November 26, 2014 at 10:24am
Three Magnets Brewing's Jamburger with savory jam and bacon / photo courtesy of Facebook
At the Olympia's new brewpub Three Magnets Brewing Co., the "soft launch has turned rock-hard very quickly," as a recent post on the pub's Facebook page put it.
The pub opened Nov. 7, with the all-ages restaurant section opening Nov. 17, but it's already getting plenty of attention from fans of local beer, local food and soccer - which is on the bar's TV whenever there's a game on.
The simple menu is still evolving, but it will continue to evolve - and it will continue to be simple.
"It's always going to be a pretty small menu," says Sara Reilly, who owns the brewery and pub - and popular breakfast spot Darby's - with husband, Nate Reilly.
"That's what we've been able to learn from Darby's," she says. "It's famous because it has this huge menu, and it pleases everyone, but it's not a very good way to run a business.
"The idea is to try to do a couple of things and do them well. It's almost like a food-truck mentality."
>>> Three Magnets Brewing's salt-cod Reuben / photo courtesy of Facebook
The focus is on a casual version of surf and turf - including hand-ground burgers on housemade spent-grain buns, fish and chips and a salt-cod Reuben. All of the sauces are made in house.
On a visit last week, we had the Lamburger ($14), jazzed up with lemon-mint marmalade, and the Jamburger ($13), with savory jam that was a bit like a more exciting and chunkier version of ketchup. The bacon was gone when we arrived at 9 p.m., as were the buns, but toasted bread worked just fine.
The burgers come with a cup of the soup of the day (also sold out) or a mug of fries that were light, crisp, hot and just salty enough. And - be still my heart - the fries are gluten free, although the staff points out that in a brewery there is a risk of contamination that may be a problem for those with celiac disease.
My companion didn't want fries, and the kitchen was willing to substitute a simple side salad with malt vinaigrette.
There are a couple of vegetarian options, including Beercheese Mac ($7), with more on the way, and a small kids menu.
But don't go in on the hunt for any specific dish.
"We're keeping very few items from day to day," Reilly says. "We're trying to come up with new menus daily.
"We don't want to make a commitment on anything that people can expect."
Actually, that's not quite true. Three Magnets doesn't want to marry any specific menu item, but patrons can expect food that's fresh, local and of high quality, Reilly promises.
Some of the produce is coming from Wobbly Cart Farm, and fish will change based on what's available, she says, with a focus on fresh, never-frozen varieties.
Housemade gravlax is on the way, as are seasonal game burgers. "We'll have a venison burger, an elk burger and things like that, but we're always going to grind it in house," she says.
Also coming soon will be lunch, weekend brunch and more beverage options beyond beer. Again, the focus will be close to local.
Currently, the pub has the simplest of wine options - a house white and a house red ($5 for a snifter) - but more Eastern Washington wines are on the way, including some from Salida Winery in Rainier.
There'll be cocktails, too, probably in the next month or two. Just don't expect a full bar.
"We're not going to have Bacardi and Coke, because we don't have Bacardi or Coke," Reilly says, "but we might have a nice artisanal rum from the San Juan Islands and our housemade malt cola."
THREE MAGNETS BREWING CO., 4ish-10ish p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 4ish-11ish p.m. Friday and Saturday, 600 Franklin St. SE, Suite 102, Olympia, 360.972.2481
SEE ALSO
Science with Three Magnets Brewing Co.'s head brewer Pat Jansen
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