by AMANDA WINTERS
Sequim Gazette
At 6 months old, Adrian Meakin already is the man of the house.
The smiley baby boy serves as both the namesake and inspiration for Adrian’s Restaurant at 665 N. Fifth Ave.
“We wanted to have this family dynamic,” Caty Meakin said while sitting at a large table in the upstairs of the farmhouse-turned-restaurant.
For the Meakin family, it’s all about keeping the family together and giving other families a place to experience top quality bistro food at reasonable prices.
Lunch menu items range from a house salad or soup for $4 to hand-cut sirloin and fries for $14. Dinner entrees range from $12 poulet au vin to $16 medallions de boeuf or a prime rib dinner Fridays and Saturdays for $16 to $19. They serve brunch on Sundays.
“We’re not trying to get rich,” Caty said.
Family affair
Caty, who worked in credit counseling, and her husband, Tanner, a private chef for the elderly, always talked about opening a restaurant together someday but didn’t act on it until Adrian was on his way, Caty said.
“It’s really the business plan we’ve been making our whole lives,” she said.
The family moved to Sequim from Silverdale and opened the restaurant March 8. Adrian spends most of the day with his sitter, Tonya Van Der Wal, upstairs or in the kitchen watching his dad cook.
“He’s so enamored by everything that happens in the kitchen,” Tanner said.
“He’s growing up in that kitchen,” Caty added.
Fresh food
Tanner, a chef of 16 years, said to him food is the purest form of art. He takes his art seriously.
There are only two cans in the kitchen: Canned sea clams for chowder and tomato juice for bloody mary mix. Everything else is made from scratch.
Adam Sawasy, the restaurant sous chef, handles the butchering, Tanner said.
Hamburger meat is ground from sirloin and short ribs and whole chickens are purchased so all the parts can be used for different meals, he said.
They bake their own bread and pickle their own vegetables, too.
The Meakins describe the restaurant as a casual bistro where people can enjoy good food and drink in a relaxed atmosphere.
For family, by family
Aside from the 10 employees of the restaurant, Caty’s parents come to help out occasionally and her dad even has a sandwich named after him. Adrian’s godmother has a cocktail named after her.
The restaurant provides space for larger parties upstairs, as well as catering for events, so anyone can enjoy having good food and a place to go, Caty said.
So far business has been brisk and they hope to keep it up.
When asked by two customers seated in a booth near the restaurant entrance, Tanner told them the restaurant is “everything I wanted it to be.”
For more information, go to www.adriansonfifth.com.
Reach Amanda Winters at awinters@sequimgazette.com.
