Get Your Fix at Brix

Kirkland Wine Café Pours it On

When You Go Brix Wine Café 9749 N.E. 119th Way, Kirkland 425.242.0280 brixwinecafe.com Brix Wine Café is currently open for dinner and happy hour: Sunday and Monday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Sat, 4 to 11 p.m.; happy hour, everyday, 4 to 6 p.m. Prices: $3 to $27 (prices may change when menus are updated by Chef Stout). Note: Brix Wine Café does not accept reservations except in its private dining room.

As the Eastside continues to grow, it has become abundantly clear to everyone that a trip west across Lake Washington is no longer necessary to find a great meal. In fact, Brix Wine Café in Kirkland, with its combination of fantastic local wines, fresh, local ingredient-filled fare and beautiful décor, proves you might not even have to leave your neighborhood.

Kirkland residents David Zimmerman and Keith Mourer opened Brix Wine Café close to Juanita Beach in September 2007. “Our focus was to create a nice, neighborhood restaurant with a great atmosphere that our entire community could enjoy,” says Mourer. Zimmerman explains that they wanted to start a small business together, and initially they were thinking about opening a small retail wine shop. Zimmerman’s interest lied mostly with wine, while Mourer was more excited about food. Eventually in the planning process, they decided to combine their passions and move forward with a wine café. “At the time we just decided that this area of Kirkland, Juanita, really needed a niche filled, says Mourer.”

And fill they did. After signing the lease and quickly getting over the costs and stress that comes with starting a restaurant, the pair put forth a fantastic effort with the design. Large windows provide a view of the surrounding neighborhood. Beautiful woods and soft lights give off a rich atmosphere without being stuffy. But the main attraction is probably the wine bar. Zimmerman and Mourer chose several huge wooden beams from an old barn in Portland to jut out over the bar. A tile-stone wall is at the back of the bar, and hanging on hand-wrought iron hooks are 99 different bottles of wine.

Speaking of reclaimed wood, just off the entrance to the restaurant is a small private dining room. In the center sits a large reclaimed wood table created from the same old Portland barn. The walls of the private dining room are covered with wine crate panels. The private dining room is great for larger parties. It seats up to 18, or will hold 22 people for a standing reception. There’s no cost to use it right now, and no food or drink minimums Sunday through Thursday, but you have to make a reservation. The room is available for parties of eight or more.

WINE AND DINE

The wine program at Brix is pretty extensive, especially for a smaller dining room. If you’re just interested in a glass, you can select from about 30 unique pours or partake in special wine flights. Also available is lengthy bottle list, 80 percent of which are local, Mourer says. Recently, the Washington Wine Commission presented Brix Wine Café a 2008 Washington Wine Award of Distinction. A nice selection of specialty cocktails like the Brix sangria (red wine, peach schnapps, brandy and fresh fruit) or the Persephone Drop (Pearl Persephone pomegranate vodka with fresh lemon Juice and sugared rim) will keep you from getting parched if a glass of wine isn’t your thing.

Executive Chef Craig Stout, whose accolades include Barking Frog, Lark, Dinette, St. Clouds and the Alderbrook resort, is now running the kitchen at Brix Wine Café. Stout will mix the dinner menu up seasonally, depending on availability of local produce, meats and seafood. One of the staples has been the seared scallops with creamy potato puree and orange beurre blanc, a great appetizer. The skirt steak with potato gratin, and collard greens is also a crowd pleaser.

But most surprisingly to Mourer and Zimmerman is the popularity of their Brix burger. “We didn’t even plan one on the menu initially. It was definitely an afterthought. But it really has become our most popular dish, probably our best-selling item,” says Mourer. This one requires two hands (and maybe some extra napkins). The Brix burger is a ground sirloin, hanger and skirt steak patty, topped with smoked blue cheese, aioli, and caramelized onions and comes with crispy potatoes and café slaw. You can add bacon, a fried egg, or a delicious heirloom tomato for a buck apiece (add all three … you know you want to!).

The popularity of the burger amongst other menu items that include more fancy ingredients and sauces demonstrates the uniqueness of Brix Wine Café. Whether it was intended from the beginning or not, Mourer and Zimmerman have created an atmosphere that’s elegant and well-designed, but both the environment and the food give off a casual feel. Maybe it has to do with the neighborhood setting. “We actually have quite a few regulars that pop in here. It’s really like a village,” explains Jen Ray, one of Brix Wine Café’s bartenders. Brix seems like the type of place that if you go in just a couple of times, everyone will know your name.

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