In downtown Kirkland, there are as many flavors of restaurant as there are flavors of food.
From Asian to Mexican cuisines, to classy seafood restaurants and grill houses serving steaks and other classic American dishes, to new restaurants opening in Totem Lake and along the waterfront, good dining is easy to find.
Just when you thought the restaurant scene in Kirkland couldn't get any more eclectic, a brand new dining fixture is set to debut: the city's first major 24-hour restaurant.
The restaurant, called Boulevard 24/7, opening downtown along Central Way some time this September or October, is just one more reason Eastsiders won't have to travel to Seattle for a late meal after a night on the town.
"We're a 21st-century version of the 13 Coins," said Ray Lindstrom, owner of 24/7 and president of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, citing the popular Seattle-based restaurant chain that pioneered the 24/7 dining concept. "We're going to draw from the whole Eastside."
Lindstrom's business partner and NRG Vice President, Cary Adams, believes the 24-hour concept is perfect for Eastsiders who don't want to cross the bridge late at night to find a quality restaurant that is continuously open.
"We think we have the perfect concept," Adams said. "People want a downtown experience for the neighborhood, and we believe that Kirkland is a great neighborhood for what we're trying to do." Like the 13 Coins, 24/7 promises to boast an impressively diverse menu, everything from breakfast meals to upscale dinners.
"You can get steak and lobster at 10 in the morning or eggs benedict at 10 at night," Adams said.
In addition to the folks who frequent the increasingly popular Kirkland nightlife scene, Adams said that 24/7's target demographics are singles and empty-nesters. "Kirkland is loaded with both of them."
Lindstrom and Adams, both veterans in the restaurant business, have spent the last 18 months getting the restaurant off the ground, describing the process as "cumbersome." Still, both men are highly appreciative of the efforts city officials made to make their vision become a dining reality. But Boulevard 24/7 isn't the only restaurant creating sparks.
Many of these new venues replaced failed restaurants, which include recent closures of Dynamite Restaurant and Lounge, Mondo Shrimp, 6 Degrees, Intermission and Vidal's European Bistro, which is being replaced by, yes, Boulevard 24/7.
"What's happening here is that Kirkland is going to be a magnet - it's going to attract people where people don't worry about what restaurant they're going to," Adams said. "They just jump into the car and say, 'let's go down there.'"
But why are some businesses seemingly opening as quickly as others close down? Stuart McLeod, the new owner of soon-to-reopen Hector's, has his own theory.
"I think the restaurant industry in general has shown some decline as a result of the recession and Kirkland is no exception," McLeod said. "But now is the opportune time to get into the business and build a company as the economy turns around."
McLeod is living those words, too. As owner of Hector's, set to reopen in late July, he's spearheading what he calls a "seismic" renovation of the old Hector's, replacing or upgrading every crack in the wall and piece of furniture in sight. But McLeod promises a restaurant along similar lines to the old Hector's, serving up what he calls "classic American comfort food."
"We're preserving the integrity of the original Hector's and the original building," McLeod said.
"Hector's has always been known as a home away from home. We intend to be sensitive to that."
McLeod himself only recently acquired Hector's, which was sold in April by longtime proprietor Dan Corthell, who wanted to retire and spend more time with his family.
Other local restaurateurs said that the longevity can help sustain your position in the market place during recessive economic times.
Shirley Day, a 50-year veteran in the restaurant business, runs Crab Cracker, The Cowboy Steakhouse and Epicurean Catering. She said her restaurants are less impacted by the current recession because, like Hector's and other established eateries, she's been able to build a solid reputation over many years. Day said it was sort of - but not quite - like being "recession-proof."
"We have a pretty loyal clientele," Day said. "We have a lot of repeat business, given the number years we've been here."
Additionally, her belief on why some restaurants fail and others succeed lies in the stock market. Once that improves, she said, people start going out again. Day also said that she's excited about the prospect of more restaurants opening in Kirkland.
"The more good restaurants you have, the more business everyone does," Day said.
Bob Wicks, executive eirector for Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, which helps promote restaurants and other Kirkland businesses, agrees.
"The restaurants that have an established clientele and a following are more apt at doing better than those that are new, small or just getting their feet on the ground," Wicks said, pointing to the success of such restaurants as Marina Cantina and 21 Central.
"My own speculation would be those that manage their businesses well and do a good job in positioning and marketing themselves will do a good job in sustaining themselves and, like any other business cluster, there will be those that will not be successful," Wicks added.
But what makes Kirkland such a popular haven for restaurants old and new, large and small?
"We've got a really broad spectrum of styles and venues," Wicks said, adding that restaurants are one of two major clusters (the other being the arts scene) in Kirkland.
"I think it's the ambience," said Bill Vadino, executive director for Kirkland Downtown on the Lake. "You go somewhere [in Kirkland] to eat but you also you get a lot of things that are stimulating before and after."
It's also a matter of packaging the city, Vadino said, that will attract business. After all, if the wait at one place is too long, patrons will have many additional restaurants to choose from only steps from where they are.
Despite these tough economic times, many from Kirkland's restaurant sector believe that now is actually a choice time to run a restaurant.
"I couldn't think of a better time to have a restaurant in downtown Kirkland because of all the new restaurants," said Todd Ormsby, who owns The Slip and is President of Kirkland Downtown on the Lake. "It brings more people downtown."
"The best time to be in target is when the economy is in the tank," Lindstrom said. "It can be tough, but we think we have the right formula."
Ormsby said that the formation of an official restaurant association is in the works, which would presumably keep relationships between restaurateurs and city officials smooth.
That leaves people like Ray Lindstrom and Cary Adams, who maintain a positive attitude in light of the dwindling economy and already are getting positive feedback from local residents months before Boulevard 24/7 is set to open.
"People are thanking us for bringing a 24-hour high-concept to Kirkland - and we haven't opened yet," Lindstrom said.
