Brix Wine Cafe

Last night I enjoyed a delicious dinner at a trendy restaurant in Kirkland called Brix with my husband. I had been here once before a few years back with a friend and wanted to bring my husband and try it again since I enjoyed the food immensely. During my last visit I enjoyed a very tasty Sangria (definitely try it), calamari that was extremely flavorful and delicious flatbread pizza. 

Let's just get straight to the food since that's what I find the most fun to write about or read myself. My husband and I shared their three cheese & cracker plate as an appetizer. We picked three cheeses out of their menu of about six or seven. Two of the cheeses (one cow and one goat) were amazing, very buttery and good flavor, but not too strong. The third which was a white cheddar was good, but nothing special. (Keep to the cow, goat or blue cheeses.) 

For dinner I had what turned out to be one of my favorite salmon dinners ever. (I must quickly insert that my husband and I make a pretty good barbecue salmon at home with fresh trout or salmon like Steelhead or King Salmon he has caught.) I chose the salmon last night because it was Wild King (my favorite of the salmon), and the sauce looked delectable. It was a maple mustard sauce with caramelized bacon. The salmon was cooked medium and under it was creamy polenta, sautéed spinach and shoestring onion rings on top. The salmon was wonderful all on its own, but each bite was amazing with the sides it was accompanied with. It was both sweet and savory and melted in my mouth with wonderful textures and flavor. Sadly as wonderful as my dinner was, my husbands was a little bit of a let down. He had the chicken pot pie and said the chicken was dry, potatoes too firm and while the broth was tasty, there was not enough. I was disappointed for him, but it won't stop us from going back and having him try a different entree on their menu. 

We decided to complete our dinner with dessert and coffee. Things quickly turned around for him as we enjoyed their warm chocolate brownie complete with vanilla bean ice cream and semisweet chocolate sauce. The brownie was surprisingly very soft and baked to perfection, very close to a molten cake. I appreciate the chocolate sauce was made with semisweet chocolate to help cut the sweetness, but what always cuts the sweetness for me is a good cup of black coffee and their French press was amazing! It ended a perfect meal for me.

A few things about the restaurant itself. The staff was very attentive and friendly. Seating is a little cramped, but the noise helps for more private conversation. When you walk in you are greeted with faint smells of red wine which I enjoyed. I could almost taste a good Merlot. Parking can be a problem, but with my good luck we got a spot right up front. It's in a fun new retail area with the lake not too far away.

We had a very nice evening and look forward to visiting Brix Wine Cafe again soon.

CHRISTY'S TIPS

*My husband is always asking how I pick out the best food, so here is my tip in selecting good food at any restaurant: Read the entire menu item, not just the title of what it is. Read specifically what type of protein it is; is it Coho Salmon or King, is it a tough cut of meat or more tender, is it penne or linguine pasta, etc. Pay attention to how it is cooked; broiled, roasted, pan fried. What kind of sauce does it have and what is in the sauce. It's all in the details. Match the details up with your personal taste and you will probably have success. Don't be afraid to ask your server questions too!