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.

Brent's and Barbara

One of the well known rules in my family is "don't eat before going to Grandma's".  Every time Family P visits Grandma Gutman's house in the valley we leave with very full bellies.  Barbara will stuff your face with bagels, locks, salami, potato salad, and her legendary bundt and ice cream bar cakes (yes, she literally stacks up ice cream bars between cool whip and serves it in massive proportions).  One of her favorite restaurants right downy the street from her is the renowned Brent's Deli.  If Grandma does prepare the giant feast herself, she almost always has a Deli Platter toppled high with locks, white fish, onions,  capers, tomatoes, and spread from Brent's in Northridge.

On our most recent family visit to California we picked up Grandma and took her out to the restaurant for brunch.  Brent's had your classic deli atmosphere.  Vibrant vinyl booths and hanging tubes of salami are always present.

Dad drinking his Dr. Browns
Cream Soda

Zoe eating one of the pickles!

After being seated in our red corner booth, a middle aged blonde waitress greeted us while smacking gum between her teeth (how stereotypical).  A complimentary plate of assorted pickles was served to the table.  I like the very mild ones.  They don't have much of a vinegar taste and are similar to their original state as a cucumber.  I glanced over the menu and confidently chose my order.  You can never go wrong with a pastrami sandwich from a good deli.  My dad ordered the same dish.

As we waited for our late breakfasts/early lunches we talked with Grandma about her garage sale coming up.  The food was out in about 10 minutes.  This was a very quick delivery time for the bustling restaurant.  My dad did mention that this was the only time he's ever seen the place NOT completely packed.  Not typical for a late Saturday morning.

Hot Pastrami Sandwich
On Double Baked Rye Bread
with a side of coleslaw

My sandwich was piled high with thinly sliced pastrami on top of the Double Baked Rye Bread.  Thinly sliced and smokey meat is the way to go.  I'd way rather have layers of meat than one giant slab.  The stone ground mustard on the table was the perfect finishing touch to spread on with my fork.  The sandwich came with a side of coleslaw.  My dad actually put his in the sandwich, but I just ate it on the side.  It was quite creamy, a little runny at the bottom of the dish, but a good and classic deli side.

Potato Latke

Lulu was so excited when she saw that they had latkes on the menu.  My mom always makes latkes during Hanukkah.. and we might have them on one more occasion throughout the year, just if we feel like it.  She gobbled them up with sour cream and homemade cherry apple sauce.  They were much denser than my mom's because the potato was homogenized rather than shredded.

Mom and Grandma shared the smoked white fish platter, what Grandma usually orders when we come over.   It comes with two bagels and lots of extra sides.  They built their bagels with cream cheese, tomatoes, bermuda onions, lox and white fish.

Smoked Whitefish Platter
Whitefish, Lox, Cream Cheese, Tomatoes, Bermuda Onion,

Olives, and a side of Coleslaw.

Before leaving the restaurant, my dad wanted to get a salami to go.  About once or twice a year he will have my grandparents send him a Brent's salami all the way to Seattle.  We haven't been able to find a deli quite like Brent's in the Pacific Northwest.

Sunday Sandwiches

Spencer needed a ride home from LAX after his quick weekend trip to the University of Georgia.  I offered to pick him up with procrastination from homework on my mind.  I worked up quite an appetite after circling the arrivals gates a few times and decided to take us into Venice to one of my favorite lunch spots.

I posted about Gjelina Take Away a couple of months ago when I went on my dinner date with GuGu.  The pizzas were fresh, hot, and delicious.  This Sunday morning, actual Gjelina was packed.  Probably around 15 people were standing outside.  This is most likely the case every Sunday, for the late brunch crowd.

The GTA open restaurant layout is awesome.  I love how it is casual and quick, but still classy. The displays of the salads and cookies are always fresh and appealing.  And the wood burning pizza oven brings a modern feel to the small kitchen.

Turkey Reuben
Roast turkey, russian dressing, gruyere cheese,
and house-made sauerkraut on rye bread.  Pressed
to order.

The first bite

Instead of getting a pizza, I decided to go for a sandwich for lunch.  The Turkey Reuben immediately caught my eye.  I've always been a big fan of rueben sandwiches, but thought that this one might be a little bit lighter.  Although the ingredients themselves may have been lighter than the average corn beef combo, this sandwich probably weighed about 3 pounds.  I picked up my order from the wooden counter and wondered if they accidentally wrapped a brick instead of my sandwich.

Spencer in his natural hipster habitat.

All of benches and crates outside the restaurant were taken, so Spencer and I decided to walk around the corner and find some stumps to sit on.  I unwrapped my sandwich and was instantaneously excited for the grilled thick rye bread.  The sandwich steamed and smelled delicious.  The first bite was a perfect combination of sauerkraut, melted cheese, crunchy bread, and roast turkey.  The meat reminded me of sliced turkey leftover from thanksgiving.  Not that deli sliced, think and floppy meat.  Piled high, the thick pieces were moist and just what I was craving.  The sauerkraut had the perfect amount of pickling, and the cheese almost tasted like an aoili.  It was flavorful and dense.  I finished probably 4/5 of the ginormous sandwich before I was stuffed.

Tuna Melt
Olive oil poached tuna, caper aoili,
cucumber pickle, gruyere cheese, and arugula
on toasted rye bread. 

Spencer posted up on his bench, while eating his tuna melt.  I thought it was an interesting choice after just telling me that he was having some stomach issues earlier that morning.  It looked really good! But he said it was just ok.. I blame his disliking of vegetables (as he pulled the cucumber pickle out).  That's what gives it all of the flavor!

Well my lunch was great.  Only complaint is the price.  $15 for a sandwich is quite a bit, but the ingredients are top notch! And coming from Gjelina, I wouldn't expect it to to be the cheapest lunchtime feast.  I'll definitely still be back for more!

Hillstone and HIP

Although USC does not have a hospitality school, I am fortunate enough to be a member of HIP (The Hospitality Industry Project).  Because of diving, I have never really had enough time to go to any of the events.  Last year I attended one at the end of the year where a panel of event planners from the Los Angeles area came and talked to us about the industry and their professions.  I thought it was really interesting and could definitely identify myself with the personalities and characteristics that they carried as professionals.  Organized, committed, impatient, energetic, type a (yep, that's me).  But as you can tell from this blog, my true passion is for restaurants.  Today was very exciting for me, I basically decided that my ultimate goal is to either work in management of a restaurant, or own one myself. 

As part of the club, I submitted my resume to the head of HR at the Hillstone Restaurnat Group, and was selected with nine other members for an information session and tasting at the Houston’s location in Pasadena.  I felt extremely fortunate that I was able to be included in this exclusive event .  We were greeted by the head of HR and operations manager, who gave us a detailed overview of the company as a whole. and the main focus of their restaurants.  I love how they pride themselves on having the freshest ingredients delivered everyday, and how everything is made completely from scratch.  They only have one small freezer in the entire kitchen, but it carries the most important food group of all-ICE CREAM!  Of course I was the one to answer that question.  We were then given a tour of the dining area, kitchen, and garden outside.  They grow enough arugula and mint for the entire restaurant.  And I must say, the arugula had the most distinct taste to it.  It was almost spicy!  After learning about the internship opportunity (which I will definitely be applying for), we were seated for lunch.

Dole

Chicago Spinach Dip with
chips, salsa, and sour cream.

When the event said that we were getting a tasting, I assumed we would get to sample some of the dishes.  Surprisingly, they catered a full on lunch to us (all on the house)!  We were seated in the back booths, as the rest of the restaurant quickly filled with other friday lunch goers.  Our waiter was super friendly and seemed very enthusiastic about his job.  I asked him how long he had been working there and he said that he's been with Hillstone for 13 years, but serving at Houston's for 10.  I couldn't believe it! That really tells you something about how the company treats their employees. He then said that we might as well call him Grandpa (which I proceeded to do for the rest of the meal).  I usually just order water with my meals when I got out, because I like to keep to keep my palate clean when I am tasting food, but this one drink the waiter described was too delicious sounding to pass up.  It's called a Dole, half lemonade/half pomegranate juice.  The perfect combination of sweet and tart.  
Our waiter then brought us some appetizers to snack on while we pondered the menu.  We started with the spinach dip and chips and the grilled artichoke.  Mike, the co-president of the club loves the dip from previous dining experiences, and said we must include the salsa on the chips too.  I'm usually not a huge spinach dip person, just because how cheesy it is, but this was by far the best textured and tasty dip I've ever had.  It was not as heavy as the usual spinach-cheese concoction, which made it a better appetizer (instead of a complete tummy filler).  The grilled artichokes are delicious.  I've always been a fan of artichokes and dip because my mom makes them at home all the time.  She just roasts the whole thing, but at Houston's they are split up and almost charred.  Gives it a nice smokey taste, which I love.  I actually had this appetizer last time I was at Bandera in Westwood with my mom and two friends, Kate and GuGu.  I was really surprised when a lot of the other club members said they'd never had an artichoke before, and I had to explain to them how to eat it.

Salmon Mango Roll

Coconut Shrimp Roll & Grilled Arichoke

Hiramasa Roll

Here comes the sushi.  I am usually reluctant to order sushi in a non-japenese restaurant, but my mind was blown.  My all time favorite sushi restaurant is the original Katsuya in North Hollywood.  These rolls came pretty close.  We were served the
coconut shrimp roll, the Hiramasa Roll, and the Salmon Mango roll.   Unfortunately I couldn't try the Shrimp roll, but everyone said it was really interesting.  And I didn't go for the Salmon one because there was a lot of asparagus in it, which I am not a big fan of.  The Hiramasa roll, on the other hand, was mouth watering.  I believe it was a spicy tuna roll with yellowfin tuna on top.  Like the best sushi out there, it basically melted in your mouth.  I didn't want to fill up too much, because I had a feeling a lot more food was coming out. I stuck with two pieces along with tasting the other appetizers.
Then it came down to the toughest decision: what to order for our meal.  All throughout the info session, everyone was recommending several dishes and even walking through the kitchen, my nose was bombarded with delicious aromas.  For me, it was between the Famous French Dip and the Crispy Chicken Sandwich.  I took this opportunity to order more of a lunch type dish than an entree because I don't usually dine out midday.  I went with the Chicken Sandwich.  Tambi, the HR rep said it was new to the menu, and very popular.  With fries on the side, this sandwich blew Chick-fila out of the water.  Although it was ginormous, it wasn't too heavy.  The salad slaw on the onion bun was creamy, yet light and the chicken was lightly breaded and grilled to perfection.  The fries were very skinny, and although not my favorite fries ever (not crispy enough for me) they were a perfect compliment to the sandwich.  Of course I ate them all.  House made ketchup and a spiced sort of mayo were included, both great on the fries.  I was able to eat 2 out of the three slices, and got a box for the remaining.

Ding's Crispy Chicken Sandwich with fries.

 The whole meal Tambi kept checking up on us, and continued to recommend the harvest cheesecake. Even though we didn't say anything, everyone was definitely too full for dessert.  But being the best hosts ever, Grandpa proceeded to bring out all three desserts on the menu. Set in front of us was the Warm-Five Nut Brownie, Apple Walnut Cobbler, and Harvest Cheesecake.  All three were great.

Apple Walnut Cobbler

Warm-Five Nut Brownie Sundae

The brownie sundae was rich and creamy.  My favorite of the three was the Apple Walnut Cobbler, not a huge walnut fan, but the apple pie dessert always gets me.  Something about the sweetness with the tart and cinnamon, warmed up with ice cream on top.  Can't get much better than that.  It's like a match made  in heaven.  The Harvest Cheesecake interestingly wasn't made with pumpkin (it was a butternut squash).  Completely original and exotic! Was a great fall dessert and I definitely recommend it while they still have it on the menu (and everyone is still obsessed with pumpkin like desserts).   Overall I had an amazing time at the restaurant.  The tour and session with the two employees was very informative and I officially fell in love with the industry.  The food was amazing and I will definitely have to visit more of the Hillstone Restaurants soon! 

Harvest Cheesecake