Tap House Grill

Beer, fusion and plenty of It

Bellevue just got 160 more taps of beer under one roof, not to mention a mouth watering fusion menu to boot.  We hope you enjoy our exclusive interview with Owner Paul Reder (at right).

Who conceived the idea of doing the Tap House grill, who are the current principals and what are their backgrounds?

The Tap House Grill concept was concieved over a rather long period of time. It is what my friends and I always discussed would be the perfect restaurant to suit our tastes. If we wanted to go out for a great steak, that was one place. Sometimes we'd be in the mood for sampling beers at a local brewery and other times we would need a fun place to go for Happy Hour. We tried to combine the best of all these worlds in one complete package. I am the sole owner of The Tap House Grill, but I have an amazing management team that I could not have done this without. I have been in the business since I was 14. 

Is this part of a conglomeration of other restaurants around town?

This is the only restaurant I own and operate. It is not part of any other company.

160 taps on the wall. That's a lot of choices. Who decides what taps go up?

The beer selection process was very exciting. We wanted to have a selection that would allow our guests to really get creative and have fun. There were three of us in on it. Myself, General Manager Lyle Richardson, and Bar Manager, Darby Kelly. We started with all the beers available on tap in the state. That was about 225. We started by balancing all the different styles. Also we wanted to support lots of NW breweries and carry rare and hard to find beers from around the world. I would estimate that 70% of our offerings are from the NW. 

What other libation specialties can be had barside?

In addition to the great beer selection, we have an amazing specialty drink and martini selection. This drink menu was created by our Bar Manager Darby Kelly. Some examples would be the Emerald City Tea which has vodka, gin, rum, Midori, pineapple and Sprite. Or our Sake kazi made with Yuzu Sake, Ketel One Vodka, Triple Sec and sour.

What is the theme of the current menu?

The theme of the menu is pretty simple. Steak, Seafood and Sushi. I call it Neo Classic Americana. This means well known, familiar items with interesting twists. We added the sushi aspect because it just seemed to fit with everything else. All our steaks are Certified Angus Beef. 

Who consulted on the menu and why was this person selected?

We used a menu consultant named Ted Furst primarily for his experience and creativity. He helped us find the niche that would give all our food the identity we were looking for.

Why the Bellevue Galleria?

We selected the Bellevue Galleria primarily for its great location. Downtown Bellevue is a buzzing restaurant area. We wanted proximity to the Bellevue Square mall as well as the Hyatt and all the office towers. This location offers great street presence and a ton of windows. The square footage was perfect at 7700 square feet enabling us to accommodate 240 guests. There are also 4 floors of underground parking and we offer full validation.

Is this just the beginning? Will there be other Tap House Grills?

I would like to see more THGs in the future. My goal is 3-5 primarily in the NW. I would love to go into Seattle as well as Portland

You're just getting started. How will things progress over the coming 12 months?

Interview by TM/Fall 2002