SEQUIM –– Sequim’s newest eatery, Krush, has begun offering its unusual menu of hearty treats, and owners John Allen and Joe McLaughlin hope it sticks with diners.
“Everybody remembers their first crush,” Allen said with a wink.
It’s their hope that the memory brings diners back for more.
Allen and McLaughlin opened Krush earlier this month inside Rock Plaza shopping center at the roundabout corner of Old Olympic Highway and Sequim-Dungeness Way.
The spot was last home to Ming’s Chinese Buffet.
The duo have created a place they hope provides a casual “Northwest modern” atmosphere, with couches and coffee tables laid around a spacious dining room and plenty of room at the concrete bar.
“Grab a couch, sample the food, try a beer or two; just take it easy,” Allen said.
McLaughlin said the cooks relish digging their fingers into ground beef to individually craft each Krush Burger.
“It’s all homemade,” said McLaughlin, third in his family’s line of restaurateurs.
“That brings us consistently good food. And that’s the key to making people happy.”
Specialties on the menu include the aforementioned Krush Burger, duck confit tacos and “Krush Puppies” — a spicy take on the Southern deep-fried cornmeal treat.
Hanging from the high ceiling over the bar are warm red lamps that provide a contrast to the restaurant’s blue-lighted backdrop.
Large televisions make the concrete Krush bar a spot to feast on garlic fries and the bacon-and-onion-infused Krush sauce as well as one of the rotating regional microbrews. Windows that stand as high as the two-story ceiling in the dining room allow Sequim’s famous sunlight to pour into the dining room, which bounces with laid-back tunes from Sinatra, Ray Charles and other mid-20th century greats.
Weekends, Allen and McLaughlin plan to bring in bands and deejays to take advantage of the spacious room.
Krush is open from 11 a.m. until at least 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com
