Herald writer Amy Nile recently wrote about the city of Monroe’s hopes of creating a craft beer culture that is akin to Woodinville and wine.
Part of that transformation begins with breweries — Dreadnought Brewery opened in Monroe a month ago and Prison Break Brewery is slated to open this fall — but another aspect is taprooms and bars that serve dozens of craft beer on tap.
Enter Route 2 Taproom and Grazing. The taproom opened in a strip mall off Highway 2 in Monroe earlier this month and fits the bill. There are 26 craft beers on tap and barbecue to order. I asked a good friend who loves craft beer — and barbecue — to meet me there.
I arrived 15 minutes before my friend so I walked in and decided to grab a seat at a pub table inside (it was 5:30 p.m. but it was still hovering in the 80s and the AC felt good). The bar fits a dozen comfortably while six four-top pub tables ring the outer portion of the seating area. There are also four tables that seat four (while we were there, a large group easily pushed together two tables to accommodate a larger party) and three smaller pub tables for two. Outside there are a number of picnic tables with umbrellas.
A server greeted me immediately, plopped down a barbecue menu and pointed out the taplist on a TV at the bar and another adjacent to where I was sitting. She also explained that I could bring it up on my phone, which I unfortunately had no luck doing. It was easy for me to get up out of my seat and check out the TV screen, but I see how having no physical menus could be a problem from time to time. (I ordered a Triplehorn NeMeSiS Imperial Milk Stout, if you were curious.)
I also understand why they don’t have physical menus. Like most taprooms that specialize in craft beer, the taplist is ever changing. The server told me she took three days off and the whole taplist rotated.
“I don’t even know why I memorized the whole thing,” she joked.
That’s the sign of a good taproom: When a tap blows, replace it with something not only fresh but new. Another good sign is local beers. I counted 17 beers on tap from Washington, including beers from Snohomish County breweries Skookum, Diamond Knot and Scuttlebutt, and eight of the other nine were from Oregon. Route 2 Taproom is definitely a good place for Northwest beer lovers.
A third sign of a good taproom is a knowledgable staff. My friend and I were mostly left alone to pick our own beers, but a woman did mention to us that (owner) Adam Miller was amazing at picking out the perfect beer for patrons. Throughout our visit, Miller was busy behind the bar, talking to customers and serving pints.
Close to finished with our first beers, we decided to order food. Focusing its energy on ale, Route 2 Taproom doesn’t do its own food. The barbecue is provided by Hook &Ladder BBQ and prepared in a small kitchen on site.
There are a number of appetizers (from $5 to $6) and sides for $3.50. They also make a pulled pork pizza and a smoked chicken pizza, as well as offer barbecue staples like ribs, pulled pork and brisket sandwiches and a smoked chicken.
We ordered a brisket sandwich, a pulled pork pizza, chicken wings, and a pair of appetizers called Scott’s Tots and BBQ Sushi. We discovered Scott’s Tots are a whole bunch of tots covered pulled pork, cheese and barbecue sauce, and BBQ Sushi is cheese surrounded by meatloaf and wrapped in bacon. If you’re looking for vegetables, you’ll have to settle for the hops in your beer.
The brisket sandwich, Scott’s Tots and the chicken wings were great. The BBQ Sushi was interesting but was a bit too much meat (if that sounds possible). The pizza was good, but the crust was a little doughy.
After all that, we had room for one more beer. Fortunately we were in a great place for just that.
Aaron Swaney: 425-339-3430; aswaney@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @swaney_aaron79. Follow the Hops and Sips blog at www.heraldnet.com/hopsandsips.
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