Bell Creek Bar & Grill
Location: 707 E. Washington St., Sequim
Phone: 683-4825
Hours: Breakfast — 8-11 a.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-noon Saturday-Sunday;
Lunch — 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily; Dinner — 3 p.m.-closing daily
Most start-up businesses have growing pains during the first six months or so but eventually muscle through them.
The Bell Creek Bar & Grill at 707 E. Washington St., Sequim, has had its glitches since a soft opening in late spring but, said owner Min Chan, “Compared to a few months ago, I can say we are better. Now I feel the improvement.”
In the Chinese restaurant business for more than a decade, Chan, who still cooks Chinese cuisine at home, said serving up an American-style menu has been a challenge but it’s one she wanted to take on.
“I try really hard to learn and improve and I’m open to all ideas and suggestions,” Chan said.
Chan’s steep learning curve with American fare became manageable under the guidance of Bell Creek’s chef Richard Williams, who’s been a professional cook for 30 years.
“We’ve all learned from each other,” Williams said, noting the feeling among staff is all for one and one for all. He’s especially proud of the restaurant’s dill potato salad, a heritage recipe from his grandmother.
Home to a cafe for many years, the totally remodeled Bell Creek Bar & Grill has an ambiance of tasteful elegance, from the sleekly modern silverware, to oversized dark maroon, high-backed booths for privacy, sconces with cloth shades, Tuscan-style cream walls and dark rich plank flooring.
“I wanted to give the customers a cozy and classic feeling,” Chan said.
Despite the menu’s quiet elegance, the menu isn’t posh.
“It’s a lot of good ole American food,” said server Greta Gutensohn.
Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner plus a banquet room special menu, there’s a lot of variety to choose from.
Breakfast includes egg/meat combinations, country-fried steak, sirloin and eggs, four types of omelets, two scrambles and the Creek Special, a blend of seasoned ground beef, spinach, onions, mushrooms and diced fresh potatoes, topped off with parmesan. There also are the requisite pancakes, waffles and biscuits and gravy plus breakfast sandwiches and burritos.
Lunch fare features 13 sandwich choices and four tortilla tomato basil wraps, five barbecued dishes of both beef and pork with Bell Creek’s homemade sauce on the side, four gourmet burgers, with patties ground on site, not to mention fish and chips, clam chowder made daily and five salads.
Dinner has a more expanded menu with appetizers, soups and salads, gourmet burgers and sandwiches, country dinners, seafood, pasta, Angus steaks and prime rib, and several barbecued dishes.
Chan said she makes every effort to offer homemade fare, including soups, salads, coleslaw, freshly ground burger patties, sauces and batters.
“Homemade food always has a better quality so we can control the quality and the food’s taste,” Chan said.
Bell Creek’s attentive servers have observed several menu items have become favorites, including its burgers, Reuben sandwiches, tender prime rib, fish and chips, club sandwiches and patty melts.
Starting this month, there will be specials for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For example, Monday-Friday, with a full breakfast order, Bell Creek buys your coffee and with dinner specials, your dessert is free.
In addition to an ample dining area, Bell Creek has a 50-seat banquet room with TV and a full-service bar with a friendly Sequim face — customers will recognize bartender Tina Breen, formerly of the defunct Islander. She said she’s thrilled to be back keeping bar, especially in such a nice one. The bar features two large TVs and well-padded bar stools, plus intimate tables.
“We try our best — that’s all I can say — we all try to make our customers happy. I just hope people will give Bell Creek a try,” Chan concluded. “Just come try our food,” Williams added.
