Red Twig fills a void in Edmonds

EDMONDS – Brusseau’s Sidewalk Cafe &Bakery was a 40-year institution in this city’s downtown. When it closed in March, Edmonds residents lost a popular eatery.

But new members of the Edmonds community have stepped in. The space is now Red Twig, which opened a few months ago after being remodeled.

Red Twig owners Cindy and Scott Abrahamson also own Shell Creek in downtown Edmonds. At Red Twig there’s a small dining area with a fireplace that’s separate from the order counter and bakery case. The restaurant has an urban feel and has ample outdoor seating for the summer. But this is Edmonds and parking is problematic.

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On my Saturday afternoon visit, the line at the counter stretched to the door, making our wait a little long. Customers spanned the generations from youngsters to seniors, with couples representing about half of the crowd. Most spent their time scanning customers lingering over pastries and coffee made with shade-grown beans. A few of us were there for a late lunch and we all ordered crepes, although there’s a daily panini-and-soup special plus salads. The day I visited, the panini special was ham and salami with provolone and sun-dried tomatoes, and the soup was black bean ($6.50).

The Red Twig serves traditional breakfast and crepes all day. Breakfast choices include two eggs cooked in numerous ways such as poached ($5.95) with cottage cheese and tomato slices ($5.95) or with a tortilla and house-made salsa ($6.95). There’s also Twig Benedict, which tops eggs Benedict with smoked salmon ($9.95). The huevos rancheros served with vegetarian black beans, tortillas and salsa sounded delicious ($7.95), but the crepes won.

Crepes ($5.95 to $7.95) are prepared with savory and sweet fillings. For the savory fillings, customers can combine two fillings that include six meat choices, five different cheeses, and fresh tomato, spinach, roasted tomatoes, black olive tapenade, fresh basil or mushrooms plus one sauce – tomato or pesto.

I ordered two savory crepes – smoked salmon with spinach, goat cheese and pesto sauce, and smoked chicken with black olive tapenade, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. For the sweet crepe, I ordered a cinnamon-apple compote ($5.95).

I selected a seat near the small stage that’s outfitted for one musician. Unfortunately, there wasn’t live music at the time and the area was used to store office paperwork. I watched the flow of people and bakery items, and noticed that our orders were taking longer than expected. Also, the crowd noise bounces off all the hard surfaces of the restaurant, so it’s noisy when busy.

When my order arrived, I discovered my ordering mistake: Each crepe order includes two large crepes, so I asked my server for a take-home box. The smoked chicken-mozzarella cheese-black olive-tomato sauce crepe put my brain and mouth in conflict. My brain wanted it to be pizza. But my mouth indicated differently. The delicate tomato sauce lacks the spice of pizza sauce. Unfortunately, the shredded cheese wasn’t melted and the sauce was cold. Reheated in the microwave later, the filling was better, but reheating ruined the wrapper.

The smoked salmon-goat cheese-fresh basil-pesto sauce crepe was warm but the amount of goat cheese overpowered the smaller amount of smoked salmon. Both plates were decorated with strawberry halves and an orange slice. The sweet cinnamon-apple crepe was a delicious ending and I enjoyed the second one later as dessert after dinner.

When I left with my take-home box, I noticed orange rinds on the floor near the table next to me. Since that customer ordered only coffee, the rind must have been there for a while.

Between the wait at the counter and at the table, customers having to ask for their cinnamon buns to be heated, the unsightly stack of paperwork, the orange rind on the floor and the cold crepe filling, I decided that the Red Twig could be an excellent eatery but there needs to be more attention paid to details.

Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.

Anna Poole: features@heraldnet.com

Red Twig Bakery Cafe

117 Fifth Ave. S., Edmonds; 425-771-1200, www.redtwig.com

Specialty: breakfast and lunch

Hours: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Price range: moderate

Liquor: beer and wine

Smoking: non-smoking

Reservations: not available

Disabled accessibility: easy access

Credit cards: Master Card, Visa

Red Twig Bakery Cafe