Breakfast and Burger Bar is the reincarnation of Lynnwood’s Local Yoke, which closed after a fire more than a year ago.
B3, open just a few months, had added, among other things, 18 burgers, three grilled-cheese sandwiches and six (yes, SIX) versions of macaroni and cheese to the large menu.
The restaurants design is modern, if not a little confusing: One wall is covered with antique-looking clocks. The color scheme is contemporary with dark wood and muted colors, and tall windows look out onto the busy street. There are three large TV screens playing sports, Muzak in the background and a mix of hipsters and retirees.
With a familiar array of breakfast items, a few unusual choices stand out: Banana Nutella crepes, hash that includes eggplant and a gyro omelet might be for the brave ($9.50 to $11.50). Old reliables such as a Belgian waffle, andouille sausage scramble or smoked salmon omelette are also available. For the kids, Mickey Mouse pancakes ($6 including bacon and a small beverage) could be a hit.
They also have beer, wine and cocktails.
My husband, Tom, and I went in to try one of their burgers. I was pleased to read that their brioche buns come from the Macrina bakery in Seattle and their beef is ground in-house. I ordered the California burger ($12), which is beef, cheddar, guacamole, bacon and tomato. The thick bacon was good and smoky. The generous portion of house-made guacamole was great: bright and fresh with large chunks of avocado and onion, cilantro and a hint of heat.
My burger was good, too. I liked the fact that you could bite into it and not have the juice (or grease) run through your fingers to pool on the plate. I seem to run into an overabundance of greasy burgers of late and this was a nice change.
With burgers you get a choice of salad, soup, tiny fries (which are basic skinny fries), sweet potato fries or homemade chips. I had the sweet potato fries. They were super crisp, sweet and, just like the burger, not greasy. I pushed my fries to the side to check the paper underneath and there were no telltale grease marks.
Tom liked his West Coast stacker ($13), a burger with andouille sausage, white cheddar, caramelized onions and dijonaise. His was a little drippy, but that was from the melting dijonaise and the sausage. His choice of accompaniment was the soup of the day, lentil. It had a strong tomato base with plenty of lentils and lots of flavor. His only disappointment was that the soup was on the lukewarm side.
The rest of the menu included typical entree salads: garden, Caesar, spinach and Santa Fe. Not typical were the choices from the “Mac Bar”: too-much-cheese mac, bacon jalapeno mac and pork belly mac ($7 to $8). Side dish choices include truffle fries, bacon and cheese fries and fried pickles.
It was nice to see that gluten-free bread is an option, as well as chicken breast substitutions for some burgers and veggie, shrimp and turkey options.
Our service was adequate, nothing fabulous, but nothing bad.
One thing I did note was that there were several people eating alone. A wall of seating accommodates solo diners really well, and I don’t usually notice that. I tried to imagine dining here alone, which is something I never do, sitting comfortably, undisturbed, having lunch and maybe reading, as a few of them were. I could see myself doing that.
But, upscale breakfast cafe? Bistro? Burger bar? I can’t quite put my finger on the best way to describe B3 but there is such an interesting menu plus a non-definitive atmosphere, I’d have to say that you need to try it yourself to see if it suits you. Everyone there when we had lunch was well pleased, including Tom and me.
Breakfast and Burger Bar
4027 196th St. SW, Lynnwood, 425-672-3666
Website: b3wa.com/
Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Specialty: Breakfast and burgers
Vegetarian options: Yes
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