Steven Gardner
reports for Saturday’s paper that the Bremerton Bar & Grill is
slated to open April 18.
It, like its brethren Neighborhood Grills
establishments, will offer for dinner steaks, fish and chicken
dishes with prices ranging from $13 for burger plates to $17 for a
surf and turf, based on a look through the site’s menus. For
lunch, offerings include the same burgers, sandwiches and salads on
the dinner menu for a slightly cheaper price on some items (about a
$1 off on sandwiches).
For nice days, the restaurant will have outdoor seating that
faces the park.
When opened, it will be the second new restaurant to open in
Bremerton this year. The other, Orion in Manette, opened in
February. I’ll have more details on that one for an upcoming
edition of of the paper and this blog.
A new “accessible fine dining” restaurant will open in the
former spot of The Patio in Manette. That’s what executive chef
Timm Higgins calls the soon-to-open Orion.
The restaurant will feature local, seasonal foods, and Higgins
plans to change the menu monthly. Higgins, who was trained in
french technique at Le Cordon Bleu Collage of Culinary Arts in
Portland, has created an opening menu that includes such dishes as
scallops in brown butter with Brussels sprouts, bacon, apple and
champagne; chicken with roasted garlic gnocchi, peas and carrots
with hunter sauce; or wild mushrooms with Parmesan risotto
croquette, blue cheese and Marsala.
The full opening menu is posted below as well as in the window
of the restaurant. Continue reading →
This brings to a close our look back at the new eateries that
have graced Kitsap in the past year, according to the the Kitsap
County Health Department. If you missed any, you can read
Part 1,
Part 2 and
Part 3. If I’ve missed any, please let me know.
Seabeck Pizza (Silverdale) – The locally famous
pizza chain that offers delivery by boat opened a sixth shop in
Silverdale. The new spot is a bit more landlocked near the corner
of Myhre and Ridgetop. I’m still waiting for the day when they’ll
deliver to the city of Bremerton. Location: 9919 Trident Lane, Silverdale
Seoul Korean BBQ – Kitsap now has two Korean
restaurants with this more recent addition to the local food scene.
(The other being Suzy’s Kitchen near Sixth and Callow in
Bremerton). It offers Korean barbecue shared and cooked at the
table,
tried it over the holidays, and said the place did not
disappoint. Location: 10408 Silverdale Way NW, Silverdale
Shima Express – Though they’ve offered such and
other Japanese fare on the Island for quite some time, Shima last
year opened an addition for sushi and bento boxes on the go. Location: 112 Madison Ave. N, Bainbridge
Island
Taqueria El Huarache – This Mexican restaurant
opened during the summer. They offer standard fare like fajitas and
burritos that you’d expect at an American Mexican restaurant, but
they also offer a few more authentic dishes, such as menudo and
lengua as well as homemade Horchata. Location: 19424 7th Ave NE, Poulsbo
The Daily Dish: I have to say this nearly every
time I talk about this place. Pasties. It’s pronounced pass-tees.
They’re not the things you find at local espresso stands. They hail
from the midwest and they’re like pot pies you can hold in your
hand in beef or veggie with a side of gravy for dipping. Plus, the
Dish offers early morning breakfast muffins and fresh mini
doughnuts with a variety of dipping sauces, such as strawberry
cream cheese or chipotle chocolate. Doughnuts also are offered in
“Donut Offense” size to serve about 10 shipyard workers (60 donuts)
who forgot their badges, got promoted, engaged, etc. I’ve been
looking for something with character to fill the old home of the
West Side Burrito Connection, and early last year I did. Location: 208 First Street (near the ferry
terminal), Bremerton
Last week, I
started giving a roundup of the new eateries that opened in
Kitsap in 2010 A through E. Today, we continue with G through
L:
Gluten
Free Bakery & Market – The market, formerly known as
Gluten Free Foodies Bakery & Market, is devoted to offerings
including pizza crusts, breads, hamburger buns, cookies and cakes
that are wheat-free as well as free of other gluten-filled grains.
The shop opened in Poulsbo Village in May. Location: 19351 8th Ave.
NE, Suite 208, Poulsbo
Hales Alehouse – While the Hales beers aren’t
exactly local in that it’s not brewed in Kitsap, it’s owner Mike
Hale is a longtime Kitsap resident. When Hale
announced that he would open a brew pub in Kitsap, some
speculated (or wished) that it would go to Bremerton or South
Kitsap. However, he settled on a spot at the Kitsap Mall, which
opened in July. They offer, of course, Hales beers on taps as well
as a rotating group of guest taps. The menu comprises salads,
pizzas, burgers sandwiches and specials such as bangers and mash,
meatloaf and fish and chips. Location: In the Kitsap Mall
Himalayan
Chutney – This Poulsbo restaurant offers Indian and
Nepaliese food, including curries, tandoori and, as the name
implies, chutney. On my to-try list are the Himalayan moms, which
are spiced chicken dumplings with a sesame seed sauce. Entrees are
about $7-$16, and they have a lunch buffet on weekdays. Location:
18801 Front St., Poulsbo
Hitchcock – Fresh and local are the two primary
words used
to describe this and another restaurant that opened this spring
on Bainbridge Island. Hitchcock aims for a find-dining experience.
They offer $2 to $5 appetizers, such as macron almonds or a rabbit
mousse with a spiced pear gelée Hot entrees range from a $16
yakitori-grilled pork belly to a $24 pork chop with brussels
sprouts, bacon and applesauce. Location: 133 Winslow Way,
Bainbridge Island.
Itza Pizza Time – This little building by Albertsons
has been home to Skippers, Southern food, Mexican and more.
First they were in the spot near Albertson’s and now they’ve moved
to the old Denny’s building. This is a traditional pizza place that
also serves pasta. Entrees are under $10. Location:
3621
Wheaton Way, Bremerton.
La Pan Asian Cuisine – This downtown Bremerton
restaurant blends foods of the Asian persuasion, including
Thai-style curries, Chinese entrees, Vietnamese pho and Filipino
pancit. Average meal price is about $8. The food is well-flavored,
but word to those with short lunch break: call and order ahead;
they have a small kitchen back there. Location: 200 1ST Street,
Bremerton, near the ferry terminal
Local
Havest Restaurant – One
of two restaurants that opened last year on Bainbridge to focus
on locally sourced foods. The menu lists the farms from which some
of the dishes come from, such as potatoes and carrots from
Farmhouse Organics or chicken (stuffed with wild mushrooms and
grits) from Draper Valley Farms. Prices range from $14 to $21.
Location: 403 Madison Avenue, Bainbridge Island
So, so much to eat and try. In 2010, nearly 30 new eateries
opened in Kitsap County, and nine got new owners.
Some new eateries were highlighted in various Kitsap Sun
articles and blog posts throughout the year, though some we
admittedly missed. I plan to visit the new restaurants in more
detail in the coming months and invite you to share your
impressions on any of the new eateries of 2010.
I’ll be stretching this blog post out into four parts through
this week because that many restaurants makes for one awfully long
blog post and — let’s be honest — so I can get as many eyeballs
back to the Food Life blog as I can.
We’ll go alphabetically based on a list of new restaurants
provided by the Kitsap County Health Department:
John Strasinger the owner/ chef
at the new Bay Street Bistro cooks zucchini at the downtown Port
Orchard location.
Bay Street Bistro – I talked with chef and
co-owner John Strasinger about
his new restaurant a month and a half after it opened in late
July. Strasinger tries to procure as many ingredients as he can
from local farmers, and has worked to build up the restaurant as a
neighborhood dinner spot. Recently, they’ve started serving lunches
and this fall put a savory gorgonzola-laced cheesecake that’s just
as good as a mouthful on its own or on a cracker.
Boogaloo’s – The name filed with the health
department is “Boogaloo’s Shrimp Shack”, but the sign out front
says Boogaloo’s Bar-B-Que. I’ve also seen it referenced on
sandwich-board signs around town and in a
Kitasp Sun sports story as Boogaloo’s BBQ and Boogaloo’s
Barbeque Pit. Whatever it’s called, it opened this summer in a tiny
building on Bremerton’s waterfront boardwalk. Owned by Tony Thomas
of the former
Soul Brothers restaurant chain in Bremerton, which had its
local heyday in the late ’90s. I was away in college, so I missed
it the first time around, but word is that the brisket is just as
heavily smoked and tender as it was back then.
Burger Me Now – This spot on the plaza at
Highway 303 and McWilliams, between Safeway and Toad House is
exactly what the name would imply: a burger joint. Burger Me Now offers a
variety of burgers, from a $6 standard to a $7.45 teriyaki chicken
burger as well as seafood and chips. I’ve not tried it yet. I can’t
seem to go near the Toad House without wanting a beer, and get
distracted. We’ve been talking about it for months, but someday
Mike Moore and I are going to put out a roundup of burger joints —
including this one — on the Kitsap Peninsula and immediately
surrounding areas.
Chet’s Place – This is the latest offering at
610 Callow Avenue in Bremerton, spot to a former Mongolian
Grill/Nightclub, the Ponderay Cafe and Lounge (gosh, I loved the
Ponderay’s German sausage and potato pancakes), El Camino’s and
others. Chet’s Place serves up soul food including grits, hush
puppies and fried okra. It also has a lounge because there has to
be some place to get a 9 a.m. beer on Callow Avenue, right?
Deane’s Pizza a& Subs – I feel that I almost
have to like this place since I almost share a middle name with it.
That said, I haven’t actually tried it, but if you want to, it’s
across from Fred Meyers in that plaza with the 24-hour fitness
place and Emerald City Smoothies. They offer — you guessed it —
pizza and subs and opened in May. The pizzas offerings seem to go
beyond the standards with things like taco pizza and alfredo
pizza.
Der Blokken Brewery – This Manette brewpub
opened in spring to fanfare from the local brew geek community.
In addition to a hard-to-find-on tap lineup of beers, such as Old
Rasputin Imperial Stout, 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish and Der
Blokken’s own Black stout, they offer a lineup of pub fare
including a gorgonzola burger, chicken wings, occasional steak
special and a personal favorite poutine, the gravy and curd
smothered fries of French Canadian fame.
El Pueblito Mexican Restaurant – This Gig
Harbor-based restaurant opened a Port Orchard branch on Lund
Avenue, near Bethel, this spring. It’s family-style Mexican with
dishes such as arroz con pollo, burritos, enchiladas, etc. The
handful of online reviews for this place are mixed.
[Note: The date of the anniversary party was initially
incorrect. It has been corrected.]
Operating a grocery store for the past year has been a learning
experience, said FreshLocal‘s Jean
Schanen.
When the store opened in downtown Bremerton
last November, it focused on Kitsap-grown produce, organic bulk
products and soup made from scratch.
A year later, Kitsap-grown produce can still be found in bins at
the back of the store, but so too can some produce from other
Pacific Northwest farms.
They also carry more prepared products, such as locally made
salsas and nuts as well as other sauces and boxed pastas.
They’ve included some requests from customers and from the
growing number of connections Schanen has made in the local food
community.
Though the store originally offered a few non-food items,
they’re focusing on now on food.
Soon, they’ll add more meat. They’ll bring in another freezer
next week to hold a shipment of lamb from the Willamette Valley.
They currently also offer beef from Chimacum and pork raised in
Kitsap.
The soup, two kinds each day, also still is there, cooked in the
commercial kitchen across the street.
Schanen makes them herself, drawing from her experience running
“Beautiful Soup” in the early ’90s. She took organic vegetables
from her Wisconsin farm and made hundreds of kinds soups.
And FreshLocal plans to stay in Bremerton.
“Many people think we’re crazy for being downtown,” Schanen
said. But there’s a need, she said, shown by the several hundred
people who’ve supported the store.
She hopes to continue building relationships with local growers
and food makers.
“We’re really excited that we’re supporting 30 other small,
independent local businesses,” and keeping consumers’ dollars in
the community, she said.
Going into a new year, FreshLocal will look at expanding hours,
possibly staying open later to catch ferry commuters and opening on
Mondays.
Schanen hopes to encourage and find more urban farmers.
They also plan to try out offering carryout meals. They’ll start
with a couple types for lunches, but Schanen would like to take a
note from the Eat Local
company in Seattle and offer frozen, take-home dinners. Schanen
said she’s been experimenting with a baked mac-and-cheese recipe
that uses Beecher’s cheese.
This Next
week, they’re preparing to celebrate their first anniversary.
FreshLocal will host a party starting at 5 p.m. Friday,
Nov. 19. Local producers will be there as will folk
musicians Hank and Claire.
The Wall Street Journal
has a story today that’s sure to get local food lovers angry:
Safeway and Albertsons stores in Seattle this year caught the ire
of Seattle farmers when they designated outdoor fruit and veggie
displays “farmers markets” (Safeway later changed the name of its
to “outdoor market.”
As the WSJ points out, it brings to question how should farmers
market me defined?Many believe that an essential part of the
definition involves farmers selling directly to consumers, though
some suggest even stricter guidelines, requiring the market to have
produce as the only or majority of products available at the
market. Others might also add that the produce comes only from
local sources, and the definition of “local” varies from grown in
the town or county it’s sold to region or state.
Most – if not all – of Kitsap’s markets have such rules.
Bainbridge Island’s, for example, requires all produce to be grown
on the Island or in North Kitsap. Poulsbo’s, Silverdale’s,
Bremerton’s and Port Orchard’s market say vendors’ goods must be
from Washington State. Poulsbo and Port Orchard make an exception
for where seafood can come from, though the vendors themselves must
be from Washington. All the markets post their vendor guidelines on
their website.
So how do you consumers and farmers out there think the term
“farmers market” should be defined?
Ideally, I’d write a blog post and expand upon each of these,
but with time ticking away, I feel I should at least make sure I
let everyone know about these upcoming food-related events. If you
go, take a few photos and send them to me (adice@kitsapsun.com),
and I’ll post them. I promise to do the same with the events I go
to. If you know of more events, I’ll add ’em:
Saturday, September 18: Taste of Lynwood
The Taste of Lynwood celebrates the Bainbridge Island neighborhood.
From noon to 8 p.m., the neighborhood will host food, live music
and family activities.
Sunday, Sept. 19:
KCCA Harvest Meal/Local Food chef Showoff
Foods from Kitsap farms are prepared by local chef and served
buffet style. The event runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bremer
Student Center at Olympic College If you’re going, you should
probably get tickets now. The Buy Local Food in Kitsap blog has
more on the event at
buylocalfoodinkitsap.org.
Cora’s gave us the Bremersaurus burger (two beef patties, bacon,
cheese and all the fixin’s), lumpia, on Thursdays, a decent pork
adobo at pretty affordable prices. And for anyone who ate there
with even the slightest frequency, a familiar greeting.
For us here at the Kitsap Sun, Cora’s was a place we could
always feel welcome, get some bits of conversation, and an
occasional video tip from co-owner Rick Foxworth. After about the
third time I went in, Cora already knew my name.
And if you went pretty frequently, it was a place you could get
the occasional special extra like ice cream sundaes (maybe Cora let
everyone have those, but we’d just like to feel special).
I wish I had gone more frequently.
Because today, we’re going to have to say goodbye to that spot
on Fourth Street. Their rising rent was just too much, Cora told me
a couple weeks ago. I haven’t yet heard final plans for what she’ll
do next. I wasn’t sure if she was just joking or if she’s actually
going to do it, but Cora mentioned a mobile food cart. I hope
whatever she does, food and Bremerton are both involved.
I and others at the Sun plan on having lunch there today, and I
imagine others working downtown will join us. I’ll update this post
after lunch.
