Beer and bacon at Lot No. 3
How do you put a spin on the traditional peanut and jelly sandwich?
If you are Larry Kurofsky, owner of the new Lot No. 3 restaurant concept in Bellevue, you throw on a couple slices of bacon (PB & J sandwich $6.75).
Lot No. 3, appropriately named for being the third restaurant concept and installment created by Kurofsky and his Heavy Restaurant Group, opened its doors this past week at the base of the Bellevue Towers.
The new restaurant sits near the corner of NE 4th Street and 106th Ave NE, which is also occupied by Kurofsky’s Purple Cafe and Wine Bar and Barrio restaurant.
Defined by plush brown leather lounge seating and the Heavy Restaurant Group trademark Mason jar and weighted metal decor, the new restaurant emphasizes simple food, good beer and brown liquor.
Can you get anymore American than The Dog ($6.50), a hot link served with dijon, ketchup, cream cheese, grilled onions, housemade relish and peppadew pepper salsa?
“When we first signed for this space a couple of years ago, the original plan was to create a bakery of sorts, but as we developed Purple Cafe and Barrio next door, we recognized an opportunity to create a concept focused on comfort and simple foods,” Kurofsky explained. “We wanted the third space to compliment the first two.”
The joined location of the three restaurants allows for an added convenience to both the customer and the cooks.
“What’s great about having all three restaurants connected is the idea that you could grab a cocktail at Barrio, then stroll down the hallway to Purple Cafe for an appetizer and end up at Lot. No 3 for the late night atmosphere and drinks,” Kurofsky said.
Although there are three distinct kitchen spaces in back, they are connected by one corridor which allows for easy prepping in the morning.
Executive Chef Mike Davis of Purple Cafe and Barrio, also oversees the new menu at Lot No. 3, which boasts such items as artisan cheese and meats, salads, sandwiches, sliders and hot plates. One of Kurofsky’s personal favorite items on the menu is the Panzanella salad ($8.75) made with freshly baked pumpernickel croutons.
The restaurant space is open to all ages and seats roughly 50 on the ground level and another 50 in the loft area above.
The bar has six beers on tap, from Seattle’s Pike Dry Wit ($5 a pint) to Belgium’s Dupont Farmhouse Saison at 6.4% alcohol ($10 a pint). The restaurant adds an extra spin to the classic pitcher, delivering draught beer in a 1/2 gallon growler. The growler can be ordered to go and comes with a discount if brought back for the next visit.
Also on the drink menu, mapped out in chalk on an oversized blackboard next to the bar, is the made-to-order Manhattan, from choice of whiskey down to they type of bitters.
A long list of cocktails including the Georgia Mint Julep ($10), the Hanky Panky ($10) and the Vesper ($9), are all the brainchild of bartender Casey Robison, who also oversees the bar scene at Barrio. A happy hour menu is offered daily from 4 p.m., to 6 p.m.
If your in the mood for wine, no worries. The connected space also allows for a little cheating off the menu, opening the option of ordering a glass of wine from Purple Cafe while lounging in the upstairs loft at Lot No. 3.
“We want people to have options and to feel at ease in our restaurants,” he said.
Kurofsky hopes one of those options will soon include outdoor seating for 100, pending approval by the city.
“We have opened a number of restaurants in a short amount of time, but we are having so much fun with the creative process and trying new things,” he said. “Bellevue is a great place to be right now.”
