Sunday, March 11, 2012

Bite Restaurant

Bite Restaurant is located in the Hotel Murano in Tacoma, Washington. I stayed at this hotel when I took the Winter 2012 Washington State Bar Examination (exam held at the nearby Tacoma Convention Center).






Hotel Murano has a lovely, contemporaneous, upscale feel (glass art, anyone?), and Bite was no exception. I graced my presence for breakfast and lunch on a few occasions.
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My first meal was their spinach and mushroom egg white omelet, with wheat toast and bowl of fruit ($10). The chef used the equivalent of three eggs. Killer job on the spinach and crimini mushrooms. Proper seasoning, sauteed perfectly. The spinach retained such a bold, dark green color.

Top half of breakfast menu
(February 2012)
Bottom half of breakfast menu
(February 2012)
Spinach and mushroom egg white omelet w/fruit and wheat toast
(Bite Restaurant)



Here, much to my delight, my wheat toast was lightly buttered. None of this "would you like some toast with your butter?" folly. The diced fruit was fresh and much appreciated after downing some heavy meals the day before. Mayra was my server and did a wonderful job. Lots of smiling and a warming presence all the way through service.
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Patty was my server for lunch. I got the Pac Northwest Cobb Salad ($16). Bay shrimp, dungeness crab, bacon, buttermilk bleu cheese, eggs (hard-boiled), cherry tomatoes, and avocado. The dressing, which I requested on the side, was a honey mustard vinaigrette.

Part of lunch menu
Pac Northwest Cobb Salad
Sure, it was a takeout order, but regardless, the multi-colored presentation almost made the salad too awesome to eat. And damn, that was real shredded dungeness crab. Justified the hefty price tag right there. Along with bacon, of course. Because we must have bacon.

Patty had suggested this salad in lieu of the Old School Chicken Salad (which they were unfortunately out of at the time). A great selection. All the different tastes are represented, with varying textures. The sweet, slightly tangy honey mustard vinaigrette brings it all together.

On this occasion, it took a rather excessive amount of time to get my order. Mayra was still working the lunch shift and offered to check on my order. A model employee to go out of her way to provide customer satisfaction. Patty was also a fairly good hostess, but geez, someone wanted Employee of the Month honors just a bit more!

The prices are higher than what I'm generally used to paying, but the customer is paying for food quality and ambiance here. Heck, you can get a 12 oz. Starbucks coffee for $1.45 (plus tax) if you want to. This panda loves coffee! I blame bar studying....
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My last meal here was another breakfast: the Barcelona omelet ($11, adding $1 to sub egg whites). Ground chorizo, green olives, manchego cheese, peppers, and onions. The chorizo was the outright star, sending bold flavors into the dish. The downside? The liquid fat from the chorizo collecting underneath the omelet in an unappetizing manner. The olives, each split in half, added tang to the dish. The mild manchego had melted into this awesome gooey glue.


Barcelona Omelet w/skillet potatoes and wheat toast
(Bite Restaurant)

In the upper left hand corner, there is a very small helping of fruit on a green piece of paper


Well-cooked and lightly seasoned skillet potatoes on the side here. Browned on the outside, soft on the inside. Combining it with veggies provided great color.

In the left-hand corner, lay a very small helping of minced fruit on a green piece of paper. Interesting. Is that how they sneak fruit in a dish like this? You know, you don't have to do that with me. Fruit has feared my mighty jaw from time immemorial.

On the side, I again received lightly buttered and properly toasted wheat bread.

The breakfast buffet here is $12.95, filled with eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, fruit, and pastries. Beverages are included. Sounds like a pretty nice deal if you can eat a lot. Unfortunately, the fear of an impending food coma during exams prevented me from enjoying this one. Maybe next time.

I had a pleasant experience at Bite Restaurant and the Hotel Murano. I concur with Jen K. that one should still consider other options in the area -- don't torture your wallet if you can help it! But for a hotel restaurant, I'd still recommend Bite, assuming the person has the billfold to stomach the final damage. 6.75/10

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