So I'm going to start this review by saying that this restaurant just opened recently and they have not fully opened on a regular schedule. At this time they are only doing weekend brunch while dialing in a few more things such as menu offerings, staff and the general flow of things. So I'm tempering this one with that information.
I made a reservation ahead of time for Mother's Day Brunch and was seated promptly upon our arrival. So of course my tip here is going to be, make use of the reservation system. I see a lot of reviews stating that it took a long time to get seated. I had no such problems at all. So again, make use of the reservation system, it clearly works.
Let's talk about the decor, shall we? This entire building is stunning, housing several different businesses (The ground floor is home to High Spirits, a very large liquor, beer and wine store as well as housing the chocolate factory and cafe of ChocMo, where you can also get paninis, crepes and espresso. The top floor is home to Vibe Coworks, a shared work space and this restaurant). The design is a modern, industrial take showing off some of the building's structure and playing on a more raw, unfiltered look. It's a stunning space that is pleasing to just simply look at and enjoy.
Our server was great, very attentive, friendly and helpful. We got drink refills before running out, we were greeted in a timely manner, no complaints here. Now, I'm gonna complain a bit here about the menu, so bear with me. Being a special Mother's Day Brunch the menu was not posted on the Facebook page or anything, so we were kind of going into this blind, but more for the experience of dining here. My wife doesn't like eggs, and I was a bit let down when we were greeted with a menu that consisted of 4 different Benedict choices and the only "non-egg" thing I could find for her was pancakes. Not a sexy dish after driving an hour and a half from Tacoma, but we move on. Now, I'm a Benedict fan, so I was kind of torn between the Tenderloin Benedict and the Avocado Benedict, finally settling on the Tenderloin Benedict after asking my waitress her favorite and also the reality that they do source their beef from a family owned farm and they also age it in house, so the chances of it being really spectacular beef are pretty high. I felt that the tenderloin was a bit over cooked, leaning on being dry, and the Hollandaise was a bit bland and thin. Now, keep in mind, I've eaten tons of Benedicts all across this Country, so I tend to be a bit of a Benedict snob and the fine details will make or break a good Benedict. Was I 100% pleased with this one? No. Would I order it again? Yup. But I think I would probably try the Avocado Benedict the next time and go from there. I think, had they either pulled that tenderloin a couple minutes sooner or not let it rest as long, it would have been perfect. As for the "non-egg" options, I'm still baffled as to why they didn't offer a simple breakfast sandwich. They had all the parts on the menu already. You're serving Benedicts that are on an English Muffin, you have bacon and that tenderloin already on the menu. Why not drag out some cheese and offer a simple breakfast sandwich, which could have easily been ordered without the egg on it? Served with a side of fresh fruit (which was also already being offered) this would have solved a huge problem for those who don't like eggs and were looking for something more that pancakes. I also want to point out that my wife's pancakes, while listed on the menu with chocolate chips, came with no chocolate chips. Which to me is a shame considering that there's an entire chocolate factory literally a single flight of stairs away.
I'm giving this one 4 stars based on the following summary:
The service was great, I had zero complaints there. The decor is stunning, it really is beautiful. And finally, the food was good enough to bring me back next time I'm in the area. Everything tempered with the reality that they are not fully up to speed and are still very new to even open the doors. I'm looking forward to seeing the dinner menu once they get up and fully running. Then we will give it another go. read more