered brunch to its residents (as well as residents of TEN20) and regularly hosts coffee brewing classes. So what’s next on Café Cesura’s agenda? A barista contest!

On January 8 Café Cesura will be hosting a contest specifically for Eastside baristas. Buy in is $10 for baristas who want to show off their barring prowess and half of the proceeds will benefit Hopelink. For more information visit Café Cesura’s website or Facebook page.

If you’ve never enjoyed expertly crafted coffee, don’t you think it’s about time? Hop on down to Café Cesura and experience coffee the way it was meant to be brewed!

 
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