EAT: DERU Reviewed

As a girl who loves Brunch or rather food in general, you could say I was more than excited to dine at DERU Market for the first time.

Allow me to give you a little more insight about this magical place. 

DERU Market is a quaint restaurant sort of on the outskirts of Downtown Kirkland. It is famous for its seasonal ingredients all sourced from local organic farms! DERU is boutique, yet clearly the talk of the town for Kirkland residents. I had first heard about it from a few coworker’s and was told the brunch was to die for.

My boyfriend and I decided to try DERU out for brunch one Saturday morning. He and I are early birds, even on the weekends, so when we found out it opened at 9 we were thrilled. We arrived promptly (9:05 to be exact) thinking that we would beat the rush and get to eat before anyone else. Man, were we wrong. This place was PACKED! I found this to be a good sign. My boyfriend on the other hand is more on the impatient side and just wanted to find a place to sit. The line was almost out the door but seemed to be moving quite quickly. Upon arriving we looked at a menu, which was attached to a clipboard with the morning’s options. Our wait in line gave us enough time to make our decisions by the time we got to the register.

First thing I loved about DERU:: Paying for your meal before you get your food. Remember when I mentioned my boyfriend being a tad impatient? This was a dream come true for us! There is nothing worse than you wanting to move on with your day and onto the next place, but you’re stuck waiting for the bill. We prefer to get in… and get out. The menu changes daily; With the specials written on a chalkboard wall you can’t help but feel like you’re in on a secret being there. We were given our number and waited 10 minutes for our table.

First thing I didn’t love about DERU:: The uncomfortable seating. Though the interior decor was to die for, from the white marble tabletops, the industrial garage doors, to the most amazing cakes and cookies out on display. There are three options for seating: at a table (which has a booth on one side and chairs on the other), at the counter top (which has backless bar stools), and outside. My boyfriend and I went on a rainy day so we didn’t get the pleasure of sitting outside. Instead, we were seated at one of their tables. I sat on the booth side, which was made mostly of wood.

Is this absolutely detrimental to your DERU dining experience? No. In any situation I would rather sit in a comfortable booth versus one made entirely from a hard material, but in this situation the good outweighs the bad in my opinion.

Second thing I loved about DERU? The food… For obvious reasons. I had tried DERU before for lunch when it was brought to me by a friend. I knew going into this restaurant that the chefs were excellent, and knew how to satisfy a foodie like never before. The breakfast menu wasn’t extensive, but all the options sounded delicious. My boyfriend ordered the biscuits with sausage gravy. Now I must say the portion looked smaller, but this had to have been the most filling thing they had. Not only did it smell like heaven, it tasted like it too.

I ordered the breakfast sandwich, a suggestion made by the girl taking our orders. Served on a focaccia roll that was full of herbs, an aioli spread that had a slight kick to it, but mostly tasted like sun dried tomatoes, an egg (over easy, YUM), bacon, and arugula. I am not always a fan of arugula, but this sandwich took the cake. All of the flavors came together to make such an incredible and filling meal.

Second thing I didn’t love about DERU? The noisy environment, first thing in the morning. My boyfriend and I are old souls. What I mean by this is: we simply prefer a quiet and peaceful setting first thing in the morning, or any time really. This restaurant is small, so when it’s packed… it feels packed. Take this for what it is and remember, I am 80 years old at heart and cringe when I can’t hear the person sitting across from me.

In the end, the good outweighs the bad by a landslide. Dining at DERU for the second time as expected I was blown away by the amazing food. If you want a dining experience where you feel like you never want to leave, I recommend taking your food to go and eating by the water in Kirkland. Because picnicking will never not be fun.

– d.

[Photo Credit: DERUmarket.com]