Bis on Main, Bar Moore*, Café Moore

Chef Bobby Moore sets a new course

Bobby Moore values hard work, loyalty, and a good challenge. He spent eight years at Fullers and 20 at Willows Lodge and Barking Frog, starting there in 2001. Leaving the Lodge wasn't easy, but it was time. He purchased Bis on Main in Bellevue as his next step.

"I did so much at the Lodge," Bobby says. "I turned it into a teaching kitchen that evolved with time. I felt I'd done all I could do and wasn't being challenged. It was challenging because it was a hotel and we were in charge of the restaurant, banquets, room service, private parties, and the Barking Frog Mobile Kitchen; 365 days a year. I had a great team that made it happen. The Lodge made it possible for me to be available for my family and not miss the important moments." Bobby grew up in Oahu where he met his wife, Michelle. She wanted to attend the University of Washington, so they moved to Seattle in 1993. Early on, she worked at Amazon and then was able to be a stay-at-home mom. Now their oldest is attending Chapman University in California and their youngest Gonzaga University. Both work and personal timing made it possible for them to take on the challenge of owning their own place.

Bobby and Michelle Moore, photo by Krista Fleming

"I feel I'm an Eastside chef, so I wanted a place on the Eastside. One of my best friends, Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan Winery, knew a guy who owns a building in Bellevue and had a tenant who was retiring. Mark and the building owners put me and Joe Vilardi, the owner of Bis on Main, together. We hadn't met before. The negotiations lasted a year. We took over the bar, renaming it Bar Moore, in August/September. Joe ran the restaurant through October 1. The last night, I walked the floor with Joe and met all the regulars.

"Joe and I identified with some of the same things. He was retiring, which I wasn't, but I knew how it felt to leave something that we'd built into an institution. His kids grew up only knowing Bis on Main; mine grew up knowing Willows Lodge. I brought Dylan Herrick back into the Lodge knowing he'd want to do a better job than me. And I was taking over Bis on Main thinking I could do a better job than Joe. I know I have to be careful how I change things, navigating in a smart way. It's really easier to open a brand new restaurant than take over an established one. But I like Bellevue, especially Old Bellevue because it's so charming. I knew I would have a built-in clientele. Some dropped away but have been returning."

Some things remain on the menu like the black cod and garlic chicken. "I've added a Bobby flair," he laughs. "We use the small cast iron pan to hold mashed potatoes, and accompaniments change seasonally. I felt the chicken needed au jus or demi. I got past that by putting it on the side so people could choose to use it or not. Everyone loves it and pours the sauce on the chicken! We are slowly evolving the menu, changing it seasonally, and representing the bounty of the Northwest. We offer lots of fresh seafood and I've had deliveries right to my back door of local black trumpet mushrooms. We've added more to the menu and improved the cuisine. I tend to be more out front, expedite from the kitchen, and focus on private parties. Michelle handles our social media and marketing, and works the floor two nights a week."

Along with clientele returning, Bobby has had former employees return. "I work really well with our other chef, Sal Gonzalez. Tim Shea, front of the house, had already returned, he worked at Bis on and off for 20 years. He does all the booking for private parties. I accidentally called Sal one night, so I told him Tim had returned and he said, 'You're still missing someone.' Who? 'Me!' That's how Sal came back."

The interior remodel is very elegant, yet comfortable. People love the free valet parking (just tip the attendant). "We have new artwork and have opened up the different areas of the restaurant, removing walls. I've always looked up to John Sundstrom and thought it was great when he opened a bar next to Lark, so that's what I was thinking with our bar. People can hang out here all evening or use it as a place for a drink before dinner at Bis. We may have a ballgame on or not. It's like a European bar tucked away in Paris. We have live music on Friday and Saturday nights from local artists." Bobby subleases the bar space from Sotheby's and there are three more spaces behind the blue curtains, making it the largest venue outside of having to take an elevator at a hotel in Bellevue. They can do a stand-up cocktail party for 120 or a sit-down dinner for 70.

Café Moore opened December 8 with opening hours of 8 a.m.-2 p.m. People can have a nice place to work and have coffee or something to eat. Claire Sumadiwirya is consulting with Bobby on espresso; she runs Bellden Café down the street. Enjoy pastries, avocado toast, parfaits, overnight oats, breakfast burritos.

Bobby's internet address is www.bobbymoorerestaurnats.com (plural). Yes, the plan is to expand, but the focus now is on Bis and the bar and café. When that's fully dialed in, they'll look for the right place. For what? Possibly another Bis or maybe another concept entirely. They have ideas.

"I love it here: the people I work with, our guests. It's a neighborhood spot. People sitting next to each other talk about their kids going to high school together, old friends reconnect. It's been a learning year in this space for us, but no matter what, the biggest thing for me is hospitality. In this industry, the word 'no' doesn't exist. We treat people like they're coming into our own homes. We want them to leave with a good memory."

Connie Adams/December 2023

Bis on Main
10213 Main Street
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-455-2033

Bar Moore, Café Moore
10237 Main Street
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-998-1600

www.bobbymoorerestaurants.com

* Bar Moore closing January 27, 2024.