CHEERS! RESTAURANTS BRING REASONS TO TOAST
                        IN DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE

Pearl, Conceptual Sketch

The roster of Downtown Bellevue restaurants is rapidly expanding with 13 new dining establish-ments scheduled to open in the coming year. Among them, El Gaucho, Pearl, Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub and Monsoon will open in time for the holiday season.

Pearl is first. Longtime restaurant professionals and Northwest natives Bradley Dickinson and Mikel Rogers have joined forces to open their 200-seat restaurant and bar in Lincoln Square.

Why Downtown Bellevue as the first location? “We like the energy here,” said Dickinson, Pearl’s co-owner and executive chef. “We’ve worked at several locations and we like this spot because it’s right in the middle of the action. We also like the growing density in Downtown Bellevue.”

El Gaucho Bellevue, Conceptual Sketch © 2007 Arellano (Christofides Architects PLLC)

Pearl will feature a menu of seasonal Northwest cuisine. “We’re local guys doing Northwest food, and are designing a menu that can react to change based on what’s fresh and in season,” added Dickinson.

Across town, restaurateur Chad Mackay is putting his signature touches on the iconic high-end steakhouse El Gaucho. Downtown Bellevue is the fourth El Gaucho location in the Northwest and will feature 26-foot ceilings, high windows and a mezzanine, a contrast to the “exclusive hide-away” ambiance of the Belltown location.

“We’ve always wanted to bring El Gaucho to the Eastside, and everything just came together beautifully,” said Mackay, COO and President of Mackay Restaurants. “We are providing the opportunity for Eastsiders to have an exceptional dining experience or a truly special night out, something luxurious, minus bridges and traffic,” he added.

El Gaucho will be the first retail enterprise to occupy the new City Center Plaza. Microsoft is scheduled to bring close to 700 employees to the office tower this spring.

Pearl and El Gaucho aren’t the only options for that perfect celebration or business lunch. Here’s a toast to the restaurants soon to arrive in Downtown Bellevue!
• Barrio – Opening mid-2009 at The Bellevue Towers
• Blue C Sushi – Opening Spring 2009 in Bellevue Square
• Boom Noodle – Opening Spring 2009 in Bellevue Square
• Chantanee Thai Cuisine – Opening November 2008 in the KeyCenter Building
• Earls Restaurant and Bar – Opening Spring 2009 in Lincoln Square
• John Howie Steak - Opening September 2009 in The Bravern
• Monsoon – Opening November 2008 in Old Bellevue
• Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub - Opening December 2008 in Lincoln Square
• Purple Café – Opening mid-2009 in The Bellevue Towers
• Tangerine Thai Cusine – Opening November 2008 in Tower 333
• Wild Ginger – Opening September 2009 in The Bravern