Pomegranate is a popular Eastside bistro and one of my favorite restaurants. It’s casual and fun and has colorful interior design. The menu features mainly Pacific Northwest cuisine and Southern comfort food and changes seasonally, with the exceptions of a few best-sellers like the arugula, prosciutto, and truffle oil firebread ($10). The firebreads (or what most folks would call pizza dough) take up about a third of the menu. All the food is fresh, delicious, and reasonably priced, and the service is very friendly and professional.
It’s a “ladies who lunch” type of place and is always packed with people, (mostly women). At dinner, the place is even more crowded, and there are usually a lot of people waiting to get a table. To avoid the crush, call 30 minutes before you go and ask to be added to the waiting list. Also, make sure that everyone in your party is there on time or you will be asked to wait in the waiting area until everyone gets there.
One recent weekend, my family and I went there for a late brunch. We were interested in having lunch items, however, the brunch menu features mostly dishes with scrambled eggs, and eggless dishes are limited. I had a mimosa ($6), bourbon braised beef on blue cheese biscuits with fried eggs ($10). My husband ordered the mushroom and spinach pie with a tomato sauce ($8), and a side of homemade sausage ($4). The kids had what Pomegranate calls “TV brunch”: scrambled egg, bacon, toast and jam, and berries, served on weekends for children under age 12 ($6).
Overall, we all enjoyed our food and had a nice brunch. Still, as a parent of young children, I prefer other restaurants when dining out with the kids, and go to Pomegranate to meet a friend for a fabulous lunch or dinner.
Nurit Asnash is a food writer and mother of two based in Bellevue. You can read her blog, 1 family. friendly. food. at www.familyfriendlyfood.com, where you’ll find recipes, food-related articles, and more about restaurants in the Seattle area.
