It’s a happening place.
As soon as you step inside NYP Bar &Grill, you can feel the energy.
There are TVs everywhere, digital tap beer lists, lots of tables and a steady hum of chatter. Not loud chatter. Fun chatter.
NYP Bar &Grill opened earlier this year in the former Olive Garden space across from Everett Mall in a strip between Red Robin and Bob’s Burgers and Brew.
That might seem bold, but these folks aren’t amateurs. NYP Bar &Grill also has locations in Bellingham, Burlington, Seattle and Lynden.
The website proclaims: “Local ingredients. Always from scratch. Local brews.”
The taplist had 24 beers, including Amber’s Hot Friend from Arlington’s Skookum Brewery and Verglas Vienna Lager from Snohomish’s Sound to Summit.
I took Curt and Gary, two hunky dudes from the corporate fitness center in the Frontier building that’s home to The Herald offices.
These two fellows have graciously given me suggestions of dining places to review and it was time to reward them — and put them to work.
We arrived around 4 p.m. on a weekday. Happy hour has $4 pints and is 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close daily as well as all day Sunday.
Two happy hours a day. Wow.
With 40 items under $8. Double wow.
Bottomless fries are $5. Triple wow.
The restaurant wasn’t busy but it had a smattering of people talking and laughing. It’s a spacious arena with a bar and dining areas divided into sections but without walls. This is a good place to come with a group after work. Tables can be arranged without being cramped. Kids can make noise. So can adults.
We sat away from the action, in a quiet booth by the window that overlooks the Wal-Mart parking lot — and still offers a glimpse of any sports action of choice.
“The TVs are placed right,” said Gary.
Curt agreed. “You can see sports from anywhere and it isn’t super loud,” he said. “You can still carry on a conversation, unlike some boxy places where it’s so loud you can barely hear the person across from you.”
The menu is lengthy, and includes gluten-free and vegetarian choices. Kids meals are $5.99.
We started off with items from the happy hour menu.
First choice was bottomless fries with dipping sauces, which included creamy garlic, sweet chili aioli, pineapple aioli, spicy southwest, ranch, bourbon BBQ and honey mustard. Some were better than others. None were bad. No ketchup was needed.
Gary doesn’t like soggy fries. I don’t like crispy fries. We both were in fry heaven.
“The fries don’t bend,” Gary said. “When you shake them they don’t bend.”
By shake them, he meant dip in sauce. Which we did, repeatedly.
We also tried spinach and artichoke dip ($6.50) on a toasted baguette. We all agreed it was nothing special.
Service was cordial but not spot-on. We had to ask the server to bring small plates for the appetizers and to have our bottomless fries bowl refilled. Seems like those are things that would have been offered without asking.
Gary ordered bistro macaroni and cheese ($15.55), a colorful mound of pasta with bacon, chicken, sun-dried tomato, fresh basil and four-cheese sauce.
A bit pricey for mac &cheese, but it was fancy and pretty — and tasty.
Curt ordered carnitas tacos ($12.85) with avocado salsa, cotija, lettuce and sour cream.
“It was good, but not great,” Curt said. “The salad was really good with the creamy garlic dressing. The fries were excellent. The beer selection was awesome.”
I was torn between ordering a pizza and the John Wayne burger ($14.75), with Swiss cheese, cheddar, barbecue sauce, bacon, over-easy egg, onion rings, lettuce, tomato and aioli.
Pizza won. After all, NYP stands for New York Pizza.
I got “The Works” (10-inch, $14.75; 14-inch, $25.50).
It was like the John Wayne of pizza. It was top heavy with toppings. Too many to pick up and eat the pie by hand, so I used a fork. The flavors were good, but I really liked the crust. Next time I’ll get fewer toppings.
Maybe next time I’ll invite the whole fitness class. Better yet, I’ll suggest we all skip kettlebells and go there instead.
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
The NYP Bar &Grill
1321 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett; www.nypbarandgrill.com.
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight weekdays and 9 a.m. to midnight weekends.
Alcohol: Full bar.
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