A Hidden Gem In Kirkland

Over the summer my friend Corinne told me about a new cafe in Kirkland I had to check out.  Located in Downtown Kirkland is the new Deru Market.  The kitchen was originally devoted to catering and take out.  Now, with their recently expanded space, they provide indoor seating.

The espresso bar.

After an intense workout at David Barton Gym in Bellevue, Corinne and I decided to stop by for lunch.  She couldn't stop raving about the turkey sandwich and my mouth started watering, so it was definitely necessary.

The simple, yet versatile
menu.

Deru is located off the main strip of Downtown Kirkland, and in more of the residential area.  It is sandwiched between two industrial workshops, and could be easily mistaken for the back of a factory.  Corinne was pleasantly surprised when she saw that the cafe now has indoor seating and calls itself a market and "eatery".  She thought we were going to have to eat our sandwiches   standing out in the rain.

The inside of the market place is very simple.  White walls with high ceilings and cement floors.  The low hanging light bulbs give it a modern feel, and the shiny espresso machine is eye catching.  Next to the register is a large display case with the freshly made deli salads and baked goods.  All of the salads looked delicious, and the maple glazed oatmeal cookie was tempting.

Freshly baked cookies!

After looking over the menu composed of pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and soup, I decided to get a
combo.  I ordered the half brisket sandwich with a market salad.  The sandwich was delectable.  The brisket was thinly sliced, and slightly smoked.  Although it only had a small amount of meat on it, it was the perfect size for a nice juicy deli sandwich.  The garlicy aioli was spread on the house made focaccia, which was actually my favorite part of the sandwich.  You could taste the olive oil, herbs, and salt freshly added to the bread.

Smoked Brisket Sandwich
(w/o) Beechers cheddar,
arugula, aioli
Market salad

The salad was also tasty.  I like how they used crunchy butter lettuce.  The cranberries and maple dijon dressing were sweet, while the chickpeas added some heartiness.  Corinne stuck with her favorite turkey sandwich.  She really likes the combo of the green apple and famous beechers cheddar.  She tried the butternut squash soup, which she said was very sweet and delicious.

Smoked Turkey Sandwich
Beecher's cheddar, apple, arugula, aioli
Butternut Squash Soup

While we sat and ate our lunch, we watched the ladies next to us as they were delivered a massive piece of the peanut butter chocolate cake.  I could not believe the size of the slice!  It would take at least 3 people to finish.  Not what you would expect from the rationally sized portions of the lunch.  I left the cafe tempted to purchase one of the cookies, but I resisted.  Will definitely be coming back to try the cake.  

Deru market is a great addition to the Downtown Kirkland lunch options.  Eating in the cafe around noon, we watched about 5-6 pairs of women come in for lunch dates.  Definitely a nice new spot for those "ladies who lunch".  The location is a little hidden, but this gem is worth trying.  We just need to get the spread the word!

Corinne enjoying her tasty turkey sandwich.

Promenade and Pizza

Spinach and Crispy Purple Kale Salad.
pecorino romano, medjool dates, shaved
radishes, mustard vinaigrette.

After the meet, and my mom visited her parents in the valley, we decided to spend our afternoon shopping (once again).  She loves to treat me when she visits because I don't get to see her much anymore!  We headed west to Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.  I like Third Street a lot more than The Grove because there are a lot more options, and its close to the beach.  After going to Victoria's Secret we looked around in Forever 21 (where I finally found my sweater).  After an hour or two we decided it was time for dinner.  The decision was between Umami and Stella Rossa Pizza Bar, both places we visited last time she was here in the summer.  Because I had just been to Umami the other week, I advocated for some pizza.  After a short 3 minute drive, we made our way from the shopping center to Main Street.  We were seated at the bar in the middle of the restaurant immediately.  I'm a big fan of the island style bar, it has a modern feel and breaks up the room nicely.  Our waitress/bartender was pregnant, which I thought was pretty funny.  My mom ordered a glass of wine and we decided to start with a salad.  I was bummed because they didn't have the same arugula and strawberry salad that I had over the summer.  I specially remember thinking it was delicious.  Must just be a summer menu item.  We went with the only salad on the menu that didn't contain bacon or eggs-- the Spinach and Crispy Kale Salad. Even though we had a kale appetizer just the other night, we thought it would compliment our pizza well.  Even though the mustard vinaigrette was drizzled on very sparsely, it complimented the saltiness from the pecorino.  Once again, my hunger led me to start eating before I was about to snap a picture.  The leaves were piled high in a nice dome like structure.

Shaved Mushroom (White Pizza)
gruyere, melted onions, black truffle,
torn parsley, thyme.

Oven-Roasted Tomato
fresh mozzarella, roasted
garlic, sweet basil.

Now its pizza time.  I already walked into the restaurant with a special pie on my mind.  I ordered it last time and was entranced by the salty truffle aroma.  My eye was on the Shaved Mushroom.  I almost never order pizza's without marinara sauce, but this is definitely an exception.  The sweetness of the onions combined with the black truffle and rosemary will knock your socks off.  Truffle oil is something I have come to cherish in the past year or so, not really being exposed to it when I was younger.  Stella Rossa has the option to order their pizzas "Thin Slim" style, which is almost like a flatbread cracker, or just on their normal dough.  Because their normal dough is already light, thin, and crunchy, we decided to stick with that.  Last time I had the "Thin Slim", and although it was good, it was definitely "cracker-like".

We also ordered the Oven-Roasted Tomato. We decided to go for this one instead of plain old margherita.  The big sweet slices of tomato on top made it a little more original.  It was super saucy, just the way I like it, and a perfect compliment to the saltiness of the Shaved Mushroom.  I ate a total of 7 slices of pizza. Probably my new record (I think it was 6 at Tutta Bella, my favorite place in Seattle).

Apple Oatmeal Cookie
with vanilla ice cream
(The size of my fist)

For dessert, we walked into the entry hall where the Pizza bar is connected to the M Street Kitchen.  There is a small cafe (The M Street Bakery) that carries some dishes to go, and most importantly, cookies!  I decided to order the apple oatmeal cookie (my apple crisp craving was getting to me).  And I of course had a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  The other option was peppermint, which would have gone nicely with all the chocolate chip options, but I wasn't really in the mood for chocolate.  The cookie sundae was huge! But warm and dense, just what I needed after my seven slices of pizza.  My mom ordered the chocolate chip with fleur de sel.  That was my second choice.  The salt wasn't too overpowering, but it still had almost a salted caramel taste to it.  The night was filled with shopping, pizza, and cookies with ice cream, basically all you could ask for.